This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Romney over Huntsman. Valentines/Budget day. CPAC poll update.
Happy Monday and happy Valentine's Day to all. In Washington, it's also budget day as President Barack Obama will release his proposed 2012 spending plan. We'll be digging through the books today, so check back for updates on how Utah and the West fare.
Topping the news: Utahns favor Mitt Romney for president over Jon Huntsman Jr. in a DNews/KSL poll looking at a Utah primary election. (Some caution in understanding this poll: It polls Utahns, not just Republicans, and GOP primaries are restricted to Republicans. Also, by the time Utahns vote in a presidential primary, the contest may have a clear frontrunner, which changes things, too.) [DNews]
-> A House committee gives its OK to Rep. Stephen Sandstrom's immigration bill. [Trib] [DNews] [StandEx]
-> Regarding that bill, The Trib's Dave Montero reports, "Sandstrom woke up & found his SUV pelted w/ eggs. Said coincidence w/ committee passage of immigration bill possible."
Today's news: Paul Rolly says former Senate President Al Mansell hasn't registered as a lobbyist. [Trib]
-> UTA's fares are amongst the highest in the nation. [Trib]
Tweet of the day: From @OrrinHatch: "@illusory_tenant Honored to be your 2nd favorite Senator in Judiciary. You're MY 2nd favorite follower that actually knows I'm on that cmte."
Happy birthday: To blogger Bob Aagard, The Trib's Mike Gorrell and Andrea Candrian, Bob Bennett's former press secretary who just landed a gig with Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas.
Opinion section: Pat Bagley's take on Easter Island's Jerry Sloan. [Trib]
-> Peg McEntee says Sen. Orrin Hatch is making a strong outreach to tea partyers but its unclear how much that'll help. [Trib]
-> A Davis County junior high student takes issue with UDOT's siting of the west county highway. [Trib]
-> A U. professor says obesity is a public health crisis right now. [Trib]
-> Connor Boyack takes issue with The Tribune's editorial against a bill to exempt Utah food produced and consumed inside the state from federal regulation. [Trib]
-> Rocky Mountain Power's CEO says his company is working to keep electricity costs low. [Trib]
-> A parent and deaf education advocate pleads for more help for the Schools for the Blind and Deaf. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City lawyer Mark Alvarez says the Utah Legislature should hold off on immigration bills and push for federal reform. [Trib]
-> DNews editorial page editor Jay Evenson says taxes are low but doesn't expect them to stay there. [DNews]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb debate the age-old question of whether lawmakers are tuned into their communities or special interests. [DNews]
Out of Context catchup: Rep. Jason Chaffetz leans against a gubernatorial bid. [Trib] Sen. Orrin Hatch carries the most "klout" among Utah's delegation on Twitter. [Trib] Robert Gehrke points to some loopholes in a bill designed to prevent federal encroachment on state rights. [Trib] And Jon Huntsman Jr. grabs 1 percent at the CPAC straw poll. [Trib]
Where are they?
Gov. Gary Herbert meets with new lawmakers, sits down with the Davis County Chamber Leadership Institute Class of 2010/2011, sits down with Forbes' Kurt Badenhausen and then meets cnsecutively with the Utah County Republican Women, Sen. Daniel Thatcher and Dr. Anthony Carnevale of Georgetown University.
Hatch talks via conference call with Tooele, Davis and Morgan county commissioners and later speaks on the Senate floor about the national debt.
Chaffetz flies to D.C. and appears on Fox Business' Willis Report.
SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon holds a Cabinet meeting.
WVC Mayor Mike Winder attends the Utah League of Cities and Towns meeting.
Obama heads to Baltimore, Md., to discuss the budget.
Weekend in review: Obama has approved disaster funds for southern Utah's recent flood damage. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Robert Comstock, a middle school teacher, jumps into the race for head of the Utah Democratic Party. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mike Lee says the Supreme Court will overturn the Democrats' health care reform law. [Newsmax]
-> Lee, meanwhile, says he ain't endorsing Hatch or anyone until there's a GOP nominee. [Trib]
-> Hatch gives the Republicans' official weekly address, charges that Obama isn't giving the country's debt the serious attention it deserves. [Trib]
-> Hatch, facing a crowd of conservatives, some of them booing him, apologizes for his support for TARP. [Trib] [WaPost]
-> Our D.C. Notebook roundup from the last two weeks of news. [Trib]
-> The Utah Compact's approach to immigration is catching on with other states. [DNews]
-> Mitt Romney changes his book between printings to say the stimulus failed. [Trib]
-> Rep. Rob Bishop jokes he'll hit noisy members on the House floor. [TheHill]
-> KCPW's Politics Up Close talks with Bishop about public lands, the Patriot Act and other issues. [KCPW]
-> KSL's Sunday Edition with Bruce Lindsay discusses who should run public education and immigration issues on the Hill. [KSL]
-> Rep. Jim Matheson, with a co-sponsor by Chaffetz, reintroduces a measure to bar importing foreign nuclear waste. [Trib]
From Utah's Capitol Hill: Here's today's legislative schedule. [Trib]
-> A majority of Utahns (57% to 37%) oppose naming an official state gun, according to a DNews/KSL poll. [DNews]
-> Herbert's budget has some fans on the Hill — the Democrats. The Herald's Billy Hesterman says Utah's minority party likes what they see in there. [Herald]
-> Some lawmakers are discussing the idea of dropping Medicaid in favor of a state-setup system. [Herald]
-> A closer look at Rep. Lee Perry, a Utah Highway Patrol Trooper, in his dual role as "lawmaker and enforcer." [HeraldJournal]
-> House committee doesn't see a problem with no-limit campaign contributions. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A new bill would force Salt Lake County to jettison its police fee immediately upon the governor's signature. [Trib]
-> County parties could fill vacancies in elected county positions under new legislation. [Trib]
-> Traffic offenses committed outside Utah wouldn't count on Utahns drivers records, though some worry that means more violent offenses may then get overlooked. [Trib]
-> A push to ban "spice" gets held up as a drug advisory committee suggest tweaks. [Trib] [StandEx]
-> A resolution to fix the mistake on the Utah State flag will go before the Legislature this coming week. [KSL]
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com.
— Thomas BurrTwitter.com/thomaswburr