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Lauri Markkanen Officially Signs Huge Contract Extension With Utah Jazz, per Report

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Lauri Markkanen Officially Signs Huge Contract Extension With Utah Jazz, per Report


Lauri Markkanen will be a member of the Utah Jazz for a while yet— and he’ll be very well-compensated.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Markkanen had inked a five-year, $238 million extension with the Jazz. Markkanen made the All-Star team in his first season with Utah and followed it up with a solid 2023-24 in which he averaged 23.2 points per game despite dealing with various injuries.

“”They’ve all showed their belief in me, from the ownership to the front office to [head coach Will Hardy],” Markkanen said in a statement to ESPN following his signing. “It’s a comfortable environment and those guys’ resumes speak for themselves. I trust in the organization to help grow me as a person and a player, to build our team and I’m ready to take on the challenge.”

This news is notable. Not because Markkanen wants to stay with the Jazz long-term; it was a widely-held expectation that the forward would sign a lucrative extension with Utah when he was able. But by waiting until August 7 to put pen to paper, Markkanen ensured he would not be on the trade block for the 2024-25 season. Players who sign an extension cannot be traded for exactly six months after the day of signing, and next season’s trade deadline falls on February 6.

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Which is bad news for teams like the Golden State Warriors, who pursued Markkanen pretty heavily this offseason. It is, obviously, great for the Jazz, however. While the franchise is very much in rebuilding mode Markkanen is a legitimate All-Star talent, a seven-footer who can score at all three levels and holds his own defensively. Every team wants a player like that.

It doesn’t mean Markkanen will be with the Jazz for the rest of his career. He could very well show out next season and get moved for an even larger package this time next year than what has been reported. But for the next year, the 27-year-old is staying put.



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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

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An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

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When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

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In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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