Utah AFL-CIO President Jim Judd died this morning after being taken off life support, following a severe head injury he sustained in a motorcycle crash Thursday in Montana. State Senator Karen Mayne says she was with him a week ago in Chicago, and she was devastated to hear the news of his accident.
Utah’s Health System Reform Task Force unanimously voted today (Thursday) in favor of recommending an essential health benefits package. The plan will set the minimum coverage allowed by Utah insurance companies in the individual and small group markets under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Kelly Atkinson, Executive Director of the Utah Health Insurance…
Progressive public policy is the goal of Democratic State Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck. The Salt Lake City lawmaker has served in the legislature since 2008, contributing significantly in the debates over LGBT rights, immigration, social justice and ballot issues. We talked with her, followed by Alan Matheson, Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s senior adviser on environmental matters.
With the November election just a few months away, Republicans are ramping up their campaigns in Utah. Just one day after a visit from House Speaker John Boehner, another high profile Republican paid the state a visit Thursday. Senator and former Presidential nominee John McCain came to rally support for Utah Congressional candidate Mia Love. KCPW’s Charlotte Duren reports.
Utah Republicans have been swift to praise Mitt Romney’s pick of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. But the only member of Utah’s Congressional delegation to co-sponsor a successful bill with Ryan is actually a Democrat. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for The Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
More pieces are coming together for Salt Lake City’s proposed Utah Performing Arts Center. Wednesday, city officials announced who will be designing and building the $110 million project. HKS Architects, a local firm, along with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects beat out 14 other bidders to design the Broadway-style theater on Main Street. Michael Vela, managing principal with HKS, says it’s still too early to tell what the theater will look like.
Utah lawmakers gave an update at the State Capitol Wednesday on the progress of a pilot program offering health coverage for young children with autism spectrum disorders. As KCPW’s Charlotte Duren reports, lawmakers acknowledge more needs to be done, and some believe it’s a far cry from what Utah families need.
A new study is tracking intergenerational poverty in Utah for the first time, and this morning, state lawmakers heard some of the results at the Capitol. It’s the result of a law sponsored by Senator Stuart Reid that directs the Utah Department of Workforce Services to gather data on intergenerational poverty and welfare in the state to develop plans and programs to end the cycle. Karen Crompton, President and CEO of Voices for Utah Children, says the face of poverty is not what it was 50 years ago.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert is working with the Goshute Tribe to begin securing their water rights in Utah. The small tribe, whose reservation sits near the Utah-Nevada border, has been in a water war with Nevada for years, but as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, Goshute leaders say they hope the state can help them keep the water they say is theirs.
Despite being rejected by the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee, Su J. Chon, one of Governor Gary Herbert’s choices to replace two retiring judges in the state’s 3rd District Court, was confirmed by the full Senate Wednesday via a 17-10 vote.
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