Sunrise Stories: Man Pleads Guilty to Utah Trafficking of Minors

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 176

Statewide News – 03/21/24

Governor Cox Passes Ten Commandments Bill

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed another bill into law that adds the Ten Commandments and Magna Carta to Utah school history lessons.

House Bill 269, going into effect on July 1, is also known as the Public School History Curricula Amendments.

The two historical texts will be taught in the same vein as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

LDS Women Empowerment Talks Increase with Social Media Post

A social media post from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sparked a discussion regarding woman empowerment throughout the church with both critiques of the organization, and praises.

The Instagram post quotes J. Annette Dennis of the Relief Society. Dennis said, “There is no other religious organization in the world, that I know of, that has so broadly given power and authority to women.”

The comment section filled with thousands of responses to the post prompted a follow-up from the church. The church said, “Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Your comments will be shared with church leaders who follow these issues.”

Southern Utah/St. George News – 03/21/24

Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Utah Human Trafficking

According to the Associated Press, a man in Arizona has pleaded guilty to working with the leader of an offshoot polygamous sect at the Utah-Arizona border to transport underage girls across the state line for sexual purposes.

Moroni Johnson is facing ten years to life in prison for his human trafficking crimes. Police said Johnson admitted to working with Samuel Bateman, the self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the sect.

Johnson and Bateman reportedly worked together for about three years before ending their relationship in September 2022. Bateman was arrested in August 2022 for various crimes including the sexual exploitation of several minors among many other charges.

Cedar City Man Arrested for Depositing Fake Checks

A man in Cedar City has been arrested for depositing fake checks in the area.

German Mujica Aranda reportedly issued fake checks to various banks and ATMs and has earned himself a possible second-degree felony.

Aranda allegedly deposited nearly $11,000 worth of fake checks and took out almost $10,000 in cash from the false transaction. The man is out on bail and will appear in court on March 26.

Helping Desert Tortoises by Limiting Raven Population in Washington County

Washington County has approved a new plan to help juvenile desert tortoises by limiting the raven population in Southern Utah.

The $13,000 project was approved at a Washington County Commission meeting on March 19. The plan is to oil the Raven’s eggs to prevent them from developing further. This is considered to be a more humane method to limit a species’ population.

Ravens are one of the biggest predators of juvenile desert tortoises in Southern Utah since they can easily penetrate the soft-shelled eggs of the reptile.

Other

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

Stockon finally figured out a nagging technical issue at his home office that was stopping him from accomplishing certain tasks. Earlier this week, he mentioned a dual monitor setup that’s been an issue, but he finally figured it out after buying several different monitors. Now let’s see if his bank account can recover.

Happy Friday Eve!