Deidre's Delta Diss
Did you hear about the lieutenant governor berating Delta Airlines on Twitter, where so many politicos go to make their point in the loudest possible way to the largest possible audience? Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has a friend who was reportedly stranded at JFK airport when Delta canceled her flight. She was trying to get home to treat a "life-threatening medical condition she discovered she had while on vacation this week." Henderson told Delta to "get your act together and address your personnel problems." No doubt Delta took this to heart, immediately addressed the problem and brought Henderson's friend home in a personal jet. Maybe the LG, who posted her ire on her personal Twitter account, was unaware Delta pilots are protesting Delta's scheduling practices, and that other travelers were having problems, too. Delta did respond, as did others. One of the many tweets in reply to the LG said this: "really? with your position of power, this is what you do with it? help your friends? are there no other airlines available ...?"
Scenic Subdivisions
If you want to read glowing reports about Sen. Mike Lee's latest federal lands bill, all you need is the Deseret News. To be fair, Sen. Mitt Romney signed onto this one, too. Take a deep breath before saying "The Helping Open Underutilized Space to Ensure Shelter Act," a cute way of coming up with the acronym HOUSES. Lee says he wants federal land to build housing. You should remember that the feds own two-thirds of Utah and that the state faces a housing shortage. What you may not know is that everyone—and there were many—who were quoted in the reporting think this is a peachy idea to solve the housing shortage. Go to Twitter to find an opposing thought, like where is the water for the new residents coming from? We can't even solve the "food desert" issue on the west side of Salt Lake City. What do you think will happen if they build housing around Grand Staircase-Escalante?
Ain't It the Pits?
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson says "we love our canyons and want to preserve them." To that end, Wilson pushed for—and the county council unanimously supported—banning mineral extraction in the county's foothills and canyons, according to Fox13 News. It was a bold move after a company—Tree Farm LLC—had proposed an open-pit limestone quarry in Parleys Canyon. Public comment was clear, too—they did not want anyone messing with air quality, water, wildlife or aesthetics. Tree Farm was not amused and sent a letter saying the council's action was illegal. "This ordinance is blatantly contrary to Utah Code 17-41-402(6). This law prohibits adopting or initiating proceedings to adopt any ordinance that would prohibit Critical Infrastructure Materials operations," the company wrote. Be prepared for either the courts or the Legislature to get involved.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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