Here’s a look at the news for Feb. 16.
Chaffetz calls for investigation into reporting on Trump
Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz has called for an investigation into leaks to the media about former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to the Deseret News.
Flynn allegedly spoke with Russian officials before he took his adviser position, which he resigned from this week, The Washington Post reported. Flynn may have found himself as the subject of blackmail from those discussions, The Post reported.
Chaffetz, who serves as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, expressed concern over White House staff members and members of congress releasing information to the media, the Deseret News reported.
"This situation with information going out the door that may be classified or highly sensitive, that just can't be happening. And it is. So I want them to look at it," Chaffetz said.
Chaffetz also called for an investigation into security protocols at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where guests had a chance to watch national security proceedings in real-time, the Deseret News reported.
Salary bonuses for teachers?
Some Beehive State teachers may get salary bonuses in the near future, if a bill that recently passed the House Education Committee gets turned into law, the Deseret News reported.
The bill, HB212, would offer schools funding to be used for bonuses for teachers in impoverished areas who have students who show academic success year after year, according to the Deseret News.
More than 90 schools in Utah would qualify for the bonus, which would be around $5,000. The state would pay for half of that bonus, according to the Deseret News.
The bill now heads to the house.
Read more about the potential bonuses at the Deseret News.
How downtown Salt Lake City plans to grow
Local leaders unveiled the new 2017 Downtown Rising Action Plan on Tuesday, saying that this new plan will look to create a more family-friendly and environmentally-conscious downtown Salt Lake City, according to the Deseret News.
The plan includes building a K-8 school, specifically meant for families who choose to live downtown.
“We are going to look very aggressively at what it takes to build a charter school in the downtown area,” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “It would be (a place) where office workers could bring their kids to, and maybe there are some after-school programs, then they pick them up and go home.”
The plan also includes a new entertainment and sports district, which would call for fixes to the Vivint Smart Home Arena and The Gateway mall area, according to the Deseret News. Plans also call for a new digital media center, reinvestment in Pioneer Park and a new technology campus.
Mathis said that downtown needs changes if it wants to continue to draw people in, according to the Deseret News.
“We don’t intend to put this action plan on a shelf. Just like downtown, this plan is a living document,” Mathis said. “It lays out our ambitions and best thinking at this moment in time. But we reserve the right to make changes to the plan as our city evolves, based on new needs, updated information, best practices and even better thinking.”
Super Bowl 51 will have its own movie
Remember that 25-point comeback by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51?
Well, looks like you’ll have a chance to see it again, as the comeback and quarterback Tom Brady’s journey to victory in the last NFL season will have its own movie and book, Deadline reported.
Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, who penned “The Fighter,” will work with New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman on the new book and movie, according to Deadline.
https://twitter.com/NewEnglandDrew/status/831677515307495424The Brady-focused book and movie will look at both the Super Bowl 51 comeback and the controversy surrounding the NFL this season, including the Deflategate issue in 2014, when the NFL suspended Brady after allegedly deflating footballs, Deadline reported.
“The writers already have cultivated several sources inside the Patriots locker room to provide a first-hand look at what went on behind the scenes in a Super Bowl that had everyone on the edge of their seats,” according to Deadline.