Utah news

• Health Care Solutions Conference set for Dec. 7 in West Valley

  19-10-2017 23:48
  WEST VALLEY CITYRegistration is now open for the 2017 Health Care Solutions Conference on Dec. 7.
  Sponsored by the Utah Health Policy Projecta nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing sustainable health care solutionsthe daylong event will cover a wide variety of health policy topics, such as addressing homelessness and drug use, Medicaid expansion and universal health care.
  The conference will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South. Cost
  
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• Workforce Services appoints new division director

  19-10-2017 23:43
  SALT LAKE CITYThe Utah Department of Workforce Services has selected Elizabeth Carver as the new director of Workforce Program, Policy and Training division.
  Carver, who has been with Workforce Services for 19 years, will replace Karla Aguirre, who is retiring Dec. 15 after more than 25 years with the state.
  Carver most recently served as a program manager for the department, overseeing several federally funded programs and programs for dislocated workers and youth. She directly managed staff me
  
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• S.L. County to hold open houses on dog park plan

  19-10-2017 23:42
  SALT LAKE CITYThe Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Division is hosting four open houses to educate the public and receive feedback regarding its Off-Leash Dog Park Implementation Plan, which has identified the need for dog park amenities throughout the county.
  The meetings will be held on Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Cottonwood Heights City Hall, 2277 E. Bengal Blvd.; Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Gene Fullmer Recreation Center, 8015 S. 2200 West; Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., We
  
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• NEA president urges Utah educators to take action

  19-10-2017 23:25
  SANDYThroughout her career as an educator and later, a leader in the nation's largest teacher's union, Lily Eskelsen Garcia said she has prided herself for being able find common ground with people of differing political perspectives.
  "This is different," said Eskelsen Garcia, referring to the Trump administration.
  "I've never seen anything like it. I do not trust them. I believe they are corrupt. I will not have a photo-op with someone who's corrupt. I believe they are hurting our future," said
  
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• Taylorsville Trunk or Treat set for Oct. 27

  19-10-2017 23:18
  TAYLORSVILLEThe city's 10th annual Trunk or Treat will be held Oct. 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the parking lot of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School, 1441 4630 South.
  During the family-friendly event, trick-or-treaters can collect candy while checking out colorfully decorated trunks of the city's emergency vehicles. Costumes are not required.
  Organizers are asking for a donation of one can o nonperishable food item per child for the Taylorsville Food Pantry.
  
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• Orem police release video of dramatic confrontation

  19-10-2017 23:07
  OREMA 19-year-old man accused of pulling a BB gun on an Orem police officer and pulling the trigger is lucky to be alive.
  Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez said two of his officers last month were faced with a man who pointed what appeared to be a real gun at one of the officers. The officer's partner immediately grabbed his own gun and would have shot the man if the other officer was just one more step back, he said.
  "Honestly it's a matter of probably a foot why he wasn't shot," Martinez said.
  In
  
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• Love says McAdams enters congressional race to advance career, not political agenda

  19-10-2017 23:04
  SALT LAKE CITYRep. Mia Love had sharp words Thursday for her new Democratic challenger, saying Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams is looking to advance his career, not a political agenda.
  The Republican congresswoman said she found it "really surprising" that McAdams jumped into the race, and that he expressed frustration that the federal government wasn't dealing with issues such as Medicaid.
  Love said she has spoken to the county mayor many times and he has never brought that up.
  "I would be w
  
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• Utah logs 3 more algal bloom outbreaks

  19-10-2017 22:59
  SALT LAKE CITYRockport, Echo and Deer Creek reservoirs now include warnings for an outbreak of harmful algal blooms, with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality advising the public to exercise caution.
  The new outbreaks noted Tuesday add to six other water bodies in the state that are suffering from a proliferation of the blue-green algae.
  The harmful algal blooms can contain toxins that can cause serious illness in people and animals.
  Harmful algal blooms are a byproduct of excess nutrien
  
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• Gov. Herbert: 'Honest difference of opinion' over release of attorney general opinion

  19-10-2017 21:58
  
  Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday there's "an honest difference of opinion" that may end up in court over whether he can keep the Utah Attorney General's Office from releasing an opinion sought by lawmakers on the special election.
  
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• Former Salt Lake councilman convicted of stealing $2.5M from N.Y. aerospace company

  19-10-2017 20:47
  
  A federal jury in New York has convicted a Utah man and his Illinois business partner of stealing $2.5 million from an aerospace company in an investment scheme.
  
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• Fast Company highlights Utah nonprofit owned by 'devout Mormons' that looks to help refugees

  19-10-2017 20:30
  Fast Company recently profiled a Utah-based nonprofit that looks to help refugees earn degrees and, eventually, jobs.The company, called One Refugee, helps Utah students who have a refugee background to finish college.So far, the company has helped more than 300 students, but there are close to 600,000 refugees in Utah.Founded in 2013 by Roger and Sara Boyer, One Refugee looks to cover anything that these students need to finish their degrees, including tuition, insurance or just simple advice.F
  
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• Man critical after being tossed 30 to 40 feet from car, police say

  19-10-2017 20:12
  
  Police were hoping to speak Thursday to the driver who fled from a car crash Wednesday night that left a passenger in critical condition.
  
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• Former Salt Lake councilman convicted of stealing $2.5 million from N.Y. aerospace company

  19-10-2017 19:48
  SALT LAKE CITYA federal jury in New York has convicted a former Salt Lake City councilman and his Illinois business partner of stealing $2.5 million from an aerospace company in an investment scheme.
  Keith Eric Jergensen, 58, of Salt Lake City, and Debashis Ghosh, 53, of Chicago, were found guilty Wednesday of conspiring to defraud Laurentian Aerospace Corp. following a seven-day trial in federal court in Syracuse.
  Jergensen served on the Salt Lake City Council from 2002-10 and did not seek a th
  
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• 3rd man arrested in rape of unconscious teen girl

  19-10-2017 19:45
  WEST JORDANPolice have arrested a third man charged in the rape of a 14-year-old, unconscious girl recorded on video by one of the suspects.
  Nasouh Albasis-Albasis, 19, of West Valley City, was booked into Salt Lake County jail Wednesday. He and two other men are each charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony.
  Police booked Richard Djassera, 21, and Leclair Dodjim, 24, both of Murray, into jail in September.
  Djassera is also charged with an
  
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• 1965 Chevy Impala restored in Cache Valley

  19-10-2017 19:31
  
  The Ricks family has owned their 1965 Chevy Impala since the year it was made, and while the car has been fixed and changed over the years, it looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.
  
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• Utah logs 2 more algal bloom outbreaks

  19-10-2017 19:16
  
  The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is warning the public of two more outbreaks of harmful algal blooms, this time at Deer Creek and Rockport reservoirs. There are now nine water bodies impacted throughout Utah, with caution urged.
  
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• These 3 Utah cities ranked among best places to live

  19-10-2017 18:57
  Three Utah cities qualified as some of the best cities to live in.Layton, Orem and South Jordan made 24/7 Wall St.’s list of best cities to live in, which identified 50 cities across the country.The rankings were based on a number of factors, including crime rates, economy and affordability for each city.Elise Gould, senior economist with nonprofit think tank the Economic Policy Institute, told 24/7 Wall St. that personal factors, such as family support systems and preference for location,
  
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• Intermountain Healthcare to restructure, affecting some administrative jobs

  19-10-2017 18:50
  SALT LAKE CITYAn upcoming organizational restructuring will affect the employment of some administrators at Intermountain Healthcare, the Deseret News has learned.
  Intermountain spokesman Daron Cowley said the Salt Lake-based nonprofit health care organization is moving away from "geographically defined administrative regions" and replacing them with two main reporting chains inside the hospital system: a Specialty Care Group and a Community Care Group.
  The change takes effect Dec. 1, Cowley sai
  
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• Trump's health subsidy shutdown could lead to free insurance

  19-10-2017 18:45
  
  If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major "Obamacare" health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable.
  
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• Former county recorder Gary Ott has passed away, family confirms

  19-10-2017 18:34
  SALT LAKE CITFormer Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott passed away at 4 a.m. Thursday morning, his brother Marty Ott has confirmed to the Deseret News.
  Gary Ott, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, had been on hospice care for the past week, Marty Ott said.
  "Alzheimer's is a tragic disease," he said, adding that the former recorder had been under medical care for the past nearly three months, but the disease took its toll.
  "We hope he's remembered for what he wasa good, solid citizen who made co
  
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• Former county recorder Gary Ott has died, family confirms

  19-10-2017 18:25
  
  Former Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott passed away at 4 a.m. Thursday morning, his brother Marty Ott has confirmed to the Deseret News.
  
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• Utah Symphony welcomes three new violinists for 2017-18 season

  19-10-2017 18:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — Evgenia Zharzhavskaya, one of three violinists joining the Utah Symphony for its 2017-18 season, was beyond excited when she found out she had been selected as a member of the distinguished musical group.“I was so extremely happy that I think I jumped in the air (a) few times like a little girl,” Zharzhavskaya said.Zharzhavskaya, Bonnie Terry and Hannah Linz were chosen as violinists for this season’s symphony based on national auditions held in spring 20
  
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• 69 LDS missionaries moved out of Madagascar due to plague outbreak

  19-10-2017 18:02
  
  LDS missionaries serving in Madagascar have been temporarily transferred off the island due to a plague outbreak in the country, the church announced Thursday.
  
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• A.M. notes: Utah submits Amazon bid, McAdams running for Congress, North Korea threatens strike

  19-10-2017 17:55
  Here’s a look at the news for Oct. 19.Utah submits Amazon HQ2 bidUtah officially submitted its bid to host Amazon’s second headquarters on Wednesday, just ahead of Thursday’s deadline, according to the Deseret News.The new headquarters would bring $5 billion in capital investment and potentially 50,000 jobs.But critics are concerned about the move’s impact on the state. Amazon, after all, hopes to add a headquarters in a state where it will receive tax breaks.Doug Burton,
  
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• Jay Evensen: Why did Weber High girls make a racist video?

  19-10-2017 17:05
  Last spring, the Harvard Crimson reported that at least 10 students admitted to the freshman class of 2021 had their offers rescinded after the school discovered they had posted offensive messages on a private Facebook chat set up by incoming students.The offensive items included racist memes as well as messages and photos “mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust and the deaths of children.” One student who didn’t join the group said, “This was a just-because-we-got-into-Ha
  
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• Deck the halls with holiday cheer with these upcoming events

  19-10-2017 16:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — From concerts to lights displays to musicals, the state of Utah is overflowing with events to bring the holiday spirit.And for anyone wanting to plan ahead to get tickets, here is a list highlighting events and available ticket information.Note: This list is not all-inclusive, and events and prices are subject to change. Please send information on additional events to [email protected] and musical eventsJewel’s Handmade Holiday TourFour-time Grammy Aw
  
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• This school honoring Jefferson Davis to be renamed after Barack Obama

  19-10-2017 16:35
  A school in Mississippi honoring Confederate leader Jefferson Davis will soon be renamed for President Barack Obama, the first black president in U.S. history.The Clarion-Ledger reported that the school, a predominately black school called Davis Magnet IB, will lose its namesake next year, replacing it with Obama, who teachers and parents said is more fitting for the school.PTA president Janelle Jefferson announced the decision on Tuesday night at a school board of trustees meeting, saying the s
  
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• In our opinion: Voters should carefully weigh new school district bond meausres

  19-10-2017 14:05
  As ballots arrive on people’s doorsteps, residents along the Wasatch front are preparing to cast votes in upcoming elections. In addition to political contests, voters will consider the Granite School District bond proposal and the Canyons School district bond proposal, both of which attempt to address aging school building infrastructure and safety issues across their districts.We offer five criteria through which these and similar school funding projects and initiatives should be scrutin
  
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• In our opinion: Voters should carefully weigh new school district bond measures

  19-10-2017 14:05
  As ballots arrive on people’s doorsteps, residents along the Wasatch front are preparing to cast votes in upcoming elections. In addition to political contests, voters will consider the Granite School District bond proposal and the Canyons School district bond proposal, both of which attempt to address aging school building infrastructure and safety issues across their districts.We offer five criteria through which these and similar school funding projects and initiatives should be scrutin
  
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• How far apart are these Mormon temples? (kilometers)

  19-10-2017 10:07
  The LDS Church's Meridian Idaho Templewhich opens this weekis located 8.8 miles from the Boise Idaho Temple. That distance is measured in "geodesic" milesthe distance between two points on a map, similar to the term "as the crow flies."
  It's among the shortest distances between two temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintscertainly the shortest outside the state of Utah, where six distances between temples measure even less.
  Note: LDS temples cited are those as of October 2017 t
  
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• Curtis avoids talking about Trump in debate, but Allen, Bennett kept bringing him up

  19-10-2017 06:25
  
  The sharpest differences that emerged in Wednesday's televised Utah Debate Commission exchange between the three top candidates in the race to fill the vacant 3rd District seat in Congress seemed to be about President Donald Trump.
  
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• Third suspect captured in alleged rape of 14-year-old in West Jordan

  19-10-2017 05:40
  
  Police on Wednesday captured a third suspect in a sexual assault investigation in which they say three men raped a 14-year-old girl and then recorded the incident.
  
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• Police: Third suspect captured in rape of 14-year-old in West Jordan

  19-10-2017 05:40
  
  Police on Wednesday captured a third suspect in a sexual assault investigation in which they say three men were involved in the rape of a 14-year-old girl and then recorded the incident in September.
  
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• Utah submits Amazon HQ2 bid amid community concerns

  19-10-2017 04:52
  SALT LAKE CITYA little more than a month after an announcement that created a fury of interest and a flurry of activity among cities, states and provinces across North America, Utah has officially submitted its proposal to host Amazon's HQ2 ahead of Thursday's deadline.
  And state leaders are hoping they're about to score the biggest corporate recruitment coup of all time.
  At stake: $5 billion in capital investment, up to 50,000 jobs, and perhaps most valuable of all, the global cache that is lik
  
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• Utah's VidAngel files for bankruptcy, pausing court fight

  19-10-2017 04:44
  SALT LAKE CITYA Provo-based company allowing users to filter nudity, profanity and violence out of movies and TV shows has filed for bankruptcy, putting the brakes on a legal fight with movie studios in federal court.
  VidAngel CEO Neal Harmon announced the filing in a Wednesday news release, saying it gives the company breathing room to focus on its new platform, which is in large part geared at streaming, as opposed to the previous version, which focused on discs and led to a federal lawsuit in
  
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• Ogden Nature Center holding holiday gift-making workshops

  19-10-2017 04:21
  OGDENThe Ogden Nature Center, 966 W. 12th St., is holding a series of holiday gift-making workshops the first three Saturdays in November.
  During the first workshop, which will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 4, participants will learn to make mittens. The class is limited to 12 people ages 12 and older. Preregister by Nov. 2. Cost is $18 for members and $20 for nonmembers. All supplies will be provided, but participants are asked to bring their own scissors and sewing machine, although th
  
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• Young professionals from Baltics, Hungary tour Salt Lake

  19-10-2017 04:02
  SALT LAKE CITYNearly two dozen young professionals from the Baltic states and Hungary toured Salt Lake City on Wednesday as part of an international internship program.
  The group visited the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah, as well as studios of KSL-TV, KSL NewsRadio, FM100.3, 103.5 The Arrow and Studio 5 in downtown Salt Lake.
  For Anna Udre, the trip to the broadcast station was especially unique, as she worked as a journalist in her home country, Latvia.
  "Everything i
  
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• Hospital staff treats kids to tricked-out costumes

  19-10-2017 03:45
  SALT LAKE CITYKayden Matagi certainly doesn't experience Halloween like his peers, but just as she straps the 6-year-old to her back to go hiking, his mother is determined to make it happen.
  For years, Shellise Matagi has spent long hours cutting and painting cardboard and poster paper to integrate Kayden's wheelchair into a fun costume so that everyone will see that "he can do everything that other kids can do," the adoring mother said.
  "I want him to experience Halloween like a normal kid," Sh
  
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• Video filtering service VidAngel files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

  19-10-2017 03:44
  
  Utah-based streaming video service VidAngel has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a Wednesday press release.
  
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• Go behind the scenes at Natural History Museum of Utah on Nov. 4, 5

  19-10-2017 03:44
  SALT LAKE CITYPatrons will get a chance to explore the off-limit areas of the Natural History Museum of Utah during its behind-the-scenes weekend Nov. 4-5.
  Between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that weekend, staff will open the doors to the "back of the house" for a look at the some of the 1.6 million objects held in stewardship at the museum. Participants will get to meet the scientists whose work helps build the collections, learn about current research and get an insider's view of the museum.
  Parents are
  
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• Plein Air Art Invitational Nov. 6-12 at Zion National Park

  19-10-2017 03:31
  ZION NATIONAL PARKTwenty-four artists will celebrate the heritage of art in Zion National Park during its ninth annual Plein Air Art Invitational Nov. 6-12.
  During the week, the artistswho work in oil, pastel, watercolor and acrylicwill give free in-park art demonstrations at the Human History Museum patio and the Grotto. In addition, free evening lectures will be presented at the Zion Lodge Auditorium and the Canyon Community Center in Springdale.
  A live paint out and sale on the great lawn at
  
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• Firefighters union treasurer sentenced to jail for embezzling funds

  19-10-2017 03:02
  SALT LAKE CITYThe former treasurer of the Salt Lake City Firefighters Union has been ordered to serve 30 days in jail for stealing more than $133,000 from the organization.
  Joshua Diamond, 40, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty as charged earlier this year to communications fraud, a second-degree felony; theft by deception, a second-degree felony; unlawful dealing of property by a fiduciary, a second-degree felony; and two counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.
  He was booked into Salt
  
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• Woman arrested in mugging of 7-Eleven clerk who was having seizure

  19-10-2017 03:00
  MIDVALEPolice have arrested a woman who they say stole the credit card of a 7-Eleven clerk while he was having a seizure on the floor of the store.
  Alexandra Dewsnup, 29, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday afternoon for investigation of theft, a second-degree felony; and attempting to illegally transfer financial information, a third-degree felony, in connection with the mugging at 6852 S. State on Oct. 4 that was captured by surveillance cameras.
  Prosecutors had not charged her
  
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• Arrest in mugging of 7-Eleven clerk who was having seizure

  19-10-2017 02:54
  MIDVALEPolice have arrested a woman who they say stole the credit card of a 7-Eleven clerk while he was having a seizure on the floor of the store.
  Alexandra Dewsnup, 29, was booked into Salt Lake County jail Wednesday afternoon for investigation of theft, a second-degree felony; and attempting to illegally transfer financial information, a third-degree felony, in connection with the mugging at 6852 S. State on Oct. 4 that was captured by surveillance cameras.
  Prosecutors had not charged her in
  
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• Officials: Operation Rio Grande has brought 'zombie land' under control

  19-10-2017 02:48
  SALT LAKE CITYLt. Gov. Spencer Cox said before Operation Rio Grande began, a climate of zero consequences for the open-air drug market made the area a "zombie land."
  "If you think that was compassionate in the Rio Grande two months ago, then you don't know what compassion is," he said.
  Forcing people struggling with drug addiction to walk through such an environment to get homeless services, he said, was like "asking an alcoholic to go get treatment in a bar."
  "That's not fair," he said. "That's
  
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• Utah lawmakers to pursue legal action against A.G. over special election opinion

  19-10-2017 02:46
  SALT LAKE CITYState legislative leaders voted unanimously Wednesday to pursue legal action to force the release of an attorney general's opinion on the special 3rd Congressional District election.
  "The Legislature believes that the attorney general is required by law to provide the Legislature with the legal opinion," House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said in making a motion to initiate litigation at a special Legislative Management Committee meeting. The panel is made up of Republican and De
  
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• Mountain View Corridor segment may look finished, but it's not

  19-10-2017 02:43
  WEST VALLEY CITYFive years ago, the Utah Department of Transportation opened the first 15-mile segment of the Mountain View Corridor to improve traffic flow on the west side of Salt Lake County.
  Now, work crews are nearing completion of the next 2-mile extension to the north from 5400 South to 4100 South in West Valley City. The two-year intensive construction project looks like it's ready for traffic, but this is still a construction zone.
  "We are one month away from opening to the public," Mou
  
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• Navigating the road to family business success

  19-10-2017 02:30
  SALT LAKE CITYRunning a family-owned business can have great rewards if done well and be a source of strife if done poorly, according to entrepreneurs who have traveled that road.
  Among the keys to a success is to create a detailed strategy for succession early on to ensure the business has the best leadership making the vital decisions that will determine the company's future.
  "You've got to plan, you got to communicate with everybody involved so they have a clear (understanding) of what's expe
  
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• Juvenile shot in West Valley City drive-by shooting

  19-10-2017 02:25
  
  A boy is expected to recover after he was shot in an apparent drive-by shooting Wednesday afternoon, police said.
  
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• Police arrest woman who allegedly took credit card from man having seizure

  19-10-2017 02:18
  
  A woman suspected of stealing a credit card from a man as he suffered a seizure at a convenience store was arrested after turning herself into police, authorities said Wednesday.
  
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