All articles tagged with #utah
A Utah family describes how early recognition of signs like withdrawal, anxiety, and physical symptoms led to therapy for their child, illustrating how early intervention can alter outcomes; experts note one in five Utah children under eight face emotional or behavioral challenges, and providers like The Children’s Center Utah are expanding access with new locations (including a Lehi site) to better meet needs.
Utah has become a leading hub for plastic and cosmetic surgery, driven by demographics, culture, and media influence. The state has a high per-capita number of plastic surgeons, especially in Salt Lake County, and interest in cosmetic procedures has surged in search data. Experts point to religious and cultural factors—including perfectionism and the importance of family—as drivers behind the rise in mommy makeovers, breast and facial procedures, and a trend toward more natural results, aided by affordability and access beyond the wealthiest patients.
Utah mother Kouri Richins was given life in prison without parole for fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022 by lacing his drink with fentanyl after an earlier failed attempt; prosecutors say she planned to inherit his estate and flee with a handyman, while her three sons urged the court to keep her jailed for their safety. Richins also wrote a children’s grief book following her arrest, and prosecutors are pursuing a separate case over alleged financial crimes tied to the murder.
A Utah mother, Kouri Richins, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering her husband in 2022 by poisoning his drink with fentanyl; prosecutors said she was in debt, had taken out life insurance on her husband, and was having an extramarital affair, and she was also found guilty of insurance fraud and attempted murder for poisoning a sandwich. She published a children’s book about grief before her arrest and addressed her children in court, with the judge calling her too dangerous to ever be free.
A Utah judge sentenced Kouri Richins to life in prison after she was convicted of aggravated murder and related charges in her husband Eric Richins’ 2022 fentanyl-overdose death. Prosecutors alleged motive and opportunity tied to an affair and financial chaos; Richins’s defense plans to appeal. Richins addressed her young sons in court, while family and friends urged the maximum sentence, which the judge described as necessary because she posed a danger to the public.
At a Park City sentencing hearing, Kouri Richins—found guilty in March of murdering her husband and related charges—addressed her two sons while in jail attire, telling them she did not abandon them and offering advice, then stated she was not guilty and would appeal the verdict. Her attorney indicated she maintains innocence, and her son’s therapists read statements from the children expressing anger and fear about a possible release. Jurors convicted her of murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery, and Judge Richard Mrazik will decide whether she faces life in prison or a 25-year-to-life sentence.
Kouri Richins, a Utah grief author, was convicted in March of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, fraud and forgery in her husband Eric Richins’s 2022 death, which prosecutors say involved a lethal, illicit dose of fentanyl. She faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the aggravated murder charge, and prosecutors sought a standing protective order for Eric’s family—though a judge said he could not issue it under current law. Three children provided victim-impact statements describing fear if she is released. The sentencing follows weeks of trial testimony detailing alleged infidelity, a potential poisoning incident with a sandwich, and accounts from a housekeeper; Richins did not testify. Her grief-focused book Are You With Me? was removed from Amazon.
Ahead of her sentencing in Utah, Kouri Richins’ three sons urged the judge to keep their mother behind bars after she was convicted of murdering their father with fentanyl, saying they would feel unsafe if she were released. Prosecutors seek a life sentence without parole, noting she allegedly planned to inherit more than $4 million, opened multiple life insurance policies on her husband, and even attempted a fentanyl‑laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day; Richins faces decades to life on five felonies, plus a separate money‑related case.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says residents’ concerns about the Kevin O’Leary-backed Stratos data center in Box Elder County will be addressed with phased approvals (first cap of 1.5 GW) and state reviews of air quality, water use, and cooling systems, as protesters worry about energy use, noise, and water impacts; O’Leary counters that opposition may come from 'professional protesters' and AI-generated posts, emphasizing sustainability and community rights.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said his remarks criticizing the Box Elder County data-center plan were not up to his standards and vowed to do better. He defended a measured approach while stressing oversight on energy use, water impact on the Great Salt Lake, and air permits, noting early-phase electricity use around 1.5 gigawatts (with higher figures cited previously) and that the developer plans renewables alongside natural gas. The Box Elder County Commission backed an agreement with MIDA to move the project forward amid protests, and Cox urged civility and a focus on shared humanity as officials review environmental safeguards.
Box Elder County approved a 40,000‑acre Stratos AI data‑center campus near the shrinking Great Salt Lake to power a 9‑GW facility with a natural‑gas plant, a project backed by Kevin O’Leary that officials say could create roughly 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions. Critics warn the plan could harm the local ecosystem and water resources, calling for independent studies, more information, and a referendum to overturn the decision; a referendum petition is being reviewed, and the first gigawatt could be online within two years as early work is expected to begin this fall.
A Utah judge refused a blanket media ban in the Charlie Kirk murder case, allowing courtroom cameras under case-by-case access rules, while postponing the preliminary hearing to July 6 due to substantial discovery and the need for defense review.
A Utah judge refused to ban media coverage in the Charlie Kirk murder case, allowing courtroom cameras under a request-based process, and postponed the preliminary hearing to July 6 due to the large volume of discovery, while addressing media-access on a case-by-case basis and noting ongoing motions.
Box Elder County commissioners unanimously approved moving forward with Kevin O’Leary’s Stratos data center, a sprawling AI-focused project that critics say could double Utah’s electricity use, strain water supplies from the Great Salt Lake, and significantly raise carbon emissions. Hundreds protested the plan, arguing the deal is shrouded in secrecy and will harm residents, while supporters point to on-site gas power, potential economic benefits, and claimed sustainability measures. The decision underscores growing tension over large-scale data centers and their environmental and public-cost implications in Utah.
A 500-million-year-old fossil from Utah, Megasiphon thylakos, preserves soft tissues and shows muscle bands akin to modern tunicates, suggesting a non-motile, seafloor-filter-feeding adult with free-swimming larvae; the specimen pushes the origin of tunicates earlier than thought and clarifies their evolutionary link to vertebrates.