Explosive devices mailed to Obama, Clinton, officials say. 3rd District candidates square off in last debate of the election. McAdams unveils county budget proposal.
Happy Wednesday. In what appears to be a concerted effort, explosive devices were sent to former President Barack Obama and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just days after another such device was hand-delivered to Democratic donor George Soros’ home. It was unclear where the devices sent to Obama and Clinton were found. [NYTimes]
Topping the news: Candidates for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District faced off Tuesday night in a debate for the midterm elections. Utah Rep. John Curtis maintains a solid lead over his opponent, Democrat James Singer. After the debate, Singer pointed out that the two differ in their core view of what a government is and what it is supposed to do. [Trib][DNews][KUTV][ABC4]
-> Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams released a $1.5 billion budget plan for 2019 on Tuesday, explaining that the proposal will focus on public safety measures without increasing taxes. He plans to institute policies to encourage law enforcement officers to join and stay, and he plans to address the ongoing lack of jail beds. [Trib][DNews][Fox13]
Tweets of the Day: From @BCApplebaum: “New rule: The baseball game is over after three hours.”
In other news: A University of Utah student was slain on campus Monday night by an ex-boyfriend and former sex offender on parole who later killed himself in a Salt Lake City church. The victim, Lauren McCluskey, notified University Police that she was being harassed by the ex-boyfriend, but the attacker’s parole officers were not notified in time for any prevention attempts to occur. [Trib][KUTV][KUER]
-> A new group has formed to oppose the proposed amendment that would allow legislators to call a special session themselves. The group said in a radio ad that the measure threatens the balance of power in the Utah government, allowing lawmakers to grant themselves more power. [Trib]
-> Utah Democratic Sen. Jim Dabakis, a self-described cannabis “virgin,” sampled marijuana gummies in Nevada to help better understand the substance before voting on it in the special legislative session about medical marijuana next month. [Trib]
-> 35-year lawman Ken Wallentine has been nominated to be West Jordan’s new police chief. The West Jordan City Council will have final say on the nomination in its meeting Wednesday. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on Question 1 on the midterm election ballot. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump condemned Saudi Arabia for the murder of U.S. resident and Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling the country’s account of his death “the worst cover-up ever.” The Trump administration indicated that it might be imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabia for human rights violations. [NYTimes][BBC][WSJ]
-> Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the high court, announced on Tuesday that she was diagnosed “some time ago” with the beginning stages of dementia and that it has now progressed enough that she will be retreating from public life. [NYTimes][CNN][WSJ]
-> Trump embraced the label “nationalist” on Tuesday at a political rally, noting that public officials aren’t really supposed to use that word due to its extremist implications. [NYTimes][CNN][Fox]
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— Thomas Burr and Cara MacDonald
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/carammacdonald