KDXU Sunrise Stories for October 19, 2023: Domestic Violence in Salt Lake, Disc Golf in St. George, and Raunchy Halloween Decorations

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 76 

Statewide News – 10/19/23 

16,000 Domestic Violence Charges in Salt Lake County 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Officials and activists of Salt Lake County are cracking down on the prevalence of domestic violence in the area. 

According to the District Attorney’s Office, more than 16,000 domestic violence charges have been filed in the past seven years with over 10,000 of those being felony charges. 

An advocate told members of the press that the community needs to embrace and believe victims of domestic violence rather than doubt them. 

Cottonwood Cyclist Suffers from Wrong Way Driver 

A teenage cyclist from Cottonwood Heights is recovering from injuries they sustained after avoiding a wrong-way driver.  

The cyclist swerved out of the way of an SUV driving toward them on the wrong side of the road, giving the teen a broken nose, fractured kneecap, and some loose teeth.  

The cyclist’s family is currently searching for the SUV through doorbell footage to locate the driver. 

Raunchy Halloween Decoration Removed in Grantsville 

Officials from the city of Grantsville ordered the removal of a Halloween decoration display. 

The display in question was a life-sized skeleton hanging upside down from a street sign, akin to a stripper on a pole. The officials said the decorations violated a city code that bans residents from attaching anything to street signs. 

The residents who put up the skeleton took down the decoration from the street sign and placed it in the front yard of a home attached to a pole. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 10/19/23 

Washington Woman Says Yes to Prison Sentence 

Melissa Miner, a Washington City resident who was arrested following a DUI charge that reportedly led to the death of 23-year-old Deliberto A. Pablo-Cruz in July 2022, has been sentenced. 

Miner’s sentencing came earlier than expected with the original hearing scheduled to take place on October 10, but Miner reportedly told the judge she was ready to be sentenced in September. 

When the hearing began, the judge asked if she was ready to serve her time in prison, and in response, Miner said “yes I am.” She will serve one to 15 years in prison 

SUU See’s Enrollment Increase 

More students are attending public colleges throughout the state of Utah, and Southern Utah University is seeing the highest increase. 

SUU is seeing an increase in enrollment by about 5%, which officials of the university said is the largest increase in the school’s history. 

Utah Tech University in St. George also saw an increase, but not nearly as large as SUU. 

Beaverwood Disc Golf Course Opens Today 

The first ever 18-hole disc golf course in St. George opens today at 741 St. James Lane. 

The Disc Golf Course spans just over a mile with 5,962 feet of chains just waiting to be rattled. Something you may not know about disc golf is that you don’t usually use a traditional flying disc. 

You can buy disc golf kits from sporting goods stores across St. George, and it comes with a disc version of drivers and putters along with mid-range options as well. You can find more details on the new Beaverwood Disc Golf Course in our full article. 

Other 

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

Stockton’s high school years took place during the apex of the Ultimate Frisbee trend. If you don’t know what Ultimate Frisbee is, then good for you, because Stockton can’t remember either, and he played it with friends during lunch. Stockton thinks he’s getting old, but he’s only 27. 

Happy Friday Eve!