Here’s a look at the news for Jan. 5.
The agony of John Curtis
The Deseret News profiles Utah Rep. John Curtis, the newest Beehive State congressman.
Curtis, who replaced former Rep. Jason Chaffetz in the 3rd Congressional district, told the Deseret News that he’s hoping to build a bipartisan relationship in Congress.
“But Curtis has agonized to find his voice in the binary world of national politics — where conditional language often dies on the cutting-room floor — and as a representative of a state that has complicated feelings about the president,” the Deseret News reports.
The former Provo mayor has lost supporters and even a trusted advisor along the way.
Read more at the Deseret News.
Kaysville councilman refuses to resign
Councilman Dave Adams said he won’t resign despite many calls for him to do just that, according to the Deseret News.
The Kaysville City Council voted on Thursday night to censure Adams, calling for his resignation after reports indicated he’s being investigated for extortion.
The council’s vote inflamed Adams’s supporters, who attended the meeting on Thursday night.
Newly elected Kaysville Mayor Katie Witt told the crowd she would have anyone who disrupted the meeting removed. She banged her gavel several times, asking for no boos or shouts from the crowd.
Adams watched from the back of the room.
"I came tonight with the intentions of serving in the duty I have taken on, and I leave tonight with those same intentions," Adams said.
Read more at the Deseret News.
The influenza virus is spreading in Utah
The influenza virus is making its rounds across the country again, causing concerns at the Utah Department of Health over its widespread impact, the Deseret News reported.
"If you haven't gotten your influenza vaccine, you should get it," said Gregg Reed, a health department epidemiologist. "It not only helps yourself, but helps those around you. It helps stop the spread of disease in your community."
Not all flu vaccines work during the year, as experts try to predict which one will spread the most during the winter months.
Experts said this year’s vaccine is between 30 and 60 percent effective.
Reed said some protection is better than none at all.
Read more at the Deseret News.
Snow tapers off, but cold rolls in
A bomb cyclone of wintry weather flooded the streets of New England on Thursday, according to CNN.
Thousands of people fled their homes because of the storm, which left about 15 feet of snow at Boston Harbor on Thursday.
Sixteen people died this week from the weather, including six in Wisconsin, four in Texas, three in North Carolina and one each in Michigan, Missouri and North Dakota, CNN reported. About 13,000 people are without power.
Snowfall will slow on Friday, but chilling winds and cold temperatures will roll in next.
Read more at CNN.
MORE READING:
Vox: The controversy around Michael Wolff’s gossipy new Trump book, explained
The Washington Post: Pakistan official accuses U.S. of betrayal after suspension of military aid
The Washington Post: US imposes sanctions on 5 Iranian entities
Quartz: The number of people defecting from North to South Korea plunged in 2017