Utah news

• 31 arrested in 4 raids linked to Operation Rio Grande

  07-09-2017 23:46
  
  Thirty-one people have been arrested this week in four drug raids tied to Operation Rio Grande, a multiagency effort to root out crime in the capital city's most troubled neighborhood, police say.
  
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• Salt Lake County DA requests FBI to investigate U. Hospital nurse's arrest

  07-09-2017 22:53
  
  The Salt Lake County District Attorney Sam Gill is requesting the FBI to investigate any possible civil rights violations in the case involving a University of Utah Hospital nurse getting arrested for refusing to allow a Salt Lake officer to draw blood from a patient without a warrant, the district attorney office said Thursday.
  
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• District attorney asks FBI to also investigate controversial U. nurse arrest

  07-09-2017 22:30
  SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Thursday formally asked the FBI to launch a civil rights investigation into the controversial arrest and detainment of University Hospital nurse Alex Wubbels.“There continue to be issues that go beyond merely a criminal investigation, and in an effort to address those concerns, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has formally asked for assistance from our federal law enforcement partners to fully vet is
  
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• Park appeal: With new trademark, SUU pitches outdoor opportunities

  07-09-2017 22:07
  CEDAR CITY — Several Utah colleges are pitching would-be students on their proximity to the state's national parks — and opportunities to study inside them.Until now, none has had exclusive rights to call itself the "university of the parks."Southern Utah University, outside of Zion National Park, announced Wednesday it had trademarked the moniker after filing the paperwork and waiting for months.The college is less than five hours from more than 20 national parks, monuments and recr
  
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• Herbert urges D.C. committee to give states control of health insurance

  07-09-2017 21:49
  SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert told a congressional committee Thursday morning that Americans don't care if health insurance laws are repealed, replaced or modified; they just want decent, affordable coverage they can bank on with certainty.To that end, Herbert and a bipartisan group of governors urged the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to return regulatory control of the health insurance market to states best suited to tailor effective solutions for their re
  
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• Former Iron County jail commander accepts plea deal

  07-09-2017 20:47
  
  A former Iron County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Wednesday to misusing public funds while serving in his previous role as jail commander of the Iron County Correctional Facility.
  
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• Hatch draws on Charlottesville, Houston to urge unity in the Senate (+video)

  07-09-2017 20:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Orrin Hatch contrasted the violence in Charlottesville with the heroism in Houston in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor Thursday urging his colleagues to set aside their differences and work together.Congress has been its own worst enemy since January, the seven-term Utah Republican said."It has been mired in a muck of its own making, bogged down by partisan squabbles and ripped by gridlock, the likes of which I have never seen in all my years of public service. I wis
  
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• Utahns are nearly evenly split over President Donald Trump's job performance

  07-09-2017 20:02
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns are nearly evenly split over how well President Donald Trump is doing his job, according to a new poll released Thursday.The UtahPolicy.com poll found that 50 percent disapprove of Trump's job performance while 46 percent support the president's actions since taking office in January.But the most intense response from Utahns to the president is from those who don't like what they see coming from the White House.More than a third of voters polled, 38 percent, strongl
  
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• Will Amazon's new headquarters land in Silicon Slopes?

  07-09-2017 19:40
  Amazon announced on Thursday that it hopes to open a new headquarters somewhere in the United States.More importantly, it’s asking cities to propose why they should host the new location.Amazon’s plan for a second headquarters — called HQ2 – will look to be the equivalent of its current home in Seattle, The Verge reported. The company plans to invest $5 billion into its new building's construction, adding 50,000 jobs in the process.Amazon has asked cities to offer proposa
  
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• Uintah Fire remains 70 percent contained

  07-09-2017 19:26
  
  More than 100 Weber County residents waited to return home Thursday as a brush fire that destroyed six structures continued to burn.
  
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• Hatch child protection bill passes Senate committee

  07-09-2017 19:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — A bipartisan bill designed to improve federal child protection law sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.The legislation would make permanent a pilot program that ensures that organizations serving children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities have access to FBI fingerprint background checks for their employees, volunteers and coaches."My hope is that this bill, which is broadly supported by youth-serving organizations
  
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• A.M. notes: Hurricane Irma kills 9, LDS Church releases statement on storm, Kelly Clarkson's new music video

  07-09-2017 18:45
  Here’s a look at the news for Sept. 7.Hurricane Irma kills 9 in CaribbeanHurricane Irma slammed into parts of the Caribbean islands on Wednesday, killing nine people and threatening floods across the Dominican Republic and Haiti, according to CNN.The Category 5 storm has winds near 180 mph, a slight drop from its max of 185, as it barrels toward both Puerto Rico and Southern Florida.Smaller islands, like Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands, have already seen extensive damage. Residents
  
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• 24 arrested in Operation Rio Grande drug bust

  07-09-2017 18:27
  SALT LAKE CITY — Twenty-four people were arrested Thursday morning in a drug bust tied to Operation Rio Grande, a multi-jurisdictional effort to root out crime in the capital city's most troubled neighborhood.A warrant was served at a home near 900 West and North Temple about 6 a.m. as part of the "intelligence-based narcotics operation," Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said.Officers with the state's Department of Public Safety Special Emergency Response Team, along with the State Bure
  
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• Utah family’s plea: Give us a path to citizenship

  07-09-2017 18:17
  
  Hope is the operating word in the Sanchez household as the family holds out for a chance to find citizenship in the U.S.
  
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• Gov. Herbert urges Congress to let states solve health care issues

  07-09-2017 17:56
  
  Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday urged Congress to get past the health care impasse and delegate the responsibility to find solutions to the states.
  
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• 24 arrested in Operation Rio Grande-related bust of SLC home

  07-09-2017 16:52
  
  Two dozen people were arrested during a raid of a drug house as a part of Operation Rio Grande Thursday morning, authorities said.
  
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• 10600 South interchange to close Friday

  07-09-2017 16:44
  
  UDOT is closing the 10600 South interchange Friday due to construction of a new underpass.
  
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• BYU extends Mormon illustrator's 'Unfortunate' exhibit one more month

  07-09-2017 16:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — It was a fortunate turn of events that has kept an "Unfortunate" art exhibit around for another month at BYU’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library.The exhibit, “A Collection of Unfortunate Art,” showcases Mormon illustrator and BYU alumnus Brett Helquist's newly donated illustrations from his iconic work on the Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books. Thanks to positive feedback, the exhibit has been extended until Sept. 30.Trevor
  
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• Silicon Valley finds peace in Utah mountains

  07-09-2017 15:55
  Silicon Valley’s tech leaders may have “found its soul” on a mountaintop in Utah.Newsweek recently reported on how tech industry buffs and nonprofit leaders attended Summit, a private mountain resort in the canyons of Utah, to speak about “ideas and creating meaningful community than hawking products and collecting business cards.”Five young entrepreneurs began the event in 2008, and it’s already driven in stars like former President Bill Clinton, Richard Bran
  
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• Fees based on miles driven is decades away, but pilot program coming

  07-09-2017 15:16
  
  Utah drivers may not have to pay government fees based on the miles they drive for decades, but a voluntary pilot program to test the substitute for gas taxes could be in place in a year or so.
  
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• Utah Humanities Book Festival is a real page-turner

  07-09-2017 15:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — On a fall day 20 years ago, Utah’s book lovers finally got an event all of their own.It started small. The Great Salt Lake Book Festival, as it was called then, featured about 12 authors who gathered with fans at Westminster College for a single day of talks and book signings.Fast forward 20 years and the Utah Humanities Book Festival — with an emphasis on "Utah" — spans some six weeks and will welcome a host of local and national authors who will partici
  
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• Utah Task Force 1 returns home after helping in Texas

  07-09-2017 06:41
  
  It has been a long two weeks for Utah Task Force One. The team has been in Houston assisting with rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey.
  
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• Ice cream shop opens in Sugar House employing mostly people with special needs

  07-09-2017 06:16
  
  There's a new ice cream shop in Sugar House with a twist. What makes the employees different is an asset, not a liability.
  
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• Howdy Homemade Ice Cream opens in SLC employing mostly people with special needs

  07-09-2017 06:16
  
  There's a new ice cream shop in Salt Lake City with a twist. What makes the employees different is an asset, not a liability.
  
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• With majority supporting Rio Grande Street closure, Biskupski likely to sign lease Thursday

  07-09-2017 06:15
  
  After taking public input on closing off Rio Grande Street and signing it off to state officials to manage for the next two years, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said Wednesday she's got a clear "green light."
  
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• College presidents, advocates urge Congress for DACA replacement

  07-09-2017 05:45
  
  The presidents of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities called on Utah’s congressional delegation Wednesday to “pursue a lasting, long-term solution” to immigration policies that allow "all students to be able to realize th
  
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• W.V. man who had been missing since Aug. 4 found safe

  07-09-2017 05:18
  
  A West Valley City man has been missing for over a month, police reported on Wednesday.
  
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• With majority supporting Rio Grande Street closure, Biskupsk likely to sign lease Thursday

  07-09-2017 04:56
  SALT LAKE CITY — After taking public input on closing off Rio Grande Street and signing it off to state officials to manage for the next two years, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said Wednesday she's got a clear "green light.""It feels like I have significant support to move forward on this closure from this community," the mayor said after a public forum Wednesday night at an empty Gateway store front at 116 S. Rio Grande St., where about 50 people listened to city and state offici
  
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• Police investigate alleged animal abuse at factory near Lehi

  07-09-2017 04:23
  
  Police are investigating allegations that employees at a factory near Lehi have been beating, poisoning and abusing feral cats on the premises, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
  
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• Uintah Fire now at 70 percent containment; roughly 100 homes still evacuated

  07-09-2017 04:20
  
  Evacuation orders for neighborhoods affected by the Uintah Fire were slowly lifted in some areas Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• Wildfire smoke swamps Utah

  07-09-2017 03:33
  
  Wildfires that have scorched at least 2,200 square miles in nine Western states are filling the skies with smoke, raining ash on Portland and creating unhealthy air conditions as far east as Iowa as particles are carried by the jet stream.
  
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• Fees based on miles driven decades away, but pilot program coming

  07-09-2017 03:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah drivers may not have to pay government fees based on the miles they drive for decades, but a voluntary pilot program to test the substitute for gas taxes could be in place in a year or so."It's not ready for prime time at this point," Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation, told members of the Legislature's Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force Wednesday.But he said such fees, known as a road-use charge, may someday be
  
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• College presidents, advocates urge Congress for DACA replacement; Mexican consulate offers help

  07-09-2017 02:54
  SALT LAKE CITY — The presidents of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities, along with the state Commissioner of Higher Education , called on Utah’s congressional delegation Wednesday to “pursue a lasting, long-term solution” to immigration policies that allow “all students to be able to realize their dreams."The open letter to congressional leaders comes the day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration was rescinding work
  
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• Uintah Fire now at 70 percent containment

  07-09-2017 02:36
  
  Evacuation orders for neighborhoods affected by the Uintah Fire were slowly lifted in some areas Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• Sen. Mike Lee backs baker, florist who refused work for same-sex couples

  07-09-2017 02:06
  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mike Lee has thrown his support behind a Colorado baker and a Washington state florist who are involved in court battles for refusing their services for same-sex couple’s weddings.The Utah Republican will join several GOP members of Congress at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday supporting Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips' case before the U.S. Supreme Court.Phillips refused to create a cake for the wedding reception of a gay couple who we
  
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• VidAngel goes on offense in Utah following setbacks in California courts

  07-09-2017 01:51
  PROVO — After suffering a series of legal setbacks in California courts, Provo-based VidAngel has filed a federal complaint in Utah against 12 movie studios and entertainment companies, hoping a jury of Beehive State residents will settle long-running disputes over the legality of the company's video filtering service.VidAngel claims in its filing in Utah's U.S. District Court that the 2005 Family Home Movie Act allows for how the company filters and streams content to its customers.The co
  
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• Herbert hosts fundraiser as Utah GOP debates dropping SB54 lawsuit

  07-09-2017 01:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah GOP is holding a "Back in Black" fundraiser hosted by Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday, just two days before party leaders meet to consider dropping their lawsuit against the state over the law known as SB54."The support from the governor is incredible, and it's something that the party needs at a time when we’re on the ropes financially. I appreciate it very much," Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Anderson said.The party is some $450,000 in debt, largely due
  
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• Police seek help in finding W.V. man missing since Aug. 4

  07-09-2017 01:18
  
  A West Valley City man has been missing for over a month, police reported on Wednesday.
  
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• Wildfire smoke swamps Utah, the West

  07-09-2017 01:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — Wildfire smoke is blanketing Utah and the West, leading to ash falling on Portland, obscured mountain views along the Wasatch Front and unhealthy air as far east as Dubuque, Iowa.More than 2,200 square miles is burning in nine Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, with Oregon and Idaho each playing unwelcome host to 19 fires of more than 1,000 acres.In Montana, close to a million acres have burned, while closer to home in Weber County, firefigh
  
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• 6 students with minor injuries, driver in hospital after Levan school bus crash

  07-09-2017 01:15
  LEVAN, Juab County — A half-dozen students sustained minor injuries and the driver of their Juab School District bus was flown to the hospital after an oncoming camp trailer swung into the bus Wednesday.The most severe of the injuries among the children was a broken arm, said Rick Robins, Juab School District superintendent. One student was brought to the hospital, the Utah Highway Patrol said in a statement.But the driver, Steve Peterson, sustained injuries to his head and face. He was br
  
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• 6 students, driver suffer minor injuries in Levan school bus crash

  07-09-2017 01:15
  LEVAN, Juab County — A half-dozen students and the driver of their Juab School District bus sustained minor injuries in an accident Wednesday.The most severe of the injuries among the children was a broken arm, said Rick Robins, Juab School District superintendent. He said the driver was brought to the hospital, but he did not have details on the driver's condition.The school district said on its Facebook page that the remaining students were brought to their homes or bus stops.The crash h
  
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• Gambling charges filed against owners of coin-pusher machines

  07-09-2017 01:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — Following an extensive investigation, the Utah Attorney General's Office has filed gambling and money laundering charges against the owners of hundreds of coin-pusher and electronic kiosk machines in Utah.Pierre Luc Marcoux, 34, of Delray Beach, Florida, and John Leslie Honeuycutt, 47, of Hooper, were charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with money laundering, a third-degree felony, and two counts of gambling promotion, a class B misdemeanor.After receiving numerous com
  
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• 6 students, driver injured in school bus crash near Levan

  07-09-2017 00:37
  
  Six students and a bus driver have been injured in a bus crash near Levan.
  
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• Moab drinking water restrictions lifted

  07-09-2017 00:13
  
  Drinking water restrictions have been lifted in Moab after a week of concerns that the water might have been contaminated.
  
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