California

3 Utahns drown on canyoneering trip in California

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2024

3 Utahns drown on canyoneering trip in California

SALT LAKE CITY — The families of three Utahns are mourning after their loved ones drowned while canyoneering in California.

The three friends were hiking near the Seven Teacups area in Tulare County when the incident happened.

“He loved making moments special for people,” said Summerisa Bell Stevens, sister of one of the victims, David Bell.

Friendly to everybody

From spending time with his family to the outdoors with friends Stevens described her 48-year-old brother as a friend to everyone.

“I think that is where he thrived. There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for anyone,” Stevens said.

That dedication extended to Bell’s community. Bell was co-founder of the Harrington Center for the Arts, a non-profit in America Fork, devoted to supporting creatives and the arts, and owner of Runtastic Events, the creative force behind several marathons held across Utah.

“He helped people achieve a goal and then feel the joy from that,” Valecia Green, Bell’s older sister said. “He loved being outside, (and) he felt like he connected with God outside.”

On Friday, David was in California with a group of 13 friends, They were canyoneering near the Seven Teacups area in Tulare County, about 80 miles northeast of Bakersfield.

“They had had a seamless beautiful day canyoneering together. They were actually at very the end of that experience,” Stevens said.

“The leader [of the group] had done this trip, I think she said 15 times, so it was just the very last four foot drop into a pool, a little pool,” Green said.

“From the top of the surface you wouldn’t have been able to tell that anything was wrong,” Stevens added.

Something went wrong

According to Stevens and Green, David’s dear friend Jeannine Skinner was the first to jump in. The group soon realized something was wrong.

“At first they didn’t understand what was going on,” Stevens said.

Skinner wasn’t surfacing and appeared to be caught in an undercurrent unable to get out. Their friend Peter On was nearby and dove in first help her. David, who was higher up, soon followed him in.

“There was a circular current that they think was caused by either a large log or a rock that was pushed into that area,” Stevens said. “Pete immediately jumped into the water to help Jeannine. At one point he got out and he was able to get away from the current and extended his hand and she couldn’t reach it so he went back in to try to get her.”

Unfortunately, all three were caught in the current.

“It sounds like it was circular, they would come under and then come back up,” Green said.

“[Then] Dave was able to get himself out of the cycle at the same time that Pete went unconscious, but Dave saw that Jeannine was still in the pattern, he went back and tried to get her out as well,” Stevens said.

All three lost consciousness. Their friends were able to pull them out within seven minutes and performed CPR for more than 20 minutes, doing everything they could, but it was too late.

“These are all really experienced people and one of them was a nurse practitioner,” Stevens said. “We’ve been able to get a little bit of closure by talking to the people there.”

Holding onto their faith

As loved ones process this tragedy, they’re clinging onto their faith.

“These are three amazing, amazing individuals that will be very missed by family, friends and the community at large,” Green said.

The three victims’ bodies were recovered on Saturday. They will be brought back to Utah for funeral services.

According to NBC affiliate KGET, the Tulare County Fire Department initially reported that a fourth person injured but David’s family says there was some confusion and no one else was hurt.

There is a marathon in Payson on Sept. 7 that will be held in honor of David, Jeannine and Pete.

The friends of David, Jeannine, and Pete are asked to share their memories and stories by clicking here.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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California

California sheriff running for governor seizes over 650,000 ballots from 2025 election

Published

15 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

California sheriff running for governor seizes over 650,000 ballots from 2025 election

A California sheriff who is running as a Republican for governor has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last year’s election, escalating an ongoing conflict with state officials.

Chad Bianco, Riverside county’s sheriff, says he is carrying out an investigation into allegations that ballots were unlawfully cast in last year’s election that resulted in the passage of Proposition 50. The proposition redrew congressional districts to help gerrymander the state in favor of Democrats, in response to similar measures in Republican states like Texas.

Election officials and the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, have both dismissed those allegations. The discrepancy between the machine count and the final count submitted to the state is only 103 votes, according to the Riverside Record.

Bianco’s investigators obtained the ballots after serving the registrar of voters with search warrants last month, he said Friday at a press conference. A Riverside superior court judge appointed a special master to count the ballots, Bianco said.

“This investigation is simple: physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes recorded,” Bianco said.

Bianco has pushed the investigation for months, after a group called the Riverside Election Integrity Team, composed of local residents, contended that a discrepancy of 45,896 votes exists between the final vote count and handwritten records that tallied hand-counted ballots.

“There is no indication, anywhere in the United States, of widespread voter fraud,” Bonta said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Counts, recounts, hand counts, audits, and court cases all support this.”

Bonta, a Democrat, called Bianco’s move unprecedented and says it is designed to sow distrust in elections.

Bianco is one of the two most prominent Republicans running in California’s crowded gubernatorial primary that includes more than half a dozen Democrats. California runs a top-two primary system that puts all candidates on the same ballot, regardless of party, and sends the two candidates who get the most voters on to the November general election.

Bonta has repeatedly sent letters to Bianco’s office over the last two months saying his staff is not qualified to conduct a recount. In one of the letters, Bonta wrote that the ballot seizure was “unacceptable” and “sets a dangerous precedent and will only sow distrust in our elections”.

California voters last year decisively passed the redistricting ballot initiative championed by Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor, in response to Donald Trump’s attempts to gerrymander new conservative seats in red states. California Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, challenged the measure, but the US supreme court denied an emergency petition to keep the new maps from moving forward.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

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California

California warns against Fresno company’s raw cheddar after multistate E. coli outbreak

Published

2 days ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

California warns against Fresno company’s raw cheddar after multistate E. coli outbreak

Saturday, March 21, 2026 11:35PM

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The California Department of Public Health is advising consumers and businesses not to eat, serve, or sell raw cheddar cheese manufactured and distributed by Fresno-based company ‘RAW FARM.’

The products involved are “RAW FARM” block and shredded varieties from the facility located on Jameson Avenue.

The Food and Drug Administration says at least seven people total have gotten sick in Texas, California, and Florida. More than half of the illnesses are in children.

The FDA has suggested that the farm remove its raw cheese products from the market. The CDC is suggesting people consider not eating the cheese.

However, the company has declined, while also refusing to comply with a mandatory recall.

More information on the outbreak can be found on the FDA’s and CDC’s websites.

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California

I booked a bedroom and a roomette on the same overnight Amtrak train. The bedroom is worth the splurge for longer rides.

Published

3 days ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

I booked a bedroom and a roomette on the same overnight Amtrak train. The bedroom is worth the splurge for longer rides.

If you’re traveling somewhere between Chicago and San Francisco, I highly suggest making a trip of it by taking the California Zephyr, an incredibly scenic overnight Amtrak train through the American West.

I’ve ridden it twice. In January 2025, I took a 15-hour leg of the route from Denver to Salt Lake City and booked a roomette for $400. Then, in February 2026, I took the entire 53-hour journey from Chicago to Emeryville, California, and booked a bedroom for $2,200.

If you’re wondering if the bedroom was worth the upgrade, I think it depends on how long your trip is. But I’ll give you all the details so you can decide for yourself.

I’ve taken two overnight train trips aboard the California Zephyr.

A parked double-decker Amtrak train on a platform with a mountain in the background — The California Zephyr stopped at a platform in Colorado.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The California Zephyr is a double-decker Amtrak Superliner train that runs between Chicago and Emeryville, California.

The train has coach cars with regular seating and sleeper cars with private cabin accommodations — roomettes (the lowest tier), bedrooms, and bedroom suites (two joined bedrooms). There are also larger, family-sized bedrooms and accessible bedrooms.

First, I stayed in a roomette for a 15-hour trip from Colorado to Utah.

The author sits with her feet up in an Amtrak roomette looking out a window to the left — The author relaxes in a roomette on the California Zephyr.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

For the shorter journey from Denver to Salt Lake City, I booked a roomette for $400. With two seats and two beds, the roomette sleeps up to two passengers, though I was traveling alone.

Then I booked a bedroom for a 53-hour trip from Illinois to California.

The author standing smiling in the Amtrak bedroom with a bunk bed in the background — The author enjoys a bedroom in the California Zephyr.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked a bedroom for the full journey from Chicago to Emeryville for $2,200. The bedroom is roughly twice the size of a roomette and also includes a full bathroom. The bedroom also sleeps two, but again, I was traveling solo.

At 50 square feet, the bedroom was more than twice the size of the roomette.

Inside an Amtrak bedroom with two seats across from eachother in front of a wide window — Inside the bedroom accommodation.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The bedroom had a couch and a seat facing each other, with a table between them. I appreciated having a couch for the longer trip because I could stretch out and relax during the day.

I also liked that there was a bit more floor space in the bedroom.

In the roomette, the two chairs folded down to form a lower bunk.

A composite image of two train seats converted into a bed with a blue blanket — Seats in the roomette folded down into a bed.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The bed was cushy and wide enough to snuggle up comfortably.

In the bedroom, the couch folded down to form a cot that appeared to be slightly wider than the roomette bunk.

A composite image of the bottom bunk in the Amtrak bedroom with sheets and a blue blanket on top, and the author lying in bed looking out the window — The author rests in the lower bunk in the bedroom.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The lower bunk in the bedroom felt more spacious than the one in the roomette.

Both rooms also had a top bunk that pulled down from the ceiling.

The author lays on the top bunk in an Amtrak bedroom. There's a couch below and a ladder on the left — The author relaxes in the bedroom’s top bunk.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Since I had two nights in the bedroom, I spent one night in each bunk.

The bedroom had a full en suite bathroom.

A composite image of a toilet behind a shower and a sink and vanity with a storage cabinet on the right in an Amtrak bedroom — The bathroom inside the bedroom.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Inside the bedroom, there was a sink and vanity with a built-in cabinet where I found hand towels, soaps, toilet paper, and space to store my own toiletries. The toilet and shower were in a tiny space separated by a door.

For two nights on a train, I was thankful to have my own shower.

Roomette passengers shared a bathroom and a shower with other sleeper cabin passengers.

A composite image of a glass shower door with a skyline etching on it and the inside of the shower — The shared shower in the sleeper car.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Since I only spent 15 hours in the roomette, I didn’t mind not having a bathroom in my room. I didn’t use the shared shower; instead, I washed up once I arrived at my destination.

The bedroom had more storage space than the roomette.

A composite image of luggage storage in the roomette and bedroom — Storage in the roomette (left) and bedroom (right).

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Each room had a mini closet with two hangers inside, as well as a shelf that appeared to be for storing luggage. In the roomette, the shelf was only large enough for my backpack, but in the bedroom, it held my carry-on suitcase.

On both trips, I also had access to shared luggage storage space in the train car.

The bedroom also had a larger mirror.

A composite image of the author in mirrors in the roomette and bedroom — The mirror in the roomette (left) and the bedroom (right).

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Both rooms had mirrors, but the roomette mirror was shorter and thinner. So I appreciated the wide, full-length mirror in the bedroom. It wasn’t just convenient for getting ready — it also made the space feel larger.

Both bookings included meals.

Inside an empty train dining car with blue booths — Inside the dining car on the California Zephyr.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Passengers had the option of eating in the dining car or in their rooms.

I think I booked the right room for each trip.

A composite image of the author sitting in a seat inside an Amtrak train's roomette accommodation, looking out a window on the left, and the inside of an Amtrak bedroom with a sofa and closet on the left, a sink on the right, and a sliding door with a curtain in the middle — The author in the roomette (left) and a peek inside the bedroom (right).

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The bedroom served me well for the two-night journey, and I would splurge on it for any Amtrak trip 24 hours or longer. I think it’s worth the added price for the extra space and full bathroom.

At the same time, I’m glad I booked the roomette for the 15-hour journey. It was a short trip compared to other overnight rides, so sacrificing some comforts and privacy to save money was a good move for me.

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