Monday evening, December 30, 2019
NORTHERN UTAH
Mayor-Elect’s Transition Recommendations
Reduce building emissions, brand Salt Lake City as a hot-spot for tech startups ... these are some of the recommendations given to Mayor-elect Erin Mendenhall as she prepares to take office Jan. 6. Mendenhall’s transition team, made up of business leaders and other experts, gave her a whopping 130-page document detailing their short- and long-term goals for the city in areas like transportation, housing and environmental sustainability. Many of the committee’s recommendations match priorities Mendenhall had already set. — Nicole Nixon
More Support For Refugees In Utah
Tooele County is the latest local government in Utah to send a letter in support of refugee resettlement to the Trump administration. In September, President Donald Trump issued an executive order which lets states and local governments choose whether they would participate in the country’s refugee resettlement program. In October, Gov. Gary Herbert sent a similar letter, and has since been joined by Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties and by Salt Lake City. Read the full story— Rocio Hernandez
Million+ In Scam Fines
The Federal Trade Commission says operators of a Utah-based work-from-home scheme will pay more than $1.4 million to settle a complaint they used spam emails, fake celebrity endorsements and bogus news stories to sell their products. The FTC said Monday that Effen Ads LLC, its owners and an affiliate marketing network racked up more than 50,000 orders from 2015 to 2017 at a typical cost of $97. — Associated Press
Ogden Airport Expansion
The city of Ogden is considering more than $1.5 million in improvements to its airport to accommodate an aerospace company. Aerospace company Borsight is expanding, and plans to develop two buildings at Ogden-Hinckley Airport. Officials say the airport's current water and fire flow infrastructure can't sustain the two buildings. The Standard-Examiner reports that the Ogden City administration is requesting new water infrastructure be added to a list of necessary improvement projects. — Associated Press
STATE
Utahns Polled On Tax Reform Package
A poll from UtahPolicy.com and Y2 analytics shows that more than two-thirds of Utah residents oppose key parts of a tax reform package. The tax proposal was passed by legislators in a special session earlier this month. The poll asked respondents about whether they supported or opposed the package that would reduce income tax rates, increase fuel taxes, restore a food tax, and expand the tax base. About 68% of people either somewhat opposed or strongly opposed. Read the full story— Caroline Ballard