A years-long battle over the big box is now over on Salt Lake City’s east side – and it means Walmart will still be moving into the neighborhood, but not with a new store. In a six-to-one vote last night the Salt Lake City Council rejected a request by the company to rezone its property on 2700 East Parleys Way, which would have enabled it to tear down the existing building.
As the business sector anticipates President Obama’s job creation speech to Congress Thursday night, Democratic Utah Representative Jim Matheson is hoping to see some specific plans. But how much of an impact can a speech, or the federal government itself, have on the economy? KCPW’s Jeff Robinson asked Matheson for his thoughts on what President Obama needs to say in his address.
State employees are back to working Fridays this week. The change comes a few months after lawmakers voted to reinstate the five-day workweek, overriding a veto by Governor Gary Herbert. But Todd Sutton, Employee Representative for the Utah Public Employees Association, says surveys conducted after a trial period of the four-ten workweek showed that both workers and the public were happier.
Home sales in Utah rose 16.4 percent from July of 2010 through July 2011, according to the Utah Association of Realtors. And President Kenny Parcell says the 17.5 percent drop in the number of homes on the market is also good news.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert won’t say much about his decision to fire the head of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control until an audit is complete. Last week, he demanded and received the immediate resignation of Executive Director Dennis Kellen following allegations he violated state procurement law.
eBay is bringing more than 2,000 new jobs to Utah. The online auction giant just announced plans to build a new facility in Draper, saying it will create 2,200 jobs in the state over the next 20 years. Spokesman Michael Frandsen says eBay has been happy with its Utah employees, which is one of the reasons it chose to expand here.
We’ve seen our fair shares of red air quality days this summer in the Salt Lake Valley, not to mention the winter inversions that trap smog to the valley floor several days a year. Now, the Salt Lake City Council will consider an ordinance aimed at stopping residents from idling their cars and sending more pollutants into the air.
Democratic Representative Brian Doughty is the newest member of the Utah Legislature. The small business owner and community activist replaced Jackie Biskupski, making him now the only LGBT state lawmaker. He only has a short time in the legislature before the district boundaries are re-drawn, possibly forcing him to run against another Democratic incumbent.
The Cottonwood Heights City Council has said no deal to Terry Diehl. The developer and former board member of the Utah Transit Authority was hoping the city would re-zone his property for the Tavaci development at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, so instead of building single family homes there, he could turn it into a high-density resort. But in a unanimous vote last night, the city council rejected the re-zoning plan.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services has received funds from the U.S. Labor Department to help eligible workers afford job training for in-demand occupations in Utah, Summit, Wasatch and Juab Counties. Michelle Viertel, DWS operational program specialist, says it can provide up to $4,000 in supplemental money for up to 24 months of a job-training program or college degree.
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