All articles tagged with #utah
Health officials say Utah is the current epicenter of a nationwide measles outbreak, urging vaccination as cases rise and transmission remains highest in communities with lower immunization rates.
Utah's measles outbreak has grown to 583 confirmed cases since last summer, expanding from rural, low‑vaccination communities near the Arizona border to the rest of the state. About 83% of cases are among unvaccinated people, with exposures at the University of Utah and in several high schools illustrating the virus's reach. Public‑health officials emphasize vaccination and discussions with doctors to counter misinformation, noting that severe illness can affect teens and children and that containment remains challenging as spring arrives.
Scientists using airborne electromagnetic surveys found a deep layer of fresh water beneath the eastern margin of Utah's Great Salt Lake, ranging from about 100 meters to 2.5 miles deep. The water likely originates from surrounding mountains and is trapped by underlying rock, suggesting a potentially vast reservoir that could help damp toxic dust from exposed lake beds and provide irrigation water, though expansion of the survey is needed to determine full extent.
Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, charged with the Sept. 10 killing of Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus, asked to delay the May preliminary hearing to review a flood of evidence, including an ATF ballistics analysis defense attorneys say cannot conclusively link a bullet fragment to the rifle found at the scene; the FBI is conducting additional tests. Prosecutors say there is enough evidence to proceed to trial and plan to seek the death penalty, noting DNA on the trigger, firing casing and two unfired rounds. Robinson has not entered a plea, and an April 17 hearing will consider a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom.
Utah’s bid to repeal Prop 4 and allow lawmakers to redraw districts again failed after thousands withdrew signatures, leaving the measure short of the required 8% of registered voters in 26 of 29 Senate districts and thus off the 2026 ballot. The outcome comes amid debated tactics, ongoing legal questions, a court-imposed 2026 map, and potential moves—like a constitutional amendment—to tackle ballot-initiative repeal in the future.
Utah prosecutors are reviewing new allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul that could lead to probation-violation charges related to a 2023 aggravated assault and a 2024 incident, with West Jordan police examining video and the DA weighing enhancements due to a prior plea; the outcome could affect her status related to ABC's The Bachelorette and her ongoing legal jeopardy.
Salt Lake County health officials flagged two new measles exposure sites—the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and Intermountain Health Salt Lake Clinic—as Utah’s measles outbreak surpasses 400 confirmed cases. Most infections are among the unvaccinated. Officials urge vaccination, and if symptoms develop, to stay home and contact a health care provider before visiting a clinic.
A Utah real estate agent, Kouri Richins, was convicted of aggravated murder for allegedly slipping five times the lethal fentanyl dose into her husband Eric Richins’s drink in March 2022, in a debt- and inheritance-driven scheme. Prosecutors also alleged an earlier Valentine’s Day fentanyl-laced sandwich attempt, a relationship with another man, and the use of life insurance policies totaling about $2 million. Richins published a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death. Sentencing is scheduled for May 13, with aggravated murder carrying 25-to-life; jurors also found forgery and fraud charges.
A Utah jury found Kouri Richins guilty of first-degree aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and insurance fraud in the 2022 fentanyl-poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins. Prosecutors alleged she killed him for financial gain, forged life-insurance paperwork, and staged an alibi, while the defense argued the death may have been an allergic reaction with insufficient evidence of foul play. Sentencing is set for May 13, with a potential sentence of 25 years to life.
A Utah jury found grief author Kouri Richins guilty on all five counts in her 2022 murder case, accusing her of poisoning her husband with fentanyl to gain his fortune; the charges include aggravated murder, two insurance-fraud claims, forgery, and attempted criminal homicide related to a Valentine’s Day poisoning attempt. Prosecutors portrayed her as a calculating social climber, while the defense argued a lack of testing and potential alternate explanations for the death.
A Utah mother and bereavement author, Kouri Richins, was found guilty of murdering her husband in March 2022 with a fentanyl-laced drink, after an earlier poisoning attempt, and of fraudulently claiming life-insurance benefits; prosecutors said she aimed to inherit more than $4 million and had an extramarital affair, with trial testimony from more than 40 witnesses; the aggravated-murder verdict carries a possible 25-to-life sentence.
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother and author of a grief-themed children’s book, was found guilty on all charges, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, for allegedly poisoning her husband with fentanyl in 2022; prosecutors said the Moscow Mule she served contained a lethal fentanyl dose, and Richins also faced mortgage fraud and forgery charges; a sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 13.
A Utah jury found Kouri Richins guilty of murder and related charges in the 2022 fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins, including attempted murder, forgery, and two counts of life insurance fraud; sentencing could be life in prison without parole on May 13. Prosecutors argued motive tied to debt, a desire to keep up appearances, and a failed attempt to kill him earlier, while the defense said the investigation was biased and she was wrongfully blamed.
Jurors are deliberating the murder trial of a Kamas woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband.
Utah aims to refill the shrinking Great Salt Lake by 2034—coinciding with Salt Lake City’s Olympic Games—through policy reforms, water-right transfers, and philanthropy led by Josh Romney; the effort has broad support but faces enormous hurdles, including securing roughly 800,000 acre-feet of water annually, overcoming over-allocated rights, and financing projects that may cost hundreds of millions of dollars, all while drought and toxic dust risks loom.