This is your daily news rundown for Friday, Jan. 3. In this edition:
- A St. George lawsuit over a drag show may end in a settlement
- Utah swears in its first woman state auditor next week
- Sevier School District claims it can't redact or release video showing alleged punishment
St. George lawsuit over drag show discrimination to end in settlement
A lawsuit against St. George over a drag show appeared to have ended in a settlement.
Southern Utah Drag Stars sued the city after being denied a permit in 2023 for a show, alleging anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. A federal judge sided with the drag performers a month later, ordering the city to allow the show to happen.
The city was originally in settlement negotiations as early as August, but litigation moved forward. As late as November, an amended complaint from the ACLU claimed a revision to St. George’s public events ordinances could lead to future issues.
Now, according to a notice filed in federal court, city officials and Southern Utah Drag Stars are drafting a resolution agreement. This means the case is stayed until the parties’ final resolution agreement.
The terms of the settlement have not yet been disclosed.
Utah to swear in its first woman state auditor
Utah’s first woman state auditor takes office next week.
Tina Cannon, a Republican originally from Box Elder County, will be sworn in on Monday after winning the general election. She's replacing John Dougall, who served in the role since 2013.
Cannon joined Dougall’s office as deputy auditor in 2022 after two unsuccessful runs for Congress. She also previously served two terms as a Morgan County councilmember.
This will be the first time a woman holds the role of state auditor in Utah’s history.
School debates whether video showing alleged punishment can be redacted, released
A years-long battle over surveillance footage allegedly showing punishment against students at a central Utah middle school is now going to district court.
The footage, which Sevier County residents Shana and Jared Kummer are pushing to be released, allegedly shows sixth graders being made to do a total of 405 modified pushups and 34 gym-length sprints within 30 minutes.
The Kummers, who said they saw the video with members of the school district, say this was used as a punishment.
The State Records Committee ordered the release of the video with redactions in August 2023. The Sevier County School District claims the video is covered under federal law and thus the committee doesn’t have the authority to order the video’s release.
The case has a status hearing in district court on January 7 — however, it will be focused not on whether the video should be released, but on whether the district has the ability to redact the video.
The district claims it doesn’t and that federal rules don’t require them to acquire technology to provide records. The Kummers claim they already have the capability, submitting blurred photos from the district as evidence.
A recent motion to have a summary judgment on the case was denied due to the redaction dispute.
