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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UTAH

Former Utah House speaker, auto exec Bob Garff dies of COVID

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former speaker of the Utah House, auto executive and philanthropist Robert Garff has died of COVID-19. His daughter, state Republican Rep. Melissa Ballard, announced the death on her Facebook page Sunday. Garff was a prominent Utah businessman and chairman of the Ken Garff Automotive Group, which was started by his family. He served as speaker of the Utah House from 1985 to 1987 and chaired the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Games. Garff is the third Utah resident to die of the virus. Salt Lake County issued a stay-at-home order on Sunday, closing some businesses and limiting trips outside to essential activities.

LIGHT RAIL-SUV CRASH

8 injured in crash of SUV with light rail in South Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Eight people were injured, at least five of them critically, after their sport utility vehicle collided with a light rail train on Sunday. South Salt Lake City Deputy Fire Chief Rodger Hoffman told the Deseret News that the crash happened when the westbound SUV hit the side of the northbound TRAX train. All eight people were taken to hospitals. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

FATAL CAR ACCIDENT

Utah police say 3-year-old killed in highway rollover crash

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Authorities in Utah say a 3-year-old child died after being ejected from a vehicle in a rollover accident. The Spectrum reports police say the child was only wearing a lap seat belt and not properly restrained when the accident occurred Sunday on Interstate 15 north of Cedar City. A Utah Highway Patrol report says a Toyota 4-Runner began to veer off the road when the driver attempted to reach back to give the child a bottle. The driver tried to correct the vehicle, traveling back across the roadway before hitting a guardrail that caused the vehicle to roll.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GRANDMA-GONE

Grandparenting goes digital as virus keeps older adults home

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — For grandparents all over the world, being protected from the coronavirus pandemic has meant a piercing distance from their loved ones. Children don’t seem to be getting seriously ill as often, but likely spread the virus. Older adults are at higher risk of complications from the coronavirus. It's a jolting change for grandparents who are also caregivers. Many use calls and video-chats to stay in touch with kids who they used to see frequently. Grandparents are also taking up new hobbies, reconnecting with the past or finding ways to spend time with neighbors at a distance.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NATIONAL-PARKS

3 more national parks close to prevent coronavirus spread

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Three more of America's most popular national parks have closed their gates as pressure mounts on superintendents to prevent crowded trails that could lead to more spread of the coronavirus even as the Trump administration sticks to its decision to waive entrance fees at the parks. Glacier in Montana and Arches and Canyonlands in Utah announced their decisions to close Friday night just days after several other well-known parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Teton and the Great Smoky Mountains did the same. The Interior Department is deciding whether to shut down individual sites on a park-by-park basis, in consultation with state and local health officials.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-STIMULUS-TRIBES

Tribes say persistent efforts pay off in massive stimulus

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Tribes say their persistent efforts to be included in a massive stimulus bill to respond to the new coronavirus have paid off. Tribes have been lobbying Congress to help address shortfalls in an already underfunded health care system that serves Native Americans. They secured $10 billion in the bill that President Donald Trump signed Friday. Most of it is set aside as a relief fund that will be distributed based on need. More than $1 billion will go to the federal agency that provides primary health care for more than 2 million Native Americans. The Navajo Nation in the U.S. Southwest has been hardest hit by the virus with more than 90 confirmed cases.