This is your daily news rundown for Thursday, April 9. In this edition:
- Four liquor stores in central and southern Utah are closing
- Metal in Great Salt Lake dust could accumulate in food, a study found
- "Deserae's Law" changes how suspects of violent crime are charged
Liquor stores across rural Utah are closing
Four Utah liquor stores are closing this week, affecting rural Utahns.
The chain TGS Liquor Agency is shutting down locations in Payson, Panguitch, and Richfield, most in central or southern Utah.
On signs posted to the front door of stores, the owners said that contracts for package agencies like theirs faced a lot of restructuring last year from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services and, quote, “set them up for failure.”
Payson will still have access to a liquor store relatively nearby, but for the more rural areas, they may have to travel much farther.
Great Salt Lake dust could also have a health impact on food
Dust from the drying Great Salt Lake could pose broader health risks than previously believed, according to a new study.
Previous research has already shown some concerns of the lakebed dust, including that it’s contaminated from mining, waste disposal, and oil refining.
In this recent study, scientists analyzed the concentration of metals and metalloids in the dust, whether food crops in areas downwind of the dry lakebed could accumulate that metal, and whether ingesting it could pose health risks.
They found that dust associated with lakebed dust did indeed pose both environmental and human health concern, both from direct exposure and indirect pathways like accumulation in food crops.
Precautions include checking the forecast for possible dust events and wearing a KN95 mask to keep out some of the coarser particles, but long-term, raising the lake’s water level and covering up the exposed lakebed is likely the best way to prevent further risk.
‘Deserae’s Law’ changes how suspects are charged if their victims die later
Prosecutors will soon be able to change how suspects of violent crime are charged if their victims die later on.
Senate Bill 92, also known as “Deserae’s Law,” was inspired by the life of Deserae Turner, who was shot in the back of the head in 2017 at 14 years old.
Though she survived, her health never fully recovered, and she died from complications related to that gunshot wound last year.
Starting next month, prosecutors can elevate an attempted murder charge to murder if the victim later dies from injuries caused by the attack.
While Deserae’s Law won’t change the sentences of those responsible for her shooting, her family said it will help ensure other families can find justice.
