Good Wednesday morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
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Here comes the great work (and political) disruption
After a year of remote work due to the pandemic, so much will change about employment in America.
A report from Microsoft says 40% of the global workforce is considering leaving their jobs this year. Another survey says about the same number of workers would consider quitting if their employer forced them to return to the office full time.
Nearly half of those who say they would rather quit than return to the office are millennials and Gen Z born after 1980.
If remote work becomes the norm, that could impact our politics. We’re already seeing a flood of new residents into Utah from other states. The Census Migration Tracker shows about 17,500 Californians relocated to Utah between 2014 and 2018.
Those new residents are most likely not moving here because of Utah’s reputation for a well-managed government. Instead, they’re probably attracted by affordable real estate and a lower cost of living.
And, they’re bringing their politics with them.
The Pew Research Center says members of Gen Z and millennials are more likely to want an activist government working to solve problems. That runs right into the libertarian leanings of many Utah legislators who think less government is better.
Last month Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen, who lives in Park City, told me that the hard right turn by many Utah Republicans is a backlash to these changes.
“The influx of people we’re getting from states like California, Texas, Connecticut, and others is amazing. The last thing any of these guys (Utah Republicans) want is somebody coming into their playground and upsetting things,” Galen said.
As the great Sam Cooke once sang, “I know a change is gonna come.”
Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday morning
Breaking overnight: Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated after a group of rebels attacked his home. [WSJ]
Utah news
Gov. Spencer Cox took a victory lap Tuesday after claiming 70% of Utah’s adult population had been given at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Cox relies on some federal numbers that aren’t included on the Utah Department of Health’s website. [Tribune]
The leader of Black Lives Matter Utah touched off a social media firestorm over the 4th of July weekend by claiming people who fly the American flag are racists. [Tribune]
At Tuesday’s Granite School Board meeting, more than 100 parents and activists voiced their opinions about critical race theory, which is not taught in Utah schools. [Tribune]
Here’s how Utah will spend millions of dollars to help students struggling with learning loss during the pandemic. [Tribune]
11 anti-mask protesters who disrupted a Granite School Board meeting earlier this year are facing criminal charges. [Tribune]
National news
Eric Adams has been declared the winner of the New York City mayoral primary. Adams is the overwhelming favorite to win the general election in November. [AP]
The COVID-19 Delta variant makes more than half of cases in the U.S. according to the CDC. [CNN]
Tropical Storm Elsa is nearing landfall in Florida. [Weather Channel]
Hackers linked to the Russian foreign intelligence service breached the computer system of the Republican National Committee last week. [Bloomberg]
One of the nation’s largest teachers unions is preparing to defend teachers punished for teaching an “honest history” of the United States. [AP]
Just weeks after apologizing for comparing masks to the Holocaust, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene likened the Biden Administration’s push to get Americans vaccinated to Nazi Germany. [WaPo]
The U.S. Capitol Police are planning to open field offices outside of Washington to track threats to lawmakers. [NYT]
The Pentagon canceled a $10 billion cloud computing contract given to Microsoft over Amazon during the Trump administration. [CNN]
According to a new book, former President Donald Trump lavished praise on Adolf Hitler during a European trip to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Trump reportedly told former chief of staff John Kelly that “Hitler did a lot of good things.” [Guardian]
Another new book claims Trump twice raised the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason not to hold the 2020 presidential election. [Insider]
Tweet of the day
Wednesday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Looking to launch a business? Here’s how Utahns can find the cash to get it off the ground. [Tribune]
Renters are being ‘priced out’ of Park City. [Tribune]
Here’s why beer has been banned at new ax-throwing venues in Utah. [Tribune]
Utah needs blood donors, as summer ‘trauma season’ makes shortages worse, health experts say. [Tribune]
Fact-checking Utah’s reputation as the worst state for women’s equality. [Tribune]
Community contributions reach $67M in Utah to address pandemic-related mental health crisis. [DNews]
Are Utah’s vintage plates a sign of a classic car or a license to dodge emissions testing? [DNews]
Cycles of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are overlapping — and they’ll start to eat Utah. [FOX13]
‘A philosophical change’: How Davis County is working to prevent inmate suicides. [KSL]
Utah’s John Curtis urges social media executives to protect underaged users. [Daily Herald]
Provo council votes to make city codes gender-neutral. [Daily Herald]
COVID-19
Utah reports more than 1,100 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths over the holiday weekend. [Tribune]
Education
11 anti-mask protesters charged with disrupting Granite school board meeting. [Tribune]
With a second for-profit medical school opening in Utah, the state will be training hundreds of new doctors a year. [Tribune]
Fires
SLC reports zero fireworks-related blazes while two wildfires were extinguished over holiday weekend. [Tribune]
Recent swath of fires along Wasatch Front not connected, investigators say. [Tribune]
‘Dangerously hot conditions’ are coming to Utah. [Tribune]
Ogden ban seemed to work — fireworks-related calls dipped, air stayed cleaner. [Standard Examiner]
Transportation
State eyeing billions of dollars worth of road projects that could be funded over next six years. [Standard Examiner]
As restrictions lift in Utah, air travel sees a big boost. [KUTV]
On the Opinion Pages
Dan Harrie: Certainly sexism creeps into media coverage of women and politics, but a recent study had some misfires. [Tribune]
Shellie Villarreal: Officials’ efforts to cap nicotine levels in Utah will send tobacco users back to cigarettes. [Tribune]
— Tribune reporter Connor Sanders contributed to this report.
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