(Moab-Italy)- Mario Richard, a leader in the extreme sport of BASE jumping, in which participants leap from fixed objects and use a parachute to break their fall, died Monday while wingsuit flying in the Dolomites in Italy. He was 47.

His death was confirmed by family and friends in the United States. Details of the accident were unclear Tuesday, but the Italian news media reported that Richard hit a cliff wall minutes after his wife, the professional rock climber Steph Davis, had jumped successfully.

Moab B.A.S.E. Adventures, a company started by Richard and Davis, was thought to be the first commercial operation to offer tandem BASE jumps — in this case, the towering sandstone formations surrounding Moab, Utah. Richard and Davis combined their talents and passions, leading customers on guided hikes or climbs and attaching them to the front of Richard for a fall of 1,000 feet or more.

He was quick to admit that his business and his passion were dangerous. "But I’ve got very good reasons to come home at the end of the day," he said in 2012. Richard moved to Moab in 2007 and soon met Davis. They married in 2011, atop the majestic Parriott Mesa outside Moab, and celebrated by running and leaping off the mesa and gliding to earth with parachutes.

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>>Utah GOP Wants 2016 National Convention In SLC

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- The Utah GOP is launching an effort to bring the 2016 Republican National Convention to Salt Lake City. The "Deseret News" says bringing the convention to the Valley could cost as much as 40-million dollars. Utah's GOP chairman James Evans says holding the convention in Salt Lake City is an "excellent opportunity" to export the benefits of conservatism to the entire country.

>>BLM To Lease Precious Wilderness To 'Big Oil'

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Conservationists are fuming over the Bureau of Land Management's plans to lease thousands of acres of wilderness in the San Rafael Swell to oil and gas developers. The "Tribune" says much of the area that's going on the auction block this November is valuable wilderness and recreational land. The land being mae available totals nearly 150-thousand acres in the counties of Emery, Carbon and Uintah. A spokesperson with the Utah Wilderness Alliance says the move is a "conflict" and "disappointing."

>>Tooele Co. OK's Big Property Tax Increase

(Tooele County, UT) -- Residents of Tooele County are in for a big increase in property taxes. County commissioners have passed a 66-percent hike in taxes totaling two-point-six-million dollars. The county said the hike - the first of its kind in Tooele in almost three decades - will help avert bankruptcy. The hike means the owner of an average 150-thousand-dollar home will pay around 75-dollars more per year.

>>WVC Street Renamed 'Cesar Chavez Drive'

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>>Security Cameras On Buses

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SALT LAKE CITY — A veteran cop with the Unified Police Department has been fired after being accused of stealing money and faking DUI reports. Stephen Hall was let go after an internal investigation was completed about 6 months ago. He could face up to 15 years in the Utah State Prison if convicted. He’s been charged with a second-degree felony and a number of misdemeanor charges.

"He had like 27 DUI arrests, impounds of vehicles as a well as a whole host of citations and it was discovered that he had not in fact done any of that," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. The former UPD officer allegedly paid himself $14,000 in overtime through a DUI enforcement program funded through a state grant. The veteran cop who worked as an officer for 20 years was not only allegedly stealing money, but falsifying DUI arrests with fake names.


WEST JORDAN — A West Jordan judge has ruled that Clark Aposhian must stay away from his ex-wife and her new husband, but Utah's top gun lobbyist will get his firearms back. After two run-ins since 2010 between Aposhian and Ronald Meyer, who is married to Aposhian's ex-wife, a 3rd District Court judge ordered Tuesday that a temporary civil stalking injunction issued earlier this year will remain in place for three years. Aposhian still lives in the neighborhood but must stay at least 150 feet away from his ex-wife, Natalie Meyer, and her husband.

The judge did not uphold an addendum to the injunction that required Aposhian to hand over his huge stock of firearms. "The fact that (Aposhian) carries a firearm does not lead this court to believe that he will inevitably use the firearm on (Ronald Meyer) or that such an end is logically unavoidable," court documents state.


>>Crime Map Published Online

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>>New Sewer Fees Criticism

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Higher proposed sewer and water fees are making a lot of people angry. "The Salt Lake Tribune" says the state wants to charge water-district customers ten-cents a month. They're also suggesting a one-dollar-a-month toilet tax. The Department of Environmental Quality says the money would help pay for drinking water and water-quality programs. Groups all over the state say the proposals are just tax increases in disguise.

>>White Minivan Incident Investigated

(St. George, UT) -- St. George police are checking into a suspicious-vehicle incident. Authorities said Monday, two men in a white minivan asked about local elementary schools at Paula's Restaurant. One tried getting into Coral Cliffs Elementary School through locked doors before using the main door. Police said they've located the men and van and are questioning them. At this time, it's not believed anyone's in danger.