(LOGAN)—Businesses and generous donors in Logan are helping a Hyrum woman pay a mortgage and have raised money to help others. The Greater Good Foundation, created by two Utahns, was designed to organize community fund raisers through online auctions and other means. Businesses were asked to donate goods and service to be auctioned online for several recipients, including Taunya Roberts, a woman on disability facing foreclosure on her home. Some restaurants also donated gift cards and gift certificates. The online auction, which began three weeks ago, has raised more than $65,000, while the event hopes to spawn fundraisers in other Utah communities.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—A California family staying in a West Valley City hotel en route to their move to Minnesota will be moving without their belongings. At a La Quinta Inn near the E-Center, Chris and Kim Meyers’ moving van was stolen as Kim said she looked for the moving truck on Friday morning, but it was nowhere to be found. The 24-foot Budget moving truck was towing a trailer with a family car, and a green 1996 Toyota Corolla. Police say the theft occurred sometime between 11:30 Thursday evening and 5:30 Friday morning. The rental truck has Oklahoma license plates and the car has California plates. West Valley City Police Lieutenant Bill Merritt says a moving van shouldn’t be difficult to miss, but it’s possible the cargo has been unloaded and the vehicle has been dumped somewhere. It’s also possible that the driver has left Utah, Merritt said. The family was traveling in a caravan with an SUV that had a trailer with some items, but Chris said it only contains items in a shed and picnic table.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—In the first three months of 2009, free games of golf, hotel stays, and expensive meals were among the tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts state lawmakers accepted. Financial reports that were due Friday show that several lawmakers were treated to unspecified entertainment on the same nights of Utah Jazz games. The legislative season concluded in late March and state lawmakers place no limits on what gifts they can accept. The vast majority of lobbyist gifts come in the form of meals, but lawmakers who dine on a company’s dime are only identified if the meal costs more than $50. Many lobbyists avoid disclosing lawmakers’ names by spreading around the costs of meals among multiple lobbyists and lawmakers.

(NEBO)—Teachers in the Nebo School District will have fewer days at work, but the same privilege does not extend to students. Like all other school districts in Utah, Nebo is trying to cover budget cuts so district officials have told all employees that next year, they will have four unpaid days off. Superintendent Chris Sorensen says the move should save the district some $2 million. All days off come from teacher career ladder days, or days where teachers come to work, but students stay home. The district is also hiring fewer teachers as another cost-cutting move while the state of Utah is allowing districts to cut five regular school days if needed to save money.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An editor of a yearbook of church demographics says year-to-year membership statistics for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints place the Utah-based faith among the fastest growing religious bodies in North America. Eileen Lindner of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches says it’s difficult to compare data among faiths because counting methods vary, but annual data provide a good roadmap of growth within an individual church. Data released Saturday by the church place its worldwide membership at 13.5 million as of December 31, 2008. As is customary, growth is more frequent outside of North America. The yearbook uses figures provided by the Church and Lindner says LDS data is reliable because the church employs professional demographers.

(SALINA) – A new public transportation system is being proposed to several cities and towns in the Sevier and Sanpete county areas. Bill Peterson, of the Palisade Pals, spoke to the Salina City Council in last week’s meeting, on the proposal. He said he has applied for two grants from the Utah Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to acquire funding to run buses throughout the two counties. Peterson said the vehicles will provide transportation to the elderly, disabled and low income residents first and then to the rest of the public later on. He’ll offer a presentation to the Richfield City Council in Tuesday night’s meeting at 7pm.

(Ephraim) The South Sanpete School Board will host a groundbreaking for the new Ephraim elementary school on Wednesday April 15th. The building is the first of three projects that the District will undertake this year. The other two projects are an addition at the Manti Elementary, and a new Elementary building in Gunnison. The Ephraim groundbreaking will be held at 3:00 PM on the 15th at about 550 South and 300 East in Ephraim. Remarks will be offered by School Board member Larry Smith, as well as the architects of the new building. The ceremony will be coordinated by Okland Construction who was chosen to head the projects. Refreshments will also be provided.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Outdoor enthusiasts traveling through Utah for the Easter weekend should expect inclement weather. Steve Rogowski of the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, says a big rainstorm is moving towards the state and should arrive by tonight. He said the storm is marching at a steady pace from Southern California through Arizona. Rogowski commented that Southern Utah’s deserts can expect the most rain, up to an inch and the state’s central and southern mountains will probably see some snow, possibly up to a foot. In Kanab and Moab, daytime temperatures will be in the mid-60’s and St. George will reach highs in the low-70’s. Rogowski said that if outdoor enthusiasts are hoping to dodge rains this holiday weekend, forget it.

(RICHFIELD) – The Utah Highway Patrol will perform a massive statewide DUI blitz involving 174 troopers over the Easter weekend. The blitz will involve every section of the UHP in the state. UHP Col. Daniel Fuhr, said troopers will saturate roadways in every corner of the state looking for impaired drivers. He said the top priority is the make sure the public is safe. UHP plans to do similar statewide blitzes every month as they focus on impaired and aggressive drivers, as well as seat belt use. The blitz kicks off today and runs through the weekend.