Utah News

 A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses Utah State University of unlawfully discriminating against and expelling a student with Down syndrome. The Deseret News reports Emily Arthur was in the Aggies Elevated program which offers students a mix of career exploration and independent living leading to a certificate. The lawsuit filed in Utah’s U.S. District Court seeks unspecified damages and injunctive relief.

Utah’s largest teachers union has called for schools to delay reopening buildings for in-person learning and instead start only with online classes. The Utah Education Association on Tuesday called for state leaders to temporarily resume distance learning until COVID-19 cases further decline. The union says school districts should seek input from educators and local health authorities before moving forward with any reopening plans. The governor's communications director says ensuring that schools are safe before students or teachers return to the classroom is crucial.

A Hawaii man accused of tormenting a Utah family for more than a year by using the internet to send more than 500 people to their house for unwanted services including food deliveries, repairs, tow trucks, locksmiths, plumbers and prostitutes pleaded guilty Monday to one count of cyberstalking. The 44-year-old Loren Okamura entered the pleas during a video conference hearing that capped off a case that prosecutors called an “extreme” example of the darker and seedier side of modern technology.

Police have identified the three adults and 9-month-old child who died after a small airplane crashed in a Salt Lake City suburb this weekend. Police say the pilot, Lee Wyckoff, his 9-month-old daughter Coral Wyckoff and Milda Shibonis died when a Piper PA-32 crashed into a West Jordan backyard on Saturday. Mary Quintana who was on her back porch when the plane crashed died Monday.  The pilot’s wife, Rebecca Wyckoff, and a 2-year-old were critically injured. Shibonis’ 12-year-old daughter was the only passenger who wasn’t critically injured. A total of three homes were damaged. 

The family and friends of two Saratoga Springs teenagers who drowned in Utah Lake after a catastrophic windstorm hit the area in May are proposing building a “life jacket loaner station” to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. The Daily Herald reports the group proposed building a wooden station equipped with a life jacket rack at the entrance of the Knolls so Utah Lake people could take or leave life jackets free of charge.

Officials with the Bear River Association of Governments are worried that evictions could overwhelm already-strained housing assistance programs as the coronavirus pandemic stretches on.

Minorities who have been charged with crimes in Utah can argue against lengthy conviction sentences if they can provide proof of racial bias in the criminal justice system. The Salt Lake Tribune reported Saturday that the Utah Sentencing Commission approved the guideline in January, but it does not appear many defense attorneys have tried to make the argument yet. Judges look at many factors during sentencing, including a defendant’s age and criminal history, but attorneys can now bring up racial issues.

Authorities say three people are dead and others injured when a small airplane crashed in a suburban Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Piper PA-32 with six people on board had taken off from South Valley Regional Airport and crashed into a West Jordan backyard. West Jordan Police said a 9-month-old, the pilot and a woman died, while a woman is in critical condition and a 2-year-old is in stable condition. They also said an older woman who was inside the house when the plane struck is in critical condition.

Authorities in Utah have arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of shooting and killing a young woman who lived on his street. The Deseret News reported that the Sandy Police Department said the boy, who was not named, was booked into Salt Lake Juvenile Detention on suspicion of killing 18-year-old Aliani Mejia-Marin. Sandy Police Sgt. Clayton Swensen says officers responded to report of a confrontation Wednesday between three boys, including the suspect, and Mejia and her husband. Mejia was found dead inside a vehicle. An investigation is ongoing. 

A mayor in northern Utah has asked for a citywide mask mandate to limit the spread of COVID-19, a request that has drawn mixed reactions from Cache County council members and city residents. The Herald Journal reported that Logan Mayor Holly Daines said the mandate would help protect the community as students return to school. The request came after Republican Gov. Gary Herbert issued a mask mandate in all K-12 schools, and Utah State University implemented a similar rule on its campus in Logan.

A group of over 150 educators rallied outside Utah's Capitol building to call for stronger protections against the coronavirus for schools when they reopen this fall. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the teachers wore cloth face masks during the protest Thursday and stood socially distanced from each other on the lawn.

The parents of a Utah man who was shot and killed by police in his driveway while holding a knife have filed a lawsuit against the city of Ogden and its police department. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Juan and Rosa Mercado allege the officers had no reason to shoot their son because he posed no harm to the officers or anyone else and hadn’t broken any laws. Mercado's sister says he needed help that day from police and instead they killed him.

A 58-year-old Utah municipal judge known for his advocacy for Asian Americans and criticism of President Donald Trump has died. Taylorsville Justice Court Michael Kwan was found unresponsive at his home Tuesday. Family friend and spokeswoman Emily Bingham says his death was sudden and unexpected. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine his cause of death. Kwan leaves behind his wife, two children and his dog. A memorial service has not yet been announced.