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Trying times on the Great Salt Lake will bring together a group of unlikely allies for a celebration this weekend, now that a temporary reprieve from years of drought and low water levels is in sight.
The Great Salt Lake Yacht Club’s annual Sailfest, which takes begins Saturday, will have a curtailed schedule of events again this year. But the improved 2017 roster of events — last year’s was so sparse the club chose not to advertise at all — will feature a first: a meet-and-greet with environmen...

One teenage boy was in the hospital, and two others were in police custody after a stabbing in the parking lot of a West Valley City mall.
At about 2:20 p.m. Friday, the three teens were in the parking lot of Valley Fair Mall and got into a dispute that escalated to a physical fight, said West Valley City Police Department spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku.
One teen was stabbed in his abdomen by the two other teens, Vainuku said.

Lawyers filed an emergency petition Friday asking to bring home to Utah a Muslim leader — and an American citizen — stranded in Kenya this week after he was barred from boarding a return flight.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Refugee Justice League of Utah argue in a joint complaint that there is “good evidence” Yussuf Awadir Abdi, imam of Salt Lake City’s Madina Masjid, was put on the federal government’s no-fly list after he left the United States and was blocked from re-ent...

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Hogle Zoo debuted a new sensory wall Friday for kids to see, touch and grab.
Hope Springs is a collaboration among artist Roger Whiting and children from Matt’s Place, a nonprofit based in Centerville that’s “focused on helping families and individuals with social and behavioral struggles, and those on the Autism spectrum,” according to its website.
A Utah Division of Arts and Museums provided funding for the wall that was designed to help children explore.
The Salt Lake City zoo, 2600 E.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who was said to be in talks to lead the Federal Trade Commission, is apparently no longer considered a candidate for the post in the Trump administration.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News this week that Reyes, a Republican, is out of the running for top spot with the agency, which oversees consumer-protection regulations and commercial business practices.
Dan Burton, spokesman for the Utah attorney general’s office, said “nobody has call...

While Republicans control nearly all major elected offices in Utah, new party chairman Rob Anderson outlined for the party’s biggest donors on Friday just how financially broke it is because of in-fighting that chased away contributors.
It is $500,000 in debt, higher than earlier estimates of around $400,000, said Anderson, who campaigned and won last month largely on vows to fix that.
In fact, he told the Elephant Club that the party is so destitute for the moment that:
• The only way it can af...

Ephraim’s police chief was placed on paid administrative leave last week, pending an investigation into undisclosed allegations levied against him.
Police Chief Ron Rasmussen has been on leave since last Friday, according to city manager Brant Hansen.
Hansen declined to talk about the nature of the allegations against Rasmussen and would not share any details of what the police chief is accused of.
“Placing the chief on administrative leave is not saying he did anything wrong, it’s just stand...

Police on Friday released video of a suspect they are searching for in connection to an armed robbery at a Millcreek photography company.
The man took wallets and phones from two people in the store near 3340 South on 900 East just before midnight on Sunday, according to a news release from Unified Police.
The suspect punched one of the victims in the back of the head and pulled out a black handgun, said Unified police spokesman Brian Lohrke.
Surveillance video provided by Unified Police on Fri...

As temperatures are predicted to exceed 100 degrees in southern Utah this weekend, Zion National Park officials are urging visitors to take precautions for the extreme heat.
Park rangers advised visitors to practice “heat safety:” Take your time while hiking, spend time in the shade and drink plenty of water. Wear sunscreen, they advise, and keep exposed skin covered.
“It’s that time of year when we start to see a lot of heat-related injuries,” Chief Park Ranger Daniel Fagergren said.

Additional child sex abuse charges have been filed against a Heber bounce house operator who was charged earlier this month with sexually assaulting three boys.
Bryce Johnson, 33, was charged earlier this month with three counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child.