This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, Aug. 19. In this edition:
- A coyote was spotted on the USU Logan campus on Wednesday morning
- New info was released on the crash that killed two pilots fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire
- Utah Senate President Stuart Adams is threatening to sue his critics
- Crews responded quickly to a new fire near the mouth of Weber Canyon
A coyote was spotted on the USU campus on Wednesday
A coyote was spotted on the Utah State University campus Wednesday morning.
According to the university’s alert system, the animal was first seen near the west side of the Taggart Student Center. It then headed east toward 1200 East, away from campus.
As of 9:45 a.m., police have been unable to locate the animal again.
The alert warned those in the area to be aware of their surroundings and to not approach the animal if they see it.
There’s new info on the crash that killed two pilots fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on Tuesday for the helicopter crash that killed two pilots battling the Widemouth 2 Fire.
On the morning of Aug. 7, Miles Elliott and Chris Andersen were preparing to drop water on the wildfire when the helicopter disappeared behind a knoll.
At that point, just over 20 minutes after they had taken off, the pilots were heard saying there was a problem and repeating “mayday” before communication stopped.
The report said the helicopter had crashed into rising terrain, though the exact cause is still under investigation.
Some parts of the destroyed helicopter were collected by safety board investigators for examination and testing. The rest will be recovered once conditions in the area are safe.
Utah’s Senate President is threatening defamation lawsuits against his critics
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams is threatening to sue four of his critics for defamation.
Letters were sent out last week to State Auditor Tina Cannon and Gabrielle Finlayson with the political consulting firm Elevate Utah. Another was sent to Uriah Kennedy and Ingrid Bettridge, hosts of the “God and Country Podcast,” which hosted Cannon.
Adams targeted them for their statements about his role in approving the controversial Stratos data center and relocating the auditor’s office.
In a response Wednesday, Cannon said, “I refused to be bullied by President Adams, and I certainly won’t be bullied by Mr. Adams.” That’s a reference to Adams losing his reelection bid to Stephanie Hollist in June’s primary election.
A new fire started near the mouth of Weber Canyon
A fire sparked near the mouth of Weber Canyon early Wednesday morning.
The Dugway Fire prompted the closure of East 6500 South, adjacent to East Bybee Drive.
It also threatened homes above East Bybee Drive, though no evacuations have been ordered.
Uintah officials asked people to avoid the area if at all possible and, for those who do need to travel near the canyon, to use extreme caution.
As of 5 p.m., the fire had burned 20 to 30 acres. About half of it has been contained.
