From polygamists to the death of one of the state’s most beloved residents and the unexpected firing of Utah’s furriest celebrity, these are the 2018 stories that captivated your attention and went viral online.
Here are the stories you read most on sltrib.com this year:
The shocking tale of a Utah family being violently attacked for being Mexican caught the attention of readers both local and national. A man had walked into the Lopez family tire shop on Main Street and 1600 South and yelled “I f---ing hate Mexicans” before beating 18-year-old Luis Gustavo Lopez with a metal bar. Lopez was admitted into the intensive care unit and had a titanium plate implanted on the right side of his face.
Police then sparked outrage and confusion when they said they didn’t want “to make it a hate crime if there’s not that aspect of it.” In the end, charges were filed without an enhancement, but it did reignite the political debate over potentially strengthening Utah’s weak hate crime law.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Meri Brown, of "Sister Wives," has opened a bed and breakfast called Lizzie's Heritage Inn in Parowan, Utah. Monday, Dec. 25, 2017.
2. One of the ‘Sister Wives’ opens a Utah bed and breakfast, despite family being seen as ‘felons’
Meri Brown, one of four plural wives who star on the TLC reality show “Sister Wives,” lives in the Las Vegas area so she won’t be prosecuted for practicing polygamy. But when the bed and breakfast at the corner of 100 East and 100 North in Parowan, Utah, came on the market, she had to have it — it was built by her great-great-grandparents in 1870.
The grand opening of Lizzie’s Heritage Inn was featured in the Season 12 premiere and, judging by search traffic, that episode often aired as a rerun.
File - In this Nov. 10, 2018, file photo, an image of University of Utah student and track athlete Lauren McCluskey, who was fatally shot on campus, is projected on the video board before the start of an NCAA football game between Oregon and Utah in Salt Lake City. An investigation into missed warning signs before McCluskey was shot by a man she briefly dated shows campus police are overtaxed and need more training in handling domestic violence cases, authorities said Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. The probe also found that friends of McCluskey had reported to residence-hall officials that her then-boyfriend Melvin Rowland was controlling and wanted to get her a gun nearly a month before her death.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
3. The man suspected of killing a University of Utah student was found dead late Monday
Lauren McCluskey, a University of Utah student, was fatally shot Oct. 22 outside the dorms. As the story unfurled, readers repeatedly returned to Tribune stories to learn who shot McCluskey — and why.
Officers began searching for Melvin Rowland, a registered sex offender, at 9 p.m. Police eventually found him at a Salt Lake City church, where he had fatally shot himself. We would later learn that McCluskey and Rowland had dated for a few weeks until she discovered he lied about his age and criminal past. She complained to police about him harassing her multiple times before he killed her.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jon Huntsman Sr. speaks at a party to celebrate The Salt Lake Tribune's 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.
4. Utah billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman dies at 80
Jon Huntsman Sr., a billionaire chemical industrialist and one of the world’s most generous philanthropists, died Feb. 2 at age 80. Earlier in his life he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which led him to create a research institute bent on using genetic tools to fight all cancers. From his gleaming office in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, he saw himself not as Utah’s wealthiest resident (which he was for many years) but as the state’s caretaker, seeking to help the homeless, bolster the state’s colleges and ease tensions between Latter-day Saints and others.
He also advised one of his sons, Paul Huntsman, to purchase The Salt Lake Tribune.
(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chad Blythe and his son Logan, 15, embrace during an interview at VF Law in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 16, 2018.
Logan Blythe, 15, has Down syndrome, and Utah Boy Scout officials knew that when they assured his parents that scoutmasters would modify badge requirements so Logan could meet them. But then a day after Logan’s Eagle Scout project was approved, his family was told all of Logan’s merit badges were void because he didn’t follow the requirements exactly as they were written.
The Blythes eventually dropped a lawsuit asking for at least $1 in damages after officials said they would recognize his badges and help him complete his Eagle Scout project. That hasn’t happened because his parents said he still isn’t ready to return to Scouting.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, walks off the stand during the morning session of the 185th Semiannual LDS General Conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. Oaks, a Mormon point person on balancing LGBT and religious rights, delivered a landmark speech in October in which he criticized a Kentucky county clerk who had been denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
It was a big year for Latter-day Saints — including an eventful conference last October.
The 2018 semiannual General Conference began with the announcement that the traditional three-hour block for weekly Sunday services will be shrunk to two hours. Then Dallin H. Oaks, a counselor in the faith’s governing First Presidency, reiterated the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia and transgender rights. Those major moments, detailed in a constantly updated story on the day’s events, kept Trib readers on their toes — and on our website.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Outgoing State Sen. Jim Dabakis offers a gummy bear to House Speaker Greg Hughes, who ate the candy. Dabakis jokingly offered Utah House members candy that looked similar to marijuana-infused edibles. On Monday, Dec. 2, 2018 during a special session, lawmakers voted to change the Utah Medical Cannabis Act, the bill that officials, Prop 2 opponents and medical marijuana advocates crafted and pitched as a compromise. It overhauls the medical cannabis distribution system, reduces the number of medical marijuana outlets, prohibits edibles for gelatin cubes instead and changes the list of illnesses that qualify for cannabis treatments.
After months of controversy from advocates and critics of Utah’s medical marijuana initiative, the proposition passed with 53 percent of the vote. While many celebrated, even more began asking questions about who could get access to medical marijuana, where they could find it and when they could start using it.
Proposition 2 didn’t stand for long. Only two days, really. That’s because opponents, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pushed for a revamped medical cannabis law and Utah’s lawmakers obliged, quickly passing a “compromise” bill during a special legislative session in December.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Jazz portraits. Bear.
8. Utah Jazz fire man who built Bear mascot into award-winning role model for NBA franchises
In an announcement that shocked locals, the Utah Jazz fired Jon Absey from his role as the iconic Jazz Bear. Absey, who had been the Jazz Bear for 24 years, was let go due to ongoing disputes with management. The Jazz organization declined to discuss the reasons for his departure beyond confirming he is no longer an employee.
As the Jazz Bear, Absey won the 2017-18 Mascot of the Year award, his fifth such honor. He also won this year’s Mascot Leadership award and Best Video award at the annual NBA Mascot Conference. He was promptly replaced, though some attributed a subsequent losing streak to “the curse of the Bear.”
(Keith Johnson | Special to The Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson waves to the congregation as he and his counselor Dallin H. Oaks enter the Conference Center before the concluding session of the 188th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 7, 2018, in Salt Lake City.
President Russell M. Nelson announced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be known only by that name, disavowing nicknames such as “LDS Church” and “Mormon church.” Nelson emphasized the decision came directly from God and that using nicknames “offends Jesus” and “is a major victory for Satan.”
In a news release, the church asked people to refer to members as “members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” or “Latter-day Saints” instead of “Mormons.”
The move has been embraced by many but has been troublesome for news media, including The Tribune, which has reduced its use of “LDS Church” and “Mormon,” but still uses the terms in headlines and some stories for clarity and to be concise.
Jonathan Grant Thompson, the man behind the popular science-focused YouTube channel The King of Random.
Popular YouTuber Jonathan Grant Thompson, known for his channel King of Random, was charged with two counts of possession of an explosive device after allegedly conducting incendiary experiments in his backyard. Thompson’s science-based YouTube channel includes videos with explosions and fire, but also includes videos on how to make rope out of a soda bottle or how to make a silicone mold of a chicken.
The first count came from a citizen complaint June 15 about Thompson exploding a dry ice bomb. A video uploaded June 13 was titled “Don’t Put Dry Ice In a Coke Bottle!”
Thompson agreed to a plea in abeyance and as part of that promised to create two videos focused on safety.
(Courtesy photo | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Young Latter-day Saints in traditional costume in Peru greet President Russell M. Nelson before he speaks at a devotional Oct. 20, 2018.
12. Russell M. Nelson, 93, a heart-surgeon-turned-apostle, poised to become next Mormon prophet
After the death of Thomas S. Monson on Jan. 2, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that Nelson would become the faith’s 17th president and prophet. The 93-year-old former cardiothoracic surgeon was the second-oldest apostle to assume the presidency in the church’s history. He had served as an apostle since 1984.
After being named president, Nelson announced Dallin H. Oaks would be his first counselor and Henry B. Eyring would be his second counselor, meaning that the popular Dieter F. Uchtdorf would return to the Quorum of the Twelve. During his announcement, Nelson pledged to serve God, Jesus and members of the church “with every remaining breath of my life.”
FILE - In this July 26, 2017, frame grab from video taken from a police body camera and provided by attorney Karra Porter, nurse Alex Wubbels is arrested by a Salt Lake City police officer at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. Utah Police Detective Jeff Payne was fired Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in a case that became a flashpoint in the ongoing national conversation about police use of force. (Salt Lake City Police Department/Courtesy of Karra Porter via AP, File)
More than a year after the video of nurse Alex Wubbels’ arrest at a University of Utah emergency room went viral, arresting officer Detective Jeff Payne doesn’t believe he did anything wrong. Payne, who got fired over the incident, told FOX 13: “She was doing her job. I was doing my job. And unfortunately, it conflicted. And I am the one who bears most of the burden for it.”
In July 2017, Wubbels was arrested after she refused to draw blood from an unconscious patient who had been involved in a car crash. Since the man was not under arrest and Payne didn’t have a warrant to draw the blood, Wubbels said she didn’t have the man’s consent. She was then arrested. Body camera footage of the arrest went viral, landing on many national news outlets.
Payne has said he became the “sacrificial lamb.” He is planning to sue the city for $1.5 million.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, reacts to the debate on the House floor of the medical cannabis bill. Utah legislators voted to change the Utah Medical Cannabis Act, the bill that officials, Prop 2 opponents and medical marijuana advocates crafted and pitched as a compromise, Monday, Dec. 2, 2018, during a special session.
In addition to several political races, the November ballot included a number of initiatives on hot issues — and Utah voters wanted to read about them all in one place.
Some of the most heavily searched issues included Question 1, a nonbonding opinion question about whether a tax on gas should be increased to help fund education (it was eventually defeated); Proposition 2, which asked about medical marijuana (passed); Proposition 3, which expanded Medicaid coverage to 150,000 more Utahns (passed); and Proposition 4, a citizen initiative seeking to create an independent redistricting commission (just barely passed).
Lynn R. Johnson | Special to the Tribune Joshua Tree National Scenic Backway in the Beaver Dam Conservation area.
Utah’s population continues to grow rapidly, thanks to newcomers drawn to the state’s economy — and its residents want to know just what that growth could mean, particularly in more rural areas.
New U.S. Census data showed St. George is now America’s fastest-growing metropolitan area, with the Provo-Orem area at No. 8. The Uintah Basin, on the other hand, continues to lose residents at a rate of 2.9 percent, a reaction to a tough oil and gas market.
A later report indicated Utah is the third fastest-growing state in the nation in 2018, but the fastest this decade, adding more than 400,000 new residents.
Follow @sarapweber