Happy Wednesday!
The U.S. Border patrol detained 76,020 unaccompanied children during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, which was higher than any year on record — including a surge in 2014. It also set records for apprehending migrant families at the border. “Each month during the fiscal year, the numbers increased,” said acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan. [CNN]
Topping the news: After raising less than most of her competitors in the primary election for Salt Lake City mayor, Erin Mendenhall has emerged as a behemoth fundraiser ahead of next week’s general election.[Trib]
-> Something scary for Halloween: arriving property tax notices show that 83 local governments in Utah raised property taxes this year, including several that doubled them.[Trib]
-> Utah Rep. John Curtis introduces legislation to open to House members all transcripts of classified closed-door hearings in the impeachment inquiry. [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @Patbagley: “Coal is dead. Someone please tell the Utah Legislature #utpol #utleg Some are on the payroll and might be surprised when their coal checks bounce”
-> From @ChrisMurphyCT: “About hit send on the first bipartisan Senate statement on need for NCAA reform in a while. The movement to support student athletes is growing...:”
-> From @PaightenHarkins: “The university wants to run an unmediated editorial in the student newspaper instead of answering the newspaper’s — and students’ — questions about what is going on. The newspaper says, and pardon my language, ‘Heck no.’”
Also in the news: The Summit County Council is threatening to withdraw its membership and dues from the Utah Association of Counties following a council member saying she was bullied for her Democratic politics at a meeting. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mitt Romney is leading a group of bipartisan lawmakers to introduce legislation that would save federal trust fundsfrom drying up for such things as highway maintenance, Medicare and Social Security. [Trib]
-> Coal giant Murray Energy filed for bankruptcy, despite regulatory breaks it sought and received from the Trump administration. It owns Utah’s Lila Canyon Mine and owned the Crandall Canyon mine where a 2007 collapse killed six miners [APviaTrib] [Fox13]
-> Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez urged San Juan County voters to reject Proposition 10, which would begin the process of changing the county’s form of government after tribal members won control of the county commission. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mike Lee joined several conservative Republicans to reintroduce a bill to take away the power of the National Labor Relations Board to prosecute and adjudicate disputes. [DNews]
-> Pat Bagley gives his take on how President Trump digs coal. [Trib]
-> Hundreds of wild horses recently removed from northern Utah’s Onaqui Mountains have fallen ill, postponing a Utah Bureau of Land Management corral adoption event. [Trib]
-> Tribune editorial page editor George Pyle explains why the newspaper no longer endorses candidates as it seeks nonprofit status. [Trib]
Nationally: A resolution to formalize the impeachment proceedings against President Trump has been released by the House Rules Committee. The House plans to vote on it Thursday. [CNN] [AP]
-> Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified in the House impeachment inquiry, offering new details on the push for investigations of President Trump, including Vindman’s first hand account of Trump’s alleged quid pro quo attempt. [WaPost] [AP]
-> Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warns that President Trump may try to shut down the federal government next month as part of the battle over impeachment. [Politico]
-> George Papadopoulos, a former adviser to Trump who pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about Russian contacts during his 2016 campaign, is running for Congress in California following Katie Hill’s resignation. [CNN]
-> Joe Biden was denied Holy Communion at a Catholic church in South Carolina on Sunday morning because of his views on abortion. [USAToday]
-> A federal judge blocked Alabama’s new near-total abortion ban. [Politico].
-> While the Democratic party is radically diverse when compared historically, the top tier of the party has primarily white, male representatives. [APviaTrib]
-> Tensions are heightened in Northern California as another round of fire-prevention blackouts on Tuesday could leave millions without electricity. [AP]
-> Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering a run for his former Senate seat from Alabama. [NYTimes]
-> The NCAA voted unanimously to have amateur athletes be benefitted from the use of their name, image and likeness. [AP]
-> Read an in-depth fact-check on the four most viral rumors to hit the Biden campaign, Ukraine and the like. [NYTimes]
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-- Lee Davidson and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics