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POPULATION PROJECTIONS-UTAH
Study: UT population to nearly double by 2050
(Information in the following story is from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A report says Utah's population is expected to soar 86 percent by 2050 from 2.9 million to 5.4 million.
The study by the independent research group Utah Foundation says the state's population will also be more diverse, noting most growth among the young now is occurring among minorities.
And it says the population will be increasingly urban, with growth booms coming to areas around the fringe of the Wasatch Front where more land is available for development.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah County, centered around Provo, is expected to grow by 136 percent from 516,500 to 1.2 million.
Some counties neighboring the Wasatch Front are expected to more than double in population.
PAYDAY LOANS-IDAHO-NEVADA-UTAH
ID, NV, UT have among highest payday loan rates
(Information in the following story is from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A report says Idaho, Nevada and Utah have among the nation's highest interest rates for payday loans.
The study by the Pew Charitable Trusts found their rates are so high mainly because they're among only seven states that impose no legal limits on them.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Idaho payday lenders charge an average 582 percent annual interest on their loans to lead the nation.
That's followed by South Dakota and Wisconsin, both 574 percent; Nevada, 521 percent; Delaware, 517 percent; and Utah, 474 percent.
MORMON LEADER-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
LDS leader: Protections on religious freedom erode
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A high-ranking Mormon leader says he believes protections for religious freedom of speech are eroding.
Dallin Oaks, a member of The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve, spoke on the topic at Utah Valley University in his first legal lecture since he left his post as a Utah Supreme Court justice and became a member of the second-highest governing body of the church.
Oaks lamented that some people are trying to push religious values "off the public square" by suggesting they are either irrational or based on hate.
As an example of the incursions on this right, Oaks cited the boycotts, firings and intimidations that have come against people who supported California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage six years ago. He mentioned the recent resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, who stepped down days after his appointment, after furious attacks, largely on Twitter, over his $1,000 contribution to support the now-overturned 2008 gay-marriage ban in California.
Despite that, Oaks says he remains optimistic that things will improve in the long run.
CHILD ENTICEMENT ARREST
Utah man arrested in child enticement sting
CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) — Idaho prosecutors have charged a Utah man with felony child enticement after he allegedly arranged to meet an undercover officer representing himself online as a 15-year-old girl.
Allen Johnson was arrested Friday afternoon at the Caldwell restaurant where authorities say the 48-year-old Provo man was to meet who he thought was the teenager.
The Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney's Office says Johnson had been communicating with the undercover officer in online conversations that were sexual in nature.
Authorities say Johnson gave the officer access to his online profile with pornographic images and agreed to meet the girl to engage in sexual relations.
UTAH EARTHQUAKE
Earthquake rumbles near Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A small earthquake has struck near Salt Lake City and officials say it was widely felt but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The University of Utah says the magnitude 3.2 quake struck at 9:22 p.m. Saturday and was centered near Tooele, about 15 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.
University of Utah Seismograph Stations manager Relu Burlacu says the temblor was widely felt in the Tooele, Rush, and Salt Lake valleys.
Tooele County Sheriff's dispatcher Randi Gamble says they felt it at the dispatch center and that several callers also said they felt it, but there were no reports of damage.
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