Utah news

• Families weigh in as lawmakers revisit gender-change bill

  15-08-2018 23:43
  SALT LAKE CITY — Her 4-year-old daughter now is confident and happy, but Amie Schofield fears the girl's self-assurance will fade.The intersex child identifies as a girl, but her birth certificate indicates she is a boy. And as Utah lawmakers consider guidelines for how Utahns can legally change their gender in the courts, Schofield wants them to keep in mind her daughter, Victory, who was born with both male and female characteristics.If the girl is not able to one day match the document
  
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• Before and after: The destruction from the Dollar Ridge Fire

  15-08-2018 23:28
  
  The Dollar Ridge Fire continues to burn near Strawberry Reservoir and, as of Wednesday afternoon, had burned 68,400 acres and is 90 percent contained.
  
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• Missing hiker found dead in Zion National Park

  15-08-2018 23:04
  
  The body of hiker Maurice "Moe" Harris, 47, missing since Monday was recovered Wednesday afternoon, officials report.
  
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• Lincoln Beach in Spanish Fork closed again due to algal bloom

  15-08-2018 22:41
  
  Lincoln Beach and Marina at Utah Lake has been closed again due to “very high” levels of cyanobacteria found in the water, officials said Wednesday.
  
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• 'Hot bench' questions Count My Vote, state lawyers over ballot initiatives

  15-08-2018 22:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — Count My Vote made its case before the Utah Supreme Court for getting on the November election ballot Wednesday after being disqualified because nearly 3,000 residents removed their names from its initiative petitions.The justices peppered lawyers for the group seeking a change in the law and the state defending Utah's initiative petition process with questions during a nearly two-hour hearing in what Attorney General Sean Reyes afterward called a "hot bench."Much of the a
  
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• 5 issues that will affect the 2018 midterm elections

  15-08-2018 22:01
  
  The 2018 midterm elections will be affected by a number of issues, including the Russia investigation, a possible government shutdown, a Supreme Court nominee and more.
  
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• Body of hero firefighter returning to Utah

  15-08-2018 21:23
  DRAPER — The body of a fallen Utah firefighter killed in the line of duty in California will be returned to Utah Wednesday evening.A plane carrying the body of Draper Fire Battalion Chief Matt "Matty" Burchett, 42, is expected to arrive at the Utah Air National Guard base, 765 N. 2200 West, at about 5:45 p.m. His casket will be flown to Utah by the California Air National Guard on a C130-J plane from the Ukiah Municipal Airport.Burchett's wife, brother and a family friend were flown on Uta
  
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• Coal Hollow Fire now estimated to have burned 25K acres; public meeting scheduled

  15-08-2018 21:06
  
  A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to allow people to ask questions about the Coal Hollow Fire in southeast Utah county.
  
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• Charges: Man sexually abused 2 girls getting snow cones

  15-08-2018 20:21
  WEST JORDAN — A Taylorsville man was charged this week with sexually abusing two children while they were out on a walk to get snow cones.Dylan Walker Deverall, 25, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony.Two girls, ages 12 and 13, along with a 3-year-old brother of one of the girls, went to get a snow cone in the area of 7020 S. Redwood Road on June 8 when Deverall approached them and asked them for money, according to charging d
  
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• Eastbound I-215 off-ramp to northbound I-15 to close Friday through Monday

  15-08-2018 20:04
  NORTH SALT LAKE — Utah Department of Transportation crews will close the eastbound I-215 off-ramp to northbound I-15 Friday at 9 p.m. through 5 a.m. Monday.During the closure, crews will replace the pavement and install barriers as they build a new interchange at Redwood Road.The same closure will take place beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, through 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27.UDOT said motorists should expect construction-related congestion during the closure, and those with time-sens
  
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• SUU names new dean for College of Humanities

  15-08-2018 20:03
  CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University has tapped Jean Boreen, an administrator at Northern Arizona University, to be the new dean for the College of Humanities and Social Science.Boreen has over two decades of experience in administration and service at the university level. Her past academic appointments include associate dean for the College of Arts and Letters, chairwoman of the English department, and coordinator of the English education program at the Arizona institution.As the dean a
  
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• Man injured in Midvale officer-involved shooting after stabbing officer with screwdriver

  15-08-2018 20:03
  
  A Salt Lake City man was shot in the torso after he stabbed a police officer with a screwdriver in Midvale early Wednesday morning, officials said.
  
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• Officer shoots man during fight in McDonald's parking lot

  15-08-2018 19:55
  MIDVALE — A 26-year-old man was shot by a Unified police officer in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant early Wednesday.Steve Michael Darrel Hawkins, 26, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to his lower, side torso. He was released from the hospital a short time later and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault on a police officer, interfering with an arrest, possession of a dangerous weapon and public intoxication.The
  
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• Victim's family seeks 'second chance' for man who killed girlfriend in 1997

  15-08-2018 18:21
  UTAH STATE PRISON — It's been 20 years since Milo R. Simper shot his girlfriend, Libby Fowler, killing her and her unborn child.But Fowler's family says as long as Simper, now 53, is truly remorseful for what he has done, it is time for him to be released from prison."If he still has remorse for what he has done, I believe he should be released, but I want him to know that what he has done has scarred a lot of people," Jerica Drew, Fowler's youngest daughter, recently told the Utah Board o
  
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• He murdered his girlfriend and unborn child. Now her family wants him to go free

  15-08-2018 18:21
  UTAH STATE PRISON — It's been 20 years since Milo R. Simper shot his girlfriend, Libby Fowler, killing her and her unborn child.But Fowler's family says as long as Simper, now 53, is truly remorseful for what he has done, it is time for him to be released from prison."If he still has remorse for what he has done, I believe he should be released, but I want him to know that what he has done has scarred a lot of people," Jerica Drew, Fowler's youngest daughter, recently told the Utah Board o
  
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• Hatch Center launches $40M fundraising push for next chapter

  15-08-2018 16:58
  
  Orrin Hatch is stepping down, but he's not planning on fading away.
  
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• Utah schools make safety improvements ahead of 2018-2019 school year

  15-08-2018 15:55
  
  School safety has been on people’s minds for decades, but six months ago, the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida was a solemn reminder that violence in our schools is still a huge concern.
  
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• The 10 best songs from a decade of Twilight Concert performers

  15-08-2018 15:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — After rumors of possible cancellation, the Twilight Concert Series has been revived for 2018 and, it seems, beyond.Chart-topping DJ Diplo headlines the season's first show on Aug. 16. This year's shows also include Snoop Dogg as DJ Snoopadelic (Sept. 6), and Robert DeLong (Aug. 23), among others.To commemorate its return, here are 10 memorable songs from 10 performers that have played the Twilight shows over the past decade.Jenny Lewis, "She's Not Me": As both a solo artis
  
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• Photos: Utah's top student readers enjoy a night at the ballgame — and a foam finger!

  15-08-2018 05:15
  Skyler and Nicole Johnston and their children — Bryn, Katelyn, Mariah, Landon and Carson — walk into Smith's Ballpark carrying their free foam fingers during Read with the Bees night at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. The event was the culmination of the summer reading program presented by Read Today, the Deseret News and KSL, in partnership with McDonald's and Gov. Gary Herbert's office. The summer reading program challenged children ages 2-14 to read or be read to fo
  
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• Salt Lake City voters will decide fate of $87 million bond to fill 'enormous financial pothole'

  15-08-2018 04:47
  SALT LAKE CITY — As expected, Salt Lake City leaders have decided to place an $87 million bond on the fall ballot to leave it up to voters to decide whether to pay slightly more in property taxes in order to fund street repairs.The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to place the question on the upcoming general election ballot.If voters approve of the bond, it would replace two bonds expiring next year and raise taxes by up to $5 a year for the average Salt Lake City homeo
  
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• Decision about USTAR's fate delayed

  15-08-2018 03:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — Decisions about the long-term fate of the Utah Science, Technology and Research initiative were kicked down the road Tuesday, though an interim legislative committee heard an exhaustive rundown of the work being done by the Governor's Office of Economic Development as part of that process.Lawmakers, who slashed USTAR's budget by a third in the last session and canceled the agency's long-running work to recruit top-tier researchers for the University of Utah and Utah State
  
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• Road Home continues hearings with lawmakers about response to critical audit

  15-08-2018 03:36
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Road Home told lawmakers Tuesday it has found success with a pilot program intended to beef up admittance protocols and improve security at its downtown shelter.Executive Director Matt Minkevitch's presentation to the Utah Legislature's Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee was the latest of several of his efforts to tell policymakers that the organization is serious about responding to a highly critical legislative audit published in May.The meeting adds to his
  
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• No stars upon thars: Utah drivers' licenses could cause problems at airport

  15-08-2018 02:52
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns arriving at the airport could soon find that their state-issued driver's licenses won't allow them past security.Like a new chapter in Dr. Seuss' classic tale of "The Sneetches" — a story of creatures who either had stars on their bellies or didn't — a missing star on Utah driver's licenses could mean the difference between getting on a plane or being turned away.As Seuss' story says: "You might think such a thing wouldn't matter at all."“We want o
  
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• Cattle in Logan Canyon to slow traffic for 3 days

  15-08-2018 02:27
  
  Over 1,400 cattle will delay traffic in Logan Canyon on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as the animals move to higher pastures.
  
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• Idaho nuclear power plant 'game changing' for Utah?

  15-08-2018 02:03
  LOGAN — A small modular nuclear power plant design for a facility in southeast Idaho is winding its way through the federal regulatory framework, a procession a key Trump administration official described Tuesday as historic.Edward McGinnis, principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, said the NuScale Technology design represents the "next generation" in nuclear energy and would be "game changing" for Utah and other potential customers
  
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• Jay Evensen: Scooters are everywhere, but don't set fire to them yet

  15-08-2018 02:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — At least Utahns haven't taken to setting electric scooters on fire, throwing them in trash cans or vandalizing them with dog poop, the way people have in some California cities.Not yet, anyway.They haven't taken to throwing them in rivers by the thousands, the way folks are doing in parts of China — not that the Jordan River hasn't had some interesting deposits over the years.That last one is interesting, by the way. The last time I was in Beijing, about a year ago,
  
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• Proposed state history archive could replace Road Home in downtown SLC

  15-08-2018 01:45
  
  Utah’s $125-million historic archive, including the state’s first flag and other unique treasures in state history, could find a new home in Salt Lake City’s soon-to-be-shuttered homeless shelter.
  
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• AP NewsBreak: Pilot who crashed his own home had hangar code

  15-08-2018 01:33
  
  A man who died when he flew a plane into his own house after he had been arrested for assaulting his wife had full access to his employer's plane because he had earned the firm's trust, the president of the Utah company said Tuesday.
  
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• Trump signs Hatch, Stewart suicide prevention hotline bill

  15-08-2018 01:30
  SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump signed a bill Tuesday that two Utah Republicans pushed to create a three-digit telephone number similar to 911 for the national suicide prevention hotline.Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Chris Stewart were among lawmakers who introduced the legislation in May 2017.The bill aims to reform the suicide prevention lifeline system and Veterans Crisis Line by requiring the Federal Communications Commission — working with the Department of Health and Human
  
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• Fire updates: US Highway 6 to reopen Tuesday night

  15-08-2018 01:27
  
  U.S. Highway 6, which has been closed since Sunday due to the Coal Hollow Fire, will reopen Tuesday at 8 p.m., state fire officials say.
  
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• S.L. fire department offering youth day camps in September

  15-08-2018 01:12
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Fire Department will offers two youth day camps in September that will give participants the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a firefighter.A camp for women ages 16-20 is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8, and a camp for men ages 16-20 is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15. Both will be held at the department's fire training tower, 1600 S. Industrial Road (1900 West).During the classes, participants will interact with firefighters, hear from de
  
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• Man who started fire at airport's Hertz lot was trying to steal gas, charges state

  15-08-2018 00:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man who claimed he was trying to steal gas when he accidentally lit a large fire at a Hertz rental car lot at the Salt Lake City International Airport has been charged.Eduardo Hidalgo Fuenzalida, 27, of Salt Lake City, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with criminal mischief, a second-degree felony; reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor; trespassing, a class B misdemeanor; and theft, a class B misdemeanor.On July 6, 19 cars were damaged by fire in the Hertz lot
  
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• 3-day Ogden Valley balloon fest launches Friday

  15-08-2018 00:52
  EDEN, Weber County — The three-day Ogden Valley Balloon and Artist Festival will lift off Friday morning at 7 a.m. at Eden Park, 2100 N. 5600 East.The free event will feature approximately 15 hot air balloons that will be the focus of five daylight launches and two evening balloon glows.Daylight launches will take place at 7 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The balloon glows will take place at 8:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.Following the morning lif
  
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• Canyons to celebrate completion of Indian Hills remodel Monday

  15-08-2018 00:39
  SANDY — The Canyons School District community is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and back-to-school night to celebrate the completion of a major remodel at Indian Hills Middle School.The ribbon-cutting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday at the school, 1180 E. Sanders Road. After the ribbon-cutting, refreshments will be served and students and parents can tour the new building. Teachers and staff will be on hand to greet families and answer questions.The school's upgrade, which required
  
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