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.
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“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.
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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.”
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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.
As the Utah Jazz look to take on the Charlotte Hornets for their second of two meetings for the season, it’ll mark the first time that a familiar face, Collin Sexton, returns to the Delta Center since his offseason trade to the East Coast.
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Earlier in this past offseason, Sexton was sent to the Hornets along with a pair of future second-round picks in exchange for veteran center Jusuf Nurki. It was a deal that was a bit criticized from Utah’s perspective upon initially going down, but in the time since, has seen both players find their way into notable roles with their new squads.
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While Nurkic is listed as questionable to suit up for the action against his former team, Sexton seems ready to go against his, and could even start back in Utah after having previously done so in the Hornets’ latest game against the Indiana Pacers; a game they fell short in 112-114.
So, not only will Sexton be looking for a bounce-back win off a loss, but he could have an extra chip on his shoulder to perform well against his former team as well.
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Collin Sexton Returns to Utah as Jazz Take on Hornets
Sexton was a part of the Jazz for three seasons from 2022 to 2025 after initially coming aboard as a part of the extensive Donovan Mitchell and Lauri Markkanen trade as a sign-and-trade acquisition, and for the tenure that he was in Salt Lake City, was a pretty significant part of the roster––playing a total of 189 games, starting in 120 of them.
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In that time, Sexton averaged 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.8% from the field and 39.8% from three, being a consistent offensive piece in the backcourt next to a growing Keyonte George and, at the time, his fellow veteran guard, Jordan Clarkson.
However, the Jazz, during their latest offseason, made the inevitable shift to focus on their young talent in place of Sexton after three good years of being a core rotational piece, sending him to Charlotte for his third team since being drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018.
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Nov 2, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) on defense against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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Since being in Charlotte, Sexton has remained about as steady as he was in Utah––averaging 15.2 points a night on 48.3% from the field, paired with 2.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, filling in once again as a valuable locker room add and veteran teammate to help bring along the Hornets’ developing roster.
Last time he went up against the Jazz, it was on his new home floor in Charlotte, making for a pretty brutal game from the Jazz, as they were blown out by Sexton and the Hornets, 103-126 at the beginning of November, which also made for the first time Utah was without Walker Kessler after he was ruled out for the season due to shoulder surgery on a torn labrum.
The Jazz will try and even up their season series, looking a bit different from that two-month span, and will be forced to do so without the services of Lauri Markkanen (rest) and Ace Bailey (hip), thus giving a brighter green light for Keyonte George to have another explosive night scoring the ball, this time against his former teammate.
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WEBER COUNTY, Utah — She was a good Samaritan, stopping to help when she saw a crashed car, but tragically, that decision ended her life.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, just before 6 a.m. on Friday, a man and woman were traveling along I-84 in Weber Canyon when they saw a crashed car on the side of the road.
They got out to help, but then they saw another car coming with its brakes locked up.
“The two individuals that were standing outside of the vehicle ran to avoid being hit. One went one direction, the other went towards the side of the barrier, jumped over the barrier, thinking it was solid on the other side, and fell in between the two bridge structures below,” said Corporal Eric Prescott with Utah Highway Patrol.
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Woman dies after falling over I-84 barrier while assisting accident in Weber Canyon
Woman dies after falling over I-84 barrier while assisting accident in Weber Canyon
Prescott said they were from out of town and didn’t know the area very well, and unfortunately, he’s seen this happen before.
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“About 15 years ago. I had another crash that occurred. Had 29 cars that were involved in a similar situation,” he said. “he stepped out to help, and he slipped on the barrier and fell.”
FOX 13 News asked if something could be fixed.
“We love that people want to help, but you also need to consider your safety also. So, it’s a pitch-black situation, you need to be cognizant and aware of like, hey, is this risk worth it of a vehicle that’s in the dark around the corner, no one’s going to be able to see you, and so you just have to weigh that risk,” Prescott said.
No other injuries were reported.
Prescott said they also have trauma resources available for the other drivers on the scene.
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“They didn’t do anything wrong, they were involved in a crash, the bridge was icy. Didn’t contribute anything to the death of this individual, but there’s still going to be those feelings that are going to be involved in it,” Prescott said. “We were able to give some information, these resources, to kind of help give them some closure, to help them to know that, hey, this wasn’t your fault.”
FOX 13 News visited gas stations and rest stops around the area, and while no one wanted to be on camera, each person said even after hearing the story, they would still want to get out and help someone in their time of need.
UHP stated that it takes them 24 hours to notify the next of kin, but they’re hoping to release the identification and other information about the investigation in the coming days.
Jackson has been writing about sports for the Deseret News since 2023.
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No. 9 BYU (14-1, 2-0) vs. Utah (8-7, 0-2)
Tip: Saturday, 8 p.m. MST
Venue: Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City
TV: ESPN
Streaming: espn.com/live
BYU radio broadcast: 102.7 FM/1160 AM/Sirius XM 143
Utah radio broadcast: 92.1 FM/700 AM
Series: Utahleads, 79-72 since 1949 (most recent meeting: 2025)
The trends
For BYU: 14-1 on the season, No. 10 in KenPom, averaging 88.2 points scored and 66.7 points allowed per game
For Utah: 8-7 on the season, No. 131 in KenPom, averaging 80.3 points scored and 80.1 points allowed per game
Players to watch
For BYU: Forward AJ Dybantsa, guard Richie Saunders, guard Robert Wright III
For Utah: Guard Terrance Brown, guard Don McHenry, forward Keanu Dawes
Utah forward Keanu Dawes (8) dunks the ball during a game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
