Month: June 2025

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A $57 million paycheck will be coming to Utah after the Beehive State and 54 other jurisdictions agreed to a settlement agreement with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma over their role in the opioid epidemic.

The Utah Division of Consumer Protection revived the 2019 lawsuit in September 2024, accusing Richard Sackler, the owner of pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, of lying to Utahns about the opioid OxyContin.

The lawsuit claimed Purdue Pharma “aggressively marketed” opioids such as OxyContin as safe, despite being aware of their highly addictive nature. The Utah Division of Consumer Protection said the campaign led to a deadly surge in opioid prescriptions nationwide, including Utah.

Between 2002 and 2015, opioid prescriptions surged by over one million, according to the Utah Office of the Attorney General. Between 2013 and 2015, Utah ranked seventh in the nation in prescription drug poisoning deaths. The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner said prescription opioids were responsible for the deaths of over 1,600 people in the state between 2014 and 2019.

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“Utah families deserve this resolution after Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family recklessly harmed our communities and contributed to the opioid epidemic,” said Utah Attorney General Derek Brown. “I will continue to use all the tools I have available, including litigation and prosecution, to protect Utahns in the future from these deadly drugs.”

Under the terms of the settlement, the Sackler family will pay $6.5 billion over the next 15 years. Approximately $900 million will come from Purdue Pharma. The agreement also ends the Sacklers’ control over Purdue Pharma and restricts the sale of opioids in the United States. Any lobbying or marketing efforts by Purdue Pharma will be limited and monitored.

The Utah Office of the Attorney General said the $57 million it will receive from the settlement will be used to help mitigate the ongoing impact of opioids in the state. This is in addition to the $540 million the state will receive from previously agreed-upon settlements, with $275 million designated for the state and $265 million to be dispersed among the counties, according to the AG’s Office.

“Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family caused immense harm and innumerable lives lost through their deceptive marketing and greed,” said Margaret Woolley Busse, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Commerce. “Utah never stopped its work to hold Purdue and the Sacklers accountable for what they have done and the devastation they have caused.”

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Right now, there are 83 players with Utah ties on active NFL rosters with NFL mandatory minicamps nearly wrapped up league-wide — there are five more taking place during the upcoming week, before all 32 teams won’t gather again in an official capacity until training camp

Of those 83, around 30 or more will be cut before the regular season begins.

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Over the past five years, there have been an average of 51.2 players with Utah ties who make an initial 53-man active NFL roster ahead of the regular season.

Last year, that included 54 players who played at a Utah school at some point during their career who made an initial active roster.

Of those, how many could be in line to make a major impact for their team?

Earlier this month, Pro Football Focus gave at least one baseline to an answer for that question, as the news outlet made predictions on the starting lineup for all 32 NFL teams for the 2025 season.

There were 24 players with Utah ties that showed up on the list, and that didn’t account for special teams. Matt Gay, an Orem native who kicked for the University of Utah, is the only kicker on the Washington Commanders roster.

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Count Gay as a starter, and that would be a projected 25 starters with Utah ties this season — or nearly half of the 51.2 average number of players with Utah ties who’ve made an initial regular-season roster in the past five years.

That list of projected starters from PFF includes seven who played at the University of Utah (eight if you count Gay), followed by BYU with six.

There’s also three who played at Utah State, two who played at Weber State, one at Southern Utah and 12 others who also played at Utah high schools.

There were five linebackers with Utah ties who made PFF’s projected starters list, while four wide receivers played at Utah schools.

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Which Utah ties is PFF projecting will start for their respective teams this season?

Utah ties on Pro Football Focus’ projections of NFL starters for all 32 teams in 2025

NFL teams listed in alphabetical order

Atlanta Falcons

• Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU

• Kaden Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial High

Baltimore Ravens

• Kyle Van Noy, Edge, BYU

Buffalo Bills

• Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State

Chicago Bears

• Braxton Jones, LT, Southern Utah and Murray High

• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah

Cincinnati Bengals

• Zack Moss, RB, Utah

Denver Broncos

• Garett Bolles, LT, Utah, Snow College and Westlake High

• Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah

Detroit Lions

• Tim Patrick, WR, Utah

• Penei Sewell, RT, Desert Hills High

Green Bay Packers

• Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

Houston Texans

• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High

Jacksonville Jaguars

• Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

Kansas City Chiefs

• Kingsley Suamataia, LG, BYU and Orem High

Las Vegas Raiders

• Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Corner Canyon High

Los Angeles Chargers

• Alohi Gilman, S, Orem High

Los Angeles Rams

• Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High

New England Patriots

• Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU and Granger High

New Orleans Saints

• Rashid Shaheed, WR, Weber State

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State, Snow College and East High

San Francisco 49ers

• Fred Warner, LB, BYU

Tennessee Titans

• Cody Barton, LB, Utah and Brighton High

Washington Commanders

• Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State

Phil Steele’s annual college football preview is out, which means we are that much closer to the season beginning.

In a little over three weeks, Big 12 media days will be held at The Star — the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility — in Frisco, Texas, on July 8 and 9. About three weeks after that, Utah will begin fall camp and preparations for its season opener against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Aug. 30.

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With the summertime lull in college athletics comes previews and projections, and Phil Steele’s annual publication has become a staple in the college football world since its first edition was published in 1995.

What does Steele project for the Utes in 2025?

He has the Utes ranked No. 18 nationally in his preseason Top 25 — that’s the second-highest in the conference, behind No. 13 Baylor.

While Utah likely won’t appear in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, Steele has high hopes for a turnaround from a Ute squad that went 5-7 and floundered offensively after injuries to multiple key players, including quarterback Cam Rising.

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“If Utah had a shred of offense last year after Rising went down, they could have won 10 games. They have a much improved offense, my #7 Oline and their usual rugged D,” Steele wrote.

Even with the nation’s No. 102 scoring offense (the Utes scored just 23.6 points per game) last year, Utah was rarely blown out, losing by more than one score just two times in its seven defeats — a 23-10 loss to Arizona and a 49-24 loss to Colorado.

This year, there’s more variables than usual on the defensive line, where Utah is replacing defensive tackles Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa and defensive ends Van Fillinger and Connor O’Toole.

At defensive tackle, senior Aliki Vimahi and sophomore Dallas Vakalahi, both of whom have starting experience at Utah, could be solid up front, but the Utes are counting on big improvement from redshirt sophomore Jonah Lea’ea and a cast of freshmen to back them up.

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Redshirt junior Logan Fano returns at one defensive end spot, but another is up for grabs, with Lance Holtzclaw, John Henry Daley and Paul Fitzgerald the main contenders.

Beyond that, though, the Utes return Lander Barton, Johnathan Hall and Levani Damuni at linebacker, Smith Snowden and Elijah Davis at cornerback (Utah only has to replace one starter at the position), and Tao Johnson and Rabbit Evans at safety.

Steele ranked every defensive unit for Utah No. 31 or higher nationally.

If Utah’s defense is as solid as it has usually been under Morgan Scalley, that leaves the offense as the main factor of whether the Utes live up to Steele’s preseason billing.

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New OC Jason Beck, who engineered the nation’s fourth-most-productive offense (484.2 points per game) and No. 24 scoring offense (33.5 points per game) at New Mexico, will have Lobo transfer quarterback Devon Dampier (3,934 total yards last year through the air and on the ground), a veteran offensive line that returns all five starters, including projected first round pick Spencer Fano, and an all-new running back group that features Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker (735 yards and four scores on 137 carries) to work with this season.

It’s safe to say that Utah’s offense should be improved — it would be hard not to make an improvement over 2024 — but the question is just improved it will be.

Steele ranks Utah’s quarterback situation as No. 23 in the nation, its offensive line as No. 7 in the nation, and its running back room as No. 57 in the nation. Steele ranked Utah’s receiving unit No. 75 in the country.

One of the big question marks will be at the receiver position, where only one player with over 100 yards — Daidren Zipperer (8 catches for 122 yards) — is returning. Like with the running back room, the Utes will rely heavily on transfers, including Cal’s Tobias Merriweather (11 receptions for 125 yards and a score), New Mexico’s Ryan Davis (54 receptions for 747 yards and three touchdowns), Southern Miss’s Larry Simmons (27 receptions for 421 yards and a score).

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Even with the concerns about the wide receivers and a fairly difficult schedule, Steele is putting the Utes as one of the favorites to win the Big 12, tied for No. 1 in the conference alongside Baylor and Iowa State. Steele also has the Utes as the country’s No. 2 “most improved” team.

“This year they are my No. 2 most improved team and last year they were favorites to win the Big 12 and this year with a much improved offense could live up to those expectations and are a legitimate Big 12 title contender,” Steele wrote.

As for the rest of Steele’s Big 12 rankings, Arizona State — last year’s champion — checks in at No. 4, tied with Kansas State and Texas Tech. TCU and BYU are tied for No. 7, while Cincinnati and Kansas are tied for No. 9.

Houston (11), UCF (12), Colorado (12), Oklahoma State (14), Arizona (15) and West Virginia (16) round out the bottom of the Big 12.

The Utah Scottish Festival and Highland Games were held began Friday and will wrap up today at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City.

According to the Utah Scottish Association, the Utah Scottish Festival and Highland Games has become one of Salt Lake’s premier cultural events, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Featuring world-class competitors, popular regional and international musical acts and plenty of family history.

“Over fifty years of honoring our Scottish community here in Utah is quite the accomplishment,” said Mary McLarty, president of the Utah Scottish Association. “This 50th celebration honors not only the Scottish heritage of our community, but also all of the volunteers who have put in countless hours to make this festival possible.”

“From humble beginnings at Murray Park in the 1970s, to going fully virtual in 2020 and having to skip some years due to financial strain, celebrating the 50th running of this festival is a testament to the resilience of our Scottish community here in Utah,” said McLarty. ”Our event has grown substantially over the years and hitting this milestone is a major win, as each board member of the Utah Scottish Association or festival committee member has volunteered their time and energy to make the event successful year after year.”

This year’s festival included performances by popular performers Wicked Tinkers, Men of Worth, AML Trio, Shannon Stuart and The Reel Folk, An Rogaire Dubh, and a dedicated children’s area with games and activities for families to enjoy.

Highlights of the event included:

● The Women’s U.S. Pro Nationals Highland Athletics competition, along with both men’s and women’s competitions from amateur to masters. Witness feats of strength from 150 competitors per day, including several record-setting athletes and world champions

● The first annual Utah Scottish Festival Open Championship, Utah’s first international highland dance championships.

● A pipe band competition including 11 pipe bands and over 190 individual competitors representing bands from all across the U.S. from grade 5 all the way up to grade 1, the highest level of skill for pipe bands.

● A clan village featuring 18 clans from across Scotland sharing their families history and the roles that their clans played in making Scotland what it is today and how

● The Kirkin’ O’ The Tartan on Sunday, a church service and blessing over the clans and their tartans.

Tickets are available now at utahscots.org, with children 11 and under entering for free.

The Utah Mammoth seem to be involved in just about every rumor leading into the 2025 NHL Draft. If the reports are accurate and they’re looking to make a splash this summer, there’s a real possibility they’ll need to clear some cap space to do it.

One name that’s come up repeatedly over the last few seasons is Lawson Crouse. He’s been tied to trade speculation for a while now, so could this finally be the offseason where Utah moves on from him to open up space for upgrades?

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It would definitely be bittersweet. Crouse has been a long-time member of the organization, spanning both the Arizona Coyotes era and now the Mammoth. But at the end of the day, the NHL is a business—and sometimes that means moving on from players to improve the roster.

If the Mammoth do decide to part with Crouse and his $4.3 million cap hit, they should be getting assets back in return. Contending teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and others would almost certainly show interest in adding a player like him, especially given his physical game and ability to contribute offensively.

That said, it’s worth remembering that the only reason Crouse would be on the move is if the Mammoth need the cap flexibility to make meaningful improvements. If they don’t need the space, it makes just as much sense to keep him in the fold. He still has two years left on his deal, and can absolutely be part of the group moving forward if the numbers work.

Utah Mammoth News & Notes: Marner, Martin & More Welcome to the first edition of Utah Mammoth News & Notes, where I’ll be covering all the news and rumors surrounding the Mammoth.

Utah Mammoth Should Extend Jack McBain Before Free Agency Starts The Utah Mammoth have plenty of questions that need answering, including whether they should re-sign restricted free agent Jack McBain or leave him unqualified.

3 Free Agent Targets For The Utah Mammoth With all the speculation surrounding the Utah Mammoth and how active they are going to be this offseason, it got me thinking. Who are some free agents that they would actually target? With $21 million in cap space and some players they can move out to clear more, they have the ability to do a few things this summer to drastically change their team.

Mammoth & Islanders GMs Reportedly Talk At NHL Draft Combine Yesterday, my colleague

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Stefen Rosner of the New York Islanders’ team site reported that Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong and Islanders GM Mathieu Darche were seen having conversations at the 2025 NHL Draft Combine.

Utah Mammoth Sign AHL Forward To Contract Extension The Utah Mammoth have announced they’ve signed Ben McCartney to a two-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000.

Note to readers • The Salt Lake Tribune is making this story free to all.

After a shooting left one person “critically injured” during a “No Kings” protest in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah leaders say they’re thankful for those protesters who remained peaceful and for the first responders who rushed to the scene Saturday night.

Police say they have arrested several people and another is “critically injured” after the shooting, which happened while thousands of marchers made their way across downtown during one of more than a dozen “No Kings” protests across the state on Saturday.

[Read the latest on the shooting in Saturday’s protest in downtown Salt Lake City.]

“The violence we’ve seen today in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in the country is horrific — it’s just not who we are,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said on social media. “We deserve to feel safe, especially when exercising our First Amendment rights.”

The capital city mayor also expressed her appreciation for the Salt Lake City Police Department and its “quick action tonight to protect lives and support those marching peacefully.”

“My heart is with you, SLC,” she added. “We’ll get through this.”

Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting “a deeply troubling act of violence and has no place in our public square.”

Later, Cox said he’d spoken with Mendenhall and that he was heartbroken for those impacted by the shooting:

“Thank you to the thousands of protesters who exercised their constitutional rights in the right way tonight,” Cox added. “I’m grateful to security, SLCPD, DPS, and medical personnel who jumped into action to protect lives.”

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown also said, “Violence has no place here in Utah.”

“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the shooting at today’s protest,” Brown added, “and I appreciate law enforcement’s quick response.”

In a statement shared on social media, the Salt Lake City Council said the thousands of people peacefully marching downtown “reflects the heart of our city.”

“It’s especially painful that such a meaningful and peaceful moment was followed by an act of violence,” the council said. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and extend our heartfelt condolences to the victim, their family and everyone affected.”

“Salt Lake City is a place where people care deeply, show up for each other and speak out for what they believe in,” the council added. “Violence has no place here — and it will never define who we are.”

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said, “Tragically, this is my second statement today expressing sadness and concern regarding gun violence.”

Wilson was referring to the assassination of Minnesota Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were shot and killed in their home early Saturday. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times in their nearby home.

“I’m deeply troubled that a peaceful protest in Salt Lake City was disrupted by a shooting as community members were celebrating their right to assemble,” Wilson added in her statement Saturday night. “I am thinking of all who were impacted by this senseless act.”

She added: “Hateful rhetoric, discriminatory practices, and violence is tearing apart our nation and we must continue to work together to create a future that represents a better America.”

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he was grateful for law enforcement’s quick response and them “bringing a dangerous situation under control in Salt Lake City.”

“The freedom to organize and participate in peaceful protests is a cornerstone of our great country,” Adams said on social media. “However, violence, destruction and vandalism are unacceptable.”

This story is breaking and will be updated.