Utah
Event helps Utah refugee students, families prepare for upcoming school year
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — Kids in Utah are gearing up to head back to school this month.
A back-to-school night was held Tuesday at Granite Park Junior High School to help Utah’s refugee children and families get all the necessary supplies for the new school year.
Tetini Kamanova was born and raised in the western part of Ukraine.
She left home with her three children in March of 2022, shortly after the war with Russia started.
“It was my first time when I left Ukraine. It was heartbreaking… It was hard for my children,” said Kamanova. “We really think we will [go] back to Ukraine, but war doesn’t stop and we decided we need to do something because we need to think about our children, and we decided to move to America.”
Kamanova has been in the United States for two years. On Tuesday, she came to check the back-to-school night.
“It’s really awesome because I really feel this support and love from people who organize this,” said Kamanova.
Organizers say the event gets bigger every year. This year, they expected 2,000 people to come though, up from 900 in 2023.
“It just makes me feel like going to school again,” said 11-year-old Khairat Yassin.
Yassin says her parents are refugees from Africa.
She is getting ready to start the sixth grade and was pretty excited to get a new pink backpack.
“I feel like it’s important because some people out there can’t afford backpacks, and you get free backpacks here,” said Yassin.
Tuesday’s event was put on by the Granite School District, in collaboration with the Utah Refugee Connection.
“This is I think our ninth year doing this annual back-to-school event,” said Amy Dott Harmer, the executive director of Utah Refugee Connection. “All of these backpacks… are given by someone in the community that wants refugees to feel like they’re safe, they’re seen and they’re supported.”
Harmer told FOX 13 News on Tuesday that there are 65,000 refugees in Utah. She says about 70% of the refugee population is in the Granite School District currently.
“We’re so grateful to have them here, and so this is the least we can do to help them get started in school,” said Shawn Nielson, the associate director of family and community engagement with the school district.
Whether it was getting back to school supplies, some new shoes or to just come out and enjoy the event, those who turned out say they are grateful.
“We feel belong here and loved and helped. Thank you,” said Kamanova.
Harmer says they had about 100 volunteers helping orchestrate Tuesday’s event. She says they do about five major events every year, including a Christmas event and one for International Women’s Day.
Utah
Penalties to be enforced if Trump’s face covered on national park passes, reports say
SALT LAKE CITY — Those using a new national park pass who want to enjoy Utah’s “Mighty Five” better do so with President Donald Trump’s face perfectly intact, or you might pay a literal price.
The new annual park passes, which debuted on Jan. 1, feature Trump’s image alongside that of George Washington. At the same time as the release, the Department of the Interior reportedly updated its rules to ensure Trump’s face remains free and clear.
According to the Washington Post, the updated “Void if Altered” policy prohibits anyone from defacing the pass or covering up any images or information on the cards. Visitors found by rangers to have altered a pass by any means will be ordered to return it to its original condition or possibly be charged a regular entrance fee.
SFGate reported the policy originally prohibited any alteration of the signature portion of the pass, with the updated policy including the front of the card, with a warning that “writing on it or adding stickers or other coverings” is no longer allowed.
Anti-DEI mandates at national parks include Zion gift shop:
‘History deserves honesty,’ anti-DEI mandates at national parks include Zion gift shop
Many believe the updated policy is in direct response to the large pushback over the inclusion of Trump, leaving people to share creative ways to hide the president’s image from passes, including stickers and sleeves.
Along with the suggestions on how to hide Trump’s image, a nonprofit environmental group has filed a lawsuit claiming its design did not comply with legislation that requires public participation in the selection.
Utah
Two killed, six wounded in shooting outside Mormon church in Utah
Two people were killed, and at least six were wounded when gunfire erupted outside a funeral at a Mormon church in Utah on Wednesday night, according to authorities and reports.
Eight people were hit by gunfire when shots rang out outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City around 7:30 p.m., Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Glen Mills told the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Two people were killed, and six people were injured in the shooting that occurred outside in the church’s parking lot as dozens were attending a funeral service inside.
Of the six wounded, three individuals are in critical condition, the Salt Lake City Police Department posted on X. All of the victims were adults.
There were no suspects in custody as of late Wednesday night, and it is not immediately clear if there were multiple gunmen involved. A motive was also unknown.
However, police said they have obtained solid leads in the investigation and are working to locate individuals involved in the shooting.
“We believe this was not a random incident,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told reporters.
The shooting was not believed to be targeting a religion, Redd clarified.
Roughly 100 law enforcement vehicles swarmed the area in the aftermath of the gunfire as helicopters flew overhead.
The area around the Mormon church remained closed into the evening as authorities urged the public to stay clear of the still active scene.
“This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
The Salt Lake City Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The incident remains under investigation.
With Post wires.
Utah
Kevin Love Admits He Didn’t See Jazz Trade Coming
The Utah Jazz’s experiment to bring in 18-year league veteran Kevin Love thus far into the 2025-26 campaign has been a pretty solid success in the first two-plus months of the season.
Love has been a positive voice in the locker room as the most tenured NBA veteran on the roster, he’s been vocal about enjoying his time and role with the organization, and for his time on the floor throughout the first 30 or so games of the regular season, he’s nestled into a consistent rotational player as the Jazz’s backup center as Walker Kessler has been out with a shoulder injury.
But when he first arrived in Utah via a three-team trade from the Miami Heat, packed within the deal that sent John Collins to the LA Clippers, Love didn’t quite know what to expect out of his experience; he didn’t even anticipate being traded to the Jazz in the first place.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I got here, but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised from everything, from ownership, and Ryan Smith to the front office to the coaching staff, players all the way through,” Love said of the Jazz on The Old Man and the Three. “It’s been a blessing in my 18th year to be a part of this team and some place, I mean, you never know where you’re going to end up.”
“I did not expect to be traded but as far as a landing spot goes and just saying, yeah, so many people are saying ‘Oh what if it doesn’t work out? What if it doesn’t work out?’ I’m like ‘What if it does?’, right?And I think just adding value whether I’m playing or not is something that’s given me a lot of happiness and a lot of joy this late in my career. And I think that has allowed me to see a lot of the good and what this team has been able to bring and move forward.”
Kevin Love Settling in Nicely With Utah Jazz
Love’s value stretches both on and off the floor for the Jazz, which makes sense for why the veteran big man has been loving his time since being on the roster. The 2016 NBA champion was vocal before the season about his desire to be a value add for wherever that may be, including Utah, and he’s been able to carve out just the right role for himself at this point in his career.
During his 20 games played for the Jazz this season, Love has averaged 7.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shooting 41.1% from the field in just over 17 minutes a night when he plays, and has proven he can still be a guy worthy of a few minutes down the rotation to fill out an NBA frontcourt, as he has for the year in Utah so far.
It remains to be seen just how long Love’s time in Utah will last. There’s not even a guarantee that the 37-year-old will finish the regular season on the roster, depending on how the next few weeks transpire around the trade deadline and as the buyout market begins to gain some traction. But, for the time that he is in Salt Lake City, he’s made it into a nice home for what’s now the fourth roster he’s been on through nearly two decades in the league.
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