Utah

Utah Newest Front In GOP Battle Against Unions

Nick R. Martin | February 9, 2012, 6:07AM

The Utah State House of Representatives, January 2012

Republicans in Utah have opened up the next front in a battle against public unions being waged in statehouses throughout the nation.

A bill introduced last week in the Utah legislature would ban government employees from collectively bargaining on any issue except for wages and health benefits. The proposal would bar unions from having a say in things like training, equipment and disciplinary procedures.

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Mitt Romney

Tax Questions Tripped Up Romney's Run For Governor

Nick R. Martin | January 24, 2012, 2:16PM

Presidential Candidate And Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA)

It may be a touch of deja vu that Mitt Romney's campaign is being weighed down by questions about his taxes. A similar issue tripped him up during his 2002 run for governor of Massachusetts.

Romney was the Republican gubernatorial frontrunner that year when state elections officials investigated the fact that he received a major tax break on his $3.8 million mansion in Park City, Utah.

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Utah

Obama Justice Department Sues Utah Over Immigration Law

Ryan J. Reilly | November 22, 2011, 5:40PM

Updated: Nov. 22, 6:10PM

Add Utah to the list of states the federal government has sued over their controversial immigration laws.

In a suit filed in federal court in Utah late Tuesday, Justice Department officials argue that the government "has preeminent authority to regulate immigration matters."

"Utah's adoption of its own immigration policy disrupts the federal government's ability both to administer and enforce the federal immigration laws including as set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA"), and to establish and pursue federal policies and priorities pertaining to, inter alia, the identification, apprehension, detention and removal of aliens unlawfully in the United States," the suit claims.

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Utah

Utah Mayor Admits He Used Fake Name To Write News Stories About Himself

Jillian Rayfield | November 11, 2011, 4:55PM

West Valley City, Utah Mayor Mike Winder

The mayor of a large city in Utah admitted he used an alias to pose as a reporter and write news stories, sometimes about himself, because he wanted to "try to restore balance."

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Utah

Federal Judge Blocks Utah's Immigration Enforcement Law

Jillian Rayfield | May 11, 2011, 11:41AM

After being in effect for less than 15 hours, Utah's Arizona-style immigration enforcement law was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, pending a decision in a class-action lawsuit brought by civil rights groups.

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Carl Wimmer

Utah Becomes First State To Designate Official Gun

David Taintor | March 18, 2011, 1:32PM

This week, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed legislation making the Browning M1911 semiautomatic pistol Utah's official state gun -- and making his state the first to designate a state firearm.

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Carl Wimmer

Utah Legislature Approves Official State Gun Despite Controversy

David Taintor | February 11, 2011, 3:18PM

Utah is poised to be the first state to designate an official state gun.

The state senate on Thursday voted 20-7 to recommend the Browning M1911 pistol as its official state gun.

State Rep. Carl Wimmer (R) -- the bill's chief sponsor -- told TPM in December that he considers the Browning pistol "an instrument of freedom and democracy."

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Guns

Utah Bill Supporter: Naming A State Gun Will Show They Are Useful (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 31, 2011, 3:30PM

Clark Aposhian of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, a supporter of the Utah bill which would make the M1911 .45-caliber handgun the official state firearm, says now is the appropriate time to honor the weapon.

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Drones

Utah Mayor Hopes To Use Unmanned Blimp To Fight Crime

Eric Lach | January 19, 2011, 12:23PM

Matthew Godfrey, the mayor of Ogden, Utah, has a lofty goal. Godfrey has proposed that the town employ an unmanned blimp for surveillance and crime prevention.

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Carl Wimmer

Utah State Rep: We Need An Official State Gun!

David Taintor | December 8, 2010, 8:44AM

Apparently nothing says patriotism like the cold, hard steel of an M1911, .45-caliber handgun -- designed with love by a local gunmaker.

Which is probably why Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer (R) wants to make it Utah's official state firearm.

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Oil

Just A Drill On Capitol Hill: Utah Lawmakers Push Bill To Teach Kids 'Petroleum Literacy'

Jillian Rayfield | November 19, 2010, 8:59AM

TPM Photo Illustration

A committee in the Utah state legislature is pushing the Mineral and Petroleum Literacy Act, which seeks to "educate" children about mining and petroleum drilling. The funds for the program would come out of surplus mining profits.

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Utah

Two Utah State Employees Accused Of Compiling 'Illegal Immigrants' List

Rachel Slajda | July 16, 2010, 1:44PM

The Utah governor's office announced today that "at least" two state employees have been placed on administrative leave, accused of creating a list of alleged illegal immigrants that was sent to state agencies and news outlets this week.

The two employees work for the Department of Workforce Services but have not been identified. Their information will be turned over to the state attorney general's office as part of the state's ongoing investigation.

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Immigration

Feds Investigating The Source Of The Utah Immigrants List

Rachel Slajda | July 15, 2010, 12:40PM

At least one federal agency is now involved in the investigation into a mysterious list of the names of 1,300 purported illegal immigrants that was sent to state agencies and news outlets this week in Utah, TPMmuckraker has learned. But, despite the intention of the list-maker, the feds are investigating not the people on the list, but the person who generated it.

The Social Security Administration's Inspector General received a copy of the list -- which includes names, addresses, birth dates and, in 30 cases, Social Security numbers -- yesterday, according to spokesman Jonathan Lasher.

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Immigration

Anonymous Anti-Immigration Snitch Targets Undocumented In Utah

Rachel Slajda | July 14, 2010, 9:29AM

Sign warning drivers of pedestrian crossing in Southern California along U.S.-Mexico border.

Immigrants in Utah are reportedly terrified after news outlets and state law enforcement agencies received a list containing 1,300 names of people allegedly in the country illegally.

The governor's office has ordered several state agencies to investigate the list, which includes detailed personal information, including birth dates, addresses and phone numbers. More strikingly, 31 of the names are accompanied by Social Security numbers. More than 200 children are listed, and so are the due dates of six pregnant women.

Nearly all of the names, according to local reports, are Latino.

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Kevin Garn

Utah House Leader Resigns After Naked Hot-Tubbing Revelation

Jillian Rayfield | March 15, 2010, 9:50AM

Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R)

Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R) has resigned, following revelations that he took a nude hot tub in 1985 with a 15-year-old employee -- and then paid her $150,000 several years later to keep quiet.

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