SALEM, Utah County — On Saturday, runners from around the state will join forces at Salem Hills High School to raise funds to provide mental health programs in local schools.
The event is called “Run for Mental Health,” and according to organizer and local mental health advocate Jorge Garcia, the goal is not only to raise funds, but to also send a message to students that there is help available.
“We did this event in 2019 to bring the community together and help secure resources because many kids just don’t know that there is help,” Garcia said. “Things were put on hold during the pandemic, but we have felt the need to start it up again due to some tragedies in our local community.”
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According to Garcia, several local students have died by suicide, including the son of one of his good friends who died this past February. Even though recent statistics now show Utah’s suicide rates decreasing, the rates are still high enough in children and teens for Gov. Spencer Cox to declare May 1 “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.”
And while suicide rates are not available yet for 2022 or 2023, the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services found that in 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 17 and 18 to 24.
Additionally, that same study showed that in 2021, 41.5% of Utah high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless, 22.5% seriously considered attempting suicide, 18% made a suicide plan, 9% attempted suicide one or more times, and 2.7% had a suicide attempt that required medical attention.
It is these statistics and his personal connection to teen suicide loss that has caused Garcia to team up with the city of Salem and many other local organizations for the Run for Mental Health event to put funding into Salem Hills High School specifically.
“The school has created a list of needs, and our goal is to raise $10,000 for mental health programs. Anything above that, we are going to put in a fund in the city to distribute to the rest of the schools in the community,” Garcia explained.
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The event will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m., and runners are encouraged to complete as many laps as they can during that time. Participants can register as individuals or a team at $10 per person or $25 per three-person team. There is also an option for donations to be made directly to the cause.
More information can be found on the Run For Mental health Instagram page @run.4mh.
According to Jake Fischer during his NBA rumors chat on Bleacher Report, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson are both available. But he also says that the Utah Jazz would prefer to keep Walker Kessler. (Big shoutout to David J. Smith for the notice on this one.)
Enjoyed @JakeLFischer‘s NBA rumors chat. He says Sexton and Clarkson are both available, but that he thinks the Jazz prefer to keep Walker Kessler. It would take a major package to entice them to move him (So not the ones I see many LAL fans suggesting).https://t.co/dQnlHeInf3
This is not something new regarding each of these players but it does provide some clarity with Kessler. But this idea that it would take a “major package” to get him reminds me of something. Oh, that’s right, all of last offseason where we heard the same thing with Lauri Markkanen. That ended up turning into nothing, and we’re seeing the same playbook. Utah is happy with Kessler, but if there’s a team out there to give a major overpay, it sounds like Utah won’t turn that down. Looking back at this offseason and how it panned out. Teams like the Warriors and Kings, who were very interested in Markkanen, certainly look like they might regret not paying the huge price tag.
As far as Sexton and Clarkson, it seems pretty obvious that Utah is likely going for the highest possible package they can get for Collin Sexton. That may take time but Utah needs to think about the ramifications of having Sexton potentially costing them losses down the road. Utah is in an extremely tight race for Cooper Flagg and should think about making a move sooner than later to make that more possible.
TikTok has long known its video livestreams encourage sexual conduct and exploit children yet turned a blind eye because it “profited significantly” from them, according to newly unsealed material in a lawsuit by the state of Utah.
The accusations were made public on Friday, ahead of a scheduled Jan. 19 ban on TikTok in the United States unless its China-based owner, ByteDance, sells the popular social media app.
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to put that ban on hold.
TikTok has long known its video livestreams encourage sexual conduct and exploit children yet turned a blind eye because it “profited significantly” from them, according to newly unsealed material in a lawsuit. AFP via Getty Images
TikTok, for its part, has said it prioritizes safe livestreaming.
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Utah’s original lawsuit accusing TikTok of exploiting children was filed last June by the state’s Division of Consumer Protection, with state Attorney General Sean Reyes saying the TikTok Live streaming feature created a “virtual strip club” by connecting victims to adult predators in real time.
Citing internal TikTok employee communications and compliance reports, Friday’s largely unredacted complaint said TikTok learned of the threats Live posed through a series of internal reviews into the feature.
It said a probe known as Project Meramec uncovered in early 2022 how hundreds of thousands of 13-to-15-year-olds bypassed Live’s minimum-age restrictions.
It said many children were then allegedly “groomed” by adults to perform sexual acts, sometimes involving nudity, in exchange for virtual gifts.
The complaint also said a probe launched in 2021, Project Jupiter, found that criminals used Live to launder money, sell drugs and fund terrorism including by Islamic State.
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According to the complaint, a probe known as Project Meramec uncovered in early 2022 how hundreds of thousands of 13-to-15-year-olds bypassed Live’s minimum-age restrictions. Shutterstock
In addition, an internal December 2023 study “documented what TikTok admits is ‘the cruelty’ of maintaining Live with its current risks for minors on the app,” the complaint said.
User safety
TikTok had fought the disclosures, citing confidentiality concerns and its interest in “preventing potential bad actors from getting a roadmap” to misuse the app.
A Utah state judge, Coral Sanchez, ordered the release of much of the previously redacted material on Dec. 19.
“This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures that TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support community safety and well-being,” a TikTok spokesperson said on Friday.
“Instead, the complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, which distorts our commitment to the safety of our community,” the spokesperson added.
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Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says the TikTok Live streaming feature created a “virtual strip club” by connecting victims to adult predators in real time. AP
In October, a bipartisan group of 13 states and Washington, DC, separately sued TikTok for allegedly exploiting children and addicting them to the app.
“Social media is too often the tool for exploiting America’s young people,” Reyes said in a statement on Friday.
“Thanks to Judge Sanchez’s ruling, more of TikTok’s shocking conduct will now be public through this unredacted complaint,” he added. “(The) full extent of its culpability can be demonstrated at trial.”
President Joe Biden signed a law authorizing the TikTok ban last April, addressing concern TikTok could gather intelligence on American users and share it with the Chinese government.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to put the ban on hold on Jan. 10. It is expected to rule quickly.
Utah Hockey Club (17-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (23-13-1, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club visit the Dallas Stars after Lawson Crouse’s two-goal game against the Calgary Flames in the Utah Hockey Club’s 5-3 win.
Dallas is 23-13-1 overall with a 10-3-1 record in Central Division play. The Stars have a 13-6-1 record in games they have fewer penalties than their opponent.
Utah has a 4-6-1 record in Central Division games and a 17-15-6 record overall. The Utah Hockey Club serve 10.9 penalty minutes per game to rank second in NHL play.
Saturday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Stars won the previous matchup 3-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Duchene has 15 goals and 20 assists for the Stars. Roope Hintz has seven goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
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Dylan Guenther has 16 goals and 18 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Clayton Keller has five goals and eight assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 6-3-1, averaging 2.8 goals, five assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
Utah Hockey Club: 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.1 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: None listed.
Utah Hockey Club: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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