A retired school teacher, former pilot and even a Super Bowl champion are all competing to become Utah’s next member of Congress in District 2. The race has 17 contenders, and last night, seven of the GOP candidates met in North Salt Lake for a debate hosted by the Davis County Young Republicans. KCPW’s Jessica Gail introduces us to who they are and why they think they belong in Washington.
Democrat Jim Bradley has been a longtime fixture in Salt Lake County politics. Serving as chairman of the county commission for four years in the early 1990s and the past 12 on the county council, he’s now seeking re-election. In recent years, Bradley has overseen the county’s new urban farming program and the creation of the Unified Police Department which led to some controversy.
Salt Lake City’s plans to restrict electronic billboards survived during this year’s legislative session. But changes will still be coming to the city’s anti-idling ordinance. Mayor Ralph Becker joined us in the studio to discuss the impact of this year’s session, along with City Creek and his efforts to fight against the SkiLink proposal being pushed through Congress.
A bill that would require the federal government to get permission from the legislature before providing assistance to Utah’s rural communities is one step closer to becoming law. Friday, the House of Representatives approved a plan that would limit the White House Rural Council, which has been in place since June. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what both parties have to say about the bill.
This week, state lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a series of bills aimed at taking over public lands from the federal government, which currently controls roughly two-thirds of the entire state. But a top federal official who oversees those public lands doesn’t think their efforts will amount to a hill of beans.
Big changes could be in store for one of Utah’s largest employers. Defense cuts and the recommendation of new Base Realignments and Closures have many worried for the future of Hill Air Force Base. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what the state plans to do keep Hill up and running.
It was 61 years ago today that nuclear testing began on the Nevada Test Site, as many residents of Salt Lake Cityand more rural areas like Kane County know too well. That’s why local leaders are marking a National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Nuclear Weapons Testing, which was designated by the U.S. Senate, to commemorate the lives of downwinders, those who were exposed to the radiation. Local resident Mary Dickson is one of them.
President Obama’s State of the Union address last night touched on some themes that could please some of Utah’s elected officials in Washington, like expanding domestic energy access. But do they think he has the track record to get it done? KCPW’s Jeff Robinson talked with one of them, Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson, to get his reaction to the address last night.
The Executive Director of Utah’s Department of Workforce Services says the state and federal governments need to take a closer look at work exemptions for people who receive public assistance because incompatible policies and expectations do more to discourage work than support it. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, one national advocate for government assistance says not so fast.
Conservationists, tourism-dependent businesses and some farmers, ranchers and recreationists are applauding the Interior Department’s decision to adopt a 20-year moratorium on new uranium mining claims on a million acres of public lands near Grand Canyon National Park. But it’s left many Utah lawmakers on the federal and state level furious.
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