This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jewell to be sworn in today. Senate advances gun control bill. State tax revenue up.
Happy Friday. Incoming Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will be sworn in this afternoon at the Supreme Court by a close friend, retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, an Interior official tells us. O'Connor and Jewell worked together at the National Parks Second Century Commission, an independent commission charged with developing a twenty-first century vision for the National Park Service.
-> On Monday, Jewell will meet with some of the 70,000 career employees at Interior. Outgoing Secretary Ken Salazar is headed back to California today, the Interior official said.
Topping the news: The Senate moved by a vote of 68-13 to move forward and end a Republican filibuster on a gun control deal that expands universal background checks. While sixteen Republicans crossed the aisle to support the legislation, Sen. Mike Lee opposed it, reading aloud on the floor from messages he received from gun rights supporters. Sen. Orrin Hatch also voted against. [Trib] [Politico] [WaPost] [NYTimes] [Fox13]
-> Rep. Rob Bishop quizzed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about whether or not the Pentagon signed off on a plan that closed Ogden's air traffic control tower; Hagel responded that he didn't know. [Trib]
-> State tax revenue hit an all-time high, showing some progress in recovery from the recession. [Trib]
Tweet of the day: From @elforesto: "Just ran into @wnatcw [Senate President Wayne Niederhauser] outside the pediatrician's office. Totally random. (Yes, legislators are real people!)"
And just for fun, from @DrewConrad: "Today Reddit taught me: Plastic is made from oil. Oil is made from dinosaurs. Plastic dinosaurs are made of real dinosaurs."
Happy birthday: On Saturday to state Sen. Scott Jenkins and on Sunday to the Trib's Nate Carlisle.
In other news: Because of low turnout rates, voters in Syracuse and Sunset will only be able to cast their ballots by mail in the next general election - a move that election officials say will bolster numbers. [Trib]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert is on the road, promoting Utah as the place to start a tech business, citing successes like Adobe. [DNews]
-> The Utah Republican Party's Central Committee won't even consider a proposed change to its nominating process. [UtahPolicy]
-> Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick discuss this week in politics, including the idea of changing the GOP nomination process. [UtahPolicy]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on West Valley City's cops. [Trib]
-> Federal health regulators say that U. researchers didn't adequately inform parents in a study of 52 premature babies about the risks associated with the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health. [Trib]
-> A new facility is set to take on the load of Salt Lake City's new curbside glass recycling program that's set to go citywide this month. [Trib]
-> Provo's City Hall says it wants futuristic-thinking residents to chime in on where they see the city in 50 years. [Herald]
-> Two Trolley Square shooting victims have resolved their lawsuit against a pawn shop that allegedly sold guns to the shooter. [Trib]
-> Former Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt spoke to a crowd about religious liberty at Utah Valley University earlier this week. [DNews]
-> The League of Women Voters honored community environmentalist and Save Our Canyons founder Gale Dick. [Trib]
Nationally: In anticipation of a bipartisan immigration overhaul deal set to be debuted in the next few days by the "Gang of Eight," a group of House Democrats released their own four-pronged immigration reform plan. [NYTimes]
-> Here are the sixteen Republicans who broke ranks from the party line on gun control, beginning what is expected to be a heated debate. [Politico]
-> A fascinating look behind the curtain of D.C.: Newtown, Conn., families have lobbyists to help them maneuver the Washington scene. [Politico]
-> Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is teaming up with 11 other Silicon Valley executives, including Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Google's Eric Schmidt to start a political advocacy group that will push for comprehensive immigration reform. [Politico] [WaPost]
-> Progress Kentucky is fessing up to recording a private conversation between Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign staffers, although the tape wasn't recorded by bugging the office. [Politico]
-> The Pentagon says North Korea may have a nuclear missile capable of reaching the United States. [NYTimes]
Where are they?
Rep. Rob Bishop heads to a House Armed Services committee hearing and chairs a Public Lands and Environmental Regulation subcommittee hearing.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz holds a morning fundraiser, votes and flies back to Utah.
Gov. Gary Herbert is in California on a trade mission.
SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams meets with Salt Lake County transportation engineer Andrea Pullos, chats with Cal Nez from the Utah Native American Chamber of Commerce, has a senior staff meeting and has dinner with Councilman Steve DeBry.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker meets with special projects and initiatives manager Emy Maloutas and hits a Smart Trips program kickoff event.
WVC Mayor Mike Winder is in St. George for the Utah League of Cities and Towns mid-year conference.
President Barack Obama presents the Commander-in-Chief trophy to the U.S. Naval Academy football team.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Thomas Burr and Emily AndrewsTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/emilytandrews