Usually, political candidates who want to go to Washington pledge to put Utah first. But University of Utah engineering professor Joe Andrade, a candidate for the state’s 2nd Congressional District, says he’d put Utah third. He’s says it’s the planet that comes first.

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder says if the county doesn’t act to restore part of the $3.2 million cut to the 2012 jail budget, it’ll be hard pressed to operate. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the council is set to make a decision today.

West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder is plowing ahead with his bid for Salt Lake County Mayor. The candidate has picked up the support of several elected officials in the valley, including mayors and lawmakers. But the chair of the county Republican party has opposed his candidacy, after he admitted to and apologized for writing newspaper articles about his city under the name Richard Burwash.

Salt Lake County Auditor Greg Hawkins released an audit today detailing several types of fraud in the county’s AmeriCorps program, following a year-long investigation jointly conducted with the district attorney’s office and the FBI. It focuses primarily on the actions of Richard Parks, the county’s AmeriCorps program director.

Democrats turned out in large numbers last night to get involved in the political process, as precinct caucuses elected delegates and precinct chairs to represent the party in the upcoming county and state conventions. KCPW’s Whittney Evans spoke with Democrats in House District 24 about their thoughts on the process and the high profile race for Salt Lake County Mayor.

Hoping to keep residents with mental health problems out of emergency rooms or jail whenever possible, Salt Lake County has launched three new Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams. As Mayor Peter Corroon explains, the teams will be deployed starting this Thursday to deal with problems whenever and wherever they arise. He noted as a property manager, he once had an elderly tenant who got off her medication and attacked police with a pair of clippers.

While the Utah legislature made no gains this year in passing legislation mandating businesses use E-Verify, the Salt Lake County Council approved a resolution this week (last week) to make sure businesses in its unincorporated areas are using the system.

Salt Lake County can be better managed for less. That’s the message of former county councilman Mark Crockett, who’s now hoping to return to county government, this time as mayor. The GOP candidate says millions of dollars can be saved by cutting waste and not overlapping with city services. We asked Crockett what ideas he has to offer voters and delegates heading into the Republican convention a few months away.

“Thank you for still believing” was the first thing West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder told his family, friends and supporters this morning as he officially launched his campaign for Salt Lake County Mayor at Frida’s Bistro in Salt Lake City. His words came after weeks of speculation about whether he would still get in the race, following Winder’s admission that he wrote articles for local news outlets under a fake identity, Richard Burwash.

An emotional Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon addressed the council, county employees and residents this morning during his final state of the county address. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the address touched on the administration’s accomplishments over the past seven years and set the tone for Corroon’s last year as the county’s top executive.