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Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with police on University of Utah campus

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Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with police on University of Utah campus


SALT LAKE CITY — A pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Utah turned into an encampment on Monday, and those involved actively demonstrated late into the night.

VIDEO BELOW: Watch the archived live stream from FOX 13’s crew at the scene:

More than 100 protesters gathered at Presidents’ Circle in the afternoon, peacefully taking up space in solidarity with other college campuses around the United States where students have been arrested for protesting.

They’re making their own demands: that the university cut all ties with Israel.

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“We’re still here, we’re still out on the streets, the energy is still high and we’re not leaving,” said Christopher Loera-Peña, a student organizer with Mecha at the University of Utah. “The University of Utah joined a coalition named 47G, which is like a coalition that aims to make Utah a hub for aerospace and defense industry, which are both deeply implicated in the war in Gaza.”

Loera-Peña says they won’t leave Presidents’ Circle until the U discloses its involvement with — and divests in — Israel.

“They need to understand that the people have power,” Loera-Peña said. “We can mobilize entire communities to pull out, put pressure on the university. And historically, that’s what’s made change: people coming out en masse.”

In response to the encampment, the Utah Department of Public Safety tweeted:

“We fully support everyone’s civil right to express themselves through freedom of speech. Yet we do not tolerate the acts of criminal activity, including but not limited to property damage, unlawful assembly or camping, threats or violent acts.”

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Governor Spencer Cox shared a similar message, adding that the First Amendment does not protect “disruptions to our learning institutions.”

“We have jobs, we have school, we have kids to take care of, parents to take care of, but we understand that we need to sacrifice to make change,” Loera-Peña said.

Protesters were still at the Circle as of 10:30 p.m. Police have given warnings that if they do not disperse, they may have to use force, but no action has been taken yet. Officers in riot gear have arrived but have not forced the group to leave.

Around 11:15 p.m., an announcement over a loudspeaker from the U of U Department of Public Safety said the gathering was now declared “unlawful.” They said those who leave will not be arrested, but those who do not leave may be detained. Some were seen taking down their tents or picking them up and moving them.

A line of officers gradually moved the entire group down from Presidents Circle to the edge of campus property.

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Utah

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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