Utah news

• New electric vehicle charging stations installed to help create 'clean air corridor'

  17-01-2018 23:58
  PARK CITY — The Salt Lake City-Provo area ranks seventh on the American Lung Association's list of communities with the most short-term particle pollution in the United States — with the Logan area following close behind.
  Officials say they are hard at work trying to find solutions to the problem.
  "We all desperately want to see (air quality) solved," Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday as groups kicked off a partnership to improve Utah's air quality.
  Rocky Mountain Power and Su
  
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• Salt Lake City showcases clean-fuel buses for Capitol Connector

  17-01-2018 23:57
  SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City and transit officials showed off new buses engineered to combat air pollution as they touted UTA's Capitol Connector bus service that will start Monday to shuttle people to Capitol Hill during this year's legislative session.
  "Let's be honest, if you have ever tried to find a parking spot at Capitol Hill during the session, you know the challenges," Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said Wednesday, noting that "we ... want to assure those who are doing t
  
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• S.L. County Library to host Mardi Gras gala Feb. 2

  17-01-2018 23:56
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County Library's annual Mardi Gras gala is set for Friday, Feb. 2, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Virdian Event Center, 8030 S. 1825 West.
  The free event, open to adults 18 and older, will feature traditional New Orleans eats, beats, beads and contests.
  Tickets, which are required, are available at slcolibrary.org/mardigras.
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• Teen baby sitter arrested in death of toddler

  17-01-2018 23:49
  WEST VALLEY CITY — A 17-year-old boy who was baby-sitting a young child who died has been arrested for investigation of child abuse homicide.
  The teen, whose name was not released, was booked into Salt Lake Valley Detention for investigation of the death of 21-month-old Jaycieion Sanchez.
  On Tuesday, emergency crews were called about noon to 4635 S. 2890 West on a report of an unconscious child. The toddler was taken to a local hospital but died as a result of his injuries, said West Valle
  
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• Elizabeth Smart tells siblings rescued from Calif. home: 'There is happiness in the future'

  17-01-2018 23:43
  SALT LAKE CITY — Elizabeth Smart spoke about the power of both physical and psychological chains as she promised a brighter future for 13 siblings rescued from a California home this week after allegedly being held hostage for years by their parents.
  In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Smart, who was held captive for months as a teenager after being kidnapped from her Salt Lake home, promised the siblings, ages 2 to 29, that they can "go on to have wonderful lives."
  "I would want t
  
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• Teen baby sitter arrested after child dies in his care

  17-01-2018 23:34
  
  Police booked a 17-year-old teenager into the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center after a 21-month-old child died in his care.
  
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• Utah-based company narrows finalists for $60K Cancun job

  17-01-2018 23:31
  
  A Lehi-based company looking to hire someone to send to Cancun, Mexico, and pay them $60,000 narrowed its search to 10 finalists Wednesday.
  
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• Utah governor assembles team to tackle surge in teen suicides

  17-01-2018 22:53
  SALT LAKE CITY — Stakeholders throughout Utah joined forces Wednesday to tackle what Gov. Gary Herbert said is a "tender and difficult" issue that is quickly getting out of hand.
  "We need to talk about it. We need to see if we can do something about it," Herbert said, referring to a growing surge in suicide, particularly among Utah teens. He said suicide has quickly become the leading cause of death for young people and it is past time to change that.
  The Teen Suicide Prevention Task Force
  
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• Top-notch Utah team to tackle teen suicide prevention

  17-01-2018 22:53
  SALT LAKE CITY — Stakeholders throughout Utah joined forces Wednesday to tackle what Gov. Gary Herbert said is a "tender and difficult" issue that is quickly getting out of hand.
  "We need to talk about it. We need to see if we can do something about it," Herbert said, referring to a growing surge in suicide, particularly among Utah teens. He said suicide has quickly become the leading cause of death for young people and it is past time to change that.
  The Teen Suicide Prevention Task Force
  
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• Mike Birbiglia on Kingsbury Hall (great), Ben Stiller (good) and late people (bad)

  17-01-2018 22:52
  SALT LAKE CITY — Mike Birbiglia is no stranger to Kingsbury Hall. The comedian/actor/writer/director last performed there in 2013, during his "Thank God for Jokes" tour. His new tour, aptly titled "The New One," returns to the historic Salt Lake venue on Saturday. Between the critically acclaimed film "Don't Think Twice," which he wrote and directed, and his recently released "Thank God for Jokes" Netflix special, Birbiglia's been on a roll since then.
  Speaking with the Deseret News over e
  
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• LDS Church will boost suicide-prevention efforts with website for local leaders

  17-01-2018 22:48
  SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church is expanding the resources it provides to local church leaders for suicide prevention, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said Wednesday at the Utah State Capitol.
  Elder Rasband was at the Capitol as part of an announcement of a new governor's task force on youth suicide prevention and said youth suicide has reached a "crisis point."
  "We want to do everything we possibly can," he said.
  Elder Rasband spoke with reporters after the pr
  
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• Lawmakers talk school funding, Medicaid expansion in advance of session

  17-01-2018 22:47
  SALT LAKE CITY — Legislative leaders and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox weighed in Wednesday on a pair of issues that may end up going before voters in November as ballot initiatives — tax increases for schools and Medicaid expansion.
  Not surprisingly, the state House and Senate minority and majority leaders and the Republican lieutenant governor split along party lines over the issues discussed as part of a panel discussion at the annual United Way legislative preview breakfast.
  Lawmakers are
  
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• 4 officers fired amid pizza and parking probe

  17-01-2018 22:17
  SALT LAKE CITY — Four Salt Lake parking compliance officers have been fired for allegedly accepting free pizza in exchange for not writing tickets.
  Matthew Rojas, spokesman for Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski, confirmed that "the city has terminated four employees for allegedly abusing their position as compliance officers in exchange for pizza."
  "The city takes fraud, waste and abuse very seriously," Rojas said. "Changes have already been made to prevent this from happening again."
  
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• Celebrate author Richard Scarry with Utah Children's Theatre's 'Busytown the Musical'

  17-01-2018 21:45
  SALT LAKE CITY — Local actress Michelle Blake said her daughter still talks about seeing the regional premiere of "Busytown the Musical" at Utah Children's Theatre eight years ago.
  "She mentioned recently, 'Oh, Mom, remember when the pickle car came out on the stage and it was zooming around and I reached out and I almost touched it?'" Blake recalled her now-14-year-old daughter saying enthusiastically. "If someone who's a teenager could still be excited about something she saw when she wa
  
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• Utah road fatalities due to aggressive driving more than doubled in 2017

  17-01-2018 21:08
  
  Fewer people were killed on Utah's roads in 2017 than the year before, but that's no reason to celebrate, UDOT says.
  
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• Utah road fatalities decrease, but it's no reason to celebrate, officials say

  17-01-2018 21:08
  
  Fewer people were killed on Utah's roads in 2017 than the year before. But there were still 273 fatalities last year, and Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras said that's no reason to celebrate.
  
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• New California declares independence from California. Is a 51st state on the way?

  17-01-2018 20:51
  Is the country about to get its 51st state? Leaders of the New California movement sure hope so.
  Proponents of seceding from the largest West Coast state took steps Monday to achieve statehood by reading a Declaration of Independence from California, according to USA Today. The plan would break California into two states.
  This is different from a separate campaign to divide California into three separate states, which made headlines last year and is seeking signatures to qualify for the November
  
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• Sen. Mike Lee questions international court opinion favoring gay marriage in Costa Rica

  17-01-2018 20:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mike Lee is taking issue with a Latin American human rights court opinion stating that Costa Rica should legalize same-sex marriage.
  The Inter-American Court of Human Rights last week issued the decision in response to a petition submitted two years ago by Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis, who had vowed to increase rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the country.
  The court, based in Costa Rica's capital of San Jose, along with the Int
  
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• What BuzzFeed, NBC News and other news organizations are writing about new LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson (updated)

  17-01-2018 20:30
  President Russell M. Nelson is the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  He was introduced during a live broadcast and press conference on Tuesday. President Nelson announced that President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring will serve as his first and second counselors, respectively, in the First Presidency.
  "It was a sacred and humbling experience," President Nelson said. "How could I choose only two of the 12 apostles, each of whom I love dearly."
  Multip
  
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• Dance company teaches Ogden-area young people to 'stand up and be powerful'

  17-01-2018 20:25
  OGDEN — A lithe, pale girl in a white tutu balancing on the small tips of her dainty pointe shoes has been the quintessential image of the ballerina since the popularization of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." However, the Memphis-based dance company Collage Dance Collective, which is partnering with the Ogden Symphony Ballet Association, is working to change that stereotype.
  "When I first started dancing, I was the only dancer of color," said Kevin Thomas, artistic director of Collage, who star
  
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• 14 most intriguing tech products hitting the markets

  17-01-2018 19:45
  
  From translation earbuds to a TV screen that can display two different movies at once, here are 14 of the most intriguing tech products KSL saw on the CES showroom floor.
  
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• Body discovered in Red Cliffs Desert Reserve identified as missing hiker

  17-01-2018 19:32
  
  Utah’s Office of the Medical Examiner has positively identified the human remains discovered August 19 in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve to belong to a Washington City man reported missing weeks earlier.
  
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• Prosecutors seek death penalty in fatal shooting of man in Utah woman's bed

  17-01-2018 19:30
  CEDAR CITY — Prosecutors in Iron County are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of shooting and killing a man who was in his ex-girlfriend's bed.
  Mark Mair, 28, is charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony and a capital offense, in the death of 34-year-old Justin Hanna.
  According to police, Mair went to the woman's Cedar City trailer home, 515 N. 400 West, early on the morning of July 24, 2016, and pushed in a fan sitting in a bedroom window. Mair then leaned inside the
  
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• Several people in custody after police car tire slashed

  17-01-2018 18:32
  
  Police took several people into custody after someone slashed a tire of an unmarked police car early Wednesday.
  
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• Purported doomsday sect leader faces more charges

  17-01-2018 18:27
  SALT LAKE CITY — The purported leader of a doomsday sect was charged Wednesday with multiple sex crimes against a child.
  Samuel Warren Shaffer, 34, of Cedar City, was charged in 6th District Court with two counts of sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor. He previously was charged with two counts of child kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and four counts of intentional child abuse caus
  
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• Jay Evensen: Is Utah becoming like California?

  17-01-2018 17:05
  SALT LAKE CITY — Is Utah becoming California?
  I don't just mean in the sense that January this year feels more conducive to sunbathing than snowballs. I'm talking about how laws are made.
  When you enter the voting booth this November (or sit at your kitchen table filling out your mail-in ballot), you may be faced with five ballot initiatives — a chance for you to make laws directly without having to worry about elected representatives, senators and the governor.
  Isn't this the kind o
  
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• New tips in 23-year-old missing mom case suggest accidental death, body dump

  17-01-2018 16:53
  
  Bobbi Ann Campbell vanished on Dec. 27, 1994 after leaving her then 5-year-old daughter, Stephanie Cook, at a friend’s house while she ran errands.
  
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• Train hits propane tanker after driver weaves through crossing arms, police say

  17-01-2018 15:30
  
  A train and a semitruck hauling propane collided in Salt Lake City Wednesday morning after the truck driver drove around railroad crossing arms, according to police.
  
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• Several people arrested after police car tire slashed

  17-01-2018 14:57
  
  Police took several people into custody after someone slashed a tire of an unmarked police car early Wednesday.
  
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• Utah's Kickstart launches state's richest seed investment fund

  17-01-2018 14:10
  COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — While investment deals in startup companies are down signficantly among North American venture capital firms, one Utah company that specializes in early funding is on an arc of success that is showing no signs of slowing down.
  Kickstart Seed Fund announced Wednesday the state's largest ever seed-dedicated venture capital fund and, at $74 million, the company is poised to add considerably to the slate of 100-plus companies it's helped.
  Company CEO and founder Gavin Chri
  
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• President Russell M. Nelson named 17th president of LDS Church

  17-01-2018 06:54
  
  On Tuesday, President Russell M. Nelson was named 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to church officials.
  
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• Utah law: Gov't can't force landlords to provide CO detectors

  17-01-2018 06:49
  
  Fire departments, 911 dispatchers and poison control centers get hundreds of calls every year regarding carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is deadly, and KSL found a little-known Utah law is putting families at risk of being poisoned.
  
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• Renters beware: Utah law restricts government's ability to mandate CO detectors

  17-01-2018 06:49
  
  Fire departments, 911 dispatchers and poison control centers get hundreds of calls every year regarding carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is deadly, and KSL found a little-known Utah law is putting families at risk of being poisoned.
  
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• Citizens' group asks UDOT to address community needs in US 89 expansion

  17-01-2018 05:42
  
  Members of ReVU89 aren't fond of the idea of putting a freeway through their communities. But if it must be done, they want UDOT officials to do it right — keeping U.S. 89's nearest neighbors in mind.
  
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• Salt Lake City approves development agreements for northwest quadrant

  17-01-2018 04:34
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city is one step closer to developing its 3,000-acre northwest quadrant, a project spurred by the controversial relocation of the Utah State Prison.
  The Salt Lake City Council and Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday approved development agreements with landowners in the area near Salt Lake City International Airport. The plan sets goals, objectives and strategies for the area's development.
  "Salt Lake City recognizes the complex nature of developing the northwes
  
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• Popular Utah Instagrammer shows you how to find the best flight deals

  17-01-2018 04:05
  
  A popular Utah Instagrammer who's saving her followers tens of thousands of dollars in flight deals out of Salt Lake City showed KSL how she does it.
  
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• Salt Lake City Council OKs loans for 2 more affordable-housing projects

  17-01-2018 03:44
  SALT LAKE CITY — Amid their ongoing push to increase housing options and reduce homelessness, Salt Lake City leaders have approved two loans to help build more affordable and permanent supportive housing units.
  With no debate, the Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously to approve two resolutions Tuesday: one to authorize a $1 million loan toward a 109-unit, mixed-income development as part of a larger project surrounding the former public safety building at 315 E. 200 South; the other pr
  
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• Utah sheriff's deputy fired amid Arizona child sex abuse case

  17-01-2018 03:37
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah County sheriff's deputy has been extradited to Arizona to face charges of sexually abusing two children who reported allegations against him more than two decades ago.
  The case also cost him his job, a sheriff's office spokesman said Tuesday.
  Gerald Salcido, 63, is charged in Maricopa County with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, a class 2 felony, stemming from allegations that date back to 1985. Salcido was extradited and booked into Maricopa County Jail
  
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• Police arrest suspected car thief who fled following brief chase

  17-01-2018 02:38
  
  Police have arrested a man suspected of stealing two cars, attempting to steal a third, and leading officers on a brief chase.
  
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• Analysts mixed on Utah economic outlook for 2018

  17-01-2018 02:32
  SALT LAKE CITY — A consensus of Utah economic analysts is predicting a measure of continued strength in the state's economy in the New Year. However, they don't all agree on the level of vitality Utahns should expect in the coming year.
  A panel of renown local economists offered their views on the state's perspective economic fortunes for 2018 during the Salt Lake Chamber's annual Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit on Tuesday at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek.
  The qui
  
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• Lois M. Collins: Lois M. Collins: Heart and head at war over laws that criminalize acts of charity

  17-01-2018 02:30
  I was trying to do a "person on the street" feature, approaching shoppers in a crowded big-box store parking lot to get their opinion on consumer prices. And it took me about two minutes to figure out that I needed to wave my reporter's notebook and announce loudly, "I'm a newspaper reporter. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" before getting too close to those who apparently felt more like prey than potential interview subjects.
  Absent that across-the-gulf introduction, nearly all of them tho
  
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• Lois M. Collins: Heart and head at war over laws that criminalize acts of charity

  17-01-2018 02:30
  I was trying to do a "person on the street" feature, approaching shoppers in a crowded big-box store parking lot to get their opinion on consumer prices. And it took me about two minutes to figure out that I needed to wave my reporter's notebook and announce loudly, "I'm a newspaper reporter. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" before getting too close to those who apparently felt more like prey than potential interview subjects.
  Absent that across-the-gulf introduction, nearly all of them tho
  
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• Heart and head at war over laws that criminalize acts of charity

  17-01-2018 02:30
  I was trying to do a "person on the street" feature, approaching shoppers in a crowded big-box store parking lot to get their opinion on consumer prices. And it took me about two minutes to figure out that I needed to wave my reporter's notebook and announce loudly, "I'm a newspaper reporter. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" before getting too close to those who apparently felt more like prey than potential interview subjects.
  Absent that across-the-gulf introduction, nearly all of them tho
  
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• Initiative to test sex assault kits will soon reach statewide

  17-01-2018 02:25
  
  An initiative to test unsubmitted sexual assault kits is set to expand statewide this year, including the launch of a new website designed to help victims track their kit's progress.
  
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• Gov. Gary Herbert acted properly in calling 3rd District special election, A.G. says

  17-01-2018 02:22
  SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert acted within his bounds when he called a special election last year to replace former Congressman Jason Chaffetz, according to a closely held legal opinion the Utah Attorney General's Office released Tuesday.
  Attorney General Sean Reyes made the seven-page document public after months of wrangling between legislative leaders and the governor's office.
  "The opinion indicates that Gov. Herbert's actions appeared to be within his statutory and constitutional
  
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• Magna doctor fills vacant seat in Utah Senate

  17-01-2018 02:19
  SALT LAKE CITY — Brian Zehnder was sworn in Tuesday as a member of the Utah Senate, filling the vacancy left when Sen. Brian Shiozawa, R-Cottonwood Heights, accepted a position with the Trump administration.
  Zehnder, a family medicine doctor in Magna, was visibly moved as he repeated the oath of office, administered by Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, at the state Capitol.
  "I have a deep desire to see health and access to health care improved in our state," Zehnder said.
  "(Uta
  
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• Survivor: Emaciated dog rescued from Salt Flats

  17-01-2018 02:08
  SALT LAKE CITY — Hairless, scabbed and emaciated, one dog shivering in a kennel at a local animal shelter is truly a survivor.
  Utah Animal Adoption Center manager Lila Oulson has given her a fitting name: Kelly, which Oulson says means "warrior" in Irish Gaelic.
  When Matt Bentley went four-wheeling in the Knolls area near the Bonneville Salt Flats Monday night, his trip got "cut short" with a rescue mission after he saw the dog walking alone in the "middle of nowhere," he said in a video p
  
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• Initiative to test sex assault kits will soon reach statewide, offer online resources for victims

  17-01-2018 01:39
  SALT LAKE CITY — An initiative to test unsubmitted sexual assault kits is set to expand statewide this year, including the launch of a new website designed to help victims track their kit's progress.
  The advancement is thanks to a new $2.2 million federal grant that the project received in October, Krystal Hazlett, coordinator for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, said Tuesday during an update on the initiative's progress.
  "This will increase our outreach from the 11 agencies in Salt Lake
  
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• Lake Powell EMS pilot completes 3,000th rescue mission, a milestone reached by few

  17-01-2018 01:36
  
  Matt Stein, an emergency medical services pilot who has flown with Classic Air Medical for 25 years, ended 2017 by logging his 3,000th rescue flight.
  
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• Ex-school counselor charged with illegal sex activity with student

  17-01-2018 01:29
  SALT LAKE CITY — A former high school counselor in St. George has been charged with having a "sexual encounter" with a 17-year-old student in 2008.
  Heidi Tasso, 50, of St. George, was charged Tuesday in 5th District Court with unlawful sexual activity with a 17-year-old, a third-degree felony.
  Tasso, a former counselor at Millcreek High School in St. George, inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl while the two were at Tasso's home in 2008, according to charging documents.
  Deputy Washin
  
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