Utah news

• Work on Spanish Fork-Santaquin Pipeline starts Monday

  05-10-2017 23:59
  SPANISH FORK — Construction across U.S. 6 for the Spanish Fork-Santaquin Pipeline is scheduled to begin Monday and be completed no later than Friday, Oct. 20.The turning lane off U.S. 6 onto 3400 East in Spanish Fork (1600 West in Mapleton) has been closed and will not reopen until Friday, Oct. 20.Two-way traffic on U.S. 6 will continue with one lane open in each direction. General work hours are scheduled between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.Construction officials urge the publ
  
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• Butterfield Canyon Road closed after semi crash

  05-10-2017 23:53
  
  Butterfield Canyon Road is closed in both directions after a semitrailer jackknifed, according to police.
  
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• Op-ed: Operation Rio Grande is making a difference

  05-10-2017 23:30
  Operation Rio Grande deserves our support; it is making a difference and addressing one of our state’s biggest problems.For over 18 years I have lived or worked in the Pioneer Park/Rio Grande neighborhood. In 2008 I moved my store at the time, LatterDayBride & Prom, to the south end of The Gateway, directly across from the homeless shelter.While there I interacted frequently with those experiencing homelessness. There were regulars in the area I came to know well. Four years ago, howev
  
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• Photos: 820 competitors finished Red Bull’s brutal race up a ski jump

  05-10-2017 23:20
  
  For the third year in a row, hundreds of competitors flocked to the Utah Olympic Park to scramble up a ski jump. These photos prove that it's every bit as difficult as it sounds.
  
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• Judge denies Utah death-row challenge in high-profile case

  05-10-2017 22:09
  
  A federal judge denied a death-row challenge Thursday from a Utah prison inmate whose double-murder case was chronicled in the book "Under the Banner of Heaven."
  
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• Want to be paid to play video games? Try the U.

  05-10-2017 21:27
  
  The University of Utah will give students a $1,000 scholarship each year to play video games if they make it onto the college’s new varsity esports team, according to a statement from the U.
  
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• Options for UTA's future include state takeover, losing control over future projects

  05-10-2017 21:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — The future for the Utah Transit Authority laid out to a legislative task force Wednesday ranged from losing control over future projects to an outright takeover by the state.Leaving the agency intact was not among three options offered to the Legislature's Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force. Members will be surveyed about their preferences before a possible vote at their next meeting on Oct. 23."This is a huge change," the task force's co-chairman, Sen. Wayne
  
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• Senate confirms Trump pick to serve on Federal Reserve

  05-10-2017 20:54
  
  The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's nomination of Randal Quarles to serve on the Federal Reserve, the first step in the Republican's efforts to remake the nation's powerful central bank.
  
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• U. trustees approve new agreement with Huntsman Cancer Foundation

  05-10-2017 20:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — After a public power struggle followed by months of negotiation, the University of Utah board of trustees voted 8-1 Thursday to approve a new memorandum of understanding between the U. and the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.The agreement addresses the governance and finances of the Huntsman Cancer Institute moving forward, said University of Utah President David Pershing.The agreement "supplements previous memorandums of understanding between the U. and the Huntsman Cancer Fou
  
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• These new Google ear buds will help you translate 40 different languages in real time

  05-10-2017 20:05
  Google’s new Pixel Buds have a unique feature — help you translate languages in real time.At the Google Event on Wednesday, Google unveiled its new wireless earbuds, which connect to Google Assistant that can then translate 40 different spoken languages in the middle of a conversation, Quartz reported.The demonstration at the event, which you can watch below, showed Isabelle Olsson (speaking Swedish) talking with Juston Payne (speaking English).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZojo2y
  
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• Indicted ex-UTA board member now faxes tax evasion charges

  05-10-2017 19:43
  
  Federal prosecutors have slapped more charges on a former Utah Transit Authority board member already accused of misrepresenting his finances in bankruptcy filings.
  
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• Indicted ex-UTA board member now faces tax evasion charges

  05-10-2017 19:43
  
  Federal prosecutors have slapped more charges on a former Utah Transit Authority board member already accused of misrepresenting his finances in bankruptcy filings.
  
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• Utah company receives FDA approval for skin cell technology

  05-10-2017 19:18
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah-based biotech firm has received federal approval to use its patented process on injured patients to help them regrow their own skin.PolarityTE Inc. this week announced that the company’s lead product, SkinTE, has been registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the use of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products.SkinTE is a product harvested from an individual. The cells are then processed for various uses of skin
  
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• Senate confirms Utah man to serve on Federal Reserve

  05-10-2017 19:12
  
  The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's nomination of Randal Quarles to serve on the Federal Reserve, the first step in the Republican's efforts to remake the nation's powerful central bank.
  
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• A.M. notes: Vegas shooter planned to live, Elizabeth Smart speaks about new show, Minnesota wins WNBA title

  05-10-2017 19:00
  Here’s a look at the news for Oct. 5.Vigil for Las Vegas victimsSouthern Utah University hosted a vigil on Wednesday night to honor the victims of the Las Vegas shooting, according to the Deseret News.The crowd honored the 58 slain and 500 injured, including Chanel LaCroix, a student at the school who attended the country music festival where the shooting took place.LaCroix didn’t attend the vigil. She’s still recovering from injury.SUU’s student body has more than 800 st
  
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• Mesquite man killed in Tooele rollover

  05-10-2017 18:55
  TOOELE — A 45-year-old man from Mesquite, Nevada, was killed in a rollover crash in Tooele County late Wednesday.About 11:45 p.m., Steve Tran was driving a Buick east on I-80 when he drifted off to the side of the road, overcorrected and rolled twice in a ditch, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Tran was ejected and killed.Neither speed nor impairment were believed to be factors in the crash, according to the UHP.
  
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• St. George man killed after being pinned between truck, trailer

  05-10-2017 18:51
  
  A St. George was fatally crushed this week after being caught between a pickup truck and a commercial trailer.
  
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• Nevadan killed in rollover crash on I-80

  05-10-2017 18:04
  
  A Nevada man was killed in a rollover crash on I-80 late Wednesday night, according to Utah Highway Patrol public information officer Marissa Cote.
  
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• See what happened in September in 88 photos

  05-10-2017 17:18
  Editor's Note: "Picture this" is a monthly collection of the best photos taken by Deseret News photojournalists.
  Picture this: Smoke fills the air from a wildfire while a homeowner tries to water a burning backyard. Parked cars covered in snow surround a man as he clears chunks of the fresh powder from his vehicle. The mouth open expression on a boy's face as a costume is revealed to him at Salt Lake Comic Con.
  See what happened in September in the pictures below.
  
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• Jay Evensen: Should we care about electing more Democrats in Utah?

  05-10-2017 17:05
  Utah’s political lopsidedness may make this week’s arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court over political boundaries seem like a moot point here.How lopsided are we? Let me count the ways.Only 13 of 75 state House seats and five of 29 Senate seats belong to Democrats here. By themselves, Democrats are powerless to stop any bill from becoming law.In real numbers, the latest figures from the lieutenant governor’s office show there are 716,234 registered Republicans in the state,
  
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• This interactive tool shows how much money your state representatives received from gun lobbyists

  05-10-2017 16:51
  As expected, talk of a gun control debate in Washington has begun in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre earlier this week.To help its readers understand where their congressional representatives might stand on the issue, Politico recently shared an online tool that offers a glimpse into how much money Congress members receive from gun lobbyists.Three current Utah representatives (and one former one), all Republicans, received contributions during the 2016 election cycle from gun rights lobbyists
  
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• 2 convenience stores robbed overnight in Salt Lake Valley

  05-10-2017 15:49
  
  Police are investigating two separate robberies at convenience stores in Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake overnight.
  
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• Infotainment systems too distracting to drivers, new U. research shows

  05-10-2017 14:51
  
  Many infotainment system features in most 2017 automobiles distract drivers too long to be safely operated while vehicles are in motion, a new study by University of Utah researchers has found.
  
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• In our opinion: Utah sees measured success in addressing poverty

  05-10-2017 14:05
  It’s been a generation since the nation launched the so-called “war on poverty,” creating a host of social programs and other initiatives in the 1960s. By the 1980s, however, many of those programs had fallen out of political favor. The poverty rate, meanwhile, has largely remained stagnant. In Utah, a concerted effort to fight intergenerational poverty is now raising hopes that the right kind of public policy can again help reduce the number of people living in destitution &md
  
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• S.L. County wants public’s help in shaping future of parks, recreation

  05-10-2017 11:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County’s Parks and Recreation Division, in partnership with Utah State University, is seeking community feedback on the future development of parks.According to Martin Jensen, the division’s director, the survey will take the pulse of the community. “Identifying trends in how people choose to recreate allows us to match our current programming and future investments to the public interest,” Jensen said in a statement.The study’s find
  
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• Huntsman World Senior Games celebrates 30th anniversary

  05-10-2017 08:50
  ST. GEORGE — The Huntsman World Senior Games, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, is set to kick off Monday at venues throughout the St. George area.The games, now the largest event of its kind, was created by Daisy and John H. Morgan Jr. in 1987 to promote good health and physical fitness for men and women at or approaching retirement age. In 1989, Jon M. Huntsman, chairman of the Huntsman Corp., became the Games' principal sponsor after recognizing that the Games not only fostered
  
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• SUU vigil honors those slain, injured in Las Vegas — including one of its own

  05-10-2017 06:31
  
  A vigil in Cedar City on Wednesday evening honored those slain and injured in the Las Vegas attack Sunday, including a Southern Utah University student who is recovering from gunshot wounds.
  
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• Infotaintment systems too distracting to drivers, new U. research shows

  05-10-2017 06:28
  SALT LAKE CITY — Many infotainment system features in most 2017 automobiles distract drivers too long to be safely operated while the vehicles are in motion, a new study by University of Utah researchers concludes.The study, led by psychology professor David L. Strayer, found that in-vehicle information systems that enable drivers to place telephone calls, text, tune radios or deploy navigation systems take drivers’ attention off the road for too long to be safe."We’re putting
  
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• Las Vegas landscapers, city constructing permanent memorial to honor mass shooting victims

  05-10-2017 06:07
  
  Less than three days after Sunday’s mass shooting that left 58 dead, landscape architects were busy Wednesday with other contractors, volunteers and city workers scrambling to complete a new, permanent memorial to honor the victims.
  
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• SUU vigil honors those slain, injured in Las Vegas — including one of its own

  05-10-2017 05:40
  CEDAR CITY — Jason Aldean was about to go on stage Sunday night, but Chanel LaCroix had a job interview Monday morning.LaCroix and three friends celebrating their college graduation at the country music festival were discussing how late to stay when they first heard gunfire. They believed it was erupting somewhere else on the Las Vegas Strip."But we realized people started falling around us, and it was coming from above us, that we were the target," recounted LaCroix, 24, a Southern Utah U
  
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• Lawmakers looking at new fees for clean fuel cars, raising price for express lane use

  05-10-2017 04:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns with alternative fuel vehicles should either pay a $225 annual fee or participate in a pilot program for a new type of transportation tax based on the miles they drive, a legislative committee co-chairman said Wednesday.Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, co-chairman of the Legislature's Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee, said he intends to introduce the plan in the 2018 Legislature that begins meeting in late January."My hope is someday we'll have (a vehicle mil
  
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• 'Essential' member of a transplant team isn't who you think it is

  05-10-2017 03:31
  
  When you picture surgery, you might think of a surgeon in scrubs, nurses and medical assistants.
  But there's a vital member of the transplant team at Intermountain Medical Center you've never met. And he's making all the difference.
  
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• New Clearfield clinic uses U. tool to treat head lice

  05-10-2017 03:25
  CLEARFIELD — Amanda Pippin got the worrisome news Wednesday morning: Her kids may have been exposed to lice.Pippin checked her two youngest, who are still at home, who tested positive. The discovery was stressful but came not a moment too soon."I actually checked my other two kids out of school to come (out) to get free treatments," said Pippin, of Roy. "It was actually really good timing. Otherwise I'd be at home, with home treatments, combing it all out by myself."For one day Wednesday,
  
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• Thanksgiving Point gearing up for Halloween with 2 events

  05-10-2017 02:50
  LEHI — Thanksgiving Point is gearing up for Halloween with two signature events — the annual Scarecrow Festival and the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.The Scarecrow Festival will run Monday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Ashton Gardens. The Dia de los Muertos celebration is set for Saturday, Oct. 28. Both events are suitable for the entire family.The Scarecrow Festival features scarecrows built and submitted by members of the community, as well as outdo
  
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• Interior chief dismisses criticism of travel with vulgarity

  05-10-2017 02:50
  FOLKSTON, Ga. — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Wednesday strongly defended his use of private charter flights for government business, calling criticism of his taxpayer-financed travel "complete and utter (expletive)" and driven by politics.Zinke brushed off news reports that he took at least three private flights costing taxpayers a total of $20,000 since taking office in March, saying all his travel is "legal, ethical. All the trips went through absolute due diligence."Zinke spoke to r
  
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• Esports is more than fun and games for U.'s newest varsity squad

  05-10-2017 02:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah doesn't feel the need to offer any apologies for being the first Power Five school in the country to organize and support a varsity-level esports team because, whether people are aware of it or not, esports is already a thing."Esports is here and it's big," said Roger Altizer, co-founder of the U.'s Entertainment Arts and Engineering program and director of the Therapeutic Games and Apps Lab. "Utah just happens to be smart enough to empower that and
  
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• Number of Utah West Nile virus cases in humans on the rise

  05-10-2017 02:31
  SALT LAKE CITY — The number of human West Nile virus cases in Utah is the highest in a decade, with 49 people being diagnosed with the virus and three deaths so far this year, state health officials said.Utah Department of Health officials said they're looking into several other possible cases, meaning that number could grow. The last time Utah saw numbers this high was back in 2007. Since then, it's mostly been a couple of cases a year, until now.It’s been a very busy year for the p
  
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• Leaders, advocates praise solar net metering compromise

  05-10-2017 01:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah leaders, consumer advocates, the solar industry and clean energy boosters are praising the détente achieved with a net metering compromise that preserves status quo rates for thousands of rooftop solar customers in the state.The compromise, endorsed last Friday by the Public Service Commission, emerged after tense negotiations among the players arguing over the benefits and costs rooftop solar is having in Utah in the wake of breakneck adoption.A ceremonial sig
  
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• Utahn picked as deputy director of BLM

  05-10-2017 01:37
  SALT LAKE CITY — Brian Steed, a former university economics professor and prosecutor who most recently served as chief of staff for Congressman Chris Stewart, was tapped Wednesday as the second in command for the Bureau of Land Management."Dr. Steed has been a huge part of my success here in Congress. I always say he’s the best chief of staff on the Hill. I consider him a brother and will miss him greatly," said Stewart, R-Utah. "He has a huge opportunity to serve the American people
  
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• $150M housing and business project coming to Sugar House

  05-10-2017 01:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Where the Sugar House Shopko once stood near 1300 East and I-80 is now a busy construction site. And by mid-2019, it will be replaced with what city officials are calling a "premier" residential and business development.That means a new 170,000-square-foot University of Utah health center, a 150,000-square-foot multitenant office building, a 150-unit residential building, and 1,200 stalls of underground parking, city officials announced at the development's groundbreaking
  
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• Photos: Remembering the victims of domestic violence

  05-10-2017 00:49
  Pinwheels representing the 337 child victims of domestic violence last year are pictured during a Domestic Violence Month event Wednesday in Sandy. The event, which included an overview of last year’s domestic violence statistics, was held to raise awareness and to remember the victims of domestic violence. Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the "Day of Unity" held in October 1981 and conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect advoc
  
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• S.L. County Library sponsoring costume swap

  05-10-2017 00:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Has your Halloween costume given up the ghost?The Salt Lake County Library Services is stepping in to help with its fourth annual costume swap.Individuals may exchange costumes for a token at any county library location Monday, Oct. 9, through Wednesday, Oct. 18. On Saturday, Oct. 21, anyone with a token can shop the swap and receive a “new-to-you” costume at the library’s Viridian Center, 8030 S. 1825 West, West Jordan. Costumes may also be donated and e
  
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