Utah news

• Zion expecting large crowds over spring break

  09-03-2018 23:38
  ZION NATIONAL PARK — Heading to Zions for spring break? If so, park officials are asking visitors to pack a little extra patience.Park officials are anticipating this year's crowds will be similar to last year, when parking filled up by 10 a.m. and the shuttle bus lines at the visitor center saw wait times as long as 45 minutes.In addition, roads and sidewalks are being reconstructed in Springdale, which means more traffic congestion and fewer parking options.To help mitigate crowds, the p
  
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• Tumbleweeds Film Fest: 'Esteban' tells a diverse, musical story relevant for kids

  09-03-2018 23:00
  
  When you think of kids movies, you might not think of a stark, hyperrealistic depiction of an impoverished neighborhood in Havana.
  
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• SLC man credits divine intervention for leading him to person stuck in icy Snake River

  09-03-2018 22:31
  
  A Utah man was honored Thursday for his role in saving a man from drowning in the Snake River on a frigid January day.
  
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• Spring forward this weekend for daylight saving time

  09-03-2018 22:22
  SALT LAKE CITY — As Utahns prepare to set their clocks an hour ahead this weekend, a couple of groups are taking the opportunity to issue some seasonal reminders.Daylight saving time begins early Sunday, meaning clocks should be set an hour ahead and an hour will be lost.The Utah Department of Transportation is warning drivers to be cautious, noting that the time change could cause poor visibility during the morning commute, and drivers may be drowsy as their bodies adjust to a new sleep c
  
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• BYU to Mitt: Cease and desist

  09-03-2018 21:55
  PROVO — Mitt Romney stamped his family name on BYU, but the school has asked him to stop using video footage of its campus in his U.S. Senate campaign ads."We have spoken with Mitt Romney's campaign officials about the brief clips showing campus and our political neutrality policy," university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. "We have been assured by the campaign staff that this footage will not be used in any other promotional pieces."Romney, who earned an English degree and spoke at his o
  
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• 'Human error' blamed for topless photo emailed to Utah State Bar members

  09-03-2018 21:28
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Bar has determined that "human error" is to blame for a pornographic image making its way into a promotional email that went out earlier this week.The email sent Monday afternoon to lawyers throughout the state included a banner advertising the Utah State Bar's spring convention, which began Thursday in St. George. But where the body of the message usually would have appeared there was a photo instead depicting a woman's bare chest.A second email quickly fol
  
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• Pleasant Grove man charged with attempting to kill girlfriend

  09-03-2018 21:22
  PLEASANT GROVE — A Pleasant Grove man who prosecutors say tried to kill his girlfriend has been charged with attempted murder.Maurice Cory Gallon Jr., 25, was charged Friday in 4th District Court with aggravated kidnapping and attempted murder, first-degree felonies; and aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, third-degree felonies. All charges are subject to domestic violence penalty enhancements at sentencing if convicted.Pleasant Grove police responded to Ga
  
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• How a cybersecurity law in the EU could forever change Utah businesses

  09-03-2018 20:39
  
  In 2 1/2 months, the European Union will launch the General Data Protection Regulation — a new data privacy regime focused on individual rights. Here's how it will affect Utah businesses.
  
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• Meet the LDS collector who has the Hail Mary football from BYU’s 1980 Holiday Bowl victory

  09-03-2018 19:32
  SALT LAKE CITY — Think of Brent Ashworth as a time traveler.Ashworth has found that it's possible to connect with past people, places or events through historic artifacts."It really brings them to life," Ashworth said. "I think one of the great ways to teach history is to actually have an artifact."A passionate historian, the 69-year-old resident from Provo owns one of the largest private collections of Latter-day Saint, American and world history.Ashworth, an attorney by profession, has m
  
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• Utah legislator Mike Noel, who proposed Trump highway, retires after 16 years

  09-03-2018 19:24
  
  Well-known and controversial Utah politician Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, is retiring after 16 years with the Utah Legislature, according to a report by Utah Policy.
  
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• Controversial Utah legislator Mike Noel retires after 16 years

  09-03-2018 19:24
  
  Well-known and controversial Utah politician Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, is retiring after 16 years with the Utah Legislature, according to a report by Utah Policy.
  
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• Video: Watch Tony Hawk totally shred up a halfpipe in Salt Lake City

  09-03-2018 19:14
  Tony Hawk just turned back the clock for Salt Lake City.The 49-year-old pro skateboarder shredded up a halfpipe at the Qualtrics X4 Summit on Thursday evening, turning back the clock and bringing all Tony Hawk skater fans a dose of nostalgia.Hawk skated along the halfpipe during a warehouse party at the summit, a time when customers and employees of Qualtrics are encouraged to buy food from food trucks and, well, watch a host of skaters, including Hawk and X-Games champion Andy MacDonald.Hawk tr
  
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• Developer says lakes will save water in 3,400-acre master-planned community

  09-03-2018 18:28
  
  A new community development project in the southern end of St. George that is anticipated to eventually accommodate more than 30,000 residents has some asking, ‘What about the water?’
  
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• Utah man charged with raping 12-year-old he met on TRAX

  09-03-2018 18:26
  WEST JORDAN — A South Jordan man was charged Friday with raping a 12-year-old girl he met on a TRAX train.Alec Cole Tate, 24, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of rape of a child, a first-degree felony.Police say Tate met a young girl while riding TRAX in July. "He asked for her phone number, and after exiting the TRAX he began texting her," charging documents state.Not long after, the two met and Tate took her to a friend's apartment where they had sex twice, the charges st
  
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• LDS collector from Utah hopes new book will help people time travel, appreciate history

  09-03-2018 18:23
  SALT LAKE CITY — Think of Brent Ashworth as a time traveler.Ashworth has found that it's possible to connect with past people, places or events through historic artifacts."It really brings them to life," Ashworth said. "I think one of the great ways to teach history is to actually have an artifact."A passionate historian, the 69-year-old resident from Provo owns one of the largest private collections of Latter-day Saint, American and world history.Ashworth, an attorney by profession, has m
  
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• Lawmaker asked to refund hotel tied to prostitute report

  09-03-2018 18:00
  
  Utah's House of Representatives will ask a former lawmaker to refund the costs of two hotel rooms he's alleged to have used to meet up with a prostitute last year.
  
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• Record money 'injected' into public education; AG urged to sue opioid makers directly

  09-03-2018 17:25
  
  Educators have reason to "clap" for joy, Gov. Gary Herbert said after lawmakers provided record funding at the end of the 2018 legislative session Thursday. They also passed a resolution urging Attorney General Sean Reyes to directly sue manufacturers of opioids.
  
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• After proposed statue in DC, Utahn Martha Cannon may also get statue in Wales

  09-03-2018 17:00
  
  People in the Welsh hometown of a woman who became the first female state senator in U.S. history in Utah now want a statue for her.
  
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• Missing boy found after 9 hours in remote area of Iron County

  09-03-2018 15:08
  
  A 6-year-old boy who was missing in a remote area of Iron County has been found.
  
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• Despair is killing Americans. Here's how people of faith can help

  09-03-2018 14:53
  SALT LAKE CITY — Steve Austin wasn't supposed to be depressed.He was about to celebrate his son's first birthday. He had a fulfilling job as a youth pastor in a Southern Baptist church in rural Alabama. He was married to a woman he loved. He believed in a loving God who was personally involved in his life.He tried to kill himself anyway.On the day that Austin crushed a fistful of pills and stirred them into a cup of hot tea, he almost became a statistic in what has been called America's "e
  
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• Lawmakers wrap up legislative session with tax relief, big boost for education

  09-03-2018 08:22
  
  Taxes will go up -- and down -- and education will see a substantial boost under a complicated deal lawmakers reached with backers of the Our Schools Now initiative in the final hours of the 2018 Legislature.
  
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• Utah lawmakers wrap up legislative session with tax relief, big boost for education

  09-03-2018 08:20
  SALT LAKE CITY — Taxes will go up — and down — and education will see a substantial boost under a complicated deal lawmakers reached with backers of the Our Schools Now initiative in the final hours of the 2018 Legislature.The deal that halts the initiative also includes a nonbinding question on the November ballot asking voters whether they want to add a dime to the state's 29.4 cent per gallon gas tax."It's really staving off a significant tax increase for a minimal tax incre
  
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• Bill seeking to delay ballot initiatives dies in Senate

  09-03-2018 08:09
  SALT LAKE CITY — A bill which would have delayed implementation of ballot initiatives never made it to a vote Thursday in the Senate, following criticisms from advocates and backers of the bid to legalize marijuana for medical use in Utah through such a measure this fall.However, those advocates for the Utah Medical Cannabis Act were alone among ballot initiative campaigns in raising their voices against the late-session legislation. They said that was because HB 471 would substantially im
  
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• Lawmakers pass resolution urging Utah AG to sue opioid manufacturers directly

  09-03-2018 07:40
  SALT LAKE CITY — Legislators emphasized their focus on opioid addiction this session with a Thursday vote passing a resolution urging Attorney General Sean Reyes to directly sue manufacturers of those drugs.House Joint Resolution 12 urges Reyes to "immediately and publicly commit to directly filing suit against prescription opioid manufacturers, instead of joining a suit with other plaintiffs, in order to seek the maximum award for damages from prescription opioid manufacturers for the cit
  
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• Record $ 'injected' into public education; move to eliminate elected state school board fails

  09-03-2018 07:22
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers "injected" record funding into education during the 2018 Legislature, which ended Thursday, and Gov. Gary Herbert said it was cause for educators to "clap" for joy.But many in the education family were on pins and needles late Thursday night as the House of Representatives debated whether to eliminate the elected Utah State Board of Education.After an intense floor debate over SJR16, which called for a constitutional amendment allowing Utah voters to decide
  
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• Stansbury Park man pleads guilty to defrauding friends, neighbors

  09-03-2018 06:56
  SALT LAKE CITY — A Stansbury Park man who prosecutors say scammed his friends, family members and fellow churchgoers out of a total of $680,000 pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.Ronald Wayne Leavitt, 61, is expected to serve a three-year prison sentence under the terms of the agreement Wednesday.He agreed to pay about $520,000 in restitution and already has repaid $160,000 to three fraud victims, according to a Thursday statement from U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber."Leav
  
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• Several bills targeted better mental health treatment in 2018 session

  09-03-2018 06:50
  SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers zeroed in on several bills in the 2018 legislative session that were designed to promote better mental health treatment in Utah, though not all of them made it to the finish line.HB41 dedicates nearly $2.4 million in ongoing funding toward mental health crisis lines in Utah, and also requires that all 20 such phones lines in Utah either be available 24/7 for 365 days a year or otherwise have the ability to automatically transfer to another crisis center at all ti
  
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• Utah Legislature passes bill to pay for police, fire needs of new homeless resource centers

  09-03-2018 06:44
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature gave final approval to a bill Thursday night that would use $5 million collected from local sales tax to help pay for police and fire needs that come with the impact of the three new homeless resource centers slated to break ground this spring.It was part of a package of two bills state lawmakers passed during the 2018 legislative session to help fund the homeless resource centers' operation and impact on the host cities, including Salt Lake City, Sout
  
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• Cosmetic fillers: experts say do your research, know the risks

  09-03-2018 06:35
  
  Injectable cosmetic fillers are a hot trend, gaining traction here in Utah. But the experts agree that before you trust your face to the needle, you need to do your homework.
  
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• Gov. Herbert: 'Push the pause button' on UTA name change

  09-03-2018 06:32
  
  Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday he wants to "push the pause button" on renaming the Utah Transit Authority despite backing other governance and funding changes made to the agency this session by the Legislature.
  
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• Lawmakers take a swipe at land, water and air quality issues

  09-03-2018 05:55
  SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers this session poured more money into localized air quality research, beefed up staffing for regulators and agreed to establish a pilot program for emissions testing on certain diesel vehicles in Utah County.They also hiked registration fees for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, leaving clean energy advocates dismayed over potentially slowing down the rate of switching to cleaner cars.Also in the arena of pollution struggles, the Utah Legislature endorsed a pr
  
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• Lawmakers, Our Schools Now finalize compromise deal

  09-03-2018 05:44
  SALT LAKE CITY — A deal between lawmakers and Our Schools Now, the group behind an initiative raising sales and income taxes to bring in $700 million for education, was finalized in the final hours of the 2018 legislative session.The House and Senate passed the key elements of the deal, a nonbinding question for voters about raising gas taxes 10 cents a gallon and a property tax freeze that was already part of GOP legislative leadership's tax reform package.Gov. Gary Herbert has already ba
  
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• Medicaid expansion for 70K Utahns passes after tense debate

  09-03-2018 05:34
  
  The Senate passed a Medicaid expansion bill that could potentially expand coverage to an additional 65,000 to 70,000 Utahns, but health advocates are skeptical about whether the move will be approved by the federal government.
  
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• Utah driver shares lessons from crash narrowly missed

  09-03-2018 05:26
  
  Trent Nielsen, of Murray, narrowly avoided becoming a statistic and has a lesson to share.
  
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• Medicaid expansion for 70,000 Utahns passes after tense debate

  09-03-2018 05:18
  SALT LAKE CITY — Following a tense debate Thursday, the Senate passed a Medicaid expansion bill that could potentially expand coverage to an additional 65,000 to 70,000 Utahns, but health advocates are skeptical about whether the move will be approved by the federal government.HB472 passed the Senate 20 to 8, making it the largest expansion of Medicaid passed by the Legislature since the Affordable Care Act came into law. The House of Representatives passed it earlier this week by a 47-27
  
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• Governor to sign controversial Utah inland port bill despite city outcry

  09-03-2018 05:08
  SALT LAKE CITY — The day after the Utah Legislature swiftly passed a drastically altered bill that would control the development of an inland port in Salt Lake City's northwest quadrant that left city leaders reeling, Gov. Gary Herbert said he intends to sign the bill into law."I am a big fan of the inland port," Herbert said in an interview. "Utah is ready for an inland port. We are the crossroads of the West."Despite Salt Lake City leaders' worries that the bill usurps administrative lan
  
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• Utah farmers seek legal status to defend Grand Staircase monument reductions

  09-03-2018 04:00
  SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Farm Bureau, joined by the American Farm Bureau Federation, is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the U.S. president acted correctly to shrink the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument."Grazing allotments in the monuments are not just land, they are the linchpin of the Western ranching community. The Farm Bureaus' member ranching families manage the natural resources on these lands for both their liv
  
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• No criminal charges for officer who fired at Herriman shooting suspect

  09-03-2018 03:57
  HERRIMAN — A Unified police officer was justified in firing at a man who police say broke into an apartment moments later and shot the homeowner, Salt Lake County's top prosecutor said Thursday.Unified police officer Trevor Weeks had reason to believe that Justin Llewelyn, who has been charged with attempted murder and a range of other crimes, might kill him or someone else on Jan. 20, District Attorney Sim Gill said.Llewelyn, 33, was uninjured.Gill won't file criminal charges against Week
  
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• Feminist voices at Utah Capitol urge women to become politically active

  09-03-2018 03:33
  SALT LAKE CITY — Women's voices from every stripe of life converged in the Capitol rotunda for a rally on the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature.Amplifying Women's Voices featured an assortment of guest speakers Thursday, including representatives from the League of Women Voters of Utah, Utah Women of Color Council, Transgender Education Advocates of Utah/Utah Pride Center and Planned Parenthood Teen Council.Sue Robbins introduced herself as the "first transgender individual" of the Ut
  
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• Father of Parkland shooting victim says things need to be different this time

  09-03-2018 03:33
  
  As Ryan Petty watched the Florida Legislature debate a school safety bill this week in the wake of the tragic shooting that took his daughter's life, he and other victims' families decided they want this time to be different.
  
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• Utah senators slam Trump's import tariffs

  09-03-2018 03:12
  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's U.S. senators say the president's Thursday order hiking tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will hurt American workers.Sen. Orrin Hatch called the decision "misguided" in a statement, saying it undermines benefits of the tax overhaul he sponsored and won't help the United States stay competitive in the global market. Hatch said "it's unfortunate that this decision will have harmful implications for American businesses, workers and consumers who rely on these produ
  
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• Qualtrics tools driving business successes, and much more

  09-03-2018 03:11
  SALT LAKE CITY — While the preponderance of attendees at this week's Qualtrics user summit were a veritable who's who of the top national and international brands, the company's earliest customer group of academics was also well represented.Among an agenda of celebrity speakers Thursday — including composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, skate legend Tony Hawk, NBA legend Magic Johnson and a surprise appearance by Monica Lewinsky — were two scientists performing work using Qualtrics data
  
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• Vivint Solar accused of fraud, unfair business practices in New Mexico lawsuit

  09-03-2018 02:40
  
  New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit against Provo-based Vivint Solar, alleging that the company was defrauding customers and engaging in unfair business practices.
  
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• Fingerprint cracks 11-year-old West Valley murder case, police say

  09-03-2018 02:21
  WEST VALLEY CITY — A bloody fingerprint that sat in a database for a decade without being identified has now led to the arrest of a cold case murder suspect in West Valley City.Police announced Thursday the arrest of Tien Truong Nguyen, 37, of West Valley City, in the connection with the 2007 killing of a pool hall owner.On Jan. 10, 2007, the body of Tri Xuan Phan, 36, was found face up in a pool of blood inside the business he owned, Vui Vui Billiards, 1839 W. 3500 South. Police say Phan
  
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• Police identify 20-year-old motorcyclist who died in Ogden crash

  09-03-2018 02:20
  
  Police have identified a motorcyclist who died in a crash on Wednesday in Ogden.
  
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• 'We were all just kids,' says man sentenced to prison in triple killing

  09-03-2018 02:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — A man who admitted killing three people in a botched drug robbery asked for forgiveness Thursday as he was sentenced to prison.With his hands shackled behind him, Gerald Radckiff Grant, 21, apologized to the families of the three young men he shot, though he recognized his words made little difference."There are no words that can mend the broken hearts that are in this courtroom. I need you all to know these weren't my intentions that night," Grant said as he was sentenced
  
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• 'No such thing as safe leftovers': Groups help Utahns dispose of old prescriptions

  09-03-2018 02:08
  SALT LAKE CITY — The fridge hasn't been cleaned out in a few weeks. You open it, and the aroma of last week's pizza, overripe bananas and Sunday's pot roast — now mystery meat — greets you.Old food is never pleasant, but leftover prescription drugs can be far more toxic when left on the shelf."There's no such thing as a safe medication leftover," said Greg Reid, SelectHealth community relations manager.More people in the Beehive State die from drug poisoning than from car crash
  
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• Remembering Utah's 'First Lady of Utah Art' 150 years after her birth

  09-03-2018 02:01
  
  Commonly known as the “First Lady of Utah Art,” Alice Merrill Horne, born 150 years ago this year, shaped Utah's art scene and championed many impactful policies as one of Utah's first female lawmakers.
  
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• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Magic Johnson, Tony Hawk open 2nd day of Qualtrics summit

  09-03-2018 01:15
  
  Lin-Manuel Miranda had written just 16 bars of the first song from “Hamilton” when the White House asked him to come perform. The only ones who had heard them before were his wife and his shower.
  
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• Most municipal workers quit in Utah polygamous sect town

  09-03-2018 00:29
  SALT LAKE CITY — The new mayor of a mostly polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border is finishing off a complete overhaul of municipal staff and boards after mass resignations when she took office in January to become the first woman and first non-member of the polygamous sect to hold the seat.Six of the seven Hildale, Utah, town workers quit after Mayor Donia Jessop was elected and took charge of the local government run by the sect for more than a century. They were joined by nine membe
  
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