KDXU Sunrise Stories for February 1, 2024: Fatal Hit-and-Run On Old Highway 91 Near St. George

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 143 

Statewide News – 02/01/24 

Teacher Liability Under Fire by Proposed Utah Bill 

A new potential bill from the Utah legislature would hold teachers liable if they provide banned books to their students. 

Teachers would be dealt a misdemeanor if they have “objectively sensitive” materials in their classrooms. The bill would cause schools to lose their governmental immunity that prevents lawsuits for something that was part of their government duties. 

The new bill would also prevent school board members from interrupting people reading from books or other types of literature allowed in Utah schools. 

Multiple Water Bills in Utah Legislature 

Multiple bills have been proposed in the Utah legislature that could improve water conservation and maintenance. 

Ten bills have been proposed across the Senate and House with a focus on requiring metering at secondary water connection sites, and line ditches, and making infrastructure planning a state-level process rather than a local level. 

Many more bullet points are being covered in these proposed bills, and you can find more information on the subject in Leia Larsen’s article in the Salt Lake Tribune. 

Weekend Storm Could Bring Feet of Snow to Northern Utah 

The pleasant weather may be ending for now in Northern Utah due to a new storm system moving over the Wasatch Front. 

Rain is expected in many areas of the region today, but it is predicted to switch to snow over the weekend. The main Salt Lake City area will be slightly warmer with a mix of snow and rain. 

Higher elevations across the valley could see about two feet of snow with colder temperatures to back it up. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 02/01/24 

Fatal Hit and Run on Old Highway 91 Near St. George 

Two vehicle accidents occurred at the same location in the late evening of January 31 on Old Highway 91 and Bulldog Pass. 

The first accident was a single-vehicle rollover crash at about 9:30 p.m. with injuries reported. Unfortunately, the second accident was a fatal hit-and-run just 30 minutes after the first accident at about 10 p.m. 

Two suspects have been arrested in connection to the accidents, but we’re still waiting on key details. We’ll provide an update as soon as we know more. 

Cedar City Lands 3 Year Deal with Special Olympics 

Starting in 2025, the Utah Special Olympics will be held at Southern Utah University in collaboration with the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games. 

The Special Olympics is scheduled for just before the Utah Summer Games and is expected to use many of the same venues at SUU. 

SUU signed a three-year contract with the Utah Special Olympics to take place exclusively in Iron County. 

New St. George Thrift Store to Help Those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia 

The Memory Matters Thrift Store is expected to open in St. George on February 9 to provide free services and training to caregivers working with Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients. 

Memory Matters Utah is a local non-profit focused on providing care to those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The charity is no stranger to St. George with the Memory Matters Activity Center already assisting patients by providing stimulating activities. 

The pandemic hasn’t been kind to the charity due to a significant decrease in personal donations to Memory Matters Utah. 

Other 

Fun fact about Stockton Myers, the writer of Sunrise Stories. 

Here’s Stockton’s favorite joke as a kid. Two muffins are sitting in an oven, one muffin turn to the other and says, “Man it’s hot in here.” The second muffin then looks over to the first muffin and says, “HOLY CRAP A TALKING MUFFIN!” On an unrelated note, Stockton had a hard time making friends as a kid. 

Happy February!