Utah joins the FTC to double down on scam calls
Utah officials are joining federal authorities in Operation Stop Scam Calls, which is doubling down on illegal telemarking.
Utah has already done work on its own to enforce illegal telemarketing laws, but on Tuesday, the Utah Division of Consumer Protection joined the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement across the nation to address the problem.
They’re targeting not just telemarketers but the companies that hire them, and the lead generators that collect and provide phone numbers without consent. These operations are reportedly responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers.
While scam calls can be an annoyance, they can also facilitate more dangerous scams that could lead to Utahns losing money or even their identity. The FTC says those who get scam calls should block the caller and can also add their own number to the National Do Not Call Registry.
Intermountain Health celebrates 600 heart transplants
Intermountain Health celebrated the milestone of 600 heart transplants on Tuesday. The Intermountain heart transplant team has done a total of 608 transplants over the last 38 years, with the 608th earlier this year.
At the celebration, held at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, both heart transplant recipients and family members of donors shared their experiences. Other speakers discussed the history of heart transplants in Utah and the impact of being an organ donor.
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 105,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list. You register to be an organ donor and learn more about donation here.
Utah state park to host Cowboy Singer Songwriter Festival
In celebration of the National Day of the Cowboy, Camp Floyd State Park is hosting a Cowboy Singer Songwriter Festival this Saturday.
The event, which starts at 10 a.m., will include cowboy music, food, poetry, wagon rides and other activities. Admission is $5 per person or $15 per family (immediate family members only). You can purchase tickets here.
National Day of the Cowboy was created to preserve and celebrate cowboy culture and history. Cowboys were in Utah before the first pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints arrived and were present all throughout the state.
The day was first made a holiday by Wyoming in 2005. Fourteen other states have since followed suit.
