Deseret News
Share this story
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY The question of whether the government or even your boss should be able to order you to take the COVID-19 vaccine sparked debate on Utah’s Capitol Hill as the Legislature nears the end of its 2021 session.
With one week to go, lawmakers have passed almost 200 bills and resolutions out of more than 700 filed. Of those, three involving nearly $100 million in targeted tax cuts focusing on families and retirees are advancing after legislative leaders detailed plans to help return to Utahns some of the surplus money the state is seeing.
How the Utah Legislature is planning to spend another $915 million in upcoming budget ksl.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ksl.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I recently watched the PBS documentary about the downwinders. It appears the federal government was aware of the health cost associated with the nuclear tests in the 1950s and beyond (although later testing was done underground). The explosions were timed when the wind blew to the less populated areas of the state. At that time, Cedar City reportedly only had about 5,000 people. Those interviewed in this documentary perceived they and/or their relatives, as well as the Native Americans in the region were deemed “expendable” by the federal government.
SALT LAKE CITY COVID-19 threw everyone a curveball in 2020, and local governments were no exception.
In Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall s case, the coronavirus and a 5.7 magnitude earthquake came within her first 100 days in office. COVID-19 carried on throughout the year and a severe windstorm also ravaged her first year in office.
Those unforeseen developments set aside or delayed many objectives for the Salt Lake City government that were planned in 2020 and created new issues along the way.
The mayor originally laid out 57 goals 27 for the first 100 days of her term and 30 in the first year within three categories last January: our growth, our environment and our communities. City officials clarified that these meant prioritizing city growth for all residents, making the city more environmentally resilient and sustainable and improving equity among all residents.