Story Archive for 07/31/2009
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Ti-Cats Down Lions; Improve To 3-2
Published on July 31, 2009 at 10:20PM
HAMILTON, Ontario, Canada (AP)—DeAndra Cobb ran for 167 yards and a pair of scores as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats overpowered the British Columbia Lions, 30-18 Friday in CFL action at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Although the game was competitive through the first half, which saw British Columbia nursing an 18-17 lead, the Tiger-Cats scored 13 crucial points in the third quarter to put the game away. The win improved Hamilton to a surprising 3-2 on the season, while British Columbia slumped to 1-4. Buck Pierce completed 23 of 36 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss for British Columbia.
Man Sentenced For Spying on Girls' Dressing Room
Published on July 31, 2009 at 04:06PM
(COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS)—A serial “peeping Tom” has been sentenced to two years in jail. Last year, Brian Lee was caught spying on Brighton High School students in the girls’ locker room as they changed their clothes. Subsequently, Lee pleaded guilty to five counts of misdemeanor voyeurism. A judge sentenced him to two years in jail Friday and a year of probation. Lee must also enter a sex offender treatment program and he cannot have contact with anyone under the age of 18, including family members. Lee has been convicted for similar crimes at schools in Davis and Weber counties.
Child Killed in Orem Driveway
Published on July 31, 2009 at 04:02PM
(OREM)—A child was run over and killed in an Orem driveway Friday. Police say the 7-year old boy had been playing in the water of a backyard when he went to lay down in a driveway to warm up. An aunt, who was visiting at the home, backed out of a driveway with an SUV, killing the boy.
Toddler in Springville Saved From Drowning
Published on July 31, 2009 at 04:00PM
(SPRINGVILLE)—A small child was pulled from a backyard swimming pool Friday afternoon and revived from nearly drowning. The two-year old boy was found floating in the pool and taken by ambulance to a local hospital unconscious. Along the way, police say rescue crews were able to revive the child and he was breathing on his own by the time the ambulance reached the hospital. There is no word on how long the boy was in the water.
Manhunt Over in Tooele County
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:53PM
(TOOELE COUNTY)—A massive manhunt is over in Tooele County after two suspects involved in a police chase were taken into custody. The search for the suspects was sparked after a domestic incident and burglary at the Montego Bay Casino in West Wendover, Nevada. Authorities say the incident led to the theft of a nearby casino employee’s car. The suspects led authorities on a high speed chase on I-80, before the car’s tires were spiked at milepost 49 in Tooele County. Several law enforcement agencies participated in a widespread search for the suspects, who were found just after 9:00 a.m.
Utah Court OKs Redistricting Plan Cost Estimate
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:45PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Supreme Court has rejected a group’s arguments that the estimated cost of its proposal to create an independent advisory commission on redrawing voting boundaries is wrong. The Fair Boundaries Coalition challenged the proposal’s estimated cost, saying data behind the $1 million price tag put on by legislative analysts was biased and inaccurate. The group wants to put an initiative to create the commission on the 2010 ballot. On Friday, the court rejected the argument, saying the group didn’t show the estimate is inaccurate. The group argued the estimate was wrong because it assumed the Legislature would do its own research and analysis on redistricting in addition to the 11-member advisory board the group wants to create. The court said the initiative doesn’t prohibit the Legislature from doing its own work and it certified the estimate prepared by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.
17-Year Old Charged As Adult in Murder
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:38PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—Salt Lake County prosecutors filed adult murder charges against a 17-year old boy, accused of a shooting last Saturday in South Jordan. Prosecutors say the 17-year old, Josh Buie, and 21-year old Stephen Lasiloo had argued at a party over a stolen iPod. Lasiloo and some family members left on foot. Later, prosecutors say the 17-year old Buie left in a car with some friends, while documents state Buie told the driver to stop the car. Witnesses say Buie got out, confronted Lasiloo, pulled out a gun and shot him three times. A witness told prosecutors Buie got back into the car and declared he did the shooting. If convicted of first-degree murder, Buie could face a sentence of 15 years-life in prison.
Bennett Flooding Office With Records Requests
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:32PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Attorney General’s Office says justice may not be served anytime soon, so long as a political campaign keeps state workers hopping with public records requests. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff claims Senator Bob Bennett is flooding his office with paperwork, ultimately keeping 430 employers from doing the state’s business. The requests don’t have Bennett’s name on them, but they’re originating from a research group based in Virginia hired by his campaign. Paul Murphy, a spokesman for Shurtleff, says regardless of the reason, the AG staffers have had to drop everything to do what he calls political research. Still, neither Murphy nor anyone else in Shurtleff’s office has the right to reject the requests of Utah’s open records laws. Murphy says he plans to spend all of next week on the requests himself. To date, Shurleff’s office has not charged journalists for requests under Utah’s open records laws. Murphy says that may have to change as the result of the requests from Bennett’s campaign research group.
Shurtleff Faces Lawsuit Over Fraud Case
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:28PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—A man convicted of securities fraud is suing Attorney General Mark Shurtleff as he claims Shurtleff didn’t prosecute others involved in the scheme due to personal relationships. Donald Purser says Stephen Brockbank and Carol Love organized the operation, which involved soliciting $2 million from investors, but never making good on promised returns. Purser says Shurtleff didn’t go after the two alleged orchestrators, due to a personal friendship with Brockbank. In the complaint filed against Shurtleff in federal court, Purser asked for $13 million in damages, saying his reputation was ruined by prosecutorial misconduct. Shurtleff has not commented.
Provo Man Pleads Guilty in Death of Baby Daughter
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:24PM
(PROVO)—A Provo man has pleaded guilty to criminal homicide in the death of his infant daughter. Victor Gardea entered the plea in 4th District Court Thursday as the 23-year old Gardea had been charged with aggravated murder in the September death of his 4-month old daughter, Jasmin. The charges are both first-degree felonies, but the one Gardea pleaded guilty to carries a lesser possible sentence than the original charge. On September 8, officers were called to a Provo home and found the girl not breathing and with no pulse. She died the next day. Prosecutors say Gardea was caring for Jasmin and became frustrated with her crying. They say he hit her at least once in the head and torso.
Gang Unit's Public Enemy #1 Arrested
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:18PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—A man who was named as the Metro Gang’s Public Enemy Number 1 Thursday, was placed into custody Friday morning. Detectives say a tip from media reports led to the arrest of 19-year old Jonathan Anderson after his picture was broadcast to the media Thursday. The Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit was able to research a house connected to his family and found Anderson there. Sergeant Mike Schoenfeld said people who own the house didn’t know Anderson was the #1 public enemy and had allowed him to stay there while they were gone. Schoenfeld said Anderson surrendered peacefully, while he was taken to the Salt Lake County Jail and booked on two counts of first-degree felony aggravated robbery and one count of third-degree felony theft. The Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit says that with all of Anderson’s warrants, he is worth over $1 million to them. Investigators say the tipster has yet to claim the reward money.
Immunizations Required For Some Utah County Health Department Employees
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:12PM
(UTAH COUNTY)—The Utah County Health Department has new mandatory immunization policies for employees who work around pregnant women and young children. Over a year ago, the department had a scare as an immunization nurse found she was exposed to chicken pox, and developed a small rash. The nurse worked around newborn babies, and fears quickly spread that she may have impacted numerous infants. The nurse was later ruled not to have chicken pox but the department decided it was time to take more precautions in order to shield babies from infectious illnesses. Utah County Health Department Director Dr. Joseph Minor said they have now revised their immunization requirements for employees who work closely with newborns and pregnant women. The new requirements also state employees must be immunized against whooping cough and must have the chicken pox vaccine, have had their yearly flu shots and the swine flu vaccine. Miner says the department is primarily concerned with influenza as more evidence has come out showing the high risk of pregnant women who contract the swine flu.
Utah Hospital Rankings Posted Online
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:09PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—Rankings of Utah hospitals based on patient satisfaction ratings can now be viewed online. The rankings from the 2009 Hospital Consumer Satisfaction Report can be viewed online at health.utah.gov. The findings show about 73 percent of respondents would recommend their hospital to family and friends, but some measure showed discrepancies of up to 50 percent among the 34 Utah hospitals included in the survey. The survey used to compile the data on the Web site included 27 questions patients were asked about their hospital visit, such as nurse and doctor communication, responsiveness, of hospital staff and cleanliness of the room.
Number of Drivers Running Red Lights Doubles
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:05PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—Serious crashes involving motorists who run red lights are on the rise. The Utah Department of Transportation released a report showing the number of crashes linked to people running red lights or stop signs and yield signs nearly doubled from 2006 to 2007. Some motorists blame the problem on the length of yellow lights but the Utah Department of Transportation’s Adan Carrillo says people simply need to pay more attention. As for the timing on the lights, Carrillo says UDOT makes adjustments to try to synchronize the lights better. Federal law says yellow lights must last between three-six seconds.
Utah Currency Trading Firm Agrees To Pay Fine
Published on July 31, 2009 at 03:01PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—A foreign currency trading firm has agreed to pay $225,000 to settle allegations it failed to monitor retail accounts for evidence of money laundering. The National Futures Association says Interbank FX of Salt Lake City and principal Todd Crosland agreed to tighten up the firm’s trading practices. Violations against Amanda Albretsen, also an Interbank principal and its former compliance director, are being held open conditionally for a year. The association is licensed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to enforce market rules on numerous items, such as foreign currencies. Interbank did not return a message The Associated Press left on the firm’s automated phone system. In the settlement approved Tuesday, the firm and its principals didn’t admit or deny the allegations.
Man Cited For Throwing Milkshake
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:47PM
(SANDY)—Police cited a Dairy Queen customer after he got upset over the thickness of his milkshake. The 48-year old man went to the drive-through window at a Sandy Dairy Queen and ordered his shake and after finding it too thick, he went back to the store and asked for a thinner one. The Salt Lake Tribune reported the 16-year old who made his shake the first time, made it thinner, but it was still too thick. Police say he then threw the shake at the employee, hit him in the chest, and left. Other workers and Dairy Queen customers wrote down the license plate number of the man’s car as he drove off. Police tracked him down and cited him with simple assault, while the man reportedly admitted he overreacted.
Air Force Says Radioactive Material Lost in Crash
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:43PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—The U.S. Air Force has notified federal regulators that a “minuscule” amount of radioactive material from targeting equipment was lost when an F-16 crashed in Utah last month. Thursday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that the military has filed a report with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the use of radioactive material. The newspaper says eight microcuries of americium-241 are thought to be buried about 35 miles south of Wendover. Americium is a radioactive material often used in testing devices. The 28-year old Captain George B. Houghton of Candler, N.C., was killed when his F-16 crashed during a training mission June 22. The cause of the crash is not known.
Economy Still Shaky Despite good GDP Report
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:40PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—The recession may be coming to an end, but unemployment likely will rise, at least until the first half of 2010. Zions Bank Chief Economist Jeff Thredgold said the unemployment may rise above 10 percent. Thredgold also said there will be problems with commercial real estate, while he stated Utah’s economy should return to reasonable levels of performance in the first or second quarter of 2010.
Wyoming Wind Farm Under Construction
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:35PM
(LARAMIE, Wyo.)—Rocky Mountain Power is beginning the installation of 19 wind turbines at a new wind park in Albany County, Wyoming. The Salt Lake City-based company says the first phase of the McFadden Ridge project will generate a combined 28.5-megawatts of electricity. Completion is scheduled for late 2009. The new project is also near Rocky Mountain Power’s 66-turbine High Plains wind project. The company says construction of the High Plains project is underway and scheduled for completion this fall. McFadden Ridge is Rocky Mountain Power’s seventh Wyoming wind project in the past two years.
Lawmakers Want To Study Hazing Problems
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:29PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—The chairmen of the Utah State Legislature’s Education Interim Committee want to know if hazing is a big problem in Utah. Representative Greg Hughes of Draper and Senator Howard Stephenson of Draper plan to hold a hearing on the issue. Hughes talked about numerous grotesque methods wherein hazing is enforced in Utah schools, on KSL-AM Salt Lake City Friday, but didn’t know how widespread the problem is in Utah schools. Recently, a group of Utah State University students were charged with hazing in the death of a fellow student, although none of them have been sentenced on the charge.
Using Cell Phones Could Be Costly For Utah Students
Published on July 31, 2009 at 02:18PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)—Schools in Texas are allowed to charge kids $15 when they see them using cell phones in class and while Utah schools don’t have a fee, this may change shortly. All Utah school districts are required to have a cell phone policy, which in the words of Davis district spokesman Chris Williams, has forced parents to pick up their kids’ cell phones if they’re not paying attention in class. Williams said that placing a fee on cell phone usage in class would have to go through some red tape, but some schools are considering the possibility. Currently, schools in Abilene, Texas have collected more than $100,000 in student fees for cell phone use in the past two years.
Sevier County Fair begins Monday
Published on July 31, 2009 at 12:39PM
Updated on July 31, 2009 at 06:41PM
(RICHFIELD) – The Sevier County Fair officially gets underway Monday in Richfield. Fair Chairperson, Paula Martin, says the new upgrades will be a welcome sight to fair-goers. Organizers will accept Home Arts and 4-H Exhibits Monday and Horticulture, Floriculture and Baked Goods on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday activities include livestock judging, cooking demonstrations, food concessions and entertainment. Rodeos and fireworks wrap up the Sevier County Fair this year with all of the construction completed in time for the fair next year.
Elderly Salina woman involved in crash
Published on July 31, 2009 at 11:03AM
(RICHFIELD) – Charges are pending for a West Jordan woman who hit an elderly Salina woman at 300 North 500 East in Richfield Thursday morning. A Richfield Police report said that at about 11am, 44-year old, Adele Bailey from West Jordan, was stopped at the intersection and attempted to cross, when she hit a 1991 Buick Century, driven by 85-year old, Twilla Peterson of Salina. The police report said that Bailey did not see Peterson and slammed into her. Charges are pending for failure to yield. Neither driver was injured in the accident but both vehicles sustained damage.
SR-89 rollover injures couple
Published on July 31, 2009 at 08:47AM
(PANGUITCH) – A Panguitch woman, along with her Mexican passenger, sustained minor injuries in a rollover on SR-89 Wednesday afternoon. Utah Highway Patrol Troopers were at the scene and discovered that 20-year old, Teah Caine was traveling in a 2007 Ford Escape southbound, when she drifted off the right shoulder of the highway and lost control of her vehicle. Troopers said Caine rolled twice, coming to rest on her tires in the Sevier River. Her passenger, 14-year old, Cesar Gonzalez of Mexico City, Mexico, also received minor injuries. UHP said both occupants were wearing seatbelts and neither was transported to the hospital.
Wichita, KS family crashes on SR-89
Published on July 31, 2009 at 08:35AM
(PANGUITCH) – A Wichita, Kansas family was taken to the hospital with possible injuries after their vehicle rolled on SR-89 Wednesday morning. A UHP report said the family’s 2008 Suzuki Reno was traveling southbound at about 10am, when the driver became distracted and drifted off the right shoulder of the highway, overcorrected back onto the highway and rolled. The driver, 22-year old, Mrinal Nagrecha, was taken to the Garfield Memorial Hospital, along with his passengers, 49-year old, Vijay Nagrecha, 20-year old, Bhargavi Nagrecha, 12-year old, Shiviani Nagrecha and 41 year old, Preeti Nagrecha. The UHP report said all were wearing their seatbelts.
California travelers injured in I-70 accident
Published on July 31, 2009 at 08:06AM
(SALINA) – Several California travelers were taken to the hospital with injuries after their vehicle rolled on I-70 east of Salina Wednesday morning. The Utah Highway Patrol investigated the crash where a 1999 Honda Civic was traveling eastbound at about 6:30am, 32 miles east of Salina and drifted into the median. UHP said the driver overcorrected and rolled into westbound lanes of traffic, coming to rest on his wheels. Troopers said the driver, 25-year old, Phuchong Kitsawat of Pasedena, CA., was pinned inside the vehicle and had to be extricated. He was transported to the Castle Valley Hospital with head injuries and a broken leg. His passengers, 21-year old, Hu Hsiang-Ming, also of Pasedena and 24-year old, Anchaya Uaaree, of North Hollywood, CA., were able to get out of the vehicle and were taken to the hospital. All were wearing seatbelts.
Loa teen injured in SR-24 accident
Published on July 31, 2009 at 07:34AM
(SIGURD) – A Loa teenager was injured on SR-24 near Sigurd Tuesday night when she slid off the highway. According to a UHP report, at about 7:30pm, 17-year old, Merissa Edwards was traveling eastbound about six miles south of Sigurd in a 1997 Dodge Stratus, when she drifted off the right shoulder and struck a delineator post. The report said Edwards came back over the road and slid off the highway. UHP said she was not wearing a seatbelt and issued a citation. Edwards was taken by private vehicle to the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield with possible injuries.