Utah news

• Utah Guard to conduct live-fire artillery exercise at Camp WIliams

  21-09-2017 23:44
  CAMP WILLIAMS, Salt Lake County — The Utah National Guard will conduct a live-fire artillery exercise at Camp Williams Monday through Wednesday.Soldiers from the 640th Regional Training Institute will be participating in the exercise. Artillery fire will occur sporadically throughout the day, beginning at approximately 7 a.m. and ending around 6 p.m. each day.Artillery exercises are not open to the public.Those expected to be most affected by these include residents of Bluffdale, Riverton,
  
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• Emergency dispatcher recognized for helping 7-year-old accident victim

  21-09-2017 23:36
  SPANISH FORK — Janine Gingras, an emergency dispatcher with the Utah Valley Dispatch Special Service District, was recently recognized by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch for the way she handled a call involving the rollover of a all-terrain vehicle in Spanish Fork Canyon.Gingras was awarded the Call of the Week, which highlights dispatchers from around the world who correctly follow protocol and provide exemplary customer service to those in dire circumstances.According t
  
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• Survey: 1 in 10 female Utah State students face sex assault

  21-09-2017 23:33
  LOGAN — A recent survey says most Utah State University students feel safe on campus, but 1 in 10 women say they have experienced unwanted sexual contact.University administrators released a report Wednesday highlighting the results of an April campus climate survey. Forty-five percent of the student body responded.Among the students who experienced assault, 90 percent say their attacker was an acquaintance — typically a fellow student — but only 5 percent filed a formal report
  
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• 2 raped unconscious teen while 3rd man recorded it, police say

  21-09-2017 23:11
  
  Police say two Salt Lake men took a teenage girl "partying" before taking turns raping her in the back seat of a car while she was passed out, all while a third man recorded it on a cellphone.
  
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• Salt Lake City named one of the best cities for young professionals

  21-09-2017 22:28
  Young professionals may want to move to the Beehive State.A recent study from SmartAsset found that Salt Lake City was one of the top 10 best U.S. cities for young professionals, ranking seventh on the list.The study said that 22 percent of Salt Lake City’s residents are between 25 and 34 years old. Only 2.69 percent of those in the city face unemployment, too.Salt Lake City also has a lot of affordable full-time workers, who earn about $40,000 every year. They have to pay off a median ren
  
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• Oops! Transposed numbers send Homeland Security callers to sex line

  21-09-2017 21:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — Numbers matter.The new head of the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Utah division was in town earlier this week warning the public about the dangers of sexual exploitation and sexual predators.Unbeknownst to Steve Cagen, however, was that the business cards he was passing out contained the number for a 24-hour sex talk line.Cagen, who just recently became the special agent-in-charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Colorado, Utah, Monta
  
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• Utah emergency managers to help Florida's long-term hurricane recovery

  21-09-2017 21:20
  SALT LAKE CITY— Three state of Utah employees left Thursday to help Florida in what could be a lengthy recovery process after Hurricane Irma.Tyson Walker, Brian Nelson and Thayne Mickelson made last-minute preparations Thursday morning to leave for Tallahassee in order to assist mass sheltering and long-term recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma. While the specifics of their mission could change, the Utah employees prepared themselves for a 16-day effort to relieve local personnel and coord
  
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• 2 raped unconscious teen while third man recorded it, police say

  21-09-2017 21:02
  WEST JORDAN — Police say two Salt Lake men took a teenage girl "partying" before taking turns raping her in the back seat of a car while she was passed out, all while a third man recorded it on a cellphone.Richard Djassera, 21, and Leclair Dodjim, 24, were arrested Tuesday by West Jordan police for investigation of aggravating kidnapping, rape, forcible sodomy, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.A 14-year-o
  
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• Ogden signs agreement with European outdoor sports firms

  21-09-2017 20:43
  
  A Utah city is staking its claim as a hub for the outdoor industry.
  
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• Indicted ex-UTA board member wants judge, not jury, to decide his fate

  21-09-2017 20:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — A former Utah Transit Authority board member who allegedly misrepresented more than $1 million on a commuter rail land deal wants a judge — not a jury — to decide his fate.Terry Diehl, a prominent Utah real estate developer, argues in recent federal court filings that media coverage has the potential to bias jurors and that "laypeople" might not be able to understand the complexities of the law.Diehl's lawyer, Loren Washburn, cites the reader comment section on
  
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• Fight over licorice leads to felony charge

  21-09-2017 20:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of violently assaulting another man over licorice now faces serious criminal charges.Justin Rene Peron, 36, who is listed as homeless, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.On June 27, a man was in front of City Creek Center, 50 S. State, holding several pieces of licorice when he was approached by Peron. Peron demanded the man hand over the licori
  
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• LDS Church: Following earthquake, all missionaries in Mexico safe

  21-09-2017 19:53
  
  All missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were in the affected area of the massive Mexico earthquake Tuesday are safe, according to a statement released Thursday morning.
  
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• Police say body found in creek is missing Murray man

  21-09-2017 19:50
  MILLCREEK — A body pulled from a creek Wednesday has been identified as a Murray man missing since Sept. 14.The body of Nick Kapos, 82, was spotted Wednesday morning by utility workers near 145 W. Central Ave. Search and rescue crews recovered the body, which was tangled in weeds and brush. The creek branches off from Big Cottonwood Creek.The body appeared to have been in the water for some time, Lohrke said.Over the weekend, Murray police made a public request to be on the lookout for Kap
  
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• Ashley Ranger District plans prescribed burns

  21-09-2017 19:49
  DUCHESNE — The Duchesne/Roosevelt Ranger District on the Ashley National Forest is preparing for prescribed fires beginning Oct. 1 and running through Christmas Day.According to a statement from the district, implementation of two prescribed fire projects is dependent on weather conditions, and the first project area to meet the requirements will be implemented.The project burn areas include:• Reservation Ridge East sagebrush: This project is located on the south unit of the Duchesne
  
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• A.M. notes: Utah Rep. talks North Korea, LDS Church makes record $35M purchase, Maria strikes Puerto Rico

  21-09-2017 19:43
  Here’s a look at the news for Sept. 21.Is North Korea’s leader insane?Utah Rep. Chris Stewart spoke with the Deseret News editorial board on Wednesday about a number of pressing issues facing the United States.Among those issues was North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un. Stewart said candidly that the leader is not insane, but he does represent a threat to the U.S."We just can't ignore the reality that North Korea is a real and meaningful threat to not only U.S. security but frankl
  
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• Students from these states graduate with the least amount of debt

  21-09-2017 19:42
  An annual study from the Institute for College Access and Success found that Utah students graduate with the least amount of debt among all states.Beehive State students graduate with less than $20,000 in debt (specifically $19,975). By comparison, New Hampshire students (those with the highest debt) graduated owing $36,367.Utah ranked ahead of New Mexico, California, Arizona and Nevada.New Hampshire ranked at the bottom of the list, just ahead of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Minnesot
  
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• Police identify body of elderly man pulled from water in Millcreek

  21-09-2017 19:36
  
  Police confirmed that the body pulled from a canal in Millcreek Wednesday was that of a missing 82-year-old man, according to Murray City police.
  
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• Discontinued Harley customized by Syracuse resident

  21-09-2017 19:31
  
  Jason Larsen put his passion to work on his 2009 Harley-Davidson Dyna over the winter just in time for the 2017 riding season. Powder-coat and horsepower have been added to this unique ride and is definitely worth a second look.
  
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• Utah Senate requests comment on 5th District Court nominee

  21-09-2017 19:23
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee is seeking public comment on Matthew Bell, who was appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert on Wednesday to fill a newly created judicial position on the 5th District Court.Since 2008, Bell has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for Utah, prosecuting a variety of federal criminal offenses, as well as misdemeanor crimes occurring on federal lands within national parks.Bell also serves as an instructor for the Utah Peace Officer Standa
  
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• Salute to Youth soloists set to shine with the Utah Symphony

  21-09-2017 18:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — Olivia Owens loves playing the violin.In fact, she loves it so much that on occasion, her mother has taken to hiding the instrument to ensure that homework gets finished.With the annual Salute to Youth concert on the horizon, the 11-year-old violinist has been playing even more than usual.“She works so hard,” said Olivia’s mother, Cathy Owens. “As a family, we just kind of sit back in awe. … Preparing for this concert really has been her own ha
  
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• Twitter reacts to BYU's decision to add caffeine with cheers, jeers and GIFs

  21-09-2017 17:45
  “It’s happening.”That’s how BYU announced that it will begin selling caffeinated soft drinks on campus, effective immediately."It will be on campus today," BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins told the Deseret News.https://twitter.com/BYU/status/910867951464493057"This decision was made by Dining Services," Jenkins said, according to the Deseret News. "They were the ones in the 1950s to make the decision not to sell caffeinated soft drinks."Dean Wright, director of Dining Servic
  
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• Missing Kaysville boy last seen in California found

  21-09-2017 17:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — A 15-year-old boy from Kaysville who was reported missing has been found, Kaysville police reported.Until Wednesday, the boy was last seen at a convenience store in Yermo, California, at 5 p.m. Monday. He stayed at the gas station until about 7 p.m., according to surveillance footage obtained by his parents, who drove to gas stations south of Las Vegas asking clerks if he looked familiar.His parents notified police in Utah, Nevada and California, his mother, Renee Hansen,
  
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• Jay Evensen: Think the U.S. should cut foreign aid? Think again

  21-09-2017 17:05
  How much of the U.S. federal budget do you think goes toward foreign aid? One third? A half?Perhaps more importantly, do you think the money is well spent?The real answer to the first question is about 1 percent. However, opinion polls tend to show Americans think the percentage is much higher, and in any case they think it’s too much.A Rasmussen Reports poll in March found that 57 percent of likely voters thinks the nation is too generous.The answer to the second question may not be what
  
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• Lawmakers hear about additional treatment beds, fee increase for drivers licenses, more

  21-09-2017 17:03
  
  State lawmakers heard about hundreds of treatment beds becoming available by late December or early January, legislation that could raise fees for drivers licenses and firearms permits, and why one expert opposes upgrades at sewage plants.
  
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• BYU adds caffeinated soft drinks for first time since 1950s

  21-09-2017 16:59
  
  BYU has added caffeinated soft drinks on its campus for the first time since the 1950s, the university announced Thursday.
  
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• BYU to sell caffeinated soft drinks on campus, starting today

  21-09-2017 16:55
  PROVO — Workers are stocking vending machines and store shelves on the BYU campus with caffeinated soft drinks this morning for the first time in 60 years."It will be on campus today," BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.BYU announced the decision on Twitter and its website."This decision was made by Dining Services," Jenkins noted. "They were the ones in the 1950s to make the decision not to sell caffeinated soft drinks."Consumer preferences have changed, she said."Requests for caffeinated
  
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• BYU selling caffeinated soft drinks on campus

  21-09-2017 16:55
  PROVO — BYU is still Stone Cold Sober, but its image is getting a major makeover today.Caffeinated Coca-Cola is on sale at BYU.Workers began stocking campus vending machines and store shelves with caffeinated soft drinks this morning for the first time in 60 years."It will be on campus today," university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.BYU announced the decision on Twitter and its website.https://twitter.com/BYU/status/910867951464493057The change ends decades of competing messages. In the
  
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• This Utah ski resort embraces its new 1-star rating

  21-09-2017 16:45
  For any other ski resort, a one-star rating would be a sign that business was going downhill. But for one in Utah, it may be a sign instead that its reputation has reached a peak.According to a new ad for Snowbird Ski Resort in Snowbird, Utah, it is one of the least fun places to ski in the country.Why, you ask? Because it is so difficult to ride, of course!The ad features a statement made by a skier from Los Angeles, who expressed his dismay with his experience skiing there.https://www.deseretn
  
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• Video: Utah hunter has 'heart-racing' scare with a wild bull moose

  21-09-2017 16:30
  Phillip Rumpf had what he called a “heart-racing” experience while hunting this week.While out “blind hunting” in Emigration Canyon (hunting from a blind tent), Rumpf spotted a bull moose. The moose slowly approached Rumpf, going as far as to sniff and stick its nose into Rumpf’s tent blind.“I had the privilege of meeting this bull moose close up,” he wrote on YouTube. “Heart-racing to say the least, having a 1,000 pound wild animal 10 inches away.
  
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• LDS opera singer Erin Morley stars at the Met — 'Not bad for a girl from Utah'

  21-09-2017 16:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Erin Morley is a mother, a Mormon and a world-class opera singer — and she takes the train to work.Two hours. Both ways.“I have a deluge of emails I go through on the train,” Morley said. “I’m answering them. I’m coordinating playdates for my kids. I’m working on negotiating a contract. I feel like I’m running a business.”But calling Morley’s singing career a “business” is an understatement. The Utah n
  
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• In our opinion: Utah must push for federal funding to treat opioid epidemic

  21-09-2017 14:05
  The state Legislature must continue to call upon the Trump administration to expedite the approval of a Medicaid waiver that will provide essential funding to rehabilitate Utah’s addicts. The state is currently implementing “Operation Rio Grande” — an initiative to address homelessness and addiction — however, additional funding is needed to ensure the program’s success. Utah law enforcement personnel and state administrators are seeking to prioritize rehabili
  
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• Panel pitches possible fixes to Utah's teacher shortage

  21-09-2017 06:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — After returning to Utah from Washington state and taking a job leading Provo schools, Keith Rittel noticed a problem.His new teachers stayed in the district for only a few years, leaving once their spouses graduated from Brigham Young or Utah Valley universities.So the superintendent borrowed an idea from Washington schools. He is sowing another crop of teachers in his own high school classrooms through his "careers in education" technical courses for aspiring educators."I
  
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• 'Hope for Houston' $1 million donation going toward supplies to help rebuild Texas town

  21-09-2017 06:47
  
  KSL and Bonneville radio stations presented a million-dollar check to Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to help victims of Hurricane Harvey after KSL viewers and listeners made donations during a "Hope for Houston" telethon event.
  
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• Electricity workers rescue man from burning Salt Lake City home

  21-09-2017 06:30
  
  Three Rocky Mountain Power workers helped pull a man out of a burning home on Wednesday morning, probably saving the man’s life, police said.
  
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• Police: Long-term approach to gang problem must combat elementary school recruitment

  21-09-2017 06:14
  
  Community leaders and police in Kearns said Wednesday they were doing what they could to stay on top of the gang problem, after two innocent people died in a crash with a truck that detectives said was fleeing a drive-by shooting.
  
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• State School Board urged to reverse course on middle school core requirements

  21-09-2017 05:46
  SALT LAKE CITY — Julie Provost was a shy, awkward girl who was 50 pounds overweight going into seventh grade.The last thing she wanted to do was take a required physical education class because she feared ridicule and that she wouldn't be able to handle the physical demands of the class.But the class was a turning point in her life, Provost said. She learned that she really liked the sports of volleyball and basketball and that physical activity was a good way to get in shape."I lost 50 po
  
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• Crash victim at center of nurse arrest controversy remains in critical condition

  21-09-2017 05:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — The reserve police officer at the center of a blood draw request that prompted the high-profile arrest of a University Hospital nurse remains in critical condition, his family said Wednesday.Bill Gray, a truck driver and reserve member of the Rigby Police Department in Idaho, was severely burned July 26 in a fiery head-on crash near Wellsville in Cache County. The driver of a pickup truck trying to evade officers crossed suddenly into oncoming traffic, slamming into Gray's
  
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• Is Kim Jong Un insane? Rep. Stewart says no, but he's a real threat

  21-09-2017 04:43
  SALT LAKE CITY — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not insane, says Utah Rep. Chris Stewart. But he poses the most pressing threat to the United States as he pushes forward with plans to develop missiles capable of reaching the U.S. with nuclear warheads."We just can't ignore the reality that North Korea is a real and meaningful threat to not only U.S. security but frankly to global security and global civility," Stewart, R-Utah, said Wednesday in response to questions by the Deseret News
  
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• Windfall in treatment beds still expected by around end of year, state official tells lawmakers

  21-09-2017 04:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — The state's director of mental health and substance abuse services told legislators Wednesday he is confident that more than 200 treatment beds will be available by late December or early January for people targeted for help by Operation Rio Grande.Doug Thomas noted that 44 people who suffer from substance abuse or mental illness have so far been screened and assigned a treatment bed as a result of the ongoing operation to restore order to the area around the Road Home she
  
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• LDS Church buys printer's manuscript of Book of Mormon for record $35 million from Community of Christ

  21-09-2017 04:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church paid a record-setting $35 million to buy the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon on Monday from the Community of Christ.The churches jointly announced the sale Wednesday night.Community of Christ issued a news release that included the purchase price. The release said the amount is the most ever paid for a manuscript, exceeding the $30.8 million paid by Bill Gates for the Leonardo da Vinci Codex Leicester in 1994.Donors provided the money for th
  
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• LDS Church buys printer's manuscript of Book of Mormon for record $35 million

  21-09-2017 04:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church paid a record-setting $35 million Monday to buy the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon from the Community of Christ.Donors provided all of the money for the purchase made by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The two churches jointly announced the sale Wednesday night. Both faiths treasure the document, which is the most complete copy of the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith to several scribes.The p
  
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• Utah tech unicorn hosts inaugural conference, welcomes Michelle Obama

  21-09-2017 04:03
  
  Utah tech education company Pluralsight hosted its first user conference Wednesday and welcomed some big names, including former first lady Michelle Obama.
  
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• Lawmakers to consider fee increases for drivers' licenses, firearms permits

  21-09-2017 03:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers voted Wednesday to move forward with legislation that could potentially raise fees for drivers' licenses and concealed firearm permits.The sponsor of the proposed fee revisions, Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said the current driver's license fees don't cover the costs of issuing them, forcing the state to subsidize the Utah Driver License Division with taxpayer dollars.Thatcher argued that the difference between fees and taxes is that taxes pay f
  
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• GOP lawmaker drafting bill to eliminate state sales tax on food

  21-09-2017 03:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Republican state lawmaker said Wednesday he's drafting a bill to eliminate the state sales tax on food entirely while raising the overall rate by less than a quarter of a percent.Rep. Tim Quinn, R-Heber City, told the Legislature's Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee his bill for the 2018 session would retain the local 1.25 percent sales tax on food, so Utahns would still pay some tax on their grocery purchases.Quinn said he believes Utahns would have no problem payin
  
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• 9th-grader donates award-winning mascot sculpture to Herriman middle school

  21-09-2017 03:32
  
  Joseph Barwick estimates he spent well over 200 hours creating a giant sculpture of his middle school’s mascot, which won him an award at the Utah State Fair. Now, it has a spot at the middle school Barwick attends.
  
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• Molina health insurance is leaving: What that means for thousands of Utahns

  21-09-2017 03:00
  
  Last year, Humana health insurance left Utah and now Molina is going too. Soon, thousands of people will have to find new health insurance, with only two options to choose from. Approximately 177,000 Utahns use the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
  
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• Utah Legislature passes 2 bills to fund, facilitate Operation Rio Grande

  21-09-2017 02:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — With near-unanimous support, the Utah Legislature has passed two bills to support Operation Rio Grande — one to fund nearly $5 million in law enforcement efforts and one to facilitate a two-year closure of Rio Grande Street.The bills faced little opposition as they sailed through both the House and Senate during Tuesday's special session, both driven by House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, who has worked closely with city, county and state agencies to make the multia
  
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• Crash victim connected to Alex Wubbels arrest still in critical condition, family says

  21-09-2017 02:45
  
  A man involved in a crash earlier this summer — who University Hospital nurse Alex Wubbels was overseeing before her controversial arrest — is still in critical condition as of this week.
  
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• 4 U of U students charged with criminal mischief after allegedly spray-painting BYU cougar statue

  21-09-2017 02:40
  PROVO — Four University of Utah students have been charged with criminal mischief after allegedly vandalizing the cougar statue outside LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 9, the morning of the BYU-Utah football game.The students, Jackson Horspool, 18; Amy Newman, 19; Lane Hogan, 18; and Beu Maimer, 21; who live in Salt Lake City, allegedly spray-painted red “U” logos, “Go Utes” and a white smiley face on the cougar, then returned to the scene minutes later to “ch
  
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• 200 bats invade West High School

  21-09-2017 02:30
  SALT LAKE CITY — Students showing up to school early this week at West High School walked into a frightful scene. About 200 bats had found their way inside."Pretty gross," Vibah Bajii, 17, said. "I heard somebody left a window open. That's how they got in. I'm not sure."That seems to be the most popular theory, according to Jason Olsen, spokesman for the Salt Lake City School District. Olsen said workers have been capturing and then releasing the bats outside, getting the numbers down to a
  
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