Free Republic

(To the tune of the Whiffenpoof song: "We are poor little lambs who have lost our way, Bah, Bah, Bah ...") My name is Max Hall and I hate you all, Waa, Waa, Waa. I'm a Cougar QB and you're mean to me, Waa, Waa, Waa. When I played a game my family came, Waa, Waa, Waa. They had to fear, someone threw a beer, Waa, Waa, Waa. It doesn't matter who it was, Waa. Waa. Waa. You're all to blame, just because, Waa, Waa, Waa. So the Ute coach's wife got hit in the face, Waa, Waa, Waa. I...

For 27 years I have had the opportunity to visit vast and varied regions of the world because of my employment with an airline. I can travel virtually free anywhere my airline goes, and practically free on most other carriers because of generous reciprocal agreements. This perk has afforded me the opportunity to be an ambassador for my country and my "peculiar" state. No matter where in the world I go, when people ask me where I come from and I tell them Utah, the next words out of their mouths are almost always the same: "So you must be...

A fight between two inmates Sunday resulted in one person dead and another facing additional charges. A disagreement and some teasing between two cellmates was reportedly taken as a slight and escalated into fisticuffs inside their cell... After the victim was punched several times in the head, he was then strangled with a "ligature made from a laundry bag,". Both inmates were housed in a section of the prison typically reserved for sex offenders. Mawien was convicted in 2004 of two amended charges of attempted aggravated sex assault, a first-degree felony; and forcible sex abuse, a second-degree felony. He was...

MOAB, Utah, A 48-year-old man who has not used money in nine years and resides in a desert cave in Moab, Utah, said he loves his simple existence. Daniel Suelo said while he shops for clothes by going through garbage, he is content with living an existence where he does not have to worry about a job, mortgage or other concerns that plague most U.S. residents, The Denver Post reported Sunday. "The understanding that, really, we all possess nothing is the cornerstone of all spiritual endeavors and religions," Suelo said. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Suelo said he also will...

To 12-year-old Suzannah Pabla, piercing her nose was a way to connect with her roots in India. To Suzannah's school, it was a dress-code violation worthy of a suspension. To other Indians, the incident was emblematic of how it can still be difficult for the American melting pot to absorb certain aspects of their cultural and religious traditions. Suzannah was briefly suspended last month from her public school in Bountiful, Utah, for violating a body-piercing ban.......

The likelihood of outrage seems inevitable this year in college football: The BCS controversy, which even President Obama has issued proclamations about, seems ready to explode, since six undefeated teams - two from minor conferences - survive with only three games left in the season. Two conferences, Mountain West and Western Athletic (WAC) are excluded from automatic participation in the BCS, and must compete for one of two wildcard teams, and both still have undefeated teams. But should a team which has gone undefeated and unchallenged take a slot from Alabama or Florida, which are likely to also go undefeated......

Jim Krehbiel was up past midnight making a piece of art by layering maps and field notes onto photos he had taken of an ancient ritual site high on a cliff ledge in the desert Southwest. He looked at the image of the kiva and remembered how the ruins were nearly inaccessible. Krehbiel had to lower himself on a rope to reach them. Why, he wondered that night in the fall of 2007, would anyone build something so important in such a remote spot among the canyons and mesas? It was then that the chairman of Ohio Wesleyan University's art...

SALT LAKE CITY - A little early for Halloween, but a gathering of people at Utah's Capitol Building, donning Sarah Palin masks, want Governor Gary Herbert to increase tax on oil and gas exports before education and healthcare budgets are cut. The "Flock of Palins" as the group is called, gathered outside the Governor's office to challenge the governor to increase the severance tax, a tax that is imposed on natural resources such as coal, oil and gas that is taken out of the state. In 2007, then Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, signed a bill to allow a severance tax...

One of the worst-kept secrets in Utah was made official Friday with the announcement that Camp Williams will be the site of a new national cybersecurity data center. The site beat out 37 others nationwide for a $1.5 billion project that will employ as many as 10,000 workers during construction and between 100 and 200 once it becomes operational in two years.

The new Interior Department looks into a move to lock in beneficial royalties and regulations for companies with leases on public lands -- denounced by some as a massive giveaway to the oil industry. Reporting from Washington - The Obama Interior Department is reviewing a decision made by the Bush administration in its final days that attempted to lock in lucrative royalty rates and favorable regulations for oil companies holding leases for oil shale development on public lands.

A father missed the birth of his first son after being arrested for groping a nurse on the way to the delivery room. Police said Adam Manning sexually assaulted the nurse as she wheeled his wife into the delivery room. The 30 year old had told the nurse she was "cute" then reached round to grab her breasts. Police in Ogden, Utah, were called to the hospital and arrested Manning on charges of forcible sexual assault. When later asked about his actions he said he had no idea why he carried out the assault. Police confirmed that he missed the...

Tour bus carrying high school band members crashes on the I-15 in Idaho, at least 1 dead and up to 30 believed injured.

David James Bell, on trial this week for allegedly kidnapping two young neighbor children, took the witness stand Thursday -- and then got down again without saying a word. Defense attorney Roger Kraft withdrew Bell as a witness after 3rd District Judge Paul Maughan banned the defendant from telling about how and where he was beaten by the parents and relatives of the children. Kraft argued that Bell should be able to explain everything that happened that night, including details of the beating. But Maughan has allowed only limited evidence about the assault on Bell, saying the beating is irrelevant...

In 1991, facing obvious limits to growth from meager water resources, Las Vegas power brokers decided to bring the drama of high stakes gambling from the casinos to the board room of the Southern Nevada Water Authority headed by the Bernie Madoff of Western water, Pat Mulroy. The strategy was even proudly Ballyhooed in public. Las Vegas would just keep building beyond the capacity of its Colorado River allocation and dare other states or the federal government to stop them. At the time, a spokesman for Nevada's Colorado River Commission even announced, "The federal government will never let Nevada go...

The Park City resort also won individual categories for grooming, mountain service, dining and lodging. More than 20,000 readers participated in the survey, the most comprehensive of its kind. Deer Valley's ratings has never dropped lower than third overall in the past nine years... A third consecutive top ranking wasn't expected given competition from other fancy ski resorts around the U.S. and Canada.

Meet Bob Bennett. He is a Republican United States Senator. He is up for re-election next year. Bob Bennett is about to screw America. Bob Bennett is a fiscally irresponsible Senator who prides himself on being a Senator’s Senator. He was the only Republican who stood up and clapped when Barack Obama attacked Sarah Palin in his Joint Session of Congress speech last week. And Bob Bennett wants to cut a deal on healthcare. Why? Because that’s what Senators do. The compromise. And if you are a Republican Senator, you capitulate. Bob Bennett is working with Ron Wyden on Oregon...

September 11th marks the gruesome day when 152 years ago, some 120 men, women, and children were slaughtered in cold blood by a group of Mormons. The Mountain Meadows Massacre would be the "worst incident of organized mass murder of unarmed civilians" until the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. To understand how this happened, we must understand the relationship between the early Mormons and the rest of the nation Shortly after being organized as a church, Joseph and his two hundred or so followers settled in Kirtland, Ohio. The church grew, but by 1837 many had begun to lose faith....

President Barack Obama delivered his much-debated speech to schoolchildren Tuesday, sticking to scripted talking points on the importance of education, personal responsibility, good study habits and hard work. "I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education...and to do everything you can to meet them," Obama said in a televised speech aired live at schools throughout the nation. "Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer." Leading up to the controversial talk, parents and conservative groups voiced opposition to a perceived federal intrusion...

The biggest problem with the Book of Mormon is that it exists, says Sen. Bob Bennett...The Republican senator from Utah is the author of "Leap of Faith," which was recently released by Deseret Book...Bennett didn't like the way the Book of Mormon was represented in media coverage leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics... "The tenor of the articles that kind of started me on this was that no one of any intelligence could believe the incredibly outlandish story about angels and gold plates, that any person with the slightest bit of education would reject this out of hand," he...

Harshad Desai has endured racial slurs and harassment since moving to Panguitch in 1992, so a ruling that he be allowed to substitute teach in Garfield public schools comes as long overdue vindication. But the 58-year-old native of India, a U.S. citizen, doesn't hold a grudge. He says he just wants a shot at teaching, to see if it's something he is good at and likes. Cheryl D. Luke, an administrative law judge for the Utah Labor Commission, determined that Garfield School District officials engaged in racial profiling and prejudice when in 2001, they rejected Desai for a substitute teaching...

A 78-year-old man was hospitalized Friday with injuries he received when he was attacked by a black bear in a remote area of eastern Utah. The bear was shot and killed by another camper. About 12:30 a.m., a river-rafting party of 13 people, including nine family members and four guides, were sleeping after finding a spot off the Green River near Rock Creek Ranch in Carbon County's Desolation Canyon to stop for the night, said Brad Crompton, Division of Wildlife Resources' southeastern region wildlife biologist. The family was awakened upon hearing the sound of a bear attacking a family member...

<p>And the Tea Party Express launches today from Sacramento!! We're expecting a big crowd at our noon time Tea Party rally today at the Capitol, then we launch our cross-country tour!</p> <p>Woo hoo!! Thirty-five cities, thirty-five tea parties in sixteen days!!</p>

Utah told it can’t count missionaries in census Bureau says there’s no way to reliably count those overseas in 2010 Aug 16, 2009 SALT LAKE CITY - The U.S. Census Bureau has told Utah's elected leaders it won't count Mormon missionaries serving overseas in the nation's next head count. Census Bureau officials, rejecting Utah's lobbying efforts for the better part of a decade, say there's no way to reliably count the overseas missionaries. Utah leaders say the omission cost the state an extra congressional seat in 2000, when the state fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available...

SALT LAKE CITY -- People in Utah's 2nd Congressional District won't be seeing any town hall meetings on health care during the August break. Congressman Jim Matheson's spokeswoman Allison Heyrend said the congressman has opted instead to continue to use a telephone town-meeting approach. She said they've had five such meetings since the first of the year. "We had about 46,000 Utahns participate, and I would say 90 percent of the questions and the discussion was about health care," she said. Heyrend said the call-outs for the telephone meetings were based on voter registrations and involved members of all parties....

"The little boy told me, ‘I tried to jump in the water to get away," Searle said. "I was like, ‘You don't know him at all?' He said, ‘No.' Then he said to me that, you know, 'He said he wasn't going to kill me.'" Searle has a concealed weapons permit and a gun in her car. She can't believe she was put in a situation where she thought about using it. "It's something I'll never forget, that little boy's face," she said. "You see stuff like that on TV and you don't think it can happen to you. And...

Lance Starr says he and other immigration attorneys in Utah had heard complaints about The Alcala Law Firm but didn't have evidence until recently of any possible illegalities in how it handled cases. But then two former employees of the Glendale firm asked him last year to review their applications to legalize their presence in the United States, which had been prepared by principle attorney James Hector Alcala but rejected by the government. Starr spotted what appeared to be forged letters verifying that one of them had worked for Mexican employers. The American Fork attorney -- who had worked for...

PLAIN CITY, Utah -- Police in Utah say a 7-year-old boy led officers on a car chase in an effort to avoid going to church. VIDEO: Little boy steals car Dispatchers received reports of a child driving recklessly on Sunday morning. Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson says one witness said the boy drove through a stop sign.

In a way, it's too bad President Obama tapped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to serve as ambassador to China. The ambassador-designee promised a Senate panel Thursday that, if confirmed, he would press American values in China. If only the Obama administration would press Huntsman's health care reform values here in the U.S. As governor, Huntsman has overseen a blueprint for the overhaul of Utah's health care system that could be a model for a more-rational approach to national reform. In one fell swoop, Obama effectively eliminated one of the most qualified Republicans to challenge his health care reform, as well...

In a way, it's too bad President Obama tapped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to serve as ambassador to China. The ambassador-designee promised a Senate panel Thursday that, if confirmed, he would press American values in China. If only the Obama administration would press Huntsman's health-care reform values here in the United States. As governor, Huntsman has overseen a blueprint for the overhaul of Utah's health-care system that could be a model for a more rational approach to national reform. In one fell swoop, Obama effectively eliminated one of the most qualified Republicans to challenge his health-care reform, as well as...

If you’re a fan of classic American firearms (such as the A5 self-loading shotgun, Model 1895 rifle, Model 1897 pump shotgun, model 1911 pistol, and the legendary M2 50-cal BMG), here’s an item of interest. The 8-bedroom Ogdon, Utah house originally built for John Moses Browning is on the market for $374,900. As John Moses Browning is widely considered to be a genius and the greatest American gun designer ever, this house is “hallowed ground” for Browning devotees. The house includes an attic suite with a room that served as Browning’s workshop. One wonders what remarkable designs were hatched in...

We need to take back utah from oppressive and excessive federal control and environmental agendas. To help us better control public land in Utah and provide for improved access and control for the public instead of from the public, plan to attend our HUGE rally...PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. Go to www.takebackutah.org. You can also find us on Facebook (Utah Shared Access Allaince has hosted a event page). This is a huge issue in the west, we all need topull together, so even if you can;t come or aren;t intereste in our specific cause PLEASE spread the word to others through...

The most complete skeleton of a type of pot-bellied dinosaur, a therizinosaur, has been discovered in southern Utah. Such remains shed light on the evolution of leafy and meaty diets back in paleo times, suggesting that iconic predators like Velociraptor may have evolved from less fearsome plant-eating ancestors. The newly discovered dinosaur, dubbed Nothronychus graffami, lived some 93 million years ago. When alive, the animal would have stood at 13 feet (4 meters) and sported a beaked mouth and forelimbs tipped with 9 inch- (22 cm)-long sickle claws. Its stumpy legs, large gut and other features suggest the lumbering giant...

SALT LAKE CITY -- A New York judge sentenced Bernard Madoff today to 150 years in prison. The judge imposed the maximum sentence because he says he wanted to send a message that Madoff's multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme is not just a "bloodless crime that takes place on paper. " Prosecutors say the Madoff case is a perfect example of what they call "affinity fraud." They are scams that prey on members of close knit groups such as religious or ethnic communities, the elderly, or professional associations. Utah too has seen a slew of affinity-fraud cases. These scams exploit trust...

An ambitious director might look at Mitch Halligan's property and see an instant B-movie classic: "Invasion of the Grasshoppers." The place is overrun with the greasy little bugs. With each step you take on his property, the squirmy inch-long grasshoppers jump for cover in every direction. Those that don't crunch under foot perch themselves atop tall grass stalks, crawl up pant legs or munch through gardens.

An F-16 pilot missing after his jet crashed overnight during training at Hill Air Force Base was killed, according to a friend of the pilot's family in Candler, N.C. Hill officials would not release the pilot's name or confirm his death, but Bill Jamison confirmed that Capt. George Bryan Houghton, 28, of Candler, was killed during a nighttime exercise over the Utah Test and Training Range in the massive, rugged and remote west desert around 10:25 p.m. Monday. Col. Scott Dennis, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, said the pilot's body was recovered near Wendover after a seven-hour search. Houghton,...

The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers Monday not to use skin products made by Clarcon because of high levels of disease-causing bacteria found during a recent inspection. Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah, issued a voluntary recall of some skin sanitizers and skin protectants marketed under several different brand names, the FDA said in a statement. Consumers should not use any Clarcon products and should throw them away, the FDA said.

Medal of Honor recipient, George Wahlen dies June 5th, 2009 @ 6:30pm Salt Lake City -- Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Utah resident George E. Wahlen died Friday morning after an extended illness. Wahlen was 84-years-old. Wahlen earned the Medal of Honor as a Navy Corpsman at the battle of Iwo Jima where he is credited for saving countless lives. He was injured on three separate occasions but refused to leave the battlefield. President Harry S. Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Wahlen in 1945. He later re-enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served during the Korean...

What may be the final follow-up to the Valentine’s week massacre of 2007 got local coverage only — in the Salt Lake Tribune and by Salt Lake City radio station KSL. But at least a couple of the findings in this recently released FBI report on the incident go unmentioned by either news organization. Here are the significant findings in the report about Bosnian-Muslim murderer Sulejman Talovic, who killed five Americans and wounded four: 1) Talovic was described as a religious Muslim, attending mosque on Fridays and praying outside of mosque as well. 2) He wore a necklace with a...

Utah's (and my) RINO Governor accepted the nomination to serve as ambassador to China, under President Obama. This seems to put to rest his alleged bid at the 2012 Presidency. The only question is, why? From Politico:The move is freighted with political intrigue. Huntsman, who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, quickly emerged after November as one of the leading moderate GOP voices… Huntsman, who met with Obama’s transition team to discuss energy policy, was in Washington on Friday night, ahead of a planned Saturday announcement by the White House, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Several Utah news organizations said the...

This is a very clever move by President Barack Obama. He's chosen Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah as his ambassador to China. A Republican, former ambassador to Singapore and fluent Mandarin speaker, Huntsman has recently staked out centrist stances on gay rights, climate change and stimulus spending. He'd made clear his contempt for the Republican congressional leadership, saying: "I have not met them. I don't listen or read whatever it is they say because it is inconsequential - completely." That made him the best-placed moderate Republican to challenge for the 2012 presidential nomination. By any analysis, at this stage a...

Breaking News.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. will resign and accept an appointment as ambassador to China, ABC 4 has confirmed. A press conference has been called for Saturday morning at the White House to annouce the appointment.

TEA PARTY RALLY WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009--12:00 NOON--UTAH STATE CAPITOL--WEST STAIRS (INSIDE, 2nd FLOOR) Many of us in the Tea Party Movement (and MANY other groups) have spent countless hours speaking to our local representatives about States' Rights and now they are listening! Utah legislators are forming "The Patrick Henry Caucus" (Founding Members: Keith Grover, Chris Herrod, Stephen Sandstrom, Ken Sumsion, and Carl Wimmer) and are holding a press conference on Wednesday at 12:00 noon on the 20th of May 2009 at the State Capitol. The Patrick Henry Caucus will focus on introducing legislation to take our States' Rights back....

He's owned a business in Salt Lake City for 20 years, he's voted, paid his taxes and even served on a jury, but it turns out this man is not an American Citizen. "I was quite dumbfounded," said Philip Kearns, when he found out he was not an American. "I'm an American citizen, I'm an American…If I'm not an American citizen what am I? Philip was born in Manchester England. When he was 10 years old his parents moved the family to Salt Lake City. When Philip was 18 years old, his parents officially became American citizens. Philip automatically thought...

Paleontologists say a 75-million-year-old turtle fossil uncovered in southern Utah has a clutch of eggs inside, making it the first prehistoric pregnant turtle found in the United States. At least three eggs are visible from the outside of the fossil, and ...studying images taken from a CT scan in search of others inside. the turtle was probably about a week from laying her eggs ...

ALT LAKE CITY -- Utah lawmakers are considering following Montana's lead and claiming state's rights in the war over gun control. The Montana Legislature passed and its governor signed into law a measure making guns that are made and kept within state boundaries exempt from federal regulations. That means they're exempt from things like background checks, licensing and registration.

SALT LAKE CITY – Despite having their own radioactive waste dump, three states have shipped millions of cubic feet of waste across the country this decade to a private Utah facility that is the only one available to 36 other states, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Department of Energy records. The shipments are stoking concerns that waste from Connecticut, New Jersey and South Carolina is taking up needed space in Utah, unnecessarily creating potential shipping hazards and undermining the government's intent for states to dispose of their own waste on a regional basis.

- As he nears a final decision, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is giving "prayerful consideration" to running for the U.S. Senate. In an exclusive interview with ABC 4, Shurtleff says he will make a decision about challenging Bob Bennett by the end of next week. In a very candid interview Wednesday, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told us he wants to run for senator. But his wife is a different story. Mark Shurtleff told us, "She asked for a month to talk me out of it." Shurtleff's wife, according to the attorney general, has concerns about things like: “...having to commute,...

Jose Calzadillas spent two years serving his faith as a Mormon missionary. He worked with the Spanish-speaking community in Ohio, spreading the word about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and doing volunteer work on his days off. Those who knew him in the mission field describe him as kind and hardworking. When he had completed his two years, he attempted to board a plane at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, only to be detained by Customs and Border Patrol officials for having improper documentation.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman said Thursday that Utah's constitutional ban on gay marriage is unclear on the issue of civil unions between gay couples, and that a court will probably have to decide if the unions are allowed here. "I don't know that that bans it specifically," Huntsman said. "I think that ultimately could be a court case and that might be adjudicated in court over time if it ever gets to that level. But that wasn't clear." The Republican governor says that while he supports traditional marriage, he also supports same-sex civil unions. "To my...