Utah school kids are still getting lower test scores than they did before the pandemic, national testing data released Monday shows.

• But they're not as far behind as their peers nationwide.

Driving the news: Utah's 4th and 8th graders' math and reading scores dropped from 2019 to 2022, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

• But students nationally saw similar, if not worse, declines. National scores were lower than Utah's averages, both in 2019 and now.

By the numbers: Utah kids' proficiency levels dropped for both subjects and in both grades.

• The sharpest decline was in 4th-grade math, with 42% of Utah students testing as "proficient" this year, down from 47% in 2019.
• 8th-grade reading showed the smallest decline in proficiency, from 37% to 36%.

The intrigue: Utah 4th graders' scores declined more sharply than 8th graders' did in both subjects.

• The opposite was true nationally, with average 8th-grade math scores almost as low as they were 20 years ago.
• Utah schools and schools on military bases were the only public schools that didn't show a statistically significant drop in 8th-grade math scores.

Of note: Utah 8th graders are further ahead of national norms than 4th graders are.

• In math, 70% of Utah's 8th graders demonstrated "basic" skills — above the national rate of 61%.
• Utah 4th graders were just 5% ahead of national rates of scores showing basic skills.

The latest: Utah received about $900 million in federal emergency COVID funding for schools.

• Some of that has been going toward counselors, wellness rooms and after-school and summer learning programs to help make up losses during the pandemic.

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If you've noticed a lot of social media fights over San Francisco in recent days — it's not a sports thing.

What happened: Gov. Spencer Cox ignited a firestorm last week when he blamed "progressive candidates and policies" for a Utah company closing its San Francisco storefront due to crime there.

• In a LinkedIn post last week, the CEO of the Utah-based outdoor gear merchant Cotopaxi, announced the San Francisco store was closing due to vandalism and theft.
• The argument continued for days as some Utahns defended the Golden Gate City and other Utah elected officials weighed in.

Why it matters: San Francisco's rising property crime rate has been a popular right-wing talking point as the city recently recalled progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin.

• Cox's criticism rankled some Utahns, who called it divisive and snide — a contradiction of the image Cox has nurtured nationally as a compassionate moderate.

The other side: Cox's critics pointed to San Francisco's longtime unaffordability as the main driver of crime there, not progressive policies.

• Others noted homelessness and poverty also exist in conservative states like Utah.

Of note: The news site SFGate.com did a thorough analysis of the data during the Boudin recall campaign.

• Many, but not all, claims of rampant crime have exaggerated both how exceptional San Francisco's crime rates are, and their connection to specific "progressive" policies, the analysis found.

💧 As Lake Powell shrinks, some previously-submerged archeological sites are becoming visible again. (The Salt Lake Tribune)

⛷ Alta got 26 inches of snow this weekend in the first storm of the year! (National Weather Service)

🚡 Some religious leaders in Salt Lake County are voicing opposition to the proposed gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (KSL.com)

🏈 The Utes are up a slot this week, at No. 14 in the AP's college football rankings (Associated Press)

• They play at Washington State on Thursday.

🎧 Utah-based Skullcandy says it's designing headphones to be more upgradeable to cut back on electronic waste. (Utah Business)

The Utah Jazz are arguably the most surprising team in the NBA.

State of play: The Jazz are 3-1. And if you say you saw this coming, there's no way.

How we got here: Utah went into full rebuild mode (at least we thought) when they traded their two best players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell during the offseason.

• The schedule makers didn't give the Jazz an easy entry into the season either as three of their first four games were against playoff teams from last year.

Yes, but: That hasn't mattered one bit. Utah won its first game of the season against the Denver Nuggets — who have the reigning MVP.

• They followed that up by beating Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
• Yes, and: They won another road game against the much-improved New Orleans Pelicans.

What's next: Hopefully more wins. But that doesn't look likely. (I know, we got this wrong before game one, so you'd think we'd be better about predictions.)

• Next up is a rematch with Houston tomorrow night, another game against the Nuggets and then two games against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ross' thought bubble: Not saying all good things must come to an end, but enjoy this hot start to the season while you can, Jazz fans.

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A few months back we told you about a new mural display on Midvale's Main Street — and we went back there for the latest round of "Where in Salt Lake?"

This spooky skull appears on the wall of Nowhere Tattoo, near 7600 South Main St.

The latest: A neighboring mural is gaining attention for what one family described as "pornography" in a city council meeting last month.

• For want of flesh, this skeleton seems family-friendly enough for our newsletter.

🎉 Congratulations to Bryant H., who guessed correctly!