Utah News - The Salt Lake Tribune

In veto-proof vote, Salt Lake City Council OK’s $8M tax increase

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:25:02 MDT

In veto-proof vote, Salt Lake City Council OK’s $8M tax increase

by Christopher Smart The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 04:25PM MDT

Salt Lake City Council swing vote Jill Remington Love signaled her support for an $8 million property tax increase Tuesday afternoon and four others followed suit to pass a $221 million annual budget. Mayor Ralph Becker has promised to veto the tax increase equivalent to $67.93 on a house valued at $250,000; or $494 on a business property valued at $1 million. But five council members can override a veto. And Love, Charlie Luke, Soren Simonsen, Kyle LaMalfa and Luke Garrott appear to have the vo...

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Weber voters to decide $45 million library bond

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:02 MDT

Weber voters to decide $45 million library bond

by Cathy Mckitrick The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 04:23PM MDT

In Weber County, library use is at an all-time high, but sorely needed upgrades and expansions have been put off for years. In a special vote-by-mail election on June 25, voters will decide whether those improvements can happen. On the table is a $45 million bond that will provide for • Renovation and upgrades of the historic main library at 2464 Jefferson in Ogden • Replacement of the southwest branch in Roy with a larger, more modern facility • Expansion and modernization of the North Ogden b...

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Paul Rolly: School bus vandalism yields an unlikely culprit

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:16:03 MDT

Paul Rolly: School bus vandalism yields an unlikely culprit

by Paul Rolly Tribune Columnist

Published Jun 18, 2013 04:16PM MDT

When a school bus is vandalized, the usual suspects include unruly students, gang members or dropouts with too much time on their hands. But when vandalism occurred on the school bus that carried the Jordan School Board in the South Jordan Parade on Saturday, the offender was a school board member. Admittedly so. District transportation employees noticed an advertising placard on the side of the bus had been torn and partially pulled off. A handwritten note on the advertisement was addressed to ...

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Feds release guidelines for confronting a church shooter

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:51:29 MDT

Feds release guidelines for confronting a church shooter

by Lauren Markoe Religion News Service

Published Jun 18, 2013 03:51PM MDT

Washington • For the first time, the federal government has issued written guidelines for houses of worship that are confronted with a homicidal gunman. Vice President Joe Biden released the new rules Tuesday, two days after a gunman shot a parishioner during Mass at an Ogden church and six months after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 dead, including 20 children. Beyond seeking shelter and waiting for police to arrive, as many Newtown victims did, the new rules also advise ad...

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Christian missionaries going door to door in Mormon capital

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:51:02 MDT

Christian missionaries going door to door in Mormon capital

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 03:51PM MDT

Thirty missionaries from the Truth in Love Ministry are in Utah this week, knocking on doors to “talk positively about Christianity” with Mormons. “This is our first day out on the street, and it’s going really good,” said Pastor Mark Cares, president of the nondenominational group based in Nampa, Idaho, which has members across the country. “People were very nice and kind as they listen to our message. Some won’t agree, but 95 percent of the time they are very courteous. We have been getting in...

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Utah regulators asked to reconsider power plant pollution solution

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:45:02 MDT

Utah regulators asked to reconsider power plant pollution solution

by Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 03:45PM MDT

An environmental group has asked Utah utility regulators to reconsider the pollution-related upgrades already approved for PacifiCorp’s Bridger power plant in Wyoming. “Basically, we’re saying there is a less expensive, environmentally superior alternative that PacifiCorp has not considered,” said Steven Michel, a New Mexico-based attorney for Western Resource Advocates. The question is before Utah’s Public Service Commission, since much of the electricity from the 2,120-megawatt, four-unit powe...

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Charter-school pioneer discusses innovative ed movement at Utah conference

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:31:03 MDT

Charter-school pioneer discusses innovative ed movement at Utah conference

by Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 03:31PM MDT

Charter schools could not get out of the political battleground of polarized lawmakers of today. That’s according to Ember Reichott Junge, who helped author the first charter school law in Minnesota 20 years ago. “We had bipartisan support,” Reichott Junge said. “It also came from outside the political spectrum, from civic leaders. “I feel something like charters wouldn’t pass today because there isn’t any middle anymore [in politics].” The charter-school pioneer, who was a state Democratic l...

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Semi crash on I-15 delays traffic near North Salt Lake

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:03:02 MDT

Semi crash on I-15 delays traffic near North Salt Lake

by Kimball Bennion The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 02:03PM MDT

The Utah Highway Patrol is investigating the crash of a semi-trailer truck on Interstate 15 that has traffic backed up throughout southern Davis County Tuesday afternoon. Cpl. Todd Johnson said the semi rolled, causing several lanes in both southbound and northbound highways to close temporarily. As of 1:50 p.m. the northbound lanes near Beck Street in North Salt Lake had re-opened. The Utah Department of Transportation reported that two southbound lanes were opened near 2600 South. The entire s...

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Utah woman dies after skydiving accident

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:45:02 MDT

Utah woman dies after skydiving accident

by Michael Mcfall The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 01:45PM MDT

She was an experienced skydiver. But on Sunday afternoon, a 30-year-old Grantsville woman died when her chute failed. The woman was skydiving with other people over Tooele Valley Airport, which is about five miles northwest of Tooele, said Tooele County Chief Deputy Sheriff Duke North. But sometime after her chute deployed, something went wrong and she hit the ground hard, North said. The airport called 911 at 12:30 p.m. Emergency responders found her with head and leg injuries and immediately c...

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‘Anti-corruption rally’ sets sights on Attorney General John Swallow

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:41:16 MDT

‘Anti-corruption rally’ sets sights on Attorney General John Swallow

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 12:41PM MDT

A liberal-leaning group is calling on Utahns to attend an “anti-corruption rally” Wednesday in the Utah Capitol Rotunda to protest against embattled Attorney General John Swallow. The 11 a.m. demonstration will coincide with an 11:30 a.m. Capitol caucus of House Republicans about whether to launch formal impeachment proceedings against the state’s top cop. The Alliance for a Better Utah — whose complaint to the lieutenant governor’s office has prompted plans to hire a special counsel to investig...

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Obamacare moves to forefront in immigration debate

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:41:16 MDT

Obamacare moves to forefront in immigration debate

by Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 12:41PM MDT

Washington • Utah’s senators are mixing the toxic politics of Obamacare with immigration reform, but with far different aims. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has tried to ward off Republican support for the Senate immigration bill by comparing it to the Affordable Care Act, saying both were “negotiated in secret by insiders and special interests.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he’s prepared to support immigration reform if the Senate will accept a few of his ideas, among them an additional five-year del...

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Wharton: Selfish reasons to oppose Nevada water deal

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:29:33 MDT

Wharton: Selfish reasons to oppose Nevada water deal

by Tom Wharton The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 12:29PM MDT

Most of us are selfish. We view the world through a prism of what helps us get through life. I thought about this recently when reading a story about how Utah water barons such as Washington County Water Conservancy District general manager Ron Thompson are critical of Gov. Gary Herbert for vetoing a water-sharing agreement with Nevada over underground water in Snake Valley that straddles the two states. The veto concerns Thompson because of fears that Nevada water barons will make it more diffi...

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University of Utah tosses proposed skateboard ban for stricter rules

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:29:02 MDT

University of Utah tosses proposed skateboard ban for stricter rules

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 12:29PM MDT

Skateboarders and bikers wouldn’t get kicked off the University of Utah campus but would be subject to new rules and safety warnings under a plan approved Monday. Two police officers on bikes or Segways also would enforce limits on dangerous riding under a set of policy revisions passed by an executive committee of the U.’s Academic Senate. The idea is still subject to approval by the university’s Board of Trustees, but it is a significant change from a ban proposed on recreational riding of a...

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Gun lobbyist seeks restoration of firearms rights

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:18:59 MDT

Gun lobbyist seeks restoration of firearms rights

by Taylor W. Anderson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 12:18PM MDT

For perhaps three more weeks or longer, Clark Aposhian — Utah’s leading gun lobbyist — will be without his arsenal of guns, as he received a continuance at his hearing Tuesday on a protective order filed by his ex-wife. Mitch Vilos, Aposhian’s attorney, said he will spend the next few days developing a brief proposing to lift the federal law banning Aposhian’s access to his weapons while facing charges in court. Aposhian was charged with domestic violence after a Memorial Day incident when he...

Wanted: West Valley City police chief who can restore public trust

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:25:18 MDT

Wanted: West Valley City police chief who can restore public trust

by Pamela Manson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 11:25AM MDT

Somewhere among the 36 applicants for top cop, West Valley City officials hope to find the candidate who can rebuild grass-roots confidence in a police department battered by scandal. The qualifications they want in a police chief range from at least a decade of experience to a focus on ethics to strong communication skills. “Our expectation is if they’re hired by us, they are to restore public trust,” Assistant City Manager Paul Isaac said. And with several members of the West Valley force ...

78% of Utahns say Swallow should quit, BYU poll shows

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:22:04 MDT

78% of Utahns say Swallow should quit, BYU poll shows

by Robert Gehrke and Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 11:22AM MDT

Nearly 80 percent of Utahns want Attorney General John Swallow to resign and, if he does not, more than 70 percent would support the House launching impeachment proceedings against the state’s top cop, according to a new poll. The survey, released Monday by Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, comes two days before House Republicans plan to gather to discuss the potential for impeachment — an action that the Legislature has not fully taken in Utah history....

Tooele to grind up paved Pony Express section to save money

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:22:04 MDT

Tooele to grind up paved Pony Express section to save money

by Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 11:22AM MDT

Financially troubled Tooele County is about to grind up a paved, 11-mile section of the old Pony Express Trail and turn it into a gravel road because that’s cheaper than fixing potholes. Residents are pleading to delay that project to study its effects — contending it will make travel more hazardous and hinder what they say is often heavy traffic toward West Desert recreational areas including the Little Sahara sand dunes. But county spokesman Wade Mathews said Monday the decision is final, and ...

Utah County health officials: Let’s talk about sex

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:37:02 MDT

Utah County health officials: Let’s talk about sex

by Kirsten Stewart The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:37AM MDT

It says nothing of birth control. The only “barriers” mentioned are those faced by parents anxious about having – you know, “the talk.” But an abstinence education website — http://talking2teens.utahcounty.gov — launched Tuesday by the Utah County Health Department does contain frank talk about the sexual habits of teenagers. “Studies show that parents have the greatest influence on their child’s sexual behavior – more than their friends or the media – but they often avoid talking to their child...

Utah ambulance driver to stand trial on negligent homicide charge

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:29:03 MDT

Utah ambulance driver to stand trial on negligent homicide charge

by Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:29AM MDT

An ambulance driver involved in a fatal accident last July in South Ogden has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of negligent homicide. Sean Reed Stephens-Applonie, 28, pleaded not guilty Monday to negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor. After hearing testimony about the July 7 accident on Monday, 2nd District Judge Brent West determined there was enough evidence for Stephens-Applonie to stand trial on the misdemeanor charge. The July accident killed 88-year-old Arline H. Logan, who was ...

Wanted Utah man creates new life in Mexico, but cops find him anyway

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:14:02 MDT

Wanted Utah man creates new life in Mexico, but cops find him anyway

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:14AM MDT

It didn’t take Jesse Amos Bunker long to establish a new life in Mexico. In less than five years, the 33-year-old had purportedly built a nice life for himself, complete with a wife and a 1-year-old child, said Sgt. Jason Randall, who works with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Investigations Unit and the Joint Criminal Apprehension Team (JCAT). But Bunker also had a secret. In December 2008, he had posted $20,000 bond for 10 first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a ch...