Month: January 2026

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — The woman accused of striking and killing a 44-year-old man at a crosswalk in Sandy has been charged. Documents say she was six times over Utah’s blood alcohol limit.

Zoe Blankenstein, 55, of Draper, has been charged with automobile homicide, interfering with a police officer, having an open container or drinking alcohol in a vehicle, and failing to obey a stop sign.

On Jan. 15, just before 7 p.m., 44-year-old Joshua Perry was walking in the crosswalk at 1000 E and 11000 S, near Alta High School, in Sandy. A vehicle ran the stop sign and struck Perry, causing him to be thrown into another vehicle and critically injured.

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Sandy dies, driver booked for impaired driving

Medical crews responded and transported Perry to the hospital, but he was ultimately pronounced deceased.

At the scene of the crash, law enforcement located the vehicle that struck Perry, and reportedly found that the driver was Blankenstein. She told officers that she was driving home from celebrating her birthday at the Tin Roof Grill.

Despite there only being stop signs at the crosswalk, Blankenstein allegedly stated that she saw the light turn green and started driving when she suddenly struck a person who “came out of nowhere.”

Blankenstein was having difficulty maintaining her balance and had slurred speech. She declined to perform any sobriety tests, and officers say that she resisted being arrested, even urinating on herself and the officers’ shoes.

Fatal crash at ‘troubled’ Sandy City intersection sparks demands for change, community speaks out

Ultimately, Blankenstein was transported to the Sandy City Police Department for questioning. Police performed a blood draw test, and her toxicology report showed that she had a blood alcohol level of 0.309, which is six times Utah’s limit of 0.05.

During an interview with police, the 55-year-old allegedly admitted that she had started drinking around 4 p.m., but only had one beer and left the restaurant around 7 p.m. She told police she was under the influence of alcohol.

Blankenstein continued to tell officers that she struck Perry while driving, but claimed he “came out of nowhere” and repeatedly mentioned that he was wearing dark clothing.

The Sandy City Police Department searched Blankenstein’s vehicle and allegedly located a tumbler-style cup that was “full of amber-colored liquid that smelled like beer.”

Blankenstein was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

One look at the injury report, and it was clear that the Utah Jazz were welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio into the Delta Center for a 48-minute formality. We can do the whole song and dance, or you can kindly take your victory and go.

No Lauri Markkanen, as he is still absent with the bubonic plague, or polio, or smallpox, or whatever illness has kept him sidelined for the past chunk of games. Cody Williams and Svi Mykhailiuk were officially in the starting lineup for this one, but with Keyonte George fresh off a 43-point season-high, and Jusuf Nurkic having just posted a triple-double in the same century win for head coach Will Hardy.

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But that was the only win Utah had picked up without the Finnisher to that point in the season, and it took all-world performances from George, Nurkic, and a 15-point fourth quarter comeback. Still, with all the confidence of a wild west gunslinger standing 20 paces from Fingerless Floyd at high noon, Keyonte George is enjoying the type of season where he can seemingly beat anybody when he’s on his game.

Keyonte George is often on his game these days.

So, it’s sort of challenging to define expectations for the Utah Jazz as the 2nd-best team in the West, San Antonio, entered the Salt Lake Valley with their full lineup of Fox, Castle, Harper, and some French fellow named Victor all available. The Spurs are both young and legitimate threats for the title this year — well ahead of schedule and joining Oklahoma City as the youthful leaders of the Western Conference, with a disturbingly wide window for contention.

Utah’s situation is… different. It’s been a slow burn, but the youth of Utah are beginning to find solid ground. George and Sensabaugh, especially, are giving observers reason to believe in their upside. Those players are in their third seasons — the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, however, is really beginning to put it together.

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Squaring off against his old Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey started hot, knocking down his first four shots in the first quarter and tallying 10 points in the opening frame.

Then, in the second half, in the midst of a San Antonio separation act, Cody Williams uncorked the Delta Center with a coast-to-coast yam in rush-hour traffic.

It feels like Cody is good for a pair of dunks per game these days, but that? No, your honor, I cannot identify Cody Williams in that video, but I believe I spotted Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing number 5 in white.

But Cody’s flight was but a gentle distraction as the Spurs pushed their lead to double-digits and entered halftime with a 12-point advantage.

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I say this with only the slightest hint of irony: Jusuf Nurkic may actually be the love child of Nikola Jokic and 2016-17 Russell Westbrook. For the second straight game, the Bosnian Beast posted a triple-double. His dominance was so potent that even as the Spurs carried a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter, they sent double-teams on his late-game touches.

If this were the first basketball game someone had ever watched, they might think that Nurkic was the best player on planet Earth. Victor Wembanyama was not enough to neutralize his offensive powers. 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Yeesh.

Meanwhile, Ace Bailey messed around and posted yet another career high, notching 25 points just after his previous high. He’s high-flying as always, feasting off a healthy helping of off-ball movement and cuts to the rim, while being more selective with his jump shots.

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Alas, the Spurs controlled late, pushing their lead and leading 126-109 as time expired.

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After a 4.7 magnitude earthquake shook northern Utah, officials are warning of aftershocks. Here’s how to stay safe during a potential tremor.

The quake hit just before 7:50 a.m. Thursday morning in the Uinta Mountains just a few miles west of the East Fork of the Bear River, just five miles south of the Utah-Wyoming border. The earthquake was measured at a magnitude of 4.7.

“Aftershocks are possible,” Box Elder County said in a social media post. “If you feel shaking again, remember to drop, cover, and hold on.”

“It is possible that you could feel more shaking later today,” Keith Koper with the University of Utah Seismograph Station said. “The good news is we don’t have any reports of injuries or damage.”

Local businesses near epicenter of 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Uinta Mountains describe scene

According to officials, staying safe after an earthquake includes four key steps:

• Expect aftershocks: Be ready to drop, cover, and hold on if you feel an aftershock.

• Damaged Buildings: Do not enter damaged buildings.

• Check for Injuries: Check for injuries to yourself and others.

• Stay Informed: Pay attention to news reports at ABC4.com for emergency information.

Koper says there have already been roughly six aftershocks detected. “The probability of a bigger earthquake is somewhere [between] 1 and 2%.”

Officials with Sandy City also shared how to prepare for the event of an earthquake.

The Great Utah ShakeOut is scheduled to take place on Apr. 16. Utahns will take part in drills at work, home, and school. Anyone can register to take part in the shake out here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Spurs will lack depth in the frontcourt when they face Utah on Thursday night after they ruled out backup center Luke Kornet due to a groin injury.

Kornet popped up on the injury report Wednesday with what the club called left adductor tightness. He was ruled out after Thursday’s shootaround at the Delta Center.

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Thursday’s game will mark the first Kornet has missed since he sat out a loss at Cleveland on Dec. 5 with a sore left ankle.

In 36 games this season, Kornet has averaged 8.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks. In 24 minutes in Tuesday’s 111-106 loss at Houston, he had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Kornet logged 22 minutes in Monday’s 123-110 win over the Jazz at the Frost Bank Center, finishing with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

With Kornet out, Bismack Biyombo could see time backing up Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs also could be without backup forward Jeremy Sochan, who is questionable with an illness.

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Utah will face the Spurs without Lauri Markkanen (return-to-competition conditioning). Keyonte George (forearm) and Brice Sensabaugh (illness) are questionable.

This article originally published at Spurs backup center Luke Kornet ruled out against Utah with groin injury.

If there’s one thing that’s sure to help a team coming off a loss (and in the midst of dealing with an overly condensed schedule), it’s a double helping of patsy, sandwiched around the week’s biggest challenge.

The Spurs more or less thrashed the Jazz just before going the distance with the Rockets, and now they have the still-banged-up Utah team in their crosshairs after a quiet but public challenge to their mental and physical toughness from their coach, Mitch Johnson.

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How a team responds to that kind of critique is always worth watching, but you have to feel a little bit bad for the Jazz if the Spurs come out with a chip on their shoulders.

The Spurs were lights out against the Jazz on Monday, shooting just shy of 56% from the field and 42% from three, in a game where the final score fell short of expressing how over-matched the Jazz were.

The Jazz will still be without their leading scorer in Markkanen, and their best post defender in Walker Kessler, so San Antonio should be able to more or less arrange a layup line in this contest, even if their streaky outside shooting fails them.

The Spurs have been on a relative heater, though, ranking 7th in Effective Field Goal Percentage, 9th in True Shooting Percentage, 10th in Field Goal Percentage, 12th in Three-Point Percentage, and 7th in Offensive Rating, all of which are improvements over their extended post-Christmas slump.

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They’ve also avoided giving the ball away, ranking 8th in limiting turnovers and 6th in assist-to-turnover ratio, offering no help to a Jazz defense that’s been one place shy of dead last (29th in defensive rating) during that same stretch.

The only area in which the Jazz have outperformed the Spurs is in 2nd chance scoring, something the Spurs have struggled with both producing and preventing for most of the season.

So, if the Spurs go cold again, the Jazz are likely to be able to prevent them from taking another shot and to corral their own misses, which feels like their most realistic chance at victory.

If, however, the Spurs take Mitch Johnson’s post-game comments to heart, I wish the Jazz the best of luck because I would personally not want to be on the other side of an angry Spurs team that ranks in (or near) the top 10 in most offensive categories this season.

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January 22nd, 2026 | 8:00 PM CT

Watch: FanDuel Southwest| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Devin Vassell – Out (Groin), Luke Kornet – Questionable (Groin), Jeremy Sochan – Day-to-Day (Illness)

Jazz Injuries: Walker Kessler – Out (Shoulder), Georges Niang – Out (Foot), Keyonte George – Questionable (Forearm), Lauri Markkanen – Out (Conditioning), Brice Sensabaugh – Questionable (Illness)

If anybody asks why Clayton Keller will be representing Team USA in this upcoming Olympics, immediately show them the game-winning overtime goal Keller just had in the Mammoth’s 5-4 overtime win against the Flyers.

Thanks to Dylan Guenther capturing the attention of two Flyers, Keller was simply left too much space to work with as he quietly readied himself for the upcoming pass from Guenther.

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Cutting to the middle with ease, Keller launched the puck over the head of Samuel Ersson and scored the game-winning goal.

Naturally, he did the same with his hockey stick too:

“A lot of it is belief, and the mental talk that I’m saying to myself in my head,” said Keller. “I’ve always trusted my training. I know I’ve done everything possible to leave myself in a good position and let the rest take care of itself… I work on those touches and all those things.”

Any game-winning goal is sure to be a feat anyone can appreciate, especially when it comes in overtime.

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But not only did Keller score the game-winning goal, but he also singlehandedly- no seriously, it was an unassisted goal- got the game-tying goal and became the first player in franchise history to score an extra attacker goal.

“Just ‘nice play, nice shot.’ To get a 6-on-5 goal –we haven’t had one this year– it was a really nice individual effort by him,” said Dylan Guenther. “Nice route by him, too. Kind of a 2-on-2, caught his guys sleeping with nice shots, so he had a good game tonight.”

It doesn’t stop there. On way to scoring his unassisted goal, Keller also stole the puck from the Flyers’ Olympic-bound defenseman Travis Sanheim, who will be playing for Team Canada.

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Subsequently, Keller collected the puck, found the angle to drive past Sanheim, froze Ersson in the net before finally scoring the game-tying goal.

And just to add a little style to the goal, Keller finished the goal off with a leap over Philadelphia’s Cam York before his big, loud celebration.

No, there was no hockey stick thrown into the crowd on this one… that would be a dire penalty.

Considering the Mammoth were also down 3-0 earlier in the game, Keller was also able to lead just the second ever three-goal comeback in franchise history. The first came against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season

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It didn’t matter that Utah played a sloppy game or faced several multi-goal deficits, Keller was not going to let this team lose.

But even in a night where Keller had two of the most important moments of the game, there was one play that could have derailed all the hard work the Mammoth did to mount this comeback.

With an extra attacker in net and no Karel Vejmelka to make saves for the team, the game looked to be all but over when Garnet Hathaway collected the puck near center ice.

There was no one blocking Hathaway’s shot on the goal. All he had to do deliver the final blow was take the shot and give the Flyers a 5-3 win on the road.

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But there was just one hangup: Nick Schmaltz was not going to allow Hathaway to take the shot.

Instead of securing the win for Philadelphia, Hathaway’s slight hesitation gave Schmaltz just enough time to strip the puck from behind to prevent a shot on goal from happening.

“We talked about it in the room after, none of this happens if Nick Schmaltz doesn’t backcheck and give everything he’s got to strip them before they score on the empty net,” said Keller. “And that’s the difference sometimes.”

Without his high effort play, Utah would never get back on defense to prevent the Flyers from extending the lead and Keller never would have tied the game.

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Without Schmaltz, this game was over.

“You know what I’m happy about–I’m happy that everybody (saw) that. Because that’s what we see from (Schmaltz),” said André Tourigny. “Not everybody will see that and you need to pay attention. And when there’s a highlight play like that; I liked his performance and how he impacts our team. I’m glad for him and for everybody–who were here at the Delta Center or at home watching our game–who sees that. It can highlight what Nick Schmaltz means for our team.”

But even if Schmaltz had the most important save of the game, Vejmelka put in work against the Flyers too. Namely, on this save here, when he snatched the puck midair and stole a goal from the Flyers:

Making 25 saves on route to his win over Philadelphia Vejmelka now has won seven straight starts for the first time in his career. His previous high was six.

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On top of that, Vejmelka also has won seven home games in a row too. He is proving to be worth every penny for the Utah Mammoth.

There was a lot of key contributions from Mammoth players throughout the game whether it was Schmaltz heroics or when Utah scored two goals in just 36 seconds to cut the lead 3-2 in the second.

But thanks to the very clutch fight Jack McBain had with Philly’s Noah Juulsen, which drew an additional roughing minor on Juulsen, Utah was able to get a power play opportunity and score to cut the lead to 4-3.

“No. I love Jules, but take a punch in the mouth. You’ve got to win the game. I don’t even know what happened,” said Philadelphia Flyers’ Rick Tocchet. “You can’t take a penalty there, and then the PK has to come out and block the shot, play aggressive and we sunk. We let Guenther, one of the best shooters in the league, go and shoot the puck. We unraveled, and we got to put the pieces back.”

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McBain was able to both deliver a great fight for the fans and give his team a much needed boost in the third.

Fighting matters kids!

For the third straight year, the BYU-Utah football showdown will take place in the middle of the season.

The Big 12 Conference released its 2026 football schedule Wednesday morning, with the Cougars and Utes set to face off in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 7.

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In 2025, BYU hosted Utah in Provo on Oct. 18, and the two rivals played on Nov. 9 back in 2024 for their first meeting as Big 12 foes.

While the 2024 and 2025 contests resulted in memorable BYU victories, many fans have criticized the Big 12’s decision to schedule such compelling rivalry action in the middle of the season rather than as the regular-season finale, considering the final week of the college football season is widely known as “Rivalry Week.”

During BYU’s and Utah’s joint 12-season tenure in the Mountain West Conference between 1999-2010, the Cougars and Utes battled in the regular-season finale every year except for 2001 and 2007.

Thus, when Utah joined the Big 12 prior to the 2024 campaign, many expected the rivalry games to take place in late November once again, only for the league to opt for midseason matchups instead.

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When the topic of scheduling came up at the 2024 Big 12 football media days, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark addressed the issue, as the Deseret News previously reported.

“Well, I think rivalries are critically important. … I mean Utah-BYU, Arizona-Arizona State, Kansas-Kansas State, Baylor-TCU are, I mean, great rivalries.”

Yormark added at the time that vice president of football Scott Draper and his scheduling committee came up with the plan as a way to draw interest throughout November.

“They were focused on the rivalries that obviously mean something, not only to the history of our conference, but to our fans. And I think we landed in a great place,” Yormark said.

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“We don’t necessarily have a rivalry week. We spread them around. I’ve discussed that a little bit with our head of football. So I don’t have a great answer on that other than we are focused on rivalries,” Yormark told The Salt Lake Tribune in 2024. “We’ve got great rivalries in our conference. We want to maintain those rivalries. And I think we did. But from a scheduling standpoint, it is not like we put everything on one weekend.”

However, the Big 12 did schedule four other rivalry games for the last week of the regular season in 2026: Arizona/Arizona State, Kansas State/Iowa State, Baylor/Houston and TCU/Texas Tech.

The likely explanation for putting BYU/Utah at midseason is the attempt to stand out amid the national football slate for the week and attract a wider television audience.

The 2024 game on Nov. 9 garnered 2.1 million viewers on ESPN, which at the time was the network’s third-highest late night mark of the year.

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But in 2025, despite both teams being ranked in the top 15, the Cougars and Utes only picked up 1.97 million viewers on Fox.

For comparison, when BYU played at Cincinnati on Fox in late November (at the same kickoff time as the Utah game had been) that game yielded 2.6 million viewers.

On one hand, it makes sense for the Big 12 wanting to place the BYU/Utah rivalry in a unique spot on the calendar to try and attract more national interest — especially when “Big Noon Kickoff” or Dave Portnoy come to town as a result.

But when the Cougars and Utes clash, it becomes the biggest event of the year in the state of Utah, and the 2025 contest ended up determining which team appeared in the Big 12 championship game.

Something like that might deserve the dramatic buildup of an entire season before serving as the grand finale.

SALT LAKE CITY ― The Flyers were in control until they weren’t.