Tuesday morning, October 27, 2020
State
Salt Lake Tribune To End Daily Print Edition
The Salt Lake Tribune will stop printing a daily newspaper after nearly 150 years. The newspaper announced Monday that they will move to a weekly print edition on Jan. 2, but the change won't result in cuts to the newsroom staff. Nearly 160 people involved with printing and delivering the daily paper will be laid off though. The news comes after it was purchased by the wealthy industrialist Huntsman family in 2016, then changed to a nonprofit last year. Board chair Paul Huntsman described the change as a painful but necessary concession to revenue declines and pandemic-related economic upheaval. — Associated Press
Intermountain Healthcare Announces Planned Merger
Intermountain Healthcare and Sanford Health announced Monday they plan to merge. If the deal is approved, it would unite IHC’s operations in Utah, Nevada and Idaho with South Dakota-based Sanford, which operates in 24 states. Dr. Marc Harrison, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, would serve in the same capacity for the combined organization. Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health, would serve as president emeritus. The boards of both not-for-profit organizations have approved a resolution to support moving forward with the merger, expected to close next year pending federal and state approvals. — Associated Press
Four Cities Leave Nuclear Project
Four Utah cities have decided not to invest in the next phase of a nuclear power plant project funded mainly by Utah participants. A cooperative of western cities and utilities called the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems is funding the $6 billion plant, which has been touted as the future of nuclear energy. Logan, Lehi, Kaysville and Murray all left the project ahead of Friday’s deadline, citing a lack of new investors. Bountiful will vote on whether to leave the project Tuesday, and Heber City Light and Power will decide later this week. That leaves 32 out of the original 36 cities and utilities left in the project. Idaho Falls Power, located near the Idaho National Laboratory where the plant would be built, also cut its subscription in half. — Kate Groetzinger, Bluff
Bundy Inspired Anti-Government Groups In Utah
As of Sep. 1, roughly 1,500 Utahns have joined a new anti-government organization launched by activist Ammon Bundy, according to a report released by two human rights organizations in mid-October. Known as “People’s Rights,” the organization has gained more than 20,000 members since March. And the study’s authors warn it poses a threat to democratic institutions and civil society. Read the full story. — David Fuchs
Northern Utah
Mask Policy Still Focused On Education Over Enforcement
Masks continue to be controversial in Utah county where a vendor at the Lehi Farmers Market says he was kicked out for asking people to wear them. The owner of the market doesn’t require masks, even though state guidelines do since the county is considered “high-risk” for coronavirus transmission. Still, Tom Hudachko with the state Department of Health said there probably won't be any legal ramifications for the market, as the state focuses on education over enforcement. The Utah County Health Department said it received many complaints about the farmers market and legal action is an option if education efforts don’t work. — Jon Reed
Charges In Ten Year Old Murder Case
Murder charges were filed Monday against a man alleged to have killed Sherry Black ten years ago. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said DNA evidence was key in solving the homicide of Black, a bookstore owner at the time. Gill said investigators secretly collected a DNA sample but revealed little more on what led them to focus on 29-year-old Adam Durborow. He has been charged with aggravated murder, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. Black was the mother-in-law of Greg Miller, the former CEO of the ownership company of the Utah Jazz. — Associated Press
Region
Nevada Lawsuit Complicates Election In Battleground State
Legal challenges and accusations of fraud are just a couple of issues seeding doubt about a clear winner on election day. In Nevada, one lawsuit is complicating things further. The Trump Administration is challenging the legitimacy of the mail-ballot validation process in the state’s largest county. A judge rejected the request to stop ballot counting, but will hold a hearing on the lawsuit on Wednesday. Pausing the count could delay results in the battleground state. — Beau Baker, Mountain West News Bureau