SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has long celebrated its pioneers with a dedicated state holiday, filled with activities, pageants and fireworks. Reaching back to its 1847 roots when pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley, Pioneer Day rivals the Fourth of July in festivities and celebrations. Cities and communities hold their own festivities every year, many with grand firework shows. Ongoing celebration in Salt Lake City will include a variety of activities, beginning with the Sunrise Service at 7 a.m. at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. The Pioneer Chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers will present the service to honor Utah’s pioneers. It will feature the Tabernacle organist as well as choirs from around the valley. Colorful floats will parade the streets of Salt Lake City in the the Days of ‘47 parade, presented by KSL 5 and the Workers Compensation Fund, as part of the celebration. Folks started lining the parade route lst night. Days of ‘47 will also put on a rodeo in the evening, as well as their Frontier Camp during the day. Bountiful kicked off its annual Handcart Days celebration Tuesday night with the 62nd annual Grand Parade on Main Street. The parade, this year with 85 entries, drew and estimated ten thousand spectators.

MOAB — A Grand County sheriff's deputy who was arrested for investigation of attempted murder following an alleged attack on his father — who serves as Moab's fire chief — has been charged with two misdemeanors. The Utah Attorney General's Office charged Timothy John "TJ" Brewer in 7th District Court on Tuesday with assault on a police officer and assault. The charges are both class A misdemeanors.

Brewer, 33, is accused of assaulting his father, Wesley "Corky" Brewer, and Moab police officer Steve Wiseman, according to the charges. No other information about the alleged assaults is contained in court filings.

After a preliminary investigation, TJ Brewer was booked into the San Juan County Jail for investigation of attempted murder, aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and intoxication. The Utah County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case.

The cause and severity of Corky Brewer's injuries have not been made public by law enforcement or prosecutors, nor has any information about what may have motivated the alleged assault by his son.

On July 16, several media organizations filed a requst for all records in the case under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, known as GRAMA.

TJ Brewer is a 12-year veteran of the Grand County Sheriff's Office was working narcotics at the time of his arrest. He was released from the San Juan County Jail on July 15 after a judge issued an order that barred Brewer from having any contact with his wife or his father, who has served as Moab's fire chief since 1989.

TJ Brewer is scheduled to make his first court appearance Aug. 6. He faces up to one year in jail on each of the misdemeanor charges, if he's convicted.

　

>>Lawmaker: Civilian Furloughs Illegal

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- One lawmaker says civilian defense worker furloughs are illegal. Representative Rob Bishop told the Undersecretary of Defense yesterday civilian employees at military bases are not paid from federal appropriations. Instead they're paid through a self-sustaining fund. Therefore, federal law makes furloughs illegal for them. Around eleven-thousand civilian defense workers are on forced furlough through September 30th.

SALT LAKE CITY — Social media pages have been created for the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Facebook and Google+, church officials said Tuesday.

These pages will be maintained on their behalf by the Church and act "as an official social media presence for each of them," according to Church News and Events.

Jared Covington, senior adviser over social media for the Church, said the Church created these pages to "give people a safe place they could go on Facebook to ‘like’ the pages of the Brethren."

Those following these pages will receive regular updates on the ministry of each of the Brethren, Church officials said.

"The Church will post links to talks, articles, videos and other relevant content on their behalf," said Dale Jones, a spokesperson for the church.

>>Groups Sue Utah Refinery

(Woods Cross, UT) -- A group of doctors and environmentalists is suing to stop oil refinery expansion in Woods Cross. Dan Mayhew with the Sierra Club says any growth of the Tesoro refinery would be bad for the environment and people's health. The Sierra Club and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment are the plaintiffs in the suit. Meanwhile, the Utah Division of Air Quality has approved the Tesoro Refinery expansion request.

(Salt Lake-Moab) Oil and gas companies already have leased more than 38-million acres of public land, and a new environmental report says there's no need for them to target other parcels that adjoin national parks and areas with wilderness, historic and recreation values. The Wilderness Society report names a dozen locations in eight states it says are "Too Wild to Drill." Utah is home to two of them – Arches National Park and Desolation Canyon. Nada Culver with The Wilderness Society says 25-million acres of the land currently leased haven't been developed.

Cut 93116 :12 "That’s a lot of land, about the size of the state of Florida, that they’re sitting on. That is public land that belongs to everyone, and it’s not being produced but it’s being tied up and it is a concern, here and everywhere else."

Tag: Culver says the B-L-M in Utah has instituted a master leasing plan process and is doing a better job than some states of balancing multiple uses on the land the agency controls. However, in her words, it's an "ongoing struggle" to ensure that priorities other than energy development receive fair consideration. The report also notes that one million people visit Arches National Park every year – most likely to see the natural stone arches, not oil and gas wells.

>>Eisenhower Way Shooting Murder Suicide

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Police say a shooting on Eisenhower Way was a murder-suicide. Detective Cody Lougy says Debra Eatchel [[ ET-chel ]] was found in a vehicle. Her ex-husband Calvin was found nearby. Court documents show the Eatchels were in the midst of a child-custody dispute. Police say they had sevveral calls involving the couple over recent months.

>>In Wake Of Deaths, B-L-M Considers Changes At 'Wave'

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Utah's Bureau of Land Management says it's evaluating safety regulations in the wake of recent fatalities at The Wave. Three hikers have died hiking at the world-famous rock formations in the last month alone. The "Tribune" says officials are considering everything from additional trail markers to boosting cell phone service in the area in case of an emergency. The striped, undulating slopes have long been an attraction for millions of visitors.

>>Extreme Heat Blamed For Death Of Colorado Hiker

(Undated) -- High temperatures are ruled as one cause behind the death of a Colorado hiker earlier this month in southern Utah. Thirty-five-year-old Cindy So of Denver was hiking in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on July 4th when she succumbed to the heat. So's hiking partner and another couple made attempts to keep her alive but she stopped breathing before paramedics arrived.

>>Utah Joins States To Cut Down On I-80 Fatalities

(Undated) -- If you frequent Interstate 80 through Utah you might notice more law enforcement than usual this week. That's because Utah Highway Patrol is partnering with law enforcement units from ten other states where I-80 passes through. Utah will put more than 100 extra Troopers on I-80 this week in an effort to slow down speeding drivers. U-H-P says the five most frequent causes of fatal Interstate crashes are speeding, driving under the influence, drowsy driving, distracted driving and driving without a seatbelt.