Utah news

• Sen. Mike Lee spends past week in eye of health care storm

  21-07-2017 23:26
  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mike Lee’s stand against Senate Republicans’ health care bill landed him in the spotlight for much of the past week.Utah's junior senator explained his position to various media outlets amid criticism from President Donald Trump, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and others over his holdout on the latest proposal. Some in the GOP establishment tagged him with being the Republican who stopped the Obamacare repeal."He was the key man this past week," said Chris Karp
  
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• Check in to get away: Zion park aims to require reservations

  21-07-2017 23:17
  SALT LAKE CITY — It would be a first for a U.S. national park: requiring reservations to get in.But it's an option Zion National Park officials are considering to manage an overwhelming surge of visitors to the sweeping red-rock vistas and canyons in Utah.Zion, which welcomed 4.3 million people last year, is weighing online reservations for those who want to explore its main canyon. National Park Service rangers struggle to cope with overcrowded tour buses and alleviate damage to Zion's na
  
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• San Juan County welcomes redrawing of election districts

  21-07-2017 22:39
  SALT LAKE CITY — San Juan County commissioners are welcoming a federal judge's order that an independent expert redraw the southeastern Utah county's commission and school board election districts because they're unconstitutional.Commissioners said in a statement Friday that they asked for an independent expert to oversee the redrawing of the boundaries two years ago. They say it will allow all county residents to have an equal say.U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby ordered San Juan County
  
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• Prison death of former Utah doctor and convicted killer Martin MacNeill was a suicide, police officially rule

  21-07-2017 22:31
  Investigators have confirmed that the prison death of convicted murderer and doctor Martin MacNeill in April was a suicide, according to recently released investigative reports.
  MacNeill, 61, died on April 9 at the Utah State Prison, where he was ser... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Judge signs deal allowing Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott to 'retire in the peace and dignity to which he is entitled.'

  21-07-2017 22:16
  A judge on Friday signed an agreement between Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott's family and the county that allows Ott to resign Aug. 1 with "the peace and dignity to which he is entitled."The order approving the settlement deal - ending more tha...
  
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• 'It seems like he's against everything right now': Orrin Hatch slams Mike Lee over his opposition to the Republican health plan

  21-07-2017 22:00
  Sen. Mike Lee has taken a bunch of criticism from within the Republican Party after his opposition to a bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act essentially torpedoed the effort.
  Among those grumbling is his Utah colleague, Sen. Orrin Hatch.
  "...
  
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• Biskupski nominates transit activist to represent SLC on UTA Board

  21-07-2017 21:34
  Mayor Jackie Biskupski selected a local transit activist to represent Salt Lake City on the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Board of Trustees, the mayor announced in a press release Friday
  The mayor's choice is Alex Cragun, the founder of the Utah Trans...
  
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• Colorado contributes $1.7 million to lure Outdoor Retailer to Denver

  21-07-2017 21:32
  DENVER — Colorado will contribute $1.7 million to help relocate the nation's largest outdoor recreation trade show from Salt Lake City to Denver.The Colorado Economic Development Commission this week approved the award, contingent on three outdoor retail conventions being held in Denver annually for five years.Luis Benitez, of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, told the Denver Post that each show has the potential to generate $45 million in direct and indirect economic benefi
  
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• Agents arrest man suspected in shootings

  21-07-2017 21:18
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man wanted in connection with a shooting in Salt Lake City was arrested Wednesday night by federal agents.Now, police say Juan Lorenzo Bernal, 39, a documented gang member originally from California who also goes by the moniker "Killer," faces potential federal charges.Bernal was already charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with 16 counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.On July 2, prosecutors say Bernal pulled up to another man's house, got out
  
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• Utah County couple arrested after police say they gave their daughter drugs on the day she was born

  21-07-2017 20:22
  A Utah County couple are in jail after police say they gave their newborn daughter drugs on the day she was born to mask withdrawal symptoms from hospital workers.
  Elk Ridge residents Colby Glen Wilde, 29, and Lacey Dawn Christenson, 26, were booked ...
  
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• Biskupski names UTA Board nominee from Salt Lake City

  21-07-2017 20:22
  Mayor Jackie Biskupski selected a local transit activist to represent Salt Lake City on the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Board of Trustees, the mayor announced in a press release Friday
  The mayor's choice is Alex Cragun, the founder of the Utah Trans... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Judge signs resignation settlement deal for Salt Lake Recorder Gary Ott

  21-07-2017 20:12
  A judge on Friday signed an agreement between Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott's family and the county that allows Ott to resign Aug. 1.The order approving the settlement deal was signed by 3rd District Judge Bruce Lubeck, court records said. The...
  
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• Cruz coming to Utah to campaign for Herrod; Ainge announces state lawmaker support

  21-07-2017 20:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the winner of Utah's GOP presidential caucus vote last year, will be in Utah on July 29 to rally for 3rd Congressional District Republican primary candidate Chris Herrod."We are very excited about him coming. I think it shows they think I am a very credible candidate," said Herrod, a former state lawmaker who served as Cruz's Utah presidential campaign coordinator.Herrod is in a three-way Republican primary race with Provo Mayor John Curtis and Alpine
  
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• Teens in shootout may be tied to crime spree, police say

  21-07-2017 19:57
  SALT LAKE CITY — Police say it was fortunate that no one was injured in a shootout between two moving vehicles Thursday night.But investigators are concerned that the instigators are a group of teenagers believed to be linked to a recent string of armed robberies.Just after 8 p.m. Thursday, a car with an unknown number of teens inside began shooting at another vehicle near 900 N. Redwood Road, said Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking. The other vehicle was occupied by a couple and thei
  
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• Couple tried to hide newborn's addiction by giving her drugs, police say

  21-07-2017 19:42
  ELK RIDGE, Utah County — An Elk Ridge man and woman have been arrested following a disturbing monthlong investigation in which detectives say they discovered the couple gave drugs to their newborn while still in the hospital, and their other young children also tested positive for drugs.Colby Glen Wilde, 29, and his common law wife Lacey Dawn Christenson, 26, have been arrested twice during the ongoing investigation, accused of crimes ranging from drug possession to child endangerment and
  
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• Judge approves resignation deal for S.L. County Recorder Gary Ott

  21-07-2017 19:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — A judge Friday approved the separation agreement between the family of embattled county Recorder Gary Ott and Salt Lake County, clearing the way for Ott's resignation to take effect Aug. 1The order was signed by 3rd District Judge Bruce Lubeck, according to the court filing obtained from the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.The signed order states the judge found the agreement — drafted between the county, Ott's independent attorney and his siblings &mdash
  
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• Judge approves resignation deal for Recorder Gary Ott

  21-07-2017 19:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — A judge on Friday approved the resignation agreement between the family of embattled Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott and the county.The order was signed by 3rd District Judge Bruce Lubeck, according to the court docket.The judge's signature gives final approval to an agreement that sets Ott's official resignation date for Aug. 1, with a severance package agreement of $35,000 — 12 weeks of salary — to be placed into an account dedicated to Ott's care.He will
  
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• Martin MacNeill's prison death officially ruled a suicide

  21-07-2017 18:55
  UTAH STATE PRISON — An investigation has confirmed that the death of convicted murderer Martin MacNeill at the Utah State Prison was the result of suicide.On April 9, MacNeill, 60, was found unresponsive in the outdoor yard of the Olympus Facility near the greenhouse at the prison in Draper.According to the final report from the Unified Police Department obtained by the Deseret News through a public records request, MacNeill used a hose and a natural gas line that was intended for a heater
  
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• Lightning-sparked wildfire on Test and Training Range burns 10,000 acres

  21-07-2017 18:39
  A wildfire near Interstate 80 in a rural part of western Utah had charred more than 10,000 acres by Friday morning.
  North Tooele County fire crews responded to the brush fire Thursday evening, saying it had sparked a day earlier on the Utah Test and ...
  
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• Man shot in arm, suspect shoots himself following Spanish Fork High altercation

  21-07-2017 18:31
  A chaotic scene in the Spanish Fork High School parking lot early Friday morning ended with an 18-year-old man being shot in the arm and numerous people fleeing as another teenager fired shots into the air, police said.
  The 19-year-old male suspect w... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Kirby: My run-ins near the homeless shelter show the anti-social in this social problem

  21-07-2017 18:31
  The homeless population in downtown Salt Lake City has become more aggressive at the exact time I've become less patient. Coincidence? I think not.
  I ride FrontRunner downtown. It drops me off about four blocks from the office, which is still a long ...
  
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• Utah forecast: Hot with a chance of showers and flooding

  21-07-2017 17:57
  A flash flood warning remained in effect through Friday evening for the southeastern reaches of Utah, including around Arches and Canyonlands national parks.Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms remained possible through Friday night in the western ...
  
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• 1 dead, 1 injured following Spanish Fork confrontation

  21-07-2017 17:28
  SPANISH FORK — One man was shot in the arm early Friday, followed by the gunman taking his own life after officers located him two hours later, police say.The incident began about 2:20 a.m. when two men, ages 18 and 19, agreed to meet at Spanish Fork High School, 99 N. 300 West, to fight, said Spanish Fork Police Lt. Matt Johnson.Investigators believe the two had an ongoing conflict over a girl.About 15 people showed up to see the altercation. When the 19-year-old man arrived at the school
  
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• Spend your workday in the mountains with this 10-hour video from 'Planet Earth II'

  21-07-2017 16:11
  Want to spend your workdays in the mountains? A BBC visual documentary will help you do just that.In 2016, the BBC released a six-part documentary called “Planet Earth II,” which showed off various landscapes across Earth from the viewpoint of animals.Now, creators of the BBC series are releasing YouTube videos of the various landscapes featured in the series for your listening and viewing pleasure. The videos — billed as “visual soundscapes” — last about 10 h
  
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• UVU student wins national chef contest, putting Orem school 'on the culinary map to stay'

  21-07-2017 13:03
  Madeline Black peered into the oven to see her potatoes gratin simmering golden brown.And while other chefs might have smiled or patted themselves on the back, that moment filled Black with anxiety, over what could have been a huge miscalculation. ... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Family of 4 uninjured after Magna brush fire spread to their home

  21-07-2017 06:34
  
  MAGNA — A brush fire in Magna crept into a neighborhood, causing at least $50,000 in damage to one home and melting siding on others Thursday.About 30 firefighters doused the flames, said Unified Fire Authority Capt. Dan Brown.A family of four escaped the burning house without injuries and were staying with relatives Thursday, Brown said.The cause of the blaze was under investigation and was not considered suspicious. No injuries were reported.
  
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• Should fireworks be banned? Deseret News readers share their thoughts

  21-07-2017 05:53
  
  A particularly smoky summer has sparked conversations among Utahns about whether the joys of fireworks outweigh their potential risks.
  The Fourth of July proved to be one of the busiest for Utah firefighters in recent memory, prompting the Cottonwood Heights City Council to ban aerial fireworks and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment to call for a closer look at how fireworks contribute to air pollution. Springville and Salt Lake City have also tightened their firework policies.
  Last week,
  
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• Utes pull out of Utah governor's Native American Summit, citing frustration over unequal treatment

  21-07-2017 05:50
  
  Orem :Leaders of the Ute Indian Tribe say they will no longer participate in Gov. Gary Herbert's annual summit on Native American issues - until state officials treat them as a fellow sovereign government.
  Tribal representatives hand-delivered a let...
  
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• Utah high court spikes suit from the owner of Geist, a dog shot by an officer in 2014

  21-07-2017 05:50
  
  The Utah Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a Salt Lake City man's challenge to two laws requiring plaintiffs to post a bond and to pay an "undertaking" of at least $300 before suing law enforcement officers.
  The challenge stemmed from a polic... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Police ID man accused of shooting relative in Orem

  21-07-2017 05:50
  
  A man was in critical condition Thursday after a relative allegedly shot him at an Orem home.
  Arthur Freek, 60, was booked into Utah County jail on Thursday evening on charges of attempted murder and domestic violence in the presence of a child, said...
  
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• 3 good Samaritans jump in canal to save man trapped in truck

  21-07-2017 05:20
  
  FIELDING, Box Elder County — Norman LaBarge doesn't know who saved him, but he is grateful they were there after his truck went into a canal near state Route 30 just west of Bear Hollow Wednesday.Just before 5 p.m., motorists called 911 to report a pickup truck driving erratically. The driver of that truck was 79-year-old LaBarge, of Tremonton, and he was going into diabetic shock."I remember bouncing off the guard rails, and I remember going over toward the canal, and then the next thing
  
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• U. shows off historic office of new 'quantitative analysis' institute's namesake

  21-07-2017 04:00
  
  Taylor Randall, dean of the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business, talks about photos in Marriner S. Eccles’ historic office at the First Security Building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, July 20, 2017. The University of Utah will create the Marriner Stoddard Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis with a $20 million gift, including $10 million from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles and Marriner S. Eccles foundations, and a $10 million match from t
  
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• Dabakis: Time right to reconsider Medicaid expansion after ACA replacement sputters

  21-07-2017 03:55
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — State Sen. Jim Dabakis wants Utah to reconsider large-scale Medicaid expansion, saying the Affordable Care Act is "here to stay" after a second effort in the U.S. Senate to replace the law failed this week.Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, has taken to Twitter urging Gov. Gary Herbert to hold a special legislative session to discuss accepting federal Medicaid funding.The timing is right, he told the Deseret News on Thursday, because Senate Republicans failed to secure enough supp
  
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• Use your head — and a helmet — on OHVs, experts warn

  21-07-2017 02:35
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — Dr. Toby Enniss says easily preventable injuries related to off-highway vehicle accidents are becoming a common sight at the University of Utah Trauma Center.Enniss shared his experiences Thursday as one of the first people to take care of patients injured in a serious accident. Among the typical daily sights for a trauma surgeon, Enniss and other professionals at the trauma center have seen a high rate of accidents for OHV riders — especially middle-age men.Though O
  
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• Without thoughtful planning, Point of the Mountain could be a grim scene in 2050

  21-07-2017 02:25
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — Epic highway congestion, a dearth of affordable housing options, continued poor air quality and devolution into a place that will be avoided by new and expanding businesses, thanks to declining quality of life, are among the highlights awaiting those who will be working and/or residing in the central Wasatch Front in 2050.That's according to a "baseline scenario" report presented by Envision Utah Thursday. The report marks the beginning of Phase 2 of work for the Point of
  
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• Rolly: Mormon church, Alta Club swap land. Result: Historic South Temple will gain a parking structure.

  21-07-2017 02:16
  
  For years, former Utah Gov. Calvin Rampton had a favorite table at Salt Lake City's venerable Alta Club that overlooked the downtown intersection of State Street and South Temple.
  Then, in 1997, the Utah Republican Party moved its headquarters into t...
  
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• Polygamous towns appealing overhaul of their operations

  21-07-2017 02:16
  
  Phoenix :A polygamous community on the Arizona-Utah border is appealing an overhaul of its government operations that was ordered in response to a verdict that found nonbelievers were denied police protection, building permits and water hookups on t... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• South Davis Metro Fire Service sets public hearing on proposed tax increase

  21-07-2017 02:15
  
  BOUNTIFUL — The South Davis Metro Fire Service will hold a public hearing on a proposed property tax increase at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7, at Station No. 81, 255 S. 100 West.If approved, a typical homeowner in the service area with a property value of $306,000 would increase from $1.51 per year to $61.93 per year. The proposed tax on an average business valued at $306,000 would increase from $2.75 per year to $112.61.According to the South Davis Metro Fire, the funds raised by the proposed
  
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• Utah's Mike Lee splits from Sessions on police asset seizures, warns of civil rights violations

  21-07-2017 02:06
  
  State and local law enforcement agencies seize billions of dollars in cash and personal property each year from individuals suspected but not charged or convicted of any crime.The Trump administration moved Wednesday to strengthen that practice, kn...
  
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• Community awaits a decision on Other Side Academy land use permit

  21-07-2017 02:00
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — An appeals officer is taking a few days to study information about a land use permit for The Other Side Academy before determining whether the city correctly interpreted the phrase "specialized treatment" when giving the OK to the operation.The academy at 667 E. 100 South is a nonprofit vocational training school for convicted criminals, drug addicts, homeless or anyone in between. Accepted students stay at the two-year rehabilitation facility and learn life skills like ac
  
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• Man admits cutting, hiding body in suitcase after overdose

  21-07-2017 01:45
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of cutting up the body of a Colorado woman and hiding her remains in a suitcase after she overdosed pleaded guilty to reduced charges Tuesday.Raymond Cordova, 50, pleaded guilty to desecration of a dead human body, reduced from a second-degree felony to a third-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony.Prosecutors have agreed to recommend that he be sentenced to two prison terms of up to five years and that they run concurrently. However,
  
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• UTA tweaking schedule for Days of ’47 festivities

  21-07-2017 01:18
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority is tweaking TRAX, bus and FrontRunner schedules for Monday’s Pioneer Day festivities.According to a news release, FrontRunner trains and buses will operate on a Saturday service schedule, meaning trains will depart hourly, while TRAX and the S-Line will run on a Sunday schedule. There will be no Park City to Salt Lake City Connect service.To help people get to festivities in downtown Salt Lake City, FrontRunner will have an early start. The
  
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• 350 Scouts at a buffet restaurant 'do Utah proud,' woman says

  21-07-2017 00:59
  
  PARKERSBURG, W.V. — Picture this: just as you arrive at an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant in this small town on the Ohio-West Virginia border, you watch a flood of some 350 Utah Boy Scouts, leaders and bus drivers converge on the same restaurant.What’s a diner to do?If you’re Becky Bush, from nearby Ravenswood, West Virginia, you post about it on Facebook and — get this — compliment the Scouting contingent from the Utah National Parks Council en route to this wee
  
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• Judge weighs privacy in prescription-drug database case

  21-07-2017 00:53
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — A federal judge was weighing Thursday whether the Drug Enforcement Administration can access a Utah prescription-drug database without a warrant in a lawsuit that pits the right to privacy against the need to combat the country's opioid-drug epidemic."I think this is a fascinating case," said U.S. District Judge David Nuffer, who's considering whether to follow another judge's recommendation that sided with the DEA.The agency is fighting to be exempt from a Utah law that r
  
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• Ogden man who charmed friends out of $1.2M headed to prison

  21-07-2017 00:45
  
  SALT LAKE CITY — He charmed his way into people's lives, became part of their families. A single dad, like him, was his "best" friend. So was another man who drove a Range Rover and described himself as a "trust baby." He called one couple mom and dad.All were smitten with Ryan Paul Davies, and then he took 17 of them for $1.2 million in business opportunities or investments that never materialized, all so he could live the high life."He played tricks on my mind. I thought he was a great r
  
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• UDOT worker in serious condition after Summit County semi crash

  21-07-2017 00:39
  
  A Utah Department of Transportation employee was in serious condition Thursday after a semi-trailer smashed into his truck on the shoulder of Interstate 80 in Summit County, authorities said.Morgan McCarthey, a UDOT station supervisor, was in serio...
  
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• Man in critical condition after relative allegedly shoots him in Orem

  21-07-2017 00:39
  
  A man was in critical condition Thursday after a male relative allegedly shot him at an Orem home.
  The 53-year-old victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition after the shooting, said Orem police Lt. Craig Martinez, and police took a 60-ye...
  
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• Feds announce takedown of 'dark net' site where Utah teen bought 'pink' drug that killed two 13-year-old boys

  21-07-2017 00:39
  
  Federal officials announced Thursday the takedown of the dark web market AlphaBay - a site where they say a Park City boy bought the synthetic opioid known as "pink," which killed two young 13-year-old boys last year.
  U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessi...
  
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• FBI reviewing case involving Ephraim police department, where officers had accused the chief of misconduct

  21-07-2017 00:39
  
  An FBI spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that the agency is "reviewing" an unspecified case that involves the Ephraim Police Department, where three patrol officers accused Police Chief Ron Rasmussen of misconduct and a subsequent sheriff's department i... <iframe src="http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/sltrib/pages/garss.csp" height="1" width="1" > </frame>
  
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• Public hearing Aug. 7 on proposed North Davis Fire District property tax increase

  21-07-2017 00:37
  
  WEST POINT — The North Davis Fire District will hold a public hearing on a proposed property tax increase at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7, at the district’s Station No. 41, 381 N. 3150 West.If approved, a typical homeowner in the district with a property value of $209,000 would see a tax increase from about $123 per year to about $136 per year. The tax on a $209,000 business would increase from about $232 to about $247 per year.If approved, the district, which district provides emergency
  
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