Utah news

• Postal Service to hire more than 250 along Wasatch Front for holiday season

  20-09-2017 23:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Postal Service is preparing for what is anticipated to be a record holiday season by hiring more than 250 employees to work at processing facilities and post offices along the Wasatch Front.The hourly wages range from $14 to $16.98, with varying shifts and days off. While the positions are for the holidays, they may lead to career opportunities with the service. The open positions include holiday clerk assistant, postal support employee, city carrier assistant and
  
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• National parks to waive entrance fees Sept. 30 for National Public Lands Day

  20-09-2017 23:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — The National Park Service will offer free admission to parks across the country Saturday, Sept. 30, as part of National Public Lands Day.The fee-free day offers a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite, especially one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee.The fee waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees and transportation entrance fees. Other fees — such as reservation, camping, tours, concessions and fees collected
  
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• Lawmaker may revive proposal to ban animal euthanasia by gas chamber

  20-09-2017 23:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — After failing earlier this year to pass a proposed ban on the use of carbon monoxide gas chambers at animal shelters, Utah lawmakers are again considering what issues counties may have in changing to less controversial euthanasia methods.Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, sponsored SB56 during the 2017 legislative session, attempting to replace CO gas chambers with lethal injection as a form of euthanasia for shelter animals.During a Wednesday meeting of the Legislature's
  
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• Fed decisions on interest rates and monetary policy a signal of economic confidence, local analyst says

  20-09-2017 23:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — The choice of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank to keep interest rates unchanged and reduce its influence on the national money supply is a sign of belief in the country’s economic strength, a Utah economist said.The Federal Reserve Wednesday announced it will begin shrinking the enormous portfolio of bonds accumulated after the 2008 financial crisis to try to sustain the nation’s then frail economy. While the current move reflects a strengthened economy, it could
  
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• Photos: Second-grader with leukemia gets an assist from RSL's Leo the Lion

  20-09-2017 23:34
  Real Salt Lake’s Leo the Lion carries Kohen Church, 8, during Southland Elementary School's annual Jog-A-Thon in Riverton on Wednesday. The second-grader is battling leukemia, and Leo came to the event to support Kohen by jogging with him and carrying him when necessary. In addition, Leo presented the boy with an RSL jersey and a “Kick Cancer” scarf.See the world through the eyes of award-winning photojournalists. Click through the gallery above to view the unique images our vi
  
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• Utah lawmakers continue work on three-digit suicide prevention line

  20-09-2017 23:19
  SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers are looking at a series of bills in support of Utah's new mental health crisis line.To address the state's continuing rise in suicide deaths, Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, asked lawmakers Wednesday for support in opening bill files to establish a statewide, three-digit crisis number similar to 911 and text support for the crisis line."If your house is on fire, you know where to turn for help: You call 911," Thatcher told the Political Subdivisio
  
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• Busywork or valuable data? Utah lawmakers weigh in on new school report card

  20-09-2017 22:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — The draft report card that will be a key part of Utah's new school accountability program got mixed reviews from state lawmakers Wednesday, with some saying the measures will be built on faulty data and others contending it's a vast improvement from the existing school grading system.Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said relying on end-of-level Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence test results as a main source of data to evaluate teachers and schools is "driving hi
  
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• U. appoints first Mormon Studies professorship

  20-09-2017 21:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah’s College of Humanities has appointed Paul Reeve, a professor of history, as the first Simmons Mormon Studies professor.Reeve, who received his doctorate in history from the U., teaches courses on Utah history, Mormon history and the history of the Western U.S. His most recent book, “Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness,” received the Mormon History Association’s Best Book Award, the John W
  
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• Missing Kaysville boy last seen in California found safe

  20-09-2017 21:41
  
  A missing 15-year-old boy from Kaysville was found safe Wednesday, according to Kaysville police.
  
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• Photo: Just puttering around

  20-09-2017 21:34
  Golfers line up a putt at Thanksgiving Point Golf Course in Lehi on Tuesday. Depsite a gloomy and sometimes rainy day along the Wasatch Front, Wednesday's weather is expected to sunny with highs in the high 70s. It won't last, however, as a colder storm will move into the area Thursday, brings the snow level down to below 6,000 feet.
  
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• Legislature to consider bill to allow removal of mentally incapacitated elected officials

  20-09-2017 21:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would allow the removal of mentally incapacitated elected officials and address troubling situations such as what happened with former Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott will have a new chance to become law next year.But it's quite different from proposed legislation that failed to pass in the Utah Legislature earlier this year. And it would only apply to six counties — that is, if they choose to adopt it.The bill has not yet been publicly filed, but its
  
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• 'Elvis' charged in Kearns assault of teen girl two years ago

  20-09-2017 20:40
  KEARNS — Charges have been filed against a transient accused of abusing a teen girl who was walking home from school two years ago.Fred Hendrick Garcia, 40, who also goes by the names Garcia X and Elvis Presley, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.Garcia is already in the Utah State Hospital, where doctors are trying to restore his competency to stand trial in another case.In March, a 15-year-old girl told
  
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• FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs pleads guilty to fraud scheme charge

  20-09-2017 20:34
  
  From faith leader to fugitive, Lyle Jeffs pleaded guilty Wednesday to food stamp fraud and failing to appear in court.
  
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• FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs pleads guilty to food stamp fraud

  20-09-2017 20:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — From faith leader to fugitive, Lyle Jeffs pleaded guilty Wednesday to food stamp fraud and failing to appear in court.Jeffs, 57, was accused last year alongside 11 other leaders and members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church in an indictment alleging $191,000 in food stamp fraud.But while the other 10 defendants resolved their cases with no prison time, Jeffs slipped an ankle monitor and fled, spending nearly a year on the run before being captured in June in South Dakota.Ba
  
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• Police 'fed up' with Kearns gang dispute that led to deaths of 2 bystanders

  20-09-2017 20:15
  
  Police say an ongoing dispute between two rival gangs has "ramped up" over the past month, and seemingly came to a head this week, resulting in the deaths of two innocent bystanders Tuesday night.
  
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• Crews make repairs to docks, marinas after microburst on Lake Powell

  20-09-2017 19:53
  PAGE, Ariz. — Authorities say repairs are nearly finished to property in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that was damaged by last week's microburst along the Utah-Arizona border.A sudden, powerful downward gust of wind swamped or sank dozens of powerboats and jet skis last Thursday on Lake Powell, and resulted in damages to the park's docks and marinas.The head pier broke, and several flanges snapped on side piers at Bullfrog.At the Wahweap Marina, water, power and sewer weren't a
  
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• ​​S.L. official appointed to International Economic Development Council board

  20-09-2017 19:46
  SALT LAKE CITY — The International Economic Development Council has appointed Lara Fritts, director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development, to its board.Fritts will serve a two-year term beginning Jan. 1. Fritts will represent Salt Lake City alongside 55 voting members from public and nonprofit economic development organizations across the country.“Since joining our team a little more than a year ago, Lara has delivered significant wins for Salt Lake City, drawi
  
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• A.M. notes: Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico, Mexico quake death total rises, Jimmy Kimmel slams senator

  20-09-2017 19:11
  Here’s a look at the news for Sept. 20.Hurricane Maria hits Puerto RicoHurricane Maria pummeled eastern Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning, becoming the strongest storm to hit the area in more than 90 years, NBC News reported.The Category 5 storm killed at least one person and injured two more.The storm also affected the U.S. and British Virgin Islands before it spread across Puerto Rico, according to NBC.Forecasters told NBC that widespread damage is expected. It may leave some locations wi
  
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• Salt Lake attorney wins $29,200 on 'Jeopardy,' moving on to next round

  20-09-2017 18:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — Betsy Knudson, an attorney from Salt Lake City, won big on Tuesday night’s “Jeopardy” and will be competing in her second game today.The attorney was up against one-day champion Angela Ward, from Longview, Texas, and Farhad Mahmoudi of Encinitas, California.Knudson’s love of all things trivia was brought up during introductions with host Alex Trebek, when she expressed gratitude to her boyfriend for converting their formal dining room into a library
  
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• UberEATS takeout delivery service officially launches in Salt Lake City

  20-09-2017 18:40
  UberEATS has officially come to Utah.The service delivers food from various restaurants to customers.Drivers pick up orders from participating restaurants and deliver them to you. The average speed is 35 minutes from start to finish.“When you're ready to place your order, you'll see a total that includes the food and delivery price. There's no need to tip. Pay with your Uber account and track your order on the site as it comes to you,” according to the UberEATS website.Close to 50 di
  
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• Jared Whitley: It's not you, Comic Con, it's me — this old timer needs a break

  20-09-2017 18:20
  The first comic convention I went to was in 1991 in Salt Lake City. The keynote event featured legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont. I stood in a short line to meet him, got some books signed and got to visit with him and other comic book creators face to face.The experience was small and cozy and novel … and of course absolutely nothing like what fans experience nowadays. If Claremont attended the Salt Lake City Comic Con, his name would probably be well below Richard Dean Anderson&rsquo
  
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• 1 injured, 2 arrested after fleeing car rolls at West Jordan construction site

  20-09-2017 18:07
  
  One person was critically injured and two others were arrested after a fleeing car crashed at a construction site in West Jordan late Tuesday.
  
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• 4 in custody following shooting, fatal crash in Kearns

  20-09-2017 17:52
  
  Four people were taken into custody Wednesday in connection with a drive-by shooting and subsequent crash in Kearns that killed two people and injured two others.
  
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• Woman hit by South Salt Lake police car

  20-09-2017 17:42
  
  A woman was seriously injured when she stepped in front of a moving police car early Wednesday morning.
  
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• Police investigating whether speed, alcohol contributed to fatal rollover

  20-09-2017 17:34
  CENTERVILLE — A man is dead after a violent rollover crash on Legacy Parkway early Wednesday.The man was driving south on the freeway near 1000 North in Centerville when his vehicle drifted into the median, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.The car rolled, traveling an estimated 1,800 feet before coming to a stop, UHP said. The man, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the rolling vehicle and died.Investigators are looking into whether alcohol and speed contributed to the cr
  
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• Woman hit by police car in South Salt Lake

  20-09-2017 17:33
  SOUTH SALT LAKE — A Millcreek woman was seriously injured when she stepped in front of a moving police car early Wednesday.The officer was driving south on State Street about 2:30 a.m. when the 30-year-old woman stepped in front of his patrol car near 2978 South and was hit, South Salt Lake police officer Gary Keller said."They said it jut happened all of a sudden and she was right there, dressed in dark clothing," Keller said. "There's a street light out there, so it was poorly lit."The w
  
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• Jay Evensen: Why a Trump 'Bears Ears' decision won't be the last word

  20-09-2017 17:05
  SALT LAKE CITY —Seven months ago, after a bitter public hearing on Utah’s Capitol Hill was cut short because Republican lawmakers didn’t like how the boisterous crowd expressed its support of former President Barack Obama’s version of a Bears Ears Monument, I made a prediction.Turn the issue around and you would find the players changing sides and adopting each other’s lines, like some dramatic exercise in an acting class. “The American political landscape has
  
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• FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs to appear in court Wednesday

  20-09-2017 17:02
  
  A polygamous sect leader accused of heading an intricate food stamp fraud scheme is expected to appear at a change of plea hearing in federal court Wednesday.
  
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• What if dinosaurs survived?

  20-09-2017 16:00
  Picture this: You’re walking down the steet on a sunny day when a large shadow falls over you. You look up and a winged dinosaur soars in the sky.This is what the world would like if dinosaurs never died out, something experts often wonder about.A new BBC documentary — called “The Day the Dinosaurs Died” — looks into what would have happened if dinosaurs survived the asteroid that struck Earth and doomed them.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S2_QCJkwb0Experts interv
  
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• 2nd person in custody following fatal shooting, crash in Kearns

  20-09-2017 14:47
  
  A second person has been taken into custody in connection with what police call a gang-related shooting and crash in Kearns that killed two people.
  
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• Man dies in rollover crash on Legacy Parkway

  20-09-2017 14:25
  
  A man died in a rollover crash early Wednesday morning in Centerville, Utah Highway Patrol troopers said.
  
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• Police: 2 dead in Kearns crash that followed drive-by shooting

  20-09-2017 07:00
  
  A drive-by shooting and related crash killed two people and injured two more Tuesday, police said, part of a string of gang-related gun violence in Kearns.
  
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• Roy officers cleared in fatal shooting of Layton man

  20-09-2017 06:53
  
  Two Roy police officers were justified in the fatal February shooting of 38-year-old a man outside a Texaco gas station, the Weber County Attorney's office said Tuesday.
  
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• On eve of special session, Utah lawmakers tour Rio Grande shelter, discuss proposed 'safe space'

  20-09-2017 06:47
  
  A day before the Utah Legislature was slated to consider a change to state law to allow the long-term road closure on Rio Grande Street to create a "safe space" for those seeking homeless services, lawmakers toured the Road Home shelter.
  
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• 2 dead, 2 injured in Kearns shooting, car crash

  20-09-2017 06:40
  KEARNS — A drive-by shooting and related crash left two people dead and injured two more Tuesday, police said, part of a string of gang-related gun violence in the suburb just southwest of Salt Lake City.Investigators believe someone fired a gun from a blue Ford truck, striking and wounding one person near 5200 West and 5400 South in Kearns about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Unified Police Department. As the truck sped away, it crashed into a white car, killing the car's driver and
  
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• Startling human trafficking case whittled down to 1 charge

  20-09-2017 06:29
  
  A case that began with startling allegations of human trafficking was whittled down to a plea of no contest for a single count of attempted forcible sexual abuse.
  
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• Utah school nurse shortage leave nurses with heavy workloads

  20-09-2017 06:05
  
  A new state report shows Utah's school nursing shortage slightly worsened over the last year, leaving Utah school nurses with six times the recommended students under their care.
  
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• In preparation of special session, Utah lawmakers tour Rio Grande shelter, discuss proposed 'safe space'

  20-09-2017 05:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Drug-sniffing dogs. A large, tent structure to shelter from the elements. An ID card required for access.Exactly how the state-controlled area called the "safe space" officials want to create on a segment of Rio Grande Street will look and function is still under discussion, but Utah Department of Workforce Services officials Tuesday told lawmakers on the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee that those are a few elements of what they expect for the fenced off area."
  
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• LDS Church issues statement on status of missionaries in central Mexico following earthquake

  20-09-2017 05:00
  
  Following an earthquake that shook central Mexico Tuesday afternoon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement on the status of church missionaries in the area.
  
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• Juvenile justice officials offer guidelines for when school officers should act

  20-09-2017 04:30
  SALT LAKE CITY— Juvenile justice officials are working to clarify when and where school resource officers are supposed to step in and enforce law.During a Tuesday meeting of the Legislature's Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, members of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Division of Juvenile Justice Services described uncertainty among education officials on school resource officers' roles. Since the passage of HB239 earlier this year,
  
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• Family mourns teens murdered over missing property as gunman goes to prison

  20-09-2017 03:51
  WEST JORDAN — In an emotional sentencing hearing Tuesday, the mother of two teenagers gunned down in an argument over clothes and belongings insisted it wasn't just her children who died that day, she did too."I want to tell him that he killed me, that I have to live a life while I'm dead, that this is making my whole family suffer," a tearful Maria Lopez explained through an interpreter, dressed in white and clutching a tissue.Her daughter, 15-year-old Abril Izazaga, was just a girl, she
  
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• Op-ed: Congress, stand by your commitment to kids

  20-09-2017 03:35
  The Children’s Health Insurance Program is a long-standing, trusted children’s program. Utah Senator Orrin Hatch is one of the grandfathers of this bipartisan health insurance program he established 20 years ago and continues to champion today.Together, Medicaid and CHIP provide critical health coverage to over 200,000 children in Utah, across both urban and rural areas. These programs work hand in hand and have helped Utah achieve a historic number of covered kids — 94 percent
  
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• LDS Church trying to assess impact of Tuesday's quake on missionaries, members, facilities

  20-09-2017 03:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church continues to assess the status of its members, missionaries and facilities in central Mexico after Tuesday afternoon's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Puebla, about 100 miles from that nation's capital.It was the second such powerful quake in that country this month."At this time, it's difficult to understand fully the impact, including to church members and facilities," LDS Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said Tuesday evening, adding that church leaders are "hear
  
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• 'Be mindful of our children': State lawmakers shown around Midvale family shelter

  20-09-2017 03:20
  MIDVALE — Connie Crosby's voice trembled ever so slightly as she described to a group of state legislators Tuesday what is done for minors whose families have taken shelter at the Road Home's Midvale shelter."I would ask when you're making legislation ... please be mindful of our children," she said.Crosby, the homeless student liaison for Canyons School District, listed a host of after-school activities, from science programs to dance, from coding workshops to soccer and theater, offered
  
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• Months after devastating fire, Brian Head shows signs of new growth

  20-09-2017 02:58
  
  This summer's devastating Brian Head wildfire has long been extinguished, but the damage left behind is still felt in the residents of Iron and Garfield counties. Experts aren't sure when the area will truly be healed, but the answer could be found in Yellowstone National Park.
  
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• Corrections officials note improvements to state sex offender treatment

  20-09-2017 02:21
  SALT LAKE CITY — After an April audit found Utah's Sex Offender Treatment Program to be poorly managed and operating under an outdated model, state Department of Corrections officials say they're working to make improvements.The audit noted the treatment program's failure to manage its personnel and track its performance, as well as its lack of "evidence-based practices." Auditors said the program needs more regular and effective assessments of its methods, as well as programs for offender
  
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• Photos: Cornbelly's honoring a-maize-ing superheroes

  20-09-2017 02:16
  Cornbelly’s new superhero-themed corn maze at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi is pictured from the air Tuesday. Along with celebrating favorite classic superheroes this fall, Cornbelly’s will also honor local everyday heroes — ranging from military and firefighters to grandparents, teachers and law enforcement — when the state’s original corn maze and pumpkin festival returns for its 22nd season Friday. Complimenting this year’s maze design will be a number of spec
  
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• Roy officers' fatal shooting of Layton man ruled justified

  20-09-2017 02:00
  ROY — Two Roy police officers were justified in the fatal February shooting of 38-year-old a man outside a Texaco gas station, the Weber County Attorney's Office said Tuesday.Roy police fired 16 shots in six seconds, including two with the suspect's own gun, in the Feb. 21 confrontation that lasted less than a minute.Roy City Attorney Heather White said in a Tuesday statement the decision reaffirms the city's conviction that the police officers were justified in firing in self-defense. Whi
  
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• Roy officers cleared in fatal officer-involved shooting

  20-09-2017 01:55
  
  Two officers were cleared in the shooting death of a man in February, the Weber County Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
  
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• 'Cumbersome' grant process hinders schools from addressing unsafe bus routes

  20-09-2017 01:53
  SALT LAKE CITY — A grant process that educators have described as "cumbersome" means funding for school bus service along unsafe routes was largely untapped in the 2016-17 academic year.Of $500,000 earmarked for bus service needed "due to health or safety concerns," just $62,300 was expended in the 2017 fiscal year, according to the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst.The program was created during the 2016 legislative session and offered school districts grants of up to $75,000 to pr
  
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