Good Monday morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
📬 Tell me what’s on your mind. Send me your story ideas, news tips, feedback, and thoughts about the news. I read every single message. Send me an email or find me on Twitter @SchottHappens.
Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up for free here.
Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin speaks at a rally in Draper, Friday, Oct 21, 2016 (Alex Gallivan/Special to the Tribune)
🚨 Evan McMullin preparing to take on Mike Lee
The Tribune’s Robert Gehrke with the massive scoop this morning. Former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin is preparing to announce he’ll run for U.S. Senate in Utah as an independent candidate.
McMullin got just over 21% of the statewide vote in Utah when he ran for president in 2016.
Gehrke points out McMullin is running as an independent because it’s nearly impossible to beat Lee in a GOP primary contest.
Lee’s support outside of the GOP base appears to be soft, which may lead McMullin to believe there’s an opening.
McMullin should have no problem qualifying for the ballot as an independent since he only needs 1,000 signatures from registered voters.
Here’s what you need to know for Monday morning
👀 Advisors to former President Donald Trump talked him out of announcing he was running for president in 2024...for now. [WaPo]
🦠 Is Gov. Spencer Cox doing everything he can to fight the surge in COVID-19 cases in Utah? The Legislature tied his hands by limiting his ability to react, but some say there’s more he can, and should, do. [Tribune]
🏛 Utah lawmakers think they may have come up with a way to get around the forthcoming vaccine or testing mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees. But, the move could be very risky. [Tribune]
💉 COVID-19 vaccine mandates are working...so far. Most people are getting vaccinated instead of losing their jobs. [Axios]
⚖️ The Supreme Court begins its new term today. The justices could issue landmark rulings on abortion, gun rights, and school choice. [CNN]
💵 A massive trove of private financial records shows how the wealthy have hidden billions of dollars around the globe. [WaPo]
🏛 The House committee investigating the January 6 attempted insurrection is bracing for former President Trump to fight their efforts to investigate what role he or his allies may have played. [Politico]
💻 Frances Haugen says she leaked secret internal documents from Facebook to force the social media giant to make needed changes. [WSJ]
📭 Many Americans will see mail service slow down starting this week as the U.S. Postal Service’s restructuring plan begins to take effect. [WaPo]
🌎 Climate change could turn the Great Salt Lake into a significant source of air pollution. [Tribune]
🛢 Officials are warning of an “environmental disaster” after thousands of gallons of oil leaked from an oil rig and washed up on beaches near Los Angeles. [WaPo]
🤝 756 refugees from Afghanistan are beginning to arrive in Utah. Here’s how you can help. [Tribune]
🏛 Former Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer alleges he was the victim of workplace discrimination, claiming he was denied a promotion because of his work as an evangelical preacher. [Tribune]
➡️ Salt Lake City Council member James Rogers resigned suddenly on Friday. [Tribune]
👀 Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was chased into a bathroom by activists protesting her opposition to a multi-billion dollar spending package. [Forbes]
⭐️ The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to a pair of U.S. doctors for identifying how the human body senses temperature, touch, and movement. [WSJ]
Monday morning’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Man arrested in connection with the shooting death of Utah football player Aaron Lowe. [Tribune]
1,000 rally for Women’s March in Utah to protest anti-abortion laws. [Tribune]
Crews rescue missing hiker in Zion National Park. [Tribune]
Interior calls for tribal input as it prepares report on Indigenous boarding schools. [Tribune]
Why GOP Sens. Mike Lee, Mitt Romney say the new BLM director is unfit for the job. [Deseret News]
Students walk out of class after reports of sexual harassment in Utah County. [KUTV]
More Utah restaurants shorten hours due to extreme worker shortage. [Fox 13]
Religion
COVID clashes show need for unity among Latter-day Saints, apostle says. [Tribune]
Where the next 13 Latter-day Saint temples will be built, including a 28th in Utah. [Tribune]
Utah Catholics ready to answer ‘revolutionary’ survey that will include church members on the fringes. [Tribune]
Strong spiritual foundations needed for the coming storms, church leaders say. [Deseret News]
COVID-19
11 more Utahns die of COVID-19, and six of them were under the age of 65. [Tribune]
Fatigue. Aches. Difficulty breathing. For some Utah kids, post-COVID-19 issues are worse than the virus. [Deseret News]
SUU will not require students to get COVID-19 vaccine. [Fox 13]
Environment
Residents call for reform after hydrogen sulfide gas leak on Navajo Nation. [Tribune]
Opinion pages
Robert Gehrke explains how a wildly inflated medical marijuana lab test shows Utah needs better safeguards for its patients. [Tribune]
It shouldn’t e the purview of a newspaper to collect and share data on police shootings in utah, the Editorial Board writes. [Tribune]
Lee introduces doomed legislation to stop vaccine mandates and Stewart boycotts “the good place,” George Pyle writes. [Tribune]
Diane Nicoll: Utah Schools need hundreds more nurses on site. [Tribune]
Opinion: COVID-19 is taking a toll on mental health and coping skills. [Deseret News]
Opinion: Why has COVID-19 made people mean and violent? [Deseret News]
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
Happy birthday to former Utah state Rep. Roger Barrus.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.
