A Republican state lawmaker has sparked a lot of debate by suggesting Utah’s colleges and universities are handing out “degrees to nowhere.” As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports… he knows firsthand what it’s like to feel hopeless fresh out of college, graduating with a degree that he says got him nowhere.
Proposed cuts to the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would close four state liquor and wine stores, six independently-operated package agencies, and cause store hours to be cut back.
Utah’s Medicaid system is getting a much needed $3.5 million boost from two pharmaceutical companies who inflated their costs so heavily, Utah sued.
Republican Senator Howard Stephenson claimed that the University of Utah and other public colleges and universities are handing out “degrees to nowhere,” unless they’re in science, math and engineering. We talked about that and budget cuts with Dave Buhler, Associate Commissioner for Public Affairs with the Utah System of Higher Education.
A GOP state lawmaker has enraged LGBT advocates by proposing a “family policy” for the state, and other bills they fear will lead to discrimination. We got the reaction of University of Utah Law Professor and Equality Utah board member Cliff Rosky.
After a judicial victory in Florida for conservatives who oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff now says it can’t be enforced in Utah. But the governor isn’t sure yet where to go on this issue. We talked with Chief Deputy Attorney General John Swallow about what this ruling means.
State lawmakers debated how to fund books and other resources in public school libraries Thursday. Librarians said they’d like to see the state allocate money specifically for school libraries, rather than allow each district to divvy up the funds from a $31 million pool of money.
Utah schools might soon get a letter grade based on their students’ overall performance on assessment tests. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill creating a school grading system yesterday. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, there were some reservations.
If former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman intends to run for President now that he’s stepping down as Ambassador to China, he’ll most certainly need lots and lots of money. So who will help him raise it? Every week, we speak with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
A fight between gun rights and property rights took place in the Utah House of Representatives this morning. And in a rare occurrence for the conservative Utah Legislature, a pro-gun bill was rejected by lawmakers. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson reports.
Additional Programming Provided by
