Monday morning, Dec. 20, 2021
State
Social media threats force schools to heighten security measures
Recent threats of violence on social media prompted some Utah schools to heighten safety precautions. A TikTok trend circulating last week suggested there could be numerous school shootings on Dec. 17. The threat was not deemed credible by school officials, but it did cause panic for some educators and parents. And at some schools, there was also an increased police presence. Pamela Brubaker, associate professor at Brigham Young University, co-authored a study about trolling and threats on social media. She said the motive behind this kind of post is to instigate a reaction. Sgt. Jeremy Barnes, school safety liaison for the Utah Department of Public Safety, said they were aware of the social media trend but need to treat these situations on a case-by-case basis. Read the full story. — Ivana Martinez
Northern Utah
Utah State University football coach apologizes for offensive remarks
Utah State University’s head football coach apologized Friday for his offensive comments about victims of sexual assault. Coach Blake Anderson made the statement after the Salt Lake Tribune published a recording of him telling his players that it has “never been more glamorized to be the victim.” Lawyers for a student used the recording in a Title IX lawsuit against the school. The student said the university mishandled her report that a football player sexually assaulted her. In Friday’s statement, Anderson said he regretted his choice of words and called them hurtful. He told his team that they need to do everything possible to protect “victims of wrongdoing.” He added that “anyone who knows me knows how strongly I feel about this.” The USU police chief resigned last Thursday because of his comments in another recording. Despite the controversy, the football team won a major game against Oregon State over the weekend. — Leah Treidler
Davis County Republicans elect new state legislator
Davis County Republican delegates elected Karen Peterson to the state House of Representatives on Saturday. She will replace former Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, who resigned to take a job at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Peterson currently serves as the legislative affairs director for Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and previously worked as an education advisor for former Gov. Gary Herbert. — Sonja Hutson
Region/Nation
Latino vaccination rates lag behind in Mountain West states
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, many Mountain West states are still lagging when it comes to vaccinating Latinos against COVID-19. In Nevada, about half the Hispanic population has gotten the shot. Diana Sande helps lead outreach in Spanish for the state. She said most Latinos want to get vaccinated, but the state needs to meet them where they are. Only one other state in the region has vaccinated a higher percentage of its Hispanic population: New Mexico, at 62%. In Utah, 49% of Latinos are fully vaccinated — tying with Nevada for second place. — Bert Johnson & Dave Rosenthal, Mountain West News Bureau