SALT LAKE CITY, Utah— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced today that the additional $300 weekly unemployment benefits and other federal unemployment programs related to the pandemic would end June 26, rather than the federal expiration of Sept. 6. The move to end the unemployment stipend prematurely is a trend among states with Republican governors. Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming have also pledged to end the benefits early.
Chase Thomas, executive director of the left-leaning Alliance for a Better Utah, offered the following statement:
“Every Utahn, regardless of where they live or their…
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee is seeking public comment on attorney Monica Diaz, who Gov. Spencer Cox appointed as a judge for the 3rd District Juvenile Court.
Those who desire to comment should contact Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee staffer Jerry Howe at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 13. He can be reached at the Utah State Capitol, House Building, Suite W210, P.O. Box 145210, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114–5210. All statements should include the respondent’s name, telephone number and mailing address.
The Senate Judicial Confirmation…
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Better Utah Institute today released a Civic Engagement Toolkit, which can be found on the institute’s website here. Through an engaging and gamified series of surveys, games, and quizzes, the toolkit educates Utahns on what civic engagement is and how they can make a positive change in their community by advocating for the issues they care about.
Watch a 45-second intro video to the toolkit here.
Melissa Nelson-Stippich, civic engagement coordinator for the Better Utah Institute, said, “We know when people hear the term ‘civic engagement,’ they have various reactions. Some aren’t sure what…
Hindu prayers are making their way through Latter-day Saint-dominated Sanpete County, Utah — and they’re marking a place in the history books in the process.
When Hindu statesman Rajan Zed offered the prayer in the Ephraim city council on April 7, it was believed to be the first time in Ephraim City history that a member of Hinduism had offered a prayer, Ephraim Mayor John Scott said. When Zed gave the invocation in the Sanpete County commission on March 16, it was reportedly the first time since its founding 171 years ago that the commission started its meeting with Hindu…
NEW YORK, New York — Finiite is launching an equity crowdfunding raise on Wefunder, an equity crowdfunding platform. It’s possible through new reform of regulation crowdfunding by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Wefunder expects that many more companies, at this point, will want to be funded through the platform.
Nine years ago, Wefunder had a goal of persuading Congress to permit anyone to put even $100 in the startups in which they believed. The company’s endeavor was successful. It was there when former President Barack Obama signed the JOBS Act into law.
“But when those laws rolled out in 2016…
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — From one perspective, the Utah Legislature largely failed. Forty-five of the 104 Utah lawmakers got an “F” grade from an advocacy organization based in the state.
The left-leaning Alliance for a Better Utah published its annual Progress Report today for the 2021 general legislative session. This year, lawmakers were graded for their votes on 66 bills organized into four categories: Strong Communities, Equal Rights, Good Government, and Sustainable Future. All 104 legislators received overall grades, as well as grades in each of the four categories.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Following the votes of Republican Reps. Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart to overturn the results of a proven free and fair election in Pennsylvania, a left-leaning advocacy group in their state, Alliance for a Better Utah, called for their immediate resignations. Since the 2020 presidential election, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court rejected multiple GOP efforts to overturn the results of Pennsylvania’s election.
Chase Thomas, executive director for Alliance for a Better Utah, issued the following statement:
“With their votes to overturn a free and fair election in Pennsylvania, Reps. Burgess…
Nearly two years ago, I went to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, I found myself needing to disrobe — completely — in front of a female nurse.
If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, then I got an erection in front of her.
She made a comment about it. And honestly, if I were her, I probably would have too. I mean, my body is saying I want to have sex with her. It’s something with too big of implications to ignore.
(I wish I could remember the exact words she said.)
She was a nice woman.
Penises are…
Changes to the Latter-day Saint church’s temple endowment ordinance, or “sacrament” in the Christian world, have contradicted LDS prophet Joseph Smith’s teachings that the ordinance never should be changed.
(Last year, there were changes regarding women; this year, there were changes to endowment clothing and an act of the ritual, as some examples of endowment changes. And statements from the church about the temple changes reflected a failure to even try to be honest. And the church says the endowment is an ordinance.)
Consider Smith’s teachings — while in the capacity of a prophet:
“Now the purpose in Himself (God)…
In 2014, I watched “Frozen” on a laptop at my apartment and proceeded to castigate it on social media for advocating for social liberalism.
It may have a little of that. For instance, the song “Let It Go” may be slightly feminist. (“That perfect girl is gone,” Queen Elsa sings after considering if she should “Be the good girl (she) always (has) to be.”) And quick marriages are frowned upon.
But is that good?
Only a year after seeing “Frozen” and writing the post blasting the film for advocating for social liberalism, I was done with the Latter-day Saint (formerly…
Rhett Wilkinson
Rhett Wilkinson has won 12 journalism awards over 4 years of applying for them. Work in USA TODAY, ESPN, Pew, MSN. Also been a successful pro se litigant.
