This is your daily news rundown for Monday, Feb. 23. In this edition:
- Last week's snowstorm has led to three fatal avalanches in Utah
- Utah's new ID check law for purchasing alcohol may already be getting an exception
Utah has had three fatal avalanches in the last week
Last week’s snowstorm also brought numerous avalanches to Utah, three of which were fatal.
An avalanche Wednesday in the Snake Creak area near Midway killed a man who was snowmobiling with his juvenile son.
On Sunday, another avalanche hit the same area, burying a snow biker who was found and pronounced dead on Monday.
In the out-of-bounds area of Brighton Resort, a slide killed an 11-year-old girl on Thursday.
Search and rescue officials are urgingthe public to avoid the backcountry during these times of high avalanche risk and to follow proper avalanche safety techniques.
Utah’s new 100% ID check law could get an exception
Utah’s 100% ID check law has only been in effect for about two months, but lawmakers are already considering an exception.
The law requires every customer who purchases alcohol in Utah to show ID, whether at a bar, a grocery store, or a restaurant.
It was meant to prevent people with extreme DUIs from purchasing alcohol by putting a marker on their ID that sellers could check for.
After being approved by the legislature last year, the law went into effect on Jan. 1. Complaints then quickly started coming in from tourism hotspots about guests, especially those from out of the state or country, who were unaware of the law.
So lawmakers have proposed a compromise that would let restaurants use Utah’s old rule instead, where servers determine if someone looks 35 or younger before asking for ID.
That proposal, House Bill 59, was voted favorably out of committee and is now awaiting further discussion by the full House of Representatives.
