Utah

He's an Arizona native, but former U.S. Ambassador Jeff Flake's Utah ties run deep

Published

2 years ago

September 20, 2024

He's an Arizona native, but former U.S. Ambassador Jeff Flake's Utah ties run deep

Jeff Flake is an Arizona native, born in the small community of Snowflake, and whose roots in the Grand Canyon State can be traced back to his great-great grandfather who helped found the town in the 1870s that, in part, bears the family name.

Flake would go on to represent his home state as a Republican member of Arizona’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms followed by a one term as a U.S. Senator. Later, he would accept an appointment by President Joe Biden to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

But Flake’s myriad and long-running ties to Utah, decades of public service and deep international bonafides make one of his latest endeavors — taking on the post of board chair for World Trade Center Utah — feel like a fait accompli.

Flake said initial conversations about the position were posed during separate visits by WTC Utah executives, including current president and CEO Jonathan Freedman and Freedman’s predecessor Miles Hansen, while Flake was still serving his diplomatic mission in Turkey, which concluded earlier this month.

Then, during a trip back to the states over last year’s holiday break, Flake met with Freedman and former Utah governor and three-time U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr., who was serving as WTC Utah’s board chair at the time. While Flake initially balked at the idea, he said last winter’s pitch by Freedman and Huntsman was a clincher.

“We were back home from Turkey for Christmas, spent some time in Utah and went to meet Jonathan and Jon and they pitched the idea,” Flake said. “These are guys that are tough to say no to.”

But while the job offer was recent, the work and mission of WTC Utah had long been on Flake’s radar, thanks in part to his friendship with organization co-founder and former WTC Utah president and CEO Lew Cramer, who Flake met during his Beltway days. Huntsman recruited Cramer, an international business consultant and former U.S. Department of Commerce official, to help found WTC Utah in 2006. Adding to the network of connections, the Flake and Huntsman families are longtime friends as is Zions Bank veteran Scott Anderson, who was a founding member of WTC Utah and served as board chair for over a decade.

Huntsman, who over his career has served as U.S. ambassador to Singapore, China and Russia, said Flake’s combination of political and diplomatic experience made him the perfect candidate to head WTC Utah’s board.

“Having served in both the U.S. Senate and as ambassador to Türkiye, Jeff Flake brings unparalleled expertise in global policy and economic diplomacy,” Huntsman said in a statement. “His deep understanding of international relations and proven ability to foster cross-border partnerships will be critical as we continue to position Utah as a leader in global commerce.”

World Trade Center Utah is a private, nonprofit organization that works to accelerate growth for Utah companies through global networks, programs and services. Its stated mission is to “make Utah the crossroads of the world, one business at a time.”

Flake said his experience as a diplomat heightened his appreciation of the importance of international partnerships. He touted U.S. Commercial Services, a federal agency previously headed by Cramer, that carries out work similar to WTC Utah, but on a national scale.

“This is an agency that’s championing U.S. businesses abroad … advocating for relationships and connections all over the world,” Flake said.

Flake earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at BYU, which is also where he met his future wife, Cheryl. Their time in Utah also seeded their love of the state. All five of their children have attended the school and the family has owned a home in Provo for nearly two decades. Flake said they plan to split time between Utah and Arizona, where Flake may also be teaching part time at Arizona State University.

Flake is an investor in and consultant for multiple Utah-based businesses and has strong ties to the state’s tech sector.

In 2019, Flake made his fourth “Survivor” style trip to deserted islands in the Marshall chain with a group of executive’s from Utah tech innovation company, Podium.

Flake’s first was a solo foray in 2009 when he spent seven days and seven nights alone on tiny and uninhabited Jabonwod Island in what he called “an exceptional experience,” even though it included fending off sharks as he spear-fished. He would go on to take three more trips, one with his teenage sons in 2013, in 2014, when he made it a duo with Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and the later trip with the Podium team.

The sojourn with Heinrich was intended to show that the growing political divide could indeed be bridged.

“We wanted to prove that Republicans and Democrats could get along,” Flake said in a 2019 interview. “I think we were both just getting disgusted with the partisan divide and … an environment in which we couldn’t even have lunch together.”

For the 2019 expedition, Flake, Podium founder and CEO Eric Rea and five other company leaders tested their collective mettle on Biggarenn Island without food or water and only a small selection of basic tools, hammocks and a desalinator in a test of tenacity and collaboration, according to Flake.

Flake said the series of survival adventures was inspired by a childhood book.

“This all started way back when I was a kid,” Flake said. “Growing up on a dry dusty ranch in Snowflake, I read a sailing book called ‘Dove’ about a kid that circumnavigated the world.

“I read more sailing books and survival stories and just always wondered if I were marooned on a deserted island, could I survive?”

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Utah

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards recap: Darryn Peterson is only a man

Published

6 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards recap: Darryn Peterson is only a man

It’s on nights like these that I’m reminded of the ravine that divides the NBA from all other levels of basketball. This Summer League tilt was sloppy on both sides, and not many fringe players earned an NBA contract tonight, by the looks of it.

This matchup has always been about the number-one pick AJ Dybantsa and the number-two pick Darryn Peterson. Rivals since high school, these two are in an eternal struggle for the designation of being “number-one”. They wanted to be the best in their high school class. They wanted to be the first off the board in the NBA Draft. Rest assured, these two will be battling for Rookie of the Year honors by the season’s end.

Both stars were fully aware of the magnitude of this game, and both wanted to be the first to strike in the Thomas and Mack Center.

Dybantsa took his first touch all the way to the basket and forced up an off-kilter shot that missed everything.

Peterson took the ball the other way and forced up a top-of-the-key three-pointer that missed badly.

Dybantsa quickly picked up the slack, flipping an under-and-around lay-in and following that up with a good leading bounce pass through traffic to find a cutting teammate.

From there, the 1-2 combo settled in and let the game flow around them.

For the first time in a Utah Jazz uniform, Darryn Peterson walked among mortal men as a commoner. He had a very slow start in his Las Vegas debut, opening the night 0-for-3 from the floor and even whiffing on his first all-or-nothing foul shot. His steps were hurried, and he stood unstable before his first trip to the bench. Not quite so infallible outside of the mountain air in Salt Lake City.

AJ claimed the first quarter, dicing up the defense with fadeaways, dribble chains, and this vicious, inhumane slam that will dominate your social media feed for the next day or so.

Washington set the tone for some — should we say physical — defense out on the perimeter, and the officials gave the Wizards liberty to reside in Peterson’s chest for the majority of the game. The number-two pick couldn’t get himself into a rhythm as he’d step out of bounds, dribble off his foot, and sputter under the heat of the Wizards’ aggressive double-team scheme.

They were incredibly handsy from end to end, frustrating Jazz ball handlers as the whistles piled up at the other end.

AJ Dybantsa lives at the foul stripe — that’s his superpower — and he has since his days at BYU, where he led the nation in foul shots taken per game. Perfectly within his idiom, Dybantsa was 6-of-7 from the foul stripe — keeping in mind the experimental do-or-die free throw rule. Considering how much more physical the Wizards played at the defensive end, it’s a mystery how the Wizards managed to reside in the comfort of the bonus for the entire first half.

Neither player was efficient from the floor, but Dybantsa won the first half of this marquee matchup.

Dybantsa finished the first half with 19 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Peterson lagged behind with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting and a pair of dimes.

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Utah

Man suspected in 2006 Utah murder left suicide note in Las Vegas jail cell: police

Published

16 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Man suspected in 2006 Utah murder left suicide note in Las Vegas jail cell: police

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man arrested for murder in the 2006 death of his wife at a Utah national park left behind a suicide note in his Las Vegas jail cell, according to a police report.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police released a public report on the death of David Vander Meer, 49, who was in custody on an out-of-state warrant.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in an affidavit that Vander Meer, a former youth pastor, was a suspect in the death of his then-wife, 28-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer, 20 years ago.

Bernadette fell to her death at Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Prosecutors said in their affidavit that they received new information implicating David, alleing that he began having a close relationship with a young girl when she was 14 and he was her youth pastor.

A fugitive task force took Vander Meer into custody in Summerlin, according to an arrest report, and he was booked into Clark County Detention Center on June 22.

In the report on his death, LVMPD said a corrections officer was conducting visual checks at about 9:30 p.m. June 24 when he noticed Vander Meer lying face down on the ground and unresponsive.

Several sections are redacted, but police wrote that the officer performed chest compressions until medical personnel arrived. Vander Meer was taken to UMC, where he was pronounced dead just after 2:36 a.m. June 25.

Investigators wrote that because of “the nature of his case,” Vander Meer was placed into protective custody. He was seen sitting upright and awake at 9 p.m., and he had no known medical conditions. He also did not mention being suicidal during a mental health screening.

Inside the cell, police wrote that Vander Meer “left a hand written suicide letter and a hand written will in his cell which has been photographed and impounded.” The following paragraph of the report was redacted, and no further details on Vander Meer’s death were disclosed.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office has not yet released its official rulings on his cause and manner of death.

Bernadette’s parents, Richard and Laura Gudenkauf, told News 3 they long suspected Vander Meer played a role in her death.

“Because of the girlfriend,” said Laura. “I found insurance policies months later that he had, lots of them.”

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Utah

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards: Summer League Preview, start time, how to watch

Published

1 day ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards: Summer League Preview, start time, how to watch

It has been a long time since the Jazz last played a meaningful game I desperately wanted them to win, and it is unhealthy how excited I am for this matchup. After a solid three games in the SLC Summer League, the Jazz head south to Las Vegas, and as hot as the desert sun is sure to be outside, on the court, the Thursday night primetime game featuring the top two picks in the draft will be much hotter.

How to Watch the Las Vegas Summer League?

Who: Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards

When: Thursday, July 9, 2026 | 7:00 MT

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

How to watch: ESPN, Jazz+

Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa

Summer league games do not matter in the record books, but this game is a statement-making opportunity for both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. Given the historical nature of this draft class, especially at the top, there is some real juice to this game that is atypical of most Summer League games. AJ has the chance to silence the noise that has swelled after Darryn’s remarkable performances in the SLC Summer League. Meanwhile, Darryn has the chance to ratchet up the noise and take the NBA world by storm with another solid performance against the Wizards. Can you imagine the narratives if Darryn were to come out and dominate AJ as he has through high school and college? In the words of the great Charles Barkley, I have two words for you… Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, must-see TV.

Ace Bailey looked really impressive in his 2.5 quarters of play in Salt Lake before missing games with back spasms. It is unknown whether or not he will be ready to go for the Vegas opener, but if he is available, he will probably be the one checking AJ Dybantsa on defense. His combination of length and athleticism could not only make things difficult for AJ on the defensive end but also expose his lackadaisical defense on the offensive end. If Ace is able to go, he will be looking to show the Jazz and the NBA that he is ready to take a leap in year two.

Which Jazz Big Man Will Stand Out?

Which big man will step up this game? In Game 1, we saw a lot of Kylor Kelley, who was a little less than impressive. Against Memphis, Jaxon Kohler, the Utah native, showed up and showed out against Cam Boozer. In game three, although the number of NBA-level players was few and far between, Jonas Aidoo stole the show with his rebounding and ability to play his role. Will we see one of those same three guys seize their opportunity, or will another guy like Micah Handlogten or Eric Dixon steal the show? We saw how vital a big that can roll and catch passes is for Darryn Peterson as a lead guard, playmaking-wise. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate to relieve pressure when he is blitzed and double-teamed.

SIDE NOTE: Adam Silver is LAME

No one should ASPIRE to be as boring as Adam Silver. After much excitement was made about Keyonte George making his unofficial coaching debut on Thursday night, according to Sarah Todd, the league has nixed that excitement and won’t allow Keyonte to be coaching on the sideline because who knows why…? I guess they were worried about the Jazz circumventing the salary cap to pay Keyonte or something. Anyways, I guess Will Hardy’s coaching TREE will have to wait for more branches to grow. Adam Silver remains evil in my book.

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