Happy Thursday! And happy Valentine’s Day! President Barack Obama had a golf simulator, but President Donald Trump wanted something nicer. So the White House now has a room-size simulator that allows him to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world by hitting a ball into a large video screen. Aides say he paid for the $50,000 installation. [WaPost]
Topping the news: One year ago a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire killing students and teachers alike. The incident led to sweeping protests, conversations and legislation. Now, Utah lawmakers are introducing their own bills on both sides of the political aisle but its unclear what will see the light of day. [Trib] [KUTV]
-> Intermountain Healthcare, the biggest health care provider in Utah, will soon roll out medical marijuana recommendations to their qualifying patients. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Utah lawmakers said they have split opinions on the two flag proposals they are current facing. Ultimately, the House committee put its support behind one and were less enthused about the other, even likening the proposal to a “corporate logo.” [Trib] [Fox13]
Tweets of the day: @reporterjoe: “I watched today as @SenatorSinema greeted @MittRomney on the Senate subway, ‘Hi, Mitt!’ He said hi back, tossed her a bag of candy and asked her to be his valentine. True story. #Bipartisanship.”
-> @NickBaumann: “GUIDANCE: The ‘scandal’ around Kamala Harris claiming she was listening to Tupac and Snoop while smoking weed in college shall henceforth be known as Bonghazi.”
-> @BarackObama: “Don’t be sad it’s over, be proud it taught us so much. Congrats to all the men and women of @NASA on a @MarsRovers mission that beat all expectations, inspired a new generation of Americans, and demands we keep investing in science that pushes the boundaries of human knowledge.”
Happy Birthday: to Bob Aagard and Andrea Candrian.
In other news: Residents of an apartment complex in Salt Lake City spent the last couple of weeks preparing to be evicted from their homes on Thursday. Tenants were told they needed to be out because of faulty heating systems, smoke alarms and electrical wiring issues. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
> Several weeks ago, a Utah lawmaker introduced a bill that if passed, would prevent Utahns from changing their sex on their birth certificates. On Wednesday the same lawmaker said he would address criticisms by revising the proposal to allow Utahns to change their gender on driver licences. [Trib]
-> A bill proposing to require Utah counties to obtain approval from the Legislature before embarking on any federal land designation barely passed in committee Tuesday night. [Trib]
-> Lehi became the first city in Utah to bump the age for possessing and purchasing tobacco from 19 to 21. The City Council voted unanimously in favor of doing so Tuesday night joining the other 425 plus municipalities across the nation with similar policies. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Officials from Millcreek and Salt Lake City agreed to discontinue their dispute over Brickyard Plaza, a shopping center, on Capitol Hill. Instead, city officials will negotiate possession of the property. [Trib]
-> The Utah Traffic Authority board hailed a bus driver as a hero and honored her after she stopped a 15-year-old girl from jumping off a bridge. The driver, Shelly Monson, said she was surprised because she didn’t act because she wanted recognition and told others struggling with suicide to get help. [Trib]
-> The woman who accidentally shot and killed a teenager last September who was driving by with his family while she was shooting at a paper target was sentenced to 480 hours of community service and a $2,400 fine. A large part of her community service will consist of telling the public about what she did wrong and hopefully, according to the judge, make some sort of difference. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Auditors for the Controlled Substance Database found that the system needs more cybersecurity and is susceptible to security breaches. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A bill aimed at encouraging Utah cities to create and plan for more affordable housing passed out of the Senate, but not without several lawmakers expressing concerns that the the policy is wasteful and won’t do enough. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Senate Revenue and Taxation committee stalled a bill proposing to exempt Stadler Rail, a Swiss rail car manufacture, from paying sales tax on rail car materials. The company has already been granted two other tax breaks in the past. [Trib]
-> The pride flag that used to hang over a Salt Lake City restaurant was torn down sometime Monday or Tuesday. The restaurant is owned by Sen. Derek Kitchen, Utah’s only openly gay lawmaker, and his husband Moudi Sbeity — some know the two for being one of three couples who sued to legalize gay marriage in Utah during 2013. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City School District said they could lose about $500 million throughout the next 25 years because of property tax revenues cast by an area owned by the Inland Port Authority Board. Yet, the district has no representation on the 11-member board that oversees development and Utah lawmakers say that won’t change this legislature session either. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board penned a piece condemning the Utah Legislature for repealing Proposition 3 arguing that doing so went against the will of voters. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke highlighted what he called the best piece of legislation in the 2019 session — a bill that he said would grant 10,000 Utah students free college tuition for two years and would add on to other scholarships and financial aid. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on what it takes to prep to run for president. [Trib]
Nationally: Judge Amy Berman Jackson, a federal judge, declared that President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort repeatedly lied to prosecutors despite his pledge to cooperate with the investigation into Russia election interference. The ruling could affect the sentence Manafort received for the worse, especially because he had agreed to cooperate with the proceedings. [NYTimes] [Politico] [WaPost]
-> One year from the shooting that ripped through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last Valentine’s Day, reporters checked on what has changed, how victims have been impacted and interviewed nine individuals who are deeply affected by the tragedy. [NYTimes]
-> The House Judiciary Committee gave its approval on two different bills that would widen background checks for individuals purchasing firearms. But the legislation isn’t likely to go far. [Politico] [WaPost]
-> The House voted to stop offering military aid to Saudi Arabia in its almost four-year war with Yemen. The vote went directly against President Trump’s most recent comments signaling his unflinching support to the country despite the hand it played in the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist tortured and killed in 2018. [NYTimes] [Politico] [WaPost]
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-- Thomas Burr and Sahalie Donaldson