Tuesday morning, April 27, 2021
State
State Invites School Districts: “Grow Your Own” Teacher
Some districts in Utah have begun using an innovative approach to recruit teachers from their own communities, and a recently signed state bill would help expand it statewide. The Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program allocates $9.2 million for a three-year pilot to test its potential across the state. Districts have to apply for the funding, which would help pay for scholarships and mentors for people like paraprofessionals and school counselor assistants who are on their way to becoming licensed teachers or counselors. A report from Illinois State University found the model has been particularly successful in schools that are traditionally hard to staff, such as those in rural or ethnically and economically diverse areas. Read the full story. — Jon Reed
New Scholarships Support Return To College
There are close to 370,000 people in Utah who’ve attended some college but didn’t finish — more than in any other state — according to Nina Barnes with the Utah System of High Education. She said helping them finish has become a major focus for the state. At a virtual hearing Monday, she touted a bill recently passed by state lawmakers, which offers scholarships to students over the age of 26 to help them complete their degrees. The funding is targeted to students from rural areas, minority students and those from low-income families. Students also have to be getting their degree online or in a field with an industry need to qualify. — Jon Reed
State Returns To Vehicle Registration Postcards
Renewal registration postcards from Utah’s Division of Motor Vehicles are back. The DMV stopped sending physical reminders last September in an effort to save money, instead offering opt-in notification by email. The State Legislature reinstated funding during this year’s General Session though, and the first postcards are expected to be sent out at the end of this week for vehicles expiring in May. People who opt for email notices will not receive one, an option DMV officials are encouraging people to choose for environmental reasons. — Ivana Martinez
Northern Utah
Honoring Memory Of Chief Terikee
A northern Utah city plans to re-erect a monument to honor a chief of the Northwestern Shoshone tribe. The Standard-Examiner reports that the city of Harrisville partnered with the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation and the Weber County Heritage Foundation to dedicate the historical marker at the site where Chief Terikee was killed in 1850. There are conflicting reports of how and why the killing happened. Members of the partnership hope regional residents will be inspired to do more research about local history. — Associated Press
Region/Nation
Federal Relief For Live Venues
Live venues in Utah and nationwide are now eligible to apply for federal financial relief. The U.S. Small Business Administration has re-opened the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, after the online application portal had technical problems earlier this month. SBA officials said Utah venues contribute millions of dollars to their local economies. There’s a little more than $16 billion in funding available to performing arts organizations, museums, movie theaters and other live venue promoters, and grant money can be spent on things like payroll, rent or debt payments. Officials said there's an urgent need to support venues that are faced with closing for good. — Elaine Clark
California Immigration Myth Busting
More than a million people moved away from big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York during the pandemic last year according to change-of-address data analysed by the real estate investment firm CBRE. But most of those people just moved to nearby cities like Sacramento and to sunbelt destinations like Austin, Texas. Overall, there wasn’t a huge spike in new people in the Mountain West, and the growth followed roughly the same trend as it did before the pandemic. — Nate Hegyi, Mountain West News Bureau