Big Cottonwood Canyon closed due to avalanche until further notice
Big Cottonwood Canyon has been closed until further notice due to an avalanche.
The Utah Department of Transportation announced the closure at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, saying an avalanche had been triggered near milepost 10 on State Road 190. Officials have not said if it was natural or human-triggered, and no injuries have been reported.
Crews are actively working to clear the roads, and in the meantime, the Unified Police Department has reportedly started turning traffic around at the mouth of the canyon. Travelers already in the canyon should expect heavy delays.
New bill would make false emergency reports against schools a felony
A new bill would impose harsher penalties against people who make threats against or falsely report emergencies at Utah public schools.
H.B. 14, sponsored by Rep. Brad Wilcox (R-Ogden), would elevate the adult criminal offense for “swatting,” which is making a false emergency report, to a second-degree felony, punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and up to 15 years in prison. Students convicted of swatting at a school would face required suspension or expulsion.
It would also increase the offense for threatening a school. Threatening the use of a firearm or weapon would increase from a class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, which comes with up to $5,000 in fines and zero to five years in prison.
The bill comes after Utah experienced a large-scale threat against 11 schools across Utah late last March. The threats were determined to be a hoax, but the response from both law enforcement and health care providers preparing for mass casualty incidents was costly.
The Utah House of Representatives voted 73-1 to pass the bill on Tuesday. The one dissenting vote was from Representative Norm Thurston (R-Provo), who voiced concerns about the proportionality of making this crime a felony, which has lifelong consequences.
It had its first reading in the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday and has been sent to the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee for further consideration.
Intermountain assembled 350 mental health kits for suicide prevention
Intermountain Health leadership assembled hundreds of “Anchor Box Mental Health Kits” filled with personal messages of hope and resources to go to people struggling with mental health.
In total, 350 boxes were assembled and delivered to school, students and locations that can help youth and young adults in those areas.
Intermountain also announced a new three-year partnership with The Defensive Line, a nonprofit focused on ending the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by changing how we communicate and connect about mental health.
Suicide prevention is identified as a top community health need in all states Intermountain serves. In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death Utahns ages 10-17 and 18-24, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
If you or a loved one is in crisis, you can contact the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also find other suicide prevention resources here.
