Katharine Biele

Miss: Dan's Bans If you've ever wondered what a "preborn baby" is, ask a legislator. Really, ask one. Most people of science understand a fetus is a fetus until it is born, when it becomes a baby. Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, is ready to call a special session to keep hordes of uppity women from murdering babies. Well, not quite babies. And not quite murder. McCay, flanked by the "Eagle"-eyed Gayle Ruzicka, was apoplectic that the Utah Supreme Court has put a halt—however temporarily—on the Legislature's trigger bill to make abortion all but illegal in Utah. Lawmakers were waiting for an end to

Miss: Last Words There on the front page of The Salt Lake Tribune 's Sunday e-edition stands a gaggle of Utah journalists. Some are staring at their phones, some are standing stoically. All are standing around an empty execution bed—straps and all. The barbaric practice we call the "death penalty" has once again put Utah on the map, and it appears most Utahns approve. KUTV speculated the religious connection to capital punishment, saying that it's "influenced by the concept of 'blood atonement' in early pioneer theology." House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, is a staunch supporter, saying the death penalty helps solve cases and deters people who might commit crimes. Quick fact-check here: that's not true. Research shows little if any relation to deterrence as one study suggests: "The Death Penalty Kills People Not Crime." And it affects only a tiny percentage of people who commit murder. Utah was the first state to reinstate the death penalty after the Supreme Court lifted the moratorium. But who, including journalists, doesn't love to watch someone take their final breath?

Miss: Nuke 'Em Everyone has an opinion about nuclear power, whether it's for energy or national security. To be clear—no one has really figured it out yet. We do know all the downsides, and advocates will tell you not to worry your little brain because disaster is on the horizon. Disaster 1: climate change. Nuclear plants could save us from the coal we're still hanging onto and clear the air—mostly. Disaster 2: China and Russia are expanding their influence and might just want to start a war, so nuclear weapons should be ready to go. Here's the thing. Utah lawmakers are visiting Idaho to learn about mini-nuclear plants. They see nuclear power as a panacea, ignoring the costs, delays and dangers. And alternatives in their infancy get short shrift. A 2021 Al Jazeera article talks about how it can go "horribly wrong" while gaining high-profile champions. As for Disaster 2, The Salt Lake Tribune has been highlighting the human costs of underground nuclear testing. All this while downwinders' compensation through the RECA Act has expired—even though the radiation victims haven't.

Hits & Misses

Hits & Misses

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 they will do. Some states, in fact, have shown poor results compared with public schools. A KUTV story showed that the vouchers are popular, but only one-third of applicants got the full $8,000 and a "substantial number" were home-schoolers. NPR did a recent story about "an existential enrollment crisis" as public schools lost 1 million students since the pandemic. There are two ballot measures in Utah that will address how education funds are spent. No matter the results, it looks like voucher money will be growing.

Hits & Misses

Hit: Party Lines We know that there were lots of primary voters unhappy about being shut down by the Legislature. But maybe, just maybe, Eagle Mountain Republican Rep. Stephanie Gricius was right and a committee was not the "appropriate" place to air GOP grievances. The Government Operations Committee withdrew its first agenda item—Presidential Primary Elections—seemingly because the written comments were already pretty nasty. Six speakers were slated to testify—including one from the Utah Democratic Party—but everyone knew there'd be bitching about the recent chaos during GOP caucus meetings. Some legislators thought people would accuse caucuses of minimizing competition and removing candidates from the ballot. Still, primaries aren't really a state issue—yet. The GOP closes its primaries and the Democrats' are open to unaffiliated voters. There is a group that wants fully open or "jungle" primaries, but even as an initiative, there's a long way to go before that happens.

Miss: Armed and Dangerous If you missed the part about Kamala Harris and her guns, you might be missing the point altogether. She supports the 2nd Amendment, but she's also armed and ready to shoot someone—not because the government is coming but because our armed citizens might be. The United States has more guns than people—more suicides, higher incarceration rates and just about more of everything dangerous than other countries. That was highlighted in a

Miss: Paying Up 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 go up 5%? Nope. No surprise, the more conservative someone is, the less likely they'll want to fund their own welfare. Only 37% of Utahns were willing to pay more—almost half were a definite "no." Maybe people just think air is free, but Chinese studies show that people migrate to places with cleaner air, so they are willing to pay indirectly. The problem may be less partisan and more educational. Understanding the downside of dirty air can change minds—and, obviously, health.