Deseret News
- A woman’s place is in the Capitol – Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson keeping eye on Martha Hughes Cannon as statue rests in Utah Capitol while awaiting journey to the U.S. Capitol
- A way too early guide to the 2024 Republican primary – The ‘invisible primary’ is underway and here’s a list of potential contenders, based on early polling, interviews with Republican donors and strategists and results from online political betting markets
- ‘Trump slump?’ Not for Fox News’ Dana Perino – Fox News, the longtime leader in cable TV news, is betting that viewers want more of George W. Bush’s former press secretary, who brings Mountain West values to her high-profile job.
- Continued COVID-19 restrictions could take us back to the Prohibition era – Vaccine passports and other strict health protocols could lead to long-running regulations.
- International inclusion, Easter messages, 20 new temples mark historic conference – ‘Truly the blessings of the gospel are for every race, language and people,’ President Nelson said. ‘The Church of Jesus Christ is a global church. Jesus Christ is our leader’
- Poll shows how Utahns feel about a citizenship path for ‘Dreamers’ – 55% of Utahns support legislation the U.S. House passed last month to provide a legal path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants.
- The Easter message is a lesson for the pandemic’s last mile – The dawn of an Easter weekend reminds us of the promise ahead, if we remain vigilant.
- A crime, a cell — and a new tablet? It’s a ‘new era’ in this Utah jail – On March 3, the Davis County Jail began issuing tablets to all inmates who aren’t in maximum security. With a tablet, inmates have access to more than 15,000 books, podcasts, movies and games, and can communicate more easily with family members.
- Utah’s large universities say ‘the jobs are out there’ for 2021 grads – “I do think those students that are very intentional and, for lack of a better word, aggressive about pursuing the beginning of their career are still finding the opportunities in the state. The opportunities are out there.”
- Church helping put USU’s language-focused programs under 1 roof in new global learning center – The center “will help students gain the communication expertise and cultural confidence to be leaders in their professions and communities.”
- Are Utahns ready to travel? Residents weigh in on plans in new poll – More than 2 in 3 are planning to travel in the near future, with the majority heading beyond the Beehive State’s borders
Salt Lake Tribune
- LDS General Conference recap: Speakers address politics, racism, cyberbullying, abortion, inclusion and more – Easter sessions focus on Christ with an international flavor.
- James Huntsman isn’t the first to sue the LDS Church for a tithing refund. Do any of them stand a chance? – A federal judge has ruled that churches can be sued for fraud, and a tax whistleblower’s complaint about a $100B stash is providing ammo — but will these cases ultimately misfire?
- Robert Gehrke: How Utah became a digital privacy leader, while making a few mistakes along the way – An audit of the state’s contract with Banjo helps refine the government’s relationship with Big Data.
- Uintah County Commission signals plan to strip clerk/auditor of accounting authority – Clerk/auditor who previously decried COVID relief spending on a tubing hill warns handing over more control to commission means ‘putting the fox in the henhouse.’
- Facing public outcry, Utah County commissioners backpedal on budget office takeover – They now say they intend to leave these duties with the clerk/auditor’s office.
- ‘Utah Politics’ podcast: Mike Lee and Aimee Winder Newton – This podcast discusses issues from the border surge to harassment in the county GOP, and from vaccine passports to running for office.
Other
- American Fork City councilwoman dies at 74 (KSL-TV) Barbara Christiansen died on Friday. During her four-decade residency in the city, Christiansen worked as a reporter for the American Fork Citizen weekly newspaper and the Daily Herald.
- SLC event venue refuses to give up despite pandemic struggles (FOX 13) – Janice Boes, the founder and owner of Pierpont Place in downtown Salt Lake City had to get creative.
COVID Corner
- Utah has administered nearly 1.5 million total vaccines so far; no deaths reported Sunday (Deseret News) – It has been 109 days since the first COVID-19 vaccine shot was administered in the U.S., and 104 million people have since received at least one dose.
- COVID-19 vaccine trials for kids are critical for Utah — its young population can’t hit herd immunity without them (Salt Lake Tribune) – Once the first phase is complete, the second phase of the trial would require thousands of participants. “To reach herd immunity, it’s all hands on deck.”
- No new COVID-19 deaths in Utah as number of vaccinations rises to almost 1.5 million (Salt Lake Tribune) – Only 18 have people died from the coronavirus in the past seven days. From March 22 to March 28, 52 people died.
- US puts J&J in charge of plant that botched COVID vaccine, removes AstraZeneca (Fox Business) – The government’s move to have the facility make only the J&J single-dose vaccine is meant to avoid future mix-ups.
- Everyone in England to be offered twice-weekly Covid tests, PM to say (The Guardian) – Boris Johnson to promise universal rollout of lateral flow testing scheme in bid to ease England out of lockdown.
- Infectious diseases expert: U.S. is “at the beginning” of a fourth COVID-19 surge (Axios) – “We’re now, I think in that cycle where the upper Midwest is just now beginning to start this fourth surge. And I think it was a wake-up call to everyone yesterday when Michigan reported out 8,400 new cases,” Michael Osterholm said on Sunday.
- Why COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Michigan (Deseret News) – The data say that the average of new COVID-19 cases among children younger than 10 years old spiked by 230% — higher than any other age group. Children and young adults from 10 to 19 years old saw a 227% rise in cases, too.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom just got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (Deseret News) – Gov. Newsom remains one of the most prominent people to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
