Big Utah budget surplus 'too good to be true,' could mean no tax cut, lawmakers say

UPDATED

Man charged in Utah viral video assault, but not with a hate crime

Pat Reavy, KSL  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 2:38pm

A man seen in a viral video hitting another man on a Salt Lake City sidewalk after asking if he is gay was charged Friday with misdemeanor assault.

UPDATED

Utahn admits murdering West Valley code enforcement officer at his home

Annie Knox, KSL  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 2:22pm

A West Valley man admitted Friday to killing a code enforcement officer he had summoned to his house in August.

UPDATED

Southbound I-15 almost fully reopened after tanker crash, fire force closure in Salt Lake

Linda Williams and Liesl Nielsen, KSL.com  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 2:20pm

Southbound I-15 is almost fully reopened after a crash and tanker fire closed the freeway between 400 South and 2100 South in Salt Lake City early Friday morning.

UPDATED

Trump vows veto as Democrats try to block emergency order

Andrew Taylor, Associated Press  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 2:04pm

Democrats controlling the House have teed up a vote next week to block President Donald Trump from using a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, accelerating a showdown in Congress that could divide Republicans and lead to Trump's first veto.

UPDATED

Patriots owner Robert Kraft accused of soliciting prostitute

Terry Spencer and Joshua Replogle, Associated Press  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 1:59pm

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces misdemeanor charges of soliciting a prostitute after he was twice videotaped in a sex act at a Florida massage parlor, police said Friday in a case that could get him in trouble with the NFL.

8 U. startups transforming the face of entrepreneurship in Utah

Cara MacDonald, KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 1:35pm

As of 2019, the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has helped facilitate the launch of many startups with more incoming. Here are some of the most exciting small businesses emerging from the University of Utah this year.

New attempt to require seat belts on Utah school buses clears first legislative hurdle

Katie McKellar, KSL  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 1:13pm

Rep. Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, is making another attempt to require new buses to be equipped with seatbelts after a previous bill failed in the House two years ago — and Friday his bill cleared its first hurdle.

The Jazz's best basketball of the season comes after the All-Star break

Ryan Miller, KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 12:44pm

Over the last few seasons, Ricky Rubio has found his shot after the All-Star break, but playing your best basketball in the final two months of the season is nothing new for Quin Snyder's Jazz.

Biologists seek to cleanse streams and repopulate endangered native Utah trout

Cara MacDonald, KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 12:15pm

Colorado River cutthroat trout are a prized fish throughout Utah, but habitat loss and the introduction of nonnative competitors has caused dramatic declines in their populations throughout the entire Western United States.

Utah man shoots, kills Idaho officer who confronted him in his home, police say

Pat Reavy, KSL  |  Updated Feb 22nd - 12:09pm

Layton police say a man who burst into a home uninvited to confront the homeowner about an alleged relationship was shot and killed Thursday night.

R. Kelly charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse

Sara Burnett, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 12:08pm

R. Kelly was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, after decades of lurid rumors and allegations that the R&B star was sexually abusing women and underage girls.

PARTNER

Opinion: Jussie Smollett scandal exposes the effects of instant certainty

Deseret News Editorial Board  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 11:16am

First, a host of people were quick to take to social media to show support and express outrage when actor Jussie Smollett claimed he had been assaulted by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs, struck him and poured some chemical on him. That list included the majority of the Democratic presidential candidates, scores of members of Congress and even the president himself. They seemed so sure of the facts.

Hogle Zoo to end 60 year tradition by transferring last wolf to a wildlife sanctuary

Cara MacDonald, KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 11:03am

Utah’s Hogle Zoo is ending a 60-year tradition of caring for North American Gray Wolves in 2019 as they prepare to transfer their lone wolf, Angel, to a sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest.

Group asks Utah lawmakers to vote no on tobacco bill; Senate Democrats miss update from Romney, Curtis, others

KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 10:00am

"We just want to do it the right way the first time," a member of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network said while asking lawmakers to vote against a tobacco bill Thursday. Also, Senate Democrats never heard from Senator Mitt Romney or Reps. Chris Stewart and John Curtis at their annual update to lawmakers.

Bowser is taking over Nintendo ... for real

Joshua Berlinger, CNN  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 9:29am

Nintendo has appointed Doug Bowser as the next head of its American operations — and the joke hasn't been lost on anyone.

KSL Investigators uncover rise in unsafe vehicle tickets after end of mandatory safety inspections

Debbie Dujanovic and Mark Stevens, KSL TV  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 9:14am

During the first full year after Utah eliminated mandatory safety inspections for most passenger vehicles, court records show the number of citations issued to motorists for unsafe vehicles jumped 43 percent.

Cone snail venom may improve diabetes treatment, U. study says

Cara MacDonald, KSL.com  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 9:02am

University of Utah Health researchers have been investigating the function of cone snail insulin, which they believe can be used as a faster-acting form of insulin to treat diabetes.

Utahn who took photos of boys in church restrooms seeks parole

Pat Reavy, KSL  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 8:38am

A man who created an uproar in his community when he was caught taking photographs of young boys in the bathroom of a church meetinghouse, says being sent to prison was the best thing that happened to him.

Tiny tyrannosaur fossil discovery changes the dinosaur timeline

Ashley Strickland, CNN  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 8:17am

Tyrannosaurus rex wasn't always the king of the dinosaurs. Before they became towering predators, tyrannosaurs started out much smaller, and a newly discovered fossil is helping fill the gap between those two extremes.

Utah man arrested after chaotic fight with parole agents

Pat Reavy, KSL  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 8:03am

Police say a Wyoming convict who went to Adult Probation and Parole to see if he could be supervised in Utah, only to learn he had outstanding warrants in Utah, became extremely combative while being arrested.

Utah House passes bill that would cover college tuition and fees for needy Utah students

Marjorie Cortez, KSL  |  Posted Feb 22nd - 7:45am

Utah students of limited means would pay no tuition or fees for two years to attend state colleges, universities and technical colleges under HB260, which passed the House on a vote of 69-3 on Thursday.