According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, low-income families spend 36% of their income on food, compared to 8% for high-income families. Like lotteries, state taxes on food amount to a tax on the poor. Utah lawmaker Rosemary Lesser is leading the cause to eliminate sales tax from food purchases.
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Lawmakers paid tribute to late Rep. LaWanna “Lou” Shurtliff on the first day of the 2021 legislative session. (Utah Legislature)
The Utah State Legislature paid tribute to a member of the body who passed away in December with a new resolution passed on Jan. 19.
Resolution HCR7 was introduced to the body at the beginning of the session as a way to honor the service of the late Rep. LaWanna “Lou” Shurtliff, who passed away in December from complications surrounding pneumonia.
Shurtliff won reelection as the incumbent for her seat in South Ogden’s Utah House District 10 during a narrow race last year. However, following a three-week battle with pneumonia, she passed away before she could serve her term.
Deseret News
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Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY As one of their first acts of the 2021 session, Utah lawmakers approved a resolution honoring the late Rep. LaWanna “Lou” Shurtliff, who died in December after a three-week battle with pneumonia.
“Her loss is a great loss for all of us. A loss of somebody who was a revered educator,” Senate Majority Whip Ann Millner, R-Ogden, said on the Senate floor. Shurtliff’s popularity in District 10 was fueled by love and support from students and parents.
Weber County’s lone Democrat, Shurtliff, who was just reelected to represent House District 10, had been hospitalized for three weeks after becoming sick on Dec. 6. Her family told the media she’d tested negative for COVID-19 “and several other viruses.”
Gov Spencer Cox orders flags to be lowered in honor of Rep LaWanna Lou Shurtliff utah.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from utah.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ski Utah
Some of the COVID-19 hotspots in the Mountain West region have been, and continue to be, areas with major ski resorts.
Monday morning, January 18, 2021
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Utah Colleges And Universities Look At On Campus Safety Reforms
The issue of sexual violence on college campuses has come into sharp focus over the last few years in Utah, particularly after the murder of University of Utah student-athlete Lauren McCluskey in 2018. The tragedy has been a source of tremendous pain, but it’s also helped bring about some much-needed reforms, according to board members of the Utah System of Higher Education. On Friday, USHE hosted a virtual panel to address safety at the state’s 16 public colleges, saying they’re hoping to expand some of the U’s reforms statewide. Read the full story.