This is your daily news rundown for Monday, October 28. In this edition:
- Antelope Island State Parks 36th annual Great Bison Roundup corralled 700 bison for health and population management.
- Utah firefighters are training on how to fight fires in larger buildings.
- Winter driving conditions are likely in Utah's mountains over the next couple days.
- Utah and U.S National Defense experts gathered in SLC last week to discuss threats to the industry.
- A man has been arrested after threatening multiple churches in Utah.
- A recent survey has found the members of the LDS church are less in favor of political discussion in religious settings.
Annual Great Bison Roundup corrals 700 bison for check-ups, auction
1:17 p.m.
Antelope Island State Park held its 36th annual Great Bison Roundup over the weekend, corralling nearly 700 bison to manage the herd’s health and population.
Hundreds of horseback riders helped gather the bison into a holding corral on Saturday, where they were held for several days before check-ups to allow their stress levels to drop.
Gathering the animals is also used to manage their population size, as a lack of natural predators means the herd tends to grow faster than the environment can support, especially when considering other animals at the park. Each year, 100-200 calves are born into the herd, but the island can only maintain about 500-550 bison at a time.
Excess bison will be sold at a public auction on Wednesday, November 6. A portion of the proceeds will be put back into the Wildlife and Habitat Management Program.
Bison not up for auction will be released after their check-ups to roam the island freely.
Utah firefighters train to fight fires in larger buildings
1:17 p.m.
As Utah’s population grows, Utah firefighters are getting trained on how to deal with fires in larger buildings.
Over the last two months, the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy, along with the Salt Lake City Fire Department, has trained over 500 firefighters in surrounding counties on handling fires in high-rise buildings, which is anything over 75 feet tall.
These kinds of fires require more equipment, labor, and personnel to put out, and getting firefighters and their equipment to upper floors can be complicated or dangerous. Big buildings also have high volumes of fuel that can feed the fire.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department conducts high-rise training every year. However, Salt Lake City Fire Division Chief Bob Silverthorne told KUER this recent effort is unique because it’s making sure agencies across the state, who in previous decades would’ve operated independently, are on the same page.
This is especially important because fires in high-rise buildings require the help of multiple agencies.
Snow, winter driving conditions coming to Utah's mountains
1:17 p.m
The next storm coming to Utah may mean winter driving conditions in the mountains over the next few days.
The National Weather Service issued a series of winter weather advisories covering Utah’s mountain ranges, which may receive up to a foot of snow between Monday night and Wednesday morning — possibly more in some areas.
The weather risk was rated as minor, meaning the snow may cause limited impacts on transportation. Still, the alert said drivers should prepare for winter driving conditions across high-elevation roads and be prepared for traction restrictions.
Drivers can check road conditions before they leave by visiting the Utah Department of Transportation’s traffic website.
Utah and U.S National Defense experts discuss threaten industry
7:27 a.m.
National defense experts speaking at a conference in Salt Lake City last week focused on a shrinking defense budget, aging military infrastructure, and lagging adoption of new technologies in the face of growing global threats.
The summit was organized by Utah's 47G, a group comprised of government, academic, industry, and venture capital organizations in the aerospace, defense and cyber spaces. Aaron Starks is 47G president.
Starks said in the last few years, Utah's economy has been impacted significantly by the war in Ukraine. Utah companies sold over $100 million in technology contracts and products to Ukraine since the war began according to Starks who said 47G is working to position the state to promote and continue taking advantage of increased defense spending in the future.
Maj. Gen. Kenyon Bell is commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base. He said $11 billion is being invested in infrastructure modernization at Hill to digitize the depot and upgrade aging hangars and tools. Bell said Hill Airforce Base anticipates a 30% increase in workload.
Man arrested after threatening multiple churches
7:27 a.m.
A man who police say made threats against churches in Utah was arrested in Wyoming on Sunday.
Cottonwood Heights police released a warning to residents Sunday about a man who they said called 911 and said he was outside a Catholic church, was holding a knife and was "feeling violent towards Catholics."
Police said he then fled the area in a gray Kia Soul with a California license plate, Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young said in a statement.
Keith Barber made "threats of violence" against the Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to Young.
Barber was taken into police custody somewhere in Wyoming.
Survey finds LDS church less in favor in political conversations in religious settings
7:27 a.m
A recent survey found members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are less in favor of having political conversations in religious settings than members of other religious groups, but are still civically engaged.
The More in Common survey and opinions of focus groups included almost 200 Latter-day Saints and hundreds of people of other faiths.
Coco Xu, a researcher at More in Common, said research finds most religious Americans, including Latter-day Saints, don't want politics associated with their religion.
Xu said 3% of Latter-day Saints said they turn to faith to express political views — half as many as any other group — although, as a whole, survey respondents rated politics at the bottom of the list of reasons why they turn to religion.
She said Latter-day Saint Americans reported feeling polarization at a personal level, and many reported struggling to find a political home reflecting their values.
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