Monday morning, Jan. 27, 2020
State
Mental Health On Campus
Mental health was one of the focuses of Friday’s inaugural Student Safety Forum by the Utah System of Higher Education. Utah Valley University said it’s particularly concerned about its female students who are not using their mental health services as much as their male peers. Read the full story. — Rocio Hernandez
Risque Condoms Auction Closes
Thirteen Utah themed condoms sold on eBay Sunday for $1,186 dollars. They were originally part of an HIV education campaign by the Utah Department of Health and feature risque innuendos. Gov. Gary Herbert directed the health department to recall and repackage the more than 40,000 condoms distributed to partner organizations. The eBay seller said in the auction description that proceeds would benefit HIV prevention and education programs in Utah. — Elaine Clark
Southern Utah
Homeless Washington County Count
Every year at the end of January, community agencies across the United States try to count the number of homeless people in their areas. And in Washington County, there’s one agency bringing what they say is an unusual approach. Switchpoint Community Resource Center opened in St. George in 2014 and immediately brought a new dimension to conducting the annual Point-in-Time Count: In addition to counting people in the streets, they also opened a three-day wellness fair and let the community come to them. — David Fuchs, St. George
March For Equal Rights In St. George
Demonstrators took to the streets in St. George on Saturday in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Event organizers said their goal is to encourage Utah lawmakers to pass the amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. The Virginia General Assembly voted to ratify the ERA earlier this month, all but ensuring that it would become the final state needed to change the constitution. But the amendment’s future remains unclear, as the vote came decades after the ratification deadlines set by congress had expired. — David Fuchs, St. George
Northern Utah
Park City Legend Profiled At Slamdance
Park City got a glimpse into the personal life of a local legend Friday. The eccentric developer Ira Sachs is profiled in a documentary that premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival - which runs alongside Sundance this week. Read the full story. — Jon Reed, Park City
Two Weber County Flu Deaths
Two students at a Utah military academy have died of influenza. Weber-Morgan Health Department officials say an epidemiologist confirmed the unidentified students tested positive for different strains of the flu. A GoFundMe page says an eighth-grader at the military academy came down with flu and pneumonia on Jan. 17 and was feeling better until he was hospitalized with breathing difficulties Friday and died later that day. — Diane Maggipinto
Naloxone Rescue
A good Samaritan gave the life-saving drug Naloxone to a man experiencing an opioid overdose on State Street in Salt Lake City. It happened just as Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson stopped at the scene Friday. Wilson says this firsthand experience has given her new perspective on drug issues, and that she’ll now be carrying Naloxone in her car. Naloxone Rescue Kits are available for free from all Salt Lake County libraries. — Elaine Clark
Region
Bomb Threat On Flight To SLC
A woman on her way to the Sundance Film Festival shut down part of the Phoenix Airport Friday after saying she had a bomb in her suitcase, according to a Twitter thread from witnesses. Phoenix Police say 53-year old Hope Webber was angry about not being allowed to board her flight and was arrested after allegedly mentioning an explosive device. Nothing was found, but it still triggered an investigation that delayed three flights and cleared hundreds of passengers from the terminal. Webber was taken to jail on two charges including making a false terrorism report — a class three felony. — Jon Reed