This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, April 21. In this edition:
- Alan Osmond from the musical group The Osmonds died this week
- You can adopt a desert tortoise through the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Alan Osmond, part of the family pop group The Osmonds, has died at 76
Alan Osmond, the eldest member of the family pop group The Osmonds, died on Monday at the age of 76.
Osmond’s career started in the late 1950s when he and three of his brothers started a barbershop quartet group in Ogden, which then grew to a popular quintet in the 1970s with hit songs like “Crazy Horses” and “One Bad Apple.”
In 1987, Osmond was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which led to him retiring from performing with his family.
His wife and their eight sons were with Osmond at his home in Lehi at the time of his death.
Desert tortoises are available for adoption through the Division of Wildlife Resources
If you’re looking for a pet that will live a long time — maybe even longer than you — you’re in luck, because the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is currently seeking homes for 15 desert tortoises.
When these animals are removed from the wild, they can’t be returned due to the potential risk of disease introduction to the wild populations. So, since the 1990s, the Utah Desert Tortoise Adoption Program has worked to find those tortoises a loving home instead.
Adopting a tortoise is not to be taken lightly, however — they can live for 60-70 years and have a number of necessities, including an escape-proof outdoor area for the daytime and a safe place to hibernate.
Those interested should read the division’s handbook on desert tortoise adoption, then construct an enclosure following those guidelines and send in an application.
Notably, the tortoises can only be adopted in Utah, and can’t be adopted in Washington, Kane, or Iron counties.
