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Scalia talks to Utah lawyers, mentions Holocaust. Nate Silver moves on. Boehner says House should be judged by number of laws repealed.
Happy Monday. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke before the Utah Bar Association at its summer convention in Colorado over the weekend where he raised the Holocaust when talking about the dangers of judicial activism. [Aspen]
Topping the news: Four top UTA officials couldn't have picked a worse time to jet off to Switzerland. Just a day after they requested a 66 percent increase in the agency's share of sales tax, the officials left for a five-night business trip to look at mountain transportation systems at a cost of more than $10,000 to the taxpayer. [Trib]
-> Nate Silver, the stats man at the New York Times who accurately predicted the last two presidential races, is moving to ESPN and ABC News. [NYTimes]
-> In an interview on CBS's Face the Nation, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, avoided giving his personal opinion on the immigration debate and said Congress ought to be judged on how many laws it has repealed. [WaPost] [USAToday] [Politico]
Tweet of the day: From @DanaPerino: "Rest in peace, Helen Thomas. First day I ever took the podium she came to encourage me. This was that day. pic.twitter.com/wpAl3bMR10"
Happy birthday: to state Rep. Eric Hutchings and WVC Councilman Corey Rushton
Opinion Section: Paul Rolly discusses how locals are expected to fund many government services, event when the money shortages are forced from the state or feds. This is the problem currently faced by the Utah Division of Water Quality. [Trib]
-> And Rolly argues that Sen. Aaron Osmond has become "a tool for the Utah Eagle Forum" with his talk of eliminating compulsory education. [Trib]
-> An analyst for the Alliance for a Better Utah argues an expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare will help provide incentives and means for Utahns to decrease their dependency on public assistance. [Trib]
-> Thomas Burr remembers the late Helen Thomas, a veteran White House correspondent who broke up the Washington boys' club. Thomas passed away Saturday at the age of 92. [Trib]
-> SLC Mayor Ben McAdams and County Councilman Michael Jensen discuss the benefits of high-quality preschool after this week's announcement that Salt Lake County will be expanding access to its program. [Trib]
-> The chairman of the Valley Mental Health board of directors explains that a reduction in funding from for-profit healthcare administrator Optum is the reason why some patients will be transitioned to another provider. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley gives his take on the investigation into AG John Swallow. [Trib]
-> A retired Sandy resident argues that an understanding of why certain members of society cling to long-held beliefs on such issues as same-sex marriage and immigration is the key to working toward changing minds. [Trib]
-> George Pyle talks about the willingness of the SLC police and fire departments to welcome people into their new Public Safety Building, a signal of their attitude toward engaging with the community. [Trib]
-> An attorney and immigration specialist for Telemundo Utah argues for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the United States. [Trib]
-> An SLC physician and AARP council member discusses the urgent need to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, with suggested amendments, to ensure that elder care is not disrupted. [Trib]
-> Former Utah AG and SL Co. District Attorney Paul Van Dam argues for lowering the amount of water stored in Lake Powell and increasing the amount stored in Lake Mead, which could help alleviate the projected water shortage in the Colorado River basin. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb ask whether the Utah House is the right body to be investigating AG John Swallow. [DNews]
-> Former Sen. Bob Bennett says the reduced deficit isn't reason to celebrate. It just means the problem has gone from horrid to awful. [DNews]
Weekend in Review: As the female inmate population in Utah hovers near capacity, the Utah Department of Corrections is proposing a gender-specific initiative aimed at helping women state out of prison. [Trib]
-> The Utah Department of Transportation has received around 680 formal comments about the proposed route for the West Davis Freeway, prompting the department to double the public comment period and promise to review all options. [Trib]
-> The Utah Board of Regents wants to encourage students to take a heavier course load to increase the graduation rate, which is currently around 50 percent at the state's public colleges and universities. However, some are concerned this is unfeasible for the 75 percent of students who work while in college. [Trib]
-> The Spruces campground in the Wasatch - the most popular in the area - has an important history as the place where city, state and federal government came together to help restore the area's forests, which had been ravaged by clear-cutting, mining and overgrazing. [Trib]
-> Currently at the center of national debate, neighborhood watch programs have proven to be a successful way to make communities safer. [Trib]
-> Tooele County is about to face its first property tax increase in 27 years as part of its financial recovery plan, which also contains deep budget cuts in an attempt to restore the county's fiscal well-being in the next three to five years. [Trib]
-> Utah lawmakers are considering delaying the state's June primary election in part because the state conventions would have to be squeezed between Easter and the LDS conference otherwise. [DNews]
Nationally: A senior American intelligence official says the conflict in Syria could continue for several years, and hinted the West needs to beef up it's response to the more radical Islamist elements involved. [NYTimes]
-> The Obama administration has attempted to crack down on government leakers, prosecuting more than twice as many as were prosecuted in all previous administrations combined. On Friday a federal appeals court ruled the First Amendment does not protect journalists from having to name leakers. [NYTimes]
-> Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is calling for his state to review its "stand-your-ground" law in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. [Politico]
-> Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said bankruptcy was the only viable option for Detroit. [Politico] [DetNews]
-> If you don't know who Helen Thomas was or you only remember the controversial ending to her storied reporting career, here are two good reads that put her in context. [AP] [WaPost]
Where are they?
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker meets with Yolanda Francisco-Nez, coordinator of the Office of Diversity and Human Rights, attends a ribbon-cutting at the Midtown Clinic and joins a reception to mark the 55th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Matsumoto and Salt Lake City.
President Barack Obama meets with Secretary of State John Kerry and delivers remarks at an Organizing for Action event and dinner.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Matt Canham and Isobel Markham Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/i_markham