Credit senate.utah.gov
As the annual legislative session began on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic and on-going threats of violence and civil unrest across the nation, lawmakers are preparing for a packed 45-days of legislating.
In his opening remarks to the House of Representatives, Speaker Brad Wilson invited his colleagues to focus on broadening economic success, investing in infrastructure and extending opportunity to all.
“Government can t solve all of society s problems, nor should it,” Wilson said. “But where we have determined that it s appropriate for government to act, we can and should do a far better job of building a system in which people have equal opportunity and are better able to help themselves. During this session, and in the months and years ahead, let’s focus on education, housing, and health in order to become a more equitable and inclusive state.”
1:52
The Women s March that began in 2017 aims to be more inclusive in Idaho this year.
Credit Idaho Womxn s March
Four years after the original Women s March, young women in Idaho are taking the reins this year.
The event is taking place online because of the pandemic and will feature speeches from young people.
Petra Hoffman, a 15-year-old student at Boise High School and climate activist who helped organize the march, noted this year, it s known as the Idaho Womxn s March to include a diverse group of people. The organizing team s a lot younger, which I think just breeds inclusivity in a lot of ways, Hoffman explained. The actual x inclusion is just a separation of the word woman from man and it includes nonbinary people in that definition, as well as transgender women.
Credit Courtesy of Sheri Quinn
Former USU Physics Professor and co-founder of the Small Satellite Conference at Utah State University, Dr. Raymond Gilbert Moore, passed away December 28, 2020 in Monument, Colorado at the age of 92. His aerospace career spanned the beginning of the U.S. Space Program in the late 1940s through the current space age.
Voicemail from Gil: Hi Sheri, it’s Gil. I’m in the hospital at Colorado Springs and so my time has gotten kinda short. I’ll no longer be able to participate in any space activity. So, I thought I’d call you up and give you this Merry Christmas call. Turns out not to be very happy. Ok, Bye bye.
By Jackson Wilde & The Herald Journal
• Jan 19, 2021
A case against the city of Hyde Park stemming from a firearm incident in 2018 will not move forward in federal court.
After a hearing on Thursday, Judge Bruce Jenkins dismissed the case due to a lack of jurisdiction in the United States District Court, but allowed room for the former employees to refile certain claims in a state court.
In January 2019, two former Hyde Park employees Justin Bodrero and Kolby Christiansen filed grievances with the city, stating Director of Public Works Mike Grunig pointed a handgun with a laser sight at the men. Documents filed with the court state Grunig claimed “he was joking around while showing his friends his gun’s laser sight,” while the plaintiffs held a different view on the incident.
1:34
People experience vaccine fears for many reasons, including possible side effects or fear of the needle used for vaccine injections.
Credit PIXABAY
This month, USU’s Science Unwrapped program will be looking at vaccine fears.
“As long as there have been vaccines, there has been opposition to vaccine. Wakefield stirred it up again, more recently, in the last 20 years, and it hasn t gone away. And it probably will persist,” said Thayne Sweeten, a neurobiologist and biology professor at Utah State University.
Sweeten said he knows first-hand about vaccine fears– he wasn’t vaccinated as a child due to his parents’ fears. He said this helped him approach his research into autism and immune mechanisms with an open mind.