This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Federal public records guru: Hillary Clinton's email defense is laughable. Mitt Romney to spar with Evander Holyfield in charity fundraiser. NY firm in talks to buy Tribune's parent company.
Happy Tuesday. The founding director of the Justice Department's Office of Information and Privacy — essentially the federal government's chief information-disclosure "guru" — says that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email explanation is laughable in the face of freedom of information laws. "At a minimum, it was a blatant circumvention of the FOIA by someone who unquestionably knows better and an attempted verbal "cover" of the situation (if not "cover-up") that is truly reminiscent of years past," Dan Metcalfe writes. [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/hillary-clinton-email-scandal-defense-laughable-foia-116116.html?hp=t1_r#.VQgX0hDF_Io" target="_blank">Politico]
Topping the news: Mitt Romney will have a new opponent in the coming months: heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield. The two will box at a charity event in Salt Lake City to raise money for Charity Vision. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2248523-155/rolly-mitt-romney-is-preparing-for?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed" target="_blank">Trib] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/03/16/the-match-up-youve-been-waiting-for-evander-holyfield-vs-mitt-romney/" target="_blank">WaPost] [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/16/romney-to-box-former-heavyweight-champion-for-charity/" target="_blank">Fox13] [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/mitt-romney-to-fight-evander-holyfield-for-charity/11637/enRGeRss6UWDmxCrW8F4vA" target="_blank">ABC4]
-> SLC Mayor Ralph Becker reiterated his opposition Monday to building the new state prison in Salt Lake City. But mayoral candidate Jackie Biskupski criticized him, saying he cut a deal to institute a sales tax hike in whichever city becomes home to the new state prison. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2298906-155/biskupski-rips-becker-for-linking-prison" target="_blank">Trib] [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624385/Will-prison-move-to-Salt-Lake-give-Becker-his-sought-after-tax-increase.html" target="_blank">DNews] [http://kuer.org/post/biskupski-says-becker-made-deal-lawmakers-raise-taxes-salt-lake-city" target="_blank">KUER] [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/16/biskupski-challenges-slc-mayor-on-sales-tax-prison-relocation/" target="_blank">Fox13] [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/prison-sales-tax-creates-political-controversy/36902/xJKid1wEF0KsMGb3unZyNQ" target="_blank">ABC4]
-> After the end of the 2015 Legislative Session, some lawmakers, including House Speaker Greg Hughes, are saying air quality should have been a higher priority. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2300559-155/air-quality-shouldve-been-a-priority" target="_blank">Trib] However, Hughes reflected on his first term as the Speaker of the House with pride. [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/house-speaker-reflects-on-first-session-with-pride/41284/PL8zekaBRk6oGPmuSnFP2Q" target="_blank">ABC4]
-> A new poll shows some 81 percent of Utahns want to continue electing the state's attorney general over the idea of appointing someone to the job, even after the scandal with former AG John Swallow. [http://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/5114-poll-utahns-want-attorney-general-elected-instead-of-appointed" target="_blank">UtahPolicy]
-> A New York private-equity firm is in talks to buy the newspaper company that owns The Salt Lake Tribune. [http://www.sltrib.com/home/2299938-155/ny-firm-in-advanced-talks-to" target="_blank">Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @https://twitter.com/gopTODD" target="_blank">gopTODD "The #utleg just gave #uted the biggest boost in a decade — and I'm getting hate mail from teachers saying we short changed them."
From @https://twitter.com/daveweigel" target="_blank">daveweigel "So what time can I make the stupid Waukesha County joke about Israel."
From @https://twitter.com/SimonMaloy" target="_blank">SimonMaloy "Mitt Romney boxing names: Kid Terrific, The Stormin' Mormon, 'Mitt,' The Roofer"
Happy Birthday: To the Dallas Morning News' Carl Luebsdorf and The Tribune's Paul Rolly.
Tune in: Utah County Health Department director Joseph Miner, State Epidemiologist Allyn Nakashima and Tribune reporter Matt Canham join Jennifer Napier-Pearce to talk about why more Utah parents are opting out of immunizing their school-aged children and the implications for Utah schools. Watch Trib Talk live at 12:15 p.m. MDT on http://sltrib.com/" target="_blank">sltrib.com.
In other news: Twelve Utah police officers were disciplined at the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council's quarterly meeting for offenses ranging from lying to drinking. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2293661-155/12-utah-police-officers-disciplined-for" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Although the state's public education budget may not have been increased as much as many would have liked, funding for new college buildings for research and classroom space did particularly well. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2298804-155/legislature-funds-buildings-graduation-bonuses-for" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Utah politicians joined national experts yesterday at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. to talk about gay rights, religious freedoms, and the newly achieved "Mormon proposal" that sought to balance the two. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624335/Gays-Mormons-and-the-Constitution-the-topic-of-Mondays-Brookings-panel-discussion.html" target="_blank">DNews]
-> In the wake of last year's fatal police shooting of a dog in the backyard of a home, Utah's police academy is beginning a pilot program to teach future officers how to interact with pets. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2299371-155/new-training-will-teach-utah-police" target="_blank">Trib] [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/16/post-discusses-officer-training-for-dog-encounters/" target="_blank">Fox13]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on the state's education situation. [http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/2299949-155/bagley-cartoon-motivational-floggings" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Salt Lake County departments can expect more performance audits with the new auditor who has taken office. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2299054-155/memo-to-salt-lake-county-departments" target="_blank">Trib]
-> In honor of Sunshine Week, the Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is praising Utah for it's transparency laws, but suggesting three areas of improvement. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2298803-155/three-ways-utah-governments-can-be" target="_blank">Trib] Meanwhile, a new study by the Standard-Examiner says most county governments have a less-than-average grade on transparency. [http://www.standard.net/Government/2015/03/16/Counties-barely-scrape-by-in-transparency-review.html" target="_blank">StandardExaminer]
-> Experts are saying while Utah has a low unemployment rate — only 3.4 percent — many Utahns are still underemployed. [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/16/utahs-low-unemployment-rate-deceiving-experts-say/" target="_blank">Fox13]
-> The Salt Lake City mayor's office is launching a new program to help match refugee families from around the world with local volunteers. [http://kuer.org/post/salt-lake-city-seeks-mentors-refugee-families" target="_blank">KUER]
-> The Davis County Sheriffs Office is releasing a new app that will allow community members to submit tips directly to the department. [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/davis-county-sheriffs-office-launches-new-app/64855/jnHkg0w78EuIVZ7cTyhXiA" target="_blank">ABC4]
-> Envision Utah is looking for 50,000 Utahns to weigh in for a massive survey on what the future of Utah will look like. [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/your-utah-your-future-50000-utahns-wanted-to-help/22074/K3SCBKpalE-lNVNsnbkv-A" target="_blank">ABC4]
Nationally: President Barack Obama said several states' decisions to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana may result in Congress rescheduling the drug and removing it from its current status as "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." [WaPost] [http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/03/16/393444049/obama-2016-contenders-deal-with-changing-attitudes-on-marijuana" target="_blank">NPR] [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/16/obama-marijuana-decriminalization_n_6881374.html" target="_blank">HuffPost] [http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-16/obama-if-states-decriminalize-it-congress-may-lessen-criminal-penalties-for-marijuana" target="_blank">Bloomberg]
-> Israelis are going to the polls today as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces his toughest re-election yet. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israelis-go-to-polls-as-netanyahu-faces-tough-re-election-race/2015/03/17/707ccf1e-cc13-11e4-8a46-b1dc9be5a8ff_story.html" target="_blank">WaPost]
Where are they?
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— Thomas Burr and Erica Palmer
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr" target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr and https://twitter.com/erica_palmer">Twitter.com/erica_palmer