Happy Friday!
A family in Germany had its pet dog seized by the government and sold on eBay to pay the family’s unpaid debts. Edda, a 1-year old purebred pug was listed on the online marketplace for $850, but ended up being sold for slightly less. The town of Ahlen defends its actions as perfectly legal and points to a search warrant that led to the seizure of items, including the family’s beloved Edda. But a spokesman acknowledged that the sale of the pug on eBay was questionable and may be subject to review. [WaPost] [NPR] [AP]
Topping the news: Top Utah Republican lawmakers released their plan to make sweeping changes to Utah’s tax system, expanding the sales tax to cover many services and areas that have been exempt — from health insurance premiums to legal services, from plumbers to laundromats. Some industry leaders are pushing back on the plan designed to spread the pain. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [KUTV]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert said he supports a bill that would allow grocery stores to sell beer with a higher alcohol limit. Utah law currently only allows a 3.2 percent by weight rate — the legislation would raise that to 4.8 percent. [Trib]
-> A bill banning abortions based on a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome will become law if the governor signs it. The Senate passed the legislation on Wednesday afternoon. If enacted, the ban will not take effect until similar bans in other states are upheld by courts. [Trib] [KSL] [KUTV]
Tweets of the day: @sam_baker: “Every time there’s a high-profile hearing, Politics Twitter is surprised anew that Congress has a lot of dumb guys who ask bad questions. Try putting a Post-It on the TV so that next time you’ll remember it’s probably going to be like every other time.”
-> @GovHerbert: “We should be concerned about what the equitable tax policy should be that will be fair and easy to administrate. #utpol.”
-> @aedwardslevy: “Right now, "undecided" is winning the early 2020 Dem horserace.”
Behind the headlines: Tribune government and politics editor Dan Harrie, reporter Jessica Miller, Washington bureau chief Thomas Burr, and columnist George Pyle join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including pending sanctions against the BYU police force.
-> Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream "Behind the Headlines" at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. Join the live conversation by calling (801) 355-TALK.
Friday quiz: Last week, 97 percent of you knew Sandy City leaders are re-evaluating policies after their drinking water was contaminated, but only 43 percent knew that Intermountain Healthcare reduced its number of opioid pills prescribed by 30 percent in 2018. Think you kept up with the news this week? Take our quiz to find out. A new one will post every Friday morning. You can find previous quizzes here. If you’re using The Salt Lake Tribune mobile app, click here. [Trib]
In other news: An officer from BYU’s police department repeatedly looked at private police reports issued by other Utah County law enforcement agencies and communicated what he found to other university officials, some of whom work for the school’s Honor Code Office. The officer’s actions are one of two reasons the university is now facing potential decertification. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL]
-> The Tribune answers frequently asked questions about why BYU police may lose their badges. [Trib]
-> The Nature Conservancy commissioned a poll that asked Utah voters whether they believe state funding should be diverted to protect the state’s air, land and water resources. Three-fourths of the 602 voters said there is “some need.” [Trib]
-> Opponents of a string of commercials about Utah’s housing gap are blasting the 10-, 15- and 30-second ads as “propaganda” backed by developers pushing high-density housing. The ads’ creators said they are intended to change the way Utahns think about growth. [Trib]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert said EnergySolutions’ tens of thousands of dollars in donations to sitting lawmakers won’t be part of his consideration in deciding whether to sign or veto legislation that could allow the company to store radioactive depleted uranium in the state. [Trib]
-> A bill that would allow teachers to use incentives to get students to take standardized exams and perform well narrowly passed the Senate, despite opposition from conservative groups who claim the practice would be unfair. [Trib]
-> A day after Rep. Ben McAdams voted for universal background checks for gun purchases he voted against legislation to extend the waiting time for Americans to buy guns from three to 10 days. [Trib]
-> After a committee rejected plans to redesign the Utah state flag, one of the lawmakers involved backs authorizing a small group to begin looking into potential new designs. [Trib]
-> The Senate Transportation Committee killed a bill that would have allowed bicyclists to roll through stop signs and red lights if the rider first determined the coast is clear. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Community members came out Thursday to support a piece of legislation that would provide schools across the state with $32 million to hire more counselors. Residents made passionate pleas to the lawmakers, telling stories about how school counselors saved their children’s lives. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL]
-> Utah lawmakers passed a bill through the House that would add protections for gravel mining operations by creating special zones. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke analyzed one of the state’s current gun control laws and reviewed several bills from this legislative session, all of which pertain to gun safety. [Trib]
-> Tribune cartoonist Pat Pagley illustrates what many fear could happen at a runaway constitutional convention initiated by the states. [Trib]
Nationally: President Trump’s abrupt withdrawal on the second day of his denuclearization summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has drawn praise from some and criticism from others. About the incident, Trump said: “Sometimes you have to walk.” [Politico] [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> According to reports from four people briefed about the incident, President Donald Trump instructed his chief of staff to give Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, the highest level of security clearance despite objections from intelligence officials. The president explicitly denied such intervention earlier this year. [NYTimes] [Politico] [WaPost]
-> The U.S. House passed a bill that would extend the waiting period for purchase of guns from three to 10 days. The legislation is unlikely to get through the Senate. [NYTimes]
-> Fordham University has confirmed that Donald Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen threatened the school with litigation in 2015 if it publicly released Trump’s academic records. [AP]
-> Another Democrat has entered the 2020 presidential race. Jay Inslee, governor of Washington state, is the first governor among the growing field, and he claims to be the only candidate who will make combatting climate change his No. 1 order of business. [WaPost]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cracked down on moderate Democrats during a private caucus meeting and told them to stop voting with Republicans and to stick together during procedural battles. [Politico] [WaPost]
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-- Dan Harrie and Sahalie Donaldson
https://twitter.com/danattrib?lang=en, https://twitter.com/SahalieD?lang=en
