This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The first lady's funky chicken dance. Judge says Aposhian not dangerous. Matheson's latest fundraising numbers.
Happy Monday. President Barack Obama parried with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly in an interview during the pre game show for the Super Bowl. In the testy exchange, O'Reilly went through the list of controversies from Benghazi to healthcare.gov to the IRS targeting tea party groups. [FoxNews]
-> While Obama was talking to O'Reilly, his wife Michelle Obama was appearing on the Puppy Bowl and broke out the funky chicken. [Fansided]
Topping the news: Rep. Jim Matheson's fundraising slowed down, but did not stop, after he announced he would not seek another term in the House. He has $740,000 at his disposal. Also, we have a round up of the campaign finance reports for all of Utah's congressional candidates. [Trib]
-> A judge said Clark Aposhian's wife can't have a restraining order because there hasn't been any abuse or evidence that Utah's foremost gun-rights advocate is dangerous. [Trib]
-> Someone at the Utah League of Cities and Towns had some time on their hands. They used it to make fake board game covers for each Utah legislator. [UtahPolicy]
Tweets of the day: From @martycarpenter: "Commercials for Jaguar and Maserati? Did I miss the national economic boom?"
From @AustinPixels: "Use promo code PEYTON when ordering a Papa Johns pizza tonight and when it's delivered to you, a Seattle DB will take it from you and eat it."
From @hauserdan: "What do you get the billionaire who has everything? You get him a Super Bowl championship. #paulallen #Seahawks."
From @gopTODD: "Worst part of the whole Uintah school lunch debacle? Dabakis didn't eat any of his veggies. Nada."
Happy Birthday: to Taylorsville Mayor Larry Johnson and state Rep. Patrice Arent.
Opinion section: Carol McNamara, director of the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics at Weber State University, outlines a new poll showing education, air quality and replacing the caucus system are at the top priorities for Utahns. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly says House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, has been running for governor since the end of the 2013 legislative session. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb discuss speeches by Lockhart, Gov. Gary Herbert and President Barack Obama. [DNews]
-> Freestyle skier Emily Cook, who will be competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics, says preschool helps children become better people when they grow up. [Trib]
-> George Pyle relates Denver Broncos offensive lineman Zane Beadles to some Utah news items. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley gives his take on how there's no free lunch at Uintah Elementary. [Trib]
-> Weber State University geography professor Eric C. Ewert argues that lawmakers need to raise the gas tax in order to encourage Utahns to change their transportation choices. [Trib]
-> Donna McAleer, a Democratic congressional candidate in Utah's 1st District, argues the pay discrepancy between men and women hurts Utah businesses as well as women. [Trib]
-> U. law student Rebekah Wightman urges lawmakers to protect teenage girls in abusive polygamous marriages. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City attorney Walter F. Bugden Jr. is against proposed changes to make make convening grand juries easier. [Trib]
-> Alliance for a Better Utah founder Josh Kanter hopes the Legislature does not have a repeat of the gold fever it experienced in past sessions. [Trib]
-> Some of the best reader comments from sltrib.com [Trib]
-> Former Sen. Bob Bennett says Utah's convention-caucus system has rendered most general election's irrelevant and he supports the Count My Vote drive to change the system. [DNews]
Weekend in review: Sen. Orrin Hatch told the Legislature the feds are not likely to give up control of public lands in the state anytime soon. He also spoke about immigration and healthcare in his yearly report. [Trib] [DNews] [KUER]
-> Paul Rolly reports that the confusion over police dispatch in Salt Lake County contributed to a man's heart attack death. [Trib]
-> In mid December, Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, questioned the House's investigation of former AG John Swallow. [Trib]
-> A newly released search warrant targets text messages between former AG Mark Shurtleff and a former top deputy Kirk Torgensen. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake City Council will consider a proposal to partially rollback impact fees on developers after developers complained to Mayor Ralph Becker. [Trib]
-> After a two year campaign by UTA to improve safety, light rail accidents have gone down, but buses and commuter rail have seen mixed results. [Trib]
-> There were 853 auto-bike collisions between January 2008 and October 2013 in Salt Lake City. What can be done to lower the amount of accidents? [Trib]
-> Some parents of Uintah elementary students are concerned the wrong people are being punished after school officials took lunches away from students whose parents were behind in paying. [Trib] [Fox13] [ABC4]
-> House Speaker Becky Lockhart wants to put more technology in Utah schools, but the question is how to find the money — as much as $300 million — to do it. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Gov. Herbert's new education advisor Tami Pyfer had to learn how to do her job quickly. Her first day was also her first day working as liaison with the Legislature. [DNews]
-> Two proposed bills aim to protect children from sex abuse, including one that would require teaching sex abuse education in school. [Fox13] [ABC4]
-> Teachers say they should play a bigger role in education policy decisions. [DNews]
-> Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, urged supporters of his workplace nondiscrimination bill to urge their senators to let the bill come up for a vote. Republican House and Senate leadership have agreed to not hear any bills relating to LGBT issues until Utah's gay marriage court case is settled. [Trib] [DNews] [KUER] [Fox13]
-> Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, introduced legislation requiring transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender they were born with. Schools would provide alternative restroom accommodations, such as a private bathroom, upon student request. [Trib]
-> Rep. Craig Hall discusses his campaign finance ideas. [UtahPolicy] And answers questions in the lightening round. [UtahPolicy]
-> AG Sean Reyes joined 10 other law officers in defense of Nevada's ban on same-sex marriage. [Trib]
-> Three Utah same-sex couples are asking to testify against Amendment 3 before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. [DNews] [Fox13]
-> Rural lawmakers discuss priorities for their parts of the state. [KUER]
-> Lawmakers offered their condolences to the family and friends of Sgt. Cory Wride. [Fox13] [APviaABC4]
-> People from many different faiths offer the opening prayers at Utah's House and Senate. [Herald]
-> Utah church and business groups say they are hopeful the U.S. House will take up immigration reform. [DNews]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert declared Jan. 31 Jerry Sloan day. [KUTV]
Nationally: A former Port Authority official said evidence exists to show that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures as they were happening. [NYTimes]
-> Christie's office struck back at the official and the Times, saying nothing has been made public that refutes what the governor has said. [Politico]
-> Around 22,000 people have filed appeals to correct mistakes healthcare.gov made when they signed up for healthplans. However, the appeals system isn't working and the appeals are currently untouched in a government computer. [WaPost]
-> The State Department said the Keystone XL pipeline is unlikely to increase greenhouse gases since the Canadian tar sands will be developed with or without the pipeline. [WaPost]
-> The State Department has had to answer a lot of questions about celebrities lately. [ABCNews]
-> Hillary Clinton took a Super Bowl related jab at FOX News on Twitter. [Politico]
Where are they?
Rep. Jason Chaffetz returns to Washington, votes and attends a security briefing on the Winter Olympics.
Gov. Gary Herbert visits the Utah Department of Insurance, meets with education advisor Tami Pyfer and general council Jacey Skinner.
SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams attends a County Council meeting and a Mountain Accord management committee meeting.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker hits a air quality workgroup conference call, legislative meetings, a Mountain Accord management committee meeting and an airport redevelopment meeting.
President Barack Obama meets with the recipients of the 2013 Fermi Award and later meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office.
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 Topher Webb Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/topherjwebb