It’s the year of the woman, but that isn’t helping Republican candidates like Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

McMorris Rodgers, a member of the GOP's House leadership team who represents a Washington state district that President Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points, is one of a handful of Republican women fighting to keep their seats as Democrats attempt to gain control of the House.

A record number of women are running for office in the Nov. 6 elections, but that surge is mainly on the Democratic side, where candidates and voters are motivated by opposition to Trump, his treatment of women and the #MeToo movement.

"A lot of the opposition has been more focused on hatred of our president," McMorris Rodgers said. "That is what's been driving the left right now, is wanting to send a message to Donald Trump."

There are 23 Republican women in the House now but only 17 are running for re-election. Of those, 13 are favored to win, according projections by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, and the rest are in tight races. Another 35 Republican women who aren't currently in Congress are seeking House seats, but most of them are in Democratic-leaning districts.

If Republican women only win seats where they're favored, there will be fewer of them in Congress. "For Republican woman, it's not going to be a year of growth," said Jean Sinzdak, an associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Female GOP incumbents at risk of losing include Reps. Mia Love of Utah, in a toss-up contest for her Salt Lake City district, and Barbara Comstock, a Virginia Republican in a race that leans Democratic.

Any losses would only further exacerbate the gender gap between the two parties. There are 84 women in the House, 23 are of whom are Republicans and 61 of whom are Democrats.

Of the 237 women who won House primaries this election cycle, 185 are Democrats and 52 are Republicans. While many Democratic women are also running in races they're likely to lose, there are far more of them. That, combined with more favorable prospects for Democrats this year, means there could be more than a dozen new Democratic women in Congress.

Several factors are making it difficult for the GOP to close the gender gap with Democrats. Historic trends suggest the party in power loses seats during midterm elections, and Trump's low approval ratings are a boost to Democrats. Demographics and party culture also play a role. More women identify as Democrats, and the party places more importance on diversity than the GOP.

Republicans, aware of the gender gap, have sought to recruit women candidates. This election cycle, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the House Republican recruitment chair, brought on 120 women to run.

McMorris Rodgers, 49, has also played a role in encouraging women to run, including Rep. Martha Roby, an Alabama Republican, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Washington Republican who previously worked on McMorris Rodgers' legislative staff.

"I often find that a woman is more focused on their family, their business, their community activities and when they think about Congress they're looking at it and think, 'How do I fit this into my life?'" McMorris Rodgers said. Men are "quicker to say 'yes, I'm going to drop everything and run for Congress.'"

She's also been on the receiving end of recruitment efforts. Former House Speaker John Boehner said he encouraged McMorris Rodgers to run for her current role: chair of the House GOP conference, the party's No. 4 leadership position in the chamber. Boehner said he encouraged her because she's hardworking and smart -- and he wanted a woman in leadership.

"I thought having a woman in the Republican leadership was a good thing to do, and it brought a different perspective to the leadership table," Boehner said.

McMorris Rodgers was first elected to the eastern Washington district in 2004, replacing a retiring Republican, and has been re-elected ever since. The last Democrat to represent the district was former House Speaker Tom Foley, who lost in 1994.

In the district, which borders Canada and Oregon, McMorris Rodgers has been putting together a coalition of conservatives who see her as a Trump ally on economic issues and moderates who see her as willing to stand up to him, especially on trade and the environment.

She has had to find the right balance between embracing Trump's policies and condemning his behavior. It's a struggle shared by other GOP women running for office. McMorris Rodgers said she doesn't like Trump's coarse language but that the party is bigger than one person.

"I've had hundreds of women who have said that they don't agree with those that are participating in the women's march, or those that are protesting," McMorris Rodgers said in an interview on her campaign RV. "They believe in the principles of the Republican Party."

Missy Shorey, executive director of Maggie's List, founded in 2010 to elect fiscally responsible conservative women, said McMorris Rodgers' background as a mother of three informs her perspective. She has a son with Down syndrome and co-sponsored legislation that allows people to save tax-free for family members with disabilities.

"The Democrats are coming after her because they cannot tolerate the profile of a dynamic, gracious, proven woman leader who happens to be a fiscal conservative in power," Shorey said.

McMorris Rodgers has focused her campaign on touting the economy and reduced regulations under the Trump administration. Trump endorsed McMorris Rodgers in a tweet on Monday, calling her "an incredible leader who is respected by everyone in Congress."

She's being challenged by Democrat Lisa Brown, 62, a former chancellor at Washington State University in Spokane and the state's first female Senate majority leader. She has criticized McMorris Rodgers' support for the GOP effort to repeal Obamacare, for the administration's rollbacks of environmental protections and lawmakers' failure to overhaul immigration laws and pass a farm bill.

Brown is one of the strongest opponents McMorris Rodgers has faced since first being elected. Brown raised $5.3 million to McMorris Rodgers's $5.5 million and had more cash on hand as of Oct. 17.

During the state's August primary, in which all candidates competed for the top two slots, McMorris Rodgers led Brown by just 4 percentage points. Two Republican candidates and a pro-Trump independent split another 5 percent of the vote.

Brown said "independence from party" is a key issue in the race, and McMorris Rodgers has become "the person who delivers the talking points" for her party.

"In general, people are looking for more independence from the Trump administration, but in eastern Washington it's the kind of district that is more independent from the political parties and values someone that will buck authority," she said.

How well that argument works with voters remains to be seen.

Virginia Romine, a 66-year-old retired nurse from Waitsburg who attended a recent McMorris Rodgers town hall meeting, said she'd never vote for Trump and she finds some of his comments on women and minorities appalling. At the same time, she has repeatedly voted for McMorris Rodgers because she "puts eastern Washington first" and understands the district's issues. She said having a woman in office makes a difference.

“Women are never going to be equal in the workplace until they’re equal in government, and we have very few women who’ve gone as high as Cathy has,” Romine said.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Jeff Kinghorn drove near the SUV zipping along the car-pool lane on Interstate 15 in Bountiful on Friday to see if the driver had a required passenger or a toll transponder. He lacked both.

As the driver saw the trooper eying him, he compounded problems by crossing over the double-white lines to get out of the express lane, another violation. Kinghorn then noticed the SUV’s license plates had expired.

So the driver hit a trifecta for potentially expensive violations. The penalty for using the car-pool lane illegally or crossing the double-white line is up to $337 for each.

“He said he knew he was in violation of express lane rules but was just cruising there” — at 10:15 a.m. when little traffic was in the other lanes anyway, Kinghorn said. It’s a bad habit that too many Utahns apparently have developed.

The Utah Department of Transportation estimates that a quarter to a third of all vehicles now using car-pool lanes are there in violation of rules — up from about one of every five in studies a few years ago.

So UDOT is funding quarterly blitzes of overtime shifts for Highway Patrol troopers, including one now, to reduce the problem.

Kinghorn didn’t need to look hard Friday for violators, even during the light traffic of a late morning in Davis County. Three minutes after his first catch drove off, he caught another one.

That SUV crossed the double-white lines halfway into the car-pool lane, then crossed back, perhaps as the driver saw the trooper. She sped up aggressively on the bumper of another car and made more dangerous lane shifts. And her license plate had expired, too.

Another trifecta.

“She said she was late for an appointment,” Kinghorn said. “Most of the express lane violations we see are in the morning and afternoon commute times, when people are in a hurry.” But his catches show they do happen all day.

UDOT and the Highway Patrol invited news media for ride-alongs Friday to urge compliance with car-pool-lane rules — saying violations are increasing and dangerous and deadly.

“In rush hour, many people try to jump in and out of the express lanes by crossing the double-white lines," said Highway Patrol Corp. Greg Hollingsworth. “That’s a real problem because people in the express lanes often aren’t expecting it, and are traveling significantly faster than the other lanes. It causes accidents.”

UDOT spokesman John Gleason said problems have especially appeared in long stretches of car-pool lanes in Salt Lake and Utah counties where, because of construction, the agency suspended normal requirements to have at least two people in the car, and waived tolls for single-driver cars, with or without a transponder.

Despite that, it is still illegal to cross the double-white lines. He said many people are ignoring that — and many drivers don’t expect it.

Gleason said that relaxing toll and passenger rules in those construction zones may have led more people to violate rules elsewhere. UDOT says it also is noticing that as growth and congestion increase, so do car-pool-lane violations.

The Highway Patrol is often too busy with accidents and other serious problems to focus on car-pool-lane violations — which is why UDOT funds overtime for occasional blitzes.

“The car-pool lanes are getting clogged with people who don’t belong there," Gleason said. “We’re asking people to help us and obey the rules.”

When used properly, he said, express lanes move twice as many people as general-purpose lanes — 3,630 people an hour compared to 1,980. That also helps reduce congestion in other lanes.

To encourage car pooling, UDOT aims to keep speeds in the car-pool lanes at least an average of 55 mph, and federal law requires maintaining average speeds of 45 mph or some state funds could be threatened. But average speeds have been dropping — to as low as 31 mph in some congested stretches during the afternoon peak commute.

To take advantage of excess space in car-pool lanes, UDOT for years has sold electronic toll transponders to allow some single-car drivers to use the lanes. But because of peak-time congestion, it recently doubled maximum tolls to $2 per 10-mile section, up from $1. It has permission from the Legislature to raise them higher if needed.

“So far, it seems like the higher tolls have helped improve overall speeds during peak times,” but more study is still needed, Gleason said. “And it would help if we could reduce the number of people who violate rules to drive there."

The reappearance in the rankings was a nice little reward for No. 18 Utah State this week. After all, it’s been six years since the team last surfaced in the poll.

Now, the novelty is wearing thin for coach Matt Wells, who's grown weary of the constant congratulations and pats on the back.

He's more than ready to get the focus back on football, with the Aggies (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) trying to stay on top in the Mountain Division. They have a chance to move to 8-1 for the first time since 1963 when they travel to Hawaii (6-4, 3-2) on Saturday night.

"The bottom line is this: We don't go through the offseason in January and February and break every team huddle and say, 'Top 25 ranking on three — one, two three!'" Wells said. "Yeah, it's nice. It's recognition. But I want to be ranked there at the end of the year."

Utah State faces a Rainbow Warriors team that started out torrid, but has fallen on tough times with three straight losses.

"It's always tough to win over there, because there are a ton of distractions," Wells said of the long trek to Honolulu. "This is a team in Hawaii that, man, what a really good quarterback."

That would be in reference to Cole McDonald, who's thrown 30 TD passes this season. The sophomore with the dreadlocks has been a big reason why Hawaii has been a surprise after being picked to finish second-to-last in the West Division. If the Rainbow Warriors win Saturday, they secure a winning regular-season mark for the first time since 2010.

“We have to work really hard in order to get what we want accomplished,” Hawaii offensive lineman J.R. Hensley said. “Take the task at hand and get going this week.”

The Aggies are led by quarterback Jordan Love, who earned the league's player of the week honors after throwing for a career-best 448 yards and four TDs against New Mexico.

"He could be the best quarterback in the conference. He's really smooth," Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich said. "I'm really impressed with the kid."

Things to know in a series that Utah State leads 9-6:

Eight is enough

The Aggies are tied with Temple for the most non-offensive touchdowns this season with eight. They have four on special teams and four more by the defense. Last week against New Mexico, safety Shaq Bond had a 100-yard interception return for a score. In addition, returner Savon Scarver has returned two kickoffs for TDs, one that went 100 yards and another for 99. “Almost every single game we’re getting one,” Wells said. “That usually creates momentum and our offense has fed off of it.”

Seventh heaven

A little information on the seven-game winning streak by the Aggies: On offense, they’re averaging 52 points and 489 total yards. The defense has limited teams to 20 points and forced 19 turnovers. For that, the defense credits facing Love and the explosive offense each day in practice. “Preparing against Jordan a lot helps us on Saturdays,” senior safety Jontrell Rocquemore said.

First & goal

The Aggies are a perfect 8-for-8 in grabbing a lead at the end of the first quarter this season. They’ve outscored teams by a 110-29 margin in the opening 15 minutes. For added measure, they hold a 238-72 lead in the first half.

Hanging 10

Hawaii is 10-42 all-time against ranked teams, which includes a 9-25 mark at home. The Rainbow Warriors' last win over a team in the polls was Oct. 16, 2010, when they beat No. 19 Nevada at Aloha Stadium.

Johnny be good

Junior receiver John Ursua has 14 receiving TDs for the Rainbow Warriors this season. The native of Hawaii ranks second in the nation with 1,083 yards receiving as he forms quite a combination with McDonald. Ursua was looked at by Utah State. He served a two-year LDS Church mission in Paris. “Besides the quarterback, he’s what makes it go,” Wells said. “He’s dynamic ... He’s a great player.”

Immigrants are coming for your children and lake houses. Socialists are coming for your Medicare (huh?). Black football players are coming for your flag. And now the Democrats are coming for your 401(k).

Republicans' closing argument: Be afraid, be very afraid.

The GOP has had unified control of government for nearly two years now. Yet, somehow, Republicans' promised return to morning in America, that end of "American carnage," still hasn't arrived, according to both their own standard-bearer and their terrifying campaign ads.

It’s funny, in a way. Unemployment is historically low. Consumer confidence is buoyant. There actually is a compelling, positive story to tell about the state of the country — or at least, the state of the economy — today. Whether President Trump can legitimately claim credit for recent economic trends is a nonissue; we know he has no problem taking credit for things he inherited, including his personal wealth. So at the very least, he could be emphasizing those economic milestones.

Sometimes Republican leaders and strategists complain that the party, and particularly the president, have done so little economic cheerleading. And White House advisers overtly do try to nudge Trump toward highlighting the strong economy.

On Wednesday, for instance, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow "interviewed" his boss at a White House event. Kudlow opened his softball questions with: "So Mr. President, nobody wants to talk about the economy anymore, so let's talk about the economy."

Trump partly obliged, offering the expected lies and hyperbole. He claimed his tax cut is the "biggest that we've ever done" (it's not) and that the stock market has risen "close to 50 percent" since the last election (it hasn't). But before he could even formulate those fibs, he couldn't help but first offer some of his standard fearmongering — about that scary caravan of penniless asylum seekers, who are still some 1,000 miles away from the U.S. border.

Even on occasions when he has stayed on task in touting economic and financial market metrics, he still typically frames the message not exactly as an achievement but as a warning.

"If you want your Stocks to go down, I strongly suggest voting Democrat," he tweeted Tuesday. He said this after the stock market had just suffered a rout apparently triggered not by midterm news but by reports of a coming escalation in his trade wars.

Maybe this tweet was simply about establishing a fall guy for when — not if — the business cycle turns. (He has been setting up the Federal Reserve as a possible scapegoat, too.) But it's also quite thematically similar to the political message he offers on other, non-financial issues: Stay fearful.

Or put another way: Nice little 401(k) you’ve got there. Be a shame if something happened to it.

Regardless of what Kudlow, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., or others are advising, Trump has good reason to pivot away from plugging his supposed economic successes, and instead return to pumping up public anxiety.

First is that inflation-adjusted wage growth is still relatively tepid. Singing the praises of the economy even as paychecks stagnate may backfire, at least if voters think the party is ignoring their frustration. Plus, of course the main policy achievement Republicans would have to name-check when hyping their economic record would be their deficit-ballooning, plutocratic tax cut, which remains unpopular.

But more significantly, Trump has figured out that fear is much more politically useful, and motivating, than festivity, especially among his base.

When Trump accepted his party's presidential nomination in 2016, he declared that the system was broken, and darkly promised that he alone could fix it. If today he declares that he has already fixed everything, then what motive do his voters have to go to the polls?

Policy wonks and pundits often point out that Trump does not appear terribly interested in correctly identifying policy problems. He’s even less interested in actually solving them. But his disinterest in notching policy achievements — by passing immigration reform, say, or repealing Obamacare, or persuading China to actually do whatever it is he’s trying to get them to do — may actually help rather than hurt him.

He needs the barbarians to be at the gates; the "deep state" undermining his agenda; the "enemy of the people" victimizing him and his Forgotten Men. If he ever definitively declares victory over the forces he has told his loyal foot soldiers to fear, the war is over, and they'll lay down their arms.

Trump's core voters are political doomsday preppers; he needs them to keep prepping.

Catherine Rampell’s email address is crampell@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter, @crampell.

Just days before the midterm elections, the Republican candidate for Salt Lake County clerk has filed suit against her boss and Democratic opponent, Sherrie Swensen, over missing ballots.

Swensen, who has been the county clerk since 1991, called the suit by her on-leave elections director a political stunt aimed at boosting her campaign.

The suit filed Thursday by Rozan Mitchell and Rep. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who’s running for election in Senate District 11, contends that Swensen did not ensure an unknown number of by-mail ballots made it to Salt Lake County residents in a timely manner.

Third District Court Judge Robert Faust will hear the case on Monday. The candidates are asking he order Swensen to issue a mailed apology to voters informing them of alternative voting options and to require her to provide a list of each affected voter, which they say Swensen has said doesn’t exist.

“We want that information so at this point we could reach out to those voters and make sure that they knew they had options,” Mitchell told The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday. “We wanted to make sure that we had an accurate list of who those were. And it’s just we’ve been met with so many obstacles at trying to get that list that we felt that we were pushed into needing to go this way.”

Justin Lee, director of elections in the Lt. Gov’s office, said there’s no specific timeline in Utah law for when exactly ballots need to hit mailboxes.

“They just have to be mailed no later than 21 days before the election,” he said.

The lawsuit contends there are discrepancies between Swensen’s statements to the media about when and how many ballots were mailed in the first batch and that they believe between 14,000 and 32,000 ballots were not mailed in a timely manner.

Swensen disputes that claim and told The Tribune in early October that the county sent out a first batch of 500,000 ballots to registered voters four weeks early — earlier than any other county — in an effort to give voters with incorrect registration information time to update their addresses and get them a by-mail ballot.

After an error with the ballot printer the county contracts with, Swensen found out on Oct. 15 that the company had run short on envelopes and was unable to send out a number of ballots. That caused a delay in getting ballots to some voters who had recently registered or changed their address, but she says the printer told her the remaining ballots were mailed between Oct. 22 and Oct. 28. Ballots mailed out after Oct. 24 were mailed and printed locally in an effort to get them out faster, she said.

Confusion over news reports about the error with the Washington-based ballot printer may have led to the lawsuit, but Swensen said all the ballots were mailed out correctly in the first batch and that everyone who made changes after that point should now have a ballot in hand.

“We have gone above and beyond to try to make sure that we get a ballot to everyone,” she said.

McCay and Mitchell said in a press release that Swensen “has blamed the printing company for the delays, but has done nothing to ensure voters will get ballots in time.” And their lawsuit contends “there is no way to confirm” if the ballots have actually been mailed out aside from the printer’s word.

Taking into consideration the timing of the lawsuit — which comes on the heels of Republican complaints on Thursday that conservative voters were being disenfranchised by the location of polling places — and Mitchell’s involvement, Swensen said she thinks the suit is politically motivated.

“It’s a political ploy,” she said. “I have no doubt. [Mitchell] knows better than anyone what the process is.”

But Mitchell says McCay reached out to her after media reports that ballots hadn’t made it to voters and that she didn’t instigate the suit.

“More than it being political because I’m a candidate it’s because I love elections,” she said. “Elections are important to me and I want voters to be able to vote.”

Marsha Holland — a candidate unaffiliated with any party who is challenging controversial GOP San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman for a Utah House seat — says wording on state ballots suggests that independent candidates like her are unfit for office.

So she is suing to change it — not this year, but in the future.

A two-year-old law requires an asterisk on unaffiliated candidates’ names that flags to this statement: “This candidate is not affiliated with, or does not qualify to be listed on the ballot as affiliated with, a political party.”

Holland, a tour-guide operator residing in Tropic, Garfield County, said in a press release that “is confusing voters,” and that some interpreted it to mean that unaffiliated voters are not fit for office.

“Our Legislature should be interested in helping voters, not making things more difficult,” she said.

“I’m not asking to have ballots reprinted or to affect this election in any way,” she said. “Instead, I want a court to remind legislators that we are all bound by the Constitution. Since this issue is hurting voters now, it is critical that we start discussing the problem today.”

Her lawsuit contends that her constitutional right to equal protection under the law is violated by the wording that treats her differently from other candidates.

“As far as I am concerned, I’m running for re-election in 2020,” she said — assuming she can beat Lyman this year. “I do not want this to be an issue for me or other candidates in the next election.”

She is running to replace retiring Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, in a district that covers San Juan, Garfield, Kane, Wayne and Piute counties and parts of Beaver and Sevier.

Even though Holland is an unaffiliated candidate, she has outraised Lyman $44,700 to $14,000 this year.

Lyman was convicted of a misdemeanor for leading a 2014 protest ride onto protected federal lands, making him a heroic anti-federal voice for many Republicans in the heavily GOP district.

The Federal Elections Commission has cited 3rd Congressional District candidate James Singer’s campaign committee for failing to file a financial disclosure report by the federally-mandated deadline of Oct. 25.

His was one of 12 campaigns the commission cited for not submitting its 12-day pre-general election report, which should include financial activity from Oct. 1 through Oct. 17.

“The Commission notified committees involved in 2018 elections of their potential filing requirements on October 1, 2018,” according to a statement on the FEC website. “Those committees that did not file by the due date were sent notification on October 26, 2018, that their reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.”

Singer told The Salt Lake Tribune that he’s aware of the missed deadline and is working to get that report in. But it’s been “slow going,” he said, due to limited campaign resources.

“It’s a skeleton crew, we’ll just call it that,” he said. “We’ve got limited resources and we’ve just been focusing on some other stuff.”

He said he expects the disclosure will be filed within the next few days.

Singer, a Navajo, millennial and sociology professor, is running against incumbent Republican Rep. John Curtis, who polls show has a sizable 54-point lead in the race.

If elected, Singer has said he would bring “a fresh new perspective” desperately lacking in Washington, D.C., and would advocate for stronger safety nets and populist policies. Curtis, who is seeking his first full term in office, has espoused a different view of the scope and role of government, backing states’ rights and limited government.

The FEC said in a statement on its website that further action against those who had filed their disclosure late would be decided on a case-by-case basis but that federal law gives it the ability to initiate enforcement and assess financial penalties.

Call it the Return of the Mack.

In another excellent game against the Jazz since leaving Utah, Memphis point guard Shelvin Mack scored 19 points on Friday night, hitting the game’s most important shots and leading the Grizzlies to a 110-100 win over the Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena, their second such win in as many weeks.

Mack wasn’t alone, of course. Memphis’ tandem of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, now in their 11th season together, was again fantastic. Conley led all scorers with 28 points, adding five rebounds and five assists, while Gasol had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to go along with some tremendous defense.

But it was Mack, the former Jazzman who played 83 games in parts of two seasons with Utah, who hit the game’s go-ahead shots. Mack hit seven of his 11 shots, including four of his six 3s, to turn the tide at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter.

“He had easy shots. I think we could have played better defense,” Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio said. “But he played here, he played with an edge, and he’s a good player.”

That the problem was the defense, not the offense for the Jazz (4-4) was a surprise after the offensive struggles on Oct. 22, when the Jazz scored only 84 against this Grizzlies team at home. That was especially true with Donovan Mitchell missing the game due to right hamstring tightness — while an MRI performed Thursday came back negative for any tears, the Jazz thought it best to sit Mitchell for at least a game.

Rookie Grayson Allen got his first NBA start, as Jazz coach Quin Snyder tried to insert an offensive threat at the shooting guard position. Allen didn’t do a lot with the opportunity, though, and finished with nine points, just one assist, and a game-low plus-minus of -18.

On the other hand, Mitchell’s usual perimeter mates did come through. Ricky Rubio was the Jazz’s best offensive player, scoring 22 points and finding his teammates well in Memphis’ packed defense. Rubio’s 11 assists marked the third time he’s had double-digits in that statistic through eight games, something he only did seven times total last season.

The whole game was classic Jazz vs. Grizzlies action: slow, gritty, physical, and featuring a lot of trips to the free-throw line. The zebras called 54 fouls overall on Friday, which sent Memphis to the line 34 times. It was also a lengthy contest, lasting 2 hours and 21 minutes despite the outcome not being particularly in doubt at the end.

But on the defensive end, the Jazz lacked any bite. Gobert struggled throughout, allowing an uncharacteristic number of baskets inside and out as he struggled to track the all-court threat of Gasol. And thanks to finishing with just nine points, Gobert missed out on a double-double for the first time this season, though he did find 16 rebounds.

Gobert wasn’t the only one responsible for the defensive effort, though. Down to a man, the team noted that as a collective unit, the Jazz didn’t bring the competitiveness to lock down the Memphis Grizzlies, just as they didn’t have enough against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a loss on Wednesday. The Jazz rank just 14th defensively after leading the league in 2017-18.

“They put it us in situations where we need to communicate more and have the collective mindset to play harder and smarter,” Snyder said.

The defense hasn’t been the only surprise for the Jazz so far this year. In three games, the Jazz are winless at home, while accumulating a 4-1 record on the road. While a team might usually hate the idea of a back-to-back in Denver, the Jazz’s away record and an opportunity to turn the tide defensively give the Jazz some hope against the Nuggets on Saturday night.

“We just need to be better," Jazz point guard Dante Exum said.

Top Workplaces outperform average organizations on many levels, but one key distinction stands out: Leaders of Top Workplaces see the competitive advantage of creating a workplace culture in which employees are highly engaged.

And they make culture a strategic priority, day in and day out.

Every organization has a culture. Some are intentional, some accidental. Companies that claim culture as a priority but don’t back it up are just fooling themselves. Failing to focus on culture is how leaders lose their jobs and how companies cease to exist.

In fact, culture is the only remaining sustainable competitive advantage. Great business strategies can be copied, but culture cannot. When an organization’s culture fails, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes public and costly.

Nationwide, less than a third of employees are truly engaged at work. But it’s a different story at Top Workplaces. Of the 50,000 organizations Energage has surveyed in more than a decade, Top Workplaces achieve almost double the engagement rate. Companies that score in the top 10 percent on our surveys see engagement levels above 85 percent.

Of the 125 companies surveyed in Utah this year for the Top Workplaces program, 13 had engagement rates of 75 percent or higher.

Recognition and bragging rights aside, employee engagement translates into stronger retention, higher productivity and better performance. Employee engagement is the outcome of a healthy workplace culture. In today’s business environment, culture distinguishes the world’s most valuable companies. It’s where value is created or destroyed.

Leaders at Top Workplaces are intentional about defining and crafting a culture that directly supports specific business goals. Not that all cultures are the same. Even among Top Workplaces, some thrive on high energy and fun, while others benefit from quiet intensity. So ask yourself:

• What defines your workplace culture?
• How do you know?
• Are you happy with it?  
• Is it helping or hindering your business objectives?

Whenever I ask leaders these questions, the answers spur terrific discussions. The challenge is understanding how to measure culture and how to change it.

The most tangible measure of culture is employee engagement. Great workplace cultures flourish when a team of talented people shares an organization’s values and embraces its objectives. We look at these key factors in engagement:

• As an employee, do you feel you are giving your best?
• Do you want to stay?
• Would you recommend the organization to others?

Strong cultures become self-sustaining: They attract like-minded people who will thrive in that environment. That’s why Top Workplaces can be picky about whom they bring onboard, whereas other organizations have to pay more money to keep people.

Creating a great workplace culture requires raising the level of trust and connection among employees so they commit their best every day. Top Workplaces do this, and they do it consistently well. So when leaders at aspiring organizations ask me how they, too, can capture this advantage, my answer is this: Get intentional about workplace culture.

Doug Claffey is the CEO of Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm that surveyed more than 2.5 million employees at more than 6,000 organizations in 2017. Energage is the research partner for Top Workplaces.

For the fifth straight year, The Salt Lake Tribune has partnered with Energage Utah’s Top Workplaces.

To see the 2018 list, click here.

Utah companies received special awards as part of this year’s Top Workplaces survey.

The honors were given for achievement in specific areas such as providing quality training for employees, encouraging new ideas and promoting balance between work and life.

The annual survey, conducted by Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee research and culture technology firm, also singled out three leaders — one each from a small, a midsize and a large company — for their leadership skills.

Here are the award recipients in each category:

Leadership: large company

Aaron Skonnard • Co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight, an online education company that provides video training courses for developers, information technology administrators and other professionals. Since its founding in 2004, the Farmington-based company has grown from about 30 Utah employees to more than 800. “'Aaron has a vision, and he has a very clear plan for how to get there,” one employee said in the survey. “He is a skilled communicator. He is strategic, and measured. I don’t worry that he’s shooting from the hip or stepping into a mess without a plan. He knows what he wants for the company, and is consulting with experts and planning effectively for how to get there.”

Leadership: midsize company

Ben Peterson • CEO and co-founder of Lindon-based BambooHR, which provides human resource software for small- to medium-size businesses. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Bamboo’s client list includes SoundCloud, Foursquare, Freshbooks, Stance, Reddit and Magnolia Homes. According to one of the company’s more than 340 employees, Peterson “is very open with us, and he seems like a very humble guy. He is always talking to everyone and sitting with everyone at meetings, instead of trying to distance himself or make it obvious that he is the CEO," said an employee. "I like that he keeps us updated on the plans for the future.”

Leadership: small company

Jeff Spangler • President and co-founder — with James Carlson and Chris Cannon — of Zurixx, which provides educational training and coaching for the financial services industry. Started in 2012, the Cottonwood Heights company has about 80 Utah employees. Spangler is described as being “successful and smart." “All three give a damn," another worker said of the founders. "They are in the office, in meeting, out at events. They want it to succeed and they show that.”

Company award: direction

TrueHearing Inc. • The midsize company, founded in 2003 by Lindsay Atwood, who also launched TruVision Lasik, helps people get hearing aids they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. Based in Draper, “the company seems to be on a steady progressive climb,” said one employee, "and they are good about thanking the employees for their contribution.”

Managers

Veritas Funding • Employees at this Midvale-based mortgage-lending company had a lot of positive things to say about their managers. “They encourage us to learn something new and help us change jobs within the company if that is something we are interested in,” said one worker. Another noted that “My manager always takes time to listen. She figures out what is needed before rolling it out to the department. She’s an amazing leader and always shows appreciation.”

New ideas

Twistlab Marketing • There are no bad ideas at this Cottonwood Heights marketing agency, founded in 1999. “If you disagree with the way that something is done, you just have to speak up and defend your point of view," an employee wrote. "If it makes more sense than the regular process, it’s adopted. I love that I have a voice.”

Doers

Brighton Home Health and Hospice • This Murray company, which provides care to patients in the last phase of their lives, is run efficiently. With Brighton, “every i is dotted and every t is crossed!” an employee wrote. “They do things right as well as with a great deal of compassion and care. They are picky with what type of individual they hire and value each employee they have. There really is not a better place to work. We are valued, our voice is heard and they allow great care to be given.”

Meaningfulness

MX • This 8-year-old Lehi company is on a mission to help individuals, families and communities become financially stronger through technology. It’s a big job, but it’s one that employees embrace. “I like doing something that I feel makes a difference in the lives of our customers and end users," one said, "and I appreciate that my colleagues feel the same way.”

Values

Young Automotive Group • This family-owned automobile business has been operating for 93 years, since opening its first dealership in Morgan, in 1925. But it hasn’t lost its humble roots. Today, the Layton-based operation is run by the fourth generation of family members and has 17 auto dealerships, the Rocky Mountain Raceways racetrack, and a host of related companies in northern Utah and southern Idaho. “There was an employee who was going through some very difficult times and the group set up fundraisers and provided them with financial security to get through it," a worker wrote. "They have done this multiple times for employees and customers. The Young Automotive Group is more than employer; they are a family.”

Clued-in senior management

Bohme • This women’s clothing franchise has stores across Utah, but its leaders never lose touch with front-line employees. “They are connected. They talk to every level of employee, down to the most part-time sales associate,” said one worker. “Everyone has their cell numbers and can call at any time. Feedback is encouraged and very welcome and always responded to.”

Communication

CHG Healthcare • With more than 1,300 employees in Utah alone, this Midvale-based company is one of the largest health care staffing operations in the nation, but “all of the employees are kept in the loop at all times....good or bad,” said one employee. “We all know what is going on and where we stand. I love the transparency and the fact that one can approach ANYONE at any time (upper management included) and inquire about anything, and that is accepted and welcomed. Everyone is seemingly ‘equal’ in that regard. We are very close, for being such a big company.”

Appreciation

Utah Food Services • Founded by chef Robert Sullivan in 1995, Utah Food Services is the exclusive caterer for the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, the Mountain America Exposition Center in Sandy and other Utah venues. Employees know they are the company’s most important asset. “The challenges never end,” said one worker. “The camaraderie to meet these challenges is some of the best I have ever been involved with. They care about me.”

Work/life flexibility

BAE Systems Intelligence and Security • While providing intelligence and security capabilities to government agencies, this company is still able to offer its 651 Utah employees a balance between work and home life. “I like that I can take off for an appointment or an event for my child and still make up my hours within the allotted time frame,” an employee noted. “I also love the fact I can purchase more PTO [paid time off] hours to be able to take a solid vacation once or twice a year and still have PTO available for any unforeseen incidents that arise.”

Training

Prestige Financial • The more than 600 employees at this credit and finance company, an affiliate of the Larry H. Miller Group, provide loans for automobile dealerships in 41 states. “We have monthly trainings that help me improve my job performance as well as my personal life," one employee writes, including "setting smart goals and how to track my performance and make improvements.”

Benefits

Rhodes Bake and Serve • Besides providing free bread and rolls, this Murray-based frozen-dough company offers employees healthy, noncarb perks, including an on-site medical clinic, a nutritionist, a personal trainer and exercise class as well as free fruits and vegetables. “Rhodes is just great place to work," said one employee. "The people I work for and with are amazing and all the extra perks are very much appreciated. I really enjoy coming to work.”

For the fifth straight year, The Salt Lake Tribune has partnered with Energage, an employee research firm, to determine Utah’s Top Workplaces.

To see the 2018 list, click here.

This Pat Bagley cartoon appears in The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2018. You can check out the past 10 Bagley editorial cartoons below:

• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/11/02/bagley-cartoon-emotional/" target=_blank><u>Emotional Detachment</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/31/bagley-cartoon-all-best/"><u>All the Best People</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/31/bagley-cartoon-scary/"><u>Scary Times</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/29/bagley-cartoon-best/"><u>Best Health Care System in the World!</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/26/bagley-cartoon-whats/"><u>What’s Driving the Violence?</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/25/bagley-cartoon-its-mans/"><u>It’s A Man’s World</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/25/bagley-cartoon-critiquing/"><u>Critiquing the Saudis</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/23/bagley-cartoon-we-dont/"><u>We Don’t Not Need Education</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/22/bagley-cartoon-friends/"><u>Friends with Emoluments</u></a>
• <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagley/2018/10/20/bagley-cartoon/"><u>Proposition 2</u></a>

Want more Bagley? Become a fan on Facebook.

On the road to success, organizations need to know where they are. That’s the motivation behind the annual Top Workplaces survey, which gives employees the chance to rate their workplace.

“Becoming a Top Workplace isn’t something organizations can buy,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “It’s an achievement organizations have to work for.”

For the fifth year, The Salt Lake Tribune has partnered with Philadelphia-based Energage, an employee research and culture technology firm, to determine Utah’s Top Workplaces based solely on employee survey feedback.

Starting in March, The Tribune welcomed anyone to nominate companies as Top Workplaces. In all, 723 employers in the state were invited to take the employee survey. Any employer was eligible, as long as it had at least 35 workers in Utah. Employers could be public, private, nonprofit or governmental. There is no cost to enter the Top Workplaces program.

In all, 125 organizations agreed to take the survey. Combined, they employ 38,789 people in Utah. Of those employees who received questionnaires, 22,686 responded, either on paper or online. For 2018, 85 Utah employers scored well enough to earn recognition on the Top Workplaces list.

The employee survey gathers responses on 24 factors covering seven areas, including organizational health factors that measure how well employees are working together toward a common cause:

• <b>Alignment </b>— Where the company is headed, its values, cooperation.
• <b>Effectiveness</b> — Doing things well, sharing different viewpoints, encouraging new ideas.
• <b>Connection</b> — Employees feel appreciated, their work is meaningful.
• <b>My manager</b> — Supervisor cares about concerns, helps employees learn and grow.&nbsp;

In addition, the survey asks employees about other factors:

• <b>Employee engagement </b>— Motivation, retention and referral.
• <b>Leader </b>— Confidence in company leadership.
• <b>The basics</b> — Pay, benefits, flexibility, training, expectations.

Statements relating to “Connection” and “Alignment” are consistently judged most important to employees, while remarks about pay and benefits rate least important for workplace satisfaction.

Smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers. Employers are ranked among groups of similar size to most accurately compare results. Within those size groupings, companies are ranked, and those that score high enough are recognized as Top Workplaces. Energage also determines special award winners based on standout scores on specific areas of the survey.

Why aren’t some companies on the list? Perhaps they chose not to participate or did not score high enough based on the survey results. To ensure organizations are accurately administering the survey, Energage runs statistical tests to look for questionable results. Sometimes, it disqualifies employers based on those tests.

To see the 2018 list, click here.

To participate in the 2019 program, go to www.sltrib.com/nominate.

Bob Helbig is the media partnerships director for Energage.

Lehi • This time last season, the only way Skyridge High School running back Ma’a Notoa could make this presence felt in the quarterfinals of the UHSAA Class 5A State Championships was from the sidelines as he rehabilitated from a knee injury. His Falcons teammates, on the other hand, had to figure out a way to win without him.

But on Friday against the Jordan Beetdiggers, Skyridge benefited from having a healthy Notoa, especially when the Falcons found themselves down three touchdowns not 14 minutes into the game.

Notoa, now a senior, took it upon himself to give a speech to his offensive line when it looked as though Skyridge’s nine-game winning streak — and its season — would come to a screeching halt. He told them the team will only go as far as they let it. Plays are only possible if they make them possible.

After Skyridge’s offense showed signs of life, but senior quarterback Jayden Clemons threw his second pick-6 of the first half, Notoa showed up again for another pep talk. He told Clemons, a former Jordan player, to show the Beetdiggers why it was a good decision to transfer to Skyridge.

And when Notoa was through talking the talk, he started walking the walk. Notoa scored four touchdowns and recorded an interception in Skyridge’s 58-34 win over the Beetdiggers and advanced to the Class 5A semifinals.

“I’m lucky to be out here,” Notoa said. “I’m very grateful because lsat year I didn’t have this feeling, and its really sweet to have this feeling. I’ve never made it this far in my whole high school career. I’m just very glad I could make it this year.”

The Falcons completed their comeback in the third quarter. Notoa capped a nine-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run for a 30-27 Skyridge lead with 9:19 left in the third quarter. The Falcons never looked back.

Skyridge trailed 21-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter. Two consecutive touchdowns — a reception from senior Nathan Upham and a fumble-recovery-turned-TD from sophomore lineman Stone Mulitalo — cut the deficit to 21-14 for the Falcons with 7:26 left in the first half.

But Clemons threw his second interception to Beetdiggers defensive back Wyatt Jones, who scored his second touchdown off a pick and gave Jordan a 27-14 lead.

“I take full responsibility for the deficit,” Clemons said. “I wasn’t playing the way I know how to play. I wasn’t playing sound football.”

Clemons said he received encouragement from the defensive players, and watching them put their bodies on the line inspired him to play better. He finished the game with two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns.

Skyridge tightened the defensive screws after Clemons threw his second interception. The Falcons allowed the Beetdiggers only 13 points after from point en route to the blowout victory. Jordan’s next touchdown didn’t come until the 4:28 mark of the fourth quarter.

Skyridge scored nine straight points to end the first half. Notoa rushed 4 yards for a touchdown before kicker Connor Harris made a 35-yard field goal with five seconds left. Jordan led 27-23 at halftime.

Notoa caught a touchdown pass from Clemons midway through the third quarter on fourth-and-6 for a 37-27 lead. Skyridge head coach Jon Lehman said that catch was a big play for Notoa to make with the game still close.

“He’s just an awesome kid and an awesome football player,” Lehman said. “He is a joy to coach because he brings energy every day, he’s a good leader, he has fun playing football and comes out here and is a great football player.”

Skyridge will face Roy at the University of Utah on Nov. 9.

For the fifth straight year, The Salt Lake Tribune has partnered with Energage, an employee research firm, to determine Utah’s Top Workplaces.

To see the 2018 list, click here.

Two celebrities backed by a national anti-political corruption group have released videos urging Utahns to vote for Proposition 4, an anti-gerrymandering initiative.

Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence and Ed Helms, known for playing Andy Bernard in “The Office,” have both released short videos through the group RepresentUs.

“I think gerrymandering is wrong. Voters should chose their politicians. Politicians should not chose their voters. Proposition 4 stops gerrymandering,” Lawrence says in the video. “This November, say no to gerrymandering by voting yes on Prop 4.”

In Helms' video he says that politicians “literally choose who votes for them,” because they draw their own districts. That is called gerrymandering, he said.

“Is that a word that makes me giggle? Yes, it is,” he said, “But it’s also terrible for democracy.”

If Proposition 4 is approved by voters, when the state Legislature redraws electoral districts after the 2020 census, they will do so with guidance from an independent, unelected redistricting commission.

Supporters say the proposition will fix a broken redistricting system, while opponents have said the initiative is unconstitutional because it interferes with the Legislature’s redistricting process — and that it is politically motivated to help Democrats.

The celebrities have released similar videos directed at voters in other states, including Michigan and Maine.

Rudy Gobert came into Friday’s game against Memphis with a double-double in all seven games thus far, and had three straight contests of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He started the night averaging 18.3 ppg on 75 percent shooting.

The Grizzlies were determined to change that.

Memphis is known for playing a “drop-big” defensive system that limits opportunities inside and forces opponents to win via 3-pointers or from the midrange.

Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that while he tries not to alter his system too fundamentally for any specific opponent, his players were definitely cognizant coming in of the success Gobert and the Jazz are having as a result of all the high passes they throw his way.

“If he gets behind you, the chances of [you disrupting] that pass over the top are gonna be difficult,” Bickerstaff said. “So force him to stay in front of you, get him to take shots instead of dunks, and hopefully his percentages are gonna drop.”

Gobert’s Memphis counterpart, Marc Gasol, was complimentary of the other Jazz players for getting Gobert more involved this year.

“He’s playing well. His teammates do a good job — having playmakers like he has around, having shooters around him opens things up in the paint,” Gasol said. “And he’s a really good roller.”

Of course, Memphis seems to have particular success in stifling the offensive opportunities of the “Stifle Tower.”

In the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 22, Gobert scored just 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting.

In the first half Friday, the big man had three points, on 1 for 1 from the field (on a rebound putback) and 1 for 2 from the line. Gobert finished with nine points (on 3 for 5 from the field and 3 for 6 from the line) and 16 rebounds.

No Donovan … no problem?

With Donovan Mitchell sitting out the game due to hamstring tightness, there were legitimate questions about how the Jazz would replace the 23.3 ppg he came in averaging this year.

Grayson Allen got the start in his place, but coach Quin Snyder acknowledged that it wouldn’t be up to the Duke rookie alone, and that the team would lean on its vaunted depth.

“We need whoever is in the game to compete and not overthink what their specific roles are relative to tonight’s game and just do the things that they can do,” Snyder said.

Bickerstaff acknowledged that while not having a player of Mitchell’s ability available was a setback for Utah, he said the Jazz were uniquely positioned to overcome it for a night.

“It’s one less guy that you have to worry about, but the way they play and the way they share the ball, everybody who’s on the floor for them can be an option,” he said. “They’re not a team that’s just driven by one guy. We have to stay on our toes — they have capable guys coming in to fill his spot.”

Tallahassee, Fla.• A gunman killed two people and wounded five others at a yoga studio in Florida’s capital before killing himself Friday evening, officials said.

Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo told reporters Friday night that the man shot six people and pistol-whipped another after walking into the studio, which is part of a small Tallahassee shopping center.

The suspect then fatally shot himself, DeLeo said. Authorities have not identified the shooter or the victims. The conditions of the other victims are unclear.

DeLeo said police are asking for anyone who saw something unusual around the time of the shooting to contact police. He said the shooter acted alone and authorities are investigating possible motives. He declined to say what kind of gun the shooter had.

"We're all very saddened and shocked by the events that occurred, but it's important that people understand that there is no immediate threat outside of what has already occurred this evening," DeLeo said.

Melissa Hutchinson said she helped treat a "profusely" bleeding man who rushed into a bar after the incident. She said three people from the studio ran in, and they were told there was an active shooter.

"It was a shocking moment something happened like this," Hutchinson said.

The people who came in were injured, including the bleeding man who was pistol-whipped while trying to stop the shooter. They told her the shooter kept coming in and out of the studio. When he loaded his gun, people started pounding the windows of the studio to warn people.

City Commissioner Scott Maddox was on the scene. He said on Facebook, "In my public service career I have had to be on some bad scenes. This is the worst. Please pray."

Elle Welling said she was leaving a liquor store across the street from the shopping center and saw at least three people loaded into ambulances.

"You don't think about this in Tallahassee and now you have to," said Welling, 26, who lives in the neighborhood.

The plaza is home to popular restaurants, a jewelry store, a framing shop, a hair salon and other businesses.

Erskin Wesson, 64, said he was eating dinner with his family at a restaurant located below the yoga studio when they heard the gunshots above them.

"We just heard 'pow, pow, pow, pow,'" Wesson said. "It sounded like a limb falling on a tin roof and rolling."

The restaurant's owner came by a short time later, asking if anyone was a doctor, Wesson said. His step-daughter is an emergency room nurse and helped paramedics for about an hour, he said.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, broke off the campaign trail to return to Tallahassee. He earlier appeared at a campaign event with former President Barack Obama.

Late Friday night, Gillum spoke to reporters near the scene of the shooting to say that he had visited in the hospital two people who were shot at the yoga studio. The mayor said they were in good spirits despite their injuries.

Gillum asked residents to pray for those who survived and those who were killed in the shooting.

"We all feel a sense of added vulnerability" because of the shooting, the mayor said.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, called DeLeo and the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to get details of the shooting.

"I will remain in constant communication with law enforcement. We have offered state assistance," Scott tweeted.

Tallahassee’s crime and murder rate has been an issue in the governor’s race, with Gillum’s opponent, Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, calling the capital Florida’s most crime-ridden city, a claim that is incorrect.

No one needed to tell Ricky Rubio. He knew.

And he’s known for a while. So as fans griped over plummeting shooting percentages, flustered by the point guard’s overall shaky start to this NBA season, they instead welcomed a role reversal on a Friday night. The man who wowed in a man bun a year ago resurfaced.

Rubio was his previous self in a Jazz note. And for the Jazz, as they waltz through this hot-to-cold beginning to the year, it’s beyond a welcomed sight. The point guard set his feet and drained open 3’s. And contested ones, too. He knifed though the middle of the floor, knocking down signature off-balance awkward jumpers.

“There’s always levels of indecision, and I thought his pace and his tempo were good and that allowed him to make decisions that were highly efficient,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.

Above all else, Rubio was efficient. He entered Friday’s game against the Grizzlies shooting 31 percent from the floor in nearly 30 minutes a game.

Through Utah’s first seven games of the year, he finished in single-digit scoring five times. But against Memphis, Rubio swished his first attempt of the night, a straightaway 3-pointer, and his night of comfort — albeit one of foul trouble, but he wasn’t alone there either — was necessary with the Jazz without guard Donovan Mitchell.

Rubio finished with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 11 assists, his second double-double of the season.

What was working?

“Well, I found my shot,” Rubio said. “I knew Donovan was out, so I had to be a little more aggressive and looking for my shot. It worked in the beginning.”

For the Jazz to press on minus their young superstar scorer, Rubio’s importance increases, not only from his usual facilitating standpoints of moving the ball, but from putting the ball in the hoop, too.

Outside of his standout game of the season (28 points, 12 assists, six rebounds) in the win in New Orleans on Oct. 27, Rubio’s early struggles, he said, were primarily based on pressing. He worked tirelessly to implement new pieces to his offensive game, and he pushed to incorporate much of it early on.

But Friday proved to be another glimpse of Rubio aiming for that consistency he reached in his first year in Utah last season, when he averaged a career-high 13.1 points per game.

“I think it’s a mindset that I gotta change a little bit,” he said, “but of course with the confidence that I’ve been having from last year and all this year, I know it hasn’t been consistent, but it’s the best that I’ve ever felt, so I’m going to keep shooting and they’re going to fall.”

Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 110-100 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies from Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz’s defense isn’t anywhere near tough enough individually

The Jazz had a 120 defensive rating against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Jazz are supposed to be a good defensive team, and Grizzlies are not supposed to be a good enough offensive team for this to happen.

Yet, it did. How? The really tempting answer is the fouls that the Jazz gave up, sending the Grizzlies to the line 34 times. The fouls really were the defining characteristic of a slow, ugly game that was just a bore to watch, but the Grizzlies let the Jazz off the hook: they only made 61.8 percent of those free throws.

That means that the other possessions were also converted at a rate of nearly 120 points per 100 possessions. Basically, the Jazz just weren’t tough enough defensively even when the whistles weren’t blowing. There are so many examples.

I’ll start with Rudy Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert is an excellent defensive player, there’s no doubt, and he can’t block them all. But on plays like this, he should be able to swallow Jaren Jackson Jr. whole by raising his hands throughout the possession and making the initial shot difficult. Instead, he just backpedals until it’s too late.

While Gobert didn’t bring his usual level of impact, neither did anyone else. Derrick Favors still looks a step slow — he must still be dealing with the effects of knee soreness, because players don’t usually lose a step at 27. Joe Ingles let Garrett Temple just drive by him, Georges Niang let Omri Casspi just drive right by him, and Grayson Allen let Mike Conley just drive by him.

Oh, and the Jazz got backdoored to death, too. Here’s Gobert getting backdoored by Garrett Temple. Here’s Allen losing focus and letting Brooks score an easy layup. There are more examples.

To have a chance, the Jazz can’t have this many individual breakdowns on the perimeter, nor inside. It was just too easy for the Grizzlies to get easy drives to the rim tonight.

2. Jazz’s defense isn’t anywhere near tough enough collectively

But ideally, the defense would be able to handle some of those situations through rotations, being able to count on each others' help. That wasn’t always coming on time tonight.

This is a Conley isolation situation on Favors, so the Jazz should be ready to help, because Favors probably won’t be able to keep up with Conley’s speed. Gobert is guarding Jaren Jackson Jr. in the corner. Jackson isn’t a huge 3-point threat, and he came into the game shooting 15.4 percent from deep. You’re probably okay if Conley passes him the ball. But instead, Gobert never really helps, even as Conley shoots on his side of the basket.

When this ball is turned over, the Jazz are in a little bit of trouble: Gobert, Ingles, and Favors are all in the paint. But Allen and Rubio do a good job of getting back in transition and forcing the play to come to a halt... except that Dillon Brooks beat all three other Jazzmen down the court despite starting from the same spot.

And finally, there were just a ton of instances of missed communication. Niang and Rubio here just don’t decide if they’re switching or not, and so no one guards the ball.

The communication aspect is the one that the team talks about most after losses like this, and that’s fair: the communication does need to improve. But it also feels a little bit like they use “communication" as a catchall, because it’s kind of a nebulous concept that’s difficult to verify unless you’re on the floor and understand the Jazz’s defensive vocabulary. In blaming everyone, no one gets publicly criticized. That’s probably a good media strategy.

But it’s not just communication. Everyone on the team needed to be smarter about when they fouled tonight. Every perimeter player needed to keep significantly better containment. Favors and Gobert needed to guard their assignments inside better, and when they had the opportunity, needed to slide over to prevent easy two points. They needed to make Memphis feel them defensively in any sort of an impactful way.

Instead, they got beaten repeatedly individually and collectively, resulting in either easy layups or late hackery. It’s not good enough.

3. Words of optimism

Okay, so now that I’ve specifically criticized this Jazz team to the degree that they deserve, I’ll say this: I’m not that worried about how this will play out in the long term. Over the aggregate, this Jazz defense is still above-average defensively (14th in the NBA) and I have pretty significant faith in Snyder, Gobert, and the whole Jazz to improve markedly over what we’ve seen so far.

There’s too much of a track record of defensive success with this Jazz team under Snyder for it to fall off over the course of the season, especially given the continuity in personnel from season to season. We know they can be great. Furthermore, we’ve seen lapses like this multiple times over the last couple of seasons, especially early in the year, and the Jazz have always rebounded and coalesced as the season moves along.

Nor am I worried about the Jazz’s 0-3 home start. With two matchups against a tough Grizzlies team and what was a very impressive performance in a loss against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, I think the Jazz’s home struggles reflect schedule and normal ups-and-downs, not some home curse.

The Jazz have a positive net rating and still project to have a very good record at the end of the season, even after tonight’s game. FiveThirtyEight projects the Jazz to win 54 games, good for second place in the Western Conference. In their ELO-based system, they’re still the fourth-best team in the league.

And yes, that system heavily takes into account last year’s performance. But for this Jazz team as much as any, that makes sense: it’s very nearly the same roster as last year, and Jonas Jerebko is not the missing ingredient here.

The record may get worse before it gets better: Denver on a back-to-back is a challenge, and Toronto and Boston at home are two very good teams that will require the Jazz to be near their best. But the schedule balances out, of course, and so long as they stay together, they should make it up with wins in the second half of the season.

Patience🙌🏾

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) November 3, 2018

Washington • Utah made national headlines years ago for working to ensure nearly every chronically homeless veteran had a place to live, but a new national study shows that while across America more former members of the military are being housed, Utah’s homeless veteran rate has ticked up slightly.

Nationally, there are 5.6 percent fewer veterans on the street compared to a count in 2017 but in Utah, the numbers shot up 8.6 percent.

There are now 239 homeless veterans in the state, an increase of 19 over the year prior, according to the report.

Utah has seen a big drop in homeless veterans since 2011 — down more than 100 – and state officials note that Utah registered a decrease before most other states.

“As you look across the country, you're seeing dramatic drops in homeless veterans over the last couple years in various states,” said Nate McDonald, assistant deputy director of the state Department of Workforce Services. “We saw our drop last year.”

The new report, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, shows the state had 220 homeless veterans in 2017 compared to 335 in 2016.

The HUD study, released Friday, is essentially a census of homeless veterans conducted on one day – this year in January – and McDonald suggests there could be several variables why Utah saw a hike in numbers.

The main one, he says, is that because of Operation Rio Grande, an effort to clean up a homeless encampment near downtown Salt Lake City, the state brought in more volunteers to help find veterans living in shelters or on the street.

“When you have more people counting, you have more people being counted,” McDonald said.

Some states, the report shows, had a significant jump in homeless veterans while others saw a large decrease. Mississippi, for example, saw a hike of 78.9 percent while North Dakota a drop of 87.8 percent, the report shows.

In Mississippi, the number of homeless veterans went from 57 to 102 in one year. In North Dakota, it went from 74 veterans without housing in 2016 to nine a year later.

McDonald said Utah was ahead of the curve in finding a place to live for people who served in the military and other states are catching up. That said, he notes the state is working to solve the homeless problem and there are resources available to make that happen.

“Right now, we're seeing a slight uptick but it's one where we're confident we have the programs in place to support and help any of our homeless veterans and help them get back to need to be,” McDonald said.

And, he adds, because the numbers are lower than seven years ago, the state has the ability to know each individual who needs help and is working to help them find a stable place to live.

Matt Melville, director of homeless services at the Catholic Community Services in Salt Lake City, said the charity’s shelter rolls “out the red carpet” for veterans and the benefit of lower numbers is being able to identify them and get them help they may not know how to access.

“ I think we've made such a big progress with working toward solving veteran homelessness that we got our numbers down so low – we're in the low 200s – so any increase is going to be -- when you're dealing with that few people it's going to look bigger than what it is,” Melville said.

Of course, as in any situation with homeless people, there are some who don't want to “live on the grid,” as Melville said, so it's likely impossible to ultimately house everyone.

“That’s so true, but we need to make sure we have enough resources we can work toward a functional zero,” Melville said.