This week in Utah news:
Utah reported a record-shattering 3,919 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, with record-high hospitalizations and the virus' deadliest single week since the pandemic began.
Between 4.5% and 5% of those cases will end up in the hospital, Gov. Gary Herbert said at a Thursday news conference. “Those numbers should be alarming to all of us,” he said, warning that the state’s hospitals could be overrun if the case numbers don’t come down.
Republican Burgess Owens held on to a lead Thursday over incumbent Rep. Ben McAdams in Utah’s hotly contested 4th Congressional District. His lead narrowed only slightly to 1,616.
That’s compared to a 1,697 gap on Wednesday. Owens now has 47.47% of the votes counted and McAdams has 47.03%, keeping him ahead for the sixth day in a row after McAdams had the edge on election night.
Still, votes remain to be counted in the district that straddles Salt Lake and Utah counties and also includes voters from the much smaller counties of Juab and Sanpete. The final canvass won’t be completed until Nov. 17.
And Midvale Mayor Robert Hale said Tuesday that he’s opposed to a proposal to house unsheltered people experiencing homelessness this winter in the La Quinta Inn on 7200 South, arguing the location has not been “well thought out.”
“It’s within a half mile that we try to protect [because of] our homeless shelter,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune in an interview Tuesday, referencing the city’s Midvale Family Shelter. “It’s also in a high crime area. We’ve got extra officers working 7200 South, [near] the freeway. We’ve got other motels in the area that accept cash for payment, which brings its own crime element. And we’ve got a brand new multihundred-unit apartment building going up right across the back fence.”
At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt Lake Tribune reporters Sean P. Means and Taylor Stevens and news columnist Robert Gehrke join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories. Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. Join the live conversation by calling (801) 355-TALK.