August 31, 2016

Reid gives political papers to University of Nevada-Reno special collections

The University of Nevada, Reno was bequeathed with a gift from U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday: the sum of his political papers.

The papers will reside in special collections along with other former political giants in the state including Sens. Alan Bible, Paul Laxalt and Richard Bryan. The collection includes multiple terabytes of digital data as well as thousands of boxes of documents.

“I’ve always felt this attachment to the university,” Reid said. “So I’ve had the good fortune of having people interested in my papers. Some of the known, famous universities around the country. And I listened to some of them. But I always knew in my heart what I was going to do. I made that decision decades ago.”

Reid is retiring this year, but his political career spans nearly 50 years, including a stint in the Assembly, one term as lieutenant governor, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, two terms as a congressman and almost 30 years as a senator. He has served more than 15 years in a leadership capacity, most recently as the current minority leader.

Read more: http://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/30/reid-gives-political-papers-unr-special-collections/89613814/

August 31, 2016

Democrats, Clinton sending anti-Trump mailers to Utah voters; Lee still not backing GOP candidate

SALT LAKE CITY — A new push in Utah by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign to turn voters against GOP nominee Donald Trump is the latest sign the state may be in play in this year's presidential race.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who told the Deseret News and KSL editorial board Monday that he still isn't ready to back his party's pick for president, said an anti-Trump Democratic mailer sent to Utah voters could affect other Republican races on the ballot.

The fact that they're spending money here is cause for concern," he said. "The fact that they're spending money here perhaps means they've got some sort of data."

Lee said he continues to be unable to endorse Trump because despite talking to the billionaire businessman's campaign "for literally months" about federalism and the separation of powers, he has yet to see those issues embraced.

Read more: http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661301/Democrats-Clinton-sending-anti-Trump-mailers-to-Utah-voters.html

August 31, 2016

Church launches 'Racists Anonymous' meetings as well as 12-step program to help 'race addicts'

Twelve-step programs typically help people overcome drug or alcohol dependency, but one North Carolina church has developed its own set of steps to combat personal and institutional racism.

People passing by Trinity United Church of Christ in Concord, North Carolina, are sure to notice a sign with big, bold letters that reads, "Racists Anonymous (RA)."

There's also a tagline that warns, "Racism: Ignore it...and it won't go away," as well as a call for people to come to the church for Racist Anonymous meetings on Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Those meetings, which are anonymous, are run by a licensed therapist and follow a traditional 12-step program. So far, the gatherings have been filled mostly with church members, though some outside people in the local community have also started to show up, according to WCNC-TV.

Read more: http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661321/Church-launches-Racists-Anonymous-meetings-as-well-as-12-step-program-to-help-race-addicts.html

August 31, 2016

FLDS leaders to make religious defense argument in fraud case

SALT LAKE CITY — Fundamentalist LDS Church leaders accused of food stamp fraud may testify at an upcoming hearing in an attempt to persuade a judge they were following religiously rooted communal living practices and not breaking the law.

U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart said Tuesday he'll allow attorneys to decide whether their clients take the stand at the Oct. 3-4 hearing or just submit statements.

Attorneys for 11 suspects facing fraud and money laundering charges are asking Judge Stewart to throw out at least part of the case based on the argument the actions were constitutionally protected.

Federal prosecutors counter that the defendants knowingly broke the law by not only donating food to a storehouse but diverting funds to front companies and to pay for a tractor, truck and other items. They say sect leaders lived lavishly while low-ranking followers suffered.

http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661375/FLDS-leaders-to-make-religious-defense-argument-in-fraud-case.html (short article)

August 31, 2016

Feds say FLDS construction company broke child labor laws

HILDALE, Washington County — A construction company in a polygamous southern Utah town faces a federal lawsuit for allegedly violating child labor and wage laws.

The U.S. Department of Labor filed a civil complaint against Phaze Concrete on Tuesday in U.S. District Court, alleging it employed two children under age 16 in hazardous jobs and in construction. The complaint also alleges the company broke federal minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping laws.

Phaze Concrete, which also did business as Jack Daniel's Construction, is based in Hildale, Utah, which along with bordering Colorado City, Arizona, serves as headquarters for the Fundamentalist LDS Church.

According to its website, Phaze Concrete has worked on government and commercial projects inside and outside Utah.

Read more: http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661382/Feds-say-FLDS-construction-company-broke-child-labor-laws.html

August 31, 2016

In Russia, LDS Church defends 6 deported former missionaries

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — LDS Church leaders in Russia have challenged the deportation of six American volunteers from the country in a statement on a church website.

In early August, police in Samara, one of Russia's largest cities, detained the six men and women for a few hours for allegedly failing to register with migration authorities. The six, ages 19 to 25, had served as Mormon missionaries until Russia implemented a new anti-terrorism law on July 20 that requires any proselytizing to happen within houses of worship. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints redesignated all its missionaries in Russia as volunteers.

Courts in Samara ordered the six volunteers deported and banned from Russia for five years, but not for violating the new law. The church transferred five of the volunteers to a nearby Russian-speaking mission outside the country. The other volunteer was near the end of her service, and she returned to the United States.

The church's statement on mormonnewsroom.ru said migration authorities for years registered missionary volunteers at the faith's Samara headquarters and allowed them to stay at other apartments under residential lease agreements.

Read more: http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661399/In-Russia-LDS-Church-defends-6-deported-former-missionaries.html

August 31, 2016

Boulder council favors permanent day shelter for homeless, upped enforcement of camping ban

During a much anticipated study session on homelessness Tuesday night, the Boulder City Council offered clear collective direction on two key points.

First, the council agreed, the city should explore creating a permanent day shelter and resource center. There's no consistent space for the homeless of Boulder to rest and to access services right now, which is hard on the homeless, hard on the churches that have to rotate responsibility for donating space and hard on the officials struggling to coordinate intake of clients in order to better understand the population.

Second, council members emphatically agreed, directing the police department in recent months to stand down on the city's camping ban was a mistake. Boulder bans sleeping outdoors, but hasn't criminalized it lately as much as it used to. Now, the Civic Area and Boulder Creek Path are popular camping spots, and the city's elected representatives are fed up.

What remains just as murky after Tuesday's 3-hour discussion as before it, however, is where any of the people Boulder wants to stop camping are going to sleep if and when police start issuing tickets again.

Read more: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_30310566/boulder-council-favors-permanent-day-shelter-homeless-upped

August 31, 2016

Fatal dog attack in Conifer leaves a mother dead, her son injured

A woman was killed Monday night in a dog attack in Conifer and her son suffered injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

The incident happened at about 7 p.m. when the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about the attack, said Dionne Waugh, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman.

Deputies responded to the 31000 block of Black Widow Drive. A woman died at the scene and her son, who is in his late teens or early 20s, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Waugh said.

The mother and son were attacked by two dogs they own, Waugh said. The sheriff’s office described both dogs as a terrier-pit bull mix.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/29/fatal-dog-attack-conifer-area/

August 31, 2016

One volunteer wrote more disabled parking tickets than Denver police last year

One volunteer wrote more disabled parking tickets than Denver police last year and advocates want change

For years, advocates for disabled people have pushed Denver city officials to get serious about enforcing parking rules as well as space requirements that are routinely flouted by the owners of publicly accessible lots.

A recent city audit that identified serious shortcomings in the city’s disorganized approach is giving some advocates renewed hope.

But the effect of the report issued by Auditor Tim O’Brien’s office Aug. 18 may not be clear for up to two years. That is the time frame given by the city’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships, which oversees the Office of Disability Rights, to work with other city departments to implement five main recommendations.

“While I am optimistic that the city of Denver has agreed that this is an issue … I’ve experienced some optimism in the past that hasn’t come to fruition,” said Chris Hinds, an Uptown resident who is paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair. He also is a member of the Denver Commission for People with Disabilities.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/29/denver-disabled-parking-audit/

August 31, 2016

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to fracking critics: I hear you

Two anti-fracking measures failed to make the November ballot, but Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the effort sent a clear message.

“Maybe they didn’t get enough signatures, but tens of thousands of people signed those initiatives and want more local voice — and I listen to that,” he said in an interview Tuesday, a day after the measures died. “Just because they didn’t get on the ballot doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t respond to them.”

Hickenlooper’s next steps are less clear. The Democratic governor said he wants to “continue the discussions” between the energy sector and supporters of the two unsuccessful ballot measures, which would have prohibited new oil and gas facilities within 2,500 feet of homes, and given more power to local governments to restrict fracking. But he offered no specifics.

“I think most of the people I’ve talked to both in the environmental community and the oil and gas industry recognize that there is more work to be done,” he said.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/30/john-hickenlooper-to-fracking-critics/