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UTAHRAPTOR STATE PARK
Proposed park would protect important Utah dinosaur site
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An important dinosaur site that has fallen into neglect would be protected as Utah's 45th state park under a measure being proposed in the state Legislature. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the bill would create Utahraptor State Park about 15 miles north of Moab. The creation of a state park is backed by Grand County leaders who have long wanted to safeguard the quarry. State paleontologist Jim Kirkland says the area is the most important dinosaur site in the U.S. because of its massive deposits of dinosaur bones from at least 10 species found nowhere else in North America.
WINTER WEATHER-UTAH
Icy roads cause dozens of crashes in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Icy roads have caused multiple crashes and temporary highway closures. Utah Highway Patrol officials report there have been at least 84 crashes statewide Monday morning since midnight. Many have been in northern Utah and along the Interstate 15 corridor. I-15 experienced temporary closures early Monday, and traffic remained delayed after I-15 reopened along the Wasatch Front. Utah transportation officials say another 14 crashes were reported in Salt Lake County before 8 a.m. .
ELECTION 2020-BUTTIGIEG-UTAH
Buttigieg makes campaign stop in Utah ahead of Super Tuesday
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg is making a campaign stop in Salt Lake City ahead of the Super Tuesday presidential primary elections next month. The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor is speaking Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Union Events Center. Utah is among the 14 states where voters will cast ballots March 3. The two contests before Super Tuesday are caucuses in Nevada on Saturday and a primary in South Carolina on Feb. 29. The Buttigieg campaign announced a handful of endorsements from Utah Democrats ahead of the rally.
POLICE PURSUIT-SALT LAKE CITY
Investigators: Salt Lake officers justified in shooting
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Salt Lake County District Attorney has found 15 law enforcement officers were justified in firing nearly 200 shots at a man following a pursuit prompted by several robberies and random gunfire. Harold Vincent Robinson died in April 2019 when he was shot after his pickup truck crashed into a business. District Attorney Sim Gill found that 10 Salt Lake police officers, three Utah Highway Patrol troopers and two other officers were legally justified in their use of deadly force. Robinson fired about 50 shots during an incident that began with the robbery of two convenience stores and included firing shots at buildings and police cars in Salt Lake City.
HATE CRIME-UTAH
Victim in hate crime trial says attack ruined his life
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A car repair shop owner in Utah has spoken publicly for the first time about an attack against him, his brother and his son by a man with a metal rod who has been charged with hate crimes. Jose Lopez testified about the attack Thursday at the opening of the trial against Alan Dale Covington. He says Covington screamed that he wanted to kill a Mexcian. Lopez says the November 2018 attack at his shop in Salt Lake City has destroyed his life. Covington has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crimes charges and his attorney says he suffers from delusions.
AP-US-WILDFIRE-FUEL-BREAKS
US agency to pay for 11,000 miles of fuel breaks in 6 states
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to fund 11,000 miles of strategic fuel breaks in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah in an effort to help control wildfires. Fuel breaks are intended to create breaks in vegetation that slow a blaze’s progress and help protect firefighters, communities and natural resources. The Oregonian reported Saturday that wildfires are becoming bigger and more frequent across the Great Basin states. Between 2009 and 2018, more than 13.5 million acres of BLM land burned in the project area. Some scientists debate the effectiveness of fuel breaks, raising questions about whether these efforts are worth funding.
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