KDXU Sunrise Stories for September 22, 2023: 170 Homes Without Water in Apple Valley, FanX in Salt Lake City, and Asteroid Rubble

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 59 

Statewide News – 09/22/23 

Cox Says United States is a “Declining Democracy” 

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he believes the United States is currently in a “declining democracy” during a press conference on September 21. 

Cox said that he, like other public figures, has been sent threats, and that it’s a sign of a problem that could spell the end of democracy in the U.S. 

Cox said, “There is a very real chance over the next couple of decades of a complete failure of our democratic institutions of our republic.” 

Alpine School District Accused of Mishandling Reports of Sexual Assault 

A 21-page report penned by the Office of Civil Rights accused the Alpine School District of mishandling cases of sexual assault. 

Info from the report said over 100 student to student sexual harassments, and at least 88 sexual assaults have been reported in the school district from 2017 to 2020. 

The report accused the Alpine School District of discriminating students based on sex by failing to take the reports seriously by both student and employees. 

FanX in Progress with Star-Studded Lineup 

FanX, the Salt Lake City based pop culture and comic convention, is currently underway through this weekend. 

Highlighted guests at the convention include Michael J. Fox and Cristopher Lloyd of “Back to the Future” fame, Andy Serkis who played Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” films, John Rhys-Davies from the “Indiana Jones” and “The Lord of the Rings films”, and Carrie-Anne Moss from “The Matrix” films. 

Almost 100 stars from movies, TV, and video games will be in attendance, so please check the full list to see if your favorite pop culture icon is in Salt Lake City today. 

The convention opens from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow, September 23. 

Utah to Receive Drop Off of Asteroid Rubble 

After a seven-year journey, a NASA spacecraft will drop off the largest sample collected from an asteroid, and its landing zone is in Utah. 

The rubble collected from asteroid Bennu is expected to measure at about a cup full of material from the space rock. 

The drop-off is expected to take place on September 24 in Northwestern Utah at the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range. 

The mothership, Osiris-Rex, will then move on to collect more materials from a different asteroid. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 09/22/23 

170 Homes Without Water in Apple Valley 

Approximately 170 homes in the Southern Utah area of Apple Valley are without water after a million-gallon water tank was depleted. 

The water tank’s gauge reportedly malfunctioned, causing the readings to be false, and catching the city officials unaware. 

According to Frank Lindhardt, the mayor of Apple Valley, it could be weeks until the homes are back to their normal levels of water usage.  

Water trucks have been dispatched to the area from various communities to give residents bottled water, and non-potable water to help flush toilets. 

Residents affected by the water shortage have been advised to turn off their water heaters, as it may cause some serious damage to their homes if left without running water. 

Free Admission to Utah National Parks Tomorrow 

In celebration of National Public Lands Day, admission to all of Utah’s national parks and monuments will be free on September 23. 

This includes the “Mighty 5” consisting of Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands National Parks. 

Events at each park will also be held in honor of the holiday, so please check with your park’s ranger to find out more. 

Other 

A message from Stockton Myers, the writer of Sunrise Stories. 

Stockton wanted to congratulate his grandfather and grandmother, Kent and Cheri Myers, for receiving the first ever Legacy Award from Southern Utah University.  

Kent was a professor at SUU for about 30 years starting in 1959, and he apparently had quite an impact on his students. Other alumni received awards at the same event, and all of them mentioned how vital Kent’s teachings were to them. 

Stockton’s has nothing but love and respect for his grandma and grandpa, and he’s so grateful for their love. 

Fun fact about Kent, he started out as a journalist that got up early for a public radio station in Cedar City, and he would report the news every morning on the air...sound familiar? 

Happy Friday!