This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, Nov 20. In this edition:
- The Great Salt Lake has dropped back to 2021 levels, sparking concern for water conservation.
- Former USU head football coach Blake Anderson is suing the university for wrongful termination.
- A natural gas leak was found near a South Jordan home that exploded last month.
- Details have been released about a Cache Valley multivehicle crash that occurred on Monday.
- Icy road conditions may be response for a series of crashes on I-15 and I-80 Tuesday morning.
- A Utah-based trucking giant has passed away at 105 years old.
Great Salt Lake drops back to 2021 levels, sparking concern
3:20 p.m.
Two years after the Great Salt Lake's record low and subsequent efforts to save it, the lake has dropped back to 2021 levels.
Consecutive record-breaking winters have offered some relief for the lake, but according to measurements on Wednesday, it now sits at around 4,192 feet — the same level it was at the start of the 2021 water year, and about four feet off from its lowest recorded level from 2022.
Over the last two years, Utah political leaders have advanced dozens of bills and spent more than $1 billion on water conservation measures, including creating the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office to prioritize and protect the lake.
There has been significant public pressure on lawmakers to take action, with some feeling not enough is being done.
Reasons for the lake’s decline include impacts from climate change, water being diverted upstream, and drought. A drying Great Salt Lake also can have severe impacts, including toxic dust storms, general public health issues, harm to the ecosystem, and reduced snowpack that’s used for much of Utah's drinking water.
Former USU football coach sues university over ‘wrongful termination’
3:20 p.m.
Former Utah State University Head Football Coach Blake Anderson is now suing the university, claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
Anderson, who was head coach from December 2020 to July 2024, was fired earlier this year for allegedly failing to report a domestic violence incident and leading an internal investigation into the misconduct himself.
The university dismissed three other athletics officials at about the same time.
Now, Anderson is suing the university for allegedly wrongfully terminating him and harming his reputation. As part of the alleged breach of contract, he's seeking $15 million in damages.
The lawsuit claims Anderson did not violate any university policies and reported all the information he learned to the athletic director. Anderson also claimed USU Vice President and Athletics Director Diana Sabau went on a “public smear campaign” against him after his termination.
Natural gas leak detected near South Jordan home that exploded earlier this month
3:20 p.m.
A natural gas leak was detected near a South Jordan home that exploded earlier this month, killing a 15-year-old.
According to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the deadly explosion on Nov. 8, the leak was found in a natural gas main about 150 feet northeast of the home.
Enbridge Gas Utah, which provided natural gas service to the home, removed the failed main and later repaired the line.
The safety board said its preliminary information found none of the five residents reported smelling gas before the explosion and there wasn’t a natural gas alarm in the home.
Details released about Cache Valley multivehicle crash
6:46 a.m.
More details have emerged this morning about a multivehicle crash that occurred in Richmond on Monday.
A man from Idaho was killed in that crash involving a Ford pickup driving south on U.S. 91 near Main Street that crossed into the northbound lanes, causing a red pickup truck to swerve. The Utah Highway Patrol reports the red truck was struck by the Ford on the passenger side.
The Ford then struck a northbound Dodge truck in the front near the driver's corner. A fourth vehicle was hit and damaged by debris from the collisions.
The driver of the Ford went to the hospital in serious condition, and a passenger in the Dodge truck was transported with moderate injuries. The occupants of the red truck and fourth vehicle were not injured in the crash.
The driver of the Dodge truck, Timothy Christian Moosman, 44 of Preston, Idaho, died in the crash. Utah Highway Patrol said Moosman was not wearing a seat belt. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Icy road conditions may be response for series of a accidents
6:46 a.m.
Icy road conditions may be the cause of a slew of crashes on I-15 and I-80 Tuesday morning, including one fatal rollover that closed the road for three hours.
About 6 a.m., a red Ford truck heading north on I-15 "lost control and spun off the roadway to the left into the median," around 200 South, according to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cam Roden.
The truck rolled multiple times in the median, ejecting the driver and throwing him into the southbound lanes of traffic.
While the identity of the driver has not been released, Roden said he was 26 years old, and "sustained fatal injuries" in the crash. "Initial indications show that the driver may have lost control due to icy conditions in the area," according to a press release, and an initial investigation concluded the driver was not wearing a seat belt.
Utah-based trucking giant passes away at 105 years old
6:46 a.m.
The founder of Utah-based trucking giant C.R. England has died. Gene England was 105 years old.
His son, Dan England, who serves as the C.R. England chairman, said his father passed away peacefully after a long and full life.
Born and raised in Plain City, Gene England was known as a pioneer in the trucking industry.
Gene England family said he always knew he wanted to drive trucks, too, just like his father, Chester England.
Chester England started his own trucking business buying produce from the valley and trucking it to areas around Cache Valley and up to Wyoming in the 1920s, bringing along Gene England and his brother, Bill England, whenever possible.
Even after turning 100 in 2019, Gene England still came to work, taking care of a car leasing company he started some time ago with his brother, Bill England.
