The Utah Jazz have extended their losing skid to three games with a loss against the Golden State Warriors. The final score was 114-123.
Utah
What are the ‘big gears’ Utah must move for a 2034 Olympics? • Idaho Capital Sun
Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt said one of the most important lessons he drew from his time as Utah’s chief executive is to lead on transformational issues, one must look for decisions that will result in “cascading consequences.”
He compared them to gears on a clock. Turning the largest gear will spin the smaller ones with ease.
“If you really want to transform society,” he said, “you have to look at the big gears.”
Perhaps one of most impactful “gears” that could transform Utah’s future is Salt Lake City’s now likely chance of hosting the 2034 Winter Games. The city was selected as a 2034 preferred host in November, and with no serious contenders, Salt Lake is close to formally locking down the Games. A final vote on the bid is expected to be announced in Paris on July 24, Utah’s Pioneer Day.
The International Olympic Committee is coming to Utah this week to tour proposed event venues. Next, the Future Host Commission is expected to submit a report to IOC leaders, who will then decide whether to send Salt Lake City’s bid to a final vote, the Deseret News reported.
A 2034 Winter Games would mark the second time the Olympics has come to Utah. Leavitt was governor when Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Games — and it’s one of the “legacy” issues Leavitt highlights in his recently released memoir series detailing the lessons the former governor learned from his time in office. Leavitt hopes it will help policymakers tackle some of the biggest issues facing Utah today.
On Friday, Leavitt — along with Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and other Utah officials — joined a panel hosted by the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the Hinckley Institute of Politics, and the Deseret News at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City.
The discussion, moderated by Deseret News Executive Editor Doug Wilks, was part of a forum titled “What’s Past is Prologue.” It unpacked generational issues from Leavitt’s memoir that are seemingly coming full circle and resurfacing in new ways for Utah’s government leaders.
The Olympics, Leavitt said, is an “obvious” example. The 2002 Winter Games wasn’t just a 14-day event, it ushered in a new era for Utah. It put the state on the international stage, spurred major growth, attracted tech business leaders, and accelerated transportation infrastructure, including a massive rebuild of Interstate 15 and construction of FrontRunner and Salt Lake County’s TRAX system.
“The Olympics is a 17-day activity, then it’s over,” Leavitt said. “That isn’t the value of the Olympics to the state. The value … is the 10 years in advance of the Games, during which there is a huge amount of back pressure that will allow you to get a lot of things done that you could never get done in their absence.”
Now, with another opportunity to host the Winter Games in 10 years, Leavitt said Utah must act now, not only to use the next decade to prepare, but also brace for and shape the change the Olympics is sure to usher in for the state — another new era.
The discussion focused on what “big gears” Utah must move to make a 2034 Winter Games a generational success. The panel included Leavitt, Romney and other past and current state leaders involved in either the 2002 Olympics or the 2034 bid. They included:
- Fraser Bullock, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and current president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, which is bidding for the 2034 Winter Games.
- Former Utah Sen. Lane Beattie, who helped plan the 2002 Winter Games. He also formerly served as the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce before his retirement in 2018.
- Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, who is serving as one of the legislative members of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.
- Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, one of the legislative members of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.
Mitt Romney: Utah leaders must launch immediate effort for federal funding
Romney, participating remotely in the discussion on a TV screen, said Utah leaders must launch an “immediate” effort in Washington, D.C., to generate “energy and passion” for a 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City — as well as lay the groundwork now for federal funding to support security and transportation, which the federal government will be tasked with but has not yet funded.
Romney said security for the future Olympics will probably cost billions — perhaps $3-4 billion — but by then he warned Congress will likely be confronting “some very tough financial times,” pointing to frustrations with the federal government’s spending and national debt.
“I’ll tell you, if Salt Lake goes to the government and says we need $3-4 billion dollars for security and transportation, that may not be a welcome request, and it may not be granted,” Romney warned. So he urged Utah and California leaders — ahead of a 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles — to urge Congress to start putting aside funding every year to prepare for national special security events and transportation for an Olympics.
“So instead of asking for $3-4 billion down the road, we’re able to get $200 million or $300 million year after year going into special accounts,” Romney said.
Romney also said Utah leaders should frame the 2034 Games not as a “big gift” to Utah, but an opportunity to “serve the world.” Like they did with the 2002 Olympics, he said leaders should put Utah’s volunteerism at the forefront and ask Utahns to be part of solving problems.
“What made (the 2002) Olympics so successful was that people began to realize this was an opportunity for us to help serve the world. This was about service. It was about giving, not receiving,” Romney said, urging leaders to not shy away from the challenges. “Acknowledge the difficulties. … Travel’s going to be hard. It’s going to be intrusive. Acknowledge those things.”
Romney said he’s happy to see Utah leaders talking about the issue now. A 2034 Winter Games is sure to “bring the world’s attention to Utah, for good or bad, and I think we’re going to see the best,” he said. But he also urged leaders to think about whether they really want it to bring “more growth.”
“I’m not sure we want more growth,” he said, noting it’s “not necessarily a bad thing” when a state’s population growth tapers. “I think we have to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to continue to grow the state?’ I know it’s great for developers … but how much growth do we want to have?”
How to harness Utahns’ support for hosting Olympics
McKell agreed Utah leaders need to start formulating a vision now about how it wants Utah to change in wake of the Olympics.
“It’s time to have that discussion,” McKell said. “I don’t think we know exactly as a state what we want to accomplish, right now. And I think we need to decide. We need to harness government at all levels … we need to decide what is the legacy, what do we want to accomplish.”
Another “big gear” a 2034 Winter Games could turn and help transform Utah’s future, the panel discussed, is acting as a remedy to today’s polarized political climate.
“We have a divisive society today in many ways. How do we overcome that?” Bullock said. He pointed to recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics polls that show over 80% of Utahns support hosting another Olympics, and said Utah can coalesce that support and bring people together through volunteer efforts during the Games.
“We’re going to host the world together, as a community. And then utilize that not only at the local level but at the national level and at the international level — an opportunity for unity to celebrate human achievement under the umbrella of sport,” Bullock said. “It’s just a wonderful opportunity for the next 10 years.”
Bullock said last time, when Utah hosted the Olympics in wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, “we became a healing opportunity for the world.”
“There will be something important that we will be doing at some point along this journey,” he said. “That’s the opportunity. … For us to do something special, for not only our community but the entire world.”
The Utah News Dispatch, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: [email protected]. Follow Utah News Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
LINDON — A Ukrainian family now living in Lindon that fled the violent war in the European nation now potentially faces separation, with two family members fearing deportation.
The turn of events — not the first time the family has contended with uncertainty — represents another twist in implementation of immigration policy under President Donald Trump and his crackdown on immigrants in the country.
Indeed, the Lindon family isn’t alone — other Ukrainian immigrants are contending with similar issues, according to representatives from Utah groups that aid Ukrainians.
“We can’t understand why because we didn’t break any laws,” said Yurii Ahieiev, facing deportation along with his 7-year-old daughter, Viktoriia Ahieieva. While the man’s wife and two older sons successfully applied for permission to remain in the country, at least for now, he and his daughter, instead, face deportation, he said, “and I don’t know why we have these issues.”
Several families in Lindon joined together in sponsoring the Ukrainian family’s relocation to the Utah County city in 2023 under the Uniting for Ukraine program, launched in 2022 under President Joe Biden to aid Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia. On starting his second term as president earlier this year, however, Trump paused the program, though his administration later launched a process allowing eligible Ukrainians to apply for “re-parole” to extend their stay in the country.
At any rate, Ahieiev and his daughter, supported by their Lindon neighbors, are now scrambling to figure out their next steps after the apparent rejection, without explanation, of their applications to stay in the United States. Ahieiev and his wife Valentyna Ahieieva run a small accounting business while their two sons, ages 17 and 16, and daughter attend Lindon-area schools.
“We like it here, we like the U.S., like this country. But we don’t like what’s happening now in the immigration system,” Valentyna Ahieieva said. “Hopefully it changes.”
A hearing for Ahieiev is scheduled for July while his daughter is to appear before immigration authorities in February, when they and their backers fear they could be detained for deportation, said Jared Oates, one of the Lindon sponsors.
“Why would you separate a family?” he asked.
In response to a KSL.com query, a rep from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security asked for additional identifying information about Yurii Ahieiev and his daughter. Supplied the information, the department didn’t provide any comment, nor did reps from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But the transplants to Lindon apparently have plenty of company. Despite the ongoing war in the Ukraine and prior moves to welcome at least some Ukrainians fleeing the conflict into the United States, the situation for many Ukrainians here remains tenuous.
“This is absolutely a major issue right now for both Ukrainians who came here for refuge, as well as for the Americans who sponsored them and those who have become their friends, neighbors, co-workers, employers, etc. It is devastating and heartbreaking to see the decisions and challenges that are being added to these people who have already gone through so much,” said Mindie Packer.
Packer is co-founder of Hope Across Borders, a Utah-based group that offers humanitarian aid in conflict zones around the world, including Ukraine.
Packer has heard many stories of Ukrainians in uncertain migratory situations, fearful they may be targeted by immigration agents. One Ukrainian family Hope Across Borders sponsored had to move to Slovenia because their permission to remain in the United States expired.
“We know many people who came legally and applied for renewal/extension of their status, paid their fees and have not heard anything back. They were not denied or accepted, but now their status is expired and they don’t know what to do,” Packer said.
Anne Perkins of Lifting Hands International, a Utah-based nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine, knows of one Ukrainian family in Utah that moved to Spain. The work visa of the head of the family ran out and he was unable to renew it, prompting the departure. Fees to seek extensions to remain in the country have increased, adding to the difficulties.
“Still, most of the families I’ve talked to are motivated to do whatever it takes to stay,” Perkins said.
Human Rights First, an American human rights organization, says around 50 Ukrainians were deported last November from the United States.
Shining a light on the situation
Given the current climate toward immigration under Trump, it’s unclear “whether immigrants, period, are welcome in the United States right now,” Oates said. “It’s just a very difficult time.”
That said, he and the others who first sponsored the Ahieiev family say they have made strides in transitioning to life here and stand behind them. They’re self-reliant with their accounting business, and the kids, whose English has improved greatly, are thriving in school.
“They’ve been remarkable,” Oates said.
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Their Lindon backers have consulted with immigration attorneys, who haven’t been able to offer any solutions. They’ve also reached out to U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy, their congressional representative, for help in navigating the U.S. bureaucracy for answers.
Kennedy wouldn’t comment on specifics of the Ahieiev family’s situation due to privacy considerations. But he said his office is available to help.
“My office and I are committed to helping constituents of Utah’s 3rd Congressional District resolve issues with federal agencies to the best of our ability,” he said in a statement.
At this stage, Oates thinks the main means of helping the family might be shining the light on their situation in a bid to muster public support.
“The only thing that would change the calculus, as far as we can see, would be changing the political consequences of deporting (Viktoriia) and separating a family,” he said.
As for a possible return to Ukraine, Ahieiev and his wife shudder at the possibility. They lived in the Odessa region, which has faced some of the fiercest and sustained attacks from Russian forces.
“Our parents now still live in this region, but it’s really dangerous,” Yurii Ahiehiev said. “Very often there’s no electricity, no heating.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the night:
Defense folds again under Curry takeover
Utah controlled the first half of this game. At one point they held a 12 point lead.
But at 37 years old, Steph Curry can still do some amazing things. Curry went for 20 points in the third-quarter, frazzled the Jazz, and they never really recovered after that. Part of this was Curry being the greatest shooter of all time, but part of it was Utah struggling to defend at the point of attack and off screens. They weren’t particularly physical, particularly attached, or particularly effective at shrinking Curry’s space. It’s same story from most night’s this season.
The Jazz are a solid offensive team – 16th best in offensive rating to be exact. They continue to lead the league in sharing the ball with a 72% assist rate and have weapons at every level, especially when Walker Kessler returns. But they are still the worst defensive team in the league at 30th in defensive rating. This is good news for pro-tank fans, but bad for the Jazz becoming a competitive team under this core.
Who is Utah’s third piece
Keyonte George is clearly playing at an All-Star and Most Improved Player of the Year level. He finished tonight with 22 points and nine assists. His third-year jump is real and he’s solidified himself as a core of the franchise moving forward.
Lauri Markkanen is still playing at an All-NBA level. He finished tonight with 35 points and five rebounds. He’s one of the best scorers in the league this season and a great companion next to George.
When both of Utah’s stars are playing, it’s easy to convince yourself that the Jazz just need one more core player to pop to enter win-now mode. But it isn’t very clear who that player is. Is it Ace Bailey? Maybe, but that will take another two-three seasons to find out. It’s clear it’s not Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, or any other role player on the roster. It’s a shame that Walker Kessler is out for the season, because if the shooting was real, he might be a suitable answer.
The truth is that the next core piece is probably not on the roster right now. Let’s hope that comes from the draft if the Jazz keep their pick.
A note on tonight’s whistle
Praising the referees is usually not something people like to read about, especially when the Jazz lose. I’m doing it anyway, apologies.
Tonight’s crew chief was the fan-favorite Bill Kennedy. He was joined by 16-year veteran Kevin Cutler and 6-year veteran Simone Jelks. The crew did two things that I haven’t seen much of this season:
(1) The crew did not penalize defenders for simply existing while offensive players generated contract. Keyonte George, for one, was someone who struggled with this. George (smartly) has learned that the NBA has decided that offensive players can initiate contact at will, enter the established space of the defender, and be rewarded with free throws. It’s partly why he’s shooting 7.4 free throws a game. In my opinion, this is bad for basketball.
To be clear, I don’t blame George for doing this. The most talented players at manipulating this part of the game are elite scorers in the league (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Austin Reaves, for example). But tonight, the crew didn’t reward George, Curry, Butler, or Markkanen with any of these types of plays and I think it led to a more competitive, faster, and more enjoyable watching experience.
(2) The crew treated Draymond Green like every other player when it comes to technical fouls. It’s no secret that Green gets a much longer leash than most when it comes to berating the officials. Watching him get two technicals after complaining on a meaningless play was nice to see, for once.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.
Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.
Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.
White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.
TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.
Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.
Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.
Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.
Up next
TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.
___
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