Basketball - Utah Jazz news

• [Clutchpoints] - Jazz star Rudy Gobert has message for critics who try to expose him

  20-12-2019 23:51 via sportspyder.com
  
  Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defended himself on social media on Friday afternoon, sharing a positive clip of the two-time Defensive Player of the Year playing defense. The 27-year-old Gobert, three-time All-Defensive First Team honoree, retweeted a...
  
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• Connor Harding is giving the BYU men’s basketball team long-range firepower off the bench

  20-12-2019 23:39
  
  Provo • When Mark Pope first took the head coaching job at BYU, he sat down for one-on-one interviews with the players. From his talk with Connor Harding, he remembers the sophomore emphasized just how much he wanted to win.“His motivation, I think, is somewhere in there — about how much he loves this place, how much he wants to win and how much he cares about this program and these guys,” Pope said. “And he’s just willing to do whatever he has to do to help us
  
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• Donovan Mitchell has always relied on his leaping ability, but he’ll need to keep his dribble alive to get where he wants to go

  20-12-2019 23:11
  
  For most of his basketball career, Donovan Mitchell’s vertical has gotten him to where he wants to go.When he played in AAU, what were the odds that both his man could keep up with Mitchell, and he’d find a defender rotating over in time to stop him from getting to the rim? When he encountered an ACC big man in the paint, what were the odds Mitchell couldn’t, in his words, “jump through, around, or over” him?And even when he came into the NBA, the athleticism more t
  
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• Cleanup at old Geneva Steel Mill will shut down until after the holidays because of a bad smell

  20-12-2019 23:03
  
  The cleanup of coal tar at the old Geneva Steel Mill is on hold, as Utah Department of Environmental Quality is giving the current owners time to regroup after neighbors complained about the nauseating smell.Utah DEQ asked U.S. Steel on Friday to stop work on cleaning the coal tar pits until after the holidays, DEQ spokesman Jared Mendenhall said, and the company agreed.DEQ received the first complaints of an odor coming from the Geneva site on Nov. 8. Residents in housing developments in nearby
  
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• Olivia Jaramillo: How representative is the Utah Legislature?

  20-12-2019 23:00
  
  Just how representative is our state Legislature? Do they take their constituents seriously?They didn’t listen when Utahns voted for cannabis. They didn’t listen when Utahns voted for Medicaid. And now, the legislative body entrusted to speak and act on our behalf, once again demonstrate disregard for their charge as public servants, rushing through a nearly universally hated tax reform bill, hurriedly passed during a special legislative session.Overall, Utahns feel that, even though
  
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• [Salt Lake Tribune] - Donovan Mitchell is having another breakout season; here’s how he an be even better

  20-12-2019 22:56 via sportspyder.com
  
  For most of his basketball career, Donovan Mitchell’s vertical has gotten him to where he wants to go.
  
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• BYU receiver Aleva Hifo was in Kalani Sitake’s first recruiting class at BYU. He’ll bow out at the Hawaii Bowl.

  20-12-2019 22:39
  
  Provo • Of the first recruiting class Kalani Sitake welcomed as head coach of the BYU football program four years ago, only one is graduating this year. While others went on to serve missions before coming to Provo or have redshirted a season, Aleva Hifo is the lone athlete that will be ending his collegiate career four years after Sitake took over.And he’ll be doing it on a national stage at the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.Hifo has been there through all the changes Sitake has imple
  
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• [Deseret News] - Utah Jazz bench ‘a continual work in progress’ to build consistency

  20-12-2019 22:37 via sportspyder.com
  
  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Utah Jazz arrive in the Queen City of Charlotte riding a four-game win streak, but knowing there is still room for improvement in the way they play and win ball games. The...
  
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• Trump blasts Christianity Today magazine calling for his removal

  20-12-2019 22:26
  
  Washington • A President Donald Trump blasted a prominent Christian magazine on Friday, a day after it published an editorial arguing that he should be removed from office because of his “blackened moral record.”Trump tweeted that Christianity Today, an evangelical magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham, "would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President."The magazine "has been doing poorly
  
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• Historic train restoration stalls at Ogden’s Union Station

  20-12-2019 22:21
  
  Ogden • A 138-year-old historic locomotive sits in pieces at Union Station, consigned to limbo after a local restoration effort was frozen out.Volunteers with the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society’s Golden Spike chapter have toiled since 1992 in the Union Station train shop to painstakingly refurbish Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad locomotive No. 223, until Ogden City locked them out earlier this year.The components are sealed in the shop — except the rust-caked b
  
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• Lynne Roberts notches 300th career basketball victory in Utah women’s romp over Weber State

  20-12-2019 22:03
  
  Utah women's basketball coach Lynne Roberts collected her 300th career victory Friday afternoon as the Utes beat Weber State 75-46 at the Huntsman Center. Roberts' record is 300-233 in 18 seasons. She's 79-58 in her fifth season at Utah, after going 86-31 in four years at Chico State and 135-144 in nine seasons of a rebuilding job at Pacific. Freshman forward Lola Pendande scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half for the Utes (7-4), who will host Colorado on Dec. 29 to begin Pac-12 play. So
  
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• Police: Man admits to 2017 homicide in Kearns

  20-12-2019 21:58
  
  A Tooele man has admitted he fatally shot 20-year-old Joshua Belen during a botched robbery in October 2017 in the parking lot of the Olympic Oval in Kearns, police said Friday.The 19-year-old suspect, who already was awaiting trial on robbery and assault charges in two separate cases this year, told investigators that he and several others had planned to rob Belen, Unified Police wrote in a news statement.“The robbery went poorly, and [the suspect] shot the victim,” police wrote.The
  
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• [SB Nation: SLC Dunk] - SLC Dunk stands with fired California SB Nation Bloggers

  20-12-2019 21:46 via sportspyder.com
  
  If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.
  
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• [KSL] - Rudy Gobert reminds the Hawks why he's the Defensive Player of the Year | KSL.com

  20-12-2019 21:24 via sportspyder.com
  
  Rudy Gobert is feeling like the Jazz are morphing back into an elite defensive team. He knows that starts with him.
  
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• ‘Get Gephardt’ will disappear from Channel 2. Matt Gephardt is leaving the station.

  20-12-2019 21:01
  
  For the first time in more than two decades, there won’t be a Gephardt at KUTV-Channel 2. Matt Gephardt, of “Get Gephardt” fame, is leaving the station at the end of the year.“I’m leaving happy,” Gephardt said. “I’m proud of my time at Channel 2. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done. I’m proud of the work I did behind the scenes for the decade before that.”Matt Gephardt followed in the footsteps of his father, Bill Gephardt,
  
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• LDS Church insists it obeys all financial laws, but some wonder if the faith is hoarding too much money

  20-12-2019 20:33
  
  Whether the LDS Church violated federal tax law by stockpiling a $100 billion investment portfolio from contributions intended for charity is hardly the only — or even the main — question members are now confronting.To many in the more than 16 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the bigger issues involve how the Utah-based faith spends its extensive funds and why it doesn’t share that information with adherents.Social media are awash in comments from Lat
  
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• Police say gang member ‘greenlit’ witnesses who testified against him in cemetery shooting

  20-12-2019 20:24
  
  A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a gang member who has allegedly been intimidating witnesses after he was charged in both a shooting at a cemetery and a shooting outside the Fashion Place mall in January.Jesus Joshua Payan-Mendoza, 20, of Heber, has been charged with two counts of witness tampering in Third District Court. The charge carries up to 15 years in prison. Payan-Mendoza was already facing a charge of attempted murder, a first-degree felony, after he reportedly fired at a gr
  
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• Commentary: University of Utah benefits from the stewardship of Ruth Watkins

  20-12-2019 20:00
  
  Over the past months, a number of significant accomplishments at the University of Utah have received scant public attention. Perhaps, this is to be expected in these discordant times where good news often loses out to the sensational or negative. But, as former chairs of the University’s Board of Trustees, we are grateful for the current stewardship of President Ruth Watkins and the notable progress that has been made in many key areas under her leadership.From our own experience, we know
  
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• As Utah’s men’s basketball team readies for No. 20 San Diego State, forward Riley Battin is rapidly shedding the ‘underrated’ tag

  20-12-2019 19:52
  
  If one were to start looking at the factors that helped Utah beat No. 6 Kentucky on Wednesday evening, a few should jump out immediately.Timmy Allen was the best player on the floor. He was assertive, he was aggressive, he was the lead guy head coach Larry Krystkowiak needs him to be.Both Gach had 10 points and five rebounds before the first media timeout. The sophomore guard set the early tone in front of a pro-Kentucky crowd on a neutral floor, and the Wildcats spent all night trying to match
  
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• Man accused of killing Utah student MacKenzie Lueck will go to trial on separate sexual assault case

  20-12-2019 19:50
  
  The man accused of killing 23-year-old University of Utah student MacKenzie Lueck is one step closer to a trial for unrelated charges alleging he kidnapped and sexually abused another woman in March 2018.Ayoola Ajayi, facing four felony counts, is accused of abusing a woman he met on the Latter-day Saint dating app Mutual. After hearing testimony and arguments from attorneys, 3rd District Judge Vernice Trease determined Friday that there was enough evidence for the case to move forward to trial.
  
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• Here’s where you can buy last-minute, made-in-Utah holiday gifts

  20-12-2019 19:50
  
  Hey all you Christmas procrastinators — you know who you are — you’re quickly running out of time. Christmas Eve is Tuesday; the Big Day itself is Wednesday; and you’ve got how many names left on your to-buy-for list?Unless you want to fight the crowds at Walmart on Dec. 24 (those stores close at 6 p.m.), you’re running out of options. But you’ve still got a handful of opportunities to buy not just mass-produced presents, but bring home handcrafted gifts from
  
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• [NBA] - Roundball Roundup: NBA TV's Jared Greenberg talks #CrunchTime

  20-12-2019 19:48 via sportspyder.com
  
  Crunch time is Donovan Mitchell time. Spida has a combined 25 points in the fourth against Orlando and Atlanta. Plus, NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg spoke to Rudy Gobert on #CrunchTime. He joined JP.
  
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• As Utah’s men’s basketball team readies for San Diego State, Riley Battin’s play may be underrated, but not to his coaches, teammates

  20-12-2019 19:02
  
  If one were to start looking at the factors that helped Utah beat No. 6 Kentucky on Wednesday evening, a few should jump out immediately.Timmy Allen was the best player on the floor. He was assertive, he was aggressive, he was the lead guy head coach Larry Krystkowiak needs him to be.Both Gach had 10 points and five rebounds before the first media timeout. The sophomore guard set the early tone in front of a pro-Kentucky crowd on a neutral floor, and the Wildcats spent all night trying to match
  
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• Official: 2 dead, 2 hurt in shooting at municipal building in North Carolina

  20-12-2019 18:53
  
  Winston-Salem, N.C. • Two people were killed and two wounded Friday morning in a shooting at a government facility in North Carolina, according to city officials, who said they had stabilized the situation.Winston-Salem City Manager Lee Garrity said in an email that two city employees are dead and two people are injured. He said the wounded have serious but not life-threatening injuries.No other information about victims in the shooting at a Winston-Salem public works building would be rele
  
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• What if you knew a cookie would take 20 minutes to run off?

  20-12-2019 18:52
  
  New York • Would you put down that bag of chips if you saw it had 170 calories? What if the label said it would take 16 minutes of running to burn off those calories?Health experts for years have pushed for clearer food labeling to empower people to make better choices. In the U.S., a recent regulation requires calorie counts on packages to be bigger. Red, yellow and green labels signal the healthfulness of some foods in the United Kingdom. But with obesity rates persistently high, research
  
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• Utah boy glad the teacher who bullied him for having gay dads was fired, he tells CBS viewers

  20-12-2019 18:52
  
  The Utah boy who was bullied by a substitute teacher because he was being adopted by two gay dads told a national television audience on Friday morning that he “went red” and “was very mad” when it happened.“The teacher insulted my family,” said 11-year-old Daniel Van Amstel. "She first said, 'Why would you be happy to be adopted by them?'”He told “CBS This Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil that, despite the efforts of girls in his class to get
  
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• The controversial Olympia Hills housing project is back for review and possible approval

  20-12-2019 18:38
  
  The controversial Olympia Hills housing project proposed near Herriman is back for review and possible approval by Salt Lake County.County officials announced Thursday they were releasing a host of documents tied to the second application by developer Doug Young to build the 933-acre, high-density residential and commercial development — in advance of public hearings now scheduled for Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. and Jan. 28 at 4 p.m.Those meetings will be held in County Council chambers at the Salt
  
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• Utah ties for its lowest unemployment rate ever

  20-12-2019 18:18
  
  Merry Christmas, Utah: The state just tied for its lowest unemployment rate ever at 2.4% in November, according to data released Friday.Utah hit that low rate only once previously, in 2007 not long before the Great Recession hit, according to the state Department of Workforce Services.That comes as Utah also ranked No. 1 in the nation for its rate of adding jobs over the past 12 months, up 3.2%, after seasonal adjustments, more than double the national average of 1.5%.“Utah’s unemplo
  
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• Utah’s Rep. Rob Bishop to announce in January if he’ll run for governor

  20-12-2019 18:13
  
  Washington • Rep. Rob Bishop says he’ll announce in January whether he’s going to run for Utah governor — and he’s already mapped out how could win if he makes a bid.He said he knows what he's intending to do but, “I'm not telling you what I'm going to announce.”The Republican congressman, who isn’t running for a 10th term in the House, had said he would make his decision in November but pushed it back because there’s no reason to jump in befo
  
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• Gordon Monson: Utah State is making the right call by allowing Jordan Love to play in the Frisco Bowl, despite his being cited for weed possession

  20-12-2019 18:13
  
  Jordan Love said he wanted his college career to end “with a bang.”What if it now ends in a cloud of smoke?Utah State is outwardly saying its star quarterback is eligible to play, but behind the scenes there has been back and forth as to whether he should be allowed to.Love and a couple of his Aggie teammates were cited for marijuana possession in the run-up to Friday’s Frisco Bowl, when police arrived at a student apartment from which the smell of weed wafted. The Frisco Bowl
  
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• Weber State’s Louder and Prouder Tour heads 2,000 miles east to FCS semifinal against James Madison

  20-12-2019 18:12
  
  Last month, Weber State’s new president launched a campaign encouraging students and alumni to brag about the successes they and others tied to the Ogden school have had. As part of the campaign, he and students are scheduled to speak at city council meetings around the state. He calls it the Louder and Prouder Tour.The Wildcats football team is taking that idea even farther — about 2,000 miles farther, actually. Weber State will travel to Harrisonburg, Va., this weekend to celebrate
  
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• This week in Mormon Land: Following the money, siding with Santa, leaving the Scouts

  20-12-2019 16:28
  
  The Mormon Land newsletter is a weekly highlight reel of developments in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether heralded in headlines, preached from the pulpit or buzzed about on the back benches. Want this free newsletter in your inbox? Subscribe here.Money, money, money
  (Francisco Kjolseth|Salt Lake Tribune file photo)City Creek Center and the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Francisco Kjolseth/)The touchy topic of church wealth
  
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• Pelosi puts off sending impeachment to Senate, leaving trial in limbo

  20-12-2019 15:44
  
  Washington • The day after the House cast historic votes to impeach President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi put an abrupt halt on the proceedings, holding back from sending the charges to the Republican-led Senate in a politically risky bid to exert influence over the contours of an election-year trial.With some leading Democrats pushing to delay transmittal of the articles and others advocating that they be withheld altogether, the limbo is likely to persist until the new year. The Ho
  
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• Behind the Headlines: President Donald Trump is impeached; and a whistleblower claims that the LDS Church is stockpiling $100 billion

  20-12-2019 15:13
  
  President Donald Trump is impeached. Utah Republican Congressmen Chris Stewart, Rob Bishop and John Curtis vote against impeachment, while Democrat Ben McAdams votes for it. And a whistleblower claims that the LDS Church stockpiled $100 billion in charitable donations.At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt Lake Tribune Washington bureau chief Thomas Burr, reporter Nate Carlisle, and editorial page editor George Pyle join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories. Every Friday at
  
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• Robert Kirby: Visions of sugarplums are one thing, but eating all those Christmas goodies, well ...

  20-12-2019 15:07
  
  I used to believe that the greatest risk to a good Christmas was the possibility of Santa being shot down by anti-aircraft fire over some godless communist country.In a dank Moscow cell, Santa would be tortured into revealing the secret location of his workshop. The elves would be rounded up and shot, and the reindeer sent to labor camps.That’s what the Old Man told me every Christmas Eve, when I wouldn’t stop asking him where Santa’s sleigh might be at any given moment.Later,
  
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• Utah’s Rob Bishop to announce in January if he’ll run for governor

  20-12-2019 15:04
  
  Washington • Rep. Rob Bishop says he’ll announce in January whether he’s going to run for Utah governor – and he’s already mapped out how could win if he makes a bid.He said he knows what he's intending to do but, “I'm not telling you what I'm going to announce.”The Republican congressman, who isn’t running for a tenth term in the House, had said he would make his decision in November but pushed it back because there’s no reason to jump in bef
  
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• Nathan B. Oman: The cost of secrecy isn’t worth it for the LDS Church

  20-12-2019 15:00
  
  The finances of the famously closed-lipped Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are in the news again. A leaked document is making sensational claims about huge investments, nefarious bailouts and violations of the law.Most of these allegations don’t hold water. The legal claims are weak, the “bailouts” are investments of the kind you’d see in any large portfolio, and the church has long stated that it places a portion of its revenues each year in a rainy-day fund.
  
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• Political Cornflakes: President Trump wants a flashy impeachment trial. He probably won’t get it.

  20-12-2019 14:39
  
  Happy Friday! The GOP-led Senate is planning a streamlined impeachment trial without witnesses, a process that President Donald Trump has acquiesced to. But privately, Trump is still harboring a desire to create a flashy, testimony-filled trial, fueled by a belief that such an approach would vindicate him and embarrass Democrats. It’s unlikely, though, that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will change course to give Trump the show he wants. [Politico]Topping the news: Utah Gov. Gary
  
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• Scott D. Pierce: Sorry, Ute fans. ESPN’s Finebaum was right — about TV and college football.

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  Have the Ute fans who made ESPN’s Paul Finebaum into Public Enemy No. 1 for a few days calmed down yet?As far as fans (and, apparently, players) were concerned, Finebaum dissed and dismissed them. Which he did. But those comments were largely misinterpreted. Finebaum delivered them clumsily, but he was, ahem, right. Because his comments didn’t have anything with the Utes’ on-field play.You’ll recall that, during an appearance on ESPN, Finebaum was asked what would happen
  
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• Letter: Ukraine is just the tipping point

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  A common Republican defense in the impeachment process has been that the Democrats have wanted to impeach Donald Trump since his first day in office. They believe that suggesting that Trump’s call with the president of Ukraine was an abuse of power is just the latest excuse to get him out of office.As someone who had always voted for Republicans up until 2016, I must agree that there have been people fighting against Trump since day one. However, there was sufficient evidence before he was
  
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• Letter: Trump is a textbook case

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  Perhaps the saddest fact of the Trump presidency is that his impeachment was entirely predictable the day he took office.Many professionals working in corrections and psychiatric settings saw it coming, as is evident from a simple Google search. Entering the terms "Donald Trump sociopath" produces almost 850,000 hits, many of which predate his election.Quoted in Crosscurrents, clinical psychologist George Simon — a specialist in the field — found Trump to be “so classic that I&
  
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• Letter: The most corrupt president in our history

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  The most corrupt president in our nation’s history has brought our country to its knees. We have arrived at an essential crisis of democracy where we will determine whether it is still possible to have, “A republic, if you can keep it.”Donald Trump’s guilt is obvious and the facts were never seriously in dispute. Indeed, he has even bragged about it. We have 100 hours of testimony from 17 witnesses, 500 law professors signing a letter saying “overwhelming evidence .
  
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• Letter: Does anyone hear the public?

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  What has happened to public hearings in Utah?There seems to be a recurring theme. Hearings are announced (though often few people hear about them) and the public assembles to express their concerns about a particular issue, proposal or legislation. The listening body sits silently while there is overwhelming evidence presented for or against said issue. The public leaves and their opinions and ideas are completely disregarded.This has happened with the inland port (Salt Lake City Council and Por
  
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• 7 last-minute options for finding Utah art and treats for holiday gifts

  20-12-2019 14:00
  
  Hey all you Christmas procrastinators — you know who you are — you’re quickly running out of time. Christmas Eve is Tuesday; the Big Day itself is Wednesday; and you’ve got how many names left on your to-buy-for list?Unless you want to fight the crowds at Walmart on Dec. 24 (those stores close at 6 p.m.), you’re running out of options. But you’ve still got a handful of opportunities to buy not just mass-produced presents, but bring home handcrafted gifts from
  
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• [Fox Sports] - Jazz face the Hornets, aim for 5th straight victory

  20-12-2019 09:29 via sportspyder.com
  
  Utah aims to keep its four-game win streak alive when the Jazz take on Charlotte
  
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• [KSL] - 'He's a closer': Donovan Mitchell takes over again late in Utah's win over Atlanta | KSL.com

  20-12-2019 07:06 via sportspyder.com
  
  On Tuesday, Donovan Mitchell sparked a fourth-quarter rally against the Magic. On Thursday, he sparked another one against the Hawks.
  
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• [Deseret News] - Utah Jazz run win streak to four straight by outlasting Atlanta Hawks 111-106

  20-12-2019 06:17 via sportspyder.com
  
  ATLANTA — The last time the Utah Jazz played the Atlanta Hawks in the Peach State in March, they lost by three points and helped the Hawks ignite what would become a three-game win streak. When...
  
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• [Deseret News] - Rudy Gobert’s elite defensive skill on display in key moments during Utah Jazz’s win over Atlanta Hawks

  20-12-2019 06:17 via sportspyder.com
  
  ATLANTA — When you are the two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year, it means every team knows how good you are at protecting your team’s basket and helping your team prevent your...
  
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• Buttigieg-Warren campaign trail feud spills into Democratic debate

  20-12-2019 05:57
  
  Los Angeles • The long-festering feud between Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg erupted Thursday night in a high-stakes debate that tested the strength of the Democratic Party’s shrinking pool of presidential contenders just six weeks before primary voting begins.Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has emerged as an unlikely presidential power player, gaining ground with a centrist message. Warren, the Massachusetts senator who has become his progressive foil, a
  
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• [NBA] - The Roundup—Mitchell, Young put on a show as Jazz edge Hawks

  20-12-2019 05:55 via sportspyder.com
  
  In a shootout headlined by two of the NBA's best young guards, Donovan Mitchell led the Utah Jazz to a 111-106 road victory over Trae Young and Atlanta Hawks Thursday night. The Jazz (17-11)
  
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