Utah news

• Woman's body found on road near Whiterocks, FBI says

  25-08-2017 23:59
  
  The body of a woman was found Wednesday under what officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are calling "suspicious circumstances."
  
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• DWR postpones rotenone treatment plan at Yuba Reservoir

  25-08-2017 23:48
  SALT LAKE CITY — A plan to treat Yuba Reservoir with rotenone and then restock it with noninvasive fish is back on the drawing board.According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the $500,000 plan to restore the reservoir’s potential as a fishery has been scrapped after biologists discovered several challenges that would likely reduce the success of the plan.A 28-person working group drafted a management plan in 2013 that called for the eradication of ravenous northern pike,
  
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• Labor Commission names new budget and finance manager

  25-08-2017 22:58
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Labor Commissioner Jaceson Maughan has appointed Phu Le to head the commission’s Administrative Services Division. In his new role, Le will manage the commission’s budget and day-to-day finances.Le comes to the Utah Labor Commission from Salt Lake County government where he was the administrative and fiscal manager for its Information Services. Before that, he was fiscal manager for Tulare County in California and worked for a technology company in Souther
  
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• Op-ed: Utah schools — not much has changed since 1968

  25-08-2017 22:57
  In 1968, as a first-year superintendent of schools, I wrote an article for the Chicago Tribune Magazine. The article received widespread interest and produced several job offers. What I said in 1968 is not much different from what should be said in 2017. Not much has changed:1. Public education has been and continues to be underfunded.2. Public schools have been and continue to be overburdened.3. Public schools have and continue to discriminate against poor and minority children.4. Teachers have
  
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• Utah Democrats to hold second convention to take up unfinished business

  25-08-2017 22:51
  PROVO — Utah Democrats plan to hold another state convention this year to take up some unfinished business, namely adopting a party platform.The need for the second session arose because so many delegates left after hours of voting on candidates at the June convention that there weren't enough left to formally vote on the platform, constitution and bylaws."On our last convention, we didn't officially adjourn," said Cristobal Villegas, Utah Democratic Party secretary. "It's kind of like par
  
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• Murray mayor dies from complications of cancer

  25-08-2017 22:32
  MURRAY — Mayor Ted Eyre died Friday morning from complications of cancer. He was 71.Eyre, who was elected to a four-year term that began in January 2014, is credited with several improvements to the city during his tenure, according to a statement from Murray administrative services director Tim Tingey.According to Deputy Mayor Janet Towers, Eyre oversaw enhancements to Murray Park, the expansion of Fashion Place mall and the University of Utah Midvalley Health Center, as well as the acqui
  
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• Utah Dept. of Natural Resources asking public to stop making illegal trails on Timp foothills

  25-08-2017 22:31
  
  Many new trails are popping up on the foothills of Mt. Timpanogos — many of them illegal. Officials at the Department of Natural Resources are asking the unauthorized trail building to stop.
  
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• I got 'U' under my skin

  25-08-2017 22:14
  The University of Utah’s logo is seen on a bunch of red blood cells in this photo, titled "The U Is in My Blood," by Randy Polson, a research associate with the Utah Nanofab in the University of Utah’s College of Engineering. Polson etched the U. logo on his red blood cells using an FEI ion beam system, which uses a gallium beam to etch down to the nanoscale. In the case of Polson’s red blood cells, each of the cells are about 7 microns in diameter or about 10 times smaller tha
  
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• Ex-Mormon bishop pleads guilty to abusing boys in his ward

  25-08-2017 21:40
  MAPLETON — A former LDS Church bishop pleaded guilty this week to sexually abusing boys in his congregation.Erik Wayne Hughes, 51, of Mapleton, pleaded guilty Wednesday in 4th District Court to two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and tampering with a witness, a third-degree felony.Hughes was charged with abusing two boys starting when the boys were 15 and 17. The abuse happened several years ago. Both were members of Hughes' LDS ward and are now adults.The investig
  
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• Murray mayor dies from complications related to cancer

  25-08-2017 20:50
  
  Murray City Mayor Ted Eyre died Friday morning at the age of 71 from complications related to cancer.
  
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• Here are the top 40 Utah hikes you need to try this weekend

  25-08-2017 20:14
  SALT LAKE CITY — On Friday, the U.S. will celebrate the 101st anniversary of national parks. According to the National Park Service, national parks across the nation will be free on Friday, Aug. 25, to celebrate the occasion. That means more than 400 parks around the nation won’t charge entry fees.It’s no surprise that Utah’s stuffed with plenty of national parks. From those in Salt Lake County to those down in Moab, the Beehive State remains filled to the brim with place
  
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• Embattled former deputy recorder Julie Dole asks county leaders for severance pay

  25-08-2017 19:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Embattled former deputy recorder Julie Dole, the woman accused of covering up former Recorder Gary Ott's health issues to keep her job, has asked county leaders for severance pay.Dole, who fellow Salt Lake County Republicans rejected last week in her bid to replace Ott, sent a letter to the County Council and Mayor Ben McAdams requesting six weeks of pay after the new recorder, Adam Gardiner, declined to keep her on his staff."I ask that, as you consider my request, that y
  
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• Trump again calls for release of Utahn held in Venezuelan prison

  25-08-2017 19:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Trump administration again called for the release of a Utah man imprisoned in Venezuela in a new round of financial sanctions on the South American country."The United States is very concerned about the situation of Joshua Holt, a young American being detained illegally by the (President Nicolas) Maduro regime for over a year now. We once again call for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds," according to an executive order President Donald Trump signed Friday.
  
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• Utah schools short on bus drivers as classes start

  25-08-2017 19:18
  
  It’s the first week of school for many students in Utah, and some area districts are facing bus driver shortages to start the new academic year.
  
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• Killings of 2 teen friends 2 weeks apart may be connected, police say

  25-08-2017 19:17
  MAGNA — A 17-year-old boy has been arrested for investigation of murder in the shooting death of another 17-year-old a week ago.Police also announced Friday they believe the shooting of Will Ryan, 17, in Magna could be connected to the shooting death of Ryan's friend, Romeo Rodriquez, 14, that occurred two weeks earlier in West Valley City.On Friday, Unified police announced that a 17-year-old was arrested for Ryan's death and booked into Salt Lake Juvenile Detention for investigation of m
  
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• Hurricane Harvey set to hit Texas. Here's what you need to know

  25-08-2017 19:17
  Hurricane Harvey is due to crash into the Texas coast late Friday or early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center told CNN.The storm, a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to dump 35 inches of rain on southern Texas, making it potentially “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” CNN reported.CNN said damage from the hurricane could reach the level of Hurricane Katrina, “which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005.”https://twitter.com/ZachHolderWx/status/900949007546990593Th
  
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• Bears Ears to be 160,000 acres?

  25-08-2017 19:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Bears Ears National Monument could be reduced to 160,000 acres, according to a New York Times report citing unnamed congressional aides familiar with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's monument report given to President Donald Trump on Thursday.That Bears Ears' boundaries are under consideration for reduction is no surprise given Zinke's announcement in July that the 1.35 million-acre monument in San Juan County should be "right-sized."There's no other information to indicate
  
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• A.M. notes: Vivint Arena unveils improvements, Zinke recommends 'some' changes, Hurricane Harvey nears

  25-08-2017 18:15
  Here’s a look at the news for August 25.Vivint Smart Home Arena shows off renovationsThe Vivint Smart Home Arena showed off its latest updates on Thursday in a walking tour, according to the Deseret News.The arena will add new amenities and improvements, including new chairs and a slick new entrance.In fact, the arena moved the box office to the front of the arena so fans can meet up with their friends at the door.https://www.facebook.com/deseretnews/videos/10155632364844655/Utah Jazz Pres
  
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• Evidence hearing begins against San Juan County sheriff

  25-08-2017 17:54
  MONTICELLO — The case against the San Juan County sheriff and two of his deputies are being laid out in a preliminary hearing today.Prosecutors allege that San Juan County Sheriff Richard "Rick" Eldredge pointed an unloaded assault rifle at an employee and pulled the trigger two years ago.Eldredge, who is still acting as sheriff in the county, is charged in 7th District Court with retaliation against a witness, a third-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor; and offic
  
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• Sen. Hatch roasted over sausage tweet

  25-08-2017 17:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Sen Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is taking heat over a tweet.Not about politics, governing, or what his office maintains is a Civil War era turn of phrase.The Senate's senior Republican took to Twitter Thursday around dinnertime to comment on foreign pork.Hatch posted a link to an article about 18 British piglets that had been saved from a barn fire in February and recently were returned, albeit in casing, to the same firefighters as a thank-you gift. Officers barbecued them
  
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• Spanish Fork man swims the English Channel

  25-08-2017 17:31
  
  Greg Mockett swam the entirety of the English Channel in just over 15 hours.
  
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• Report: Bureau of Land Management agent handed out confiscated Moqui marbles 'like candy'

  25-08-2017 17:03
  
  The same Bureau of Land Management law enforcement agent who led the raid in the country's largest Native American artifacts trafficking case is accused of violating evidence policy by distributing confiscated marbles among co-workers "like candy."
  
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• This Utah spot ranked as one of the top 15 natural wonders to see 'before they disappear'

  25-08-2017 16:15
  A new infographic called one Utah location a “natural beauty” that needs to be seen before it disappears.HighTide Technologies recently put together an infographic that shows 15 natural wonders that are must-see destinations before they disappear.“With a flick of the faucet, we can easily harness one of nature’s most powerful and sustaining forces: water. Whether rock was sculpted, land washed away or sources joined, water has crafted some of the world’s most striki
  
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• Lee says GOP senators have no business questioning Trump leadership

  25-08-2017 15:40
  
  Though some Republican members of Congress have questioned President Donald Trump's leadership abilities, Sen. Mike Lee says they have no room to talk.
  
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• Wasatch Front Ice Cream Tour — ninth stop: Rockwell Ice Cream

  25-08-2017 15:30
  PROVO — Rockwell Ice Cream may be newer on the Wasatch Front ice cream scene, but the shop is holding its own.The ice cream shop, located in the heart of Provo just north of Center Street on University Avenue, opened its doors in November 2015, according to a previous Daily Herald article.According to the article, Rockwell uses local products to make the homemade, super premium all-natural ice cream.“We really wanted to match the old-fashioned homemade ice cream and so we make everyt
  
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• Utah family recounts experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

  25-08-2017 06:48
  
  A Utah family learned anything is possible after hiking Mount Kilimanjaro — the tallest freestanding mountain in the world — in Tanzania, Africa, this summer.
  
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• A look back at women winning the vote, in Utah and across the nation

  25-08-2017 06:28
  On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution.
  The brief 39-word amendment represents the culmination of a long suffrage battle waged by American women (and some men) for nearly a century:The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.Long road to suffr
  
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• Feds' positive signs mean thousands could get Medicaid in fall; activist wary of state plan

  25-08-2017 04:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health told legislators Thursday that federal officials have given positive signs about approving an amended Medicaid expansion waiver, which may mean some Utahns are currently likely to benefit from coverage as early as Nov. 1.The waiver, which was submitted earlier last week, is undergoing a review by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Nate Checketts, director of Medicaid and health financing for the Utah Department of Health.It i
  
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• Vivint renovation trying to realize Larry H. Miller's dream

  25-08-2017 03:37
  SALT LAKE CITY — Delta Center. EnergySolutions Arena. Vivint Smart Home Arena.No matter which moniker fans best remember it by, the home of the Utah Jazz is the manifestation of a dream attained by the late Larry H. Miller back in the early 1990s that may now be, with a $125 million renovation nearing completion, even closer to the beacon of the community he envisioned for the venue almost 30 years ago.On a Thursday media tour of the arena, Utah Jazz President Steve Starks pointed out that
  
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• Operation Rio Grande ongoing; police monitoring Jordan River, parks, neighborhoods for impact

  25-08-2017 03:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Amy Smith said when she was 25 she had a great job with an $85,000 salary, owned a $300,000 house, drove a $40,000 car that was paid off and traveled all over the country.Ten years later, now 35, Smith sat alone with her only belongings — a blanket and a backpack — next to the Jordan River Parkway on Thursday.She had been sober of heroin for five years. But not anymore."It's hard, you know," she said, looking down, her eyes brimming with tears. "Everything just
  
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• UDOT envisions 6-lane, limited-access highway for U.S. 89 in Weber County

  25-08-2017 02:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — Officials' preferred vision for U.S. 89 in Davis and Weber counties calls for a six-lane, limited-access roadway that could eliminate numerous existing homes and businesses in an decadeslong effort to alleviate a growing traffic congestion problem.The Utah Department of Transportation released Thursday a draft environmental study that details the preferred alternative development plan for the approximately $275 million reconstruction of the U.S. 89 corridor from Farmington
  
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• Pets can give you a new leash on life

  25-08-2017 02:28
  
  Owning a pet can bring positive impact on your health.
  
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• SWAT training brings Utah teams together to compete, connect

  25-08-2017 02:25
  SPANISH FORK — Jeff Slack arrived at the SWAT training ready to act as a hostage or a kidnapper. It really didn't matter which one."We’re just here to volunteer our time, either be hostage or bad guy or whatever they need us to do," he said.Slack was among dozens of volunteers who role-played a hostage rescue scenario Thursday at the third annual Mountain States SWAT Training and Competition.The two-day event included various trainings and competitions, such as live-shooter scenarios
  
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• Body of Utah Guardsman killed in Afghanistan returns home

  25-08-2017 02:07
  MONTICELLO — Emotional moments Thursday as a Utah hero returned home.The body of Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Aaron Butler, 27, arrived at the Monticello Airport about noon, where family and friends were waiting to welcome him home.“He’s coming home, on his birthday, and I cannot think of a more fitting thing to happen for Aaron at this time,” said his mother, Laura Butler. Her son would have turned 28 Thursday.Butler died in combat Aug. 16 in eastern Afghanistan, autho
  
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• SLC police searching for missing woman

  25-08-2017 01:59
  
  Police are searching for 36-year-old Manal Amanoael Hanna, who has been missing since Friday, Aug. 18.
  
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• Report: BLM agent handed out confiscated Moqui marbles 'like candy'

  25-08-2017 01:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — In June 2009, the Bureau of Land Management's Dan Love led Operation Cerberus, a raid involving the nation's largest Native American artifacts trafficking case, resulting in 25 arrests.Twelve teams of federal agents, including a SWAT team, carried out operations on 12 properties in the Four Corners region and around the communities of Moab, Monticello and Blanding.Flash forward eight years to Thursday when the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General released a re
  
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• US interior chief recommends changes on some protected lands

  25-08-2017 01:29
  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Thursday he won't seek to rescind any national monuments carved from the wilderness and oceans by past presidents. But he said he will press for some boundary changes and left open the possibility of allowing drilling, mining or other industries on the sites.
  Twenty-seven monuments were put under review in April by President Donald Trump, who has charged that the millions of acres designated for protection by President Barack Obama were
  
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• RSL player charged with unlawful sex with 15-year-old

  25-08-2017 01:05
  DRAPER — A Real Salt Lake player was charged Thursday with unlawful sex with a minor.Ricardo Velazco, 24, is charged in 3rd District Court with the third-degree felony for a May 20 incident involving a 15-year-old girl, according to charging documents. Velazco was 23 at the time.No other details about the alleged crime were immediately available.In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Major League Soccer said Velazco has been suspended from "all soccer-related activity" in light of the c
  
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• Photos: Vivint Arena renovation clock is ticking, but new features coming

  25-08-2017 01:05
  
  The Vivint Arena construction crews have 21 days left on the countdown clock before the day they want to turn the arena over to Jazz staffers. Here's photos of the construction progress.
  
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• The Leonardo collecting used solar eclipse glasses

  25-08-2017 00:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Don’t want to store your solar eclipse glasses until the next event in 2045?Starting Friday, the public can donate their gently used glasses to The Leonardo, 209 E. 500 South.The museum, in conjunction with California-based Astronomers Without Borders, will send the collected glasses to schools in South America and Asia to protect children’s eyes when eclipses cross those continents in 2019.Donations will be accepted at the museum’s admissions desk. Upon
  
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• Little Sahara Visitor Center reopens

  25-08-2017 00:20
  FILLMORE — The Bureau of Land Management’s Fillmore field office has reopened the Little Sahara Recreation Area Visitor Center. Operating hours will be Thursday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.The visitor center closes seasonally in midsummer, due to high temperatures and decreased visitation.The recreation area is 60,000 acres of sagebrush flats, juniper-covered hills, and free moving sand dunes located in Juab County. It offers 255 improved campsites with access to 40 toilets, two
  
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• Rep. Mia Love hires former Utah GOP leader as chief of staff

  25-08-2017 00:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, has hired a former Utah Republican Party leader as her new chief of staff.Ivan DuBois, who worked as the state GOP's executive director for six years, will start immediately, Love's office said Thursday.In addition, he spent two years on leadership staff for the Utah Senate. Most recently, he supplemented his political experience as president of a consulting group focused on education and political campaigns in Utah. He also worked in real estate for
  
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