KDXU Sunrise Stories for January 11, 2024: Utah Officials to Endorse Nikki Haley in Presidential Race

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 129 

Statewide News – 01/11/24 

Utah Officials to Endorse Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley 

Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson and Utah First Lady Abby Cox are expected to endorse Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley in an announcement this morning. 

Henderson and Cox will be joined by some personnel behind Haley’s campaign to announce their support for the former UN ambassador who is slowly climbing up the polls. 

According to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, Haley received 13% of the Utah GOP poll. Haley is still far behind Former U.S. President Donald Trump and is trailing slightly behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 

Cox Continues Smartphone School Ban Campaign 

Utah Governor Spencer Cox is continuing his campaign to ban smartphones/cell phones in K-12 schools across the state of Utah. 

Just as he promised at the end of 2023, Cox has been speaking with educational leaders and the State Board of Education to keep student’s phones in their locker or backpack during class time. 

Cox said some schools like Delta High School and Evergreen Junior High have already banned smartphones in their classrooms and have found that learning apparently improved and student engagement increased. 

New Opening Date for Beloved Utah Ice Castle Exhibit 

A new opening date has been announced for the Ice Castles in Midway after a delay thanks to Utah’s late Winter weather. 

Visitors will find ice-carved tunnels, fountains, and towers of ice with color-changing lights starting January 15. A soda and hot chocolate bar will also be available for visitors. 

You’ll only have a few weeks to enjoy the exhibit since tickets are only available through February. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 01/11/24 

Man Arrested in Southern Utah for 2019 Arizona Plane Crash  

A typical traffic stop in Southern Utah led to the arrest of an Arizona man who committed involuntary man slaughter in Early 2019.  

47-year-old Christopher Anderson was arrested on January 7 following a traffic stop on I-15 near St. George. Anderson had a warrant for his arrest from Arizona for a plane crash that killed a woman in January 2019. 

Anderson reportedly took shots of insulin before flying the plane and didn’t provide enough fuel to the aircraft, which investigators said caused the crash. 

Anderson then lied to police concerning what caused the crash and subsequently killed the woman, saying it was an electrical failure. Anderson has since been arrested and transferred to Arizona police. 

Southern Utah Man with Extensive Criminal Record Arrested Once Again  

After breaking into a Santa Clara home on January 8, 29-year-old Trenton Ryan Begay was arrested once again, adding to his already extensive criminal record. 

Begay was out on probation for an assault in December 2022 when he allegedly kicked an SGPD officer in the groin and headbutted another officer. Begay was out on probation during the assault for an aggravated arson case in May 2021. 

It’s unclear how long Begay will stay in custody this time around or if he will be eligible for probation. 

Southern Utah Sees Job Growth...Except Garfield County 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Southern Utah has seen an overall increase in employment opportunities. 

The metropolitan area of St. George has added more than 3,000 jobs since June 2023, and Iron County has seen 1,000 more jobs added in the same amount of time.  

The only county in Southern Utah that didn’t see any increase was Garfield County which lost 173 jobs. The jobs lost fell in the categories of education, health, and hospitality services. 

Other 

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

Stockton has been feeling superhero fatigue when it comes to film and television, but he finally found a diamond in the rough. If you’re OK with a more mature show, Stockton recommends Echo on Disney+. If you’re a fan of Daredevil on Netflix, Stockton said you’re going to love what Echo has to offer. 

Happy Friday Eve!