FEDERAL - The Salt Lake Tribune

High-risk Utahns’ health insurance will shift to federal management

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:31:11 MDT

High-risk Utahns’ health insurance will shift to federal management

By Jennifer Dobner The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 18, 2013 12:31PM MDT

Uninsurable Utahns will see their subsidized health insurance coverage plan shifted to federal oversight in July after funding ran short and state officials refused to take on the risk. The federally-funded HIP-Utah program covers individuals who have been rejected by insurers because they are too sick. The program was initially funded with $5 billion, but stopped adding new enrollees in February when the money began to run out. In late April, federal officials gave states just two options for ...

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Fighting the feds

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:32:41 MDT

Fighting the feds

Updated May 18, 2013 10:32AM MDT

Rep. Mike Noel is no friend to the federal government. But that can also be said of the Kanab Republican’s relationship with old-growth trees, wildlife, children affected by dirty air, environmentalists and conservation of almost any kind. Still, while his motives and tactics in sponsoring HB155 are “same old, same old” Noel, and certainly no surprise to most Utahns, it seems that this bill making it illegal for federal land-management officers to do their jobs goes too far. Under this legislat...

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Hatch calls for investigation of Obamacare funding

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:23:58 MDT

Hatch calls for investigation of Obamacare funding

By Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 17, 2013 01:23PM MDT

Washington • Congressional Republicans claim Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is trying to skirt federal law by fundraising for a nonprofit promoting the Affordable Care Act. They argue the move is a way to bypass the financial restrictions that Congress has imposed on the agency and they want the Government Accountability Office to investigate, according to a letter sent Thursday signed by five top Republicans, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, the ranking member of the Senate Fi...

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Idaho man charged in Uzbekistan terrorism plot appears in court

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:52:02 MDT

Idaho man charged in Uzbekistan terrorism plot appears in court

By JOHN MILLER The Associated Press

Updated May 17, 2013 10:52AM MDT

BOISE, Idaho • An Uzbekistan national living in Boise said little during his first court appearance Friday on federal charges from Idaho that he gave support, cash and other resources to help a recognized terrorist group in his home country plan a terrorist attack there. Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested Thursday during a raid of his small apartment. Prosecutors have offered few details of their investigation or Kurbanov’s role in helping a militant group back home. He was charged in Idaho an...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Boise man indicted for terrorism in Utah, Idaho

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:10:57 MDT

Boise man indicted for terrorism in Utah, Idaho

By Michael McFall The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 16, 2013 11:10PM MDT

A suspected terrorist who lives in Boise was charged Thursday in Idaho and Utah federal courts with allegedly making a bomb and funneling money to a terrorist group in his home country. Fazliddin Kurbanov, an Uzbekistan national, was living legally in Boise, Idaho when investigators allege he was making a bomb and supporting the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan — a designated terrorist group, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Investigators also allege that in Utah, the 30-year-old man ...

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Swallow and the Legislature

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Swallow and the Legislature

By jim dabakis

Updated May 17, 2013 01:01AM MDT

It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward. But it is time for the Utah Legislature to do its duty and begin its own serious investigation into the mess currently unfolding in the executive offices of our state government. It is a critical part of our system of checks and balances, and after repeated scandals and allegations linking enormous contributions to special treatment from the executive branch, it’s time for the people of Utah to get the facts. To avoid the discomfort of looking into the matter, p...

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Cut from the team, Utah duck stamp champ spreads his wings

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:09:02 MDT

Cut from the team, Utah duck stamp champ spreads his wings

By Matthew Piper The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 16, 2013 12:09PM MDT

Oil painting came as naturally to Sandy’s Zachary Williams as — well, as a duck takes to water. The 18-year-old’s vibrant King Eider outshone 310 other entrants to win the 2013 Utah Junior Duck Stamp Contest in early April, roughly eight months after his introduction to the medium in an Olympus High School AP Studio Art class. “I’ve never painted a bird or even water,” said Williams, who for that matter hadn’t painted much of anything until he began his senior year in September. “I pretty much...

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Browns owner Haslam says he didn’t know about rebate issues

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:48:32 MDT

Browns owner Haslam says he didn’t know about rebate issues

The Associated Press

Updated May 16, 2013 11:48PM MDT

Indianapolis • Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam says he was “absolutely not” aware of and did not participate in the practices that led to the federal investigation into his Pilot Flying J company. “I take responsibility for what happens at PFJ as the guy at the top of the shop, but I was absolutely not aware of any of this,” Haslam said. “As soon as we found out there was an issue, we immediately began taking an aggressive stance in finding out what happened, No. 1, and righting the ship, ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Need fed programs

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:03:52 MDT

Need fed programs

Updated May 16, 2013 08:03AM MDT

In “Just take it all” (Forum, May 9), David Barnes sees the proposal to have online retailers charge the same sales tax that local merchants do as just another government attempt to add yet another tax. He fears socialism is taking over. What’s he moaning about? Americans are getting value for what they’re paying for, and it’s for something they want. The two biggest federal programs are Social Security and Medicare, and so far they’re covered by their own payroll taxes, not income tax. Does Bar...

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Smartphones a growing avenue for hackers, users warned

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:20:03 MDT

Smartphones a growing avenue for hackers, users warned

By TONY WINTON The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 05:20PM MDT

Smartphones are increasingly popular not only with consumers, but also with thieves who see the devices as another way to tap into bank accounts and other sensitive information, experts say. Many consumers simply don’t realize how vulnerable their Androids, iPhones and other devices can be. An April study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said threats are proliferating, ranging from “phishing” — where consumers click a phony email or text message and are tricked into handing over personal i...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Judge reinstates Wells Fargo fine tied to overdraft fees

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:21:02 MDT

Judge reinstates Wells Fargo fine tied to overdraft fees

REUTERS

Updated May 15, 2013 05:21PM MDT

A federal judge has again ordered Wells Fargo to pay $203 million to settle class-action litigation accusing it of imposing excessive overdraft fees on checking account customers, reviving an award that had been thrown out last year. U.S. District Judge William Alsup reinstated a penalty he first imposed in August 2010, saying the fourth-largest U.S. bank violated a California law that protects consumers against fraudulent misrepresentations. “Wells Fargo was profiting off its most vulnerable cu...

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Lowry: ‘Patriot’ games at the IRS

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:08:02 MDT

Lowry: ‘Patriot’ games at the IRS

By Rich Lowry The National Review

Updated May 14, 2013 06:08PM MDT

It sounds like the plot from a dystopian libertarian novel. The word “patriot” and the phrase “educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights” triggered heightened scrutiny from the most intrusive agency in the federal government. We now know that the Internal Revenue Service did indeed target conservative groups, as had long been rumored and oft-denied. The news is a perverse confirmation of the groups’ worldview, and a challenge to President Barack Obama’s. He always harangues us about putti...

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Feds block Utah law over police power on public lands

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:02:01 MDT

Feds block Utah law over police power on public lands

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 14, 2013 12:02AM MDT

A federal judge signed an order Monday blocking implementation of a Utah law prohibiting some Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service employees from enforcing state laws anywhere in Utah after the U.S. Department of Justice argued the law was unconstitutional. HB155, sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, makes it a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, for federal employees who are not certified law enforcement officers to enforce any state law within Uta...

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Judge slaps gag order on Jeremy Johnson, others in his criminal case

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:38:24 MDT

Judge slaps gag order on Jeremy Johnson, others in his criminal case

By tom harvey The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 14, 2013 11:38PM MDT

Jeremy Johnson certainly has caused a stir this year: headline-grabbing allegations about Utah Attorney General John Swallow and a vigorous media campaign against federal regulators and prosecutors. Now he’s been told to zip it. A federal judge has signed a gag order to prevent the St. George businessman and others involved in his criminal case from making statements about it to the news media or on social media. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner signed the order at the request of prosecutors, ...

Payday lenders and the Harry Reid connection

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:25:15 MDT

Payday lenders and the Harry Reid connection

By matt canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 09:25AM MDT

Washington • Fearing new regulations in the aftermath of the financial crisis, payday lenders decided to make a major play for the support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They contributed more than $126,000 to his campaign as the Nevada Democrat attempted to beat back a tea party challenge, hoping that the man who controls the Senate agenda would protect their interests. Their gambit didn’t stop the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Reid supported. And yet, it m...

News roundup: White House blames Romney for Benghazi 'politicization'

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:14:57 MDT

News roundup: White House blames Romney for Benghazi 'politicization'

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 06:14AM MDT

White House, Dems push back in Benghazi probes. 62% of Shurtleff donors tied to controversial industries. Special counsel to investigate Swallow. Happy Monday. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says it was former presidential candidate Mitt Romney that started the GOP's politicization of the Benghazi terrorist attack and charges Republicans just want to fan the flames instead of look at how things have changed since. [TPM] [Time] -> Meanwhile, continuing the push back, Senate Majority Wh...

Short takes on the news

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:01:08 MDT

Short takes on the news

Updated May 11, 2013 01:01AM MDT

Papers, please • It’s hard to be more American than Renate McKitrick. The 90-year-old Utah resident came to this land of immigrants at the age of 2 from East Prussia (a country that doesn’t even exist anymore), became a naturalized citizen in 1946 and has never given anyone any cause to doubt her loyalty. Except that the Utah Department of Motor Vehicles won’t renew her state ID card, which she needs to buy medicine, vote and other important stuff, because she doesn’t have the proper paperwork o...

Utah’s Herbert thanks feds for health exchange split

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:56:04 MDT

Utah’s Herbert thanks feds for health exchange split

By Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 10, 2013 10:56PM MDT

Washington • Utah Gov. Gary Herbert expressed his gratitude Friday to federal officials who agreed to split the responsibilities for offering insurance through health care exchanges, and he suggested other states may want to follow this new Utah model. The deal, which the Department of Health and Human Services agreed to Friday, allows the state to operate its small-business exchange, known as Avenue H, while avoiding some of the more politically contentious portions of the Affordable Care Act....

Deal with feds reached: Utah slated for two online health exchanges

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:04:19 MDT

Deal with feds reached: Utah slated for two online health exchanges

By Jennifer Dobner The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 10, 2013 12:04PM MDT

Utah will have two online marketplaces for health insurance — one run by the federal government for individuals and the state’s existing Avenue H for the employees of small businesses, a new agreement says. The details of the deal are outlined in a letter sent Thursday from Gov. Gary Herbert to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who is expected to approve the agreement for Utah’s insurance exchanges on Friday, the governor’s office said. A two-page overview shows Herbe...

Boston top cop wasn’t told FBI got Tsarnaev warning

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:46:58 MDT

Boston top cop wasn’t told FBI got Tsarnaev warning

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL The Associated Press

Updated May 9, 2013 09:46PM MDT

Washington • The FBI did not initially share with Boston police the warnings it had received from Russia about one suspect in last month’s marathon bombings, despite the work of four city police representatives on a federal terrorism task force, Boston’s police commissioner told Congress on Thursday. Yet Commissioner Ed Davis acknowledged that police might not have uncovered or disrupted the plot even if they had fully investigated the family of Tamerlan Tsarnaev based on those warnings. The FB...