Katharine Biele

1 day 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 week 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%.

2 weeks ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Miss: Crime PaysAmmon Bundy is on the run, but hardly scared. He talked about his fugitive status and his good standing with the LDS church in an exclusive report in The Salt Lake Tribune—"exclusive" in that other news outlets haven't tracked him down. Apparently, it's easy. The Bundys are the cattle barons who flaunt the federal government and, you'll recall, ran a huge publicity standoff-stunt at Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

3 weeks ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Hit: Getting SchooledIt's not over till it's over. But for now, education in Utah can bask in a win or two. First, let's talk about vouchers. A judge ruled that the Utah First All Scholarship is unconstitutional because it doesn't "fit all." Of course, the ruling will be appealed, as legislative leadership thinks it takes away parents' ability to seek the best outcomes for their kids. Voucher advocates say students have already had transformative experiences—although there is no data to prove it.

4 weeks ago | cityweekly.net | Katharine Biele

Miss: College TrySometimes you have to lose to win. But when money's involved, humanity gives way to institutions. We are seeing this now more than ever as the president wields his tariff gun, as he threatens law firms with stripping their access and, of course, as he bleeds universities of their very essence. The lobotomizing of education may be the most serious peril we face.