The Daily Buzz

The Utah House began their morning on Thursday with a moment of silence for Ukraine, just hours after the sovereign country was invaded by Russian military forces.

Utah Congressman Blake Moore explains to The Tribune's Jeff Parrott the geopolitical issues at stake after the invasion and how the United States can respond to the attack.

And reporter Jessica Miller talks with Utah County Attorney David Leavitt about his reaction to the invasion. Leavitt taught law in Ukraine for over a decade.

Culture reporter Palak Jayswal has been reporting on the closure of the Sun Trapp bar in Salt Lake City, Utah's longest standing LGBTQ bar, and how an ongoing lawsuit has affected the employees and community called the bar home.

And Becky Jacobs discusses the first Black-owned theatre in Utah and how the sisters who own Good Company Theatre have opened their doors to everyone.

Struggling to get liquor license in Utah? The state's liquor commission tells to-be bar owners to talk to the Legislature.

A pair of Utah Army National Guard helicopters crashed near between Little Cottonwood Canyon and American Fork Canyon on Tuesday morning. No Black Hawk crew members on the training exercise were inured during the wreck, according to the Utah National Guard.

The Utah-born pilot and Berlin airlift veteran Col. Gail Halverson — nicknamed the "Berlin Candy Bomber — was eulogized and buried in Provo on Tuesday after dying earlier this month at the age of 101.

And journalists Zak Podmore discusses snow, hydropower and the the principles of supply and demand with Utah State University professor Jack Schmidt.

Utah is experiencing a "megadrought." To help conserve water, some Utah lawmakers have proposed legislation that would help install secondary water metering in the state. But what is secondary water metering and can it really help Utahns through the drought? Journalist Leia Larsen explains.

Reporter Bryan Maffly discusses what could be the next state park in Beehive State.

And Gov. Spencer Cox announced Friday that the state would no longer be reporting daily COVID-19 cases.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at his monthly news conference Thursday that he would veto a school vouchers bill currently working its way through the Legislature.

Sports editor Aaron Falk caught with Team Tribune, who is still in China, on what it has been like to cover the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics this year.

And the Utah Division of Wildlife Services has tested around 300 mule deer for COVID-19 — and yes, they also got a nasal swab.

Journalists Tamarra Kemsley reports on recent comments from a BYU professor and high-ranking leader from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about Black members of the church bring refused the priesthood for more than 125 years. The speech seemed to dismiss concerns that the policy was based on racism.

A Utah House committee has narrowly passed a school vouchers bill that will now go to the full House floor for discussion.

And a proposed ballot initiative to upend Utah's mail-in voting system has come to an end after coming up short support.

The Tribune's Bryan Schott reports that people with credit cards with Utah zip codes donated more than $41,000 to an anti-vax trucker convoy that blocked traffic in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic and social pressure are changing mink farming in Utah.

And Jessica Miller reports on why Utah will still be a death penalty state, for at least another year.

Tribune reporter Erin Alberty discusses the prominence of people confronting COVID-19 symptoms lasting more than three months from their initial infection — also known as COVID “long haulers.” It’s why the University of Utah opened a COVID-19 Long-Hauler Clinic last year.

Statewatch reporter Alastair Lee Bitsoi talks about how Zion National Park received a record-breaking 5 million visitors last year, according to unofficial numbers. But is that a good thing?

And, on Valentine’s Day, immigrants skipped work and school to join the national “A Day Without Immigrants” protest, while urging the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration for a pathway to citizenship.

Social media has become a way for politicians to reach their constituents en mass — especially during the pandemic. But should lawmakers be able to block potential voters or citizens on social media?

Politics reporter Bethany Rodgers dug into the legalities of public officials’ blocking habits and found that the rules aren’t always very clear. Official, campaign and personal accounts have different rules and the line between free speech and harassment can also be pretty blurry.

And Robert Gehrke speaks with a mother who is advocating for a “Death with Dignity” bill in the Legislature.

After promising 2022 would be the year of the tax cut, again, Utah lawmakers passed a 0.01% income tax cut bill in both the Utah Senate and the Utah House. The bill now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature. While Cox has his own vision for tax release, a “grocery tax credit,” the Legislature didn’t have the appetite for the governor’s proposal.

Republican Ally Isom doubled down on her campaign for the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

And reporter Zak Podmore reports on a proposal to build a bridge over Lake Powell.