Monday evening, July 26, 2021
State
Alliance For A Better Utah Files Complaint Over Campaign Finances
Alliance for a Better Utah is asking the state’s elections office to investigate whether Senate President Stuart Adams, R- Layton, and Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, accepted donations from the conservative group American Legislative Exchange Council without reporting them. The complaint alleges ALEC gives its members a free software that operates like a campaign tool, which means it should count as a donation. Senate Chief of Staff Mark Thomas said in a statement the two lawmakers have not used the software in any capacity. Read the full story. — Sonja Hutson
Utah COVID-19 Update
Utah health officials reported a four-day total of 2,269 new COVID-19 cases Monday. The seven day average for new daily cases is 646 which is about 100 more than the state was seeing this time a year ago. Utah’s positivity rate is also up compared to last week and last year. Data from the state health department show 45.8% of all Utahns have been fully vaccinated. — Ross Terrell
Northern Utah
University Of Utah Police Pledge To Hire More Women
The University of Utah Police announced a new pledge Monday to increase the number of women on its police force. Officials with the U police department said they have joined the national 30x30 initiative. The goal is for women to make up 30% of the police recruit class by 2030. Right now, women make up 10% of the department and a third of the command staff. The U’s acting police chief said in a press release, having a diverse agency is essential and an important part of police reform. During the first six months of the initiative, the department will focus on data collection and learning about women officers’ concerns and priorities. — Ross Terrell
Southern Utah
Grand County Sees Major Tourism Revenue Losses
National Parks in Utah have seen record visitation in recent months but those visitors tend to come from within the United States. International travel has been heavily restricted during the pandemic. The Moab Sun News reported without tourists from other countries, Grand County has lost $10 million in revenue. International visitors tend to spend more money and stay longer than domestic travelers, according to tourism officials. — Caroline Ballard
Region
Updating The Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act
The Department of the Interior plans to update the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires museums and universities that receive federal funding to repatriate human remains and sacred objects to tribes that ask for them. The department’s draft proposal includes a provision that would put the burden on those institutions, rather than tribes, to initiate the repatriation process. — Savannah Maher, Mountain West News Bureau