Special Report - The Salt Lake Tribune

Get a kick out of Bucket List: Cataract Canyon (hold on tight)

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:50:24 MDT

Get a kick out of Bucket List: Cataract Canyon (hold on tight)

by Brett Prettyman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 10:50AM MDT

Canyonlands National Park • The Colorado River in southeastern Utah is a tricky creature. It cradles and coddles rafters for lazy, languishing days before throwing them into a cascading crush of chaos and conceivable catastrophe in Cataract Canyon. It was something explorer John Wesley Powell experienced in a dreadful way 144 years ago and an adventure that people today travel from across the world to experience, albeit in much less-dramatic fashion. Selecting places to visit for The Utah Buck...

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2013 summer music preview: Nearly 150 acts will perform

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:44 MDT

2013 summer music preview: Nearly 150 acts will perform

by David Burger the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 02:24PM MDT

With nearly 150 pop and rock concerts scheduled through September, Wasatch Front music fans have some tough decisions to make. On Aug. 1, for example, they have to choose among Bob Dylan at Usana Amphitheatre, The Cult at The Depot, The National at the Twilight Concert Series in Pioneer Park, Megadeth at the Maverik Center or the country rockers Due West at the Ed Kenley Amphitheater in Layton. The decisions are just as tough on July 19, when Steve Martin performs at the Deer Valley Music Festi...

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Susan Powell case closed, files are opened

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:57:35 MDT

Susan Powell case closed, files are opened

by Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 11:57AM MDT

West Valley City • It’s pretty much over. And Susan Powell is still missing. West Valley City police closed the active investigation into Powell’s disappearance on Monday, although police administrators and the city manager said detectives would investigate any new leads. The city then released thousands of pages of documents related to the case. Those documents expand on the 3½-year investigation into Susan’s husband, Josh Powell, and his family, though they don’t all point the finger at him. ...

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Gun-toting Utah teachers to parents: Your kids safe with us

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:57:04 MDT

Gun-toting Utah teachers to parents: Your kids safe with us

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 11:57AM MDT

One Utah teacher’s worst nightmare goes something like this: A gunman slips into his school, draws weapons, aims and fires at his kids. “I can think of nothing worse than having to witness my students being killed or maimed without me being able to at least attempt some sort of intervention,” the teacher said. “I might even die in the process, but, in my opinion, going down shooting would be better than standing in front of them helplessly.” Every day, the Davis School District teacher carries a...

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In surprise to NSA, Utah Data Center may pay tax on electricity

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:07:31 MDT

In surprise to NSA, Utah Data Center may pay tax on electricity

by Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 06:07AM MDT

Under a bill the 2013 Utah Legislature passed, the National Security Agency’s new Bluffdale data center might be taxed on the millions of dollars of energy it is expected to consume, providing a potential windfall for an obscure state authority. The NSA is protesting the possible tax, even though a Utah attorney said he informed the agency about HB325, and the top U.S. electronic spy agency voiced no opposition until an official emailed Gov. Gary Herbert’s staff weeks after Herbert signed the ...

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Salt Lake, Davis prosecutors also investigating Swallow

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:09:17 MDT

Salt Lake, Davis prosecutors also investigating Swallow

by Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 03:09PM MDT

Embattled Utah Attorney General John Swallow is facing another criminal probe, this one from two county attorneys who have been collaborating for months with federal investigators. Salt Lake County’s Sim Gill and Davis County’s Troy Rawlings are examining whether Swallow and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff, broke any state laws. Gill said Wednesday that his office received information from attorneys for convicted swindler Marc Sessions Jenson about alleged impropriety in the attorney general’s o...

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Here’s who uses the most water in Davis County

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:03:31 MDT

Here’s who uses the most water in Davis County

by Jordan Bailey Special To The Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 03:03PM MDT

Layton• The state of Utah urges residents to “Slow the Flow,” but residents aren’t the biggest water consumers in Davis County. Businesses in Davis County are using the most water, according to data from cities across the county. And the greatest water user is the Smith’s Food and Drug Layton Distribution Center in Layton. It uses nearly 16.5 million gallons per month. By comparison, the 2009 Residential Water Use survey conducted by the Utah Department of Natural Resources found Utah residents...

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U. scientist: Kennecott landslide is one for the record books

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:47:56 MDT

U. scientist: Kennecott landslide is one for the record books

by Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 10:47AM MDT

The slide that took down a corner of Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine just might land in the record books. Landslide experts say last month’s rock avalanche at the copper mine has all the signs of being North America’s biggest one to date, not counting ones that happened before records were kept or those tied to volcanoes. “It’s so big,” said Jeff Moore, the University of Utah geologic engineer behind the estimate, “it’s hard to sense and feel.” “We haven’t had something of this magnitude since ...

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DA: Probe into fatal Willard shooting likely to take at least two months

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:36:25 MDT

DA: Probe into fatal Willard shooting likely to take at least two months

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 15, 2013 10:36AM MDT

The Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Tuesday he expects it will take at least two more months to determine whether the officer-involved shooting that killed 21-year-old Danielle Willard was justified. “I can promise you one thing, I don’t want it to take one more day than it has to,” Gill said. Meanwhile, attorneys representing Willard’s mother, Melissa Kennedy, argued Tuesday before the Salt Lake County Council that documents related to the November fatal shooting should be rel...

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Trib Talk: Alleged ethics violations by Swallow, Shurtleff

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:05:55 MDT

Trib Talk: Alleged ethics violations by Swallow, Shurtleff

by Jennifer Napier-pearce The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 14, 2013 11:05AM MDT

<freeform> Salt Lake Tribune reporters Robert Gehrke and Tom Harvey on Tuesday joined Trib Talk host Jennifer Napier-Pearce for a behind-the-scenes look at the ethics controversy involving Utah Attorney General John Swallow and former A.G. Mark Shurtleff. <iframe src=”http://local.sltrib.com/charts/swallowtimeline/timeline.html” width=636 height=640 frameborder=”0” scrolling=”no”></iframe> Recent Tribune stories about Swallow and Shurtleff include: Jeremy Johnson tried to subpo...

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U. president’s salary climbs in national ranking

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:13:22 MDT

U. president’s salary climbs in national ranking

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 14, 2013 10:13AM MDT

Salary sweeteners designed to keep David Pershing in the University of Utah president’s chair pushed his compensation to 44th in the country last year, a jump for the U. in a national ranking of public institutions released by the Chronicle of Higher Education on Monday. Pershing’s compensation totaled just over $624,000 in fiscal 2012, but he didn’t receive it all immediately. Instead, he’ll get $175,000 of that total paid from an endowment five years into his tenure, said Cathy Anderson, assoc...

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Questionable ties pop up in Shurtleff’s money trail

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:39:40 MDT

Questionable ties pop up in Shurtleff’s money trail

by Tom Harvey The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 10:39AM MDT

Jason Brailow, cited by the Utah Division of Consumer Protection after 356 consumer complaints, contributed $22,600. The Tax Club kicked in nearly $100,000, all of it after being slapped by the state’s fraud police. Topping all donors, Jeremy Johnson’s I Works and various associates shelled out more than $217,000. Johnson’s company has been targeted by the state and now faces a federal lawsuit while Johnson himself is staring at 86 criminal charges. All these donors and dozens more with regulat...

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Motherhood 101: Utah moms share the lessons they learned

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:57:40 MDT

Motherhood 101: Utah moms share the lessons they learned

by Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 08:57AM MDT

You probably recall dozens of lessons your mother taught you, but what of the lessons motherhood taught her? Motherhood always contains moments of joy, occasionally complications and, too often, unexpected heartache. The lessons women take from the experience are multifaceted, unique and universal at the same time. To be a mom, however the opportunity presents itself, is to have your capacity for love and connection tested and shaped — forever. Here are the lessons some mothers shared: • E...

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On top for 20 years, Ivory builds more than homes

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:10:25 MDT

On top for 20 years, Ivory builds more than homes

by Paul Beebe The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 06:10AM MDT

In 2005, when most builders were happily constructing homes and raking in revenue, Clark Ivory saw an unsustainable real estate bubble building along the Wasatch Front and in St. George. Ivory, CEO of a namesake company that has been Utah’s biggest homebuilder for a quarter-century, was so concerned that he drafted an internal memo outlining which builders would fail when the market cooled. Without naming names, he singled out those who behaved as if there was no end to the white-hot market, car...

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90-year-old woman denied Utah ID as feds search for immigration papers in ‘cave’

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:27:12 MDT

90-year-old woman denied Utah ID as feds search for immigration papers in ‘cave’

by Derek P. Jensen The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 10, 2013 12:27PM MDT

Call it From Prussia with No Love. After living for 88 years across America’s heartland — Renate McKitrick called Kansas home, married an Air Force serviceman and votes Republican — the 90-year-old grandma has traveled from Ellis Island to immigration limbo. A naturalized U.S. citizen, McKitrick simply wanted to renew her Utah ID card at the South Ogden Division of Motor Vehicles office so she could vote and pick up medications. But stricter screening standards have plunged her immigration stat...

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Obama administration lifts veil off hospital pricing

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:21:56 MDT

Obama administration lifts veil off hospital pricing

by Kirsten Stewart, jennifer Dobner and Tony Semerad The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 9, 2013 09:21AM MDT

Federal officials today, for the first time, lifted the veil off hospital pricing. You wouldn’t buy a loaf of bread or car without comparing prices, or hire a plumber or landscaper without accepting bids. But the prices charged by hospitals have been a closely held industry secret. Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published data revealing what hospitals across the country charged in fiscal year 2011 for some of Medicare’s most common inpatient procedures, from joint ...

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West Valley City Mayor: ‘Best days ahead’ after police scandals

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:57:45 MDT

West Valley City Mayor: ‘Best days ahead’ after police scandals

by Kimball Bennion The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 7, 2013 07:57PM MDT

As West Valley City seeks to move forward from the scandals roiling its police department’s narcotics unit, the city’s mayor said Tuesday that he’s looking at the entire department to ensure such embarrassments won’t happen again. Mayor Mike Winder joined Salt Lake Tribune Reporter Janelle Stecklein in a live online chat via the Tribune’s website Tuesday morning to discuss the future of the city’s embattled police department. The forum was moderated by Tribune Reporter Jennifer Napier-Pearce, wh...

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Trib Talk: Would legislation protect referees from harm?

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:59:10 MDT

Trib Talk: Would legislation protect referees from harm?

by Martin Renzhofer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 7, 2013 06:59PM MDT

The death of volunteer youth soccer referee Ricardo Portillo, who died Saturday from injuries allegedly sustained from a punch to the head from a 17-year-old player during a recreational game in Taylorsville, sparked a national conversation. The Salt Lake Tribune continued that conversation Tuesday afternoon during the newspaper’s live online chat, Trib Talk. “Somewhere along the line...[officials] are viewed as an evil force that can only harm a team’s ability to win,” said Tribune columnist K...

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Utah student veteran Jen Comer transitions to a new life

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:30:47 MDT

Utah student veteran Jen Comer transitions to a new life

by Kristen Moulton The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 7, 2013 12:30PM MDT

Four years of academia prepared Jen Carver Comer for this moment, but it’s a bit intimidating, nonetheless. On her 29th birthday, less than a week after donning a cap and gown with thousands of other graduates at Weber State University, Comer is going before a juvenile court judge to offer her opinion about a young offender’s prospects. “I’m a firm believer [that] you go in the room being the smartest person there, knowing everything about the case,” says Comer. “So I’ve done my homework.” Come...

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Sugar House Streetcar: North, east or wait?

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:30:14 MDT

Sugar House Streetcar: North, east or wait?

by Christopher Smart | The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 6, 2013 02:30PM MDT

The Salt Lake City Council finds itself between a streetcar and a hard place. Before an April 23 public hearing, a majority of the seven-member council appeared to favor Mayor Ralph Becker’s preferred extension of the Sugar House Streetcar north on 1100 East from 2100 South to 1700 South. But more than 200 residents crammed City Hall last month and, by a significant margin, voiced opposition to the 1100 East proposal. They warned the council the streetcar would diminish their neighborhood, harm ...

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Rewind: News you may have missed over the weekend

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:33:55 MDT

Rewind: News you may have missed over the weekend

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 6, 2013 08:33AM MDT

Welcome to Weekend Rewind, a glance back at The Salt Lake Tribune’s top news stories, photos and opinions you may have missed over the weekend. Top stories this past weekend Convicted for drug crimes, felons hope for reprieve in West Valley City investigation • In the end, Lana Rodriguez decided it would be safer to plead guilty to drug possession. She cares for her grandson and didn’t want to risk up to five years in prison when prosecutors were offering probation. Sugar House Streetca...

Convicted for drug crimes, felons hope for reprieve in West Valley City investigation

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:07:25 MDT

Convicted for drug crimes, felons hope for reprieve in West Valley City investigation

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 6, 2013 08:07AM MDT

South Salt Lake • In the end, Lana Rodriguez decided it would be safer to plead guilty to drug possession. She cares for her grandson and didn’t want to risk up to five years in prison when prosecutors were offering probation. “I should have fought that. I should have fought it,” the 46-year-old Rodriguez said Thursday from her South Salt Lake apartment. “I guess we all learn from our mistakes.” So when Rodriguez heard that the disbanded West Valley City Neighborhood Narcotics Unit and its offic...

Planners designing how Wasatch Front may look in 2040

Sun, 05 May 2013 21:51:28 MDT

Planners designing how Wasatch Front may look in 2040

by Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 5, 2013 09:51PM MDT

South Salt Lake • About 30 residents and business owners gathered recently to hear how their community around the Meadowbrook TRAX station on 3900 South may change and also vote on options for that transformation. It’s part of a planning process that may determine how the entire Wasatch Front looks 30 years from now. “Which scenario is most appropriate for the Meadowbrook station area?” Ryan Beck, a planner with Envision Utah, asked during the public workshop. He then moved through 20 questions...

Summer movie preview: Here’s looking at 92 new films

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:30:44 MDT

Summer movie preview: Here’s looking at 92 new films

by Sean P. Means The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 3, 2013 09:30AM MDT

Preview • Iron Man, Superman, Capt. Kirk and ... Jay Gatsby? <freeform> <iframe src=”http://local.sltrib.com/charts/SummerMovies/SummerMovies.html” width=”630px” height=”1450” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0”></iframe> </freeform>

Trib Talk: Utahns react to Boy Scouts’ proposal on gay members

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:41:00 MDT

Trib Talk: Utahns react to Boy Scouts’ proposal on gay members

by Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 3, 2013 07:41AM MDT

Paul Mero, president of Utah’s conservative Sutherland Institute, said Wednesday he believes gay Boy Scout leaders could have grounds for a lawsuit, based on the organization’s proposal to allow gay youth to join but continue to ban gay adults. “If I was a member of the gay community, I would probably call the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and I’d file another lawsuit, just to highlight the inequity of the whole idea,” Mero said during Wednesday’s live online forum Trib Talk, offered by ...

Homeless numbers drop in Utah

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:59:55 MDT

Homeless numbers drop in Utah

by Cathy Mckitrick The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 2, 2013 08:59AM MDT

Utah’s homeless numbers are down from last year, according to new data released by Lt. Gov. Greg Bell Wednesday at the State Capitol. The homeless Point in Time Count, required every other year by the federal government but conducted annually in Utah by choice, logs the numbers of homeless individuals on a given night in January. Those numbers are then “annualized” to project tallies for the entire year. In 2012, the statewide homeless population shot up to 16,522, with 542 of those individuals...

Long search over: Vietnam vet finds mother of his lost friend

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:22:06 MDT

Long search over: Vietnam vet finds mother of his lost friend

by Kristen Moulton The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 1, 2013 02:22PM MDT

A mystery confronted Bill Gillingham when he came home from Vietnam in 1970: What happened to his tall, handsome friend, John W. Telford? He searched, but could not find John’s mother. He asked friends, but no one knew. Finally, he contacted the Marine Corps commandant and learned the awful truth. His friend, who had dropped out of Millcreek’s Skyline High School to enlist at age 17, had died just weeks before he turned 21. “It took me three whole years to learn I didn’t have a buddy anymore,” s...

Utah’s Congress members all over the map on Twitter

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:45:25 MDT

Utah’s Congress members all over the map on Twitter

by Emily Andrews The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 1, 2013 09:45AM MDT

Washington • Rep. Jason Chaffetz snapped a photo of La Dolce Vita and proclaimed to about 30,000 Twitter followers that it’s the “Best Italian food in Provo,” prompting one person to ask for a recommendation. Chaffetz’s immediate reply: “Meat calzone and lots of bread.” Just a few hours earlier, Rep. Chris Stewart tweeted a graphic boasting how he spent his congressional break — logging 2,500 miles and seven town hall meetings. Moments later, Sen. Mike Lee continued his fight to block a gun-cont...

Utah's less fortunate most likely to feel sting of sequester

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:44:52 MDT

Utah's less fortunate most likely to feel sting of sequester

by Cathy Mckitrick | The Tribune

Published Apr 29, 2013 04:44PM MDT

Six weeks into sequestration, the March 1 law mandating across-the-board federal budget cuts has succeeded in breeding widespread confusion, fear and distrust among those monitoring its impact, particularly on the most vulnerable sectors of society: those who are elderly, disabled or living below the poverty line. “There are a lot of people who have great need who are being victimized by this whole sequestration question,” said Tim Funk, who heads up the Community Housing Advocacy Project for ...

Mormon church endorses Scout plan: let gay boys join, keep out gay leaders

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:27:41 MDT

Mormon church endorses Scout plan: let gay boys join, keep out gay leaders

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 29, 2013 03:27PM MDT

The compromise proposal from the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay youths to join local troops — while continuing to exclude gay leaders — has picked up a powerful backer: the LDS Church. The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the nation’s largest Scouting sponsor, announced late Thursday that it is “satisfied” with the BSA’s plan. “While the church has not launched any campaign either to effect or prevent a policy change,” said a statement on the church’s newsroom website...