SALT LAKE CITY — As the calendar nears December, the National Retail Federation predicts holiday sales will surpass the one trillion dollar mark for the first time. But how does that add up when, at the same time, officials claim consumer confidence is in bad shape?

“This is kind of the disconnect that we’re seeing in the economy right now,” explained Zions Bank senior economist Robert Spendlove.

According to Spendlove, a trillion dollars in holiday sales would be a 4 percent increase over last year’s numbers. It would be an increase despite the federation sharing numbers that show consumer confidence hasn’t been this low in 50 years.

“That’s both at the national level and at our state level. And I hear this when I talk to people that they just don’t feel great about the economy, but they continue to spend,” said Spendlove.

That’s just the news Amanda Stewart wants to hear as owner of Mochi Kids in the 9th and 9th shopping district. Her store features a children’s clothing line, along with toys and gifts from all over the world.

“Holiday shopping is so crucial. We’ll sell probably, like, three times more during the holidays than we do during a normal month,” Stewart said.

Amanda has sensed the lack of confidence in the economy and seen an increase in wholesale prices due to tariffs, forcing her to make adjustments so she doesn’t price out her clientele.

“We’ve experienced probably about 10% price increase across the board compared to last year, and so we’ve definitely had to change how we buy,” Stewart said. “We purchased things that are a little less expensive, knowing that some people, you know, who are spending more on groceries will have less of a budget to spend on toys this year.”

Nonetheless, both the experts and those on the front lines, like Stewart, anticipate brisk sales once the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear later this month.

“Even though consumers don’t feel good about inflation, they don’t feel good about the government shutdown, they’re nervous about tariffs, we expect that in this holiday season, consumers will be spending about $890,” Spendlove said.

“It’s not surprising to me,” added Stewart. “I think people want to have a magical experience for their families, no matter what the economic circumstances are. I think that’s just part of our culture here in the U.S.”

SPANISH FORK — The man charged with capital murder in the death of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser is once again facing additional charges for allegedly spraying a deputy at the Utah County Jail with an unknown liquid.

Michael Aaron Jayne, 43, of Garrett, Indiana — who is already awaiting trial on a charge of aggravated murder and is facing a possible death sentence if convicted — is now accused of propelling an unidentified liquid into the face of a Utah County sheriff’s deputy while incarcerated.

On Sunday, about 6:50 p.m., Jayne allegedly used his hands “to forcefully hit something on the inside of his cell door through the crack, causing liquid to spray out onto the victim. When this happened, the cell door was shut. It took planning and effort to shoot the substance through the crack in his door at the right time. The victim then stepped back and radioed for an additional deputy. I then entered the unit and saw the victim wipe his face and liquid droplets on the victim’s pants and shirt,” according to a police booking affidavit.

Deputies later reviewed surveillance video and saw Jayne watching the deputy as he entered the housing unit to do a head count, the affidavit states.

He was initially arrested and later charged for allegedly running over Hooser with a semitruck intentionally on May 5, 2024, according to charging documents. A preliminary hearing in that case is scheduled to begin Nov. 24.

In August, Jayne was charged with aggravated assault by a prisoner, a second-degree felony; two counts of assault by a prisoner, a third-degree felony; and causing property damage, a class A misdemeanor. In that case, he is accused of attacking multiple deputies on July 30.

In September, his defense team filed a motion stating they are “gravely concerned” that if their client isn’t moved out of the Utah County Jail, he may not live to see a trial. But just a week later, that motion was withdrawn.

Salt Lake City
AP
 — 

A Utah judge on Monday rejected the new congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, adopting an alternate proposal that creates a Democrat-leaning district ahead of the the 2026 midterm elections.

Republicans currently hold all four of Utah’s House seats and had advanced a map poised to protect them.

Judge Dianna Gibson ruled just before a midnight deadline that the Legislature’s new map “unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats.”

She had ordered lawmakers to draw a map that complies with standards established by voters to ensure districts don’t deliberately favor a party, a practice known as gerrymandering.

If they failed, Gibson warned she may consider other maps submitted by plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led her to throw out Utah’s existing map.

Gibson ultimately selected a map drawn by plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. It keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was the case previously.

The judge’s ruling throws a curveball for Republicans in a state where they expected a clean sweep as they’re working to add winnable seats elsewhere.

Nationally, Democrats need to net three US House seats next year to wrest control of the chamber from the GOP, which is trying to buck a historic pattern of the president’s party losing seats in the midterms.

The newly approved map gives Democrats a much stronger chance to flip a seat in a state that has not had a Democrat in Congress since early 2021.

“This is a win for every Utahn,” said state House and Senate Democrats in a joint statement. “We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.”

In August, Gibson struck down the Utah congressional map adopted after the 2020 census because the Legislature had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.

The ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle as President Donald Trump urged other Republican-led states to take up mid-decade redistricting to try to help the GOP retain control of the House in 2026.

Some Democratic states are considering new maps of their own, with California voters approving a map last week that gives Democrats a shot at winning five more seats. Republicans are still ahead in the redistricting fight.

Redistricting typically occurs once a decade after a census. There are no federal restrictions to redrawing districts mid-decade, but some states — more led by Democrats than Republicans — set their own limitations.

The Utah ruling gives an unexpected boost to Democrats, who have fewer opportunities to gain seats through redistricting.

If Gibson had instead approved the map drawn by lawmakers, all four districts would still lean Republican but two would have become slightly competitive for Democrats. Their proposal gambled on Republicans’ ability to protect all four seats under much slimmer margins rather than create a single-left leaning district.

The ruling came minutes before midnight on the day the state’s top election official said was the latest possible date to enact a new congressional map so county clerks would have enough time to prepare for candidate filings for the 2026 midterms.

Republicans have argued Gibson does not have legal authority to enact a map that wasn’t approved by the Legislature. State Rep. Matt MacPherson called the ruling a “gross abuse of power” and said he has opened a bill to pursue impeachment against Gibson.

Gibson said in her ruling she has an obligation to ensure a lawful map is in place by the deadline.