Jay Evensen
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Utah lawmakers should decide fate of the state prison

2/25/2015

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When the current legislative session started, new House Speaker Greg Hughes talked about tackling the “big, hard fights,” which he said could be "potentially transformational" for the state of Utah.

Now, it seems at least one of those fights might take place in a much smaller arena, away from the jeering crowds. The co-chairman of the Prison Relocation Commission would like the Legislature to give the commission the authority to decide on its own where to put the prison that now sits in Draper. Hughes says he supports that plan.


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Require a civics test? We have a long tradition of ignorace

2/24/2015

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Listening to some Utah lawmakers, you get the impression kids today are more ignorant than ever before of U.S. history and the way government works. If only things were as when today’s adults were children, voters would be informed and the future of the republic would be bright.

That’s how you remember the good ol’ days, right?


So while it sounds suspiciously like something the Common Core would require, conservatives now 

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Drones likely to fill the skies with promise and terror

2/18/2015

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The day may come when the feisty folks of Deer Trail, Colo., look like the most far-sighted people of their generation.

I’m talking about the ones who wanted to issue hunting licenses to shoot drones out of the sky. The idea was defeated in a referendum last year — the final gasp of resistance to a technology that surely soon will wash over us.


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Too bad you can't outlaw stupid

2/17/2015

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Are people aware of what the law says?

Let me rephrase that, slightly. Are Americans, many of whom can’t name the vice president, let alone their representative at the state Legislature, aware of the details and nuances in specific state laws?

One Utah lawmaker, Rep. Jacob Anderegg, R-Lehi, seems to think so. He believes a lot of drivers in this state now hold their cell phones on their laps while they drive because last year’s Legislature passed a bill outlawing the use of a phone while driving for just about anything except talking or looking up an address.

He is sponsoring a bill this year that would lighten up a bit on the restrictions. If it passes, you soon would be able to access the Internet to listen to music.

I don’t mean to pick on Anderegg. A lot of 

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Domestic violence and pornography are close cousins

2/11/2015

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If you were among the roughly 300 million Americans who did not watch the Grammys last weekend, you probably still heard about its segment on domestic violence, including a videotaped message from President Obama.

The president hit the right notes, talking about the need for “a culture where violence is intolerable, where survivors are supported.” Domestic violence is a huge problem that remains largely hidden and difficult to confront. According to the website safehorizon.org, one in four women will be a victim 

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It's time for Utah to regulate e-cigarettes

2/10/2015

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This image is released under Creative Commons. If used, please attribute to www.ecigclick.co.uk
Brian Bennion wonders why kids in his part of Utah are so taken with e-cigarettes. It’s a good question not easily answered.

You could say the same about a question that goes something like this: Why are Utah lawmakers so reluctant to tax and regulate this new nicotine-laden product the way they do regular cigarettes? The current legislative session will demonstrate whether this reluctance is deep-seated.

Bennion is the executive director of the Weber-

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Let's fix what really is holding the economy back

2/4/2015

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North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis might want to hire handlers with a better sense of timing.

While answering questions recently, he decided to illustrate government’s unwarranted list of business regulations by focusing on an FDA requirement that food-service workers wash their hands after visiting the bathroom. Government shouldn’t have to require this, he said, because any restaurant that didn’t require such a thing would go out of business.



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Great Salt Lake would benefit from better water policies

2/3/2015

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Not many states have a defining natural feature that locals actually discourage visitors from seeing.

Go to Arizona, and people are happy to take you to the Grand Canyon, which is even better in person than in pictures. Go to Wyoming and Yellowstone awaits with inviting lodges and a website full of handy trip planning tools. Washingtonians are all too happy to direct you along well-defined pathways to scenic parts of Mt. Rainier or to drive up Mt. St. Helens.

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    The author

    Jay Evensen is the Senior Editorial Columnist of the Deseret News. He has nearly 40 years experience as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in Oklahoma, New York City, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He also has been an adjunct journalism professor at Brigham Young and Weber State universities.

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