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Call it a battle of Federal Election Commission emails — over whether Rep. Mia Love truly has been cleared of any wrongdoing by collecting $1 million for a primary that she never faced. On Tuesday, the left-leaning Alliance for a Better Utah released an email that it received from the FEC saying the agency is still investigating a complaint the group filed about the questionable fundraising. It comes two weeks after Love released a different FEC email that she said backed her fundraising — and she then called for Democrat Ben McAdams to withdraw from their congressional race for having suggested otherwise. In the newest email, the FEC tells the Alliance for a Better Utah that its complaint against Love “remains pending before the commission.” It says the earlier email to Love’s campaign was “not in connection to your complaint,” and “you will be advised when the commission takes final action on your complaint.” Alliance Executive Director Chase Thomas said that shows “Mia Love h...

Washington • A spokesman for Robert Mueller said Tuesday that the special counsel’s office has asked the FBI to examine claims that women were offered money to say Mueller behaved inappropriately toward them decades ago. The spokesman, Peter Carr, issued a statement saying that “when we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the special counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation.” Carr’s statement comes as Jack Burkman, a conservative lobbyist, tweeted that Thursday he “will reveal the first of special counsel Robert Mueller’s sex assault victims. I applaud the courage and dignity and grace and strength of my client.” Burkman gained notoriety when he promoted conspiracy theories regarding the still-unsolved killing in 2016 of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich. Those theories have been disputed by law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment. The strange sequence of events bega...

Left-leaning and out-of-state groups are pouring in big money to push Proposition 4 to create an independent commission to draw Utah’s political boundaries — including nearly $1 million from a group founded by two Democratic Texas billionaires. Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, says that’s a sign that Prop 4 isn’t really about creating better boundaries, “just better boundaries for Democrats.” He adds, “Why are we getting all that national money coming in here? Democrats felt they lost control of Congress because of redistricting. And they want to create a safe Democratic seat in Utah. That’s what Prop 4 really is about.” Jeff Wright disagrees. He is a former GOP congressional candidate who is co-chairman of Better Boundaries, the group pushing Prop 4. He says its financial support is widely bipartisan and that no group has formed to fight the referendum “because supporting gerrymandering is a failed idea, and no one will give time or money to that.” New campaign disc...

Browne Sebright says he has been checking the ballot tracker on the Utah Elections website “religiously.” The 23-year-old has voted in every election since he first registered. And when he moved from the Avenues in Salt Lake City to New York for graduate school this fall, one of the first things he did was update his voter registration information with Salt Lake County so he could get his ballot. “The propositions were particularly interesting to me this year,” he said. “I think potential independent redistricting or medical marijuana, those were definitely issues I’d like to weigh my opinion on. It’s one reason I decided to keep my registration in Utah versus moving it over to New York.” But with just over a week left to vote in November’s midterm elections, Sebright still hasn’t received his ballot — and it’s not for a lack of trying. He’s called multiple times and said the online tracker hasn’t changed from the “on its way” status in over a week. “Even if I decided ‘you know wh...

A Utah defense attorney admitted he mishandled four cases — including one client who was sent to death row in 2015 — and has had his law license suspended for three years. At least 20 clients have complained to the Utah State Bar about North Salt Lake-based attorney Sean Young, according to an August settlement agreement. In that filing, Young admitted to violating attorney rules in four cases, and the Utah State Bar’s Office of Professional Conduct agreed to drop 16 other complaints. Most of the allegations lodged against Young had to do with the attorney not completing the work he was hired to do. In one case where he represented someone in immigration court, he did not attend his client’s hearing or file the proper petition, and he didn’t return his client’s phone calls. In another case, he was hired to represent a man accused of sexual assault — but Young never responded to the man’s calls requesting evidence in his case. A third case involved a man accused of attempted murder,...

Washington • When Rep. Mia Love was born in Brooklyn, she became an instant citizen under a constitutional amendment that President Donald Trump now wants to toss. Love, whose parents immigrated from Haiti and who was the first member of her family to gain citizenship, said Tuesday she opposes Trump’s plan to use his executive power to end what is known as birthright citizenship, a move that is legally fraught in that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment protects that right. “I have always opposed presidential attempts to change immigration law unilaterally,” Love said in a statement. “The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to ‘establish a uniform rule of naturalization’ and the 14th Amendment makes the conditions of citizenship clear: Individuals born in this country are citizens.” Love — a Republican who is locked in a tight race against Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a Democrat, in the 4th Congressional District — said the executive branch doesn’t have ...

Herriman • Albert Rusnák, one of Real Salt Lake designated players, said Tuesday that he thinks his contract situation will be resolved before the end of the season. Stu Holden of Fox Sports reported last month that Rusnák and the organization had reached an agreement on terms for a new contract. The deal reportedly would make Rusnák the highest-paid player in RSL’s history. But to this point, Rusnák has not signed the contract. “I believe before the end of the season that everybody will know what’s going on,” Rusnák said when asked if he was at peace with his contact situation going into the offseason. “So I’m trying to not focus on that anymore.” Holden’s report came moments before the start of RSL’s road game against Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 30. Rusnák did not fly with the team and missed a training session in advance of that game. It was speculated that his contract was the reason for that. A team spokesperson confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune at the time that Rusnák ...

Provo • Linebacker was supposed to be one of the biggest strengths of the BYU football team in 2018, with plenty of experience returning and the addition of speedy senior Zayne Anderson from the safeties group. Anderson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury a few weeks ago and senior Butch Pau’u hasn’t returned to full strength since fracturing his right hand early in the season. But thanks to the emergence of redshirt sophomore Isaiah Kaufusi and improvement of veterans such as Riggs Powell, Adam Pulsipher and Rhett Sandlin, the position is still solid for a defense that ranks 26th in the country. Of course, senior NFL prospect Sione Takitaki continues to be the mainstay of the linebacking corps, and coaches have creatively and successfully used 6-foot-9 defensive end Corbin Kaufusi in the middle when facing teams with mobile quarterbacks such as Arizona’s Kahlil Tate, Utah State’s Jordan Love and Marcus Childers of Northern Illinois. “The linebackers have done a good job fo...

Washington • A new survey shows a sharp racial and religious divide over whether the actions of President Donald Trump are encouraging white supremacist organizations. Three-quarters of black Protestants say Trump’s behavior and decisions are emboldening white supremacists while slightly more than a quarter of white evangelicals agree with that view. Overall, more than half of Americans — 54 percent — say this is the case. The findings, released Monday, are part of Public Religion Research Institute’s 2018 American Values Survey , which addressed U.S. views on issues such as the presidency, the #MeToo movement, immigration and police brutality. The survey comes days after a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue by a gunman with apparent anti-immigrant animus and a racially motivated shooting in which a white gunman killed two black people at a Kroger supermarket in Jeffersontown, Ky., after trying unsuccessfully to enter a predominantly black church. Meanwhile, the Defense Department...

Stand-up paddleboard enthusiasts Chris Knoles and Roxy Christensen took to the water at Bountiful Pond on Tuesday in what has become a Halloween tradition. For four years in a row, they have dressed up as Jack and Sally Skellington from the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” “We paddle year-round but actually paddle more in the winter,” said Knoles, who carries on the tradition at Christmas, dressing up in something festive and paddling on the Great Salt Lake, where the high salinity usually keeps the water from freezing. from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2OdJo4V

A retired Murray police detective is facing an assault charge for allegedly striking a suspect during an arrest. Luis Alberto Argueta-Salazar was charged in July with misdemeanor assault, but city prosecutors had kept the charging documents secret until last week. Allegations became public in a motion filed in a separate case where Argueta-Salazar had been one of several law enforcement officers to testify about investigating a nurse who had been accused of multiple sexual assaults at Salt Lake County hospitals. Prosecutors with the attorney general’s office asked ahead of that trial that the defense not be allowed to question Argueta-Salazar about his pending case. The prosecutor wrote in a motion that Argueta-Salazar described the suspect as an “inebriated individual” who had become “combative.” The officer described the strike as being in self-defense — but after an investigation by South Jordan Police Department, Argueta-Salazar was charged with a class B misdemeanor in Murra...

Utah defensive back Javelin Guidry is asked to cover receivers of all shapes and sizes and make open-field tackles when opponents run the football. For a 5-foot-9 player, that's a demanding job description. “It's a lot,” he said, “but it's fun.” And he's fulfilling it very well. Pro Football Focus made Guidry the highest-graded slot cornerback among all Power Five teams through eight weeks of the season, labeling him “a sticky cover man.” Guidry will be more vital than ever Saturday, when the No. 16 Utes visit Arizona State. ASU receiver N'Keal Harry, who stands 6-4, is a projected NFL first-round draft pick. Utah's scheme won't likely ask Guidry to single-cover him all the time, but the Sun Devils have been lining up Harry inside lately, and that's just the kind of offensive strategy in college football that made Ute coach Kyle Whittingham change his defensive approach in recent years. N’Keal Harry 6’4” 215lbs.. too damn big to be doing this lol yo...

Washington • The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General has referred one of its ongoing probes into the conduct of Secretary Ryan Zinke to the Justice Department for further investigation, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. Interior Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall, who is currently serving as acting inspector general, is conducting at least three probes that involve Zinke. These include his involvement in a Montana land deal and the decision not to grant two tribes approval to operate a casino in Connecticut. The individuals, who spoke of the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, did not specify which inquiry had been referred to the Justice Department. A spokeswoman for the inspector's office declined to comment on the matter Tuesday, saying, " I cannot comment on any investigations." Neither Interior nor the Justice Department immediately responded to a request for comment. A referral to the J...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints surprised many when it announced that large church pageants are now “discouraged .” That same day, leaders of the mother of all Latter-day Saint pageants, the Hill Cumorah Pageant , said that it would end its 81-year run after the 2020 season. On this week’s podcast, Gerald Argetsinger , who served in the pageant presidency for 12 years and worked as its artistic director for most of the 1990s, laments the loss of this iconic piece of Latter-day Saint dramatic history, discusses the pageant’s storied past and highlights the impact the show had through the decades on members and nonmembers alike. Listen here: from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2SwEYcP

Video: Deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus reflects on what the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh means for her family, for Jews and for Americans. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) Washington - Eleven Jews are dead in Pittsburgh, gunned down during Shabbat services allegedly by a man who shared President Trump’s paranoia about a migrant caravan. Pipe bombs were sent to more than a dozen of Trump’s favorite political targets, including the homes of two former presidents, Democratic leaders and CNN. But let us not lose sight of the real victim here: Donald Trump. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders hadn't given a briefing in nearly a month, so she had a lot of time to build up grievances before Monday afternoon's session. She emerged half an hour late with a scowl, and read a written statement containing the requisite denunciations of the attack in Pittsburgh and affirmations of Trump's affection for Jews. But when the questioning go...

The relatively short life of Utahns for Balanced Government has come to its effective end after the group put out a series of radio and social media advertisements in opposition to Constitutional Amendment C — which would allow Utah’s Legislature to call itself into special session. The political issues committee, or PIC, was formed by Marty Carpenter, former campaign manager for Gov. Gary Herbert . And disclosure forms filed with the state elections office show its operations were funded by a single contribution of $55,000 from Herbert’s political action committee, or PAC, and a $50 donation from Carpenter. Carpenter said the PIC may continue to exist in a technical sense, as the political organizations require little effort to maintain once launched. He said Utahns for Balanced Government was fairly effective during its brief campaign in getting the issues surrounding Constitutional Amendment C out to voters. “No decision has been made, at this point, as to whether we’re going to ...

Minneapolis • In the minutes after he had snapped a frustrating early-season run of futility with a breakout performance in New Orleans, Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio was asked if he was a harbinger of sorts for the team as a whole. Is it really as simple as when he plays well, the Jazz play well? “Well, when Donovan [Mitchell] plays well, we win every game, too,” Rubio quipped. Thing is, there may be something to it. That night against the Pelicans , Rubio put up 28 points (on 8-for-14 shooting), 12 assists, and six rebounds, and Utah dominated for most of the night. In his second-best game this season, he totaled 13 points and 10 assists vs. the Warriors — a game in which the Jazz scored 81 first-half points and, but for a last-second tip-in, would have toppled the two-time defending champs. As for his other games … one point on 0 for 4 from the field vs. the Kings ; six points on 1 for 8 against the Grizzlies ; four points while shooting 1 of 8 in Houston ; and, immediately af...

A lawsuit targeting electric scooter-sharing companies seizes on the dangers of zipping around town on two wheels and brings gory detail to one of the more polarizing technology trends to emerge over the past year. Nine people injured by electric scooters filed the class-action suit on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It accuses startups Bird Rides and Lime, and their manufacturers Xiaomi and Segway, of gross negligence, claiming the companies knew the scooters were dangerous and deployed them in a way that was certain to cause injuries. Since e-scooters zoomed into the U.S. last September with the arrival of Bird, hundreds of riders and pedestrians have landed in the hospital with injuries ranging from severe gravel rash to knocked-out teeth, ripped-out toenails and detached biceps, according to doctors and victims. Three people died last month while riding scooters in Dallas, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. There is no official tally on the number of scooter-related...

Boston • James “Whitey” Bulger, the murderous Boston gangster who benefited from a corrupt relationship with the FBI before spending 16 years as one of America’s most wanted men, has died in federal prison. He was 89. Bulger was found unresponsive Tuesday morning at the U.S. penitentiary in West Virginia where he'd just been transferred, and a medical examiner declared him dead shortly afterward, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Authorities did not immediately release a cause of death but said the FBI was notified and is investigating. Bulger, the model for Jack Nicholson's ruthless crime boss in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie, "The Departed," led a largely Irish mob that ran loan-sharking, gambling and drug rackets. He also was an FBI informant who ratted on the New England mob, his gang's main rival, in an era when bringing down the Mafia was a top national priority for the FBI. Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 after his FBI handler, John Connolly ...

Albuquerque, N.M. • The Navajo Nation is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit it filed against Wells Fargo , accusing the company of engaging in predatory and unlawful practices. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month at the request of Wells Fargo. The company argued that many claims were addressed through a previous consumer protection action, and that the tribe lacked standing to file other claims. The tribe filed a notice of appeal Friday with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Navajo President Russell Begaye has said the tribe will not back down in its efforts to hold Wells Fargo accountable for harming Navajo people, especially tribal elders . Wells Fargo has five branches on the reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, and 12 others within a 30-minute drive. from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2JqlJ0o

An up-and-coming country singer from Utah will get a chance to show her stuff on national TV — and potentially win $100,000 for it. Savannah Keyes , a 21-year-old country-pop singer originally from Sandy, is one of 21 country acts chosen for a new reality-competition show, “Real Country,” which premieres Nov. 13 on USA Network. The three members of the show’s celebrity panel — singer-songwriter Jake Owen and Grammy-winning legends Travis Tritt and Shania Twain — each picked seven country acts, whose identities were revealed Tuesday. Keyes is on Owen’s team. Each week, one act from each team will compete, with the winner receiving $10,000 and a performance slot at the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio, Calif., next April. The seven weekly winners will perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, vying for a $100,000 top prize. When Keyes was 13, her YouTube videos caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres — who put Keyes on her talk show in January 2011. Before that, accordin...

On the homepage of Republican Salt Lake County district attorney candidate Nathan Evershed’s website , he lists three main reasons he’s running against his boss, Democrat Sim Gill, to lead the office. His No. 1 motive? Internal politics. “In the last two years, we lost over 30 percent of the district attorney employees,” he says. “They are leaving because of politics within the office. We are losing experienced attorneys and staff, and that costs taxpayers as well as victims.” Gill has disputed Evershed’s use of the data, noting that turnover is generally expressed as an annual percentage — and that his eight-year average attrition rate is just under 8 percent. He also argues that most of the turnover isn’t because of bad blood in the office, as Evershed asserts. “He’s not counting people who went on to become judges,” Gill said. “People went on to the U.S. attorney’s office. People made lateral moves for more money. People retired. In one year, that’s only 10 percent. If you actua...