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UNDATED (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America are urging victims to come forward after the 110-year-old organization filed for bankruptcy protection in the first step toward dealing with a barrage of sexual abuse lawsuits. The Scouts plan to create a huge compensation fund for potentially thousands of men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders. The bankruptcy filing puts the lawsuits on hold for now. But ultimately the Boy Scouts could be forced to sell off some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a victims' fund that could top $1 billion.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A final chapter has begun in the horrific saga of a Utah woman who vanished a decade ago and the killings of her young sons years later. A trial in a lawsuit against Washington state began Tuesday. Josh Powell was suspected in the 2009 disappearance of wife Susan Cox Powell when he killed his sons in 2012. Susan Powell's parents have sued the state Department of Social and Health Services, alleging negligence helped contribute to their grandsons' deaths. A caseworker had brought the children to their father's home for a supervised visit, but he locked her out, attacked the boys, poured gasoline on them, and killed them and himself in an explosive fire.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A proposal to require warning labels on pornography in Utah has passed the state House, a step that an adult-entertainment industry group called a dark day for freedom of expression. The measure passed Tuesday would allow private citizens to file complaints against producers who don't use the warning label about potential harm to minors. An adult-industry group says it could open the floodgates for lawsuits that carry a potential penalty of up to $2,500 for each violation. Republican lawmakers called the measure a creative way to deal with the increasing availability of pornography online. The proposal now moves to the Utah Senate for consideration.
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The Utah County clerk's office has announced it expects to use a mobile voting application in elections this year despite concerns raised by cybersecurity researchers. The Daily Herald reported Monday that Voatz utilizes blockchain and facial recognition technology to enable certain residents to vote without having to submit a ballot by mail or in person. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say the application is vulnerable to attacks that could violate election integrity. A county clerk says mobile voting is only offered to select demographics, including military personnel stationed overseas and residents with physical disabilities.
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