Katharine Biele

1 week ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

No one is more concerned and alarmed by the falling birth rate than Utah's senior senator, Mike Lee. Well, maybe Elon Musk, who seems to be trying to solve it unilaterally. Musk has very definite ideas. Whether motivated by fear of mass extinction or just that white people are being "replaced," Musk believes the solution is for women to get procreating. And while Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance are prominent in the movement, Lee is not far behind.

1 week ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Miss: Dust to DustPatience is not a personal characteristic of Utah lawmakers. They are all about quick fixes and if that can't be done, blame someone else—or Mother Nature. The Great Salt Lake is a case in point. Three years ago, lawmakers had their panties in a bunch over the shrinking lake, but their solutions were focused around good will and voluntary actions. How did that work? It didn't. Sure, there are models of conservation. The LDS church started water-wise landscaping around its temples.

2 weeks ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Miss: Reading MindsHello students. Hello especially to you students who only read on your phones and wouldn't know what a book is anyway. Your parents will be delighted to know that there are now 18 books you must not and cannot read—in school at least. Smarter heads than yours have determined that books will turn you gay or trans or maybe even promiscuous. And frankly, it's mostly books written by women—women who should be staying home and baking bread and changing diapers.

3 weeks ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Miss: Driving DrunkSo Utah, how's the draconian DUI limit working for you? A blood alcohol content (BAC) limit of 0.05% was supposed to scare everyone straight and keep people from drinking and driving. Pause now to laugh hysterically. It's not just that the law makes no difference, but rather that lawmakers seem to think they can pray away the drunks. This past week saw the arrest of a 61-year-old man who killed a 41-year-old pedestrian.

1 month ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Hit: Power CorruptsWhen it comes to energy, it's hard to know where Utah's head is. But we'll take a win, no matter how small. Utahns are consuming more electricity than ever—but in the same breath, they're not generating as many emissions. In the early 2000s, coal accounted for almost 60% of total energy production. Because coal-fired plants continue a death spiral—despite the Legislature's attempts to resuscitate the industry—coal now accounts for only 47%.