Utah news

• Salt Lake poised for growth, analyst says

  29-11-2017 23:46
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City metro area is on the verge of significant economic expansion in the coming years, an analyst told business leaders Wednesday.
  Speaking at the Grand America Hotel Wednesday, Chris Ludeman, global president of capital markets for commercial real estate firm CBRE, said Salt Lake is among the relatively small number of mid-sized U.S. cities that are building the foundation necessary to thrive economically over the next several years. He said the combination
  
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• Op-ed: What Trump's visit to Utah really means

  29-11-2017 23:07
  President Donald Trump will visit Utah on Monday to announce his decision to reduce the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments. I believe the president’s decision to significantly reduce the size of these two monuments signals much more than is being reported.In June 2016, when I sat down with then-candidate Trump to discuss his campaign strategy in Utah, I started by explaining the history of Utah and its people. To his credit, he already knew this information and, at
  
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• Photos: 'Go West!' New exhibit opening at Utah Museum of Fine Arts

  29-11-2017 22:48
  Leslie Anderson, curator of European, American and regional art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, leads a tour through "Go West! Art of the American Frontier" at the Salt Lake museum on Wednesday. The traveling exhibition, from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, opens to the general public on Sunday and will run through March 11. It's the first major traveling exhibition at the museum since its newly remodeled galleries reopened in late August.
  Highlights of the exhibition incl
  
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• Public art projects sought for two planned liquor stores

  29-11-2017 22:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Division of Arts and Museums' Utah Public Art Program is seeking artists for projects at Utah state liquor stores planned for Herriman and Syracuse.
  The selection committee suggests the artwork draw inspiration from the two communities, the services offered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control or Utah's landscape. The project is open to artists residing in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming
  
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• Couple charged with trafficking 16-year-old Utah girl

  29-11-2017 21:23
  SANTA ANA, California — Two Las Vegas residents have been charged in California with trafficking a 16-year-old girl from Utah.
  Brandon Antwan Hunter and Danielle Beniese Bates, both 31, were charged Tuesday by the Orange County District Attorney's Office with human trafficking, pimping and pandering of a minor. Hunter received an additional charge of unlawful sex with a minor.
  According to a statement from the district attorney's office, Hunter and Bates met a 16-year-old girl from Utah in
  
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• Warrants issued for two teens suspected in Wendy's shooting

  29-11-2017 21:16
  
  Unified police say arrest warrants have been issued for two juveniles in connection with a shooting at a fast-food restaurant earlier this month.
  
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• Sen. Orrin Hatch says there are still kinks to work out in GOP tax plan

  29-11-2017 21:14
  SALT LAKE CITY — As Republican leaders push for a vote on a sweeping tax bill, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Wednesday that one of the biggest challenges is cutting through misinformation and "nastier identity politics."
  Still, he said Congress is on the cusp of major tax reform for the first time in 31 years.
  "We still have a few kinks to work out, but I think we'll get there before the end of this week," Hatch said.
  One of them could be an amendment Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. Marco
  
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• 7 ways to stay safe this holiday season

  29-11-2017 21:01
  
  Christmas is a magical time of year, but when there are house fires, deaths or trips to the ER, it's not so magical anymore. Here are some things to be aware of to help you and your family stay safe this year.
  
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• Rep. John Curtis to serve on two House committees

  29-11-2017 20:44
  SALT LAKE CITY — The newest member of the state's congressional delegation, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, will serve on both the House Foreign Affairs and the Small Business committees.
  "These assignments are a tremendous opportunity for me to serve the people of the 3rd Congressional District and I'm ready to get to work for them," Curtis said in a statement Wednesday.
  He said the assignments will help him promote economic growth throughout the state, including rural counties, as well as "a r
  
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• Man flashed badge, then assaulted women, police say

  29-11-2017 20:24
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Saratoga Springs man faces criminal charges for allegedly using an old firefighter badge in order to sexually assault a woman.
  And police fear there are more victims who may be afraid to come forward.
  "There are at least a couple of other victims. These are ones that we've talked to and have described the same kind of encounter. And we think there are more than that," said Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking.
  Christopher David Scott, 35, was charged Oct. 31 with rape
  
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• Missing Riverdale man, daughter reportedly spotted in Las Vegas

  29-11-2017 19:40
  
  A man and his 2-year-old daughter who went missing after a minor vehicle crash Tuesday may have been spotted in Las Vegas, police said
  
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• 'High Mormon population' makes Utah most charitable state in the country

  29-11-2017 19:35
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is most charitable state in the country, thanks in part to generous members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a new report.A report by finance website WalletHub featured on USA Today ranked Utah first for the "highest percentage of donated income and highest percentage of population who donate time," and specifically pointed to Utah's high Mormon population.https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/935709924532850688?s=17The WalletHub report d
  
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• Officials plan to cull at least 600 Yellowstone bison

  29-11-2017 19:33
  
  Bison managers expect between 600 and 900 of the animals at Yellowstone National Park will be culled this winter by hunting or slaughter.
  
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• Early morning fire damages Logan business

  29-11-2017 19:27
  
  Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire that damaged Tai Pan Trading in Logan early Wednesday morning.
  
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• It's snowing in Hawaii, but not Utah. Here's why

  29-11-2017 19:25
  Those in search of a winter wonderland may want to visit Hawaii.Multiple reports have surfaced that high points on the island of Hawaii are getting a blanket of snow this week. Yes. Hawaii.Meanwhile, Utah hasn’t seen much snow so far this winter.As CBS News reported, summits of the volcanos Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on what is known as the "big island" of Hawaii have received an early coat of snow, with forecasters predicting 8 inches for the week.In fact, local station KGMB-TV reported that
  
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• A.M. notes: North Korea reportedly fires missile, new report on Point of the Mountain, Trump to visit Utah

  29-11-2017 19:15
  Here’s a look at the news for Nov. 29.North Korea says it launched a missileNorth Korea said on Tuesday that it successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland, according to BBC News.North Korea said the country has become a nuclear state after it launched its “most powerful” missile to date, flying higher than any other missile previously tested.The international community condemned the test, inspiring the U.N. Security Council to i
  
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• Police identify woman killed at SLC motel

  29-11-2017 19:08
  
  Police have identified a woman who they say was killed in a motel room Tuesday, while a search for two persons of interest continues.
  
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• Woman found dead in Salt Lake motel room identified

  29-11-2017 19:02
  SALT LAKE CITY — The search continued Wednesday for two people wanted for questioning in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a Salt Lake motel room Tuesday.
  Salt Lake police are treating the death of Mechelle Lindberg, 25, of Pleasant Grove, as a homicide. Her body was found about 8:45 a.m. at the Gateway Inn, 819 W. North Temple.
  Detectives are searching for two people in connection with the death: Kristie Marie Hansen, 26, and Javier Rodriquez Pena, 29. After spe
  
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• Utah businesses to get break on unemployment insurance taxes

  29-11-2017 18:59
  SALT LAKE CITY — No matter what happens in Congress, most Utah businesses will get at least a partial tax cut thanks to the state's strong economy and low jobless rate.
  The Utah Unemployment Insurance Division announced Wednesday that the majority of employers across the Beehive State will see a 48 percent drop in the unemployment insurance tax they will pay next year.
  "We've had such a really great run at the economy lately that we've not only built (the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund)
  
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• Jay Evensen: Why this lawmaker wants to know what the death penalty costs in Utah

  29-11-2017 17:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — Politics has only a few “third rails” — topics you don’t want to touch without, like touching the electrified third rail powering a subway train, getting shocked out of your political career.In a conservative, interior state like Utah, one of those may be the death penalty.Check that: Utah may be THE state where capital punishment can’t be discussed in polite conversation. This is, after all, where Gary Gilmore was executed in 1977, putting an
  
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• Riverton man says stolen package returned with apology letter after social posts

  29-11-2017 17:02
  
  Two days after a package vanished from his front porch, a man said he was stunned to find the package had been returned along with an apology letter.
  
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• Salt Lake City ranked among the top housing markets for 2018

  29-11-2017 15:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city is being pegged as one of the "hot" homebuying markets to watch for the coming year.
  Online real estate website Realtor.com ranked Salt Lake City as the No. 6 metro area among the Top Housing Markets in its 2018 National Housing Forecast released Wednesday.
  Citing inventory constraints that have fueled a sharp rise in home prices and made it challenging for potential buyers to enter the robust real estate market, the report stated that circumstances sho
  
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• Crews respond to fire at Logan business

  29-11-2017 15:09
  
  Crews responded to reports of a fire at Tai Pan Trading in Logan Wednesday morning.
  
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• Salt Lake City Council wants to hire 50 more police officers

  29-11-2017 15:00
  
  Determined to dramatically increase the city's police force, the Salt Lake City Council may seek a tax increase next year to pay for it.
  
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• In our opinion: Point of the Mountain development could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

  29-11-2017 14:05
  Residents of Salt Lake City have long appreciated Brigham Young’s call for roads so wide that one could make a U-turn with a team of horses. Utah faces increasingly complex infrastructure decisions that demand long-term vision. Tuesday, the Point of the Mountain Development Commission published a status report of its progress to date. The report makes two observations clear:1. The relocation of the state prison near the epicenter of Utah’s innovation corridor has produced something o
  
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• Trump endangers funds that prevent pandemics, Pulitzer winner and 'Contagion' consultant says at BYU

  29-11-2017 07:07
  PROVO — President Trump and other populist world leaders are dismantling funding that protects the world from future epidemics as they put national interests ahead of global health, a Pulitzer Prize-winning expert said Tuesday at Brigham Young University.Isolationist movements are challenging globalization and defunding global development programs, threatening to undermine massive gains made over the past 17 years in life expectancy, child mortality and the eradication of deadly diseases,
  
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• BYU ROTC wins 5th Brigade Ranger Challenge title, advances to international military skills competition

  29-11-2017 07:04
  PROVO — BYU's Army ROTC program erased a couple of three-year absences by winning the 5th Brigade Ranger Challenge military skills competition earlier this month in Texas.
  The nine-member BYU Army Reserve Officer Training Corps earned both its first Ranger Challenge brigade title since 2013 and its first qualification since 2013 as well for the Sandhust Competition, a prestigious international military skills event.
  "It's what we've been working toward for a long time," said cadet Spencer
  
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• Loved ones honor former FBI agent who chased down infamous criminals

  29-11-2017 07:01
  
  Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City is where Calvin Chipman Clegg and his cousin Claron Spencer can visit their family anytime they want. On Tuesday, the two met there for a memorial service more than 80 years in the making.
  
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• Police seek man, 2-year-old daughter who went missing after crash

  29-11-2017 06:41
  
  Police and family members are looking for a man and his 2-year-old daughter who didn't return home Tuesday morning after they were involved in a traffic accident.
  
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• Burlington plans to open new store in Sandy

  29-11-2017 05:56
  SANDY — Burlington Stores will open a new 45,000-square-foot store in spring 2018 at 10453 S. State, bringing approximately 50-100 new jobs to the community.
  The store will feature ladies' apparel, accessories, menswear, family footwear, children's clothing, a broad assortment of furniture and accessories for babies, home décor and gifts, and a large selection of coats.
  Those who are interested in applying for a position at the store are invited to visit Burlington's job website at
  
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• Fentanyl-related deaths in Utah up nearly 80 percent, report says

  29-11-2017 05:49
  
  Fentanyl-related overdose deaths rose 78 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to a report from the Utah Department of Health.
  
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• Nominees announced for 4th District commissioner vacancy

  29-11-2017 05:47
  PROVO — The 4th District Commissioner Nominating Committee has selected three nominees for an upcoming commissioner vacancy. The position will replace Joshua K. Faulkner, whose resignation is effective Dec. 31.
  The nominees are:
  • Marian Ito, who has served as an assistant attorney general for the Child and Family Support Division in the Utah Attorney General's Office since 2007.
  • Erik Jacobson, who has served as a public defender with the Utah County Public Defender's Office si
  
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• Salt Lake City Council wants to hire 50 more cops

  29-11-2017 05:26
  SALT LAKE CITY — Determined to dramatically increase the city's police force, the Salt Lake City Council may seek a tax increase next year to pay for it.
  The council Tuesday night informally voted to support a surprise proposal to add 50 more police officers to the city's department — nearly double what Police Chief Mike Brown and Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski had requested earlier this year.
  "Merry Christmas!" City Councilman Stan Penfold jokingly told Brown shortly before t
  
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• South Jordan to light Christmas tree Friday

  29-11-2017 05:23
  SOUTH JORDAN — City officials will usher in the holiday season with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
  The event at South Jordan City Plaza, 1600 Towne Center Drive, will include crafts at the library, hot cocoa, gingerbread houses, candy window, a snowflake hunt and a visit from Santa Claus.
  Each candy window in the shops along Towne Center Drive contains hidden snowflakes that participants of the hunt will need to find. Participants will then have a chance to win a f
  
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• S. Jordan female entrepreneur wins Stevie Award

  29-11-2017 05:15
  SOUTH JORDAN — Kris Rudarmel, president and founder of Anchor Water Damage & Restoration, has won the bronze in the female entrepreneur of the year category during the 14th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
  The awards honor female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run.
  Since 2005, Rudarmel and her husband of 34 years have served individuals with flood issues, as well as offered encouragement to their clients in times of distress. Anchor and the R
  
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• Lawmakers unveil 5 growth scenarios for Point of the Mountain, seek public input

  29-11-2017 05:07
  
  State lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled five options for growth at the Point of the Mountain — an area that is quickly becoming a focal point in Utah for the economy.
  
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• UVU team takes 1st in cyber defense competition

  29-11-2017 05:03
  OREM — One of two teams from Utah Valley University's Cybersecurity Club took first place in the recent National Information Assurance Training and Education Center Invitational Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition at Idaho State University in Pocatello.
  During the competition, 15 teams spent nine hours as network defenders and administrators. In addition to fending off a team of skilled attackers, they are also tasked with maintaining business operations and dealing with requests from man
  
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• Police say death in Salt Lake motel was homicide

  29-11-2017 04:24
  SALT LAKE CITY — Police are investigating as a homicide the death of a twenty-something woman whose body was found inside a motel room Tuesday.
  Investigators were called to the Gateway Inn, 819 W. North Temple, about 8:40 a.m., said Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking. When they arrived, officers found a deceased woman inside one of the rooms and other undisclosed evidence that led police to call the death "suspicious," he said.
  Detectives are searching for two people in connection wit
  
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• AG: More than 20 percent of Utah alcohol law violators skipping fines

  29-11-2017 04:04
  
  State alcohol regulators are having troubling collecting possibly thousands of dollars in fines from some businesses and workers that violate Utah liquor laws.
  
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• Study sought on cost of death penalty in Utah

  29-11-2017 03:00
  
  A state lawmaker wants Utah to study the costs of capital punishment and determine whether it's cheaper to keep an inmate in prison for life.
  
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• Death at SLC motel a homicide, police say

  29-11-2017 02:56
  
  Police are now investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a Salt Lake City a motel room Tuesday morning as a homicide — and investigators are looking for two "persons of interest."
  
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• Op-ed: Utah children deserve a better tax plan

  29-11-2017 02:30
  Last year, the week after Thanksgiving, I volunteered at an emergency food pantry downtown. A young woman with small children came in and became emotional as she requested sliced bread and milk; we were unable to fill her special requests, and as I went back into the packed waiting room, I held back tears seeing more mothers with young children. My first years of motherhood were difficult. How much harder would raising toddlers have been without adequate financial resources?The next time I volun
  
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• Utah airport looks to add flights to Dallas, Denver, Seattle

  29-11-2017 02:29
  
  A Utah city is hoping to turn its airport into a viable commercial air provider by adding three new flight destinations.
  
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• Body found near Utah Lake's Lindon Marina

  29-11-2017 02:12
  LINDON — Crews pulled a man's body from Utah Lake Tuesday morning.
  Few details were immediately available. The Utah County Sheriff's Office did not immediately identify the man or release his age.
  "There were no obvious signs that would tell us what caused his death, other than him being in the water," said sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
  Police responded to the report of a body just south of Lindon Marina about 9:15 a.m, Cannon said.
  Investigators were awaiting an autopsy to determine how
  
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• 125 sworn in as new U.S. citizens

  29-11-2017 01:41
  SALT LAKE CITY — To apply for citizenship in the United States, applicants must meet eligibility requirements like speaking English and completing a naturalization process, including interviews and a civics test.
  For Luis and Raquel Mejia, from Mexico, the process could not finish quickly enough.
  The couple was among 125 applicants sworn in as new U.S. citizens Tuesday during a naturalization ceremony at the state Capitol.
  "I'm so excited, I'm so nervous and it's so beautiful," Raquel Meji
  
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• Photos: BB-8 brings a bit of cheer to patients at Primary Children's Hospital

  29-11-2017 01:25
  Cheryl Rounds watches as Annika Rounds, who is being treated for neuroblastoma, gives an air hug to BB-8, the iconic droid from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
  Following the visit to the hospital, BB-8 then made a surprise appearance at the Festival of Trees in Sandy. Money raised at festival, which runs through Saturday, goes to help children at Primary Children's Hospital.
  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is set to open in theaters nationw
  
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• Duo sent to prison in drug-theft killing

  29-11-2017 00:41
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man and woman accused in an attempted drug theft that left one person dead have been sentenced to prison.
  Brody Olson, 37, was sentenced Nov. 15 to at least 15 years and up to life in prison for the killing of Melvin Dyer, 51.
  Olson pleaded guilty to murder, a first-degree felony, in September. In exchange, additional charges against him were dismissed, including aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies, and possession of a stolen vehicle, posses
  
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• A.G.: More than 20% of Utah alcohol law violators skipping fines

  29-11-2017 00:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — State alcohol regulators are having troubling collecting possibly thousands of dollars in fines from some businesses and workers that violate Utah liquor laws.
  Assistant attorney general Sheila Page estimates 20 percent to 25 percent of liquor license holders don't honor settlement agreements they have reached with the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
  "It's very frustrating" Page told the state alcohol commission Tuesday.
  Compliance officers issue about 150 t
  
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• Report: Point of the Mountain circa 2050 could be grim without heavy investment

  29-11-2017 00:03
  SALT LAKE CITY — Mitigating the expected impacts of continued explosive growth near Point of the Mountain is attainable, according to projections released Tuesday, but taxpayers could be on the hook for more than $10 billion just for roadway and public transit improvements over the next three decades.
  And failure to pony up the cash could result in higher housing costs, longer commutes, worse air quality and lost wage growth, according to the Point of the Mountain Development Commission.
  T
  
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