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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — CANNON BLAST-CHILDREN INJURED
Cannon sparks explosion in Utah, injures 3 kids
OREM, Utah (AP) — A cannon fired by a Civil War re-enactment group at a parade in Utah sparked an explosion that sent three children to the hospital.
Investigators say sparks from the cannon landed on a large pouch containing additional charges for the weapon and the pouch then exploded. The accident occurred at the start of the Summerfest Parade in Orem, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Police say the children were treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to a hospital in stable condition. Orem police Sgt. John McCombs said Sunday that updates on their conditions weren't available.
The children were participating in the parade as part of the re-enactment group.
The explosion is under investigation.
POTASH MINE-DONNER PARTY
Prospecting near Donner Party trail in UT nixed
(Information in the following story is from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com)
WENDOVER, Utah (AP) — For a second time, federal land managers have rejected a mineral exploration company's proposal to prospect for potash on a section of the western Utah desert crossed by the ill-fated Donner Party in 1846.
The Bureau of Land Management nixed an effort by Mesa Exploration, which seeks to create a potash mine on a dry lakebed near the Nevada line about 20 miles north of Wendover.
The BLM denied a prospecting permit to Mesa Exploration last year, and the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company appealed that decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
The Deseret News reports Mesa Exploration submitted a new proposal aimed at settling the controversy four weeks ago, and the appeal is still pending after the BLM's rejection of the plan.
Historians praise the BLM's decision, saying unspoiled sections of historic trail traversed by covered-wagon pioneers are rare and must be preserved.
COLORADO RIVER RAFTING-BODY FOUND
Body of Moab man pulled from Colorado River
MONTICELLO, Utah (AP) — The body of a Moab man who vanished on a rafting trip has been pulled from the Colorado River.
San Juan County sheriff's deputies say the body of 33-year-old Casey Menuey was found by kayakers Saturday in the river at the mouth of Monument Basin.
They say the body was found about 7 miles downriver from Lathrop Canyon, where he was last seen and reported missing June 6.
Menuey's rafting party stopped to check out some ruins, and he was gone when it returned.
Investigators say he walked a trail to the riverbank and got into the Colorado.
Deputies say Menuey was not wearing a life preserver, and alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor.
MORMON EXCOMMUNICATION
Meeting for Mormon facing excommunication delayed
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A disciplinary talk for a Mormon activist threatened with possible excommunication from the church is being delayed.
John Dehlin received a letter from a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader in Logan last Monday that set a June 18 deadline for them to talk.
The Cache County researcher-blogger says he was told the Mormon leader would have to launch a disciplinary hearing to consider excommunicating him if they failed to talk by then.
But Dehlin says the leader now has agreed to meet with him on June 29 and expressed a "desire for de-escalation" of the conflict.
Dehlin is the creator of a website that provides a forum for church members questioning their faith.
The letter says church leaders are deeply concerned about Dehlin's recent comments about no longer believing fundamental teachings of the faith.
AIR QUALITY-UTAH
With no cash, Utah clean air panel dissipates
(Information in the following story is from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A committee aimed at addressing the wintertime smog blanketing Salt Lake City is dissolving about a year after it formed.
Some legislators said the Alternative Energy Interlocal Entity Board would help improve air quality.
In 2013, the Legislature tasked the team of high-profile city officials and lawmakers with finding ways to expand use of cleaner fuels, especially natural gas.
But the Salt Lake Tribune reports that without any funding, the board is quietly dissolving.
The Utah Transit Authority and the Utah Office of Energy Development are expected to officially dismantle the group later this month.
An unsuccessful legislative measure in the 2014 session proposed raising monthly utility bills by $1 to pay for such efforts.
Critics question how the state will address smog without funneling money to the cause.
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