Utah news

• Singers, musicians audition to perform national anthem at Jazz home games

  15-09-2017 23:15
  SALT LAKE CITY— Dozens of hopeful singers tested their voices against a panel of judges, including Emmy Award-winning composer Kurt Bestor, as they auditioned for a chance to sing the national anthem at a Jazz game.The yearly audition, held Friday morning at the Megaplex theaters in The Gateway, saw singers as young as 6 showcasing their talents for a chance to sing at one of the 44 Jazz home games in the 2017-18 season. Small groups and instrumentalists were also allowed a chance to audit
  
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• Charges dropped against man accused of starting July Fourth fire

  15-09-2017 23:15
  COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Charges were dropped Friday against a man accused of starting a large grass fire that burned one home and threatened many others while lighting off fireworks July Fourth.The Salt Lake County Attorney's Office filed a motion to drop a charge of reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor, against Richard Otterstrom, 49, of Cottonwood Heights. A 3rd District judge agreed and dismissed the case.On July 4, embers from fireworks being lit in the area of 7500 South and 3200 East
  
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• Teacher reinstated as probe into controversial survey wraps up

  15-09-2017 22:56
  
  A Roy High School teacher placed on administrative leave after handing students a controversial questionnaire has been reinstated.
  
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• Salt Lake County GOP fills West Jordan legislative seat with coin toss

  15-09-2017 22:56
  SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan GOP officer has been picked to fill a vacant seat in the Utah Legislature after Salt Lake County Republicans used a coin toss to break a tie vote.Cheryl Acton won the election after about 50 county GOP delegates Thursday night winnowed a field of four candidates running to replace Rep. Adam Gardiner, who recently became the county recorder.County party Chairman Jake Parkinson said Acton and another party officer, Lyle Decker, tied in two rounds of voting, req
  
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• Utah jobless rate holds at 3.5 percent for August

  15-09-2017 22:41
  SALT LAKE CITY — The state's unemployment rate held steady last month at 3.5 percent.Approximately 54,600 Utahns were without gainful employment during the month of August and actively seeking work, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Nationally, the U.S. jobless rate increased 1/10th of a percentage point from July to 4.4 percent.Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for August grew by an estimated 2.8 percent, bringing on 39,900 new jobs to the economy over the past
  
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• Downtown Dine O' Round begins Friday

  15-09-2017 21:15
  
  Discounted lunches and dinners will be served for two weeks throughout Salt Lake City.
  
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• Photos: Fall is in the air

  15-09-2017 21:10
  Pedestrians cross at the intersection of 200 East and 800 South during a downpour in Salt Lake City on Friday. KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman said to expect cool temperatures for the weekend, but it should remain dry. Saturday's high temperature in Salt Lake City is expected to hit 67 degrees, up to 76 degrees on Sunday and up to 80 degrees on Monday before dropping back into the 60s for a high on Tuesday.See the world through the eyes of award-winning photojournalists. Click through the gallery
  
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• Writer's upcoming U. visit raises 'more concerns' after Berkeley protests, arrests

  15-09-2017 20:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah's preparations for a planned Sept. 27 appearance by conservative writer Ben Shapiro took on added urgency Friday after hundreds of protestors swarmed the UC Berkeley campus Thursday night during Shapiro's visit there.Nine people were arrested, four for carrying banned weapons, according to the Los Angeles Times.University of Utah President David Pershing, attending a Utah State Board of Regents meeting at Weber State University on Friday, said the sc
  
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• Wait, did it just snow in Utah?

  15-09-2017 20:49
  Winter is here. Sort of.Residents of the Beehive State likely noticed some wet weather on Friday morning.KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman told the Deseret News that there would be some cooler weather throughout the weekend, though no rain or snow is expected.But the National Weather Service said that Utah just had its “first (light) snow of the year.”https://twitter.com/NWSSaltLakeCity/status/908711066347216898And if that’s not convincing, the NWS tweeted this image of mountain s
  
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• Roy teacher suspended over dating survey returns to classroom

  15-09-2017 20:47
  ROY — A Roy High School teacher who was suspended after distributing a survey in class on risky dating behaviors returned to the classroom Friday.Candace Thurgood had come under scrutiny after the school received complaints about a survey distributed during a lesson in a college-credit class called Adult Roles. The course also includes financial literacy.The 30-question survey titled "Know Thyself," which originated in a 1980s Dear Abby column, asked whether students have had abortions, be
  
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• Yes, it snowed in Utah today. Here are the photos

  15-09-2017 20:45
  Winter is here. Sort of.Residents of the Beehive State likely noticed some wet weather on Friday morning.KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman told the Deseret News that there would be some cooler weather throughout the weekend, though no rain or snow is expected.But the National Weather Service said that Utah just had its “first (light) snow of the year.”https://twitter.com/NWSSaltLakeCity/status/908711066347216898And if that’s not convincing, the NWS tweeted this image of mountain s
  
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• 'Aggressive' masked gunman fires shot in bank robbery, police say

  15-09-2017 20:45
  TAYLORSVILLE — A gunman fired a shot into the ceiling during a "very aggressive" take-over style bank robbery on Friday in Taylorsville, police say.No one was injured in the incident. It's "very possible" the same man — who was wearing a Halloween-style mask — robbed another bank earlier this week, said Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke, adding that the man appears to be getting more aggressive with each robbery."It's very concerning. Even on the last one, a couple of days ago, h
  
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• Trooper investigating crash is hit by second vehicle

  15-09-2017 20:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper suffered minor injuries Friday while assisting a vehicle that had spun out, when a second vehicle also lost control and ran into the back of the trooper's patrol car.Trooper Dale Talbot was in the left emergency lane assisting a vehicle that had spun out and hit the concrete barrier on I-215 near 700 North about 6:10 a.m. His emergency lights were on at the time, said UHP Sgt. Todd Royce.Not long after, a Nissan pickup truck heading north also
  
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• Monroe father who fled sentencing for daughter's death captured in North Carolina

  15-09-2017 20:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Monroe, Sevier County, father suspected of fleeing the state before he could be sentenced for his infant daughter's death has been arrested in North Carolina, according to police.David Lewis Anderson, 38, was scheduled to be sentenced in 6th District Court in Richfield on Sept. 5, but he didn't appear, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest."He didn't show up and we had received some hearsay that he had told someone he wasn't going to show up to court anyway
  
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• Trooper investigating crash hit by 2nd vehicle

  15-09-2017 20:26
  
  A Utah Highway Patrol trooper suffered minor injuries Friday while assisting a vehicle that had spun out, when a second vehicle also lost control and ran into the back of the trooper's patrol car.
  
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• Clowns see a drop in business because of 'It.' Should Utah be worried, too?

  15-09-2017 20:09
  You’ve probably heard about a little film called “It.”Last weekend, the horror film, based on the novel by Stephen King, broke box office records, earning an estimated $123.1 million, propelling it to first in the nation, according to CNN.The film became the largest opening movie ever in September, beating the previous record by $75 million. Warner Bros said it was the largest opening earnings for any horror movie ever, too.“It” finished third-place for the entire y
  
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• Mental hospital bed shortage putting people at risk

  15-09-2017 19:52
  
  When a family member faces a mental health crisis a lot of families don't know where to turn. KSL sat down with two families who navigated the maze of the mental health system. They hope their story will give other families reasons to hope.
  
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• A.M. notes: .05 DUI law tinkering, Reyes joins support for Colorado bakers, North Korea's latest test

  15-09-2017 19:45
  Here’s a look at the news for Sept. 15.Gov. Herbert talks .05 DUI lawGov. Gary Herbert said Thursday that the .05 percent DUI law may not be set in stone, and could possibly be delayed or “tinkered with,” according to the Deseret News.The law, set to take effect in December 2018, calls for anyone with a .05 blood alcohol content level to receive a DUI charge. This would the lowest DUI limit in the U.S.But Herbert said no options are off the table when it comes to working on the
  
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• Investigation into Draper councilwoman finds 'no intentional misuse of office'

  15-09-2017 19:38
  DRAPER — Amid a feud between Councilwoman Michele Weeks and other Draper leaders, an independent attorney the city hired to investigate allegations against Weeks found "some potential ethical concerns" but "no intentional misuse of her office."That's according to a report the attorney, Dennis Ferguson, provided to the City Council last month, concluding that any ethical issues over her emails are "most appropriately dealt with through education and an emphasis on observing clear lines of d
  
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• Police searching for missing Murray man with 'cognitive impairment'

  15-09-2017 19:24
  
  Police are searching for a Murray man with "cognitive impairment" who has been missing since Thursday.
  
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• Crews responding to 'routine' fire rescue Lehi family's snake collection

  15-09-2017 19:20
  LEHI — Firefighters responding to a "routine" kitchen fire Friday morning found themselves faced with something they didn't expect.Snakes."It was kind of a routine fire until we were notified that there were some snakes. They had some pet snakes in the upstairs," said Lehi Fire Capt. Robert Stanley.The residents in the townhouse at 430 N. 470 West all got out safely and alerted their neighbors to the blaze around 7 a.m., Stanley said. When firefighters arrived, they were able to rescue the
  
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• Police: No injuries after individual fires gun during Taylorsville robbery

  15-09-2017 19:19
  
  Police are searching for an individual who they say fired a gun during a robbery of a credit union Friday morning.
  
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• Authorities issue warnings of flooding, standing water around Utah

  15-09-2017 19:11
  
  Authorities have issued warnings of flooding and standing water in cities around Utah as the state receives torrential rain.
  
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• 'Ultrarunner,' rescuers beat oncoming storm to lift injured hiker from steep slope

  15-09-2017 17:16
  
  Ultrarunner Matt Galland of Provo received a call from his sister that her friend had taken an unlucky step, fallen and had broken her ankle during a hike up Cascade Mountain.
  
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• 1 critically injured in Logan crash

  15-09-2017 16:50
  
  A driver was critically injured after a two-vehicle crash Friday morning, police said.
  
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• Salt Lake Comic Con's wonder women: Female fans form nearly half of event's base

  15-09-2017 16:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — When Salt Lake's homegrown geek and pop culture convention comes to town, one thing is clear looking at the bustling convention floor, the lines of fans flooding through the doors and the staffers working behind the scenes.They may not have superpowers, but female fans form an impressive league, accounting for 47 percent of Salt Lake Comic Con's base, according to organizers.They're women like Jennifer Smart, who is building a new career around the portraits and statues sh
  
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• Comic Con's wonder women: Female fans form nearly half of event's base

  15-09-2017 16:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — When Salt Lake's homegrown geek and pop culture convention comes to town, one thing is clear looking at the bustling convention floor, the lines of fans flooding through the doors and the staffers working behind the scenes.They may not have superpowers, but female fans form an impressive league, accounting for 47 percent of Salt Lake Comic Con's base, according to organizers.They're women like Jennifer Smart, who is building a new career around the portraits and statues sh
  
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• Roy High School teacher reinstated after controversial survey

  15-09-2017 15:56
  
  A Roy High School teacher placed on administrative leave after handing students a controversial questionnaire, has been reinstated.
  
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• Crash on I-215 involves UHP trooper's car

  15-09-2017 15:21
  
  Crews are responding to a crash on I-215 involving a Utah Highway Patrol trooper's car, emergency dispatchers confirmed.
  
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• Wasatch Front Pizza Tour: first stop — Two Jacks Pizza

  15-09-2017 15:05
  With 1 in 8 Americans consuming it any given day, adding up to 100 acres eaten daily and $37 billion spent on it yearly, it’s safe to say that Americans love pizza — and Utahns are no exception. We gave Two Jacks Pizza a 2 out of 6 slices.While Utah isn’t one of the top 10 pizza consuming states like it is for ice cream, it still holds its own and, according to a graphic from Pizza Magazine, has an average number of pizzerias per capita compared to the rest of the 50 states.Acc
  
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• In our opinion: Utah's Zero Fatalities initiative seems to be helping

  15-09-2017 14:05
  It’s the dispassionate duty of transportation safety agencies to regularly tally the grim toll of death and injury on Utah highways and report on long-term and year-to-year trends, using raw numbers that are can sometimes feel detached from the tragic reality of lives lost. This year, during the summer travel season when rates of fatalities are higher than the rest of the year, the numbers show a notable reduction in the number of deaths, which, while encouraging, certainly can never erase
  
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• Former students rally support for suspended Roy High School teacher

  15-09-2017 06:45
  
  Former students of Adult Roles teacher, Candace Thurgood are standing up for her reputation in the wake of an investigation into what Weber School District administrators are calling a "questionable survey" issued in class.
  
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• Police catch 'rock bandits' after LDS chapel vandalism around Salt Lake County

  15-09-2017 06:25
  
  Residents in Midvale, Sandy and West Jordan can breathe a sigh of relief after police catch the so-called “Rock Bandits.”
  
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• Police find missing 9-year-old girl in Taylorsville

  15-09-2017 06:15
  
  Police have found a 9-year-old girl who went missing from Fremont Elementary School Thursday afternoon.
  
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• Utah A.G. Sean Reyes latest to back Colorado baker in Supreme Court case

  15-09-2017 04:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — Attorney General Sean Reyes became the latest Utah politician to sign on to a court brief supporting a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple's wedding.Reyes joined attorneys general and leaders in 20 states in a friend-of-the-court brief in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief argues that the compulsion of speech is constitutionally forbidden.Shop owner Jack Phillips refused to create a cake fo
  
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• Lake Powell microburst injures 3; sinks powerboats, jet skis

  15-09-2017 03:50
  PAGE, Ariz. — A sudden, powerful downward gust of wind swamped or sank dozens of powerboats and jet skis Thursday at Lake Powell along the Arizona-Utah border.Authorities say at least three people were injured about 1 p.m. A 60-year-old woman sustained a severe arm injury that required amputation.They say a 57-year-old woman suffered head and hip injuries while another person had a dislocated shoulder.The National Weather Service says the 56 mph microburst swept through the region in about
  
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• Police searching for missing Taylorsville girl

  15-09-2017 03:45
  
  Police are searching for a 9-year-old girl who went missing from Fremont Elementary School Thursday afternoon.
  
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• Free or low-cost college textbooks? SLCC program makes it possible

  15-09-2017 03:17
  SALT LAKE CITY — Like most college students, Jeff Cunningham can easily plan how much he'll need to budget for tuition and fees.But the cost of textbooks and other instructional materials?"It's a gut punch," said Cunningham, who is taking classes at Salt Lake Community College toward a bachelor's degree in physics, which will be his second undergraduate degree."Until they release the book list, you've got no idea what it's going to cost," he said. Cunningham has designs on working for NASA
  
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• Pleasant Grove man returns car to fallen soldier's son 15 years later

  15-09-2017 03:00
  
  The market for a 1999 Toyota Celica GT probably isn’t very big. But Kyle Fox had to have one particular Celica.
  
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• Lightning sparks attic fire at St. George Tabernacle

  15-09-2017 02:35
  ST. GEORGE — The attic of the St. George Tabernacle caught fire caught fire when it was struck by lightning Thursday.Construction crews working on a renovation saw the strike, said St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker. They evacuated and no injuries were reported.Smoke was coming from the south side of the steeple when crews arrived, Stoker said. Teams got to the attic without a problem, but had to pull down ceilings to fight the blaze, he said.The building sustained damage to its attic and
  
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• Internationally recognized advanced care planning program comes to southern Utah

  15-09-2017 02:28
  
  Intermountain Healthcare's Dixie Regional Hospital helps people live the highest quality of life towards the end of life with a new advanced care planning program.
  
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• World-renowned street artist adds colorful mural to downtown S.L.

  15-09-2017 02:11
  SALT LAKE CITY — Street artist Yvette Vexta is known internationally for her bright and bold spray paint art, found on city buildings from Mexico to India to Australia. Now Salt Lake City is the home of her latest creation.The side of a downtown building at 150 S. State used to be a featureless brick wall. Over the past two weeks, Vexta has been transforming the bland wall into a masterpiece."I’m interested in taking graphic and bold imagery and juxtaposing it with a sense of movemen
  
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• Utah astronomy fans praise Saturn satellite on its final day

  15-09-2017 02:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — On Wednesday night, members of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society drank a toast to a nearly 20-year mission to observe Saturn and its moons.After completing its final flyby of the moon Titan, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab announced Wednesday that the Cassini satellite, which has been orbiting Saturn for almost 13 years, was on its final approach in a collision course with the planet.On Thursday, the tired spacecraft, exhausted of nearly all its rocket fuel, had entered into it
  
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• 'They're the bravest bears in the world': Stuffed toys drop from the sky to lift kids' spirits

  15-09-2017 01:36
  SALT LAKE CITY — David McAlhany has jumped out of an airplane nearly 1,000 times.Every jump, he said, is exhilarating, but they don't always have as much meaning as those he experienced over Labor Day weekend.McAlhany fought the air at 12,500 feet a little harder, as the stuffed toy bears tied to his nylon jumpsuit caused a little more air resistance.Each bear, after bravely jumping with McAlhany and other volunteer skydivers, had a special purpose — to give sick and injured children
  
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• Your Weekend: Ben Harper, Hotel California, fairy tales and a taste of Italy

  15-09-2017 01:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Beehive State is in for a treat this weekend. Swooning over Ben Harper, listening to an Eagles tribute band, enjoying authentic Italian food and enrolling in a Wizarding 101 course are just a few of the activities this weekend has to offer.Ben Harper and the Innocent CriminalsOn Saturday night, Utahns will get the chance to hear the musician that brought catchy songs such as "Steal My Kisses" and "Diamonds on the Inside" to life. And while this weekend presents many ex
  
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• Volunteers give South Salt Lake elementary school library 'such a boost'

  15-09-2017 01:20
  SOUTH SALT LAKE — Stephanie Fullmer works in an elementary school library with geography books from the 1990s.Without new books, it's hard to get kids excited about reading, she said.For the past eight years at Lincoln Elementary, Fullmer has been accepting used book donations and hoping for more funding.So when Deseret Management Corp. announced it would give a $5,000 check to the elementary school library as part of the United Way Day of Caring, Fullmer started crying."Books are expensiv
  
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• Orderville Justice Court judge named

  15-09-2017 00:20
  ORDERVILLE, Kane County — The Kane County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Ronald L. Read to fill the Orderville Justice Court vacancy.He will replace Judge Steven Wallace, who will retire effective Oct. 17.Read graduated from Southern Utah State College and the S.J. Quinney College of law at the University of Utah.Read served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court in Boise, Idaho. Afterward, he was an associate and shareholder with Hughes & Read, deputy/assistant
  
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• America First Credit Union launches 13th annual Community Food Drive

  15-09-2017 00:04
  RIVERDALE, Weber County — America First Credit Union kicks off the season of giving with the launch of its 13th annual Community Food Drive, which runs through Oct. 21.All branch locations throughout Utah and southern Nevada will accept donations of nonperishable food items to distribute to local food pantries and food banks. This year, items will be donated to the Utah Food Bank, Three Square Las Vegas and Cappallappa Family Reserve Center in Moapa, Nevada.In addition to the food drive co
  
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• Commission fills Moroni Justice Court vacancy

  15-09-2017 00:02
  MORONI, Sanpete County — The Sanpete County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Mark K. McIff to fill the Moroni Justice Court vacancy.He will replace Judge Ivo Peterson, who retired June 30.McIff currently serves as judge of the justice courts in Sevier County, Piute County, Fairview, Fountain Green and Spring City. He is also an attorney who practices in the south central Utah area.McIff holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah University and a
  
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