Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

News Brief: Nurse Sentenced, Cities Growing & Biking Into Arches

3 bikers cycle a road with a scenic red rock backdrop.
NPS/Neal Herbert
Arches National Park is hoping to make it easier for bikers to enter the park.

 Tuesday morning, Jan. 14, 2020

Region

Growing Cities

The U.S. economy is experiencing its longest-running expansion in history. Many areas in our region are seeing particularly strong forecasts, due in large part to the tech industry. That’s according to the latest report by Area Development magazine, a publication focused on corporate site selection. According to the report, seven metro areas in our region ranked in the top 50. The Ogden-Clearfield metro area was the highest ranked in Utah, at 18th overall in the nation. — Noah Glick, Mountain West News Bureau

Monument For Victims In Mexico

A monument is planned to memorialize nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens ambushed and slain last year by drug gang assassins along a remote road near New Mexico. Officials also plan to recognize those who risked their lives to aid the victims. The three women and six children were killed in early November. They were part of a community south of the border formed generations ago that regards themselves as independent Mormons — not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. — Associated Press

Southern Utah

Biking Into Arches

Entering Arches National Park could become easier for cyclists if a change requested by the Park Service is approved. Currently, cyclists must enter the park on the main road, along with cars. But pedestrians can bypass that road by using a new trail completed last summer. It connects a bicycle and pedestrian path along the highway north of Moab to the park’s visitor center. While cyclists aren’t allowed to use it yet, park officials said allowing them to do so would be safer and faster. The Park Service is accepting comments about the new entrance for cyclists through Feb. 11. — Kate Groetzinger, Blanding

Northern Utah

Canyons School District Superintendent Retiring

The superintendent of Canyons School District plans to retire at the end of the school year. Dr. Jim Briscoe said it was “a very difficult decision” to step away from the post that oversees a community of 34,000 students. Briscoe has been an educator for more than 30 years, and a superintendent of schools in Utah and Illinois for 18, including at Canyons since 2014. — Diane Maggipinto

Nurse Sentenced For Stealing Painkillers

A former Utah nurse who stole painkillers and infected several patients with hepatitis C has been sentenced to five years in prison. Elet Neilson was sentenced Monday after previously pleading guilty in federal court to tampering with a consumer product and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. She acknowledged injecting herself with painkillers meant for patients while she worked as an emergency room nurse at an Ogden hospital. — Associated Press

KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.