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PM News Brief: Two Week COVID Spike, Black Lives Matter Rally & Navajo Nation Census

A photo of a crowd of people standing outside holding signs
Kelsie Moore
/
RadioWest Films
A 6 a.m. Black Lives Matter rally drew hundreds to the Salt Lake City and County Building on Wednesday.

Wednesday evening, June 10, 2020

NORTHERN UTAH

Black Lives Matter Early Morning Protest

At 6 o'clock Wednesday morning, a Black Lives Matter rally drew hundreds to the Salt Lake City and County Building. It featured speakers from Utah’s state Legislature and various minority communities, including Utah writer and activist Darlene McDonald, who called on the crowd to make police reform a top priority at the ballot box this November. Organizers said they decided to hold the rally so early in the morning to discourage potential “infiltrators” from attending and to beat the heat. — David Fuchs

STATE

Jon Huntsman, Jr., Tests Positive For COVID-19

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman announced Wednesday morning he has tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier this week, Huntsman tweeted that he tested negative for the disease but later said he had received the wrong results from the Salt Lake City Health Department. Huntsman got tested after being exposed to a member of his campaign staff last week who had contracted the virus. Two other staff members have also tested positive. There are just 20 days left until the primary election and Huntsman has been neck-and-neck with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox in the polls for months. — Sonja Hutson

Utah Second In Mountain West For COVID Cases

The Utah Department of Health reported 307 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. It marks two weeks straight of more than 200 new daily cases. Utah now has the second highest number of cases among Mountain West states — only behind Colorado. Health officials also announced one new death, bringing the state’s total to 128. About 59% of cases in Utah are considered recovered. And nearly 250,000 people have been tested. — Ross Terrell

Follow KUER’s coverage of the coronavirus in Utah.

REGION/NATION

Assisted Living Funding Headed To Hospitals And Other Facilities

The federal government announced this week an additional $15 billion in funding for hospitals and care facilities that were skipped over in earlier COVID-19 relief packages. The aid is specifically available to assisted living facilities that house Medicaid recipients. There are more than 1,000 assisted living facilities across the Mountain West. — Amanda Peacher, Mountain West News Bureau

Charges Filed In Missing Idaho Kids Case

An Idaho man has been charged with concealing or destroying two sets of human remains, after authorities said they uncovered bodies on his property while investigating the disappearance of his wife's two children. An Idaho prosecutor filed the felony charges against Chad Daybell Wednesday morning. The remains have not yet been identified. Daybell married the children's mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, who has since been charged with child abandonment. Seven-year-old Joshua “JJ'' Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan haven't been seen since September. — Associated Press

In-Person Navajo Census Operation To Resume

Census field operations will start up again Thursday on the Navajo Nation. The Bureau halted the in-person delivery of the 2020 questionnaires due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which hit the Navajo Nation particularly hard. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about .9% of residents on the Nation have responded as of Wednesday, compared with around 61% for the rest of the United States. Census data is used to determine the number of Congressional seats a state gets and how federal funds are divvied up among communities. — Caroline Ballard

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