Hosts: Taylor Morgan and Rusty Cannon

State Legislature to discuss cell phone restrictions in schools next year
Cell phone usage and restriction in schools has become a hot topic over the past several years. Educators are worried not only about distractions in the classroom, but also about the negative mental health effects constant connection to phones has on young people. The Utah State Legislature says they want to tackle this issue in the 2025 General Session. State Senator Lincoln Fillmore is sponsoring a bill that would give school districts more power to restrict cell phones, and joins the program to share insights on the proposed legislation.

Groups coming out for and against new ballot initiative amendment proposal
Since the State Legislature’s special session last week, several groups have come out either for or against the proposed amendment dealing with ballot initiatives. One group launched their campaign just today at the state capitol. KSL at Night hosts Rusty Cannon and Taylor Morgan discuss the arguments from groups on both sides of the issue.

Drama over the September 10th presidential debate
The September 10th presidential debate may not happen as the campaigns appear to have reached a stalemate over the debate rules. The issue right now? Will the microphones say on when the other candidate is speaking. The Biden and Trump teams had agreed to mute the mics when the opposition spoke, but now the Harris team wants the mics to stay on the entire time. We dig into the reasonings.

Polls show Americans are worried about political violence with upcoming election
New polling shows that more than ¾ of voters in the country are worried about political violence ahead of the presidential election. Many are concerned that there won’t be a peaceful transfer of power; are their fears warranted? The hosts share their thoughts and discuss the importance of trusting in the electoral process.

Reviewing a proposed amendment on taxes and education funding
Another proposed amendment Utahns will vote on in November deals with income tax and how education is funded in the Beehive State. KSL at Night host Rusty Cannon is an expert in taxes and explains what the amendment proposal contains. He and Taylor Morgan also share some of the arguments for and against the amendment.

Utah students’ proficiency rates down post-pandemic
Recent data shows that Utah’s students have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic proficiency rates. It’s not across the board, however; some subjects show worse numbers than others. We break down the numbers and discuss what may be contributing to the not-so-stellar scores.

Polling numbers released for Governor and Senate races
How are the candidates for Utah Governor and the open US Senate seat doing in their races? New polling from the Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute shed some light. With just over two months to go until Election Day, every second counts in these races. Listen to hear what the KSL at Night hosts have to say about the numbers in those two races.

Australia gives workers permission to ignore their bosses (but only outside of work hours)
A new law just went into effect in Australia, granting workers the right to ignore their bosses outside of working hours. It’s described as a “right to disconnect.” KSL at Night Executive Producer Andy Cupp hops on the mic to share his own thoughts on disconnecting from work when the day ends. Is he an expert on disconnecting? Absolutely not. But he’s trying. Let’s try together!