(SALT LAKE CITY)—The executive director of a regional compact says it plans to appeal a federal court ruling stating a Utah company can dispose of foreign nuclear waste at its facility in the western Utah desert. EnergySolutions, Inc. has designs of importing up to 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy. After processing in Tennessee, some 1600 tons would be disposed of in Utah. Last month, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart ruled that the Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste, including Utah and seven other states lacks the authority to keep the waste out. Northwest Compact Executive Director Mike Gardner said the decision to appeal was made Monday. The appeal would take the case to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A man has admitted to driving his car close to another car last winter so his passengers could shoot and kill the driver. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the suspect, Matthew Day, pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges Wednesday. The second-degree felony could land Day in prison for up to 20 years when he is sentenced July 31. On January 9, Day drove alongside a Jeep driven by Cesar Ramirez on I-15 so his passengers could open fire. The bullets struck Ramirez in the torso and he died about a week later.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—New analysis says visitors to national parks such as Arches and Canyonlands pump millions of dollars into local economies and are a steadying influence in these tumultuous times. The National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit organization advocating for parks, said in 2007, travelers spent nearly $107 million in Grand County and $31 million to San Juan County where Arches and Canyonlands are located respectively. The report follows a 2006 survey by the association that found national parks across the country are responsible for about $13.3 billion in economic activity in local communities each year. The group stated the analysis released Wednesday underscores the importance of protecting Utah’s national wonders.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—When a non-stop flight from Tokyo arrived in Salt Lake City Wednesday, it commemorated a groundbreaking service from Delta Air Lines. This was the first time an Airbus 330 jet has appeared in Salt Lake City on a regular basis and is the first trans-Pacific service in the Intermountain region. Jason Perry, the director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development said this will have an important effect on Utah business while the chance exists for a resurgent interest in Japanese Culture to occur.

(CEDAR CITY)—A prominent southern Utah attorney is behind bars on accusations of taking settlement money from his clients which included two of the eight families who lost loved ones in a fatal plane crash last year near Moab. The families of the plane crash victims were involved in a lawsuit against the Leavitt Agency who owned the plane. The case was settled in January and settlement checks were given out although two families represented by Matthew Graf, a Cedar City attorney, were unaware their checks arrived until they were contacted by law enforcement three months later. Graf is now behind bars in the Iron County Jail and was arrested Tuesday at the Salt Lake International Airport and charged with two felony counts of unlawful dealing with a fiduciary. Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett reported there was an active warrant arrest on Graf which was why he was arrested at the airport. Graf represented the spouses of Camie Vigil and Marcie Tillery, two of the 10 victims in question at Moab. Court documents filed in 5th District Court say when Graf was confronted by the families about payment, he told clients he was working on disbursement, and he even claimed to call someone he knew at Bank of America to verify the funds and instructed the person to cut the check. When the check failed to arrive, law enforcement got involved. When law enforcement called Bank of America they learned Graf had no savings, checking, or trust accounts while he only had a credit card with a $7000 balance. It was later discovered Graf deposited the settlement checks at Sun First Bank, the account had recently been closed. The Iron County Attorney’s Office says at this point it’s under investigation where money from the settlement has gone.

(LOA) – Garkane Energy crews continue to work on lifting a transmission line that was downed by a plane that crashed in a canyon last Friday between Boulder and Escalante. Company Spokesman, Carl Albrecht, says power has been re-routed to serve customers in that area. He said new conductor wires have been strung across the Boulder Creek canyon so that crews can attach the transmission line and lift it back into place. A well-known Utah ranch owner and his passenger were killed in the plane that clipped the transmission line and crashed in the canyon.

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield City Finance Department is in the process of changing methods for imposing impact fees on developers. Finance Director, Mike Langston, says restructuring the fees is now required due to new rules the legislators enacted in the last session. He said the new rules took effect May 12 but not all the rules have been written, so it has been difficult for the city to comply with the new law. Langston commented that the city needs to hire a consultant to help prepare the Capital Facilities Plan and an Impact Fee Analysis before enacting the Impact Fee. He said the fee changes will need to reflect language that common lay persons can understand.

(PAGE, AZ.) – Utah State Parks boating rangers are sponsoring a boating under the influence checkpoint at the Halls Crossing Marina area on Lake Powell at the end of the month. Operation Dry Water is a coordinated, national weekend of BUI detection and enforcement aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities on Utah’s waterways. The operation will be held June 27. In 2007, the U.S. Coast Guard said that 21% of all boating fatalities were a result of alcohol use. The Utah State Parks will participate in the operation with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard.