Good Tuesday morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
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From ‘Coxadoodledoo’ to Dwayne ‘The Cox’ Johnson, here are your best suggestions for Gov. Spencer Cox’s name change
Yesterday I told you about the letter Gov. Spencer Cox shared on Twitter from a “concerned citizen” demanding he change his “obscene” last name.
I also asked readers for suggestions for a new name for Utah’s governor should he decide to change. The submissions ranged from juvenile to disgusting and hilarious to thoughtful and brilliant. Here are some of the best.
I also got a very thoughtful email from Wayne Fagg that was so good, I’m going to reprint it in its entirety below.
I stand in solidarity with the Governor. As a fourth-generation Utahn, whose grandfather and father were both born on Highland Drive in Salt Lake, I take umbrage that there are those who think we all have to be “Christensens” (my mother-in-law’s maiden surname) or “Hansen” (my wife’s maiden surname) and stand up for the minority.
My last name is “Fagg.” It rhymes with bag, tag, rag, slag...etc. You get the picture. I am a 1979 graduate of Provo High School. Was I teased as a young boy? Yes. Was I maligned as a teen? Of course. Have jokes been told about me by my teachers, or my bosses, or my ecclesiastical leaders? Of course! Who among us walks through life free from scorn? Or ridicule, or asinine sophomoric one-sided jests...? Oh, you have? Oh. Hmm.
Who hasn’t thought, “You know I was adopted and my last name would have been Carlson?”
But...and it’s a big one. My Dad, Floyd W. Fagg. is the single greatest man I have ever met. He accomplished more carrying that name than most “Olsons” or “Shaeffer’s” or “Bills” could ever hope to achieve...
So, I wear it proudly. And, I stand by Governor Cox. Be proud. Stand strong. Be the best Cox you can be for every Utahn!!
Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday morning :
🗳 It’s primary election day. Here’s what you need to know before casting your ballot. [Tribune]
🏛 The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is set for final passage in the U.S. Senate later this morning. [AP]
🏛 Democrats rolled out their $3.5 trillion budget package that will fulfill much of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. [NYT]
😷 Salt Lake County Health Department director Angela Dunn says she won’t ask for the county council to implement a mask mandate, even though the rising number of COVID-19 cases, saying she doesn’t want to see “that drama to play out publicly.” [Tribune]
🦠 The COVID-19 delta variant is sending more children to the hospital. Almost 94,000 children were diagnosed with the virus in the last week in the U.S. [NYT]
🦠 There are only 8 ICU beds available in Arkansas as COVID-19 infections increase. [Arkansas Democrat Gazette]
💉 Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said state employees and healthcare workers would be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. [Seattle Times]
💉 The Pentagon says all service members must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-September. Those who refuse could face a number of penalties. [Politico]
💉 Hundreds of colleges and universities require students and faculty to be vaccinated when they return to campus, but there’s a booming black market in fake vaccine cards. [AP]
⚖️ A federal judge asked prosecutors why Capitol riot defendants are paying only $1.5 million in restitution while U.S. taxpayers are covering more than $500 million in costs related to the attack. [WaPo]
👀 Lex Scott stepped down from leading the Utah Black Lives Matter Group, claiming death threats drove her to move to another state. [Tribune]
🏛 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to buy time as lawmakers move ahead with possible impeachment proceedings. [NYT]
🧑💻 There were almost 10 million job vacancies in the U.S. in July. Lack of affordable childcare, generous unemployment benefits, and career changes likely contribute to the worker drought. [BBC]
🏟 The 2020 Tokyo Olympics had the lowest ratings for a Summer Olympics ever. Viewership for the games tumbled 42% [WSJ]
✈️ Canada re-opened its border to fully-vaccinated Americans. [USA Today]
🤦 Anti-vaccine protesters attempted to storm a BBC building on Monday, but the news operation moved out of the facility in 2013. [Guardian]
Tuesday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
COVID-19
Environment
Local government
On the opinion pages
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
Happy birthday to former state Representative Fred Cox.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.