alliance for a better utah | Alliance for a Better Utah

Utah should seek to develop federal lands near cities, argues a former lawmaker

Better Utah May 22, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. Utah officials now have a $700,000 tool that they hope will demonstrate the federal government is paying the state a “minuscule fraction” of what it’s due for its public lands. On Friday, a tech firm called Geomancer unveiled the software that Utah lawmakers bought to help them understand the value of the land

Kaysville City Council passes resolution denouncing a planned protest concert and mayor’s actions to support it

Better Utah May 21, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. The Kaysville City Council — in a revolt against Mayor Katie Witt — was considering turning on sprinklers and cutting power to a city park to stop a protest concert she backed there that openly aimed to defy state COVID-19 restrictions. Word about these possible city actions was enough Thursday to chase

Concert Moved To Private Property In Grantsville; Yet To File Permit

Better Utah May 21, 2020

This article originally appeared on KSL News. Read it in its entirety here. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A controversial concert that was slated for May 30 in Kaysvillehas been moved to Tooele County, event organizers said. According to an email obtained by KSL from the Kaysville City Business Licensing, the permit for the concert was denied. The group Utah Business Revival is organizing the event,

Public can testify at virtual legislative hearings — but only with 12 hours’ notice

Better Utah May 19, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Deseret News. Read it in its entirety here. SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature has a new process to hear public testimony during committee hearings being held virtually because of COVID-19, but would-be participants will have to make a request to speak at least 12 hours in advance. … Although the meetings are being conducted with videoconferencing software, they can only

Alliance for a Better Utah calls for Kaysville mayor’s resignation over planned concert

Better Utah May 18, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Deseret News. Read it in its entirety here. KAYSVILLE — The Alliance for a Better Utah is calling on Kaysville Mayor Katie Witt to resign after she opened up the city to a free outdoor concert May 30 in conjunction with activists opposed to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Witt expressed her support for the concert in a

Utah’s no-bid contracts guided by personal contacts, CEO suggestions

Better Utah May 17, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. In the war on COVID-19, Utah has doled out more than $84 million in no-bid contracts and supply orders outside the normal purchasing process designed to promote transparency, fairness and competition among businesses. These procurement shortcuts were necessary during the pandemic, officials argue, to cope with the urgent need for protective

Gov. Herbert signs bill requiring him to consult with legislative leaders during emergencies

Better Utah May 11, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read it in its entirety here. Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday endorsed one final bill from the Legislature’s recent coronavirus-related special session — a proposal that requires him to consult with House and Senate leaders before taking emergency action. The mandate means Herbert must now give a heads-up to legislators at least 24 hours ahead of an

Utah auditor reviewing $800K buy of anti-malarial drugs, other COVID-19 purchases

Better Utah May 1, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Deseret News. Read it in its entirety here. SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State Auditor John Dougall confirmed Friday his office is reviewing the state’s $800,000 purchase of anti-malarial drugs — a controversial move that raised red flags from pharmacists and medical professionals, and has since been refunded. “Yes, we’re looking into it,” Dougall told the Deseret News when asked

Scrutinized malaria drug purchase to be refunded in Utah

Better Utah May 1, 2020

This article originally appeared on KSL News. Read it in its entirety here. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah will be refunded for a $800,000 purchase it spent to buy a malaria drug once touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus despite warnings from doctors, officials said Wednesday. Leaders in both Utah and Oklahoma have faced scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase the

Utah refunded $800K after purchase of unproven COVID-19 treatment

Better Utah April 29, 2020

This article originally appeared on Fox 13. Read it in its entirety here. SALT LAKE CITY — A local pharmacy chain has refunded the State of Utah $800,000 for thousands of pills intended for treating COVID-19. On March 31, the state purchased 20,000 courses of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine – commonly used in the treatment of malaria, but unproven in treating COVID-19 – from Meds in Motion.

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