Wednesday evening, January 13, 2021
State
Utah’s All Republican Representative Delegation Votes Against Impeachment
All four of Utah’s representatives voted Wednesday against impeaching President Donald Trump. Still, the House gathered enough votes to ultimately do so. One article of impeachment was introduced in the chamber because of Trump’s role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week. That makes him the first president to be impeached twice. Now, it’s on to the Senate. Utah’s senators have not announced publicly how they will vote in convicting the president. Read the full story. — Lexi Peery, St. George
How Social Media Companies Are Dealing With Far Right Views
Social media companies are reckoning with the role their platforms played in the U.S. Capitol riots last week. For some that means shutting down users and apps. And now conservative Utahns are looking for other ways to communicate. RonNell Andersen Jones is a law professor at the University of Utah. She said these companies aren’t violating any First Amendment rights, but now is a good time to discuss free speech. Read the full story. — Lexi Peery, St. George
Keep Your Eyes On Gun Related Bills In The Utah Legislature
The Utah Legislature didn’t pass any gun rights or gun control bills last year. So, some lawmakers are trying again in 2021. There are two bills that remove the requirement for gun owners to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon. In terms of gun control, a democratic lawmaker is sponsoring a bill that requires people who are not allowed to own guns to file a form with the court that says they no longer own any. Read the full story. — Sonja Hutson
Utah Legislature Going Virtual For Safety
The public will only be able to participate in Utah’s upcoming legislative session virtually for the foreseeable future. That’s according to a statement released by the state legislature Wednesday afternoon. The Utah Highway Patrol is worried about possible riots at the capitol building the first week of the session. Events that would coincide with national ones protesting the inauguration. Utah’s house speaker said the Legislature will work with law enforcement to decide when the public can attend meetings in person. The General Session starts Tuesday. People can listen to or watch hearings online and they can also request to comment during meetings. — Emily Means
More Than 5,000 New COVID-19 Cases But There’s A Catch
Utah health officials reported an increase of more than 5,000 COVID-19 cases Wednesday. But just under half of those cases were from positive tests that happened before Tuesday — with some dating back to last June. It’s the same with Utah’s death total. Officials announced 27 more people have died from COVID-19, but nine deaths happened in late December. Despite the state’s falling positivity rate, hospitals remain crowded. About 90% of ICU beds here are full. — Ross Terrell
Northern Utah
Salt Lake County Vaccine Appointments For Senior Residents Already Full
Salt Lake County residents over the age of 70 began signing up online for the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday morning. Then the county health department’s site crashed. A spokesperson said the form opened at 8 a.m. and thousands of people were trying to load it at the same time. But the problem was fixed within the hour. According to the county’s website appointments for residents over 70 are now full. — Ross Terrell