SALT LAKE CITY, December 14, 2012 – Consumer optimism is offsetting unresolved financial issues, as millions of Mountain West residents help propel this year’s holiday travel season into the second highest number of travelers seen in the past decade, according to the latest travel survey from AAA Utah.
AAA predicts an estimated 7.1 million Mountain West residents expected to travel during this end of the year holiday season, representing an overall increase of 1.4 percent compared to 2011.

>>Chaffetz Says Issue Of Guns, Mentally Ill Needs Review

(New York, NY) -- Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz is saying there needs to be talk about making it more difficult for the mentally ill to get guns. The Republican told ABC's "This Week" program Sunday he owns guns and is a concealed carry permit holder, and says "there are millions of Americans who deal with this properly." But Chaffetz adds, "we have to look at the mental health access."

>>Former Utah Girl Among Connecticut Victims

(Ogden, UT) -- A former Ogden girl is one of the 26 victims killed in the Connecticut school mass shooting. Six-year-old Emilie Parker's parents moved to Newtown, Connecticut from Odgen this year for a new job. FOX 13 News reports Emilie was the oldest three children. Her father spoke to the press at an LDS meeting house this weekend the girl "could light up a room" adding "she always had something kind to say about anybody."

>>Domestic Dispute Shooting Involves Standoff

(Roy, UT) -- A woman is hospitalized and her husband is in police custody in after a shooting and standoff in Roy. The man allegedly shot his wife Saturday night and held police off for almost two hours, before giving up. Residents were alerted when the suspect allegedly shot his gun into the neighborhood. There's a fund at America First Credit Union to help the family with expenses.
(Enoch Utah)-What started as a domestic disturbance escalated to an officer-involved shooting Sunday after police shot a knife-wielding man in the knee.
Enoch police were called to a domestic disturbance around 7:30 p.m. after someone in the home reported a man was arguing with his mother. The caller said the man had some kind of weapon, police said in a press release.
When they arrived at the home, on the 5100 block of North Enoch Road, they found the 19-year-old man had two knives, and he refused to comply with officers' demands.
After "less-lethal" means failed to bring compliance, police said they shot the man in the knee.
The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and police said the injury is not life threatening. No other people were injured.
>>Man Convicted In Death Of Reservoir Swimmer

(Ogden, UT) -- A man is guilty on a number of charges in the death of a swimmer at Pineview Reservoir in Weber County. Skyler Shepherd wasn't driving but was a passenger when his boat killed Esther Fujimoto in August of last year. She was struck and killed by the propeller. Shepherd was convicted of reckless endangerment, failure to render aid and obstruction of justice. Two others face charges.

>>Reach Out Utah Asking For Blood Donations

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- The holidays are a harder time for American Red Cross blood donations but Reach Out Utah hopes to change that. The blood drive tomorrow is a joint effort with the Red Cross and FOX 13. It's from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Salt Lake Donor Center at 66-hundred South 99 East. For information go to redcrossblood.org.
>>Protest Of West Vally City Cops

(West Valley City, UT) -- Activists in West Valley City gather to protest the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman from Washington State. Danielle Willard was fatally shot by a West Valley City police officer outside an apartment complex November 2nd. The 21-year-old victim's family says police have yet to explain what happened and why the young woman was shot twice in the head.

>>Pants Pledge Called A Success

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Women around Salt Lake say their "Wear Pants to Church" protest is a success. The Internet push for female church members to protest equality in the LDS Church say yesterday's event turned out not to be as controversial as first thought. The event is the brainchild of Murray resident Stephanie Lauritzen. She says her Facebook campaign under the name "All Enlist" has attracted scorn and support worldwide.

>>Cyclist, 20, Dead In Tooele

(Tooele, UT) -- A 20-year-old man on a bicycle is dead in Tooele following a weekend crash. Authorities say a 70-year-old woman turned into an intersection at Pinehurst and Vine yesterday and struck the young man. He died of his injuries during an ambulance ride to the hospital.

>>Salt Lake Christians Begin Advent Season

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Christians around Salt Lake City are celebrating the beginning of the Advent season. Yesterday was the third day on the Advent calendar -- the season leading Christians up to the Christmas celebration of the birth of Christ. Utah Christians say the Advent season helps them put the real reason for the season into perspective.
SALT LAKE CITY – Eight of the members of the 405th Army Reserve Delta Company returned to Utah Sunday after being deployed in Afghanistan for almost a year.
The 405th is based in Las Vegas, but some of their members live in Utah. They’ve been in Afghanistan since January training Afghans to use modern technology to run the country once coalition forces are gone.
Family and friends who were at the Salt Lake City International Airport to greet the servicemen say it was an early Christmas present.