Utah news

• Crowded conditions anticipated this weekend at Zion National Park

  17-10-2017 23:31
  ZION NATIONAL PARKIndividuals planning to visit the park this weekend over the Utah Education Association vacation should be prepared for delays, limited parking and crowded conditions.
  Park officials are anticipating conditions similar to summer holiday weekends when parking lots inside the park can fill by 9:30 a.m. and wait times for entrance and shuttle bus boarding can be long.
  Road construction on state Route 9 entering Springdale has begun and wait times in work zones can delay traffic fo
  
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• User submitted: Fall hard for these beautiful pictures of autumn in Utah

  17-10-2017 23:30
  
  This week's gallery is packed to the brim with the type of gorgeous scenes that make Utah the envy of several other states this time of year.
  
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• Feds to drop 11 criminal charges against ex-UTA board member

  17-10-2017 22:04
  SALT LAKE CITYFederal prosecutors intend to drop all but three charges against a former Utah Transit Authority board member accused of misrepresenting his finances to the government.
  Terry Diehl, a prominent real estate developer, would no longer face 11 charges related to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy organization if a grand jury accepts a new indictment prosecutors will present Wednesday, according to court documents.
  Under the indictment, Diehl would be charged with false declaration, tax evasion a
  
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• Vandal spray-paints racial slurs in new U. building, police say

  17-10-2017 21:46
  
  University of Utah police are investigating after they say a vandal broke into the campus’s Carolyn and Kem Gardner Building, which is currently under construction, and spray-painted the building with racial slurs and other tags.
  
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• Sen. Orrin Hatch 'disappointed' over withdrawal of drug czar nominee

  17-10-2017 21:39
  SALT LAKE CITYSen. Orrin Hatch says he's disappointed that President Donald Trump's drug czar nominee withdrew from consideration for the job Tuesday in the wake of a news report showing he led an effort to hurt the Drug Enforcement Administration's ability to go after drug distributors.
  Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Marino's decision to pull out "gave this flawed story a victory," the Utah Republican said.
  "It's clear from the outset that this story's purpose was to run Marino down, and I hated to see
  
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• Family mourns 16-year-old killed crossing street as 'special angel'

  17-10-2017 21:35
  PERRY, Box Elder CountyThe family of a 16-year-old girl who died after being hit by a truck as she crossed a Perry highway over the weekend remembered her as a kindhearted friend who brought joy to all around her.
  Alexis Nelson was attempting to cross U.S. 89 near 3484 South about 4 p.m. Sunday when she was hit by a northbound pickup truck. She was taken by medical helicopter and died at a Salt Lake City hospital.
  Her friend, 14-year-old Sarah Hardy, was also hit and remained in critical conditi
  
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• From bags to beer: 11 successful Utah crowdfunding campaigns

  17-10-2017 21:30
  
  From the perfect travel bag to a personal microbrewery, here are 11 local crowdfunding campaigns that have raised millions of dollars.
  
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• Joe Bauman: Should NASA do more exploration of Jupiter's and Saturn's moons, where life seems plausible?

  17-10-2017 21:15
  The news earlier this year from Saturn’s moon Enceladus was thrilling. The possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system suddenly seems highly plausible.Less than two years ago, scientists of the Cassini-Huygens project announced that the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn had found evidence that Enceladus has an ice-covered ocean enveloping the little moon. It was discovered through analyzing the moon’s wobble, which was different from what it would have been if Enceladus were solid.
  
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• School district spokesman calls Utah teens' profane video 'unacceptable'

  17-10-2017 20:57
  PLEASANT VIEW, Weber CountyA northern Utah school district is considering its next steps as officials look into a social media video showing five female students gleefully shouting a racial slur in chorus.
  The video, which shows five teenage girls in a car chanting a profane word followed by a racial slur, spread rapidly across social media Monday night. By morning, Weber School District spokesman Lane Findlay said the teens all had been identified as Weber High students, including three cheerle
  
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• This Utah haunted house is one of the scariest in the nation

  17-10-2017 20:32
  Things are getting pretty scary in Salt Lake City.A panel of experts at American Haunts, an organization of Halloween attractions around the country, ranked Salt Lake City's Nightmare on 13th, located at 300 West and 1300 South, as the fifth-scariest Halloween attraction in the country.The four haunted houses that ranked higher than Nightmare on 13th were: 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, House of Torment in Austin, Bennett’s Curse in Baltimore and Headless Horsemen in Ulster Park, New York.The p
  
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• Did you crash your drone at Miller Flat Reservoir? A fisherman may have found it

  17-10-2017 20:14
  
  If you lost your drone at Miller Flat Reservoir, a fisherman may have caught it for you.
  
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• LDS Meridian Temple ready for open house

  17-10-2017 19:25
  
  The public got its first look inside the LDS Church’s new Meridian Idaho Temple when the church released photos on Monday. A public open house begins Oct. 21.
  
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• Police investigate string of guitar thefts from Utah music store

  17-10-2017 19:16
  SANDYPolice are working to determine whether two recent thefts of expensive guitars in three days are related, and if they are connected to incidents last year when several other rare guitars were stolen in Utah and later discovered in Las Vegas.
  On Aug. 21, a man entered Riverton Music, 9491 S. 255 West, and spent about 35 minutes in the store, said Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen. At one point, the man picked up a Taylor PS14 acoustic guitar, sat down and played it.
  He later walked out of the
  
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• Rep. Chris Stewart to hold town hall meetings Thursday

  17-10-2017 19:10
  SALT LAKE CITYRep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, will hold two town hall meetings Thursday.
  The first one is at the Stansbury Park Golf Course clubhouse, 1 Country Club, Stansbury Park, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  The second is at Bountiful City Hall, 790 S. 100 East, at 7 p.m.
  State Reps. Becky Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, Ray Ward, R-Bountiful, Timothy Hawkes, R-Centerville, and state Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, will speak first. Stewart is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m.
  
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• Utah theater says 'Deadpool' fight cost more than $500,000

  17-10-2017 19:06
  SALT LAKE CITYA Utah movie theater says its fight against a state law that banned serving alcohol during the R-rated superhero film "Deadpool" cost more than $500,000.
  Brewvies owners say the state should pay the bills after a judge found the law violated free-speech protections.
  An online fundraiser that attracted a $5,000 donation from "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds brought in about $22,000, a small fraction of the bill, according to court documents filed Monday.
  The theater went to court in 20
  
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• A.M. notes: North Korea talks nuclear war, SLC forms Olympic committee, LDS missionaries help Calif. survivors

  17-10-2017 19:00
  Here’s a look at the news for Oct. 17.Salt Lake forms committee for 2026, 2030 Winter OlympicsWill the Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake City? It seems more likely after Salt Lake leaders, including Gov. Gary Herbert and Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said they are forming a committee to explore the possibility, the Deseret News reported.Fraser Bullock, who will serve as one of three co-chairmen of the new committee, called this “a very big step.”Bullock served as the
  
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• Sci-fi series 'Extinct' puts BYU-grad in alien landscape — southern Utah

  17-10-2017 17:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — For Matthew Bellows, acting in BYUtv’s post-apocalyptic series “Extinct" is as fun as it gets.The show, which premiered Oct. 1, marks BYUtv’s second scripted series and was co-written by “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card and New York Times best-selling author Aaron Johnston. The fifth episode of the 10-episode season airs Sunday, Oct. 22. Bellows spoke with the Deseret News about his role in the TV series.“Extinct” picks
  
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• This controversial Anne Frank costume pulled after heavy criticism

  17-10-2017 16:45
  Another year, another controversial Halloween costume.A Halloween costume company recently pulled an Anne Frank girls outfit on Sunday after receiving large-scale social media criticism, according to USA Today.HalloweenCostumes.com offered a costume that was called the “Anne Frank costume for girls.” It included a blue, long-sleeve shirt with a shoulder bag and green beret, USA Today reported.The costume’s description called for people to learn more about history.Social media d
  
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• UPD lieutenant charged with calling in false report

  17-10-2017 16:21
  
  A Unified Police Department lieutenant faces charges after investigators say he reported a false crime to police.
  
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• Utahns rally for mom as her deportation looms

  17-10-2017 16:07
  
  Maria Santiago Garcia hugs her son Anthony Fajarado during a rally for Garcia, who has four young U.S. born children and is facing deportation, outside of Salt Lake City Immigration Court in West Valley City, on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017.
  
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• Report: Ballot initiatives may invigorate Utah voters

  17-10-2017 14:51
  SALT LAKE CITYMore Utahns voted in the 2016 election than when Republican Mitt Romney ran four years earlier, but the Beehive State still has among the lowest rates of voters turning out nationwide.
  Many Utah residents may skip the polls on Election Day because they feel their votes don't matter, according to the Utah Foundation, which released an analysis of Utah voter data and national nonprofit information Tuesday. In 2016, more than 2-in-3 general election races ended in a margin of more tha
  
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• Utah school investigating students' video with apparent racial slur

  17-10-2017 07:04
  SALT LAKE CITYA video posted on Instagram that appears to show five teen girls taking turns shouting an expletive and racial slur has led the Weber School District to investigate and has generated fierce backlash online.
  Administrators learned about the recording late Monday, said Weber School District spokesman Lane Findlay, and were planning to start investigating Tuesday morning when employees could speak with Weber High students.
  Findlay said the district was seeking to determine how many st
  
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• A whale, a giant squid and a colossal iguana

  17-10-2017 06:50
  
  Artist Stephen Kesler thinks big — giant iguana big.
  
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• Utah organization supporting cancer patients with monthly retreats

  17-10-2017 06:21
  
  October is dedicated to increasing awareness of breast cancer, and a lot of people wear pink to show their support. But as the month winds down, those fighting the disease should know there is support out there year-round, and right here in Utah.
  
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• Hughes fires back on homeless expert criticism of Operation Rio Grande

  17-10-2017 05:28
  SALT LAKE CITYFrustrated by a national homelessness expert's criticism of Operation Rio Grande, Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes is firing back, questioning whether the expert should continue to be a consultant on the city's new homeless centers.
  "I'm not impressed at all," Hughes said Monday of OrgCode CEO Iain De Jong, who last week called the state, city and county effort to root out lawlessness around Salt Lake City's most troubled neighborhood "misguided."
  The speaker said he would debate De
  
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• Photos: Utahns rally for mom as her deportation looms

  17-10-2017 05:04
  A Utah mother who said she escaped violence and sexual abuse in Guatemala when she moved to the United States 14 years ago under humanitarian parole now faces deportation. Maria Santiago Garcia said she previously received temporary permission to stay in the U.S. from a judge, but federal immigration officers later told her that her removal is imminent. Garcia hugs her son Anthony Fajarado during a rally outside of Salt Lake City Immigration Court in West Valley City, on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017.
  S
  
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• Hatch defends law altering drug distribution regulations in response to Washington Post article

  17-10-2017 03:47
  SALT LAKE CITYSen. Orrin Hatch on Monday took to the Senate floor to defend legislation he sponsored that altered federal enforcement regulations on drug distribution and manufacturing companies, in response to an in-depth Washington Post story casting a scrutinizing light on the law.
  The law, called the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement, was passed in 2016 following unanimous votes by both chambers of Congress and a signature from then-President Barack Obama. It specifies c
  
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• Utah parents enduring 'almost impossible' grieving implore drivers to be safe

  17-10-2017 03:36
  SANDYElizabeth Nielsen rushed to the side of her only child at Davis Hospital and Medical Center on Nov. 25, 2016, just in time to embrace him, squeeze his hand and tell him she loved him before he slipped away.
  "To see him laying there, the life of the partyto see him in that condition was really difficult," Nielsen remembers.
  Joshua Nielsen, 15, died from injuries he suffered when the young friend he was riding with turned left in front of an oncoming car, his mother said.
  The Nielsens were on
  
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• With general hunting season on horizon, DWR asking hunters to help police the fields

  17-10-2017 03:33
  
  With hoards of people expected to travel across the state this weekend for the start of the general hunting season, state wildlife officials are asking to help police the fields.
  
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• Water wars on the Wasatch

  17-10-2017 03:01
  SALT LAKE CITYIt happened to Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, a professional title examiner and a doctor.
  Salt Lake City, which owns the water serving the town of Altaand also owns water delivered in ski resorts and canyon communitieshas multiple "surplus" water contracts outside its geographic boundaries that are under scrutiny by state lawmakers.
  Those contracts, revocable by Salt Lake City at any time, allow it to nix development in Little Cottonwood Canyon and elsewhere by controlling w
  
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• Students, faculty mourn teen killed in Perry auto-pedestrian crash

  17-10-2017 02:49
  
  A 16-year-old girl hit by a pickup truck while crossing U.S. 89 Sunday afternoon died from her injuries. A 14-year-old girl also struck by the vehicle remains in critical condition.
  
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• Union says Salt Lake City VA greatly understaffed

  17-10-2017 02:14
  SALT LAKE CITYFor the past few years, stories of veterans having to wait for extended periods to receive medical care or mental health care have been all over the news. Some critics have blamed government bureaucracy, while others contend that the U.S. Veterans Health Administration simply doesn't have adequate staffing to serve the men and women in need of care.
  On Monday, the American Federation of Government Employeesthe largest federal worker union that includes 250,000 at the Department of
  
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• Utah faith leaders urge action on affordable housing before homeless shelter closes

  17-10-2017 02:00
  SALT LAKE CITYUtah faith leaders delivered a letter Monday to Mayor Jackie Biskupski urging Salt Lake City to work with the state and county to dramatically increase the city's affordable housing stock before the downtown homeless shelter shutters in 2019.
  About three dozen members of the Coalition of Religious Communities hand-delivered the letter to Biskupski on Monday, praising the mayor for her proposal to spend nearly $22 million next year on affordable housing projects in the city.
  But the
  
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• Hatch voices concern over digital privacy as Supreme Court takes on Microsoft case

  17-10-2017 01:41
  SALT LAKE CITYFrom the outside looking in, it may appear that Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and the Utah Attorney General's Office are on opposite sides of a potential landmark digital privacy case that the U.S. Supreme Court will review this session.
  On Monday, the court announced the addition of United States v. Microsoft to its argument calendar. The case, which concerns a U.S. Department of Justice warrant in a drug trafficking investigation that seeks emails stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin,
  
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• Jury deadlocked in fraud trial for Utah businessman Rick Koerber

  17-10-2017 00:59
  
  After weeks of testimony and seven days of deliberations, jurors announced Monday they are deadlocked in the federal fraud case of an embattled Utah businessman.
  
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