Utah news

• Utah lawmakers hold bill creating duty to report opioid mishandling

  28-02-2018 23:54
  SALT LAKE CITY — Legislators on Wednesday held a bill that would make it a crime to not report fraudulent handling of opioids at a health care facility, saying there were significant concerns over how it could be interpreted.But despite voting unanimously to hold it, the House Health and Human Services Committee still appeared willing to hear HB446 again on a quick turnaround after some of its language was updated."I would much rather try to fix this in committee with the level of discussi
  
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• Virtual hospital service aims to save patients time and money

  28-02-2018 23:51
  MIDVALE — It's flu season, and you caught the cough that's going around. You throw on a pair of sweatpants and drive to an urgent care facility hoping a doctor will write you prescription for cough syrup.Sitting in the waiting area, you watch more sick people sit down, settling in for the long haul. Finally, a nurse ushers you back, where a doctor talks to you for a few minutes and passes you that coveted prescription.Four hours later, you're finally back at home in bed.In 2018 this scenar
  
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• House passes bill that paves the way for more toll roads

  28-02-2018 23:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers are paving the way for more toll roads in the state with legislation allowing electronic monitoring and extending the ability to charge fees on existing roads.SB71, sponsored by Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, passed the House 49-21 Wednesday. A change made in the House to study how best to collect tolls from out-of-state and rental car drivers still had to be accepted by the Senate.Niederhauser said it will be at least two years before Utahns
  
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• Animal shelter sponsoring Utah County vaccination clinics

  28-02-2018 23:49
  SPANISH FORK — The South Utah Valley Animal Shelter will sponsor a series of licensing and low-cost vaccination clinics in Utah County beginning Saturday.Local veterinarians will provide rabies shots for $12 and other vaccinations for $15 to $25. Animal licenses will be sold for $15 for spayed or neutered pets, and $35 for pets that haven't been spayed or neutered.The clinics will held a the following locations and times:• Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, Salem Fire Department, 30 W. 100 So
  
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• Red light won't change? Bill would let you drive through

  28-02-2018 23:47
  SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody wants to be stuck at a red light that doesn't seem to want to turn green, especially when there are no other drivers or pedestrians around.One driver took his frustration to lawmakers.Now, legislation that would allow drivers to continue through red lights when the lights aren't changing has advanced to the Utah House floor, despite concerns raised by the Utah Department of Transportation.HB416 advanced from the House Transportation Committee Tuesday on a supporting
  
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• 5 Utah schools advance in Samsung’s $2M STEAM contest

  28-02-2018 23:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — Five Utah schools are among 255 state finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a program that encourages students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.The Utah finalists are Harry S. Truman Elementary in West Valley City; DaVinci Academy in Ogden; Green Canyon High School in North Logan; Kearns High School in Kearns; and Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School in St. George.The schools
  
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• 3 climbing walls to close during peregrine falcon nesting season

  28-02-2018 23:41
  MONTICELLO — Beginning Thursday the Bureau of Land Management's Monticello field office will temporarily close three climbing walls during peregrine falcon nesting season.The three walls include Reservoir Wall, Cat Wall and The Wall. Notices of the temporary closures will also be posted on the ground with signs at trailhead areas. All other walls, cliffs and climbing routes will remain open.Peregrine falcons use shallow depressions on ledges, cliffs and even high-rise buildings to create n
  
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• Power restored in SL County after drowsy teen crashes into power pole

  28-02-2018 23:40
  
  Over 2,500 customers were without power in West Valley City, Magna and Salt Lake City after a drowsy teen crashed into a power pole Wednesday morning.
  
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• Nominees announced for Mt. Pleasant Justice Court vacancy

  28-02-2018 23:39
  MT. PLEASANT, Sanpete County — The Sanpete County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for the vacancy in the Mt. Pleasant City Justice Court. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson, who retired in June 2016.Following are the nominees, their place of employment and their residence:• Judge Morgan Laker Cummings; Lehi Justice Court judge; resident of American Fork• Judge Mark Kay McIff, justice court judge for Ephraim, Fairview, Fountain Green, Gunnison, Manti, M
  
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• Senate passes bill to improve K-3 reading

  28-02-2018 23:37
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Wednesday passed SB194, which raises the bar for reading proficiency by the end of third grade.The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, said SB194 would set the state standard of children reading on or above grade level by the end of grade 3 at 60 percent."I say we shouldn't be happy untill we get to 90 percent," Millner said during earlier floor debate.Achieving reading proficiency at the end of the third grade is a key factor in later educational
  
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• 2 critically injured after Legacy Parkway crash

  28-02-2018 23:10
  
  Two people were critically injured after a crash in Farmington Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
  
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• 2 more employees of signature-gathering company accused of forging names

  28-02-2018 22:50
  OGDEN — Two employees of a Utah-based signature-gathering company are facing criminal charges for allegedly forging signatures on voter initiative petitions.Alexander James Burke, 22, was charged in 2nd District Court on Monday with five counts each of forgery, a third-degree felony, and violation of petition procedures, a class A misdemeanor.Emma Riches, 21, who was charged Thursday, is facing eight counts of each charge.Burke and Riches, both of Ogden, were circulating petitions for vote
  
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• Charges dismissed for inmate accused in 2010 rape case

  28-02-2018 22:49
  SALT LAKE CITY — Charges in a 2010 rape case were dismissed for a man already incarcerated for a similar offense after prosecutors were unable to proceed with a preliminary hearing Monday.David Zachary Swigart, 53, had been scheduled to face a preliminary hearing last month where prosecutors would have presented evidence to support charges of aggravated sexual assault and rape, both first-degree felonies, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.The hearing was canceled because th
  
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• Woman pleads guilty to role in Santa Clara man’s kidnapping, death

  28-02-2018 22:48
  
  After more than a year in the court system, a second defendant in the kidnapping and death of Santa Clara resident David Heisler will serve time in prison after entering a guilty plea Tuesday in 5th District Court.
  
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• Have You Seen This? Utah reps make ‘Fresh Prince’ parody to explain laws

  28-02-2018 22:15
  
  In my day, all we had was "Schoolhouse Rock!" Now we've got Utah representatives rapping to "Fresh Prince."
  
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• Day care provider broke infant's legs, police say

  28-02-2018 22:01
  SALT LAKE CITY — An unlicensed day care owner has been arrested and accused of breaking an infant's legs.Elvira Ortega, 66, of Salt Lake City, was arrested for investigation of felony child abuse with intentional injuries.On Feb. 22, Ortega allegedly slammed a child "down on the bathroom floor, feet first, fracturing both legs," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.The boy, who police say is less than 1 year old, was taken to Primary Children's Hospital the next day, said Salt Lake
  
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• Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill seeking 3rd term

  28-02-2018 21:54
  SALT LAKE CITY — Sim Gill announced Wednesday that he will seek a third term as Salt Lake County's district attorney.With Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, former Sheriff Jim Winder and former Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank there to endorse him, Gill put to rest speculation that he might run for another office."I'm very flattered by that. But I think there's often other people who have greater ambition for my political future than I do," Gill said with a laugh.He said it was n
  
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• Proposed amendment would strip powers of State School Board

  28-02-2018 20:07
  SALT LAKE CITY — A proposed constitutional amendment would strip the powers of the Utah State Board of Education.Under SJR16, "the general control and supervision" of the state's public education system would be vested in the state superintendent of public instruction, who would be selected by the governor.The resolution is an attempt to address the governance of the State School Board, which is "a catastrophe," the bill's sponsor, Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, said Wednesday.The joi
  
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• Daycare provider arrested for allegedly breaking infant's legs

  28-02-2018 20:04
  SALT LAKE CITY — An unlicensed daycare owner has been arrested and accused of breaking an infant's legs.Elvira Ortega, 66, of Salt Lake City, was arrested for investigation of felony child abuse with intentional injuries.On Feb. 22, Ortega allegedly slammed a child "down on the bathroom floor, feet first, fracturing both legs," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.The boy, who police say is less than 1 year old, was taken to Primary Children's Hospital the next day, said Salt Lake p
  
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• Don’t believe low numbers. Utah is still experiencing heavy flu season

  28-02-2018 20:00
  It looked like the Beehive State had one of the lowest levels of flu-like illnesses in the country the week of Feb. 3, but that might not actually be the case.The Washington Post published an interactive graphic that displayed every state's level of flu-like illness based on CDC data.The data tracks hospitalizations nationwide during the flu season, too.Utah, along with North Dakota, ranked on the "low" end of the scale compared to all other states. Montana and Maine had "minimal" levels of infe
  
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• Committee OKs bill funding improvements, patrols on Jordan River

  28-02-2018 19:58
  SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers are turning their attention to a stretch of the Jordan River, proposing to spend $1 million for added police patrols and improvements such as lighting and boat ramps.The measure, HB216, by Rep. Mike Winder, R-West Valley City, proposes a half-million dollars in one-time funding and another half-million dollars in ongoing funding to make improvements along the river from state Route 201 to about 4500 South.It is within that same corridor that a proposed homeless s
  
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• Senate approves $5M in tax credits for movie post-production

  28-02-2018 19:34
  SALT LAKE CITY — A bill providing tax credits valued at $5 million annually to companies that stay in Utah to complete post-production work on movies squeaked through the Senate Wednesday.
  Utah Film Commission
  A scene from HBO's "Westworld." The Beehive State is continuing to draw interest and investment from entertainment behemoths like Disney Studios and HBO, which, respectively, shot "Andi Mack" and "Westworld" in the state in 2017, as well as smaller productions which, all told, spent
  
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• Pair of affordable housing bills advance at Utah Legislature

  28-02-2018 18:26
  SALT LAKE CITY — Two bills addressing the affordable housing crisis in Utah advanced in a House committee this week.HB430, sponsored by Rep. Becky Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, creates the Commission on Housing Affordability in the Department of Workforce Services.Edwards referenced a bill passed last year that created a fund to incentivize real estate developers and landlords to reduce rent and leasing rates for tenants by using loans and enhanced tax credits.Edwards said the action was "a
  
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• Utah lawmakers consider new crime for drug-induced homicide

  28-02-2018 17:31
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a new classification of crime for drug-induced homicide.Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, presented HB309 to the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Friday, saying "we are strictly trying to target drug dealers."Eliason said illegal drug dealers can import fentanyl, an opioid, from China for very cheap, and dealing in opioids is becoming a very lucrative business.He told the story of a man who was
  
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• Jay Evensen: U. study shows how today's partially autonomous cars are dangerous

  28-02-2018 17:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — Francesco Biondi was in the driver's seat of a partially self-driving car not long ago, talking to his passengers and enjoying the ride while the autopilot did the work. Then the car stopped behind a long line of cars inching their way through a four-way stop at an intersection."As long as the car in front would stop and restart, the system worked well, up until the point I was the first car in the line," he said.That's when Biondi's car simply darted into the intersection
  
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• Ex-A.G. John Swallow sues Utah for $1.5M in attorney fees after acquittal

  28-02-2018 06:44
  
  Former Utah Attorney General John Swallow sued the state of Utah on Tuesday for $1.5 million in attorney fees racked up defending himself against public corruption charges last year.
  
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• Utah Senate proposes hike in vehicle registration fees instead of sales tax increase

  28-02-2018 06:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — Vehicle registration fees would jump from $44 to $72 but there would no longer be a statewide sales tax increase under the latest version of the Legislature's Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force bill.Senates voted 18-9 to give SB136 preliminary approval Tuesday night. A final vote in that chamber could come as soon as Wednesday.The bill, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, still includes an overhaul of the Utah Transit Authority. UTA's 16-member bo
  
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• KSL Investigates: Is your warehouse membership worth the cost to shop?

  28-02-2018 06:42
  
  If you have a family, you know grocery shopping can eat up a big chunk of your monthly budget. The KSL Investigators wanted to know if purchasing a warehouse membership would shave a significant amount of money off a family’s grocery budget.
  
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• Utah lawmakers scrap plans to bar reporters from House floor before sessions

  28-02-2018 06:36
  SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers scrapped plans late Tuesday to keep reporters off the House floor before they debate and vote on bills.The proposal from Rep. Jim Dunnigan, HR4, originally sought to block reporters from the chamber floor 45 minutes before morning and afternoon sessions. That was whittled to five minutes before being removed all together.The new rule now says reporters may go on to the floor to conduct interviews but aren't allowed to linger or loiter, Dunnigan said.The Hou
  
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• Utah House wants lawmakers to have power to call special session

  28-02-2018 06:33
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers want the power to call themselves into special session, and they want voters to give them that power.The House passed a resolution 73-1 late Tuesday calling for a constitutional amendment allowing the Legislature to convene itself in emergencies. Only the governor can call lawmakers into session under Utah law.HJR18 came in response to Gov. Gary Herbert refusing to call the Legislature into session to set up a special election process last year to replace re
  
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• Police: 2 arrested in connection with Domino's armed robbery in Bountiful

  28-02-2018 06:27
  
  Two men were arrested Tuesday in connection with an armed robbery at a Domino’s Pizza last week.
  
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• House passes bill creating sex assault reporting guidelines for Utah universities

  28-02-2018 06:06
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House narrowly passed a bill late Tuesday aiming to balance confidentiality for college students who report sexual assaults to the school and administrators informing police to protect against potential campus predators.HB254 would create guidelines for when universities may report incidents to local police if they see a clear and significant threat to the campus community."No woman, no man, no person should ever experience a brutal rape and find out that the scho
  
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• Utah House passes bill creating government oversight committee

  28-02-2018 05:58
  SALT LAKE CITY — Legislation that would create a new legislative committee with power to investigate the state's executive branch of government passed in the Utah House late Tuesday.HB175 would create the Joint Committee on Governmental Oversight, made up of six House members and three senators appointed by the speaker and Senate president, respectively.In addition to its duties to make and appropriate funds, the Legislature has a responsibility to investigate other areas of government, sa
  
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• Spanish Fork man charged in cat-punching case

  28-02-2018 05:58
  OREM — Prosecutors say a 20-year-old Spanish Fork man punched someone else's cats in January over two days, forcing one of the pets to have jaw surgery and also puncturing a cat's mouth.Thomas Tristian Anderson, 20, of Spanish Fork, was charged in 4th District Court last month in connection with Jan. 2 and 3 incidents in Orem. He faces two counts of torturing a companion animal, a third-degree felony.Anderson was briefly held in Utah County jail Monday in connection with the case and was r
  
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• Sales taxes could be increased for roads, transit projects or both under bill

  28-02-2018 05:54
  SALT LAKE CITY — Counties would be able to raise local sales taxes for roads, transit projects or both under a bill advanced unanimously Tuesday by the House Transportation Committee.HB423, sponsored by House Majority Whip Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, would also allow private companies to compete with the Utah Transit Authority for transit projects.The bill, which now goes to the full House, was described as a back up to more comprehensive legislation from the Legislature's Transportation G
  
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• Man hospitalized with broken leg after WVC auto-pedestrian crash

  28-02-2018 05:41
  
  A man suffered a broken leg after he was struck by a vehicle Tuesday evening, officials report.
  
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• Former volunteers claim animal shelter hoarded, mistreated animals; Shelter president denies claims

  28-02-2018 05:22
  
  Former volunteers with Four Paws Rescue claim the head of the local charity took in too many animals, leading to many of them being mistreated and hoarded.
  
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• Lawmaker's marriage counseling bill seeks to curb Utah divorce rate

  28-02-2018 02:42
  SALT LAKE CITY — Drugs and broken homes will fill the new prison under construction with inmates, Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, told a House committee this week as he proposed a plan to combat the rate of divorce in Utah.SB54, which has already passed the Senate, would incentivize engaged couples to take a premarital counseling class before they tie the knot.The bill increases the marriage license fee $20 and waives the extra amount if a couple proves they have taken the courses,
  
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• Northwest quadrant bill sets 'dangerous precedent,' SLC mayor says

  28-02-2018 02:32
  
  Even though city leaders have been negotiating with state leaders on the bill, it didn't turn out to be what they were hoping for at all — and some of their worst fears were confirmed.
  
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• Sheriff vows 'zero tolerance' for school shooting ‘jokes'

  28-02-2018 02:25
  
  Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera on Tuesday announced the sheriff's office will be launching an awareness campaign to help students understand the seriousness of making threats on social media, even if the posts are meant to be a "joke."
  
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• Sterling Scholars: Wasatch Front's top students shine in final round

  28-02-2018 02:23
  SARATOGA SPRINGS — After a whirlwind trip to New York City for auditions at The Juilliard School and New York University, Lone Peak High School senior Madi Riley headed west to compete in the final judging of the 2018 Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Program.Riley played viola and answered judges' questions as one of 168 Wasatch Front students who advanced to the final rounds of the scholarship and recognition program held Tuesday at Westlake High School."So I'm a little jet-lagged. It's
  
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• Poll: Voters want Utah lawmakers to protect land, air and water resources

  28-02-2018 02:19
  SALT LAKE CITY — A new poll shows 55 percent of Utah voters believe their communities are growing too quickly and there's not enough planning for growth.More people — 68 percent — worry about health problems due to smog, and 65 percent worry about threats to current and future water supplies.Where this might matter to Utah lawmakers is that those same voters don't believe the Legislature is doing enough to protect the state's land, air and water resources — with fewer tha
  
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• As high court ruminates, Hatch, Reyes lead charge on foreign data access revamp

  28-02-2018 02:17
  SALT LAKE CITY — While the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case pitting the U.S. Department of Justice against software giant Microsoft over access to emails stored on a foreign data server, some Utah leaders have thrown their support behind new legislation that could ease the dilemma and create some legal clarity in the new world of cloud-based digital services.The Microsoft case pivots around the company's refusal, based on customer privacy obligations, to comply wit
  
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• Work requirement, other Medicaid changes sought under bill approved by Senate

  28-02-2018 02:15
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would direct the state health department to seek changes in Utah's Medicaid program from the federal government, including a work requirement for some recipients."I don't think we are just giving a blank check to the Department of Health. We are giving them very clear guidelines to go implement the program," the sponsor of SB172, Sen. Dan Hemmert, R-Orem, said.But several senators raised concerns."I've never seen a bill like this," sai
  
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• Bill would delay implementation of Utah ballot initiatives

  28-02-2018 01:58
  SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would push back the implementation dates of ballot initiatives was made public for the first time this week.HB471 states that any voter-approved ballot initiatives raising taxes would not go into effect until the January that follows the first general legislative session after the vote, meaning such measures approved in November of this year would not be formally implemented until the start of 2020.Laws with no effect on state taxes would take effect 60 days af
  
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• Body of missing autistic man recovered in foothills near Herriman

  28-02-2018 01:24
  HERRIMAN — Authorities on Tuesday recovered the body of a 20-year-old college student from Herriman in the foothills near his home.Tanner Oblad was last seen Feb. 21 when he was heading to class at Salt Lake Community College's Taylorsville campus but did not return home, police said.The student had autism but was high-functioning, said Unified police detective Ken Hansen.Detectives traced Oblad's path by looking at surveillance video, Hansen said. They used a Department of Public Safety h
  
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• Protesters urge Hatch to cast deciding Senate vote on net neutrality reversal

  28-02-2018 01:23
  SALT LAKE CITY — About 30 protesters gathered outside Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch's downtown office Tuesday to demand he join 50 other U.S. senators that have expressed their support of undoing recent federal changes to net neutrality rules.The clock for a potential reversal of those changes, approved in December by the five-member Federal Communications Commission, began last week when the new rules were enrolled. That started a 60-day countdown for federal legislators, under the Congressional
  
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• Police arrest woman after 130-mph chase ends in elementary school parking lot

  28-02-2018 01:17
  
  Police arrested a woman Tuesday morning after a 130-mph chase ended in an elementary school parking lot in Nephi, leading to a campus lockdown and search.
  
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• Bill to prevent 'dying from detox' moves forward at Utah Legislature

  28-02-2018 01:02
  SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of bills targeting Utah's opioid crisis moved forward Tuesday at the Utah Legislature.Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, is sponsoring HB410, which would create a work group to study alcohol and substance withdrawals within county jails and report the findings to the Legislature.Moss said there are rising jail deaths across the country due to the opioid crisis, known as "dying from detox."Madison Jensen had been fighting an opioid addiction when she died in the D
  
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• 'Discover, gather, connect': LDS general authorities discuss RootsTech and new approach to family history work

  28-02-2018 00:11
  SALT LAKE CITY — Elder Erich W. Kopischke's eyes twinkled as he related his personal "discovery-gather-connect" experience.During World War II, when the General Authority Seventy's father was 9 years old, a neighbor friend invited him to attend a tiny LDS branch in Stettin, Poland. His father loved what he found there and continued to attend with his family. Without one missionary involved, the family was baptized in 1942. Later, the Kopischkes heard the neighbor boy, Otto Dreger, was kill
  
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