News Highlights

House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., says he won't allow a vote on a bill that would give Utah a fourth congressional seat until after a special session of the Utah Legislature to approve a new map for four congressional districts (Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News).

Article: "If traffic on I-15 in Utah County grinds to a halt, so will the economy. That's the message local elected leaders and concerned citizens are trying to get out to the public before voters decide the fate of a sales tax increase to fund commuter rail and other transit and road projects" (Morning News) Local officials are prioritizing highway and transit projects for vote in Salt Lake County. Public hearing scheduled Thursday (Tribune).

Quote of the Day

"Because news is transmitted instantly, the consequences of getting it wrong are more serious, and the responsibility of getting it right is much greater."

-- John Hughes, editor of the Morning News, in a Rotary Club speech about the role of newspapers in the Internet age (Morning News).

Public Officials of the Year: Corroon and Nordfelt

The Salt Lake Chamber will honor Salt Lake County Mayor Peter M. Corroon and West Valley Mayor Dennis J. Nordfelt as its Public Officials of the Year 2006 at the Chamber’s 104th Annual Meeting luncheon Thursday at 11:45 a.m. at the Grand America Hotel, Imperial Ballroom.

The Chamber described its Public Officials of the Year as “people who recognize business as a positive and essential element of Utah’s continuing growth and success.  They are more interested in solutions than posturing.  They respect the voice of business while being responsible to their constituents.  Their tireless efforts are appreciated and are worthy of emulation by other public officials.”

Keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting will be Ty Detmer, All-American football quarterback and Heisman Trophy recipient. Lane Beattie, Chamber President & CEO, and Keith Rattie, Chamber Board Chair, will also make brief remarks. The luncheon cost is $75 per person and $750 for a table of 10. RSVP or get more info here, email annualmeeting@saltlakechamber.org, or call (801) 328-5050.

Campaign Management Minor

This year marks the second year that the Hinckley Institute is offering an undergraduate minor in campaign management – one of only two undergraduate campaign management programs in the nation.  The minor offers students the opportunity to learn the theory and practices of everyday politics that will allow them to be effective participants in election and advocacy campaigns. For more information, click here. 

Romney’s PAC Web Site

Stay up to speed on the latest Mitt Romney happenings by periodically checking out his Commonwealth PAC website.

Blog Watch

Rep. John Dougall says: "Utahns love Jon Huntsman Jr. ... But as of a few months ago he still hadn't acquired that gubernatorial swagger. He served as a respected ambassador for Utah. He was an effective cheerleader for the State. He just hadn't quite mastered the up close and personal, hand-to-hand legislative process. At times he relied too heavily on legislative leadership to promote his agenda, as if the legislature were a top-down corporation, rather than a very dynamic, bottom-up affiliation ... At other times he relied on his loyal staff to convey a message that only he could communicate to the legislature. Well all that has changed! And it's a great improvement for Utah (and for the legislature). Probably the most important result of the process leading up to, and including, the special session is that Gov. Huntsman really experienced the success of effectively conveying his message for change to the rank and file members of the legislature. Being willing to meet with each legislator, taking the time to travel the state, and look each legislator in the eye and ask for his or her support, showed the Gov's passion and sincerity, both for tax reform and, more significantly, for the legislative process. I know that he has gain significant respect with the members of the House. Respect that will serve our State well for years to come"... Rep. Craig Frank posts a podcast interview he conducted with Rep. Steve Urquhart about last week's special session... The UAC Blog posts a September legislative update... The Zion Mojave Wilderness Blog says: "Proponents of the [Washington Co. growth bill] have been ringing alarm bells about an impending shortage of private land in Washington County. But it turns out this 'shortage' is pure propaganda ... It turns out that, even with explosive growth over the past decade (the county is one of the fastest growing in the nation), a mere 9% of the private land in the county has been developed. Intriguingly, the source that exposed this lie is no less than the St. George Chamber of Commerce. After several letters-to-the-editor and blog posts pointed out the truth by citing the Chamber's own facts, the offending page seemed to mysteriously 'disappear.' Can't have inconvenient facts clouding up the picture, can we?"... Jen's Green Journal posts a link to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! interview with SLC Mayor Rocky Anderson... RedState Radio interviews Mass. Gov. and likely '08 presidential candidate Mitt Romney (see also here, here, here, and here)... CoolestFamilyEver says of the controversy surrounding a plan to pump water from remote valleys on the Utah/Nevada border to Las Vegas: "This problem wouldn't exist had Californians been willing to take their lumps and develop their own water resources instead of using the power of superior numbers to legislate it away from their neighbors. By not spending the money to invest in desalinazation plants and resevoirs to trap their share of the Sierra Nevada's melting snow, they've trapped themselves in a dependency on water from the Colorado River and Lake Tahoe. Their bad example of using population to bully what they want out of others is the same model used by Las Vegas against the rural ranchers. Let's hope our bad neighbors to the west (both of them) get a grip on reality and start playing nice."

Washington Watch

Hatch Honors Justice Scalia

Sen. Orrin Hatch praises Justice Antonin Scalia's 20 years of service on the U.S. Supreme Court (see press release); Hatch chairs a meeting "of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health on the subject of strengthening Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for small- and medium-sized businesses. Ogden's Joe Knight, Chief Financial Officer and co-owner of Setpoint Companies, a small manufacturing firm, testified in favor of HSAs" (press release).

Cannon Defends Watchdog

Rep. Chris Cannon confronts the board chairman of the Legal Service Corp. with secret board transcripts indicating that some officials wanted to fire an internal watchdog for questioning the legal aid service directors' commitment to their anti-poverty mission (Associated Press).

Matheson: Grants for TV, Radio

Rep. Jim Matheson says "two grant awards from the Department of Commerce to KUED Channel 7 and KRCL Community Radio will enhance service to Utah viewers and Salt Lake City listeners" (see press release).

Elected Officials Birthday List

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Utah in the National News

Article: "Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the West became the most reliably Republican region in the country. But in 2002, Democrats won gubernatorial races in Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. In 2004, at least below the president on the ballot, more splotches of blue appeared in the largely red region, as moderate Democrats with strong local ties won key races. ... Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report attributes the Democratic wins in the West to an influx of new residents, 'a big chunk of it Hispanic'" (USA Today).

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says of Western states with growing Hispanic populations: "My view is that the West is the future of the Democratic party -- Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah" (Christian Science Monitor).

Columnist Ryan Sager says: "If blue state Californians want to give the national Republican Party palpitations, here's some practical advice: Go east, young man (or woman). Just not too far east. In fact, you might try right next door. Any one of the eight red to purple states of the nation's interior West -- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah or Wyoming -- would do just fine" (Los Angeles Times).

Local Headlines

Deseret Morning News

- 4th seat in House? Clock is ticking

- Transit tax gets big push

- Editing of movies debated in House

- Thinking outside the box: Shoshones rely on intellectual resources to grow an economy

- Navajo, Ute youths find sweet success

- Park road battle heats up

- Immigrants displacing young labor?

- Change Lehi government, panel says

- Rx savings available in October

- Utah County Prescription Discount Card

- 2 BLM units awash in fee funds?

- West like 'Wile E. Coyote'?

- Davis gets funding to expand center

- Sales tax for transit may get on '07 Davis ballot

- Plan for Legacy connector draws protests

- SLCC students debate immigration questions

- Newspapers will survive Internet, editor says

- BIA to oversee Goshute election

- Prosperity has passed these Goshutes by

- Agencies back Salt Lake-Paris flight

- Plans for flights from Salt Lake to Paris

- Editorial: Reject 'free speech' limits

Standard-Examiner

- Letter of interest from Jeremy Taylor for Ogden City Council

- Letter of interest from Therese Grijalva for Ogden City Council

- Editorial: Gasoline smoke and mirrors

Daily Herald

- Lehi committee suggests ceremonial mayor

- Chevron Corp. to develop Utah oil shale

Tooele Transcript Bulletin

- Candidate for U.S. Senate meets Rotary

St. George Spectrum

- Editorial: Cedar's rail service a boon

KCPW

- 2006 set to be a banner year for hospitality in SL County

- Half of skiers choose Salt Lake County hotels

- Chamber plans health care legislation in 2007

- Commerce Dept. seeks seeks financial data from gas retailers

- 'School uniform policies should be left to the parents'

- State to spend $250k marketing non-stop flight to Europe

Davis County Clipper

- Payday loans: Service or servitude? Davis legislator is seeking answers to tough questions

- Payday loan companies comply with state law

- Poll shows strong fourth quarter employment

- Garrett warns of coming senior citizen 'tidal wave'

- No sales tax vote planned for Davis County in Nov. for Davis County in Nov.

- Congress gets letters on unusual issues

- Chamber inaugurates its new Kaysville home

- Gregory J. Sanders: Is exchange with D.C. to get Utah fourth seat valid?

- Todd Weiler: Is exchange with D.C. to get Utah fourth seat valid?

Salt Lake Tribune

- House wants redistricting map for vote

- Legislative race: Shadow of Mansell hovers over District 9

- Utah County is getting prescription drug cards

- Rolly: Cross party borders at your peril

- S. Utah Wilderness Alliance wants to fight on park's behalf

- Ogden accepts new member to Planning Commision

- Goshutes: U.S. will oversee tribal election

- County Council tables plan for North Salt Lake open space

- Taxing entities to debate transit funding, priorities at Capitol

- Delta Paris route gets a boost

- Editorial: Cut the soot: Reducing air pollution won't be easy

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com

- Sept 27: Downtown Rising Visioning Workshop for the business community, 8 a.m., City Library Main Branch, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City. Review what has developed from the Downtown Rising collaboration so far, explore ideas and give us input for the future of Downtown. RSVP to Camille Winnie at Camille@downtownslc.org or 801-333-1106.
- Sept 27: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: U.S. - Iran Relations, 8:35 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. Guest is Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Donner Scholar of Transatlantic Relations at the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge University; author, Blood and Oil: A Prince’s Memoir of Iran, From the Shah to the Ayatollah Cosponsor-Middle East Center.
- Sept 27: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on KCPW 88.3 FM features Douglas Brinkley, author of Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast. It’s a special rebroadcast of his visit to Utah earlier this year. Brinkley talks about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and describes the inability of local, state and federal agencies to help victims who were, by and large, poor or African-American.
- Sept 27: Women’s State Legislative Council Meeting, 11:45 a.m., State Office Building Auditorium. Meet and hear the state candidates running for the  Utah State Senate representing both Republican and Democratic Parties. Delegate members and visitors are welcome to attend. Question/Answer period. Visitors call for a Guess Pass to Kitty Kaplan, 801-942-5133 or Suzanne Merrill, 801-796-0831 or suzannemerrill@comcast.net.
- Sept 27: Gov. Huntsman to attend Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Annual Luncheon, 12:30 p.m., Columbus Center, 2531 South 400 East, Salt Lake City.
- Sept 27: Gov. Huntsman and Speaker Curtis event, 6 p.m., Willow Creek Park, 8400 South Highland Drive, Sandy.
- Sept 27: Davis County Democratic Party hosted Beans and Bread Banquet with Pete Ashdown, 6 p.m., 50 West Gentile, Layton. The banquet will include a seminar for those with incomes of $50,000 and below on how to spend your $50.00 tax cut the Utah legislature recently passed. For more info email dccwc@aol.com, or call 801-776-0668.
- Sept 28: Annual Golf Tournament hosted by the Senate Majority, sign-in at 6:30 a.m., shotgun start at 7:30 a.m., Thanksgiving Point. For reservations call Ric Cantrell at 801-673-1603 or Kaci Ogier at 801-268-4747.
- Sept 28: Utah Valley Executive Summit at Sundance, 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Sundance Rehearsal Hall. This is a one-day rapid-fire seminar for Utah Valley’s business & civic
leaders and will address Utah Valley’s most important issues. The general public is welcome.Cost is $100 for members, $130 for non-Chamber members. For more information or to RSVP, email info@thechamber.org.
- Sept 28: Lt. Gov. Herbert to welcome attendees of the Be Ready Utah Preparedness Symposium, 9:45 a.m., Rose Wagner Theater, Salt Lake City.
- Sept 28: Governor's Monthly News Conference, 10 a.m., KUED Studios.
- Sept 28: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts and Congress, 10:45 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. A discussion with the authors James W. Parkinson and Lee Benson.

- See the entire calendar