Super Bowl’s Cougars displayed extraordinary leadership in college, and now doing so in NFL

Coachable, alert, plugged in, overachievers and natural leaders, 49er linebacker Fred Warner and Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen represent the best BYU has to offer come Sunday

Fred Warner and Daniel Sorensen won’t exactly go against each other on Super Bowl Sunday because they’re both defensive stalwarts on opposite teams.

But the two former BYU players, linebacker Warner for the San Francisco 49ers and safety Sorensen for the Kansas City Chiefs, share a standout trait in leadership.

They get it.

While at BYU, Warner and Sorensen put this admirable characteristic on display during their careers.

In BYU’s dismal 2017 four-win season, the football program held its weekly media gaggle with reporters in the foyer of the football offices a few days after Saturday games. Sitting at a table surrounded by reporters, Warner would come out week after week and field questions about mostly losses.

Other players, some of them with pretty high profiles over the seasons Warner played for the Cougars, were many times unavailable, be it a class, a test, a conflict of some sort, reporters were told. But Warner came out, faced tough questions, gave his best answers and, at times, confessed he did not know what to say.

On the field, Warner was accountable and held others to the same standard. He elevated those around him with his effort and energy and where he could, he vocally encouraged, pushed, admonished and called out slackers.

This is what he’s doing now as a quarterback of the 49er defense, the best in the NFL. He is fresh off NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for November.

Sorensen’s approach at BYU and now with the Chiefs is a little different but just as effective.

Quiet, somewhat of an introvert who doesn’t like to talk about himself, and a player who avoids the spotlight, Sorensen lets his physical play do the talking.

Where others might feel comfortable behind a microphone, Sorensen likes the cerebral approach to the game, looking at film, breaking down tendencies and keys. This isn’t to say Warner doesn’t do the same, as evidenced by his interview with the Deseret News when he said New England Patriot playmaker Kyle Van Noy taught him the importance of digital review.

Sorensen is a master of triangulating angles, creating leverage, reacting to his visual decision of what a play is going to develop into and getting to spots.

During his BYU years, he received one of the highest praises reporters ever heard come out of the mouth of defensive-minded head coach Bronco Mendenhall, himself a former college safety.

Mendenhall is very measured in the praise he metes to players because he is so plugged into keeping the motivational edge mentally on his players — that whatever they do, they can do much better.

Of Sorensen, Mendenhall said before 2013 bowl preparation in December:

”Daniel is zero maintenance and he’s always where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there performing at a higher level than you thought he would or expect,” Mendenhall said. “If I could have an entire team of Daniel Sorensens — that would be my ideal BYU team.”

While it’s true BYU has not had that many players of late drafted in the NFL, that doesn’t mean the program isn’t represented in Super Bowls, this time with two. Before that, it was Van Noy and the Patriots’ run to close out the decade.

Warner, who was drafted, and Sorensen, who was a free agent, represent positions where BYU tends to find recruiting success.

In Warner and Sorensen, the representation does the program proud.

And when it’s over, the school will have an alum with one of those gaudy sparkling heavy rings.

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Letter: Citizens deserve to know the details behind impeachment

As a conservative, I believe the government and those who lead it should adhere to certain principles of integrity. From information made public during the impeachment inquiry, it appears those principles have been violated.

The people of this country deserve to know what has gone on in this White House that may not square with upholding the Constitution. We have the right to hear from the key people who were involved in making policy about Ukraine and carrying it out.

The president likes to claim “executive privilege.” I do not see that in the Constitution. It is a shaky excuse for withholding information from Congress, and absolutely no excuse for keeping the truth from us. When elected leaders who swear loyalty to the Constitution try to keep us from hearing the facts, it is as though they are saying they do not trust us to make informed decisions on our own.

They are saying, “Don’t get all worked up about these matters, just let us take care of them.” As a citizen, I want more than that. I want to hear testimony from the people who were involved in the Ukraine situation and be able to weigh the truth for myself.

Don Searle

West Valley City

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Be a part of the solution: 11th annual Clear the Air Challenge kicks off

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Scott Baird, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, jokingly fight over a trophy before the kickoff of the 11th annual Clear the Air Challenge at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday. The Clear the Air Challenge, issued by business, government and community leaders, is a monthlong competition starting Saturday that gives Utahns the chance to reduce their vehicle emissions by choosing alternatives to driving alone. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality won the challenge in 2019. According to Baird, DEQ employees won by increasing their use of public transportation and inviting food trucks to their office location so that employees did not have to go out for lunch. The Clear the Air Challenge is a partnership between the Salt Lake Chamber, TravelWise and UCAIR. To learn more about the challenge, log on to cleartheairchallenge.org.

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Mark Zuckerberg talks about his mistakes, his goals and his new-found spirituality at tech summit

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks about “News Tab” at the Paley Center, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 in New York. | Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Mark Zuckerberg spoke candidly about his company, and himself, in a wide-ranging discussion at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit on Friday evening.

Zuckerberg started off with a minor gaff that earned chuckles throughout the packed house at the Salt Palace Convention Center, misidentifying the home of Facebook’s new Utah data center as being in Eagle Rock, rather than Eagle Mountain. But it also gave him an opportunity to address what he called one of his biggest challenges.

“Look, let’s be real here,” Zuckerberg said. “Communication is not my best thing.”

He also offered a recounting of the mistakes he’s made along the way to growing the biggest social media company in the world. And, when asked about who he seeks out for mentorship, Zuckerberg had a response that got a round of applause from the Utah audience.

“The last few years have been really humbling for me,” Zuckerberg said. “I’ve become more religious.”

In spite of controversies over the handling of customer data and targeted political advertising, as well as recent troubles associated with the company’s announced plans to create its own cryptocurrency called Libra, Facebook remains one of the most valuable companies in the world. At the end of regular trading Friday, Facebook’s market capitalization was over $575 billion — the company trails only Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, and Amazon as the most valuable U.S. tech companies.

As of late last year, Facebook reportedly had almost 2.5 billion users, with some 1.6 billion who log on to the platform daily.

Zuckerberg’s public engagements, outside the company’s annual user/developer conference, are rare. Over the past year, his most notable appearances included testifying before two U.S. congressional committees last spring over data handling issues and the Cambridge Analytica data breach, and a speech at Georgetown University last October that focused on free expression.

This story will be updated.

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Bill requiring cremation or burial of remains after abortion, miscarriage advances in Utah Senate

Kristy Nielsen and Kathy Adams argue over requirements for disposing of fetal remains from miscarriages and abortions after the Senate Health and Human Services Committee debated SB67 in the Senate Building at the Capitol complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — After an emotional debate Friday, a Utah Senate committee voted 4-2 to advance a bill that would require aborted and miscarried fetal remains to be buried or cremated.

“Today, when a woman has a miscarriage or an abortion, those remains are treated as medical waste and thrown out as so much refuse,” sponsor of SB67 Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said Friday.

The bill would require hospitals or clinics to either cremate or bury the remains, and to offer mothers the ability to decide how they’d like the remains disposed of by checking a box on a form that provides them information about their choices. If the mother doesn’t wish to decide, Bramble said she can leave the box blank, and the decision will be left up to the facility.

As he explained the bill, Bramble lambasted a KUTV news report that he said was incorrect in describing the bill as requiring women themselves to provide for the disposal of remains.

“Every once in a while, you get a bill that gets misunderstood and things go viral,” Bramble said.

Some proponents of the bill who spoke out during Friday’s meeting said the bill would’ve saved them from pain when they miscarried.

Meanwhile, critics said they opposed potentially increasing a woman’s trauma by making her think of the fetuses’ disposal in an already difficult circumstance.

Sen. Jani Iwamoto, D-Holladay, said that during her own miscarriage, she would’ve been “traumatized with a piece of paper” and would’ve “been asking what are we burying,” as she said she miscarried early in her pregnancy.

Alicia Alba, of Utah County, told the Health and Human Services Committee that in 2014 she lost a baby to miscarriage at 10 weeks. At her doctor’s office, Alba delivered a “tiny and perfectly-formed baby into the palm of my hand,” she recalled.

“There is no denying the humanity of the unborn after you’ve seen them face to face,” Alba said.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Liz Miller gets emotional while recalling her own experience with miscarriage while speaking in opposition of SB67, which would require aborted and miscarried fetal remains to be buried or cremated, during a hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in the Senate Building at the Capitol complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.

There were no protocols in place at the hospital for handling situations like hers, according to Alba. She said she “was haunted by the realization that my baby had likely been disposed of as medical waste. My baby had likely been thrown away.”

It took Alba years to heal, she said, adding that the bill “strikes the perfect balance” by giving mothers the opportunity to decide what happens to their miscarried fetuses.

Likewise, Nicholeen Peck, president of Worldwide Organization for Women, said when she had multiple miscarriages, no one gave her options to dispose of the remains.

“This is a human need,” she said. “This is a women’s rights issue, it’s a women’s health issue, and we need to respect that. It doesn’t hurt anyone to give them the option. It only helps if they can choose.”

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, asks Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, a question about SB67, which would require aborted and miscarried fetal remains to be buried or cremated, during a hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in the Senate Building at the Capitol complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.

Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, questioned whether information regarding disposal choices can be given by families’ request, rather than by giving the options to everyone to whom it might cause trauma.

“How would a woman know she has a choice if there’s not some communication?” Bramble countered.

Liz Miller, of Salt Lake County, became emotional as she recalled having two miscarriages. One of them required surgical removal of the fetus and contents, Miller said.

“I cannot fathom the enormous insult to an already unbearable trauma by forcing a discussion” about disposal, Miller said.

Though Miller thanked Bramble for trying to help women struggling with a loss of their unborn child, she said “women and their loved ones should not have to choose to bury or cremate fetal remains under any circumstances.”

Bramble also discussed the bill on Thursday during a tense House Democrats caucus meeting by invitation from Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City. During the meeting, other lawmakers grilled Bramble on whether mothers would be required to pay for the burials or cremations, or if hospitals and clinics would carry that cost.

Bramble said the bill as written “imposes no requirements on the woman,” but does not clarify whether or not clinics could pass the cost onto women’s bills.

According to the proposed bill, a woman is only responsible for the cost of burying or cremating the remains if she chooses to do so at a location different than the one used by the hospital or clinic.

If the woman does choose how the fetus will be disposed of, a record of it will go into her medical history, Bramble said.

The bill wouldn’t require a woman to find out how a medical facility disposes of the remains, he said.

“On a woman’s side of the equation, it gives her one more choice. It gives her the choice to do nothing, or it gives her the choice to say ‘I’d like to have the remains, whether it’s from abortion or miscarriage, I’d like to have these remains treated with dignity,’” Bramble said on Thursday.

Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, pushed back and said that cost is related to accessibility, and law dictates a woman have access to an abortion.

During Friday’s meeting, Bramble introduced a replacement bill that would allow a facility up to 120 days to accumulate multiple remains to be disposed of at one time to save money, as opposed to 10 days in the original bill.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, and Mary Taylor, president of Pro Life Utah, speak in favor of SB67, which would require aborted and miscarried fetal remains to be buried or cremated, during a hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in the Senate Building at the Capitol complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.

Mary Taylor, president of Pro-Life Utah, who presented the bill with Bramble, said simultaneous cremation would alleviate the cost concern. She said calculations show it would cost $1.80 to cremate each fetus simultaneously with others.

“I think it’s easy for everybody to understand why this is important to offer to a woman who’s had a miscarriage,” Taylor said. But in Pro-Life Utah’s post-abortive support group, she says one of the biggest traumas for those women is “dealing with the knowledge of what happened to their baby.”

Even if a woman decides to let the facility decide how to dispose of the remains, they receive more dignity knowing they were not treated as medical waste, according to Taylor.

The replacement bill also addresses a concern members of the Utah Medical Association expressed about pathology, according to Bramble. Some doctors were concerned that, after pathology is performed on miscarried fetuses, there might not be enough remaining tissue, Bramble said. The replacement bill only addresses remains that exist after pathology takes place.

Katie Matheson, spokeswoman for Alliance for a Better Utah, said during Friday’s meeting, “We are concerned about the impacts of this bill, and we are concerned it would have an impact on the women who lose the pregnancy and the health providers.”

Matheson recalled miscarrying during her first pregnancy on one Valentine’s Day. She said had SB67 been law at the time, it would’ve added a burden and “compounded the trauma for me.”

The group supports those who want to choose how to dispose of fetal remains, but are concerned about the bill interfering with doctor-patient relationships, Matheson said.

A similar bill in Indiana was upheld last May by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Associated Press reported.

Contributing: Sahalie Donaldson

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Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson addresses population growth in new weekly podcast

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City in the Salt Palace Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. Construction on the hotel is scheduled to start Jan. 13 and the grand opening is scheduled for October 2022. | Ivy Ceballo, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson celebrated her first year in office this week by debuting a “County Conversations” podcast.

Wilson used the new platform to give her State of the County address, delving into homelessness, mental health, wage increases and population growth. Salt Lake County Council Chairman Max Burdick and Councilwoman Ann Granato also joined Wilson, updating constituents on their main policy concerns for 2020.

Wilson proposed starting a podcast in the fall and hopes to make “County Conversations” a weekly offering. The feedback has been positive, according to Chloe Morroni, spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.

“Why not start it with the State of the County?” said Morroni, who thinks a podcast is a far more engaging way to reach Wilson’s constituents. “People can’t necessarily stop what they’re doing and go to council chambers to listen to a speech.”

Morroni hopes that a weekly podcast will help Salt Lake County residents understand the scope of what the mayor’s office does.

“This is a really good way to to educate people on things that they might not know are available to them,” she said.

Although Wilson discussed other issues, housing and population were the focus of the first podcast. She said her team is “doubling down” on ways to keep Salt Lake County a desirable place to live.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in 2020 that doesn’t think about how growth is impacting their lives, in some way, in Salt Lake County,” Wilson said.

Burdick echoed the mayor’s concerns.

“With an aging population, fixed incomes and incredible growth, these challenges are not only going to stay with us, but they’re going to grow,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get ahead of it, but we can certainly keep up with it.”

Wilson also touched on the controversial Olympia Hills development, which the County Council will vote on in February. She applauded the revised plan that was submitted over the summer, calling it “much improved” over a previous proposal.

The podcast was recorded on Jan. 24, five days before the county hosted a public hearing in Herriman to gauge public support for Olympia Hills. Almost no one spoke out in favor of the development.

On Friday, Morroni told the Deseret News that Wilson is still in favor of a planned community, although her stance on the development’s details hinge on public opinion.

“That’s still a conversation,” said Morroni. “She’s evaluating public comments, which she’ll then use to formulate her official opinion.”

In the podcast Wilson said regardless of how the council votes on the development, the county needs a plan to handle the population boom along the Wasatch Front.

“We have such aggressive growth rates in Salt Lake County,” she said. “What we don’t want is sprawl.”

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Sterling Scholar Awards expand, recognize outstanding students statewide

Jessica Lewis, of DaVinci Academy, wins the vocal category during the Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Awards ceremony at the LDS Conference Center’s Little Theatre in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 15, 2019. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Scholarships have seen significant growth since 1960s

SALT LAKE CITY — The Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Awards have grown a lot since their beginnings in the early 1960s.

When the Sterling Scholar program began as a way to recognize outstanding high school academic scholars apart from athletes, it was only held in Salt Lake City with 12 categories, according to the Sterling Scholar website.

Now, the awards are available to students statewide, in five regions and 14 categories. And as of last year, the program has expanded to award the same amount of money to winners from metropolitan and rural areas alike.

“When I came into this position and began to learn about Sterling Scholar and was informed that the Sterling Scholar candidates from these larger districts here were receiving a higher scholarship than the ones out in the rural areas, I began to question why we would want to do that,” said Gary Porter, senior vice president of Deseret Management Corporation.

“Why is a rural student not eligible for the same kind of scholarship as someone from a larger school district here, a metropolitan area?” he said.

Having grown up on a farm in Idaho, Porter understood what life is like for students living in rural areas.

“You have to work all the time. You don’t get an opportunity to participate in sports like some others do who live in town and can run over to the school for football practice or other things,” Porter said. “When you live out on a farm, you find you have chores to do.”

Porter said he didn’t want students from rural areas to feel like “second-class citizens” and thought they should be given the same opportunity students in larger metropolitan areas have.

“It just seemed like if we were going to continue the program, we should make it fair and equitable, so that’s what we did,” Porter said.

The change was well received by the students when it rolled out last year, according to Porter.

“I think they were thrilled to have the opportunity to have a scholarship that was equal across the board for everybody that we offered the program to,” Porter said. “I’m really happy that we were able to make that adjustment.”

Porter said the change sends a signal to all that the Sterling Scholar program “is a special opportunity for students to rise up and reach their highest potential and then be recognized for that.”

“It doesn’t matter where you live,” Porter said. “You have the opportunity to be recognized for working hard, being a good student, being well rounded and striving to do your best.”

The awards help students realize there is a purpose to working hard to do their best, beyond just getting an A on their report cards, according to Porter.

“The reality is those scholarship recipients are more well rounded,” Porter said. “As you go through and read those applications, you’ll soon find that those kids are involved in a lot of things, not just the academics, but in social programs, in community programs, in personal achievement programs, developing their talents individually.”

The students put a lot into applying for the Sterling Scholar Awards, not just because they are filling out an application, but because “they really are people who have breadth,” according to Porter.

“When you think about leadership, good leaders are those who have a broad understanding of the issues and experience, and that’s been impressive to me to see the effort that these youth put into this scholarship qualification,” Porter said.

Porter said he has run into many past Sterling Scholar recipients, who even 20 or 30 years after winning the award refer to the program “with great fondness.”

“Being a Sterling Scholar recipient really means something to people,” Porter said. “I love to hear people refer to those memories because it tells me that it is something special.”

The Deseret Management Corporation is proud to sponsor the Sterling Scholar Awards through the Deseret News and KSL, and has been “for years and years,” according to Porter.

“It’s a program that has real merit, and those students who participate in it I think all value that opportunity,” Porter said. “It really is quite a memorable recognition, so we’re pleased to do that.”

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Education a top priority for Sterling Scholar sponsor Gail Miller

Gail Miller talks about her new book and embracing her role as a woman in business during an interview at her office in Sandy on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. She is a strong supporter of the Sterling Scholars program | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Gail Miller didn’t hesitate to become a sponsor of the Sterling Scholar Awards.

“They were readily responsive when we went to them and made a proposal,” Gary Porter, senior vice president of Deseret Management Corporation, said of Miller’s Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation.

Miller was “enthusiastically supportive” and offered to sponsor the program for several years.

“It wasn’t just a one-time commitment. It was a multiyear commitment,” Porter said. “They were strongly committed enough to do that.”

Education is a top priority for Miller and her family foundation.

“The Millers have a great interest in education, which I really honor and respect Gail for. She’s a marvelous leader,” Porter said. “They were kind enough to step up and say, ‘We’ll be your partner,’ and they have been a wonderful partner.”

The Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation “formed in 2007 to allow the philanthropic spirit, established by Larry and Gail within their businesses, to continue for generations to come,” according to the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies website.

“Gail and Larry created a strong legacy of giving back to the communities in which they do business,” the Sterling Scholar website states.

So much so that the Sterling Scholar Awards ceremony has included a Gail Miller Community Service Award, honoring a student for exceptional community service efforts.

“The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies has a legacy of ‘going about doing good until there’s too much good in the world,’” the group’s website states. “We believe by giving, working, and serving in our communities, we enrich our lives and the lives of others.”

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High school drill: Dixie claims 4A state championship

Dixie’s Chloe Cox, left, and Britten Peterson hug to celebrate winning the 4A state drill championships at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Dixie also won in military, dance and character. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

OREM — After a two-year hiatus, Dixie is back on top in 4A drill team.

Dixie swept all three events during the finals of the 4A state tournament at UVU on Friday to claim its third state title in the past five years. Desert Hills finished in second place, followed by Snow Canyon in third.

“I, along with (coaches) Heidi Taggart and Hailey Swensen are so proud of this group of young ladies for their hard work, determination, and teamwork,” Dixie head coach Laurel Peterson told the Deseret News. “This is an incredibly talented team and they set the bar high by holding the #1 RPI ranking throughout the year. We are truly grateful for the support given to us by their parents, students, faculty, and administration. Our region is the toughest in the state and represented southern Utah extremely well today.”

Here is a list of Dixie’s championship team members:

Serina Dudleston, Linzy Hansen, McKenna Huber, Ashley Kezos, Isabelle Martin, Iris Zeidner, Brinlee Brooks, Meili Brooks, Kate Carter, Chazlie Fabrizio, Melanie Grob, Katelyn Hansen, Rylie Harrison, Alexis Whitney, Tayli Wilson, Ella Anderson, Adison Atkin, Chloe Davis, Jada Davis, Sadie Dudleston, Kaylee Leishman, Ashley Orton, Britten Peterson, Quinci Rivera, Michelle Tolman, Adeline Torres, Madison Wilson, Ally Cannon, Chloe Cox, Macie Erickson, Mckinley Fife, Saylor Hansen, Hailey Hill, Livvie Kerr, Kylie Kezos, Victoria Peterson, Makinlee Ray, Corrie Stevens, Kecia Terrell, Kylee Warnick, Julia Wilkinson, Emma Wiser.

Here are the final team results and individual dance results.

Team standings

1. Dixie

2. Desert Hills

3. Snow Canyon

4. Sky View

5. Ridgeline

Military

1. Dixie

2. Desert Hills

3. Sky View

4. Snow Canyon

5. Ridgeline

Dance

1. Dixie

2. Desert Hills

3. Snow Canyon

4. Sky View

5. Juan Diego

Character

1. Dixie

2. Ridgeline

3. Snow Canyon

4. Mountain Crest

5. Desert Hills

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12 cartoons to catch you up on news about the impeachment, coronavirus and more top stories

Lisa Benson

The Sunday death of Kobe Bryant stunned the world and set the tone for the week’s news.

A Sunday helicopter crash killed nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

Walt Handelsman

The world was shocked over the death of the 41-year-old basketball player, who still holds many NBA records.

Dana Summers

The spread of coronavirus continues to be a big news topic.

Dana Summers

The World Health Organization declared the growing coronavirus outbreak as a global health emergency.

Lisa Benson

The virus originated in China and has spread to nearly 10,000 cases. Scientists are working to understand it and avoid a pandemic.

Bill Bramhall

The impeachment trial maintains its headline dominance.

Lisa Benson

John Bolton’s name became prominent this week when news broke that his upcoming book says President Trump told him he did not wish to release military aid to Ukraine until they helped with investigations on Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

Bill Bramhall

Joey Weatherford

The Senate is debating whether or not to compel witnesses and documents, with a vote expected soon.

Walt Handelsman

Joel Pett

Other stories this week include the upcoming Groundhog Day over the weekend and the 2020 presidential candidates.

Walt Handelsman

Lisa Benson

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Jordan School District to offer optional late start for grades 11, 12 starting next fall

Adobe Stock image

RIVERTON — Come fall, Riverton High School student Kinsley Zaugg plans to start her school day 1 ¹⁄₂ hours later under a pilot program that will give Jordan School District juniors and seniors the option of taking two online courses.

Those who participate will have the option of starting school at 9 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m., which Zaugg said will suit her well.

“I need my sleep in the morning. I do, I do,” she said.

Zaugg, who will be a junior next fall, said she believes the option will result in more sleep and help her better manage her busy schedule of classes and extracurricular activities.

“I see a lot of upsides. I really like the way this is going to go. We’re going to get sleep in the morning or leave school early. Everyone wants to leave school early, all the time,” she said.

Jordan School District officials announced the new option during a press conference at the high school Friday.

“We’re really excited about our blended learning program. This is a one-of-a-kind in Utah,” said Superintendent Anthony Godfrey.

Late start blended learning will be offered at all Jordan District high schools starting this fall. Because it is optional, the school district will not provide transportation for students who choose the late start option, Godfrey said.

However, it will work with students who want to participate but do not have technology at home, he said.

Godfrey, host of Jordan School District’s podcast “Supercast,” explained in a recent episode that blended learning is “an online course that still allows students the choice to interact in person with the teacher as necessary.”

Thirty-six teachers will teach 13 different courses “that will allow students that level of flexibility that hasn’t been available before,” he said. The district will offer core and elective classes online, he said.

A student could take just one course or arrange their class schedules so they can end their school day earlier, Godfrey said.

The late start/blended learning model gives educators options, too, Godfrey said. Working parents may elect to start their work day later so they have time to drop off their children at school and then work a little later into the afternoon.

Research clearly shows late school starts mesh better with teenage sleep rhythms, which should be a boon to students’ physical and emotional health, Godfrey said,

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “insufficient sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks, such as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.”

The CDC’s 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report says 2 out of 3 young people fail to get sufficient sleep, a proportion that has remained constant since 2007.

Only Logan School District has implemented a late school start in its schools, and Salt Lake City School District’s study of the issue is ongoing after a recent series of community meetings.

Rep. Suzanne Harrison, D-Draper, who is a physician, has introduced legislation that encourages Utah school districts and charter schools to consider the benefits and consequences of a later start to the school day for high schools.

HCR3 has been assigned to the House Health and Human Services Committee.

Riverton High School biology teacher Bethany Alston, who is developing a biology course to roll out next fall, said the late start/blended learning option gives students more autonomy, but as counselors help students register for their classes they will explain “this is not a free sleep-in period.”

Alston said she has observed that her morning classes “tend to be a little more sluggish, but by the time they hit lunch or just before lunch they’re definitely more alert,” so she supports giving options to students who struggle from a lack of sleep.

“But they also need to be aware that as blended learning courses where attendance may not be required every day, that they’re going to have to step up and make sure they get the work done even if they decide to sleep in,” Alston said.

Asked if she has concerns about students falling through the cracks when their class attendance is not required, Alston said as fewer students elect to take classes at school, “that frees up some time for teachers to check in with kids we haven’t seen or heard from in a while.”

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Former Ute Mitch Wishnowsky’s first NFL season has been a dream, and it could end with a title

San Francisco 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky (6) practices at the team’s NFL football training facility in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. | Jeff Chiu, AP

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Mitch Wishnowsky called it basically a dream start to the NFL.

It’s hard to argue against that.

Not only is the former Utah punter excelling in his first NFL season with San Francisco, he is headed to the championship game, as the 49ers advanced to Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium (4:30 p.m. MST, TV: FOX).

“There’s not much I would change. To make the Super Bowl in my first year is pretty amazing,” Wishnowsky said in an interview Wednesday in Miami Beach.

Beyond that, the rookie is learning under a veteran special teamer in 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, a 15-year pro whose resume includes playing for three different teams — 11 years with the Chicago Bears — hitting nearly 400 field goals at an 86.8% conversion clip, making first-team All-Pro in 2006 and playing in his second Super Bowl this weekend.

“Robbie’s made my first year so much easier than if, like, I had another rookie kicker. He’s level-headed; he’s done it all,” Wishnowsky said. “He’s extremely smart. He knows kick returners or punt returners, whether they don’t like running to their left or their right, what punts they drop most. He’s a wizard and he helps me out a lot.”

Gould, likewise, speaks highly of his special teams mate. Wishnowsky averaged 44.9 yards per punt during the regular season, with a 41.6-net average, and pinned 44.2% of his punts inside the 20. That’s ninth in the league.

“He’s been great. Obviously he comes in, he prepares. He’s got a lot of punts we are able to utilize, take into a game plan that helps our punt team do things other punt teams might not be able to do,” Gould said. “His work ethic and preparing, watching film, watching his technique going into games has been second to none. That’s why you see him have the season he had.”

The steely veteran is grateful to pass on his knowledge. It’s a rite of passage among the special teams brotherhood.

“When I was a rookie, I had kickers who were in their eighth and seventh years. It was nice for me to be able to have those older guys to rely on,” Gould said. “I’m always here for him to be able to go through situations or talk through something on the sideline — if there’s a difference in direction in winds or punts, or this returner’s going to do this, how to scout them. It’s nice to just give him that information so that he learns how to do it and eventually he passes it along to another younger kid.”

The learning curve wasn’t a huge shock for Wishnowsky, either, as he had already built relationships that helped as he transitioned to being a pro.

“I have friends in the NFL ... like a few of the other punters I’m mates with. I’d already sort of been told and knew what to expect. A good punt in college is not necessarily a good punt in the NFL. I’m definitely still learning a lot but there’s not one thing that stands out as like, wow that shocked me,” he said.

Wishnowsky and Gould had a pre-game card routine, too, at least for a little while.

“We started playing a bit of Uno, but we sorta stopped doing that when Robbie got injured,” Wishnowsky said. Gould missed three games with a quadriceps injury November. “Around the time we were playing Uno (before), he was doing recovery and rehab. That stopped and we were still winning, so we sorts scrapped the Uno. Other than that, there’s not much pregame routine.”

So, who was the Uno champion?

“He was unbelievable at the beginning of the season, then I just started catching up but he was playing absolutely incredible. I don’t know where he picked up the game of Uno but he’s pretty damn good at it,” Gould said.

In Sunday’s matchup, Wishnowsky will go against one of his former Ute teammates, offensive tackle Jackson Barton. Don’t expect any smack talk, though.

“I haven’t yet, and I’m not much of a smack talker. Jackson Barton certainly isn’t much of a smack talker,” Wishnowsky said. “I think Cody (Barton, linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks) got all the smack talk of the Barton brothers.”

The level-headed Wishnowsky hasn’t had much time to reflect on the opportunity ahead this Sunday. That’s for later.

“That’s sort of something that might hit later after the game. After the NFC championship, you get a small amount of time to reflect on it and then it’s basically back to work,” he said. “After the game, that’s something where I put the feet up — might go to Hawaii, put my feet up and reflect.”

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Why Utah’s new assistant coaches Carly Dockendorf, Courtney McCool Griffeth and Garrett Griffeth are a ‘huge benefit to the program’

Utah gymnastics assistant coach Carly Dockendorf high-fives gymnast Emilie LeBlanc before she competes on the beam during the Red Rocks Preview gymnastics event at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.   | Colter Peterson, Deseret News

The trio have worked together, alongside head coach Tom Farden, for a short amount of time, but their impact has been noticeable

SALT LAKE CITY — Throughout the preseason and even now a month into competition, much of the discussion surrounding Utah’s gymnastics team has centered on what the Red Rocks lost.

There have been countless mentions of the 14 routines that Utah had to replace this year — here’s another one — routines that were performed by superstar gymnasts MyKayla Skinner and MaKenna Merrell-Giles, not to mention key contributors in Kari Lee, Macey Roberts and Shannon McNatt.

“They brought a whole new level of gymnastics with them. They are really there to challenge us to do the bigger skills, to be perfect. In a sense, they brought a more competitive nature to each event.” — Utah junior Alexia Burch

There has also been talk of the end of the Marsden era at Utah, what with the retirement of legendary coach Megan Marsden last spring.

It is all understandable discussion to be sure, but with the season about to move into its second month and Utah ranked No. 4 in the nation, it’s time to look at what the Red Rocks gained.

The easiest answer would be some incredibly productive freshmen, namely Maile O’Keefe and Abby Paulson. O’Keefe has been Utah’s sole all-arounder, won her first collegiate all-around competition against Arizona State and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week as a result. Paulson, meanwhile, has scored a 9.9 in every meet and is one of just two Red Rocks, the other being senior Kim Tessen, to pull off that feat this season.

Another answer could center on sophomores Cristal Isa and Cammy Hall, who are in reality in their first year of competition up on the hill. Isa has arguably been Utah’s most reliable gymnast and is averaging around a 9.85 on both balance beam and floor exercise. Hall, for her part, has been one of Utah’s more successful vaulters after returning from a ruptured Achilles.

You can also bring up junior Emilie LeBlanc, the transfer from Maryland who has led off the uneven bars and beam lineups all season and is coming off her best meet as a Ute.

Then there are assistant coaches Carly Dockendorf, Courtney McCool Griffeth and Garrett Griffeth.

Head coach Tom Farden remade the Utah coaching staff during the offseason when he promoted Dockendorf to assistant and brought in Garrett and Courtney as assistant and volunteer assistant coaches, respectively. Behind the scenes, the trio have already made a significant impact on the program.

The Yurchenko 1.5 that Burch performed to great success against Arizona State last weekend? A side effect of Garrett Griffeth’s work on vault. The Utes’ excellence on beam this year, where they are ranked No. 5 in the country and are far and away the best team in the Pac-12? A line can be drawn directly to Dockendorf.

The team’s continued excellence on floor, where the Red Rocks are ranked No. 6 nationally and are just a hair behind the pace set by the record-breaking floor lineups of the past two seasons? Credit has to go, in large part, to Courtney Griffeth.

“The common thread that all of them have is they are very passionate about coaching gymnastics and coaching at the highest level,” Farden said. “All three of them are extremely hard workers. For as little time as our staff has been together, I feel like we’ve done a good job.”

Each has brought something different to the team.

Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Utah head coach Tom Farden, left, and assistant coach Garrett Griffeth celebrate Alexia Burch’s vault routine during the Arizona State-Utah gymnastics meet at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.

Garrett Griffeth, who Farden compared to Greg Marsden due to his not being a former gymnast himself, has proven approachable and has given the vault team a “quiet confidence” while asking them to do bigger and more difficult vaults.

“He is a student of the sport,” said Farden. “Sometimes when you’ve never done the sport you have to study even harder. He unearths things and is willing to learn from everybody and has a really good perspective.”

That has already made him a beloved part of the team.

“I love Garrett,” Tessen said. “With Garrett, you’ll do something and you can have a good conversation about it. With him it is a ‘we’ll figure it out together’ type thing.”

Dockendorth, meanwhile, is low-key hypercompetitive, which shows up in the Red Rocks’ beam work.

“Carly is a very aggressive coach,” junior Sydney Soloski said. “She is not about playing it safe and going up and doing a clean routine. For example, Carly is not afraid to have Cristal throw the triple series every time or have a D mount. Cristal doesn’t need any of it — she has seven or eight tenths bonuses in her routine — but Carly is really aggressive in her approach to coaching. On beam we have definitely upgraded skillwise. We aren’t playing it safe and that is paying off for us.”

Her background with the team — Dockendorf is in her third season at Utah — has made her universally well-liked too.

“I know a lot of the girls, me as well, get along with Carly really well,” said Tessen.

Colter Peterson, Deseret News

Utah gymnastics volunteer coach Courtney McCool Griffeth and gymnast Jillian Hoffman react after Hoffman’s floor performance during the Red Rocks Preview gymnastics event at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.

As for Courtney Griffeth, she might be the most enigmatic of the bunch. A former Olympian, she does things that Farden, a veteran of the sport, has never seen, balancing an acute attention to detail — intense is a word thrown around by a few gymnasts — with an extremely supportive nature.

“Courtney is a little more intense, and inspirational if you want to call it that,” senior Missy Reinstadtler said.

“Courtney is incredible with her details,” said Farden. “I’ve never quite seen anybody build floor routines like she does. It has been really fun and eye-opening for me. She is very creative in how she builds floor routines and is great individually with each kid and is attentive to their needs.”

Perhaps the biggest thing the three have brought to Utah is a youthful energy and optimism that has inspired an unrelenting push for improvement.

“They brought a whole new level of gymnastics with them,” said Burch. “They are really there to challenge us to do the bigger skills, to be perfect. In a sense, they brought a more competitive nature to each event.”

So far, with Utah improving upon its team score every week this season, the new approach is working.

Red Rocks on the air

No. 4 Utah (5-0, 1-0) at No. 21 Arizona (5-2, 0-1)

McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona

Saturday, 2 p.m. MST

Live stream: Pac-12 Plus (will stream for free on the Pac-12 Plus Facebook page)

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Utah governor hopefuls square off in nontraditional debate before record tech summit crowd

Businessman Jeff Burningham, left, Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes and former GOP Chairman Thomas Wright participate in a gubernatorial debate during the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — A record crowd at the fourth annual Silicon Slopes Tech Summit Friday set the stage for a debate among the top six Utah gubernatorial candidates, as they were each asked to tackle questions tailored to them.

Jeff Burningham, Spencer Cox, Greg Hughes, Jon Huntsman Jr., Aimee Winder Newton and Thomas Wright took the stage at the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center stage for the first debate in the 2020 gubernatorial race. Summit organizers invited only candidates who have raised at least $50,000 in their campaigns.

Silicon Slopes Executive Director Clint Betts moderated the event which followed a format that dispensed with opening and closing statements and followed a flow of directed questions and answers that appeared to match topics with candidates.

While each candidate got their own questions to respond to, one issue united all six of the people on stage.

Their support of President Donald Trump.

While Betts noted Cox’s occasional criticisms of the president, Utah’s lieutenant governor said he was ultimately supportive of Trump and, later, when the question was addressed to the full slate of candidates, all acknowledged their support of the president.

Responding to a question about his opposition to the Legislature’s failed tax reform effort, tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Jeff Burningham said that “it’s never smart to tax business input” and called for simplifying the tax code, not adding complexity to the process.

“We do not have a revenue problem,” Burningham said. “Entrepreneurs have ensured that we do not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.”

Former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes was asked about his promise to make gun-related legislation a priority in 2018 following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida and the need for a special session to address the issue, which never occurred.

“While there wasn’t a special session … great ideas were proffered, common ground was found,” Hughes said. “This is an ongoing issue. I would not say we did nothing.”

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, a prolific Twitter poster, fielded a question that went to his use of technology in general and social media in specific.

“I ran a tech company for 10 years,” Cox noted. “Tech gives us an opportunity to connect with people. I get to have a town hall every day ... I get to listen to people and share our message.

“I used to worry about my Twitter account until we got a new president.”

Betts cited former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr.’s support of a failed attempt to institute a school voucher program — an effort roundly rejected by voters in 2017 — and asked if it was still an issue he was behind.

“There is no more powerful a word in education than choice,” Huntsman said. “This will be my approach and it will be my mantra ... individualized education.”

Huntsman went on to detail his belief that issuing tablet computers to every student would help advance education outcomes in the state.

Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton got to weigh in on how she would address Utah’s current challenges with maintaining an inventory of affordable housing opportunities.

Winder Newton said the decision to remove planning from what is now the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was a mistake and, as governor, she would reverse that decision

“I’m going to bring that planning component back,” Winder Newton said.

She also said that successfully navigating the state’s continued population growth will also require giving local governments more authority over managing and overseeing growth issues at that level.

Betts noted Thomas Wright was the only candidate to have already named a running mate, outgoing Congressman Rob Bishop, and asked about the decision to make the move early.

“Rob Bishop called and asked me if I would accept his endorsement,” Wright explained. “As I spoke to him I realized the candidate I was most afraid of running against was talking to me.

“I didn’t make a political decision at a convention ... I made a decision based on who would be the best lieutenant governor for the state of Utah.”

The efficacy of a program run by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development that offers post-performance tax rebates to companies that invest and create jobs in the state, rose as one of the few issues that got responses from multiple candidates.

Betts asked Cox about criticisms that have been leveled against the GOED program that question why the state is offering tax breaks to out-of-state companies, perhaps to the detriment of Utah companies looking to expand.

“I’m one of those people critical of GOED,” Cox said. “Why on earth would we be giving away tax income to companies to come here at 2.6% unemployment? Why would we be giving away taxpayer dollars for that?”

Betts followed up, pressing Cox on what he’s done to change that. While Cox indicated he did not have that level of influence as lieutenant governor, Hughes jumped on the response.

“You can’t say that you’re owning all the good things that are happening and then, when pressed, say you don’t have the influence, Hughes said. “GOED has ... to change now. Words have to match what we’re doing.”

Huntsman was also roped into the exchange, as the GOED program was created during his time in office. The former governor said the effort was launched at a time of significantly different economic conditions and intended to create a “safe haven for capital” investment, but said the program was “probably ready for review.”

Other notable moments included Hughes reiterating his support of the Utah Inland Port effort, Cox committing to dedicating more resources to address the state’s high youth suicide rate, and Winder Newton’s promise to address the teacher shortage.

Tech founder and CEO Joseph Woodbury said he was happy to watch a debate that stepped away from the typical format and stayed focused on particular issues rather than the individual candidates’ platforms.

“I think the genius of this debate, and props to Clint (Betts) for the idea, was coming out hard on all of them,” Woodbury said. “I was glad they didn’t take a single-issue approach where they pose a questions and everyone weighs in. “

Onetime gubernatorial candidate and Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson said he was glad to see that at least a portion of the candidates came from outside the political sphere.

“Four years ago, I ran as an outsider and I’ve got a lot of respect for what Jeff (Burningham) and Thomas (Wright) are doing,” Johnson said. “I think that hill to climb is pretty hard.”

Johnson, like Woodbury, said he also appreciated questions that were directed at individual candidates that didn’t hold back.

“I thought Clint’s questions were fair and hard-hitting,” Johnson said. “We need more of these debates.”

Governor’s Office of Economic Development Executive Director Val Hale also had a moment to speak following the square-off that ended up featuring issues related to his agency.

Hale noted while he’s heard similar criticisms of post-performance rebates going to out of state companies, he said a solid majority of the recipients are based in Utah.

“The overwhelming majority of (Economic Development Tax Increment Financing) awards go to Utah companies,” Hale said. “The ratio is 2 out of every 3 companies are from here in the state. If you look closer, the majority of those recipients also come from our tech sector.”

Data from a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll released Friday shows marked separation of the top two candidates in the gubernatorial race from the rest of the field, but a full quarter of respondents — which included Republicans and some non-Republicans likely to participate in the primary — told pollsters they were undecided.

Huntsman, the former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador, captured 33% of Republicans who say they are very likely to vote in the GOP primary election. Cox, the lieutenant governor, followed with 25%. All of the other candidates were in single digits, none higher than Burningham’s 5%.

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Earning the opportunity: Even though Jordan Clarkson missed two big shots down the stretch against the Nuggets, his 37 points gave the Jazz a chance at the end

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. | David Zalubowski, Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — Twice in the last 65 seconds of Thursday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets Jordan Clarkson missed shots that would have made it a one-possession affair.

To judge Clarkson or the Utah Jazz by those two shots would be a complete mischaracterization of what happened in the Jazz’s 106-100 late-night loss to the Nuggets.

A more fair assessment would be that the Jazz were out of sorts from the opening tip and the biggest reason they were even in the game at all down the stretch was because of Clarkson, who scored 24 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter.

“He brought us back in the game,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said afterward. “If he makes that shot it seems like he’s being aggressive and that’s what I want. He was terrific tonight.”

From the outside there were some mixed reviews of what transpired in the home stretch of the game. Should Clarkson be the one taking those shots? Why didn’t he try to get the ball to someone else?

From inside the Jazz locker room, there was nothing but praise and gratitude for Clarkson.

“We wouldn’t have been there without him, he had a different look in his eye,” Donovan Mitchell said. “He was pretty bummed that he didn’t hit those shots at the end but we’ll take that shot 10 times out of 10.”

Clarkson was not only the person the Jazz wanted taking the shots down the stretch, he was the player that had earned the right to take whatever shot he wanted on Thursday.

The Jazz started off the night with seven first-quarter turnovers, so right off the bat things didn’t look great.

Then, as the game went on and the Jazz corrected some of their sloppier mistakes, the Nuggets impeded their ability to run their more familiar actions and when that started to change the flow of the offense, the Jazz were forced into more isolation plays.

Problem was that the Jazz’s most potent scorer, Mitchell, could not get his shots to fall. He finished the night with four points on a 1-of-12 outing for just his second single-digit scoring effort of the season.

Meanwhile Clarkson put on the second-highest scoring performance of his career, behind only a 42-point night on Feb. 13 of last year while with the Cavaliers.

“You can always be critical of a decision here and a decision there but sometimes when you’re critical, guys make those shots,” Snyder said. “He battled his tail off and he was aggressive, I thought he was really good.”

That has seemed to be the case with Clarkson throughout his career. When he’s on, everything looks bright and cheery with talk about how much potential he has as a scorer.

But, when things are off, the critiques always come back to Clarkson being a one-trick pony who is only out to get his own numbers and can’t operate within a system.

To that, Snyder is ready to rewrite the narrative.

“I love him, I love him. Write it down. I love him,” the Jazz head coach said of Clarkson. “Sometimes a system needs to be malleable. He’s unselfish, he attacks the rim, he gets to the line. If the system is defense, he’s embraced that, and I think he’ll continue to learn.”

Snyder completely rejects the idea that Clarkson is anything other than an unselfish player who still, at age 27, has a ton of upside and untapped potential.

Over the past couple of weeks, Snyder said he’s continued to have conversations with Clarkson about the need to be instinctive when he has the ball.

“When he gets the ball, catch and shoot, rip it and drive it,” Snyder said. “And, he has the ability that when he does drive it, if someone cuts him off, to make a play.”

The Nuggets had done their best to take the Jazz out of the game on Thursday. The pick-and-roll wasn’t working like it usually does for the Jazz, their kick-out actions weren’t effective, Mitchell couldn’t buy a bucket, and it all looked bleak after the Nuggets went on a 27-1 run at one point.

Instinctively, just as Snyder had asked him to, Clarkson found opportunity in the isolation plays, went 7 of 12 from 3-point range, and brought the Jazz back to have a fighting chance.

The fact that he missed two shots in the final 65 seconds, doesn’t tell the story, and it doesn’t give him the credit he deserves.

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Passenger in car that killed South Salt Lake police officer pleads guilty to manslaughter

Jeffrey Black | Salt Lake County Jail

SALT LAKE CITY — The passenger in the car that hit and killed South Salt Lake police officer David Romrell pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

Jeffrey Don Black, 44, of Murray, was originally charged with murder, a first-degree felony, robbery, obstructing justice, attempted burglary and failing to stop at the command of an officer.

On Friday, amended documents were filed in court charging Black with manslaughter and burglary, both second-degree felonies. Black waived his preliminary hearing on the new charges and pleaded guilty to both counts. In exchange for his pleas, the remaining charges of obstructing justice, burglary and failing to stop for police were dropped.

Salt Lake County deputy district attorney Chou Chou Collins said she has been in frequent contact with Romrell’s family as well as members of the South Salt Lake and Unified police departments, and all are in agreement to the plea deal.

About a dozen officers from those agencies sat in the courtroom Friday as Black entered his guilty pleas. They all sat around widow Elizabeth Romrell, who used a tissue to wipe away tears as Black’s defense attorneys read the facts of the case.

On Nov. 24, 2018, Black was in the passenger seat of a car driven by Felix Anthony Calata, 32, of West Valley City, when Caltata ran over Romrell, 31, causing fatal injuries. Romrell and another officer fired upon the vehicle before it struck the officer, causing fatal injuries to Calata.

Romrell was responding to a call of a burglary in progress near 3575 S. West Temple. Calata was at the address to take money that he felt was owed to him from a debt, according to charging documents. He and Black were unable to make entry and were about to leave when police ordered them to stop.

Instead, Calata hit the gas pedal and accelerated, the charges state. After his arrest, Black told police he thought they had run over a mailbox.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The David P. Romrell Public Safety Building in South Salt Lake is pictured on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020.

Black ran from the scene after Calata was shot and his car crashed, but he was later arrested.

Black will be sentenced on April 6. Judge Royal Hansen invited officers and Romrell’s family members to speak at the sentencing. Black will also have the option of addressing the court.

Elizabeth Romrell left the courtroom surrounded by officers without comment.

Black faces a sentence of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison on each count he pleaded guilty to. Those sentences could be ordered to be served consecutively.

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Coca-Cola Super Bowl spot to advertise triply-caffeinated new drink

Coke Energy is Coca-Cola’s latest addition to their highly successful line of Coke sodas. | Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is spending the big bucks for a Super Bowl commercial this year to highlight new Coke Energy drink

Coca-Cola’s newest drink, Coke Energy, was released earlier this month but hasn’t received much attention.

But Coke Energy is about to have millions of eyes on it this weekend, with a minute-long ad featuring Jonah Hill and Martin Scorsese that CNBC reports will likely cost Coca-Cola at least $10 million.

Coke Energy tastes like a regular Coke, but it packs a highly caffeinated punch with 114 milligrams of caffeine — that’s more than triple the amount in a regular Coke, CNBC reported.

Coke Energy also contains guarana extracts and B vitamins and comes in four flavors: regular, cherry, zero sugar and cherry zero sugar.

Due to previous concerns about the health risks of energy drinks, especially in children and teens, the World Health Organization has suggested companies avoid implementing marketing strategies targeting youth. Geoff Cottrill, the senior vice president of strategic marketing at Coca-Cola, told CNBC the company intends to comply with this and will not target any ads to people under the age of 18.

The energy drink market is massive, making more than $13 billion in 2018, according to CNN, and Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey believes Coke Energy can expand its access to that highly profitable market.

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Former Utah State running back Darwin Thompson is ‘following his heart.’ Next stop: Super Bowl LIV

Kansas City Chiefs’ Darwin Thompson celebrates after the NFL AFC championship game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 35-24 to advance to Super Bowl LIV. | Ed Zurga, Associated Press

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — In some ways, it feels like Darwin Thompson was in and out of Logan in a flash.

The junior college All-America transfer arrived at Utah State in 2018, sped his way to a 1,000-yard rushing season and rolled up 16 touchdowns — fourth-most in a single season in Aggie history.

And then the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native was gone, declaring for the NFL draft following his junior season. It’s worked out well, though, as Thompson was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of last April’s draft.

“How could you doubt me when you don’t know what God has instilled within me? I believe God and me walk hand in hand; you doubt me, you doubt God. To be in this position is a blessing.” — Kansas City running back Darwin Thompson

“It’s crazy to think, play one year of Division I football — a lot of people go four years, three years, two years, whatever it may be — and they don’t get the chance to get drafted. That’s where I believe it was just a part of God’s plan to leave school and follow my heart,” Thompson said. “That’s the biggest thing, just following your heart.”

The next stop for the 22-year-old during a whirlwind part of his life? Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (4:30 p.m. MST, TV: Fox) for the NFL championship.

“A lot of people can give their perspective but they don’t know what God has instilled in you. That’s why I never understood the word doubt. How could you doubt me when you don’t know what God has instilled within me? I believe God and me walk hand in hand; you doubt me, you doubt God. To be in this position is a blessing,” Thompson said.

Rookie season

Thompson has spent his rookie year as the team’s third option at running back and working a lot on special teams. After picking up just five carries through the first three months of the regular season, Thompson saw his offensive role increase in December and finished his rookie year with 37 carries for 128 yards, topped by a 11-carry, 44 yard-effort in a 40-9 win over Oakland on Dec. 1, 2019, that included Thompson’s first career touchdown. He also had 10 receptions for 43 yards.

Charlie Riedel, Associated Press

Kansas City Chiefs running back Darwin Thompson (34) celebrates his touchdown with teammates including tight end Travis Kelce (87) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.

Touches come at a premium in the Chiefs offense, led by reigning NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, dynamic tight end Travis Kelce and speedster Tyreek Hill.

“I averaged 12 carries per game in college, from junior college to Utah State. My pops always told me, you only need five carries to show what you can do. Within those five carries, you can either run the ball or you can’t run the ball,” Thompson said. “Playing in this offense, they do let me run the ball enough — if you had Patrick Mahomes, baby, what would you do? This is a perfect offense for me, they’ve got Patrick Mahomes opening up the running lanes. He’s a better athlete than most athletes on the other side of the ball.”

Playoff run

One of Thompson’s more memorable plays this year came in the Chiefs’ playoff game against Houston, when he scooped up a fumble forced by teammate Daniel Sorensen, a former BYU standout, on a kickoff return and returned the fumble 18 yards to the Texans 6-yard line. That led to a touchdown three plays later, as Kansas City rallied from down 24-0 to win 51-31.

“There was a guy in front of me, and everyone kinda stopped in shock. I was like, ‘Can I advance this?’ So when I knew that I could, it was time to go,” Thompson said. “For that split moment, I thought for one second, can I do this? And then boom, I just go. I tried to tell my younger brother, this game is so fast. You think while you play football now. I try to explain to a lot of younger guys, you just think on the run.”

This will be the third time in four years a former Utah State player has reached the Super Bowl, including wide receiver/returner JoJo Natson with the Los Angeles Rams last year and tight end D.J. Tialavea in 2017 with Atlanta.

The last time a former Aggie won a Super Bowl title was six years ago, when Bobby Wagner and Robert Turbin earned rings with Seattle in the Seahawks’ 43-8 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. The next year, Wagner and Turbin returned to the Super Bowl with Seattle, but came up short in a 28-24 loss to New England.

Experienced running back room

Thompson has a solid support system in the Chiefs’ by-committee running back room, which includes 11-year veteran LeSean McCoy, six-year pro Damien Williams and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, a former college back at Colorado who played nine years in the NFL.

“The standard’s set high, because that’s how we wanted it. Being in the NFL, you should want the standard set high. You should never be content, the Mamba mentality. You should always want more, and that’s what coach Bieniemy wants,” Thompson said. “He strives for perfection, and he makes sure he gets that out of you. He wouldn’t be the great coach that he is if it wasn’t for that. He deserves to be an NFL coach someday somewhere.”

“He’s a hard runner, and he wants to be great. You can see it in him.” — Kansas City running back Damien Williams, on Darwin Thompson

Williams, the team’s leading rusher who’s scored three touchdowns in Kansas City’s playoff run, sees in Thompson a young player who wants to learn.

“He’s a hard runner, and he wants to be great. You can see it in him. He’s always asking questions. As vets in the room, we’re always giving people a hard time when they’re asking questions. But he wants to learn the game, he wants to understand why we’re doing this, or why they say this and do that,” Williams said. “He wants to learn, and as a young kid in the NFL, those are the type of questions you should ask. I’m just happy to be the vet in this room to give him some type of leadership.”

McCoy also provides Thompson a sounding board, not just in football but in life, from someone he watched growing up.

“He’s taught me more off the field than on the field. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about Shady. I’ll tell you this, Shady is about the young guys ... What kind of person are you? Who are you? Sometimes we go at it, like, man, what’s wrong with you? And I’m like, Shady, I’m learning just as you learning,” Thompson said.

“That’s where you see the Hall of Famer in him, because he’s able to do that. He’s gone from playing and starting his entire career, and now he’s here to teach the young guys. He’s accepted that role. Shady is a high-class guy.”

McCoy, like Thompson, is searching for his first Super Bowl ring. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in rushing yards in 2013, and in rushing touchdowns two years before that. Earning a ring, though, would top it off.

“There are some great players that have played this game, in all sports, and haven’t won a championship. I look back at my career, I’ve got some good stuff to be proud about, but one of the things I would really be proud about is saying Super Bowl champion, putting that on my legacy,” he said.

Thompson, too, is keeping the rare opportunity of reaching the NFL title game in perspective.

“We’ve got a young team. This is a great opportunity for us to be in this position. A lot of guys don’t reach the Super Bowl,” he said.

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Lawmakers could control January start date of session under proposed constitutional amendment

The 2020 Utah Legislature begins at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Currently, Utah Legislature must begin on fourth Monday of the month

SALT LAKE CITY — A proposed amendment to the Utah Constitution intended to give lawmakers more flexibility about when to start the annual 45-day general session of the Utah Legislature is headed to a vote on the Senate floor.

SJR3, sponsored by Senate Majority Assistant Whip Ann Milner, R-Ogden, was unanimously advanced by the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee Thursday. A constitutional amendment requires voter approval in addition to two-thirds support in both the House and Senate.

“I know there are many times that having a little bit of flexibility would be helpful,” Milner said, adding her amendment would still maintain what she termed “guardrails,” requiring a January start date and limiting the session to 45 days, not counting holidays.

Currently, the constitution sets the fourth Monday in January as the start date for the session, “unless convening at the seat of government is not feasible due to epidemic, natural or human-caused disaster, enemy attack, or other public catastrophe.”

The Utah Constitution was changed in 2008 to move the start date from the third Monday in January after Utah lawmakers were criticized for beginning their annual legislative session on the same day as the Martin Luther King Day holiday.

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