Story Archive for 06/08/2009

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Blue Jays Overpower Rangers @ Metroplex

Published on June 08, 2009 at 11:25PM

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Adam Lind posted two home runs and four RBI as the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Texas Rangers, 6-3 Monday at the Ballpark in Arlington. After Lind hit both of his homers, Toronto led 4-0 in the fourth inning before Texas mounted a comeback with RBI from Marlon Byrd and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a Nelson Cruz score on a wild pitch to make it 4-3 in the sixth inning. Nevertheless, Toronto seized control once again on a Marco Scutaro single and an Aaron Hill sacrifice fly in the ninth to give the Jays their final margin of victory. With the win, Toronto improved to 33-27 while the Rangers fell to 33-24. In other MLB action Monday, Detroit edged the Chicago White Sox, 5-4 while Chicago returned the favor with a 6-1 win in a doubleheader, Colorado stonewalled St. Louis, 5-2, Atlanta outlasted Pittsburgh, 7-6 in 15 innings, the New York Yankees smacked Tampa Bay, 5-3, Florida blanked San Francisco, 4-0, Oakland edged Minnesota, 4-3, and San Diego doubled up Arizona, 6-3.

Longhorns Down Frogs; Secure Berth in CWS

Published on June 08, 2009 at 11:15PM

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Taylor Jungmann surrendered only two hits in six innings of work as the Texas Longhorns earned the final berth in Saturday’s College World Series with a 5-2 win over Texas Christian Monday in the NCAA Super Regionals. Brendon Belt and Kevin Keyes had an RBI triple and home run respectively to help the Longhorns earn an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. In the fourth inning, Texas added a pair of insurance runs on doubles from Keyes and Cameron Rupp while Chance Ruffin finally put the Horned Frogs away in the ninth inning. Texas will next face Southern Mississippi Sunday at Omaha, Neb. in their first game at the CWS.

Skydiver Hurt in Rough Landing @ Tooele

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:30PM

(TOOELE)—A skydiver was hurt during a rough landing at the Tooele airport Monday. Rescue officials say the man in his 40s had already deployed his chute and made a hard turn just as he was about to land. The man suffered some broken bones and was flown by helicopter to the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray in serious condition.

Teen Enters Guilty Plea in Sears Shooting

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:25PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A teenager who encouraged his cousin to shoot and kill another teen in the parking lot of a Sears store has pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Alexis Rodriguez faced multiple first-degree felonies for the 2007 death of 16-year old Diego Mendoza. Last week, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree felony attempted murder. A firearms charge was dropped. Sentencing is slated for August 10 in 3rd District Court and the charge carries a possible penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Rodriguez and Luis Salazar Mendoza were at a taco stand when they got into an argument with Diego Mendoza and two others. Luis Salazar Mendoza was sentenced to anywhere from 30 years to life in prison in March.

MSHA Sets July Hearing on Dust Monitors

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:16PM

(CHARLESTON, W. Va.)—The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration says it is planning a hearing on a proposal that would allow new personal dust monitors for coal miners. Currently, MSHA relies on lab tests that at times take a week or more to determine how much airborne rock and coal dust floats around mines. The agency, mine operators, and the United Mine Workers Union want monitors that constantly track dust levels, but MSHA needs regulatory criteria for approving the new technology. MSHA also plans to update requirements for existing dust samplers. Controlling dust is critical to the health of mines as coal and rock dust are linked to deadly conditions such as black lung disease and silicosis. MSHA has planned the hearing for July 8 at its headquarters in Arlington, Va.

Few Bear Sightings Reported Thus Far This Season

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:12PM

(NORTHERN UTAH)—Some bear sightings in northern Utah have people concerned about impending camping trips but in actuality, this has been a mild year thus far for bears being seen by humans. Utah Division of Wildlife spokesman Mark Hadley said Utahns in all likelihood won’t see that many bears this season because the sufficient rainfall thus far has given bears plenty of vegetation to eat in the mountains. Wildlife officials have responded to one sighting in northern Utah when a bear snooped around some cabin areas in Woodland. Hadley said people shouldn’t let their guards down though but they should keep their camps clean and never intentionally feed a bear if they should see one.

Rollover Crash Near Wendover Kills 1

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:08PM

(WENDOVER)—A man is dead following a crash Monday morning along Interstate 80 near Wendover. Troopers say the driver drifted off the road near Milepost 36 around 4:00 a.m., over-corrected and rolled his Chevy Trailblazer several times while he landed 30 feet from the interstate. The crash killed his passenger. Eastbound lanes were closed for 15-20 minutes while a medical helicopter landed to take the driver to the hospital. He suffered several injuries. The 36-year old Salt Lake county resident was wearing his seat belt but troopers are still investigating whether or not the 31-year old passenger from Roy was wearing his seat belt as he was ejected from the vehicle. Troopers say alcohol was apparently a factor in the accident.

Crews Repair Deteriorating Overpass @ Parley's Way

Published on June 08, 2009 at 03:00PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Department of Transportation is keeping a close eye on the ramp to Foothill Drive and Parley’s Way after some concrete chunks fell off Monday morning. Two motorists called police after noticing concrete chunks on the road Monday. UDOT crews responded right away and inspected the bridge while closing Parley’s Way underneath the Foothill overpass to clean up the concrete. In the interim, the road has been reopened. Upon completion of the project, UDOT stated the Foothill overpass is structurally sound and the problem on Monday was primarily cosmetic. Additionally, UDOT said the overpass was inspected last fall and at this point, there are no sings of major corrosion. Engineers returned to the overpass Monday and chipped off corroded areas of concrete while re-inspecting the bridge once again and determined it was safe. UDOT did leave the corroded areas exposed but nothing else is expected to fall.

Salt Lake County Settles Excessive Force Lawsuit

Published on June 08, 2009 at 02:51PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Salt Lake County will pay $60,000 to settle a lawsuit that alleged sheriff’s deputies used excessive force during the 2007 investigation of a noise complaint at a home. Deputies went to the home to check on a 16-year old boy who complained over the phone to a friend that his parents and their guests were being too loud for him to sleep. After the friend called police, the boy’s father, Stephen M. Perry, refused to let police inside without a warrant. Deputies then used pepper spray and a Taser to subdue Perry and two of his guests. All three were charged with disorderly conduct, interference with an arrest and assault on police although a jury acquitted them. The three suspects sued six deputies, contending they used excessive force and that their warrantless search was unlawful.

Documentary Chronicles Kanab's Film History

Published on June 08, 2009 at 02:46PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A new documentary chronicling the history of Kanab’s tradition as a popular location for filming movies will debut shortly in Kanab. “Return To Little Hollywood,” a film by Dixie State professor Stephen B. Armstrong chronicles Kanab’s history as a popular filming site for movies such as “Western Union” and “Buffalo Bill,” while television’s “Gunsmoke” and “Have Gun, Will Travel,” were also filmed there. The film is slated to debut June 17 in Kanab and promises to be used as a promotional tool to attract more film projects to the region.

Parole Board Offers Life Term for Box Elder Rapist

Published on June 08, 2009 at 02:41PM

(DRAPER)—Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole will keep a Box Elder man convicted of raping a 6-year old girl in prison for the rest of his life. Board spokesman Jim Hatch reported that the board voted unanimously last week to deny Stanley Allen Smith an opportunity for parole and imposed a prison term of “natural life.” Smith last had a parole hearing on May 9. In 1993, a jury convicted Smith of first-degree felony charges of aggravated kidnapping, sodomy of a child, and rape of a child. The girl was taken at knifepoint from a playground in Corrine. A judge initially sentenced Smith to four consecutive terms of 15 years to life. The Utah Supreme Court reduced the sentence on appeal. Utah law gives the parole board the final say on prison terms.

Man Accused of Threatening Obama in Court

Published on June 08, 2009 at 02:37PM

(LAUGHLIN, Nev.)—The man accused of threatening President Barack Obama in front of a St. George bank teller is expected to make his first appearance in court. 36-year old Daniel James Murray is slated to appear in a Nevada courtroom Monday and then will reportedly face federal charges in Utah. Charging documents filed last Thursday claim Murray told a bank teller in May that he is on a “mission to kill the President of the United States.” Murray said federal authorities made those threats while emptying out a savings account at a Zions Bank in St. George. Murray was arrested Friday at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nev. Secret Service and local law enforcement agents took Murray into custody without incident.

Bennett opposes Obama public option

Published on June 08, 2009 at 01:19PM

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett is opposing Pres. Obama’s commitment to include a government-run option in health care reform legislation. Speaking on the Senate floor last week, Bennett said he’s opposed to any public option because it would unfairly change the playing field and ultimately drive out all other choices because the government would be in a position to subsidize health care with taxpayer dollars. Bennett cited nearly 1.8 million Britons who are waiting for hospital or outpatient treatments at any given time. He said the American voter would never stand for the kind of rationing by delay that seems to have crept into every other government-run health care system. Bennett and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon have worked for more than three years on the Healthy Americans Act, a bipartisan health care reform bill that would provide every American with affordable, private health insurance without breaking the bank.

Man saves son in ATV accident

Published on June 08, 2009 at 10:06AM

(MANTI) – A Bluffdale man was rescued and credited with saving his four-year old son in an ATV accident Saturday up 12-mile canyon. According to a Sanpete County Sheriff’s report, 37-year old, Robert Gonda and his son were riding their Polaris Razor ATV on the Pinchot Trail up 12-mile canyon, when they approached a pinacle and teetered on an edge of the trail. Gonda was able to unbuckle his son and push him off the machine before tumbling, himself, 125 yards down the hill into a river. The report said Gonda suffered leg, head and neck injuries along with hypothermia and was airlifted to a hospital up north. The Sanpete County Technical Rescue Team, Search and Rescue and the sheriff’s department all participated in the rescue and reports say Gonda is in fair condition. His four-year old son was not injured in the accident.

LDS Stake Center Groundbreaking

Published on June 08, 2009 at 09:10AM

Updated on June 08, 2009 at 04:35PM

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Tuesday night for the new Manti Stake Center. The construction contract was awarded to Hales/Warner out of Spanish Fork and they should start construction sometime this month. The new building should be ready for occupancy in a year’s time. The groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public and will start at 7pm Tuesday at the end of Union Street and around 500 East.

UDOT updates public on road projects

Published on June 08, 2009 at 09:06AM

(RICHFIELD) – Road construction crews are nearing completion of the culvert and paving project between Sevier and Joseph. The Utah Department of Transportation says crews are working Monday through Thursday from 7am to 6pm on the new bike trail and will soon have the project completed for public access. UDOT will also be setting up equipment and traffic control June 15 for the overlay project between Sigurd and Salina on I-70 and the chip seal operation between Moab and Monticello continues on U.S. 191 with single lane closures. The seal coat and striping project progresses between the Kanosh and Meadow exits on I-15 in Millard County and paving on the Boulder loop south of Torrey in Wayne County is underway. The micro-surfacing project also continues on U.S. 6 between Helper and Price and drilling and cement pouring will be done north of Moab over the Colorado River Bridge. UDOT officials remind travelers to take the necessary precautions in work zones.

New Manti temple president called

Published on June 08, 2009 at 07:33AM

(SALT LAKE CITY) – A former BYU religion instructor and seminary teacher has been called to be the new Manti Temple President. 74-year old, Ed J. Pinegar of Orem, has been selected to succeed Pres. J. Bruce Harless. Pinegar is currently serving as a counselor in his ward Sunday School presidency and has served as mission president in the England London South Mission, president of the Provo Missionary Training Center, stake president, high councilor, bishop, couple missionary, sealer and seminary teacher. Pinegar is a retired dentist and will assume his position, along with his wife, Patricia, as temple matron, in November. Sister Pinegar has served as Relief Society compassionate service leader, Primary general president, Young Women general presidency, ward Relief Society president, ward Primary presidency and temple ordinance worker. She was born in Cedar City.