Author: Jesse

Help for low-income Utahns seeking to become homeowners near Utah Inland Port Authority project areas could be coming under a bill advanced by state lawmakers Wednesday.

State law already permits the use of up to 10% of the general differential revenue collected through inland port developments to be used to pay for affordable housing in or near one of the dozen project areas throughout Utah, including 16,000 acres in the northwest quadrant of Salt Lake County.

But SB250, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Draper, gets more specific, calling for the revenue to be used to “assist low-income individuals and families who would qualify for income targeted housing to achieve homeownership, or retain homeownership, within a 15-mile radius of the project area.”

Cullimore told the Deseret News the new language “expands this to more home ownership,” as opposed to helping Utahns get into apartments or other rental properties. He said it’s part of the Utah Legislature’s efforts this session to add more “little tools, here and there” to address the state’s housing needs.

“We need all types of products in the housing market. But we’ve actually seen a pretty big proliferation of rental housing,” the majority leader said. “Our rents are still high, but they’ve actually stabilized. But home ownership has not stabilized. So I think the focus will be on more, what incentives can we do for attainable type home ownership housing.”

His bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and now heads to the full Senate.

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, asked Cullimore about limiting the housing that could be funded to within a 15-mile radius of an inland port project area.

“For the inland port, it’s all permissive,” Cullimore answered, adding that “because oftentimes an inland port area that might be subject to tax increment financing may or may not be appropriate for housing, it just gave them a little bit more parameters to do housing should they choose to do it.”

He said the option to use the revenues for housing could be transferred to a local housing authority or other nonprofit.

McCay also wanted to know if the inland port authority could zone property to develop low-income housing. When he was told that’s not the case, McCay said, “that’s good to know. I just wasn’t sure how we were expanding the scope of the inland port.”

Utah Inland Port Authority Executive Director Ben Hart told the Deseret News that housing “is in the conversation in every project area.”

Hart said the inland port authority did not seek the change in the law. Nor has it taken a position on the bill, although Hart noted he doesn’t “see any red flags. If it was compulsory and we were being forced to do something, we would probably take a little stronger stand one way or the other.”

Some entities that share in the inland port project revenues are already contributing funds to local housing authorities, he said.

As for housing fits into the inland port authority’s mission, Hart said that’s left “up to the collaborative processes for cities to work through. Obviously, we’re primarily industrially oriented, so trying to fit and co-locate housing nearby can be a little bit difficult. But several of our project areas are working to include housing.”

The inland port authority “may not necessarily provide financial support for those efforts but it’s certainly something that we are pro, and for. Because housing and workforce go together. Workforce is the lifeblood of the economy and so having well-planned communities really makes sense,” he said, expressing interest in supporting “economic areas of strength wherever we can. And that definitely includes housing.”

Still, how money is used in the project areas is often “predetermined. So it’s hard for us to go back and say we’re going to pry 10% loose from other projects,” Hart said. “We’re already very focused on industrial properties. We already are focused on logistics projects.”

90 Day Fiancé star Michael Eloshway checked into prison to begin his 10-year prison sentence after being found guilty of possessing videos of children being abused, In Touch can exclusively report. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Michael, 42, was scheduled to self-surrender on January 8, but the check-in date was postponed to…

Former Utah therapist Scott Owen admitted in a Provo courtroom on Monday that he sexually abused several of his patients during sessions.

Provo police began investigating Owen in 2023 after The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica reported on a range of sex abuse allegations against Owen, who had built a reputation over his 20-year therapy career as a specialist who could help gay men who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of the men who spoke to The Tribune and ProPublica said their bishop used church funds to pay for sessions in which Owen allegedly also touched them inappropriately.

While Owen gave up his therapy license in 2018 after several patients complained to state licensors that he had touched them inappropriately, the allegations were never investigated by the police and were not widely known. He continued to have an active role in his therapy business, Canyon Counseling, until the newsrooms published their investigation.

In pleading guilty on Monday to three charges of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, Owen for the first time publicly acknowledged that he sexually abused his patients.

Owen, 66, admitted that he sexually abused two male patients “using his position as a therapist” and led them to believe that sexual contact was part of their therapy.

He also pleaded no contest on Monday to another first-degree felony, attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, in connection with a third patient — a woman who alleged Owen touched her inappropriately during therapy sessions in 2007, when she was 13 years old. A no-contest plea means that Owen did not admit he committed the crime but conceded that prosecutors would present evidence at trial that would likely lead a jury to convict him.

Owen faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison during a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 31.

Prosecutors agreed in a plea deal to dismiss seven other felony charges that Owen faced in connection with the two male victims. Both told police that Owen engaged in sexual contact with them during therapy sessions — including kissing, cuddling and Owen using his hand to touch their anuses.

Owen admitted in plea documents to having sexual contact with the two patients, including putting one patient’s testicles in his mouth.

Owen admitted in plea agreement documents that, as a therapist, he was in a special position of trust when he had sexual contact with his patients, which he told them was “part of their treatment process.” Utah law says patients can’t consent to sexual acts with a health care professional if they believe the touching is part of a “medically or professionally appropriate diagnosis, counseling or treatment.”

Provo police interviewed at least a dozen of Owen’s former patients, according to court records, all of whom say he touched them in ways they felt were inappropriate during therapy sessions. Many of those patients are men who told police they were seeking therapy with Owen for “same-sex attraction.” Provo police Capt. Brian Taylor has said that some of the former patients’ reports involved allegations that were outside the window of time that prosecutors had to file a case, called the statute of limitations.

Under a negotiated settlement with Utah’s licensing division in 2018, Owen was able to surrender his license without admitting to any inappropriate conduct, and the sexual nature of his patients’ allegations is not referenced in the documents he signed when he gave up his license.

Both state licensors and local leaders in the LDS church knew of inappropriate touching allegations against Owen as early as 2016, reporting by The Tribune and ProPublica showed, but neither would say whether they ever reported Owen to the police. In Utah, with few exceptions, the state licensing division is not legally required to forward information to law enforcement.

The church said in response that it takes all matters of sexual misconduct seriously and that in 2019 it confidentially annotated internal records to alert bishops that Owen’s conduct had threatened the well-being of other people or the church.

In one of the most anticipated debuts in NBA history, Luka Dončić introduced himself to Lakers fans in winning fashion, helping Los Angeles to a dominant 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

The 25-year-old superstar received a raucous welcome from the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena, who were gifted No. 77 Dončić T-shirts in celebration of the blockbuster trade that brought him to the City of Angels on February 2.

Luka Doncic was introduced as a Los Angeles Lakers player on Tuesday.

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“Special,” Dončić said of his first game in the famed purple and gold. “The way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see. I was a little bit nervous before. I don’t remember when was the last time I was nervous before a game, but once I stepped out on the court, it was fun. Just being out there again felt amazing.”

Playing for the first time since Christmas Day due to a left calf strain, Dončić showed some rust, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes of action. He also recorded five rebounds and four assists, giving the Lakers faithful a glimpse of what’s to come.

The five-time All-NBA selection wasted no time getting on the board, sinking a three-pointer from the top of the key in the opening minutes of the first quarter, leading to a loud roar from the fans.

Dončić shared the court with NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, who returned from a one-game absence to post a game-high 24 points, along with eight assists and seven rebounds.

James, seen warming up in a No. 77 Dončić T-shirt, offered words of encouragement before the game: “Don’t fit in, fit the f**k out.”

“It’s special for him to say something like that. It just feels amazing,” Dončić said. “It gives me confidence. And after that speech, there were chills. I was just happy to be a part of it.”

Monday night’s contest wasn’t particularly competitive as the fourth-ranked Lakers cruised to a sixth straight win with the rout of the lowly Jazz.

It was a who’s who in attendance to see Dončić, including Lakers superfans Adele and Will Ferrell, as well as Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki was also in attendance.

Nowitzki, who played his entire career with the Mavericks, explained his decision to attend: “I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 in the first game of his new chapter.”

With his long-awaited debut behind him, Dončić and the Lakers now set their sights on the Jazz again on Wednesday in Salt Lake City as they look to continue their charge up the Western Conference standings.

Mavericks fans ejected after protesting Dončić trade

A cornerstone of the league’s future, Dončić arrived in LA from Dallas as part of a three-team trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA. In exchange, the Mavericks acquired nine-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The deal also saw Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris head to Los Angeles.

Anthony Davis impressed on his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, but it will now likely be some time before fans see him take to the court again.

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Mavericks fans protested outside the team’s American Airlines Center before their game on Saturday, and after Davis’ promising debut was cut short by an adductor strain which could reportedly rule him out for up to a month, Dallas fans’ calls for the team’s general manager Nico Harrison to be fired and for the owners to sell the team have grown louder.

Multiple fans were ejected from the arena during the second half of the Mavs’ 129-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday due to them violating the NBA’s code of conduct, according to a team spokesperson.

Two of the ejected fans held signs which read “Fire Nico,” according to ESPN.

“In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s),” Mavericks vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said in a statement, per ESPN.

Two more men, one of whom was wearing Dončić’s Slovenian national team jersey, were also ejected after a shouting match with Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban, according to ESPN.

“In the second incident, the fan wore a T-shirt that also broke the rule (cited) and was also intoxicated, disruptive and uncooperative, all listed in the NBA Fan Code of Conduct,” Finegold said in the statement, per ESPN.

CNN has contacted the Mavericks for comment.

The Mavs’ injury woes also deepened on Monday, as the team lost center Daniel Gafford to a right knee sprain. Gafford had to be helped off the court in the second quarter, after suffering the injury setting a screen for Spencer Dinwiddie. With his injury, Dallas will now be without their frontcourt stars in Davis, Gafford, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell.

Dallas sits eighth in the Western Conference on 28-26, half a game ahead of the Kings and the Golden State Warriors, each of which have won their last two.

When someone dials 911 in the small, western Utah community of Wendover, the first responders who answer the call for help know they’re at least 120 miles from the nearest hospital. There’s no backup in the roughly 900-square-mile area that Wendover Ambulance covers on the border of Utah and Nevada. So the EMTs who respond in crisis have to rely “on what they know and their partner and what they can do” as they work to stabilize patients and get them to safety, said Lauara Lisk, an advanced EMT and the company’s owner.