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PM News Brief: Rep. Chris Stewart reelection bid, Park City to go containers & Monday COVID update

Brian Grimmett
Rep. Chris Stewart, R-UT, announced on Twitter Monday morning he’s running for reelection in the 2022 midterms. This story and more in Monday evening's news brief.

Monday evening, Nov. 15, 2021

State

Rep. Chris Stewart announces he’s running for reelection

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-UT, announced on Twitter Monday morning he’s running for reelection in the 2022 midterms. In a tweet, Stewart said he’s asking for the support of Utahns who believe the nation needs to “embark on a course that empowers the American people.” Stewart listed a few of his concerns with the direction the country is headed, including economic issues and foreign security. He currently represents Utah’s second district. Under the state’s new maps, Stewart would be the congressman for part of northern Salt Lake City and a massive swath of rural land in the western part of Utah down to St. George. However, the district’s partisan makeup is relatively unchanged, according to the polling website FiveThirtyEight. — Ross Terrell

More than 4,500 new COVID cases since Friday 

Utah has seen 4,502 new COVID cases since last Friday. State data show 558 people are currently hospitalized for the virus. That’s down compared to last Monday. Utah’s positivity rate has also decreased slightly from this time last week. Still, health officials said Monday 26 more people have died from COVID. That is also a three-day total. Six of them were between the ages of 25 and 44. So far, about 56% of all Utahns have been fully vaccinated. — Ross Terrell 

Northern/Central Utah

Park City gets grant to increase reusable to go containers 

Park City is set to receive $20,000 in federal funding to pilot a reusable to-go container program. The money comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Park City said it will do a one-month test of reusable to go containers with local partners. That will allow it to determine if it’s possible to do something similar community-wide. The EPA says reducing the number of single use packaging that enters the system will also reduce land and water use, pollution and emissions. — Caroline Ballard

Utah state prison dealing with COVID outbreak

The Utah State Prison is experiencing another COVID outbreak. As of Friday, there were 66 active cases at the Draper location. Dodi Killough’s fiancé is housed at the Oquirrh 5 facility in Draper. A couple weeks ago he tested positive for COVID, even though he’s vaccinated. Killough said she’s concerned since he recently had back surgery and that makes him even more vulnerable. Prison officials said they’re currently following CDC guidelines and working with local health officials to stop the spread. According to the Utah Department of Corrections, vaccination rates among prisoners range from 60% to 92% depending on the facility. Read the full story.Ivana Martinez

Region/Nation

New federal initiatives announced for Indian Country  
President Joe Biden announced a sweeping set of new initiatives for Indian Country at a tribal nations summit Monday. They include an executive order addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Biden also called for stronger protections for the greater Chaco Landscape in New Mexico. — Nate Hegyi, Mountain West News Bureau

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