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PM News Brief: Yellowstone search for Ogden man ends, 17 COVID deaths & remembering Chief Earl Old Person

A photo of a sign that reads 'Yellowstone National Park.'
Alex Ranaldi
/
Flickr
The National Park Service has scaled back the search for Kim Crumbo. He’s a conservationist from Ogden who disappeared along with his brother during a Yellowstone backcountry trip in September. This story and more in Friday evening's news brief.

Friday evening, Oct. 15, 2021

State

Utah reports another 17 COVID related deaths

Utah health officials reported 17 more deaths from COVID-19 Friday — two of them were women younger than 45. There were also nearly 1,500 new cases of the virus Friday according to the state’s Department of Health. Hospitalizations are down slightly from a week ago, but intensive care unit beds are still hard to come by as 93% of beds in Utah are full. — Caroline Ballard

Survey shows toll the pandemic took on middle and high school students  

The COVID pandemic led to the shut down of middle and high schools across Utah and the country. Now, new results from a statewide survey show the toll it took on the mental health of students. Of 70,00 Utah students who responded, about a third said they felt sad or hopeless for two weeks in a row or more during the past year. That’s up from about 28% in 2019. Officials from the state’s Department of Human Services said there are also signs that youth behavioral health remained relatively stable. All substance use rates decreased except for inhalants. — Ross Terrell

Northern Utah

Search ends for missing Ogden man in Yellowstone 

The National Park Service has scaled back the search for Kim Crumbo. He’s a conservationist from Ogden who disappeared along with his brother during a Yellowstone backcountry trip in September. A park service representative told the Standard-Examiner that Yellowstone has gotten a blanket of snow and temperatures have dipped into the 20s. Crumbo’s 67-year-old brother — Mark O'Neill of Washington state — was found dead of hypothermia last month. The men had been on a four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone Lake. A vacant campsite was found on the lake's south side. — Associated Press

Public feedback sought on the fate of Bridal Veil Falls 

Utah State Parks is studying whether the future of Bridal Veil Falls should be a state park, recreation area, monument or simply left alone. Groups like Conserve Utah Valley, are working to inform people about options for the park as the deadline for input quickly approaches. Craig Christensen, executive director of Conserve Utah Valley said, it’s important for people to know the future of the waterfall is still an ongoing discussion. One of his group’s biggest concerns is that if it becomes a state park, it doesn’t become cost prohibitive for people to visit. The public can give comments through the online survey until Oct. 25. Read the full story.Ivana Martinez

Region

Remembering Chief Earl Old Person of the Blackfeet Nation 

One of the longest serving tribal leaders in the West passed away this week. Chief Earl Old Person served as tribal chairman for the Blackfeet Nation in Montana for more than five decades. He negotiated with the federal government to get more Native Americans working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and he met with multiple U.S. presidents. He led the National Congress of American Indians in the late 1960s and became chief of the Blackfeet Nation in the late 1970s. It was a high honor and a role he took very seriously. Old Person helped lead the Blackfeet spiritually and passed along their stories and songs well into the 21st century. He died from cancer on Wednesday at the age of 92. — Nate Hegyi, Mountain West News Bureau

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