Utah news

• NBC's Chuck Todd: Sen. Orrin Hatch may not be ready to walk away

  16-09-2017 23:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch may not be ready to walk away from the Senate next year, but if he does, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have outsize influence on the nation's politics by taking his place.That analysis from NBC political director Chuck Todd, moderator of the network's "Meet the Press," comes amid increasing speculation in Utah that Romney is seriously looking at a Senate run as Hatch's retirement seems more likely.Todd told the Deseret News and
  
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• Forest Service spends record $2B battling forest fires

  16-09-2017 23:03
  WASHINGTON — The Forest Service has spent more than $2 billion battling forest fires around the country — a record as wildfires blacken the American West in one of the nation's worst fire seasons.Wildfires have ravaged the West this summer with 64 large fires burning across 10 states as of Thursday, including 21 fires in Montana and 18 in Oregon. In all, 48,607 wildfires have burned nearly 13,000 square miles.The fires have stretched firefighting resources, destroyed more than 500 ho
  
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• Op-ed: Don’t fear the deer


  16-09-2017 22:35
  Now that September is well underway, many hunters are sharpening up their skills in anticipation of a trip to the woods for deer season. However, if the past few years are any indication, the news will likely carry plenty of scary stories about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a deer ailment that has been detected in 24 states, including Utah.As a wildlife disease specialist with more than 40 years of experience, fall hunting season is a good opportunity to clear up some common misconceptions and
  
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• Red Cliffs Elementary School bus driver gets a hero's welcome

  16-09-2017 22:34
  NEPHI, Juab County — The Juab School District school bus driver who was seriously injured in a crash over a week ago is out of the hospital.Wednesday, Steve Peterson got a hero’s welcome at Red Cliffs Elementary in Nephi. Students and faculty were there to show their support and love for Peterson as he was driven by the school.“It really opened his eyes up too, I think, to see how much the kids cared for him, and how important bus drivers really are here to these kids, getting
  
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• Utah researchers find that fat fuels cancer

  16-09-2017 22:30
  SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers are only just beginning to understand how obesity impacts the development of cancer, but one thing is clear — it is one of the major risk factors for the rising incidence of the disease."Obesity is increasing dramatically worldwide … we urgently need to identify the specific mechanisms that link obesity to cancer," said Cornelia M. Ulrich, senior director of Population Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. Her research
  
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• Shooting in West Valley sends 1 man to hospital

  16-09-2017 21:45
  WEST VALLEY CITY — Police are investigating a Saturday morning shooting that sent one man to the hospital.Around 5 a.m., West Valley police received a call of shots fired in the area of 4472 S. Christopherson Drive, according to Lt. Jeff Conger. Upon arrival, officers could not find any evidence of a shooting. However, a few minutes later, the department received a report from an area hospital that a man came in with a gunshot wound.Officers went to the hospital to interview the victim, wh
  
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• New campaign promotes Internet safety for Utah's kids

  16-09-2017 18:27
  
  Last year, the Utah legislature grabbed national attention when it declared pornography a "health crisis." The Utah mom who pushed her state senator to sponsor that bill has launched a new campaign to protect kids online.
  
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• Utah jobless rate holds at 3.5 percent

  16-09-2017 17:47
  
  The state's unemployment rate held steady last month at 3.5 percent. Nationally, the U.S. jobless rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point from July to 4.4 percent.
  
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• Op-ed: Amazon's headquarters search reminds us of the need for an educated workforce

  16-09-2017 17:05
  Amazon’s decision to identify a metropolitan area beyond Seattle for a second headquarters is big news for cities striving to foster economic development. One of the most important elements in evaluating potential locations is the availability of technical and managerial talent. When businesses look to expand, they often compare potential sites in terms of the percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree, the total population base with a bachelor’s degree and the number of STE
  
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• Murray man, 82, missing since Thursday

  16-09-2017 16:20
  MURRAY — Police are asking for the public's help in finding an 82-year-old Murray man they say has cognitive impairment.Nick Kapos, who is not able to walk very far, was reported missing Thursday. He was last seen at his home in Murray.Kapos is described as a white man with gray hair who is 5-foot-3 and weighs 175 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a short-sleeve red, plaid shirt and prescription eyeglasses.Police are asking anyone with information to call Murray police: 801-840-
  
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• The earliest recorded treks of the Narrows at Zion National Park were usually on horseback

  16-09-2017 15:15
  Editor's note: This has been previously published on the author's website.
  The Narrows at Zion National Park are undoubtedly one of the premier hikes in all of Utah. Unique, stupendous, awe-inspiring are among the words used to describe them.But who were the first to traverse the Narrows?The Native Americans generally avoided the upper portion of Zion Canyon, considering it too dark and narrow — almost a devilish place to them.• Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert was the first recorded man
  
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• Family of beloved teacher killed in crash remembers him as family man, mentor

  16-09-2017 06:56
  
  The family of a beloved teacher who died in a car crash earlier in the week is thanking the community for showing support during their time of mourning and remember their loved one as a family man and mentor.
  
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• Pres. Eyring offers love and support in Caribbean following Hurricane Irma

  16-09-2017 06:17
  
  President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began a tour Friday to offer love and support to church members and others affected by Hurricane Irma.
  
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• Roy man, 19, arrested in child pornography investigation

  16-09-2017 06:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Police say a 19-year-old man from Roy created a fake Facebook account with a female name to trade pornography for explicit pictures minors took of themselves.James Wood was booked into Weber County Jail Friday for investigation of 12 counts sexual exploitation of a minor and 10 counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, said Roy Police Sgt. Matthew Gwynn. Wood has not been formally charged in court.Eleven alleged victims have been identified in the case, Gwynn said
  
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• Gift of service dog transforms Army vet's life

  16-09-2017 05:08
  
  South Salt Lake and several community sponsors transformed an army veteran's life Friday.
  
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• Former deputy admits filling gas tank with county fuel card

  16-09-2017 04:40
  CEDAR CITY — A former Iron County Sheriff's deputy admitted this month to gassing up his personal vehicle using the county's fuel card.Galen Bret Allred, 47, entered a no contest plea Sept. 5 to one count of misuse of public money, a third-degree felony, while three identical charges were dismissed.According to court documents, Allred's plea will be held in abeyance for two years, after which time it can be dismissed. If Allred commits any new offenses during that time, the conviction will
  
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• Utah tech companies pledge to increase number of women in leadership positions

  16-09-2017 04:02
  
  Big players in the Utah tech scene have committed to increasing the number of women in leadership positions by including at least one qualified female candidate in the interview process for every open position, vice president or above.
  
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• Well done: Utah-made drill gives millions access to clean water

  16-09-2017 03:53
  SOUTH JORDAN — Anyone visiting the unremarkable backyard of John Renouard is bound to notice a large, steel machine standing at the edge of the flower garden. The machine is painted blue and yellow and lacks any engines or electronic parts.But what isn't apparent at first glance are the millions of people across the globe who now have access to clean water, all thanks to this prototype.The machine is called the "Village Drill," one of many models envisioned by Renouard and developed by BYU
  
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• It 'takes a village' to put on the annual Carmelite Fair

  16-09-2017 03:31
  
  The nuns at the Carmelite Monastery in Holladay are preparing for their annual fair on Sunday. It always "takes a village" of people of many faiths to support them.
  
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• Legislature to consider settlement on problematic S.R. 92 rebuild

  16-09-2017 03:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature will consider settling a lawsuit over botched construction of a Utah County highway.The proposed settlement is on the agenda for Utah lawmakers' special session that the governor scheduled for Wednesday. Gov. Gary Herbert's office released its agenda of the session on Friday.Also on the schedule is a proposal to fund an effort to curb crime and homelessness in Salt Lake City's Rio Grande neighborhood. Another measure up for consideration Wednesday woul
  
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• Regents approve plan to improve mental health services on Utah college campuses

  16-09-2017 03:10
  OGDEN — The Utah State Board of Regents on Friday adopted recommendations of a working group formed to address the mental health needs of students at the state's public colleges and universities.The recommendations envision increased access to mental health services through community partnerships, the use of technology such as the SafeUT smartphone app and expanding the capacity of graduate programs to increase the number and diversity of mental health professionals in the state.Working to
  
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• Utah father who fled sentencing for daughter's death captured in North Carolina

  16-09-2017 03:00
  
  A Utah 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.
  
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• Ex-CEO of Utah supplement company pleads guilty to tax evasion

  16-09-2017 02:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — The former CEO of a Utah-based nutrition supplement company pleaded guilty Thursday to tax evasion.Peter Nordberg, 61, was indicted by a federal grand jury in January with two counts of attempted income tax evasion, each carrying a statutory minimum sentence of five years in prison. He pleaded guilty to one of the counts Thursday, admitting to not paying $275,790 in taxes over two years.The second count will be dismissed at a sentencing hearing Nov. 30, according to court
  
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• Federal hate crime charges filed in Draper stun cane case

  16-09-2017 02:21
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of yelling racial slurs at a black man's young son and then shocking the father with a stun cane has been charged with a federal hate crime.Federal prosecutors in Utah said Friday that 58-year-old Mark Porter faces up to 10 years in prison on the civil rights charge.On Nov. 3 in Draper, Porter yelled a racial slur at the 7-year-old boy and told him to "get out of here," authorities said. When the father told Porter not to yell at his son, Porter hit the man i
  
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• Photos: Politicians, journalists, community leaders to lace up gloves for charity

  16-09-2017 02:20
  Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, gets weighed in for the upcoming Draper Rising, Boxing in Solidarity charity event in the Grand Hall at the Gateway in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. Politicians, journalists and other community leaders will participate in the event, which will be held Saturday at the Draper Amphitheater. Proceeds from the evening support the National Crittenton Foundation, which champions the potential of girls and young women through its support of programs
  
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• Weber County man charged with violently raping estranged wife

  16-09-2017 02:17
  PLEASANT VIEW, Weber County — A Pleasant View man is facing criminal charges after police say he violently sexually assaulted his estranged wife.The 39-year-old man was arrested this week and charged Thursday in 2nd District Court with two counts of object rape and one count of forcible sodomy, all first-degree felonies. He has since posted bail and has been released from Weber County Jail.The man was also charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-d
  
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• Charges dropped against man accused of starting July 4th fire

  16-09-2017 02:13
  
  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.
  
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• Number of uninsured Utahns dropped in 2016

  16-09-2017 01:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — The number of uninsured Utahns decreased from 2015 to 2016, continuing a steady reduction in that number, according to new health coverage data from the U.S. Census Bureau.The bureau concluded in a report entitled Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, published Tuesday, that Utah's uninsured made up 8.8 percent of the state's population in 2016, compared to 10.5 percent a year earlier.Previously collected data from the bureau found the state had a 14 percent unin
  
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• Agent no longer with BLM following Burning Man probe

  16-09-2017 01:46
  SALT LAKE CITY — A federal agent who had been scrutinized for his handling of rare evidence and his behavior at the counterculture Burning Man festival is no longer an employee of the Bureau of Land Management, authorities said Friday.Daniel Love, who played a command role in federal agents' 2014 standoff with Nevada rancher and states' rights figure Cliven Bundy, no longer works for the agency, spokeswoman Megan Crandall told the Associated Press.Crandall did not answer questions about th
  
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• Vivint owner puts company on the auction block

  16-09-2017 01:43
  SALT LAKE CITY — Owners of Provo-born Vivint Smart Home are putting the company on the auction block, taking a dual-track approach that could lead to the company being sold outright or taken public in an IPO effort.The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Monday.New York City-based Blackstone Group, one of the largest private equity firms in the world with over $370 billion in assets under management, paid $2 billion for Vivint in 2012. Sources told the Journal that the co
  
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• United Utah Party candidate gets a second chance to qualify for congressional debate

  16-09-2017 01:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — New United Utah Party congressional candidate Jim Bennett is getting a second chance to qualify to participate in the Utah Debate Commission's televised debate.The commission announced Friday that a second poll will be conducted among voters in the 3rd District after Bennett missed meeting the threshold for participating in the Oct. 18 debate by less than half of a percent."The debate commission has demonstrated a great deal of integrity by taking this action," Bennett sai
  
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• Feds cut 61% of funding for Utah nonprofits that help people enroll in ACA marketplace

  16-09-2017 00:14
  SALT LAKE CITY — Federal funding for Utah groups that help people sign up for health care on the federal exchange has been cut by 61 percent for the upcoming enrollment period, according to Utah Health Policy Project.Federal officials have criticized the effectiveness of organizations working to enroll people under the Affordable Care Act, but Utah advocates say the Trump administration is not correctly measuring performance and is undermining the ACA.In all, the grant from the U.S. Depart
  
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• Saturn swan song: The most captivating images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft

  16-09-2017 00:03
  
  For the last 13 years, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has orbited Saturn to capture remarkable images of the planet's otherworldly beauty. Here's a look back at some of the most incredible.
  
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