Groundbreaking for new Bees stadium
On Thursday, ground was broken on a new stadium for the Salt Lake Bees in Daybreak. The land that will house the stadium will include a 200-acre entertainment plaza with a Megaplex theater and apartment units. The new stadium, located at the corner of Mountain View Corridor and South Jordan Parkway, will seat 7,500 fans.
It was announced by the Larry H. Miller Company that the naming rights partner for the privately funded ballpark will be America First Credit Union. The baseball team announced earlier this year that they would be leaving their Smith’s Ballpark home in Salt Lake City for the new location by the start of the 2025 season.
This new and different stadium will have the same view of the Wasatch Mountains as Smith’s Ballpark. The included entertainment plaza will be named American First Square and include spaces for year-round concerts, games in the summer and ice skating during the winter.
Over a $1 million in dinosaur bones stolen from Utah
Four people, two from Utah, have been accused of stealing dinosaur bones from Southeastern Utah, along with selling them at gem and mineral shows and shipping them to China. Those arrested in connection to the case were Vint Wade, 65 and Donna Wade, 67, of Moab along with Steven Willing, 67 of Los Angeles and Jordan Willing, 40, of Oregon.
It is alleged that more than $1 million in paleontological resources were sold and more than $3 million in damage was caused. Officials reported that 150,000 pounds of bones and resources were illegally removed. This occurred over the span of five years from March 2018 to March 2023. The stolen bones were removed from federal and state lands.
Elephants relocated to Missouri
Elephants Christie and Zuri have arrived at their new home after leaving Utah’s Hogle Zoo earlier this week. The elephants’ new home is at the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium in Missouri.
Zuri and Christie have joined a herd of seven other African elephants that includes six females and one male. According to Hogle Zoo, the male is a genetically diverse match for Zuri. One reason the beloved elephants were relocated was to give Zuri the chance to have a calf.
The two elephants from Utah are currently quarantined from the other elephants for a short period of time but all of the elephants can see, hear and smell each other. To help Christie and Zuri get acclimated to their new home elephant keepers from Hogle Zoo will also be staying in Kansas City for the next three to six months.
