Utahâs vaccine rollout has been âslow,â says the state official leading it
More than 3,000 shots a day expected this week, as more groups become eligible for the first phase of the stateâs plan.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) North Davis firefighter/EMT Ashley Shelton, right, shares a laugh with her coworker Chris Belliston as the two receive the vaccine while on duty Wednesday. Davis County Health Department operated a drive-thru vaccination for non-hospital health care workers and first responders at the Legacy Center in Farmington, Dec. 30, 2020. | Updated: 3:32 a.m.
In the first two weeks that Utahns have been receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, not everything has gone according to plan, said the state official in charge of distribution.
Letter: Trust school boards over the Legislature
(Rick Bowmer | AP file photo)
Utah Speaker of the House Brad Wilson speaks on the floor of the Utah House of Representatives, on Jan. 28, in Salt Lake City.
By Austin Simcox | The Public Forum
| Dec. 23, 2020, 1:00 p.m.
To Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson,
I have often heard you pontificate on how much you value and appreciate teachers. Your recent decision to deny bonuses to Salt Lake City teachers contradicts your feel-good statements and letters of appreciation. Your attempt to withhold bonuses from already laughably under-salaried professionals is the wrong way to go. It punishes teachers for decisions outside of their control.
Robert Gehrke: The pandemic makes Utahâs homeless situation more complicated than ever
More people are camping outside or getting vouchers to stay in hotels.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Robert Gehrke.
  | Dec. 23, 2020, 2:00 p.m.
Theyâre down by the library or at Pioneer Park, clustering under overpasses and in lots, the makeshift homeless camps that seem to be as widespread and jammed pack as theyâve ever been.
As with everything during the pandemic, the coronavirus has exacerbated the inequities in our society and made one of our most intractable problems many times worse.
âThere is always going to be some amount of unsheltered homelessness in our community and I think we can be smart about how we respond to that,â Michelle Hoon, the project and policy manager with Salt Lake Cityâs Homeless Engagement and Response Team, told me, âbut I think the pandemic has made it a lot more challenging.â