Good morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
📬 Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email. You can also find me on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Reddit
Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up for free here.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Rep. Bruce R. Cutler is running to replace Steve Christiansen in the Utah House.
Another former Utah legislator eyeing a return to the Hill
Yesterday we told you about former Rep. Ken Ivory hoping to return to his former HD47 seat in the Utah House following the surprising resignation of Rep. Steve Christiansen.
Now, former Rep. Bruce Cutler wants back in, too.
Salt Lake County GOP Chairman Chris Null confirmed Cutler is a candidate for the open seat.
Cutler was first elected to the Legislature in 2014, representing HD44. He held that seat for two terms. Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, defeated him in 2018. He now lives within the boundaries of HD47.
During his previous tenure, Cutler focused on technological issues and pushed to ban smoking on the Capitol grounds.
Along with Cutler and Ivory, Nathan Brown is also in the race.
The special election is November 15.
Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday morning
Utah
🗳 As voters head to the polls today, Robert Gehrke turns to an expert to find out whether your ballot is secure. Spoiler alert: It is. [Tribune]
🏛 Utah’s independent redistricting commission delivered their map proposals to the Utah Legislature. Lawmakers plan to unveil their maps sometime this week. [Tribune]
➡️ Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall has big plans for the city’s Ballpark area, hoping to turn the neighborhood into a gathering place. [Tribune]
🍩 The owners of Salt Lake City’s Banbury Cross Donuts complained that they were having trouble finding workers because of “handouts” from the government. People quickly pointed out the company got more than $140,000 from the government during the pandemic. [Tribune]
National
🗳 It’s election day. The big contest to watch is the Virginia gubernatorial contest. There are several other races around the country worth paying attention to. [NYT]
🏛 Sen. Joe Manchin threw a wrench in the negotiations over President Joe Biden’s social spending proposal, saying he’s not ready to endorse the measure. Democrats insist he’ll come around soon. [Politico]
🏛 After several hours of questioning, it appears the Supreme Court may allow challenges to Texas’ controversial abortion law. [WaPo]
💉 The CDC is expected to approve the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. [WaPo]
🚨 Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says former President Donald Trump threatened him during the infamous post-election phone call where Trump asked him to “find” enough votes to reverse the election results in that state. [AP]
🌎 President Biden unveiled new rules to curb methane gas emissions. [WaPo]
Tuesday morning’s Utah news roundup
Utah
COVID-19
Crime
Education
Development
Environment
On the Opinion Pages