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The Utah Jazz sale has officially been approved by the NBA board of governors. Ryan Smith, founder of Utah based company Qualtrics, purchased the team for a reported $1.6 billion in October.
Friday evening, December 18, 2020
State
Utah Ranks In The Top 10 For Unemployment Rate
Utah had the sixth lowest unemployment rate in the country for the month of November. That’s according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, the state’s unemployment rate in November was 4.3% up from 2.4% compared to this time last year. Utah also ranked second in the nation last month for private sector and total job growth. From October to November employment in the state grew by 14,000.
KUER
Utah health officials have scrapped a requirement for colleges and universities to test their students every two weeks, mainly because there aren’t enough tests. This story and more in the Friday morning news brief.
Friday morning, December 18, 2020
State
Protections For People With Disabilities And Preexisting Conditions
As hospitals in Utah are nearing capacity, there may come a time when doctors have to choose which patients receive care. But lawyers with the Disability Law Center say those decisions which are based on the state’s crisis standards of care plan can’t prioritize patients based on race, age or if they have a disability or pre-existing condition. In an information session Thursday, they also said patients have a right to know where they fall on the priority list and how doctors made their decision.If a patient thinks they were discriminated against, they can file an appeal with hospital staff or the department of health. They can also call the Disa
KUER
A popular off-roading event may be moving to San Juan County, after taking place in Moab for over a decade. This story and more in Wednesday evening s news brief.
Wednesday evening, December 16, 2020
State
Legislative Committee Approves “Thank You” Bonus For Teachers
Under a proposal passed by a state legislative committee Wednesday, Utah teachers and school staff would get a $1,500 stipend as a “thank you” for working during the pandemic. But it would leave out Salt Lake City teachers if the district doesn’t offer in-person learning by mid-January. The committee set aside $121 million for the one-time bonuses. But some lawmakers argued teachers and staff from Salt Lake City shouldn’t be punished for decisions made by the school board. Read the full story.
Published December 15, 2020 at 6:43 PM MST Listen • 5:01
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Zion National Park officials said they have recently seen an increase in the amount of graffiti left by visitors to the Southwest Utah park. This story and more in Tuesday evening s news brief.
Tuesday evening, December 15, 2020
State
Tuesday COVID Update
Utah reported 1,915 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, the second day in a row where cases have come in under 2,000. The state’s rolling 7-day average for the percent of laboratory tests that come back positive is about 23%, and 15 more people have died from the virus. There are currently 553 Utahns hospitalized due to COVID-19 and about 89% of ICU beds are filled statewide down from 96% over the weekend.
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The Board of Trustees at Dixie State University voted Monday to recommend a name change for the school.
The Board of Trustees at the university unanimously voted Monday to recommend changing the name of the school.
This comes after the university conducted a survey to find out how people feel about its name which has ties to the confederacy. Overall, the survey found it is still popular among locals, but has the potential to hurt the institution’s branding as it continues to grow.
“We have learned that the inclusion of Dixie is increasingly problematic for our students and alumni, hinders our ability to recruit students, faculty and staff, and limits the partnerships we can build,” university President Richard Williams said.