October 11, 2024(Public News Servie) - Voting may be a bit more confusing than expected in Utah this year, as two of the four amendments on the ballot have now been voided. The Utah Supreme Court nixed Amendment D, which would have allowed state lawmakers the power to change voter initiatives and prohibit “foreign influence in the initiative process.” And this week, a Third District Court judge also voided Amendment A, which would have allowed state income taxes to be used for … Continued
October 09, 2024(Salt Lake City Weekly) - Utahns are all about health and welfare—as long as it doesn’t take money. That is the disconnect shown in a new Utah Foundation survey. “60% of respondents support strengthening environmental regulations in the U.S., and over 75% indicated that protecting the environment should be more important than economic growth.” And yet, ask people what they’re willing to pay for. How about a 5% improvement in air quality if it means taxes or cost of goods … Continued
October 09, 2024(HJ News) - Tom Liljegren, D-Smithfield, is running for Utah’s District 2 Representative seat because he wants voters to have a Democratic option on the ballot. Liljegren referenced a study done by the Utah Foundation titled, “Priced Out and Fed Up: Cost of Living and Government Dysfunction are Voters’ Top Issues.” He believes in more transparency in government, effective communication between the legislature and residents, and “…wanting to give voice to the concerns of people in north Cache … Continued
October 07, 2024(The Salt Lake Tribune) - My name is Rebekah Cummings. I’m an educator, a library advocate, a mother of three and I’m running for lieutenant governor alongside Brian King. I am a big believer that who someone is, and what they did before running for public office, speaks volumes about what they’ll do once they are elected. I’ve spent the past 15 years working in public and academic libraries, and I absolutely love it. Working in libraries teaches you so … Continued
October 05, 2024(The Salt Lake Tribune) - An oil and gas company that has been polluting the Uinta Basin’s air quality has to pay a fine for Clean Air Act violations and make big changes to its operations. In the meantime, its parent — Denver-based Ovintiv Inc. — is considering a possible sale of its operations in the basin, which could fetch as much as $2 billion, Bloomberg recently reported. Ovintiv USA Inc., a subsidiary of Ovintiv Inc., has violated the federal act … Continued
October 03, 2024(KSL) - CEDAR CITY — The chill music and warm night make it easy to think that all is well in this Cedar City neighborhood. But many of the students attending Southern Utah University have serious concerns about finding and paying for housing. “We’re building more houses now, but there was a moment there, where you weren’t sure you would have a place to live,” one college student told KSL-TV. Utahns all over the state share the … Continued
October 03, 2024(Utah Policy) - Today, the Utah Foundation announces the release of a research brief focused on taxation. Several survey questions help us understand where Utah voters stand on taxation. They were first asked how they might allocate funds if the state received an additional $200 million to address issues such as education, roads, or homelessness. Education and tax cuts topped the list of preferred options, receiving nearly 47% of total responses. Roads, health care, and homelessness were at … Continued
October 02, 2024(KSL) - The chill music and warm night make it easy to think that all is well in this Cedar City neighborhood. But many of the students attending Southern Utah University have serious concerns about finding and paying for housing. “We’re building more houses now, but there was a moment there, where you weren’t sure you would have a place to live,” one college student told KSL TV. Utahns all over the state share the same anxiety. … Continued
October 02, 2024(KSL ) - SALT LAKE CITY — The neighborhoods of Glendale, Rose Park, Hyde Park, Poplar Grove, and others make up Salt Lake City’s west side. This community has historically been underserved, but residents hope that’s starting to change through city investment and new housing stock. “This is a historically redlined neighborhood. So when you look at the old red line maps of Salt Lake City, Glendale, Poplar Grove, where we’re viewed as less desirable, the entire West Side … Continued
October 02, 2024(KSL News) - Rob Latham is running in the race for Utah governor. Latham represents the Libertarian Party. He is an attorney and according to his website is currently a roster attorney contracting with the Utah Indigent Defense Commission. Latham has served as town attorney for Big Water, Utah in Kane County, and has represented youth and families in Washington County’s criminal courts. He spoke with KSL At Night hosts Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner on Sept. 18, 2024. A … Continued
October 01, 2024(The Deseret News) - Although a Utah Foundation statewide poll in 2023 showed nearly 60% of those surveyed supported stronger environmental regulations and more than 75% indicated protecting the environment is more important than economic growth, new findings cast a somewhat dismal portrayal on taking action if it hits people in the pocketbook by paying 5% more via taxes or products. A new Utah Priorities Project released by the foundation Monday details that even the 5% chipped away at … Continued
October 01, 2024(KUER) - Paying for essentials like groceries and health care is on the minds of many voters in the Beehive State. That’s what Utahns told the nonpartisan Utah Foundation in its 2024 priorities survey. When asked where price increases hit their budgets the most, 70% pointed to grocery costs in the foundation’s September brief. Although Utah inflation has held steady since June 2023 after last summer’s spike, that sting has lingered. “You add to that an election year where both sides are … Continued
September 29, 2024(St. George News) - The Utah Foundation polled municipal officials across the state to gain their insights into affordable housing. The report found that many officials feel they face barriers when attempting to introduce more affordable housing into their communities, and they say those barriers often come from residents. Shawn Teigen, president of the Utah Foundation, said anxieties people may have around affordable housing may not be accurate. “When we think about affordable housing, we think about more density. … Continued
September 23, 2024(Public News Service) - Utah’s Great Salt Lake is shrinking, exposing more of its playa and lifting more potentially harmful dust particles into the air. A new study seeks to understand the air quality and health impacts of the dust from the drying lake. Kerry Kelly, associate professor of chemical engineering at Utah State University and the study’s co-author, whose team took samples from the Great Salt Lake to assess what’s known as the “oxidative potential” of dust particles, explained it … Continued
September 12, 2024(Utah Public Radio) - A new brief by the Utah Foundation found that 71% of Utah voters feel state politicians ignore the will of the people in favor of special interests. Every year, the Utah Foundation surveys Utah voters on what issues are most important to them through the Utah Priorities Project. This year, politicians listening to voters was the second-highest concern behind housing affordability. In a follow-up brief released on Wednesday, the project asked whether Utah voters feel listened to, looking for differences … Continued
September 12, 2024(KSL) - SALT LAKE CITY — It’s an age-old question: Do politicians actually listen to their constituents? A majority of registered voters in Utah don’t think so. Over 70% agree that Utah politicians “are too beholden to business, religious or other special interests and ignore the will of the people,” according to a new survey from the Utah Foundation. Digging a bit deeper, Democrats and politically unaffiliated populations are more likely to agree with the statement and Republicans are … Continued
September 12, 2024(Cache Valley Daily) - Sa SALT LAKE CITY – Echoing their rosy appraisal of Vice President Kamala Harris’ debate performance on Tuesday, the Utah Democratic Party was quick to declare victory on Sept. 11 for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian King in his face-off with Gov. Spencer Cox. “Unlike Cox, Brian King supports real solutions, not political division,” according to UDP executive director Thom DeSirant, in a prepared statement released while the debate featuring Cox, King and libertarian candidate … Continued
September 12, 2024(Public News Service) - Politicians not listening to voters is a top concern for Utahns, and one Utah Democratic representative agrees with that sentiment. Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, said while many of the issues politicians deal with are nuanced and not as black and white as they might seem, the Utah state Legislature “has continued to grow its own power relative to the other branches of government.” “Putting things on the ballot like the gutting of the ballot … Continued
September 11, 2024(ABC4 News) - SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Three gubernatorial candidates will face off in a debate at Salt Lake Community College tonight. Here’s what you can expect. The debate is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and feature incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox, who is the Republican candidate; Brian Smith King, who is the Democratic candidate; and J. Robert Latham, who is the Libertarian candidate. Utah Debate Commission announces debate schedule, locations for 2024 general election ABC4.com reached … Continued
September 11, 2024(Salt Lake City Weekly) - Miss: In Private The people who quietly admitted to a death wish for public education are well on their way in Utah. The Utah Fits All Scholarship has a waiting list of parents salivating at money to teach their kids just what they want. We say that because there is still no academic accountability. Utah is one of 13 states that don’t require testing for private and home schools, so it’s difficult to know how … Continued
September 11, 2024(MSN) - Three gubernatorial candidates will face off in a debate at Salt Lake Community College tonight. Here’s what you can expect. The debate is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and feature incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox, who is the Republican candidate; Brian Smith King, who is the Democratic candidate; and J. Robert Latham, who is the Libertarian candidate. Utah Debate Commission announces debate schedule, locations for 2024 general election ABC4.com reached out to the campaigns for … Continued
September 09, 2024(Salt Lake Business Journal) - The Utah Foundation has released the first of “numerous” briefs in its Utah Priorities Project and housing affordability is a “most important” issue to Utah voters in 2024, the new brief says, The Utah Foundation’s first brief shows that Utah voters who responded to the 2024 Utah Priorities Project survey are somewhat divided regarding how to address housing affordability. Over one third of voters (35 percent) are most concerned about “low-income Utahns” and “first-time homebuyers” … Continued
September 05, 2024(iheart Radio) - Coming up at 4 pm today on the Rod and Greg Show on Talk Radio 105.9 KNRS, Representative Marsha Judkins joins the program to discuss why she, and several other Republican legislators, are taking issue with the ballot language for the constitutional amendment on ballot initiatives. Plus, Shawn Teigen, President of the Utah Foundation, joins Rod and Greg to discuss the results of a recent survey that shows Utah voters agree across party lines on many … Continued
September 05, 2024(Deseret News) - In its latest report, released Thursday, the Utah Foundation asked Utahns what they believed were the state’s most significant issues. Housing, adolescent education and water usage turned out to be predominantly bipartisan issues, whereas matters regarding women’s issues and transgender rights were more skewed. However, all were listed in the top 17 priorities of Utahns. To identify these concerns, the Utah Foundation conducted two surveys, according to Utah Foundation President Shawn Teigen. The initial survey, … Continued
September 04, 2024(Salt Lake Tribune) - Groups opposing a constitutional amendment that will ensure the Utah Legislature can repeal or amend any future ballot initiative are outraged by the way the issue will be presented on voters’ ballots in November, calling the language a deceptive “lie” intended to “trick voters” into surrendering their constitutional rights. As it was written by Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schutlz, the question put before voters is whether or not to “strengthen … Continued
