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Political Cornflakes: Trump’s company removes his name from the New York City ice skating rinks he owns

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) In this Jan. 15, 2011 file photo, the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team practices at Lasker rink in New York's Central Park. The rink at the northern side of Central Park has been formally known as Trump Lasker Rink since Donald Trump took over running it in 2001.

Happy Wednesday!

As skating season begins, the Trump name has been removed from the boards around a pair of ice rinks in Central Park that President Donald Trump has run since the 1980s. The changes in branding mark not a shift in ownership but a milestone: For the first time since the president took office, two of his businesses seem to be trying to downplay their connection to his name. [WaPost]

Topping the news: Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton announced Wednesday morning her plans to run for governor, joining an increasingly crowded field of hopefuls. [Trib]

-> A slew of business owners, poverty advocates and education leaders voiced their objection to a massive tax reform proposal released last week by leaders of a legislative panel. [Trib]

-> Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said that keeping The Road Home’s shelter open through the winter is still an option on the table amid capacity concerns within three new Salt Lake City centers. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson proposed a new property tax hike in her annual budget plan that would amount to about $33 per year for the average homeowner in an effort to solve “huge” structural financial challenges. [Trib] [DNews]

Tweets of the day: From @devon_cantwell: “Finding out that Romney has a secret Twitter account to rip at Trump is the pinnacle of Utah passive-aggressive culture.”

-> From @FredTJoseph: “Whether you’re speaking for or against him, I’m going to need white people to stop freely using the concept of lynching today to make their points.”

-> From @KFILE: “While Biden has called Trump’s lynching comments ‘abhorrent’ and ‘despicable,’ in 1998 appearance on CNN, Biden said impeachment could end up being viewed as a ‘partisan lynching.’”

Happy Birthday: To Ric Cantrell of the Utah Attorney General’s Office and political scientist Tim Chambless.

Also in the news: Federal land managers have been threatened or assaulted more than 360 times in the past few years, according to a new study that finds many attacks are coming from anti-government activists. [Trib]

-> Salt Lake City broke ground on a new $528 million water reclamation plant project on Tuesday, marking the start of the largest non-airport public utilities project in the capital city’s history. [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Some 1,300 missing ballots were discovered sitting at a printer’s office Tuesday instead of being mailed out last week to Draper residents. [Trib]

-> Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. say he is a fortnight away from announcing whether he’ll make another run for governor. [DNews]

-> Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart says State Department employees who go against President Donald Trump’s agenda are “betraying” the American people. [DNews]

-> South Jordan’s water supply tested clean but more assessments are underway following a resident’s complaint of contamination by a metallic element that, in excess, can cause skin burns and more serious disease. [Trib]

-> In Roy, Southbound Interstate 15 is scheduled to close Friday and Saturday nights for water pipeline work beneath the roadway. [Trib]

-> Also on Friday and Saturday, Utah Transit Authority riders may tag along with a paying friend to ride for free. [Trib]

-> An age-old Latter-day Saint prophecy says a White Horse will swoop in to save the Constitution during perilous times. Some say Sen. Mitt Romney is that prediction’s protagonist. [KUER]

Nationally: Trump likened the impeachment inquiry against him to a “lynching” in a tweet, leaving Republicans at a loss and Democrats in a firestorm of criticism. [Politico] [NYTimes] [AP]

-> A new book titled “A Warning” about the president is written by the same anonymous senior White House official who wrote the 2018 New York Times op-ed Trump deemed treasonous. [CNN] [NYTimes]

-> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he never had a conversation with Trump where he described the president’s call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky as perfect. [CNN]

-> Jim Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, said he was not consulted on Trump’s decision to pull American troops from the country. [CNN]

-> The New York Times published the Ukraine envoy’s statement to the impeachment inquiry. Read it here. [NYTimes]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven’t already, sign up here for our weekday email to get this sent directly to your inbox.

-- Taylor Stevens and Clara Hatcher