Utah news

• S.L. sheriff: Operation Rio Grande has put squeeze on already strained county jail

  10-10-2017 23:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — Despite spending millions in state and county funds to open 300 contracted beds, the Salt Lake County Jail was full again in a matter of days after Operation Rio Grande began Aug. 14.As a result, many of those arrested are simply booked and released back onto the streets, sometimes just hours after arrest. Of the 1,579 booked as part of Operation Rio Grande, 1,305 had been released due to overcrowding, bail or court as of Tuesday.Book and releases — some involving re
  
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• Central Utah Gardens holding pumpkin carving contest

  10-10-2017 23:33
  OREM — It’s times to get the knives out for Central Utah Gardens’ pumpkin carving contest.The contest is open to anyone 12 and older, and pumpkins can be carved, painted or decorated. Lighting is optional. Entries are limited to one per person and may be submitted in one of two categories — carved and painted/decorated.Entries will be accepted between noon and 6 p.m. on Oct. 27 at 355 W. University Parkway.Judging will be held that evening and the winners will be contacte
  
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• People’s Intermountain acquires all Banner Bank branches in Utah

  10-10-2017 23:31
  SALT LAKE CITY — People’s Intermountain Bank has acquired all seven Utah branch locations from Banner Bank.According to a statement from the bank, the seven branches acquired are located in Salt Lake City, Provo, South Jordan, Woods Cross, Orem, Salem and Springville. The Woods Cross and Orem branches have been consolidated into existing Bank of American Fork branches. The remaining branches will operate under the name Bank of American Fork, a division of People’s Intermountain
  
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• View the night sky from USU’s observatory Friday

  10-10-2017 23:25
  LOGAN — Utah State University's observatory will opens its doors to the public Friday to view Cache Valley’s night sky from 7:30-9:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free.Located on the roof of the Science Engineering Research Building, the observatory houses a 20-inch reflecting telescope — which is only accessible by stairs — on a computerized mount. The observatory’s half-circle building features a telescope gallery topped with a metal dome measuring 1
  
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• FedEx hopes to hire 500 in S.L. during holidays

  10-10-2017 23:23
  SALT LAKE CITY — FedEx announced Tuesday it hopes to fill at least 500 seasonal positions in Utah during the holidays, and a total of 50,000 throughout its network.The company is filling some positions now and will continue to add more as needed. The majority of the workers will be added as seasonal package handlers at FedEx Ground facilities, but there will be other opportunities during the holiday season and throughout the year.Last year, more than a third of the package handlers hired a
  
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• Toddler lost in West Jordan corn maze spends night in welfare custody

  10-10-2017 22:56
  WEST JORDAN — Police say a 3-year-old boy spent the night in child welfare custody after he got lost in a corn maze.West Jordan Police Sgt. Joe Monson said Tuesday the child was apparently left behind while visiting the Crazy Corn Maze, 8800 S. 4000 West, with a large family group.Monson said the boy was cold and frightened but unhurt when someone else found him at the maze Monday evening.Staffers called on a bullhorn and searched for his family but couldn't find anyone until his mother ca
  
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• FireFly Automatix repeats as fastest-growing Utah company

  10-10-2017 22:46
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Davis County company has been recognized as Utah's fastest-growing business for the second straight year.FireFly Automatix, a North Salt Lake-based heavy equipment manufacturer, was honored Tuesday at the annual MountainWest Capital Network's Utah 100 awards program at the Grand America Hotel.The top 100 are determined based on the percentage of revenue growth over a five-year period. Firms with the largest dollar amount of revenue growth for the year comprise the annual
  
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• 'He took my innocence': Victims describe toll of ex-bishop's abuse

  10-10-2017 22:30
  PROVO — When they turned to their LDS bishop as vulnerable teenagers, two young men told a judge Tuesday that they instead became victims of a sly sexual predator who isolated them from their families and left them buried beneath guilt.Erik Hughes, 51, was sentenced to at least one and up to 20 years in prison Tuesday, ordered to serve concurrent terms of one to 15 years for two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, followed by a consecutive term of up to five years for
  
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• Utah toddler left overnight at corn maze wasn't reported missing until morning

  10-10-2017 22:29
  
  A family did not notice they had left their 3-year-old boy at a corn maze in West Jordan until the next morning, police say.
  
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• AARP Foundation seeks volunteers for free Tax-Aide program

  10-10-2017 22:05
  MIDVALE — The AARP Foundation is once again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low- to moderate-income through its Tax-Aide program, and is seeking volunteers to help with this service for the 2018 tax season.AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, approaching its 50th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention the older population. Training will begin next month.In Utah alone, about 125 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
  
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• Teen pleads guilty to shooting Deserae Turner, faces possible life sentence

  10-10-2017 21:10
  LOGAN — Colter Peterson, who was 16 when police say he shot a 14-year-old girl in the back of the head at close range, leaving her with permanent disabilities, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder Tuesday.But despite entering into a plea deal and sparing Deserae Turner and her family a long trial, the state did not agree to go easy on Peterson. Instead, prosecutors said they will push for life in prison when Peterson, now 17, is sentenced."We could not have got any more penalties
  
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• Inmate walks away from Nevada work camp near Utah border

  10-10-2017 21:01
  PIOCHE, Nev. — Authorities in southern Nevada are looking for an inmate who walked away from a minimum-security correctional camp near the Utah border.The Nevada Department of Corrections says Claude Laska, 24, was serving between 19 months and five years for home invasion and other lesser charges at the Pioche Conservation Camp, about 170 miles northeast of Las Vegas.Laska last was seen at about 4:30 p.m. Monday wearing blue prison denim plants and a blue shirt. He had been at the conserv
  
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• Man killed in mulch drop was Sen. Lee's brother-in-law

  10-10-2017 20:31
  
  A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has confirmed that a man killed by mulch dropped from a helicopter was the senator's brother-in-law.
  
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• These Southwest flights to and from Salt Lake City are below $100, but there's a catch

  10-10-2017 20:25
  Southwest Airlines announced a 72-hour flash sale on Tuesday, which includes multiple flights to and from Salt Lake City.The Southwest sale, which comes twice a year, includes a few rules:Tickets must be purchased 21 days in advance. Travelers can buy tickets between Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, 2017, by 11:59 p.m. in your local city. The sale applies to domestic flights from Oct. 31 to Dec. 19, 2017, and Jan. 3 through Feb. 14, 2018. International flights from Oct. 31 to Dec. 13 can also be selected. T
  
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• Haunted houses and spook alleys to visit in Utah this October

  10-10-2017 20:00
  
  If you're looking for a bit of spooky fun, check out this map to find a haunted house or spook alley near you.
  
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• Snapchat now lets you book Uber rides

  10-10-2017 19:42
  
  Facebook has often been accused of copying Snapchat. Now Snapchat may be taking a page from Facebook.
  
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• Photos: Two new polar bears have a ball at Hogle Zoo

  10-10-2017 19:35
  Hope, one of two new polar bears at Utah's Hogle Zoo, throws a ball into the air in the zoo's Rocky Shores exhibit in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
  Hope, who was born at Ohio’s Toledo Zoo on Dec. 3, 2015, and Nora, who was born at Ohio’s Columbus Zoo on Nov. 6, 2015, arrived at Hogle Zoo following the death of Rizzo, who was euthanized in April due to ongoing complications from kidney failure.
  Hope and Nora arrived at the zoo in September, and now that they've acclimated to their surrou
  
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• Photos: Hogle Zoo's newest residents make their public debut

  10-10-2017 19:35
  Hope, one of two new polar bears at Utah's Hogle Zoo, swims in the zoo's Rocky Shores exhibit in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Hope, who was born at Ohio’s Toledo Zoo on Dec. 3, 2015, and Nora, who was born at Ohio’s Columbus Zoo on Nov. 6, 2015, arrived at Hogle Zoo following the death of Rizzo, who was euthanized in April due to ongoing complications from kidney failure. Hope and Nora arrived at the zoo in September, and now that they've acclimated to their surroundings, they're ready
  
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• Teen pleads guilty in Deserae Turner shooting case

  10-10-2017 19:05
  
  A pair of northern Utah teens charged as adults in the shooting of a 14-year-old girl are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning and one pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder.
  
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• A.M. notes: California wildfires kill 11, Bannon reportedly targets Hatch, 'The Last Jedi' trailer drops

  10-10-2017 19:05
  Here’s a look at the news for Oct. 10.California wildfires escalate on MondayWildfires spread across northern California on Monday, killing 11 people and destroying close to 1,500 homes, NBC News reported.Officials told NBC News they received more than 100 phone calls of missing person reports after the deadly fires began to rip through the areas.Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the affected counties, which include Napa and Sonoma, often known for their high amount of wine
  
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• Legend of the Bear Lake Monsters — yes, in the plural

  10-10-2017 15:25
  Editor's note: Portions of this have been previously published.
  Utah and Idaho’s own rough equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster are the Bear Lake Monsters (yes, multiple monsters reported in the original news report).Sightings date back to Native American legends and were first reported by pioneer settlers in the summer of 1868 — in the plural sense — since the first sighting included 10 different creatures at the same time — a significant sidelight not commonly mentioned.
  
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• Photos: Salt Lake's Indigenous Peoples Day takes flight at downtown library

  10-10-2017 05:05
  Performers danced, sang and celebrated Salt Lake City's first Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday after city leaders decided the holiday would coincide with Columbus Day. Carl Moore, chairman of Peaceful Advocates for Native Dialogue and Organizing Support, does a traditional dance outside the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake City.See the world through the eyes of award-winning photojournalists. Click through the gallery above to view the unique images our visual storytellers captured tod
  
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• Family members of man shot dead by police call for officer's firing

  10-10-2017 03:55
  OGDEN — Family members of a black man shot and killed after he ran from police in August are calling for the officer to lose his job and face criminal charges.The Salt Lake County district attorney's determination that the Aug. 13 shooting of Patrick Harmon was justified "doesn't add up," said Lamar Ross, Harmon's nephew. "We're hoping justice is served and the D.A. reverses his decision."The video of the shooting is heartbreaking and shows police didn't do enough to de-escalate the situat
  
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• 2 charged in connection with nearly a dozen business burglaries

  10-10-2017 03:31
  
  Two men accused in a series of business burglaries were charged Monday.
  
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• Silver dollar artist: Orem sculptor designs WWI commemorative coin

  10-10-2017 02:52
  SALT LAKE CITY — The most common mistake beginners make, contest officials told LeRoy Transfield, is adding too much detail.So the Orem sculptor meticulously planned every detail of his 8-inch plaster masterpiece: a soldier with a crooked nose clutching a rifle, poppies blooming amid twisted barbed wire, and the words "In God We Trust" square to the soldier's face.After several weeks of work, Transfield's finishing artwork was chosen as the winning design for the 2018 World War I American
  
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• Wyoming man dies in rollover in southern Utah

  10-10-2017 02:45
  PINTURA, Washington County — An 81-year-old Wyoming man was killed after he lost control of the pickup truck he was driving southbound on I-15 in Washington County on Monday morning, police said.According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Edwin L. Smith, of Grover, Wyoming, died at the scene of the crash after being thrown from the vehicle when it rolled just before noon.Smith was towing a camper when he lost control of his pickup, striking a guardrail on the left side of the freeway before care
  
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• Officials push cybersecurity education amid rise in malicious attacks

  10-10-2017 02:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — Digital security breaches that impact megacompanies like Equifax, Sony or Yahoo tend to dominate headlines when they occur, but it's far more common for small businesses to fall victim to cybercriminals and, when they do, the results are typically far more catastrophic.That's why local organizations like the Salt Lake Chamber and Utah Department of Public Safety are joining the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and others staging numerous events throughout the comi
  
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• New blood test could detect breast cancer quicker than screenings

  10-10-2017 01:50
  MURRAY — While her mother was close to dying of breast cancer at 50 years old, Linda Warner decided she would do everything in her power to avoid a similar fate."I made her a promise on her deathbed that I would get mammograms, take care of myself, do whatever it takes," Warner said.Decades later, she said, "I'm grateful I did.""I've been having mammograms for 30 years — no problems. Sure enough, last year there was a small tumor," the Sandy woman said.Fortunately for Warner, her vig
  
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• Intermountain Healthcare to study alternative breast cancer screening method

  10-10-2017 01:50
  MURRAY — While her mother was close to dying of breast cancer at 50 years old, Linda Warner decided she would do everything in her power to avoid a similar fate."I made her a promise on her deathbed that I would get mammograms, take care of myself, do whatever it takes," Warner said.Decades later, she said, "I'm grateful I did.""I've been having mammograms for 30 years — no problems. Sure enough, last year there was a small tumor," the Sandy woman said.Fortunately for Warner, her vig
  
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• Elderly Wyoming man killed in rollover crash near St. George

  10-10-2017 01:36
  
  An elderly man from Wyoming is dead after his truck and camper trailer rolled on I-15 near St. George Monday afternoon, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
  
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• Springville police detain 2 after alleged armed robberies

  10-10-2017 01:26
  
  Springville police arrested two men Monday afternoon after searching for three individuals allegedly involved in armed robberies in Springville and Mt. Pleasant, Springville police spokesman Lt. Warren Foster said.
  
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• Family: Video of man killed in police shooting heartbreaking

  10-10-2017 01:23
  
  The family of black man fatally shot after he ran from police in Utah said Monday that body-camera footage of the shooting shows that the officer should lose his job.
  
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• Two charged in connection with nearly a dozen business burglaries

  10-10-2017 01:15
  WEST VALLEY CITY — Criminal charges were filed Monday against two men suspected in a series of business burglaries.Edwin Jesus Salgado Roman, 19, of Kearns, and Bradley Michael Boudreau, 18, of Kearns, were each charged in 3rd District Court with multiple counts of burglary. Together, police believe they are responsible for at least 11 burglaries or attempted burglaries, including a half-dozen burglaries at the Family Dollar Store, 4760 W. 4715 South.Charging documents also indicate that a
  
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• Bishop pitches 'common-sense approach' to reforming Antiquities Act

  10-10-2017 01:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says 640 acres is the magic number within the purview of a U.S. president who wants to designate a national monument without public process, as long as it is no closer than 50 miles to existing monuments' boundaries.Bishop on Monday unveiled HR3990 and set it for a markup hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Natural Resources, which he chairs."We think it is a rational approach, a common-sense approach that guarantees people have a right
  
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• BYU announces 2.9 percent tuition increase for 2018-19 academic year

  10-10-2017 00:12
  
  Brigham Young University announced on Monday a 2.9 percent increase for both undergraduate and graduate tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. This will bring the undergraduate rate per semester from $2,730 to $2,810, an increase of $80.
  
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