Moab, UT - The reopening of Utah's national parks during the government shutdown is restarting an economic engine in tourism-dependent communities such as Moab. There are estimates that local businesses lost millions of dollars while nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks were closed. Rex Tanner owns the Blu Pig restaurant and bar in Moab. He says his business lost thousands of dollars before the parks reopened late last week.

Cut 52116 :06 "It lasted ten days. I believe it cost me 15-thousand for the first ten days."

Tanner estimates that Moab lost "millions of dollars" in tourism revenue during the government shutdown. He says about 80-percent of the local economy is dependent upon tourism.

Tanner says the shutdown shows that politicians on both sides of the aisle in Washington have lost touch with the needs of their constituents.

Cut 53116 :14 "I'm so disgusted with it. And it doesn't matter where you're at politically in terms of Democrats or Republicans. I mean, the whole - the whole group of them - as far as I'm concerned, they've just lost their whole focus on why they're there and who they're representing."

Tag: Governor Gary Herbert called a special Legislative session for tomorrow (Wednesday) to consider ongoing state funding to keep the parks open, should the government shutdown continue.

>>Murray Police Search For Missing Boy, Mother

(Murray, UT) -- Authorities in Murray are conducting a desperate search for a woman they say took her child illegally. Police say an Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for 15-month-old Giovanni Marks. The boy was allegedly taken yesterday from his father's home in Murray. The child's 19-year-old mother was visiting the home and took the boy. Police think Lady Ashley Marks may be headed to Spokane, Washington. She's described as five-foot-four and 118 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

>>Funds For Boy's Funeral Among Items Stolen

(Spanish Fork, UT) -- Spanish Fork police say a purse-snatching incident has turned into a much more important case. The 450-dollars Trudy and Bryce Nielsen intended to use for their three-year-old son's funeral expenses was among the items lost when her purse was stolen last week. The money was from a donation fund to help defray the costs of their son Dayton's final expenses. Dayton Neilsen died October 4th from complications after a surgery to remove a cancerous tumor two days earlier.

>>Parole Board Says Mom Must Spend All 15 In Prison

(Tooele, UT) -- The Utah mother accused of suffocating her five-month-old son must serve her full sentence after all. The state parole board decided yesterday to make Connie Long spend all 15-years behind bars. Prosecutors say Long wrapped the boy so tightly in an afghan that he suffocated and died. The "Tribune" says Long's husband Kevin Long received an identical sentence.

>>Microwave Fire Destroys Goshen Home

(Goshen, UT) -- A Utah home is completely destroyed after a microwave oven catches fire and quickly spreads. Utah County authorities say a mother and her young daughter were unhurt in yesterday's blaze in Goshen. Investigators say the woman's T-V dinner apparently caught fire when she left it unattended in the microwave. The home has been declared a total loss.

>>B-Y-U Student Union Named To New List

(Provo, UT) -- One of Utah's college student unions is among the best in the nation. The Wilkinson Student Center on the campus of B-Y-U in Provo is named to the 25 most amazing student union buildings in the U.S. Best College Reviews looked at architectural nobility and student satisfaction to craft the list. Wilkinson came in at number-19 overall. The student union at Oklahoma State University finished number-one overall.


>>Group Wants Some Police Warrants Regulated

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- A group in Utah is asking lawmakers to regulate how police carry-out high-risk warrants. Libertas Institute says it wants to regulate how police use tactics like breaking down doors which could potentially endanger innocent people. The group's founder says its policy is not meant to be anti-cop.

>>Snafu Could Cost Man 30-Dollars And His License

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- A Utah man could lose his driver's license over a 30-dollar citation from 1997. Steve Nosack tells KSL-TV he thought his ticket for driving without insurance was paid for and resolved. But two weeks ago the state driver's license division claimed Nosack's license would be suspended unless he paid a re-installment fee. Officials said the problem is due to lost paperwork but Nosack still owes the 30-bucks.