It’s official: after less than two years on the job, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman will step down as Ambassador to China within a few months. The White House confirmed the news yesterday. Huntsman hasn’t curbed any speculation that he’s now planning to run for President in 2012.
One plan to help the state meet a proposed seven percent budget cut would hit college students in the pocket book. A potential bill discussed in the legislature Monday would trim Medicaid costs by requiring them to get health insurance. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, some lawmakers believe pregnant college students shouldn’t be using the program.
A bill that would eliminate a fee that unincorporated Salt Lake County residents pay for Unified Police Department services was approved by a legislative committee yesterday. And as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, it could soon leave the county scrambling to figure out how to keep the UPD afloat.
It would be a crime to leave a child under nine years old unattended in a hot car, under a bill that cleared a Utah Senate committee yesterday. Democratic Senator Ben McAdams drafted the bill to strengthen existing laws, which currently only allow police officers to cite a person whose child has already been harmed after being left in a vehicle.
A bill that would have allowed school districts to sell advertisement space on school buses was voted down this morning in the Utah House of Representatives. Its sponsor said it would have brought in several million dollars for schools during tough budget times.
A Hollywood actor has collaborated with local entrepreneurs to revive a nearly 80 year-old-bar in downtown Salt Lake City. Bar-X officially re-opened for business last week, and both the owners and patrons say it’s setting a precedent for future local businesses. KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports.
A legislative proposal to make it easier to carry a concealed weapon in Utah is attracting both friends and foes. Republican Representative Carl Wimmer’s bill would allow anyone who can legally purchase a gun to carry a concealed weapon, without getting a concealed firearm permit first. Supporter Clark Aposhian, who is a concealed carry instructor, says it wouldn’t have much of an impact.
Governor Gary Herbert is indicating he doesn’t like two proposed constitutional amendments to change how Utah’s public schools are managed.
While higher education funding in Utah may get cut during the legislative session, the Utah House of Representatives voted this morning to spend nearly $2 million dollars on a new veterinary program at Utah State University. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, some lawmakers questioned whether the money should be spent on doctors learning to treat people, instead of animals.
Wendell Potter used to be a top executive at a major health insurance corporation, CIGNA. Now, he’s trying to get the word out about the industry’s abuses, and how it’s heavily shaping the health care debate in Washington. We talked with him about his new book, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans.
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