Utah News

Severe fire restrictions in southwest Utah have Independence Day celebrations on hold. Officials are banning certain areas from firework shows in hopes of reducing fires in the southwest.

Because of dry conditions and increased fire danger in southwest Utah, officials expanded fire restrictions yesterday and will continue to uphold them until further notice. These restraints prohibit the use of fireworks in several southern counties.

While the new precautions directly precede July Fourth celebrations, St. George Fire Chief Kevin Taylor says they are an attempt to help unnecessary fires from igniting.

The corporate owners of The Salt Lake Tribune and CEO of the Deseret News say in new court filings that changes to terms of a joint operating agreement aren't intended to put the Tribune out of business.

Digital First Media is a New York hedge fund that owns the Tribune. The CEO John Paton says there are no plans to stop publishing the Tribune and that the agreement is designed to save the paper. Deseret News CEO Clark Gilbert says the new terms preserve both papers.

The poverty rate in Utah has risen from 10.5 percent in 2000 to 16.5 percent in 2010, according to a study by the American Community Survey Reports. The study was released in June, but uses statistics from 2010.

Of Utah’s 29 counties, 10 have a poverty rate greater than 10 percent and five counties including Cache, San Juan, Beaver, Iron and Piute counties have a poverty rate of more than 25 percent. 

San Juan County’s poverty rate has decreased from greater than 50 percent to less than 25 percent in the last 14 years.

Though it’s not the traditional season of giving, food banks across the state are in need, and local gardeners could be part of the answer. According to the Utah Food Bank’s Heidi Cannella, demand for food is actually at its highest in the summer.

“We have our summer business food drive in the summer because kids are out of school without access to school meal programs, but donations are at their lowest,” said Cannella. “It’s actually a very critical time for us.”

The TWA-United Midair collision of 1956 happened 58 years ago Monday above the Grand Canyon. The crash between a Trans World Airlines Super Constellation aircraft and a United Airlines DC-7 killed 128 people and sparked the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Grand Canyon National Park’s Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski said the crash was one of a number of tragic accidents that lead to federal hearings, creating the FAA and initiating the use of radar and black boxes, technology not present in the two aircraft.

A man who engaged in a physical dispute over saved pew space at an Ogden LDS church will be spending some time in jail.

Wayne Dodge was scheduled to report to Weber County Jail, Monday where he will spend 30 days. Media reports Dodge was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to the class B misdemeanor of assault. The 52-year-old was accused of punching another man and hitting him with his car.

A Logan coffee shop will be visited by Gov. Herbert Tuesday morning. He will congratulate the company on its efforts to cut emissions, as part of a valley-wide tour.

The governor and other officials will be eating lunch at Caffé Ibis tomorrow before awarding the small business a grant for $15,000.

The money will help fund a recently installed afterburner which helping to reduce the pollution made from roasting coffee.

Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Mower, who will be attending the air quality tour, says he is looking forward to a busy day in Cache Valley.

The Division of Wildlife Resources went on a wild moose chase Monday morning, in a similar incident to last week's cougar chase in Sandy.

The moose was reported to the DWR early Monday morning when spotted roaming neighborhood streets in Logan. However, the young and not-so- little beast jumped several fences before officials were able to chase it down. 

Police, sheriff’s deputies and wildlife officials pursued the roughly 900-pound animal for more than an hour before finally shooting a tranquilizer dart near 100 East and 670 north.

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Utah authorities have captured a mountain lion that startled shoppers but didn’t hurt anyone Friday morning at a shopping center in a suburb of Salt Lake.

Sandy Police Sgt. Dean Carriger says the mountain lion was spotted walking across a street into Jordan Commons in Sandy, Utah, just before 8 a.m.

Officers found the cat hunkered down at the entrance of a steakhouse. Some people were taking pictures and videos, while others were unaware the cat was even there.

The Wasatch Back is part of the relay series known as Ragnar. The more than 11,000 contestants travel throughout the night and will take turns running the almost 200 miles through the northern Utah mountain range.

Teams of 4 to 12 people flock from all over the country to participate in what has become the biggest relay race of its kind.

Participants say the poor weather conditions wasn’t enough to stop them from competing.

“I hope it does not rain because I only brought one pair of shoes," said one team captain.