Author: Mariah Wheeler

OGDEN, Utah – The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported 30 COVID-19 deaths confirmed in the past 24 hours, and 2,089 new cases. Total documented coronavirus cases in Utah now stand at 330,469. COVID-19 deaths here now number 1,547. The UDoH reports that three of the 30 COVID deaths listed below occured prior to Dec. 31, and have now been confirmed. Those whose deaths were reported on Thursday were: A Beaver County woman between 65 and 84, hospitalized at time of death A Cache County woman, older than 85, a long-term care facility resident Two Davis County women between…

UTAH- Often times, when a bill is opened on Utah’s capitol hill, lawmakers are coy about the motivations for a particular piece of proposed legislation. However, when it comes to Senate Bill 0107, there is no hiding what spawned that bill. The legislation threatens to strip funding from any school district which does not offer an in-person option to its students. There was only one district offering virtually learning only when the bill file was opened, and that was Salt Lake City Schools. When Beyond the Books reporter Chris Jones asked the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Dist. 23), if SB 0107 was directed at…