Sonja Hutson
KUER 90.1
Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Contact Sonja
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Past articles by Sonja:
Utah County’s David Leavitt faces same national pushback as other ‘progressive prosecutors’
The mounting criticism against the Republican county attorney comes from former prosecutors, law enforcement and GOP delegates. → Read More
Utah agriculture dept. warns of food supply disruptions due to avian flu
Twenty-nine states, including Utah, have reported Avian flu outbreaks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. → Read More
Gov. Cox is likely to declare another state of emergency due to Utah’s drought
Roughly 99% of Utah is currently in severe drought or worse, and the state's total water storage is less than half of full capacity. → Read More
Utah Sen. Mike Lee advised, then warned Trump White House on attempts to overturn the election
Lee is up for re-election this year, seeking a third term in office. He has two Republican challengers. → Read More
Utah County attorney rebuffed at county GOP convention, but still headed to primary
County Attorney David Leavitt did not secure enough convention votes to head to the primary, but gathered enough signatures to qualify. → Read More
An internet privacy bill awaits Gov. Cox’s signature. Some consumer advocates say he should veto it
The legislation allows people to opt out of their data being used for targeted advertising or sold to third parties. But some advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. → Read More
Senate President says 11th hour move to ban transgender student athletes was ‘good government'
Transgender activists, Democrats, and Gov. Spencer Cox have all said they were blindsided by the move. → Read More
Gov. Cox promises veto of last-minute bill to ban transgender girls from school sports
In the final hours of the Utah legislative session, the Legislature introduced and passed a proposal banning transgender girls’ participation in school sports. Gov. Spencer Cox said he would veto it and the bill did not pass with a veto-proof majority. → Read More
‘Pornographic or indecent’ book ban in Utah schools advances on a near party-line vote
HB 374 also requires the Board of Education and Attorney General to give schools training and guidance on identifying “sensitive materials.” → Read More
Top Utah lawmakers recommend $24 billion budget. Here’s what’s in it.
The fiscal year 2023 budget makes big investments in education, infrastructure, and water preservation. → Read More
Bill fails to make UTA rides permanently free
As Free Fare February comes to a close, a bill to make public transit free forever in Utah died in committee. → Read More
Utah, Salt Lake City lawmakers strike peace deal over Inland Port Authority Board
Under the agreement, Salt Lake City would lose a spot on the board overseeing the inland port. In return, it would get more tax revenue and more control over some port spending. → Read More
Utah teachers could get COVID bonuses under $10 million proposal
During the height of the omicron surge, many teachers had to work overtime to fill in for their sick coworkers due to a shortage of substitute teachers. → Read More
Gov. Spencer Cox says he’ll veto Utah’s latest school voucher bill
The governor's monthly press conference, held on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, touched on the Great Salt Lake, education and the pending transgender sports bill. → Read More
‘No one’s happy’ with Utah’s latest transgender student-athlete eligibility bill
The latest version, passed along party lines by a House committee Monday, creates a commission to evaluate the issue on an athlete-by-athlete basis. → Read More
Utah lawmaker wants to ban mail-in ballots and voter registration drives
The legislation would also require paper ballots in most cases and require video monitoring of ballot counting. → Read More
Resolution limiting press access to the Utah Senate passes committee
The resolution prevents credentialed journalists from accessing the Senate floor and hallways without permission from a ‘media designee’ or senator. → Read More
Utah tax cut bill now includes targeted tax credits for low-income people
Low-income people would get a nonrefundable tax credit equal to 15% of the credit they get under the federal EITC. → Read More
Top Utah House Republicans oppose repealing the death penalty, but say it deserves debate
Even though the top two House Republicans oppose a bill repealing the death penalty, they said it will still get a public hearing. → Read More
Utah Senate may close loophole that allowed Salt Lake County to regulate some gun purchases
The bill also allows people to sue local governments for violating it. → Read More