Utah news

• 'Stayin' Alive': West Valley firefighters promote hands-only CPR in humorous video

  24-01-2018 23:42
  WEST VALLEY CITY — What do booty-shaking firefighters, "CPR" rings, Grandma's funeral potatoes and the Jazz team mascot have in common?
  They all make an appearance in West Valley City Fire Department's light-hearted new video promoting hands-only CPR.
  "We wanted to do something fun that celebrated Utah's uniqueness," said Roxeanne Vainuku, public information officer for West Valley City Fire Department, as the department introduced the five-minute video on Wednesday.
  When someone is in car
  
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• Police: Key arrest made in recent spree of Magna shootings

  24-01-2018 23:42
  MAGNA — A recent uptick in gang violence on Salt Lake County's west side, mainly in Magna, has members of the Metro Gang Unit working overtime.
  But officials hope a key arrest made this week will finally curb the violence.
  In the first 21 days of 2018, there were at least seven drive-by shootings or shots fired incidents in Magna and West Valley City, resulting in one death and two injuries. All but two of those incidents were in Magna.
  • Jan. 3: A drive-by shooting was reported near
  
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• Community raises over $50K in 1 day for Riverton teacher with brain disease

  24-01-2018 23:29
  
  If Riverton math teacher Mac Frischknecht ever came across a dejected student, he’d ask them to remind him of his blood type. B-positive, they'd say.
  
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• Salt Lake police seek two men in 10-year-old cold case, serve new warrant

  24-01-2018 23:27
  SALT LAKE CITY — Two men that Salt Lake police have wanted to question for 10 years in connection with an unsolved murder have now officially been named as persons of interest.
  In 2007, the body of Maria Del Carmen Rosas-Sanchez, 39, was found in her apartment, 1054 N. Victoria Way (940 West) on Sept. 10. She ran a catering business out of her residence. An employee who showed up at 6:30 a.m. on a Monday to start work discovered her body, said Salt Lake Police detective Greg Wilking.
  She w
  
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• Steinaker State Park receives International Dark Sky designation

  24-01-2018 22:53
  VERNAL — Steinaker State Park has been awarded International Dark Sky Park status from the International Dark Sky Association.
  It's the fourth state park in Utah to receive a dark sky designation, joining Antelope Island, Goblin Valley and Dead Horse Point. The park is located 7 miles north of the city of Vernal on U.S. 191.
  In order to earn international honor, park staff took measurements of the quality of its night sky over the course of a year and a half; held educational night sky eve
  
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• Youthlinc seeking humanitarians for $5,000 scholarship

  24-01-2018 22:48
  SALT LAKE CITY — Youthlinc, a Utah nonprofit dedicated to "creating lifetime humanitarians," is now accepting applications for its 2018 Utah Young Humanitarian Award.
  The $5,000 college scholarship award is open to high school juniors and seniors, as well as full-time undergraduate students in Utah. One runner-up will receive a $3,000 college scholarship, while three runners-up will receive a $1,000 college scholarship. Five honorable mentions will receive a $500 college scholarship. Appli
  
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• Murray firefighters collecting coats, blankets for homeless

  24-01-2018 22:43
  MURRAY — The city's fire department is collecting new and used coats and blankets to help those in need at various homeless shelters in the valley through the month of March.
  Residents can drop off donations anytime at one of the following locations:
  • Fire Station 81, 40 E. 4800 South
  • Fire Station 82, 996 E. Vine Street
  • Fire Station 83, 484 W. 5900 South
  For questions, contact Steve Roberson at [email protected].
  
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• W. Jordan, Murray residents can recycle e-waste in February

  24-01-2018 22:37
  WEST JORDAN — Residents in West Jordan and Murray can shred documents and recycle electronic waste during two events in February.
  West Jordan residents can drop off waste at the City Hall parking lot, 8000 S. Redwood Road, between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, Feb. 3.
  Murray residents can drop off their waste at the Murray Public Services Building, 4646 S. 500 West, on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
  
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• Mitt Romney applauds 'courage' of Olympic athletes testifying against former USA Gymnastics doctor

  24-01-2018 22:15
  Mitt Romney praised the young women who publicly testified against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar in a tweet on Wednesday.
  "Over the years, I've witnessed the courage of athletes in Olympic Games but I've never seen greater Olympic courage than that shown by our women gymnasts in the courtroom in Lansing, Michigan," said Romney, who headed the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
  More than 150 women testified about their interactions with Nassar, who was sentenced to 40 to 175 year
  
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• Bill to remove mentally unfit elected officials gets preliminary approval in Utah Senate

  24-01-2018 22:12
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would allow some counties to remove elected officials from office if they are deemed mentally incapacitated and unfit to serve.
  The bill, SB38, rose out of the controversy surrounding former Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott, who remained in office while he appeared to suffer mental health issues — a problem county officials struggled to address until Ott's siblings reached a resignation agreement
  
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• Utah Rep. John Curtis tells lawmakers he's packed a lot into first two months on the job

  24-01-2018 22:08
  SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, offered an upbeat assessment of his first two months in Congress to members of the Utah Senate on Wednesday as the newest member of the state's congressional delegation.
  "It's hard to imagine the number of things that have been packed into those two months," Curtis said. "Everything from the intrigue of being invited to fly on Air Force One with the president to the drama of the shutdown."
  He told state senators he has already sponsored three bill
  
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• BYU study gets one step closer to Star Wars reality

  24-01-2018 22:03
  
  One of the enduring sci-fi moments of the big screen — R2-D2 beaming a 3-D image of Princess Leia into thin air in "Star Wars" — is closer to reality thanks to the smallest of screens: dust-like particles.
  
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• U. student startup wins $5K in competition

  24-01-2018 21:49
  SALT LAKE CITY — KB Medical, a student startup developing a wound drain, was named the first-place winner and recipient of a $5,000 grand prize at the 2017-18 University of Utah Opportunity Quest business-model competition.
  KB Medical is creating a long-term wound drain for patients to use after surgery. The device includes hydrophobic properties to avoid clotting and clogging. Other features of the device include a constant vacuum pressure and a concealable design.
  The device is the brain
  
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• House passes bill reducing July fireworks days; Senate bill to create mental health responders

  24-01-2018 21:41
  
  The Utah House passed a bill reducing the number of fireworks days in July and Utah's Senate passed a bill to create first responders who specialize in mental health and suicide prevention. Here's a round-up of what's happening during the first week of Utah's 2018 legislative session.
  
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• Utah lawmakers pass bill reducing fireworks days for July holidays

  24-01-2018 20:52
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House passed a bill Wednesday that would reduce the number of days around the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day that fireworks would be legal in the state.
  HB38allows fireworks two days before July 4 and July 24, and one day after, a total of eight days around those two holidays. Current law allows 14 total days around those two holidays.
  Fireworks would remain legal on New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year. The measure does not ban aerial fireworks. It would give loca
  
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• House passes bill reducing fireworks days around July 4, Pioneer Day

  24-01-2018 20:52
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House passed a bill Wednesday that would reduce the number of days around the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day that fireworks would be legal in the state.
  HB38allows fireworks two days before July 4 and July 24, and one day after, a total of eight days around those two holidays. Current law allows 14 total days around those two holidays.
  Fireworks would remain legal on New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year. The measure does not ban aerial fireworks. It would give loca
  
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• Pleasant View father sent to prison for killing 2-week-old son

  24-01-2018 20:19
  OGDEN — A Pleasant View man who admitted killing his 2-week-old son has been sentenced to prison.
  Krystopher Mikehal Cleary, 22, was ordered Monday to serve at least 15 years and up to life in prison for the death of his infant son, Kyson Cleary.
  Cleary pleaded guilty last month to murder, a first-degree felony, in a deal with prosecutors that reduced the charge from aggravated murder, which carried a potential penalty of 25 years to life in prison.
  Cleary was initially charged with murder
  
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• Corrections officer charged with custodial sexual relations

  24-01-2018 20:08
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Department of Corrections officer has been charged with having illegal sexual relations with a female resident at a halfway house.
  Bradley Lowder, 31, of Almalga, Cache County, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with three counts of custodial sexual relations, a third-degree felony.
  A woman who was housed at the Atherton Community Treatment Center, 2588 W. 2365 South, performed sexual acts with Lowder on at least three occasions, according to charging docum
  
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• Intermountain Healthcare to move 2,300 workers to new employer, says move will save $70M

  24-01-2018 19:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — Intermountain Healthcare said Wednesday that 2,300 of its workers will be "switching to" a new employer called R1 RCM by April, a move the hospital system says will save it $70 million over three years.
  The affected employees all work in "nonclinical" positions, said Intermountain Healthcare spokesman Daron Cowley.
  "The employees affected by the change will keep their jobs at their rate of pay but will be employed by R1," Cowley said in a news release. "These employees cur
  
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• 'Help me, BYU!' Professor close to duplicating Princess Leia hologram

  24-01-2018 19:36
  PROVO — A BYU professor who considers himself a holographer has created a new type of 3-D display that could soon free Princess Leia from science fiction and re-create her hologram in real life.
  Daniel Smalley's invention of an optical-trap display isolates a dust particle and illuminates it with red, green and blue light was published this morning in the science journal Nature.
  "To all the heartbroken people out there who were disappointed when past scientific findings promised breakthrou
  
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• U of U warns of scammer pretending to be police

  24-01-2018 18:53
  
  Several University of Utah students say someone claiming to be a police officer called them demanding money for outstanding warrants. Through spoofing technology, the call appears to be coming from the police department, police said.
  
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• Should Utah law allow bicycles to pass through red lights?

  24-01-2018 18:34
  
  Bicyclists in Utah may soon be able to legally ride through red traffic lights after yielding if a new bill passes the state Legislature.
  
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• Day 3: Happening on the Hill

  24-01-2018 18:27
  • Gov. Gary Herbert will speak to the Legislature and Utah residents, offering his vision for the legislative session, at his 2018 State of the State address at 6:30 p.m. in the House Chamber at the Capitol.
  • The Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee will discuss across-the-board fee increases for public safety services, including raising the cost of a driver's licenses from $25 to $32 and a learner permit from $15 to $19. SB16, sponsored by Sen. Daniel That
  
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• Provo man charged with sex crimes against teen neighbor

  24-01-2018 18:25
  PROVO — A Provo man who prosecutors say was engaging in illegal sexual conduct with a teen neighbor threatened to kill the girl and her family using voodoo if she told anyone, according to charging documents.
  Jean Marc Alcius, 25, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with five counts of unlawful sex with a 16-year-old, a third-degree felony.
  When police questioned Alcius about the allegations, "He did make a statement to the victim and her family that he could kill them with voodoo
  
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• Prison ordered for man who stabbed woman to death, hid body in shed

  24-01-2018 18:19
  SALT LAKE CITY — Prison has been ordered for a man who brutally stabbed a woman he shared a home with, then dragged her body to a backyard shed to hide it.
  Justin VanCleave, 20, was sentenced Monday to serve at least 15 years and up to life in prison for murder, a first-degree felony. VanCleave pleaded guilty to the charge in August in exchange for dismissal of an additional count of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony.
  Third District Judge Vernice Trease did not rule on whether Va
  
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• Toys R Us, hobbled by competition, will shutter 180 stores

  24-01-2018 18:10
  NEW YORK — Toys R Us, squeezed by Amazon.com and huge chains like Walmart, will close 180 stores, or about 20 percent of its U.S. locations, within months, including locations in Midvale and Ogden, Utah.
  Hobbled by $5 billion in debt, the company that once dominated toy sales in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy protection in September.
  Chairman and CEO Dave Brandon said in a letter Wednesday that tough decisions are required to save Toys R Us.
  Toys R Us operates about 900 stores in the U.S.
  T
  
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• This new report says Utah is better than Arizona when it comes to retirement. Here's why

  24-01-2018 17:48
  A new report from WalletHub ranked Utah as the ninth best state to retire, just ahead of Arizona in the top 10.
  Which state is the best?: Florida topped the list, ranking ahead of Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa and Virginia within the top five.
  Wyoming, New Hampshire and Idaho finished at the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, respectively, on the list.
  How states are ranked: WalletHub based its rankings on 41 metrics that determined "retirement-friendliness." The report looked into each state's aff
  
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• Erin Stewart: Local winter activities to fix the mid-January doldrums

  24-01-2018 17:00
  January is the worst. Christmas festivities are over, and spring seems a million years away. As a mom, the mid-winter doldrums are real and exhausting.
  So I always like to have a few family activities ready to go that will get us out of the house and out of each other's personal space for at least a few hours.
  Here are some of our top go-to winter activities in the Salt Lake area:
  1. Midway Ice Castles: We first took our kids to the ice castles last year, and it was like the creators of this ama
  
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• Utah couple missing in Arizona for nearly 2 weeks; pets, vehicles and valuables left behind

  24-01-2018 16:58
  
  Jerry and Susan McFalls of West Jordan, both 62, were last heard from on Jan. 11.
  
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• Utah faith leaders support victim targeting bill, cite Joseph Smith

  24-01-2018 16:18
  
  A group of non-Mormon religious leaders cite the murder of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith and his brother among their reasons for backing a victim targeting bill in the Utah Legislature.
  
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• Senate committee advances bill legalizing free-range parenting

  24-01-2018 15:18
  
  Free-range parenting is a modern buzzword for families aiming to raise self-sufficient kids, but how much freedom at what age remains a fierce debate.
  
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• Jay Evensen: Thinking of new ways to take money from your wallet

  24-01-2018 15:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — At the Utah Legislature, some things are like the weather. People complain about them endlessly but never seem to do anything to change them.
  That may be because, at the moment, meteorology is far more accurate than anything that can predict modern disruptions to the way governments have gotten used to doing business.
  And then there is the tricky business of wanting to be re-elected.
  Two taxes, the gas tax and the sales tax, are proving to be particularly vexing. They are
  
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• CRISPR: Hope and controversy entwined in gene editing breakthrough

  24-01-2018 06:46
  
  The gene-editing tool CRISPR has raised hopes of miraculous breakthroughs in curing genetic diseases. But major ethical questions are swirling with worries about "designer babies" and changing the genes of our descendants.
  
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• ‘She needed it more than I did’: Transplant patients celebrate new lease on life

  24-01-2018 06:28
  
  Organ recipients, donors and health care officials gathered to celebrate an increase in the number of transplants performed by the Intermountain Medical Center in 2017. During the event, donors and recipients shared their stories.
  
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• Rep. Chris Stewart: Trump investigation issues 'extraordinarily concerning'

  24-01-2018 05:45
  
  Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told Utah lawmakers Tuesday that the circumstances surrounding the controversial dossier prepared during the 2016 campaign against President Donald Trump are "extraordinarily concerning."
  
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• 2 arrested; search continues for weekend shooting suspect

  24-01-2018 05:08
  
  Police arrested two women late Tuesday in connection with a weekend shooting in Riverton.
  
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• Grieving parents lobby for research into opioids' fatal effects on breathing

  24-01-2018 03:53
  SALT LAKE CITY — Parents crushed by their 21-year-old son's untimely death following a tonsillectomy, as well as the doctor who says the painkiller he prescribed to the young man likely killed him, asked lawmakers Tuesday to support a measure formally calling for research into opioids' respiratory side effects.
  Yvonne Gardner said the group made the trip from Vernal because they want to spare other families from the searing pain caused by the abrupt loss of her son, Parker Stewart.
  "We're
  
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• Utah in 2050: Local officials urged to plan for population boom

  24-01-2018 03:00
  
  Local officials gathered in downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday to launch Wasatch Choice for 2050, an initiative urging local leaders to work together to plan for a future that accommodates Utah's projected population boom over the next 30 years.
  
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• Resolution affirms civil liberties of Utah college students

  24-01-2018 02:01
  SALT LAKE CITY — A resolution that affirms the civil liberties of students at Utah's public colleges and universities was unanimously endorsed by the Utah Legislature's Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.
  SCR3, sponsored by seemingly unlikely political allies Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, and Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, "strongly encourages state institutions of higher education to vigorously defend the civil liberties of students through policies that ensure the protection o
  
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• Ex-Kellogg workers win appeal on alleged UT religious firing

  24-01-2018 01:45
  
  A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of two northern Utah residents who claim they were fired from their jobs at the Kellogg Co. in 2012 because their religious beliefs prevented them from working on Saturdays.
  
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• Utah in 2050: Local officials urged to plan for Utah's population boom

  24-01-2018 01:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — Today, the average Wasatch Front commuter spends a little under an hour driving to and from work.
  By 2050 — when Utah's population is projected to hit more than 5 million — that commute time could jump to an hour and 40 minutes.
  On top of that, housing prices will be even higher, and there will be little improvement in air quality.
  That is — if cities and counties don't change the way they plan communities or transit in the next few decades, said Andrew G
  
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• Bill would allow Utah schools to install bolt locks on classroom doors

  24-01-2018 01:16
  SALT LAKE CITY — Public schools could install bolt locks on classroom doors for use during school lockdowns under a bill endorsed Tuesday by the Utah Legislature's Senate Education Committee.
  Current building and fire codes prohibit their use in schools, said Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, sponsor of SB87.
  Weiler said he introduced the legislation after a constituent told him that he wanted to donate the locks to his daughter's elementary school. He was referred to the principal, who tol
  
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• Photos: Scenes and celebrities at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival

  24-01-2018 01:12
  
  Browse through the gallery to see the celebrities and sights from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and submit your own Sundance photos to be added to the gallery.
  
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• Utah lawmakers OK bill legalizing free-range parenting

  24-01-2018 01:01
  SALT LAKE CITY — Free-range parenting is a modern buzzword for families aiming to raise self-sufficient kids, but how much freedom at what age remains a fierce debate.
  Now, a Utah lawmaker wants to make sure moms and dads don't find themselves under investigation for allowing mature kids with good judgment to do things alone such as travel to school, explore a playground or stay in their parents' car.
  A panel of state lawmakers unanimously approved the proposal Tuesday, advancing it to the
  
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• ‘She needed it more than I did’: Transplant patients celebrate new lease on life

  24-01-2018 00:58
  MURRAY — As Intermountain Medical Center marked a milestone year for organ transplants, Steve Baldridge offered a simple reason for donating a kidney to his neighbor.
  "She needed it more than I did. I had one that I could spare," Baldridge said Tuesday, as families of donors and recipients gathered with medical center staff to celebrate a record number 52 liver transplants in 2017. The center also transplanted 98 kidneys, eight kidneys/pancreases and 14 hearts.
  After learning just over 10
  
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• Utah Rep. Chris Stewart: Trump investigation issues 'extraordinarily concerning'

  24-01-2018 00:17
  SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told Utah lawmakers Tuesday that the circumstances surrounding the controversial dossier prepared during the 2016 campaign against President Donald Trump are "extraordinarily concerning."
  Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told state senators the dossier was paid for by Democrats and utilized a foreign agent who "almost certainly" had contact with Russian agents, but "there is nothing in it that's true."
  His comments came ami
  
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• 3 taken into custody in search for Herriman shooting suspect

  24-01-2018 00:17
  HERRIMAN — Three people were taken into custody Tuesday in Herriman for questioning in connection with a weekend shooting, police said.
  But officers were still looking for the accused gunman, Justin Gary Llewelyn, 33.
  Salt Lake and Unified police worked jointly to round up three people about 3 p.m. and take them to the Salt Lake City Police Department for questioning. The three, who were not immediately identified, are acquaintances of Llewelyn and are being questioned about the possibilit
  
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• Utah man sentenced for child porn; case tied to gynecologist

  24-01-2018 00:04
  
  A 41-year-old Lehi man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on federal child pornography charges as part of a plea bargain in a case stemming from the investigation of a Utah gynecologist.
  
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• Utah lawmaker seeks to create first responder for mental health, suicide prevention

  24-01-2018 00:04
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate voted Tuesday to create a new kind of first responder who specializes in mental health and suicide prevention.
  SB31, the Utah Mobile Crisis Outreach Team Act, passed 26-3 in the Senate and now moves to the House for consideration.
  "I'm told by Salt Lake City that more than 1 in 6 calls for a first responder is in regards to a mental health or behavior health crisis," Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, told his Senate colleagues as he introduced the b
  
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