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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — More than 33,000 new Utah residents filed for unemployment last week in yet another increase that illustrates the stunning collapse of the global economy. The new filings mark a 16% leap from the previous week and were a staggering 29 times higher than the average weekly claims made last year, show state figures released Thursday. Utah’s economic woes mirror national trends: 16.8 million Americans fell into unemployment in the last three weeks. Meanwhile, all five of Utah’s national parks are closed after Capitol Reef officials said Thursday they are shutting their gates to prevent further spread of the new coronavirus.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — All five of Utah’s national parks are closed after Capitol Reef officials said Thursday they’re shuttering their gates to prevent spread of the new coronavirus. The park known for its sandstone cliffs was the last national park still open in Utah after Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches and Canyonlands had previously closed under pressure from local government and health officials. Capitol Reef’s decision comes after Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday urged peopled to stay at home even though it is Easter week. Many of America’s most popular parks have closed, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains and Glacier.
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (AP) — Authorities say a man has died after falling during a hiking and climbing excursion in Big Cottonwood Canyon in northern Utah. The Desert News reports 29-year-old Wade Joseph Meade fell near Lake Blanche around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. Meade was able to call police after falling about 50 feet and said he had broken his ribs and suffered face trauma. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter responded and lowered rescuers to Meade, who succumbed to his injuries while being transported off the mountain. The Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office will determine an exact cause of death.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A professional jumper has vowed not to leap anymore from cliffs inside national parks after he pleaded guilty to doing it twice in Zion National Park in Utah. Marshall Miller said Wednesday he will respect a law that prohibits BASE jumping in all national parks. Two people have died since 2013 while BASE jumping in Zion National Park. Officials say Miller made a wingsuit jump from an area called the Great White Throne that has been closed to visitors to avoid disturbances to an area used by nesting peregrine falcons. Miller said he’s made more than 5,000 jumps and it's his love and passion.
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