Monday evening, November 25, 2019
Central Utah
McCluskey Lawsuit
The parents of Lauren McCluskey are fighting a claim by the University of Utah that their lawsuit should be dismissed because their daughter's killer wasn't a student. McCluskey was a University of Utah student and track athlete who in 2018 was fatally shot on campus by her ex-boyfriend after she broke up with him because he'd been lying about his name, age and status as a sex offender. He took his own life after the attack. Lawyers for Jill and Matthew McCluskey argued in a court filing Monday that campus police could have contacted the killer's parole officer or kept him off campus after Lauren reported his harassment. — Associated Press
New Use For Leftovers
Thanksgiving means lost of food … and lots of food waste. But the Wasatch Resource Recovery facility in North Salt Lake is turning some of that waste into natural gas for energy. It’s the first of its kind in the Mountain West, and is already at half current capacity, taking in 350 tons a day. — Madelyn Beck, Mountain West News Bureau
Southern Utah
Zion Park Rangers At The Border
Three park rangers from Zion National Park will be assisting law enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2020. It’s part of a Trump Administration program that started as a security “surge” in 2018 and has been extended again through next year. The park’s chief ranger Daniel Fagergren says his staff will send one ranger for a few weeks at a time, and not during trainings or busy periods. So, it won’t affect their operations here in Utah. Read Full Story— David Fuchs
State
Heavy Thanksgiving Traffic On The Way
The Utah Department of Transportation is advising travelers to expect heavy traffic and wintry conditions over the holiday weekend. Traffic is forecast to be worst Wednesday during rush hour with up to 30 minute delays on I-15. Delays are also predicted for the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving. UDOT says to plan travel outside of those times if possible to reduce delays. — Caroline Ballard
Winter Storm Systems
With two major winter storm systems moving in this week, Ski Utah has activated its powder alert. This is when 80% of forecasters are confident in accumulations of at least 8 inches of snow. Mountains around the state are expected to get significant snowfall, with accumulations in higher elevations predicted to be around 1-2 feet from both storms. — Caroline Ballard
Regional
CDC Warns Of E. Coli Risk In Romaine Lettuce
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 40 confirmed cases of E. Coli linked to Romaine Lettuce from Salinas, California. While there are no confirmed cases in Utah, there have been cases in Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and Colorado. The CDC is telling consumers to be vigilant, and to look for a label to check where the lettuce was grown. — Caroline Ballard
National
Helping Victims Of Ponzi Schemes
Utah Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams is pushing a bill to allow victims of Ponzi schemes and other forms of investment fraud to recoup more of their money. According to a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, federal regulators have a 5- year statute of limitations to return money to victims of illegal investment schemes. McAdams wants to change that. His bill, which passed the House last week, extends it to 14 years. Read the full story — Sonja Hutson
McAdams Reserving Judgement On Impeachment
Utah’s lone Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams says that after two weeks of testimony in the impeachment inquiry, he's still reserving judgment on whether the president should be impeached. McAdams says he’s only watched some of the hearings and he wants to see what’s in the articles of impeachment before he decides how he’ll vote. McAdams did say though that he’s “alarmed and troubled at the witness statements and the facts that come forward.” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff wrote in a letter to lawmakers Monday that the committee is done with its public hearings and will release its report after Thanksgiving. — Sonja Hutson