We hear grave concerns from Republican politicians about federal budget deficits and debt in response to President Biden’s COVID-19 relief spending and The American Jobs Plan. The latter funds dilapidated infrastructure and other programs to build public capital and encourage private capital…

Preserving citizens’ trust in the integrity of America’s political process and elections is crucial to maintaining the American experiment and is foundational to every other right we enjoy, so the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service at Weber State University is taking …

“We’re all in the same storm, but we’re not all in the same boat.”

COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc globally. Cases in Africa are rising sharply. Hospital systems in many countries, including Nepal, Iran, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have been overwhelmed. And Japan — currently in a state of emergency — may postpone this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. This year, the…

Now that we’ve emerged from what seems like a 17-year quarantine, we see it everywhere: HELP WANTED. Across the state, across the country, businesses cannot find enough people to staff the needed shifts. For you and me, that could mean longer waits, higher prices and even the loss of a local…

The folks visiting the Layton City Vietnam Memorial Wall on Sunday — the day before Memorial Day — walked the football field-long monument searching among the 58,317 names of those who died. Some pressed a finger or bowed their head against a name, left flowers or tried with failed words to …

At the turn of the 21st century, America was a unipolar global power. A decade after winning the Cold War, we were an economic, political and military hegemon.

Lumber is among the pandemic’s most recent economic victims, with demand dramatically outpacing supply. Although lumber experienced a sudden drop in production during the COVID shutdown, production quickly recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Higher demand, rather than lower supply, seems to be…

With the deadline for municipal candidate filings growing ever closer, we need to reach out to those principled individuals that would take our community leadership to a new level. In Utah, whether you are a Democrat, an independent or a Republican, the election cycle’s rallying cry for the …

I have a theory that my mom was Mother Nature incarnate. Mom’s garden was legendary in our neighborhood. Everything bloomed whether she planted it or not. When I was young, I thought this was normal. As far as I could see, Mom just threw down a few seeds and plants in the spring, ordered eve…

Everyone contributes to pollution: me, you, your mom, your employer, even those who work against pollution. You see all over the news stories about global warming and the massive effects of pollution. But most people still don’t understand how pollution could affect us in the future. The sad…

It’s time to talk about the federal minimum wage. Legislation was almost passed in the latest economic stimulus bill which would have successively increased the minimum wage each year until it reached $15 in 2025. Although the provision didn’t make it past the Senate, it brought overdue atte…

I grew up my entire life with only two options at mealtime: take it or leave it. So, I took what was given and didn’t ask questions. But would you be surprised if I told you that the very same food we consume so blindly is the reason for rampant disease, environmental chaos, animal abuse and…

Imagine rows upon rows and layers upon layers of crops, enough food to feed a city grown locally right in your next-door skyscraper. Growing food in warehouses or skyscrapers is the future, and this new innovation is called a vertical farm. New research shows crop yields in vertical farms ca…

I love to participate in and watch sports in my free time. Have you ever wondered what the definition of a sport is? According to Dictonary.com, the definition of a sport is “An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” By that definition, hunt…

Many years ago, I arrived home from my first year at Syracuse University full of knowledge and righteous indignation about the state of the world. I was fully prepared to argue with any person who disagreed with me. I have always thought anyone who disagreed with me just had to have a conver…

My early school years are characterized by a series of papers — single page, handwritten, name and date on the upper right-hand corner — on “What Freedom Means to Me,” “What America Means to Me,” “What Family Means to Me” and so on. Somewhere, deep in the garage live these jewels that have, …

Imagine, for a moment, you are in charge of water conservation efforts for your country. Imagine everyone will do what you say — politics and individual human choice don’t matter. If you were able to consult with experts (hydrologists, engineers, architects, etc.), you could construct plans …

Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an ax was embedded in a rafter.

Have you ever wanted to make money playing video games? I know I have. As a kid, I would sit down and watch my favorite Minecraft videos from my favorite YouTubers. I used to dream that one day I could make money from playing my favorite games, too. I know I wasn’t the only kid who felt this…

You may recycle, limit your single-use plastic or turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. But beyond these eco-friendly habits, have you ever considered the environmental impact of your closet? Maybe you should, as nearly any clothing item you pick up at the mall has an ugly influence …

Former President and famed World War II General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field”. President Eisenhower was alluding to what many Utahns already know — government bureaucrats in Washington, …

John and Oliva Smith just had a baby in the hospital. “It is a boy!” the doctor says ecstatically. John and Olivia gasp; they are having a boy? How exciting! John and Oliva are excited about all the boyish activities they can indulge their child in. While they daydream about all the fun hobb…

“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” — Louis D. Brandeis

Captain America was a fierce inspiration to American men during WWII and continues to be an inspiration in the media. Steve Rogers, the fictional character who transforms into Captain America, was scrawny and insignificant before he was pumped full of steroids, shoved into spandex and used a…

Everyone knows about the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs, but it may be surprising to some that Earth is going through its sixth mass extinction. More species are becoming endangered every year, but most people don’t care enough to help prevent these deaths. Yet for those who under…

Welcome to May, everyone. As we celebrate springtime in Utah, it is also our opportunity to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage. Over the course of this month, you will see exciting programming, information and engagement opportunities that reveal the diversity of c…

Linda (not her real name) became a single mother the way many do. Her husband decided the responsibility of a family was more than he could handle, so he left. Troubled times led up to that moment, but his face was set in that direction, and he was gone.

Entanglement. Ingestion. Starvation. These are just some of the conditions nature’s magnificent creatures are forced to endure due to our everyday plastic pollutants.

With spring in full bloom and pandemic restrictions loosened, it’s been fun to see the local parks and fields teeming with kids playing sports. At the Utah Women & Leadership Project, we know that girls’ participation in sports is a widely recognized pathway to leadership, improved grade…

A Weber State University course created in fall 2020 called Repair as a Radical Act is on the vanguard of a “Right to Repair’’ movement in this country. Many states and the federal government are pursuing legislation to allow you to fix your own stuff in 2021.

Once upon a time, I spoke fairly fluent, if inaccurate, German. It’s been a long time though, so I thought I’d start reviewing from the very beginning to close up the gaps (giant sinkholes) in my grammar. A friend suggested the famous Duolingo app (thanks, Anna!), and off I went.

As a scientist and son of an engineer, I understand tradeoffs. So when I went shopping for an electric lawn mower several years ago, I was skeptical I could find one to do the job. Would it run long enough or be powerful enough? How long would the batteries last? Since we have a small horse …

It’s a testament to the hardiness of peach trees that mine is covered in pink blossoms. Between high wind gales, sporadic snow and sleet, and chilly nights, there shouldn’t be anything left on that tree but frost-nipped branches. And yet, three days of semi-warmth and those blossoms burst op…

Did you know that in 2018 April was designated the National Month of Hope? After spending the better part of a year indoors, I find that hope has been an essential part of my well-being. One definition of hope is “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.…

Individual gun rights should never be confused with Second Amendment rights. Ratification of the Bill of Rights (BR), including the Second Amendment, was completed Dec. 15, 1791, when Virginia, the 11th state, approved it. Did that adoption of the BR guarantee an individual right to gun owne…

Understanding the concept of federalism is crucial to understanding the framework our founders established for our system of government. Municipal (city), county, state and national governments all have an important role to play in our country, and the better you understand the delineation b…

You know how sometimes couples who have been together for a long time can finish each other’s sentences? I used to think that was charming. After a year of COVID togetherness, forget finishing simple sentences. We can complete whole days of each other’s conversations. Maybe even ALL possible…

As Provo continues to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to recognize that other emergencies, such as wildfires, can still occur throughout the year — often with little or no warning. When these events happen, safety is the No. 1 priority, leaving little time to think about the financial information or records needed to help with the recovery process.

Gentle reader, I am coming to you today with a question. It may seem like a simple one, but really, it is multilayered and will require you to be patient with me. So, here goes: Do you believe in equality?

There’s something ironic about a Boomer sitting in a Zoom meeting talking to a 20-something professional about the Boomer’s 86-year-old mother’s needs. That thought went through my mind as I sought answers to some challenges my aging mother faces in her assisted living setting. I’m in the me…

We live in challenging times. Faced with a global crisis, we continue to experience the pandemic’s impacts on our communities, our economy and our way of life. Each of us has been affected in one form or another, some through financial strain and others through illness, loss and loneliness. And no one has felt loneliness more than our children.

As the Biden administration looks for sources of revenue to pay for legislation addressing infrastructure and climate change, a familiar idea has reemerged: the wealth tax. Championed by progressives like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, the potential legislation would tax the asse…

Too often, graduating college students face the dilemma of applying for jobs that require experience — yet they can’t get experience without being hired for a job, even if they already have many of the skills needed. At the same time, businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs have immediate c…

For the 2021 fire season, the writing is on the wall. The West, despite a few days of intense winter, is far drier than it was leading up to last year’s record-breaking fires.

“Where’s the burger?” I heard from downstairs as my wife rummaged through our small basement freezer. I got up and checked our hand-written freezer inventory. “It should be there,” I shouted down, imagining her navigating around multiple objects including a huge, year-old bag of edamame. Tha…