Behind the Headlines

Legislature, police reforms, schools and a new day for two Utah monuments on this week’s ‘Behind the Headlines’

January 22, 2021 JCE

The 2021 Utah Legislature kicks off under unusual circumstances. Among the many items up for consideration are several police reforms and an effort to pressure schools to resume in-person classes. Plus, a new president means a significant change in public lands policy, and a likely reversal of strategy for two Utah national monuments. And Camp Last Hope, a new kind of…

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Behind the Headlines

Trump impeachment, vaccine glitches and an intriguing drug case

January 15, 2021 JCE

Utah’s all-GOP House delegation calls President Donald Trump’s second impeachment a mistake that will divide the nation. Huge demand for vaccines causes the Salt Lake County Health Department’s scheduling website to crash. And the CEO of a Utah pharmacy is charged with importing a controversial COVID-19 medication in falsely labeled shipments from an unapproved drug provider in China. At 9…

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Behind the Headlines

Capitol assault, electoral endgame and Utah’s new governor

January 8, 2021 JCE

The storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob calls into question the stability of America’s democracy. Two members of Utah’s congressional delegation vote to object to the will of the American people as expressed through the presidential election, even as Sen. Mitt Romney remains steadfast in his defense of democratic norms. And Utah welcomes a new…

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Behind the Headlines

Looking back at a momentous 2020

January 1, 2021 JCE

Utah in 2020 will be forever defined by the coronavirus pandemic. But it was also a year of protest and social upheaval, of a contentious, divisive election, of an earthquake, a windstorm, an impeachment trial and even a mysterious monolith. At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt Lake Tribune senior managing editor Matt Canham, managing editor…

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Frontline workers start receiving vaccines, tar sands leasing revisited, and withholding teacher bonuses

December 18, 2020 JCE

A second wave of COVID-19 vaccine shipments have arrived in Utah, with more hospitals across the state beginning to give shots to their front-line workers. Another 30 deaths reported, putting Utah’s death toll from COVID-19 at 1,126 Thursday, which marked the end of the virus’s deadliest two weeks since the pandemic began. Utah lawmakers are adding $400 million…

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Tar sands leasing in the Uinta Basin and blowback for Utah’s AG over election lawsuit

December 11, 2020 JCE

This week in Utah news: Utah’s Governor and Governor-elect condemn a decision by Attorney General Sean Reyes to join a lawsuit aiming to overturn the presidential election. Reyes joined 16 other attorneys general Wednesday in endorsing the Texas petition that seeks to invalidate the election results in four battleground states captured by President-elect Joe Biden. In the…

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Counties vie for Inland Port satellites, San Juan County asks for Bears Ears restoration, and Legal advice for Utah’s ‘troubled teen’ industry

December 4, 2020 JCE

A group of government economic development leaders and rural business interests took the chance to extol the many benefits a satellite port would bring to their ailing economies during the Utah Inland Port Authority Board’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday. Proponents of the satellite port model say it would address some of the concerns environmental advocates have raised…

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Lawmakers decry Gov. Herbert’s health orders and the serious illness some Utah children face after COVID-19

November 20, 2020 JCE

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert gets an earful from Republican state lawmakers for his coronavirus measures during a Tuesday meeting. The group, led by the governor and Gov.-elect Spencer Cox, spent more than four hours with Republican House members, explaining the reality of the risk, and the reason for the response. After getting COVID-19, some Utah children are hospitalized…

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A record jump in coronavirus infections and unsubstantiated voter fraud claims

November 13, 2020 JCE

Utah reported a record-shattering 3,919 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, with record-high hospitalizations and the virus’ deadliest single week since the pandemic began. Between 4.5% and 5% of those cases will end up in the hospital, Gov. Gary Herbert said at a Thursday news conference. “Those numbers should be alarming to all of us,” he said, warning…

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Surging coronavirus numbers and a Utah election recap

November 6, 2020 JCE

Election Day may have come and gone, but the results of some races, like the 4th Congressional District contest, remain too close to call. Two Utah Republicans push back against President Trump’s false, post-election claims – while urging everyone to take a deep breath and calm down. And with Utah coronavirus numbers again shattering records,…

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