(MANTI) – A micro-burst wind gusted through Manti Wednesday afternoon damaging a fence at a tennis court. According to City Manager, Bill Mickelson, the fast-moving wind gust whipped up aluminum canopy frames at the tennis courts, located at 300 West and 200 North and bent a fence over between 6 and 7pm. No other structure damage was reported as a result of the micro-burst but nearly a half inch of rain fell in the Manti and Ephraim area in a ten to fifteen minute period.

(PAGE, Ariz.)-The Arizona Daily Sun of Flagstaff, Ariz. reports more than 700 people, on two separate occasions, have turned out to honor Sergeant Darrell Curley, the Navajo Nation police officer killed in the line of duty last weekend.

An audience of more than 300 met in Curley’s native Chinle, Ariz. Monday night while 400 others showed up Tuesday night at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ Page Stake Center, according to stake president Mack McAllister.

Curley’s funeral is slated for Saturday at 10:00 a.m. MST (Arizona Time) at the LDS chapel in Chinle while a procession will then carry his body to the family’s plot at Fort Defiance, Ariz.

A reception will follow at Nakai Hall in Window Rock, Ariz.

McAllister suggested large turnouts in Page and Chinle are due large in part to Curley’s reputation as an “exemplary” police officer as he was a 26-year veteran of the Navajo Police force serving in both Chinle and Kaibeto, Ariz.

Presently, the Division of Public Safety and the Navajo Police Department are asking for donations from local businesses and communities to assist in covering funeral costs, according to Navajo Nation communications director Charmaine Jackson.

Jackson said monetary donations can also be deposited at any Bank of the West location under the Navajo Police Sergeant Darrell Curley Memorial Fund.

There will be a moment of silence Tuesday evening before the weekly Page City council meeting according to Mayor Bill Diak, while Curley’s wife, Pauline, a council member, will be honored.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-Wednesday, a 19-year-old Montezuma Creek man indicted in U.S. District Court for allegedly assaulting his 4-month-old son while he pleaded guilty to the crime.

Warren Joseph Montes admitted his guilt for a substituted charge of felony child abuse, which carries a maximum punishment of up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

Earlier this year, Montes received the indictment for assaulting his child on the Navajo Nation last December 13 while he was charged with one count of assault with the intent to murder.

A substitute charge was entered before U.S. Magistrate Paul Warner Wednesday when it was determined Montes’ act was done recklessly and without intention.

Montes’ attorney, Wally Budgen, said Montes feels “horrible” for his child’s injury while the boy suffered a fractured right femur.

Budgen says Montes had no intention to hurt the child while Montes’ supporters, including his fiance’s parents, have attended several of his hearings, including Wednesday’s plea hearing.

The boy was hospitalized at Salt Lake City’s Primary Children’s Medical Center but has since recovered, Budgen said.

Circumstances entailing how Montes hurt the child have not been released.

Montes had no criminal record before the assault except for a juvenile charge of fishing without a license.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – The Bureau of Land Management announced today the segregation of thousands of federal lands from the location of new mining claims for a two-year period. BLM officials say the Federal Register shows about 677,000 acres of public land in six Western states are affected, including land in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and California. The land is being segregated from the development of new mining operations to facilitate renewable energy development on public lands. The segregation only applies to new mining claims and not existing rights.

(WASHINGTON)-Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah is leading a house panel overseeing issues involving technology.

The Utah Republican made this announcement Tuesday saying Skype and ooVoo have surpassed security hurdles and were approved for congressional use.

Chaffetz says these services will be instrumental in presenting more town hall and community meetings from afar, while previously, something would have to be recorded prior to airing in those venues.

Prior to the ban, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed concerns about security breaches and was adamant new protocols be integrated before services were given the green light.

Chaffetz says the House is one of the bigger “terror targets,” and was a constant target for online attacks but that Skype and ooVoo provide a sufficient amount of encryption.

Members of Congress can use this service immediately while it is unclear how swiftly all congressional offices will be up and running with this infrastructure.

Wednesday, Chaffetz said his office was working to get this technology up to speed.

(CHEYENNE, Wyo.)-Both sides are claiming victory in a Wednesday ruling that dealt with when or if the Interior secretary has to issue oil and gas leases won at auctions.

Oil and gas industry representatives say this ruling by U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal clearly sides with their cause, that the federal government must follow its own 60-day deadline on issuing leases won by bidders at Bureau of Land Management auctions.

Kathleen Smagga, the governmental affairs director of the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance, said her organization is happy with the victory and glad the courts recognized the industry’s desire for more certainty throughout the legal process.

However, Smagga also noted Freudenthal’s decision didn’t go as far as it could, only ordering Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to make a decision while this wasn’t necessarily to issue the held-up leases.

Steve Bloch, an attorney with the Salt Lake City, Moab and Washington-based Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance said this component of the ruling represents a victory for the agency and environmentalists in that the judge soundly rejected the premise that BLM should “lease first and think later.”

Bloch says the ruling is consistent with oil and gas reforms being carried out before Salazar.

The lawsuit emanated from leases not issued after Utah and Wyoming BLM auctions, although the federal government received payment for them.

In one instance, Houston-based Baseline Oil & Gas Corp. paid more than $1.3 million for Wyoming leases and in turn, more than $545,000 for Utah leases.

At the time this lawsuit was filed, Baseline had only received some of its Wyoming leases and none in Utah.

The Utah leases were won during auctions which occurred as long as six years ago.

Many of the leases were detained as the BLM worked to address a litany of protests filed by the environmental groups.

The oil and gas industry contended the decision whether to award oil and gas leases to winning bidders needs to come before they are offered at auction, rather than afterward.

Western Alliance Energy asserted, and the court agreed, that language in the Mineral Leasing Act “clearly and unambiguously” states leases shall be issued within 60 days following the payment of a successful bidder.

However, government attorneys argued this 60-day time frame does not kick in until Salazar actually decides this land will be leased, while this may hinge on addressing unresolved protests.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office asserted that as of May 2010, the BLM had some $84 million in accounts for unissued Wyoming leases while this number totaled $10 million in Utah.

Salazar has yet to make a decision in 38 leases in Utah covered in the Wednesday ruling while the judge indicated Salazar most likely would be required to make a decision within 30 days of her ruling.

However, Sgamma said this decision does not address other oil or gas leases which presently remain in limbo.

(ST. PAUL, Minn.)-Thursday, a wide-ranging state government shutdown bore down on Minnesota, threatening to close state parks on the brink of a holiday weekend while furloughing thousands of workers if a budget deal wasn’t struck by midnight.

Democratic Governor Mark Dayton and top Republicans resumed their budget talks late Thursday morning after six straight days of negotiation followed by a six-month impasse on how to rectify a $5 billion deficit, had fallen through.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch declined to comment to reporters on her way into the meeting as she walked past a crowd of reporters and photographers.

Certain Minnesotans rushed to get driver’s licenses and fishing licenses ahead of the shutdown while state parks prepared to tell campers to leave as early as Thursday afternoon.

This shutdown would idle non-emergency road construction, shut the state zoo and Capitol, and stop childcare assistance for the poor.

Overall, more than 40 state boards and agencies would go dark but the shutdown would not affect the State Patrol, prisons and disaster response.

Republicans have been pressing Dayton to call a special session so they can pass a “lights on” budget bill to keep government operating past 12:01 p.m. Friday when a shutdown would start, but the governor has resisted this approach.

Dayton and Republicans said they broke off negotiations days ago, lest reportedly they should jeopardize any progress.

After breaking for the last time Wednesday night, Geoff Michel of St. Paul, Minn., the second-ranking Republican in the Senate said both sides were “very close,” but did not provide more details.

This budget dispute dates back to January, when Dayton became the state’s first Democratic governor in 20 years while Republicans took over the state Legislature for the first time in 38 years.

Ramsey County (Minn.) Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin said state payments to cities, counties and schools would continue, as would sufficient money, to keep Dayton’s office and the Legislature running with at least “skeletal crews.”

Gearin ordered that the state keep welfare, food stamp and Medicaid health care programs operating.

(WASHINGTON)-Last week, the Associated Press reports, a Nigerian man bordered a Virgin American plane with an invalid boarding pass and navigated through a federal security checkpoint where travelers must show identification and their boarding passes.

After Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi got through security, the airline allowed him onto the plane although his boarding pass was for a flight the day before, the FBI reported.

The identification check at airport security checkpoints was installed as one of a litany of new security measures after the fatal 9/11 attacks.

Mid-flight to Los Angeles from New York, a flight attendant noticed Noibi was sitting in a seat that was supposed to be vacant while he showed the attendant this expired pass that was in someone else’s name and then revealed a University of Michigan identification card with his picture on it.

University of Michigan spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham stated Noibi is not a current student, but was enrolled as an engineering student at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based institution between 2004 and 2006.

The boarding pass belonged to a man who said his boarding pass went missing from his pocket en route to the airport June 23.

The next day, Noibi boarded the plane with the expired pass.

Wednesday, Noibi was arrested when law enforcement officials saw him attempting to board another flight and discovered he had more than 10 other expired boarding passes belonging to others in his bag.

Noibi has since been charged with being a stowaway.

Los Angeles FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said when the Virgin America flight crew determined Noibi had an invalid boarding pass, law enforcement was notified and asked to meet the plane upon its arrival early Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport.

Eimiller said since there was no immediate threat to the aircraft, the flight was not diverted.

FBI Agent Kevin R. Hogg met this flight and detained and questioned Noibi, while Eimiller said other than his invalid ticket, he presented no immediate threats.

A U.S. District Court hearing previously scheduled for Wednesday was postponed until Friday at 10:30 a.m. PDT and Eimiller says he is in custody pending this hearing.

(OTTAWA)-Thursday, newly wed couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton were due to arrive in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa in a visit which was expected to draw record-setting crowds rife with starstruck fans as well as other well wishers to greet them.

It is believed the monarchs will be in Ottawa through Friday, which is Canada Day, open the Calgary Stampede, which begins July 8, and go canoeing through the Northwest Territories during a nine-day tour of their future realm and then head to Los Angeles.

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore told the Associated Press the Canadian capitol has reached an overwhelming response and personnel are dong all they can to accommodate the famous couple.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to unveil a personal flag during the visit which marks the first time since 1962 that the North American nation has granted this honor to a monarch when Queen Elizabeth II adopted a personal flag for her own use in Canada.

Harper said the flag was approved by both the queen and William.

William is planning to demonstrate his skills as a helicopter rescue pilot by taking part in a water landing demonstration and the couple will reportedly assist in a Quebec City, Quebec cooking workshop.

The Quebecker population, however, is incensed that British monarchs are coming to Canada as small Francophone protest groups were gathering in both Quebec City and Montreal.

While Canadians have generally separated themselves from the British crown incrementally since 1965, when they established their current flag, Elizabeth II is still considered the titular head of state as she is still seen on coins and stamps and has visited the Great White North 22 times in her tenure.

Incidentally, Harper is the most pro-monarchy Canadian leader since the 1950s, and he is seeking to foster a national identity which is more conservative and cognizant of its historical roots.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-Wednesday, leaders of 10 religious bodies in Utah came together to commemorate the opening of the Walk of Pioneer Faiths at This Is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.

The back was dedicated by Bishop John C. Wester of the Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese and leaders of other faiths in the state, including Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ Quorum of Twelve Apostles, spoke to a crowd of hundreds.

Those who gathered at the site called this a “historic day” at the park and religious leaders, who have worked with park managers to create this site, also recognized the pioneers who helped settle the Western United States.

On this walk, nine monuments honor pioneers in the respective faiths which personify Utah: the Catholic Church, Jewish congregation Kol Ami, The First Congregational Church, the Episcopal Church, the First United Methodist Church, the First Baptist Church, the First Presbyterian Church, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Greek Orthodox Church, while each monument tells that church’s particular story in the Beehive State.

This walk leads up to the new Garden Place, a multi-use event center, while the purpose of the walk is to ensure all feel welcome in Utah.

Elder Ballard stated the new building and monuments have helped all of Utah’s faiths make “remarkable progress” together.

Meanwhile, Utah Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell said religious freedom is the “centerpiece of life” in the state.

(WASHINGTON)-Although he has suffered from cancer and a litany of political struggles during the past several months, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has kept an eye on college football’s controversial, and often debilitating, Bowl Championship Series.

Tuesday, his office posted a request for information at www.bidsync.com, a Web site government agencies use to solicit bids and contracts.

This proposal seeks information from law firms interested in joining Shurtleff’s battle against the BCS, which deprives Division I-A college football of a true national champion.

Last month, Shurtleff’s bid to break up this arbitrary system appeared to pick up some momentum as the Department of Justice sent a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert, inquiring why there wasn’t a playoff system in place at this level of college football, as there are in Division I-AA, Division II and Division III football at 4-year institutions.

The letter may have been the first indication Justice officials may look into this system as DOJ head Christine Varney referenced Shurtleff’s intention to file an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS.

Such a measure would seek damages for schools, including the University of Utah, Boise State University and Texas Christian University, who have lost out on millions of dollars through the years because the existing system favored certain conferences over other ones who did not have significant football tradition or large markets.

Although the U. has joined the BCS-favored PAC-12 recently, Shurtleff says such a gesture makes no difference.

Shurtleff has said he could file this suit as early as this summer but the August 8 deadline for law firms to respond to his request is swiftly approaching, which would likely push any legal action back to this fall.

This request does not offer a contract, but simply seeks interest in being considered for a legal team.

The request is asking law firms to list qualifications, their experience in investigation and litigation of smaller cases and whether they have already undertaken an analysis of the BCS system.

It also aims to assess possible fee arrangements, including pro bono, contingencies and fixed or hourly rates.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-Traditionally, the Independence Day holiday is a time when numerous Utahns take to the state’s roadways for numerous outdoor expeditions.

Dwayne Baird, the spokesman for Utah’s Department of Public Safety said more often than not, this is a deadly holiday weekend for motorists primarily because of sheer volume, as families are together and roadways are packed statewide.

Baird says throughout the month of July, Utah Highway Patrol troopers will be working 500 extra shifts and will ensure motorists are doing what they are supposed to in terms of keeping the state’s highways safe for everyone.

Baird reminds Utah drivers to buckle up, put the younger children in car seats, pay attention to everything going on in driving lanes next to them and ensuring there is a safe distance between all vehicles.

Excessive speed and inattentiveness have played roles in previous accidents through the past few days, authorities say, while the Utah DPS’ impound lot is rife with vehicles which are no longer operable.

Meanwhile, state troopers do not want the impound lot’s population to increase and as Baird closed his statements, he advised motorists to get plenty of rest before a trip and to ensure sufficient planning and preparation go into all trips.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-A poll conducted for Deseret News/KSL-TV shows presently, incumbent Utah Governor Gary Herbert would win an election over challenger Jim Matheson.

The poll showed 48 percent of Utahns would vote for Herbert, with 45 percent casting a ballot in favor of Matheson.

The poll also asserts if Herbert were to face an unspecified GOP challenger, he would amass 54 percent of the vote while 23 percent of respondents would go for someone else in the party.

Matheson has said if he doesn’t seek a seventh term in Washington during the next governor election, he would consider running against Herbert and possibly Utah senior senator Orrin Hatch, should he be ousted from his Washington position.

Pollster Dan Jones, who amassed these results, says presently Herbert has nothing to worry about, but things could change at any moment.

Meanwhile, State Democratic party chairman Wayne Holland says he wasn’t surprised at Matheson’s showing in the poll, as he comes from a family which has a rich heritage in Utah politics while Kirk Jowers of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics says Matheson presents a stiffer challenge to a Republican than any other Democrat in the state.

Jowers closed by calling Herbert an “adept campaigner” and it will not be an easy decision for anyone to challenge him.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-During the last legislative session in Utah, lawmakers passed H.B.199, which enables school districts to raise money by putting ads on buses.

Reportedly, earlier this month, the Utah Department of Transportation finalized rules on its placement and content of the ads, thus enabling the law to clear its final hurdle.

UDOT spokeswoman Tania Mashburn confirmed this decision while she clarified that no ads promoting anything illegal for minors will be allowed, including drugs, alcohol, or anything sexual or political.

Furthermore, the ads cannot be on the inside, front, or back of a bus and can only take up 35 percent of any given bus.

Mashburn stated these rules will now go into a public comment period while they should go into effect in August.

Mashburn said if anyone wants to comment on this matter, they are free to go to rules.utah.gov.

There are no required rules or review of UDOT rules by the State Board of Education.

Once UDOT rules go into effect, local school boards choosing to have bus advertisements must have guidelines consistent with UDOT rules.

Some districts are interested in this initiative, while others have not had much comment.