KDXU Sunrise Stories for January 18, 2024: Local Artists! St. George Needs YOU

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 133 

Statewide News – 01/18/24 

More Details on Salt Lake City Storage Murder 

More details have been released regarding the murder of David Hinkebein, a crime that came to light following the discovery of Hinkebein’s body in a Salt Lake City storage facility on January 3. 

Nathan Evans was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Hinkebein after he reportedly hit the victim in the head 15 times. Evans then attempted to hide the body in one of the storage units of the storage facility where he and Hinkebein were employed. 

Evans is reportedly homeless and has also been charged with desecration of a human body, a second-degree felony. 

Confusion Over Diversity Budget at State Universities 

The State Legislature and the Utah System of Higher Education have different accounts on how much money went toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at universities across Utah in 2023. 

Officials from the USHE said about $3 million was used in DEI programs while the legislature claims more than $11 million was used. Despite the dispute, these amounts only make up less than 1% of the university budgets. 

This comes during a controversial time with Utah Governor Spencer Cox seeking to defund DEI programs with Cox claiming the DEI program is not effective enough. Cox would have the programs replaced with “student success programs.” 24 people may lose their jobs if the law passes. 

Utah Youth Social Media Law Drama Continues 

More contention is being felt surrounding Utah’s new Social Media Youth laws. A new lawsuit was filed on January 16 with concerns over the age verification requirement for social media sites in Utah. 

The lawsuit argued the verification requirement violates the constitution. State Congress has been attempting to push back the enactment date from March 1 to October 1 to keep the first lawsuit filed in December from reaching a preliminary junction. 

Republican Kirk Cullimore reported the original bill will be replaced before the October 1 deadline.  

Southern Utah/St. George News – 01/18/24 

St. George Tailgating Incident Leads to Rush Hour Traffic Jam 

Traffic was backed up on 700 South in St. George near Harmons during rush hour on January 17 following a rear-end collision. 

The incident itself didn’t produce any injuries, but the time and place of the accident created a sizeable inconvenience to workers making their way home. 

The cause of the accident was a simple tailgating case as a result of the bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour. If you feel like tailgating will save you time during your commute, please consider the lives around you before doing so. 

Cedar City Council Wants to Hear Your Opinion 

Members of the Cedar City Council are asking residents to bring their opinions to the city council meetings. 

The council consists of five legislative members along with the Cedar City mayor. The legislative group meets every Wednesday at the council chambers located at 10 North Main Street. 

If you live in Cedar City and want your voice to be heard, consider attending a meeting to give your opinion to the city officials. 

St. George and PEG Companies Recruiting Artists for Downtown Mural 

The city of St. George is working with PEG Companies, the owner and developer of the Advenire Hotel and St. George City Apartments in Downtown St. George, to paint a large-scale mural in the Historic Downtown St. George area. 

To do so, they are accepting proposals from inspired artists who would like to be involved in the project. 

If you feel like you have a good idea of what the mural should look like, you can give your proposal by going through their official website. 

Other 

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

Stockton will never get used to funerals. He’s only been to a handful of these mournful occasions, but he can never figure out just what to feel; However, he knows that this is completely normal for anyone mourning the loss of a loved one. Stockton didn’t mean to write a downer of a fun fact, but he felt he needed to write it, nonetheless.  

Happy Friday Eve.