The Utah Legislature in a special session yesterday, voted to repeal a highly contested collective bargaining ban for public employees that passed earlier this year.

Why it matters: H.B. 267 sparked immediate backlash from labor unions representing teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees after Republican lawmakers introduced the measure earlier this year.

• Unions mounted an aggressive opposition campaign, organizing protests at the Capitol and gathering signatures to put the issue before voters on the 2026 ballot.

State of play: The reversal marks a significant departure from the past legislative session, when GOP lawmakers said they had been unable to reach consensus with labor leaders on the measure.

What they're saying: "The [bill] has been overshadowed by misinformation and unnecessary division," its sponsor state Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-South Jordan) said on the House floor.

• By repealing, he said, state lawmakers could take a step back and "create space for a clearer and more constructive conversation."

The big picture: Labor leaders claimed the measure sought to diminish unions' political power.

• The bill was introduced after the largest teachers' union in the state filed a 2024 lawsuit over a controversial school voucher program. A district judge ruled the program was "unconstitutional" last April.
• The Utah Teachers Association also legally challenged a now-scrapped constitutional amendment earlier this year that would have diverted state income tax dollars from public education to other uses.
• Following a string of legal setbacks, lawmakers seem unwilling to risk another high-profile defeat in 2026.

Zoom out: During the session, GOP lawmakers approved election-related amendments tied to their redistricting fight, including shifting the congressional candidate filing window, and adopted a resolution asserting that only the Legislature has the constitutional authority to set congressional boundaries.

The other side: In a statement, Senate and House Democratic lawmakers celebrated the repeal of the anti-collective bargaining law, but strongly opposed the other measures passed.

• "Collectively, these bills undermine the will of the people," per the statement.

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Scientists are warning that the ongoing measles outbreaks in Utah and Arizona could cost the U.S. its "elimination" status for the first time in decades.

The big picture: The World Health Organization considers a country to have eliminated measles if it hasn't had sustained transmission of the virus within a 12-month period.

• The U.S. has seen new measles cases every week of 2025 since January, per the CDC.
• If transmission continues into January 2026, the U.S. will lose its status as a country that eliminated the measles virus.

Zoom in: The ongoing outbreak in Utah and Arizona is the second-largest of the year, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

• Many of the cases have been tied to smaller communities with low vaccination rates.

Zoom out: Texas is also seeing a sustained outbreak, with 803 cases this year.

Threat level: The CDC has documented 1,800 cases of measles nationwide in 2025.

• Three deaths were tied to measles this year, CDC says.

Catch up quick: For 25 years, the U.S. has been free of sustained measles outbreaks.

• The spike in cases comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplays the threat from the disease and repeated misleading claims about measles vaccines.

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📢 Protesters gathered Monday in Salt Lake City to decry ICE arrests at green card appointments and other situations to comply with immigration laws. (Utah News Dispatch)

🚌 A "skills coach" who works with a Utah County elementary school is accused of storing more than 2,000 images of child pornography on his home computer. (FOX 13)

⚖️ Arturo Gamboa, who was allegedly shot by a volunteer "peacekeeper" while carrying a rifle at a June "No Kings" rally in SLC, said he was treated like a "psychopathic villain" when arrested after a stray bullet hit and killed another protester. (KSL.com)

• The volunteer has been charged in the other man's death; police say he fired into the crowd at Gamboa, who was initially arrested but later released without charges.

In our yearslong search for Salt Lake's best Christmas decorations, we've finally found the real traffic-stopper: Agriculture.

Zoom in: A small farm in West Jordan has built a nativity scene that incorporates livestock — and they play their parts well.

The intrigue: A friendly donkey has a home in the corral and tends to notice passers-by. It photo-bombed my snapshot of Jesus.

• Once you've hauled a pregnant lady to Bethlehem, it's time to mingle.

What's inside: Look for cows, goats, piggies, sheep and the not-camera-shy donkey alongside the major characters in Luke Chapter 2 at at 10000 South and 2700 West — with magi approaching from the distance.

Friction point: 2700 West is a busy street, so park across the street or a block to the north and visit the friendly beasts on foot.

What's next: We'll have a guide to the many amazing holiday displays in West Jordan very soon.