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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Alty News: Federal Law Enforcement Barred from Profiling; Tensions at UN Climate Change Conference
Posted By Eric S. Peterson on December 9, 2014, 9:19 AM
At the United Nations' Climate Change Conference, developing countries argue for aid from mega-polluting developed nations.
Top of the Alty World
“At Lima Talks, Nations Worst Hit by Global Warming Say Climate Aid Isn’t Charity, But Reparations”—Democracy Now!
New guidelines will almost completely bar federal law enforcement from profiling people on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.—BuzzFeed
Rolling Stone takes a look at the high-stakes drama behind Obama's crucial climate deal with China.—Rolling Stone
A new study shows that killing wolves to protect cattle may actually backfire.—High Country News
Top of Alty Utah
Salt Lake City is looking to increase bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.—Utah Political Capitol
Mike Lee will be getting a new chief of staff who had previously worked in that position under Jon Huntsman Jr.—Utah Politico Hub
Utah's state government has launched a new ethics website.—Utah Policy
Utah Politico Hub runs down the Legislature's current committee assignments.—Utah Politico Hub
Rantosphere
City Weekly's Colin Wolf looks at what went wrong with the Downtown Alliance's failed Kickstarter campaign to replace New Year's Eve fireworks with a giant disco ball:
But the biggest issue surrounding the disco ball campaign was the idea itself. No one really understood or could explain why we wanted to build a disco ball in the first place. Sure, it was a symbol for clean air. But why a disco ball? Just about anything other than a tire fire is a clean-air solution to fireworks. Was Salt Lake City influential in the rise of disco back in the '70s? Was the world's first disco-ball factory located in SLC? Did Brigham Young have a small disco ball hanging in the rear of his pioneer wagon? They could have announced a Kickstarter for a giant blacklight poster of Mayor Becker's face and it would've made as much sense, and probably would've been cheaper.—Salt Lake City Weekly
The Long View
Salt Lake City Weekly looks at how a four-year long poaching prosecution led to multiple deaths and no convictions:
On Jan. 3, 2010, investigators from DWR and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office served search warrants at Angella's home and those of Angella's brother-in-law, Robert Jensen, and Angella and Gerald's son Jerry Jr., seizing 90 mule-deer heads and antlers.
Five months later, Robert and Gerald Jensen, Gerald's oldest two sons, and Angella—whose multiple interviews had implicated her in the poaching—were arrested and each charged with up to 20 various counts, including racketeering. Four years later, the multiple prosecutions of poaching-related charges had been dismissed, the charges of witness tampering that had been filed during prosecution were pleaded out as diversions—"Basically a slow-motion surrender by the state," says Robert Jensen's attorney, Colleen Coebergh—and two defense attorneys and a judge had died as the case inched its way through the legal system.
Three members of the Jensen family were also dead.
Robert and Gerald's sister, Jackie, committed suicide. Her grieving father died soon after, followed by Angella. All three were casualties, the Jensens say, of a wild goose chase that was initially driven by Angella's spite over her divorce from Gerald but soon took on an unstoppable power as the prosecution pressured family members to turn on each other, imposed no-contact orders between family members and offered plea deals that defense counsel viewed as little more than extortion.—Salt Lake City Weekly
Top of the Alty World
“At Lima Talks, Nations Worst Hit by Global Warming Say Climate Aid Isn’t Charity, But Reparations”—Democracy Now!
New guidelines will almost completely bar federal law enforcement from profiling people on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.—BuzzFeed
Rolling Stone takes a look at the high-stakes drama behind Obama's crucial climate deal with China.—Rolling Stone
A new study shows that killing wolves to protect cattle may actually backfire.—High Country News
Top of Alty Utah
Salt Lake City is looking to increase bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.—Utah Political Capitol
Mike Lee will be getting a new chief of staff who had previously worked in that position under Jon Huntsman Jr.—Utah Politico Hub
Utah's state government has launched a new ethics website.—Utah Policy
Utah Politico Hub runs down the Legislature's current committee assignments.—Utah Politico Hub
Rantosphere
City Weekly's Colin Wolf looks at what went wrong with the Downtown Alliance's failed Kickstarter campaign to replace New Year's Eve fireworks with a giant disco ball:
But the biggest issue surrounding the disco ball campaign was the idea itself. No one really understood or could explain why we wanted to build a disco ball in the first place. Sure, it was a symbol for clean air. But why a disco ball? Just about anything other than a tire fire is a clean-air solution to fireworks. Was Salt Lake City influential in the rise of disco back in the '70s? Was the world's first disco-ball factory located in SLC? Did Brigham Young have a small disco ball hanging in the rear of his pioneer wagon? They could have announced a Kickstarter for a giant blacklight poster of Mayor Becker's face and it would've made as much sense, and probably would've been cheaper.—Salt Lake City Weekly
The Long View
Salt Lake City Weekly looks at how a four-year long poaching prosecution led to multiple deaths and no convictions:
On Jan. 3, 2010, investigators from DWR and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office served search warrants at Angella's home and those of Angella's brother-in-law, Robert Jensen, and Angella and Gerald's son Jerry Jr., seizing 90 mule-deer heads and antlers.
Five months later, Robert and Gerald Jensen, Gerald's oldest two sons, and Angella—whose multiple interviews had implicated her in the poaching—were arrested and each charged with up to 20 various counts, including racketeering. Four years later, the multiple prosecutions of poaching-related charges had been dismissed, the charges of witness tampering that had been filed during prosecution were pleaded out as diversions—"Basically a slow-motion surrender by the state," says Robert Jensen's attorney, Colleen Coebergh—and two defense attorneys and a judge had died as the case inched its way through the legal system.
Three members of the Jensen family were also dead.
Robert and Gerald's sister, Jackie, committed suicide. Her grieving father died soon after, followed by Angella. All three were casualties, the Jensens say, of a wild goose chase that was initially driven by Angella's spite over her divorce from Gerald but soon took on an unstoppable power as the prosecution pressured family members to turn on each other, imposed no-contact orders between family members and offered plea deals that defense counsel viewed as little more than extortion.—Salt Lake City Weekly
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