Katharine Biele

Hits & Misses

What could possibly go wrong? Nothing much, according to Gov. Spencer Cox and a bevy of officials. Nuclear power is a rare opportunity, an economic driver, and well, it doesn’t come via the Strait of Hormuz. So the governor has posited a “nuclear fuel lifecycle campus” near Tooele, which has a long-suffering history with radiologic materials at the EnergySolutions site. It’s always something when it comes to nuclear wastes, but this time it’s different. It would handle everything “from uranium enrichment, conversion, fuel fabrication, reprocessing and disposition of fuel,” the governor’s energy advisor, Emy Lesofski, told FOX 13. Now that the Trump administration disdains alternatives like wind and solar, there’s not a whole lot left in the energy-producing field. Coal’s there, of course, with its last dying breath, along with hydro, geothermal and such. But Utah is ecstatic over the promise of clean energy, even if it’s not so clean. There’s been talk of one of those small nuclear facilities, too. And it’s all good unless you think about water needs, groundwater contamination, and all the leaks and spills. Don’t worry your little head about it.

Salt Lake City has seen a lot of restaurants come and go but none will be more missed than Sugar House’s Sizzler. It’s not for the steak and salad bar, but rather for the one-story structure that overlooked Sugar House Park in summer and winter, duck ponds and snow sleds. And now, because the city is anxious about the coming onslaught of people—and peripherally about housing affordability—it is fielding criticism over plans to build a seven-story hotel. The developer is seeking a zoning change that supporters believe will bring jobs and somehow “new recreational opportunities,” per KSL. There will be parking and traffic challenges, and one notable concern centers around the park’s birds potentially crashing into a 90-foot-tall building. But if history is an indicator, Sugar House—once a walkable, streetcar suburb turned suburban shopping area—will continue to grow up and out.

It’s no wonder the Legislature wanted to sideline Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon, who is not only holding the state accountable for poor oversight, but also doing it as a woman in charge. In patriarchal Utah, that’s got to hurt. Cannon’s recent audit report looked at how Medicaid funds were being spent to improve nursing facilities. The audit found that over a 10-year period, less than half of $922 million was actually spent on nursing care, while the rest was retained for a “combination of owner compensation, administrative costs and hospital operating expenses.” But better than the

Oh, those wacky Republicans! They’ve got it all—and still they want more. Let’s talk about how representative government is supposed to work. It starts and ends with people you’re supposed to represent. Last weekend’s state GOP convention lifted Karianne Lisonbee of Handmaid’s Tale

Hits & Misses

Hits & Misses

Hits & Misses

We thought Utah’s parents liked the idea of school choice. You know—the ability to choose how your kids get educated is somehow essential to the concept. Well, not exactly in Utah, which has now banned 34 books from classrooms around the state because a couple of school districts found them offensive or “pornographic,” a word that has long defied legal definition. The Salt Lake Tribune found that most of the bans originated from only two districts: Davis and Washington. But their sensibilities are affecting all 41 districts in the state. None of this is strange in a dystopian world horrified by diversity, equity and inclusion, or one that believes the country’s racism is a thing of a distant past. And there’s some irony in a new law that allows students to opt out of content they don’t like, but not into others. In a bit of karma, The King’s English Bookshop decided not to promote the governor’s book Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt after he’d signed the book-banning law.

Miss: Supplemental Income You might remember the late Sen. Orrin Hatch and his deep appreciation of the dietary supplement industry. Yes, at roughly $16 billion per year, it’s Utah’s third-biggest industry, largely thanks to those Utah County herbalists and natural healers, plus Hatch and his donor network. Hatch sponsored the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994, allowing supplements to be sold without FDA clinical trials. Under this law, supplements are considered food, not drugs. But move over Hatch, Sen. John Curtis is pushing into the arena, sponsoring a bill to give “users” a little tax incentive. It’s all about MAHA, Curtis says. Maybe it will be as effective as removing fluoride from our drinking water. The government website still advises “supplements can’t take the place of the variety of foods that are important to a healthy eating routine.” But if you’re wondering, the website still takes you to the upside-down food pyramid.