This is your daily news rundown for Monday, Nov. 9. In this edition:
- Utah Republicans have a new leadership roster after the midterms
- Project Rainbow distributed a record number of LGBTQ+ flags in Utah this year
- This was Utah's wettest October in 50 years. What does that mean for winter?
Utah Republicans pick new leadership after a ‘blue wave’ at the midterms
After a big shakeup at the midterms, Utah Republican lawmakers chose their new leadership Friday night.
Senate President J. Stuart Adams had already lost his seat in the Republican primaries. The frontrunner to replace him, Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, lost in the general election.
So Republican senators voted instead to make Sen. Evan Vickers the new Senate President. The Cedar City lawmaker is seen as a more moderate lawmaker and works as a pharmacist for his day job.
House Majority leadership had fewer shakeups, with House Speaker Mike Schultz and Majority Leader Casey Snider retaining their roles.
The new teams will start in their roles on Jan. 19.
This LGBTQ+ nonprofit had another record year for its flag campaigns
A Utah nonprofit distributed a record number of LGBTQ+ flags to Utah homes this year.
Project Rainbow does four flag campaigns every year to raise money for community programs, events, and services.
Volunteers just finished up their trans flag campaign ahead of Transgender Awareness Week, which starts on Friday.
It brought this year’s total up to a record 1,701 flags distributed.
Project Rainbow has steadily set those records every year — this year’s total is almost twice as high as in 2023, and over three times higher than in 2022.
The state of Utah has passed several anti-trans laws in recent years, including banning LGBTQ+ flags from government and public school property.
This October was Utah’s wettest in 50 years. Its effect on snowpack remains to be seen
Last month was Utah’s wettest October in over 50 years.
On average, the state got about 3.5 inches of precipitation, according to preliminary data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.
That moisture helped lessen some of the state’s drought conditions, but also caused devastating floods in southern Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency for San Juan and Washington counties on Friday.
The precipitation also hasn’t produced much mountain snow yet, though those totals typically ramp up in the winter. This year’s El Niño could help avoid a repeat of last year’s winter, which was the warmest on record.
