1) With 10 felony charges hanging over his head, we'll guess that opportunities in the legal profession are a mite thin. Nevertheless we learn that former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff isn't letting any grass grow under his feet, as the Salt Lake Tribune reports on Shurtleff's latest legal representation venture:
Former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff attended Tuesday’s state liquor commission meeting, working as legal counsel for a new Orem-based business he owns with his brother.Read up, peeps;
Shurtleff and younger brother Kevin Shurtleff were requesting a special manufacturing permit for Now Neutraceuticals, which plans to make small aerosol inhalers that can quickly introduce different compounds — such as caffeine — into the lungs.
The inhaling solution includes a negligible amount of alcohol but still requires a special alcohol-use permit, which was unanimously approved by the five-member commission.
Caffeine inhalers: Instant heart attack?
2) We've been relatively harsh critics of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) for many years; so we're now pleased to observe that one Weber County Commissioner (Kerry Gibson) is jumping on the bandwagon, in the wake of the full Commission's unanimous decision "to bump [one] Utah Transit Authority request off the list before approving this year’s round of local transportation funding for a dozen other projects":
Check out the above story to learn about the other twelve road-building boondoggles which the commission did unanimously approve.
Seems the Weber County Commission never stumbled upon a transportation project they didn't fall in love with... well, almost.
3) With the 2014 Utah General Election rolling out in exactly a month, we're delighted to put the spotlight on this strong Salt Lake Trib editorial, which pulls no punches concerning Northern Utah's pending 1st District Congressional race:
"A new poll from UtahPolicy.com shows that 81 percent of Utahns polled rated the job performance of the legislative branch as either somewhat or highly unfavorable. Nationally, 14 percent of voters approve of the job Congress is doing[...].Voters in Utah’s 1st Congressional District can do something about that in this election. They can send Donna McAleer to Washington," says the Tribune.
We'll be standing by with abated breath to find out whether strong editorials like this will aid in pulling Northern Utahns out of their paradoxical elective stupor.
4) To put a close to today's news roundup, we'll lodge, for our readers' attention, this truly remarkable Trib story, shining the spotlight on our truly remarkable Utah Lieutenant Governor, Ya gotta admire Cox's boldness and candor:
We'll assume that Lt. Governor Cox may be unfamiliar with that oft-cited Ronald Reagan Eleventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." We'll also presume that Lt. Governor Cox won't be receiving GOP backing for any other elective office any time soon. One thing's for sure: politics-wise, LT. Governor Cox is a true breath of fresh air.
