Tuesday evening, Jan. 28, 2020
STATE
Tax Reform Is Dead
On Tuesday, just six weeks after they passed a massive tax reform package in a special session, Utah lawmakers voted to repeal it. Gov. Gary Herbert signed the repeal Tuesday evening. Read the full story. — Nicole Nixon
Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Unveiled
Utah lawmakers Tuesday unveiled a 25-inch model of a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the country to be elected to a state senate. A 7.5-foot version of the statue will be sent to the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., this August. It’s part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the 19th Amendment. Cannon beat out her husband for the Utah seat in 1896. She was also a doctor and leader in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. — Sonja Hutson
Antler Ethics
People who want to gather shed antlers before April 15 will have to complete an online ethics course in order to do so. It teaches how to properly go “shed hunting” in the winter without spooking animals or damaging habitat. After finishing the course, people must carry their certificate of completion with them when they gather shed antlers. Antler gathering is prohibited in wildlife management areas and on private property. — Caroline Ballard
NORTHERN UTAH
University Seeks Dismissal In McCluskey Lawsuit
In court filings Tuesday, attorneys for the state are again asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the University of Utah. In June, the parents of slain student Lauren McCluskey filed a suit alleging that the university, including several university divisions and individuals, did not take responsibility for her death. They are seeking $56 million. Lawyers for the university have stated that the school is not responsible under Title IX for failing to respond to McCluskey’s complaints because her killer was not university faculty, staff, or a student. The university first tried to dismiss the suit in September. — Caroline Ballard
Homeless Shelter Safety
The Road Home said it has taken measures to increase security and prevent drug use at its homeless shelters, after a 2018 legislative audit found its lax enforcement of rules lead to safety concerns. The organization shuttered its Downtown Salt Lake shelter in November and opened a replacement in South Salt Lake. Interim Executive Director Michelle Flynn says the design of the new building is much safer and that they hold weekly meetings with security and police to discuss incidents and ways to change policy to prevent them. — Sonja Hutson
Teen Kidnapping
Authorities say a teenage girl in Utah was kidnapped, drugged and raped when a man on parole for attempted murder forced her into his car while she was walking home. A probable cause statement says the suspect dropped the 15-year-old off at a bus stop near her school Monday after the attack, allowing her to run away and tell police. The suspect has been booked on suspicion of eight counts including kidnapping, rape and assault. — Associated Press
Sundance Record Sale
The “Groundhog Day”'-esque comedy “Palm Springs,” by Andy Samberg and the comedy trio Lonely Island has set an acquisition record at the Sundance Film Festival by 69 cents. The indie distributor Neon and the streaming service Hulu have bought the film for exactly $17.5 million … and 69 cents in a sale announced Monday evening at the Park City festival. The previous record Sundance sale was for Nate Parker's “The Birth of a Nation” in 2016. Neon will give “Palm Springs” a theatrical release, with Hulu taking the film's streaming rights. No release date was announced. — Associated Press
SOUTHERN UTAH
Rare Deer Dies From Chronic Wasting Disease
Tests have confirmed a beloved, urban deer in Moab nicknamed Coal after his rare black fur died of chronic wasting disease in December. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said it identified 15 cases of the disease in deer populations in Utah’s central and eastern counties in 2019. Moab residents worked with a taxidermist in Colorado to finance a pedestal mount, hoping to place it in a public building to commemorate Coal. — Grace Osusky