Utah
What is fueling No. 20 Utah heading into matchup with No. 5 UCLA
Two weeks ago, Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts and star forward Alissa Pili, along with Jenna Johnson, showed the frustration in their faces after a difficult week marked by close losses to Arizona and Stanford.
That had dropped the No. 20 Utes to 1-3 in Pac-12 play, even though Utah had been close, or led, in the fourth quarter of every loss.
Last Friday, though, the frustration was replaced by smiles for Roberts and Pili after Utah knocked off No. 6 USC by 20 points.
Roberts made a promise after that Stanford loss, vowing the disappointment would “motivate us.” Pili made a similar statement, saying the Utes would “keep swinging” and eventually they’d “come out on top.”
After thoroughly handling the Trojans, the pair discussed the team’s emotional state after their second straight blowout win that has Utah back on an upward trend.
“I think we were tired of that, like we had lost a lot of close games to ranked teams and I think we were sick of coming up short. We talked about before Cal and even tonight, like let’s not let it to where things that are out of our control matter in the outcome, let’s control we can control,” Roberts said.
“I’m proud of our team for fighting back and not pouting or not feeling sorry for ourselves or whatever, with the adversity. They’ve just battled back and I think we’ve played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I’ve coached with a little chip on my shoulder. That’s the way it is. I think that’s the difference. We’re playing with a little more swagger.”
“They’ve just battled back and I think we’ve played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I’ve coached with a little chip on my shoulder. That’s the way it is. I think that’s the difference. We’re playing with a little more swagger.” — Utah coach Lynne Roberts
The Utes followed up a 37-point win over California with that 78-58 victory over the Trojans.
Utah (13-5, 3-3 Pac-12) held USC to 36.1% shooting in a game where the Utes led nearly from start to finish.
The All-American Pili tied her career high with 37 points, shooting an efficient 13 of 16 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point range, while also adding six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
“Like coach said, we’re obviously frustrated with how the last few games were going against Stanford and Arizona. I think our attitude is just different and it kind of pushed us to just want to play harder and want to, I guess just really buy into our team and focus on what we could do to win,” Pili said.
“And like coach said, we don’t want to leave it in the refs’ hands, so why not blow out teams by 40 and 20 like we did the last two games.”
Utah also got back senior guard Issy Palmer, who was out for two months with an undisclosed injury.
Palmer played nine minutes in her return and had four points, two assists and a rebound to go with two turnovers.
“She was on a minutes restriction, so we had to be careful of how much she could play. But I thought she did a nice job,” Roberts said. “You know, you could tell she was a little rusty which is to be expected. She hasn’t played in 10 weeks. That’s a long time. But I’m proud of her for pushing through what she’s been through.”
Up next for Utah is No. 5 UCLA, which is fresh off a road win at No. 3 Colorado.
The Bruins (15-1, 4-1 Pac-12) are arguably as formidable as any opponent the Utes have faced this season — that list includes teams like No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 Colorado, No. 8 Stanford and No. 12 Baylor.
Utah lost to all four of those schools. The Utes’ lone win over a top 25 team came Friday against the Trojans.
A victory over UCLA would get Utah, the defending Pac-12 regular season co-champions and the preseason favorite to win the league, right back in the thick of the conference race.
The Bruins are led by 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who averages 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Four others average double-digit points, including senior guard Charisma Osborne, who averages 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting a team-best 39.1% from 3-point range.
It will be a rare late afternoon tip on Monday at the Huntsman Center, with Utah and UCLA meeting at 5 p.m. MST in a game televised on ESPN2.
“I think we’re playing a lot better. We’re playing a little more cohesive. There’s a lot more, I can sense, just kind of synergy out there. I think people have settled into their roles,” Roberts said.
“I do feel like we’re hitting our stride. But you know, this league is merciless and we’re gonna enjoy this tonight and feel good about it. And then tomorrow, we wake up to play the No. 3 team in the country on Monday, and we’ll be ready.”
Utah
911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas
CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.
LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.
The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.
MORE | Murder-Suicide
Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.
10:33 a.m. — Call 1
After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.
Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.
“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”
11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3
As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.
“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”
11:26 a.m. — Call 4
Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.
“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”
She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.
Police indicated officers were on the way.
2:26 p.m. — Call 5
Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.
Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.
“They found a note on the door.”
2:35 p.m. — Call 6
Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.
“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”
A dispatcher responded:
“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”
2:36 p.m. — Call 7
Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:
“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”
2:39 p.m. — Call 8
Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.
“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”
He repeats the details he knows for the second time.
3:13 p.m. — Call 9
Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.
“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”
Dispatch responded:
“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”
4:05 p.m. — Call 10
More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.
“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”
The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.
Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.
The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.
5:23 p.m. — Call 11
Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.
“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”
She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.
Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference
Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Utah
Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”
Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.
“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.
Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.
“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.
2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:
- Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
- Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
- Does it support a ban from classrooms?
Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.
“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.
MORE | Utah State Legislature:
Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.
“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.
“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.
The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.
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Utah
Kalshi sues Utah over efforts to stop prop betting in the state
SALT LAKE CITY — A prediction market is suing Utah over plans to regulate proposition betting that it says would run afoul of federal regulations.
Kalshi is a New York-based prediction market that allows users to place “event contracts” on future outcomes and earn a payout if they are correct. Those transactions are regulated through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, the company said Utah has plans to prevent the company from offering contracts in the state and asked the courts to block any enforcement that “interferes with the operation and function of plaintiffs’ futures market.”
“Plaintiff KalshiEX LLC believes the governor of Utah and the Attorney General’s Office of Utah will imminently bring an enforcement action against Kalshi with the intent to prevent Kalshi from offering event contracts for trading on its federally regulated exchange,” the complaint states. “Defendants have repeatedly represented that they believe Kalshi is operating unlawfully under Utah anti-gambling laws.”
The lawsuit points to a couple of posts from Gov. Spencer Cox and an op-ed written by Attorney General Derek Brown in the Deseret News on Sunday. After Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Mike Selig announced that his agency would “defend its exclusive jurisdiction” over prediction markets last week, Cox took to X calling the markets “gambling — pure and simple.”
“They are destroying the lives of families and countless Americans, especially young men,” he wrote. “They have no place in Utah. Let me be clear, I will use every resource within my disposal as governor of the sovereign state of Utah, and under the Constitution of the United States to beat you in court.”
He followed that up last Thursday, saying Utah is “ready to defend our laws in court and protect Utahns from companies that drive addiction, isolation and serious financial harm.”
In his op-ed, Brown argued that prediction markets are “the newest iteration of gambling” and said he didn’t see a difference between betting and trading futures.
“Although traditional sports betting apps are illegal under Utah law, these platforms argue that they merely allow users to hedge their risk,” he wrote. “But what is the real risk to hedge when you are simply predicting whether LeBron James will score more or less than another player? It’s simply a bet, dressed up in different clothing.”
The lawsuit also comes as the state Legislature is advancing a bill that would clarify that proposition betting — or betting placed on specific players or events during games — falls under the state’s definition of gambling, which is prohibited by the Utah Constitution. HB243 has passed the House and a Senate committee and is awaiting consideration on the Senate floor.
But Kalshi says its contracts are lawful thanks to a carveout in Utah’s anti-gambling laws that allows for “lawful business.” Its lawsuit claims Kalshi’s attorneys made “multiple attempts” to contact Brown about potential action against the company but were “met with silence, even though the Utah AG had previously been willing to communicate with counsel.”
Asked about the lawsuit on Tuesday, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he is “standing with the governor on this one.”
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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