Monday morning, July 27, 2020
STATE
Improving Health Care Beyond Pandemic
State and federal lawmakers have made health care more accessible during the pandemic by increasing telehealth services and suspending Medicaid work requirements. But community advocates want more. During a celebration Saturday of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Stacy Stanford with the Utah Health Policy Project urged disabled Utahns to get involved. She said a top priority is increasing federal Medicaid funding, which would boost the state's social services budget. — Emily Means
COVID By The Numbers
The Utah Department of Health reported 350 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday — the first time that number has been below 400 in over a month. There were a reported 661 cases on Saturday along with one death — a Davis County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was living in a long-term care facility. 274 Utahns have died due to the coronavirus. As of Sunday there have been nearly 37,973 cases in Utah and more than 505,351 people have been tested. — Elaine Clark
Follow KUER’s coverage of the coronavirus in Utah.
NORTHERN UTAH
Nature For All
Environmentalists in Utah examined how conservation and social justice issues impact each other during Latino Conservation Week, which wrapped up Sunday. The Salt Lake City chapter helped organize events, including a panel on environmental justice Friday evening. During that panel, activists pointed out that more than 70% of communities of color across the U.S. live in “nature deprived areas,” according to a report from the Hispanic Access Foundation. They also discussed ways to ensure environmental policies also benefit people of color.Read the full story. — Sonja Hutson
Police Kill Man In Possible Hostage Incident
A man is dead after Salt Lake City Police responded to a possible hostage situation Saturday morning. A spokesperson for the police says two men were fighting at the Smith's Marketplace in Downtown Salt Lake City, and one man appeared to have a knife. Officers shot him outside of the store, and he died at the scene. Police later identified the man as 34-year-old Andrew Jacob Preece. The West Valley Police Department will conduct the investigation. — Emily Means
Preventing Tragedy At Utah Lake
The family and friends of two Saratoga Springs teenagers who drowned in Utah Lake in May are hoping to build a life jacket loaner station to prevent similar accidents. The group proposes constructing an enclosure at the entrance of the Knolls so those going out on the lake could use the life jackets free of charge. — Associated Press
REGION/NATION
College Contact Tracers
The University of Colorado Boulder is training 85 college students to do contact tracing once classes resume in the fall. So far, about 20 students have completed the training. They can choose whether they want to earn course credit for their contact tracing work or some course credit plus $14 an hour payment. Their training materials come from two sources, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Colorado’s health department. — Rae Ellen Bichell, Mountain West News Bureau