Utah news

• New Count My Vote initiative filed with state

  27-09-2017 23:57
  SALT LAKE CITY — An application to circulate the Count My Vote initiative establishing direct primary elections in Utah was filed Wednesday with the lieutenant governor's office."This issue has been debated publicly for many years, but now is the time for the people of Utah to decide," backers of the initiative wrote in an application letter to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.Direct primaries are intended to "improve voter participation, enhance candidates' access to the ballot, require nominees to s
  
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• Judge appointed to Ephraim Justice Court vacancy

  27-09-2017 23:51
  EPHRAIM — The Sanpete County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Judge Mark K. McIff to fill the Ephraim Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson, who retired effective June 30.McIff currently serves as judge of the justice courts in Sevier and Piute counties, Fairview, Fountain Green, Moroni and Spring City.He is also an attorney who practices in the south-central Utah area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah U
  
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• Photos: Salt Lake County District Attorney office building one step closer to completion

  27-09-2017 23:39
  Glass art covering the facade of the new Salt Lake County District Attorney office building is unveiled in downtown Salt Lake City on Wednesday. California artist Gordon Huether created the artwork, which, according to his website, abstractly references the many facets and areas of responsibility of a district attorney. Although the artwork is complete, the building, located at 35 E. 500 South, is still under construction. Work on the 113,000-square-foot, five-level downtown office building &mda
  
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• Colorado family killed in plane crash encountered adverse conditions

  27-09-2017 23:22
  DENVER — Federal investigators say a pilot who crashed his small plane in western Colorado — killing himself, his wife and their two young children — encountered conditions he was not qualified to fly in.The National Transportation Safety Board says Jeff Makepeace, 47, and his family were flying through conditions that included gusty winds and low visibility when their single-engine propeller plane crashed in mountainous terrain near Glenwood Springs the night of Sept. 15.Those
  
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• Sen. Orrin Hatch touts GOP tax plan as roadmap for middle-class relief

  27-09-2017 23:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Promising relief for middle-class families, Sen. Orrin Hatch says he's ready to roll up his sleeves and go to work on overhauling the federal tax code and making it simple enough to file returns on a postcard.The Senate Finance Committee, which Hatch chairs, the Trump administration, and the House Ways and Means Committee unveiled a framework for reform Wednesday that they say would broaden the tax base, close loopholes and grow the economy."If I had my way, I would bring
  
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• Let’s fight over food: Is UberEATS or Grubhub better?

  27-09-2017 22:52
  
  UberEATS recently joined fellow food delivery service, Grubhub, in Salt Lake City as a new kind of fast- food craze sweeps the nation. In light of UberEATS entry into the market, I decided to put both companies to the test.
  
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• 'He already got a break': Granddaughter of slain couple requests natural life for killer

  27-09-2017 22:50
  UTAH STATE PRISON — It's been 37 years since Tammy Acord lost her grandparents in a high-profile double murder.But the pain her family feels and the anger they have toward the man who committed the heinous crime have not changed."Most of us are so angry that we can’t even come to these hearings because we are afraid of what we would do, and that’s the truth,” Acord said on a recording of the recent parole hearing for John Calhoun. "I’m disgusted that we even have to
  
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• U. aims to avoid 'police state' atmosphere on campus for Shapiro speech

  27-09-2017 22:16
  SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah plans to roll out a ramped-up police presence Wednesday night for conservative speaker Ben Shapiro, following a model it learned after sending a team to see how the University of California, Berkeley, handled a similar speech earlier this month.Though the U. doesn't have a history of free speech protests and violence like Berkeley, a liberal bastion and the birthplace of the American free speech movement, officials at Utah's flagship university didn'
  
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• The U. prepares for Shapiro's speech Wednesday night

  27-09-2017 22:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — As the University of Utah prepares for conservative speaker Ben Shapiro's speech Wednesday night, the spokesman for the organization that invited him said there's a "different breed of protesters" in Utah than at the University of California, Berkeley.Trying to stop Ben Shapiro's speech, spokesman Spencer Brown said, is more alarming than simply protesting his ideas."(Protesters) feel they have a right to shut down speech they disagree with. I think that speaks to a larger
  
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• Congressional candidate John Curtis pulls down 'build the wall' Facebook ads

  27-09-2017 20:47
  
  Provo Mayor John Curtis pulled down congressional campaign ads on Facebook that called on his supporters to sign petitions to "build the wall" along the Mexico border and stop sanctuary cities, then posted an explanation.
  
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• California fugitive arrested following wild S.L. chase

  27-09-2017 20:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man wanted in California and Nevada was arrested this week in Salt Lake City after a chase ended when police say the man tried to use Uber as a getaway vehicle.The wild string of events began Sunday night when Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a fender-bender crash off I-80 at the Redwood Road off-ramp. Troopers immediately noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from one of the vehicles, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.Allen Anthony Elseth, 28, of
  
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• Boise zoo director moving to Utah’s Hogle Zoo

  27-09-2017 20:23
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Hogle Zoo has hired Steve Burns, executive director of Zoo Boise in Idaho, as its new president and CEO. He will take over for Craig Dinsmore, who is retiring after 20 years.During Burns’ tenure at Zoo Boise, he led three successful capital campaigns, built or remodeled 85 percent of the zoo's exhibits, increased attendance 90 percent over 20 years, and promoted a culture of conservation.In addition to his duties in Idaho, Burns served as chairman of the Field
  
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• U. may change ticket policy after handout to Shapiro event leads to controversy

  27-09-2017 20:14
  
  A first-come, first-served ticket handout Saturday for controversial speaker Ben Shapiro set to visit the University of Utah’s campus Wednesday was met with a controversy itself.
  
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• Woman killed in auto-ped crash; 2nd fatal incident for Unified police in a week

  27-09-2017 20:11
  
  A 43-year-old woman who walked away from a group home for mentally and physically disabled people was hit by two vehicles and killed while trying to cross 5400 South early Wednesday.
  
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• These major tech companies, including one from Utah, are donating money to new White House push

  27-09-2017 20:10
  A number of tech companies have pledged to support the White House’s new computer science push, contributing $300 million toward boosting computer science education, according to Recode.Ivanka Trump announced in Detroit on Tuesday that major tech companies would fund a White House initiative that aims to help young American workers find jobs in the future.“Computer science and coding are priorities for the administration as we think about pathways to jobs and alignment of education t
  
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• Woman killed in auto-ped crash; second fatal incident for Unified police in a week

  27-09-2017 19:51
  KEARNS — A 43-year-old woman who walked away from a group home for mentally and physically disabled people was hit by two vehicles and killed while trying to cross 5400 South early Wednesday.The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was attempting to cross the street at 5160 West where she was hit by two eastbound vehicles, said Unified Police detective Chuck Malm.The area was dark at the time of the incident, the woman was wearing dark clothing, and she was not in a crosswalk."B
  
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• U. braces for controversial speaker Ben Shapiro but encourages more like him

  27-09-2017 19:49
  
  A controversial speaker who drew protests before his speech at University of California, Berkeley earlier this month is speaking Wednesday night at the University of Utah.
  
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• US Interior chief wants smaller monuments, but not at home

  27-09-2017 19:43
  
  U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has closely followed his boss' playbook, encouraging mining and drilling on public lands and reducing the size of national monuments that President Donald Trump called a "massive land grab" by his Democratic predecessors.
  
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• Dead roach in Utah man’s milkshake becomes Twitter hero

  27-09-2017 19:29
  
  After finding a dead cockroach in his milkshake, one Utah man has turned "Trevor the Roach" into an online sensation.
  
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• Here's how much that awesome vacation will cost you

  27-09-2017 18:36
  SALT LAKE CITY — If you’re hoping to get away sometime soon, you might want to consider the finances of a worthwhile trip.Research shows that more than half of Americans don’t use their vacation time. In fact, 54 percent of workers in 2016 ended the year without using all of their time off, which meant that 662 million vacation days went unused, according to Fortune.But that number is actually a slight improvement from 2015, when 55 percent of employees didn’t use their v
  
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• Hundreds of bats close auditorium at Layton High School

  27-09-2017 18:23
  
  Layton High School officials have canceled events and closed the school's auditorium in an effort to get rid of a large colony of bats.
  
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• Jay Evensen: The story behind THE VOICE on FrontRunner trains

  27-09-2017 17:05
  SATL LAKE CITY —If you have been a passenger on any FrontRunner train in recent weeks, you have heard THE VOICE.Deep, resonant, not unpleasant, and with a distinct accent — a recording of THE VOICE comes on between stops and carefully tells you where exits are located and what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency.We have become so accustomed to monotone Midwestern English, devoid of any distinguishing, potentially offensive or exclusionary dialect, telling us how to buckle sea
  
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• Police identify motorcyclist killed during crash in Big Cottonwood Canyon

  27-09-2017 16:33
  
  Police identified a 62-year-old man Wednesday who died after crashing into the rock face in Big Cottonwood Canyon Tuesday afternoon, according to the Unified Police Department.
  
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• Derek B. Miller: Opportunity knocks on Mitt Romney's door

  27-09-2017 16:10
  Millions hung their heads in disbelief at the outcome on election night 2012. Nowhere was the disappointment felt more deeply than Utah. The state’s favorite adopted son, Gov. Mitt Romney, had lost a hard-fought battle for the U.S. presidency. Romney’s defeat was a lost opportunity for the country, a country that desperately needed just the kind of help he was expert in. It was like suffering a heart attack on a plane that just happened to be carrying the nation’s foremost card
  
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• Woman dies in auto-pedestrian accident in Kearns

  27-09-2017 14:46
  
  A woman died in an auto-pedestrian accident at 5160 W. 5400 South in Kearns Wednesday morning. The crash closed 5400 South in the area.
  
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• National Parks Struggle With a Mounting Crisis: Too Many Visitors

  27-09-2017 12:00
  Overcrowding has put a strain on a park system already grappling with climate change and funding problems, leading to proposals to limit access.
  
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• Family killed in plane crash encountered adverse conditions

  27-09-2017 06:27
  
  Federal investigators say a pilot who crashed his small plane in western Colorado — killing himself, his wife and their two young children — encountered conditions he was not qualified to fly in.
  
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• Hope for Houston: 7 semitrucks loaded with relief supplies on the road to Texas

  27-09-2017 05:10
  
  A caravan of much-needed supplies is headed to Texas thanks to all the people who donated to KSL's Hope for Houston telethon. The loaded semi-trucks began the journey Tuesday at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
  
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• You can now buy UTA tickets on your phone

  27-09-2017 03:31
  
  UTA riders can now purchase select bus and TRAX fares via mobile device. The new app, called UTA GoRide, is free and available for download now.
  
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• The emotional story of Mormon missionaries airlifted out of Puerto Rico

  27-09-2017 03:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — A direct hit by Hurricane Maria first decimated Puerto Rico. Now it is scattering the Mormon missionaries of the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission all over the United States.LDS Church leaders decided Friday to evacuate all 155 missionaries and reassign them to Spanish-speaking missions from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Yakima, Washington. The final 118 missionaries arrived in Miami on Tuesday evening, according to Andrea Wilde Lutz, whose parents were serving in Puerto Rico as
  
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• 'Heartbreaking': Evacuating Puerto Rico, Mormon missionaries reassigned all over U.S.

  27-09-2017 03:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — A direct hit by Hurricane Maria first decimated Puerto Rico. Now it is scattering the Mormon missionaries of the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission all over the United States.LDS Church leaders decided Friday to evacuate all 155 missionaries and reassign them to Spanish-speaking missions from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Yakima, Washington. The final 118 missionaries arrived in Miami on Tuesday evening, according to Andrea Wilde Lutz, whose parents were serving in Puerto Rico as
  
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• Detective believed he had probable cause to arrest U. nurse, union president says

  27-09-2017 02:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police detective Jeff Payne, who has come under nationwide scrutiny for his arrest of a University Hospital nurse, believes he could have handled the situation differently, but maintains he had probable cause to arrest Alex Wubbels.That's according to Salt Lake Police Association President Stephen Hartney who spoke Tuesday, a day after releasing a three-page letter addressed to Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski saying that Payne and Sal
  
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• Early designs for new Salt Lake City homeless resource centers unveiled

  27-09-2017 02:30
  SALT LAKE CITY — Humane. Safe. Contextual. Connected. Trauma-informed.Those words, said Jill Jones of ACJ Architects, are helping "drive" the designs of the new resource centers that have been promised to be starkly different than the troubled, 1,100-bed shelter currently serving homeless people on Rio Grande Street downtown."It's a different building design that really embraces a humane support system," Jones said. "It's not institutional, not cold, not harsh. It's designed to be very com
  
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• Utah POWs recognized for their courage, sacrifice

  27-09-2017 02:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — While many may see their 21st birthday as a symbol of new social freedom, 70-year-old Dale E. Rigby remembers his 21st birthday for the time he was spent in North Korean captivity.Rigby, a Clearfield native, was a baker aboard the USS Pueblo in 1968. On Jan. 23, he and 82 other Navy crewmen were surrounded by North Korean military vessels. Chased by a pair of fighter jets, three subchasers and two patrol boats, and with only a single working machine gun and no help on the
  
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• Mitt Romney: Success of Los Angeles Olympics has to take priority over a S.L. bid

  27-09-2017 02:02
  SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney said Tuesday that while he wants to see the Olympics return to Utah, another bid may have to take a back seat for now to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles."The first priority has to be supporting the Games in Los Angeles," Romney, the leader of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, told the Deseret News in an interview. "They have to be successful."What that means for a possible bid by Salt Lake City for the 2026 Winter Games should be left up to organize
  
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• Motorcyclist dead in Big Cottonwood Canyon crash

  27-09-2017 01:53
  BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — A 62-year-old motorcyclist died when he crashed in Big Cottonwood Canyon Tuesday.Police say the man whose name hasn't been released went off the road at the S-curve just north of the Mill B Trailhead to Lake Blanche.Police say no one else was involved in the accident that happened about 4 miles up the canyon road Tuesday afternoon.Police were investigating.This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
  
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• Utah consumer confidence strong in September

  27-09-2017 01:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah consumers are still bullish about the state's economic fortunes, according to a new survey.The Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index rose 1.4 points in September to register at 116.4. The overall index sits 3.2 points higher than its level this time last year. In comparison, the national Consumer Confidence Index declined 0.6 points to register at 119.8 this month — 16.5 points higher than 12 months ago.Consumer confidence in Utah has registered above 110 sinc
  
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• Therapist who worked with troubled youth arrested for raping patient, police say

  27-09-2017 01:11
  PROVO — A therapist has been arrested for investigation of raping a former juvenile patient multiple times at a youth treatment center.Jason Scott Calder, 41, of Bountiful, was arrested Monday by the Utah County Sheriff's Office for investigation of rape, 10 counts of forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse.Calder, who worked at a youth treatment center in Utah County, is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl on numerous occasions between March and June, according to the Utah
  
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• Senior citizens find more freedom on public transit with help from grant

  27-09-2017 01:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Nancy Kearl glanced up and down the tracks, watching carefully for the eastbound train. One hand kept a tight hold on a small, red grocery caddy by her side."The trains stop and start really fast," she said. "But as long as you can get a place to hang on to and keep a hold of your cart, you do OK."On Tuesday, Kearl and more than a dozen senior citizens waited restlessly at the TRAX station on 400 South, a rail station close to their senior housing at Wasatch Manor.The seni
  
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• Photos: Caravan heads to Houston with much-needed building supplies

  27-09-2017 00:55
  Drivers and volunteers with the "Hope for Houston" caravan strap plywood to a trailer at the Maverik Center in West Valley City as they prepare to head for Houston on Tuesday. The plywood will be used to help in the rebuilding effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. KSL viewers and listeners donated more than $1 million for building supplies during the station’s “Hope for Houston” telethon following Hurricane Harvey’s destruction in parts of Texas.See the world throu
  
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• More Utah students taking, passing Advanced Placement tests

  27-09-2017 00:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — More Utah public school students are taking — and passing — Advanced Placement exams, earning college credit and saving college tuition in the process.And two Davis School District junior highs are among schools with the highest pass rates in the state, according to results released Tuesday by the Utah State Board of Education.Statewide, 26,544 public school students took 40,755 Advanced Placement exams in 2017 — a 5 percent increase from the previous yea
  
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• Iron County property owners want U.S. Supreme Court to hear prairie dog case

  27-09-2017 00:25
  SALT LAKE CITY — A contentious legal fight over the Utah prairie dog on its face may seem centered on a burrowing rodent that weighs less than 3 pounds and is protected by the Endangered Species Act.Attorneys for a group of private property owners in southern Utah, however, say the fight is a classic states' rights case about whether the federal government can extend its regulations of a single species found in just one state to private property.The Pacific Legal Foundation, in a petition
  
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