October 02, 2008(Deseret News) - Number of Utahns unable to afford insurance rising\r\n \r\n The chief authors of Utah’s strategy for reforming its health-care system say the most important set of figures to keep in mind as the project goes along is 1-3-6-10.\r\n \r\n The numbers represent the four phases of the decadelong renovation of a system that many believe is a much more serious threat to the basic economy and overall well-being of Utah and the nation than the … Continued
October 02, 2008(KCPW Radio) - A new report from the Utah Foundation explores six issues that need to be addressed for health system reform to take place. The report states that federal regulations need to be navigated to avoid federal laws displacing state laws. Utah Foundation research analyst Laura Sommers says a main concern is balancing the interests of health system stakeholders.
October 01, 2008(Salt Lake Tribune) - Hurdles for health care reform range from dealing with restrictions in federal laws to defining what “affordable” means for families, according to a new report from the Utah Foundation.\r\n The report, entitled “Health System Reform: Key Issues to Resolve,” was released Wednesday and is available at www.utahfoundation.org. It offers background information on problems that face a legislative task force now working on proposals.
September 26, 2008(Deseret News) - Speaking at a clean-air conference, former governor Olene Walker talked about her battle with lung disease, which prompted her to move to southern Utah.\r\n Walker suffers from a condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the lung tissue, which is aggravated by the fine particulates in the air on the Wasatch Front and makes it difficult for her to breathe. Consequently, she moved to St. George.
September 21, 2008(Deseret News) - Some of the state’s movers and shakers of K-12 public education didn’t mince words while discussing how to improve the future of education in Utah.\r\n \r\n Members of a panel addressed hot-button issues this past week, including local control, large school districts versus small, and the power of the Utah Legislature.
September 19, 2008(Deseret News) - The past few wet winters have been good to arid Utah, but history has proven that drought conditions will be here again, and the Utah Foundation wants to warn people about wasting water.
September 18, 2008(KUER Radio) - Water ranks as the seventh highest issue on voters’ minds this year, according to a survey commissioned by the Utah Foundation, a non-partisan think tank based in Salt Lake. Foundation president Steve Kroes tells KUER’s Jennifer Napier-Pearce that water in the West is complicated by population growth, geology, politics and of course, the weather.
September 16, 2008(BYU NewsNet) - When BYU student Bethany Howard-Meiners pulled up to her home in Lindon, she saw something was wrong right away.\r\n \r\n “The garage door was open,” she said. “Someone had parked in front of our house and saw an opportunity.”
August 28, 2008(KUER Radio) - As part of the Utah Priorities Project, the Utah Foundation recently surveyed voters to find out what issues they care most about as the November elections approach. Immigration is one of them. The poll found that access to government services, impacts on crime and impacts on school were Utahns’ chief concerns about undocumented immigrants. Immigrants’ impact on wages, society and culture and competition for jobs, meanwhile, were less of a concern. The independent think tank’s … Continued
August 28, 2008(KCPW Radio) - Yesterday, an Oklahoma lawmaker told Utah legislators his state is poised to save $200 million dollars annually after implementing the same immigration policy that served as a template for Utah’s Senate Bill 81. But a Utah Foundation policy brief released today cautions lawmakers to also consider the loss to the state.
August 25, 2008(Deseret News) - Utah’s low crime rate renders it one of the safest places to live in the nation. It’s a distinction that chambers of commerce, economic development agencies and professional recruiters should be shouting from the rooftops.
August 23, 2008(Deseret News) - Factors that affect teacher quality aren’t necessarily high academic degrees or many years of teacher experience, according to a report released by the Utah Foundation.
August 23, 2008(Salt Lake Tribune) - Almost as many people are dying on Utah roads in 2008 as in recent years, a grim fact that troubles highway officials who were hoping for more improvement as traffic declines.
August 23, 2008(Deseret News) - For Utah schools to improve, leaders have to begin thinking in new ways. These may include changing how teachers become certified, lengthening probationary periods for new teachers so the bad ones can be fired, and increasing the pay for teachers in rural and other hard-to-staff schools.\r\n \r\n Those are some of the conclusions of a newly released research brief on how to improve teacher quality in Utah, published by the Utah Foundation. They deserve serious … Continued
August 22, 2008(Salt Lake Tribune) - The problem: Americans now finance their roads by paying federal and state taxes on each gallon of fuel. (The federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon; the state tax is 24.5 cents.) But as people switch to high-mileage cars, the revenue per highway mile traveled is declining. Pretty soon, the federal and state governments won’t have enough money to maintain highways and build new ones.
August 19, 2008(Deseret News) - While property crimes in Utah remain above the national average, the Beehive State continues to be one of the safest places in the nation to live, according to a report from a local independent research group.
August 18, 2008(KCPW Radio) - The Utah Priorities Project surveyed Utah’s voters on what they think are the most important issues in our community, and is now researching those topics. We’ll talk with Steve Kroes President of the Utah Foundation about their Crime and Transportation reports.
August 18, 2008(KUER Radio) - Crime and security are the sixth highest concern for Utah voters this year, according to a survey commissioned by the Utah Foundation. But in their latest report, crime is down 30 percent from 1995. KUER’s Jennifer Napier-Pearce asked Utah Foundation executive director Stephen Kroes why.
August 14, 2008(Deseret News) - Utahns and other U.S. residents are driving less. And it’s not necessarily something transportation officials want to see.\r\n Nationally, from November through June, Americans have driven 53.2 billion fewer miles than the same eight-month period a year prior. In June alone, Americans drove 12.2 billion fewer miles than in June 2007
August 14, 2008(Salt Lake Tribune) - You know it’s a waste of time and money inching down a clogged Interstate 15. But how much? You’ve heard Europeans shell out more for gas. But how much more? \r\n A new report from the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan policy-research organization, answers those questions and more about one of Utah’s most gnarly issues: transportation
August 13, 2008(KUER Radio) - Transportation was 9th on the list of issues identified by voters as part of the Utah Foundation’s Utah Priorities Project. For the most part, that means building and maintaining roads. Foundation president Steve Kroes says for the first time in many years, the number of vehicle miles traveled in Utah has been declining… and the state is collecting less tax revenue to pay for its roads. He spoke with KUER’s Dan Bammes.
July 02, 2008(KSL TV) - New research underscores the housing crisis in Utah. While not as harsh as in other states, it will affect nearly everyone, even those who don’t own homes.\r\n \r\n New data from the Utah Foundation shows the housing downturn is only just beginning here, but that lag may save us from more severe outcomes. We discussed these findings in tonight’s Talking Point.
