LOCAL NEWS 1:02 PM | Updated: 2:39 pm A fallen hiker is rescued in American Fork Canyon on Thursday BY SIMONE SEIKALY PROVO — Two rock climbers were rescued after falling in the Little Mill area of American Fork Canyon according to the Utah County Sheriff’s office Both Utah County Search and Rescue and Life Flight responded to assist in the rescue on Thursday morning One patient was transported to a local hospital for possible back injuries the condition of the other hikers is currently unknown Video taken by Chopper 5 showed the successful rescue This story is developing and may be updated when new information is available Utah (KUTV) — Search and rescue crews were called out to American Fork Canyon after reports of a climber who fell and sustained injuries Raymond Ormond from the Utah County Sheriff's Office said the call came into 911 emergency dispatchers around 11:20 a.m He said two men were rock climbing in the area near the Little Mill Campground when one fell about 10 feet A command center was set up in the parking lot of the Timpanogos Cave National Monument Visitor's Center Officials called for the LifeFlight helicopter hoist crew to help bring the 35-year-old man down the mountain The man was transferred to an ambulance and taken to the hospital Details about his condition or the exact nature of his injuries was not released Volleyball tourney: Lehi schools start at UVU Lehi boys soccer continues rugged region play Lehi-area athletes top podiums at county-wide track meet Lehi man creates charity to support men’s mental health care “Letters to Jesus” creates a new Easter tradition Founder of Tabitha’s Way recognized as Utah County’s “Person of the Year” American Fork Hospital receives “Top 100” national recognition Intermountain Health breaks ground on Saratoga Springs Cancer Center Level Up Boot Camp brings free fitness training to Utah students Just Ingredients named Utah County’s Business of the Year Utah countertop company expands Wasatch Front presence Lehi youth service day and fair coming up May 3 Cut loose with “Footloose: The Musical” at WMS The Ruth’s “Jersey Boys” a lively spectacle PARC Grant application deadline approaching Newly created Sentinel Theatre presents “Dogfight” LPD’s Darren Paul earns Utah Chiefs of Police top leadership award Lehi Police K9 team wins awards at K9 trial in Las Vegas Lehi City Financial Report shows strengths amid growth challenges Lehi City fiber network at 23% adoption rate in completed areas Lehi City budget forecast: Utility rates set to increase again in 2025 OBITUARY: Reldon Earl Barnes 1932 – 2023 and website in this browser for the next time I comment Utah (KUTV) — A Utah woman is taking legal action against Dominion Energy and two subcontractors after surviving a home explosion that killed her neighbor in 2024 Shirley Hunt of American Fork claims negligence during routine maintenance on her gas meter caused the March explosion that leveled her home The legal action names three defendants: Questar Gas Company (doing business as Dominion Energy) The lawsuit comes amid multiple natural gas incidents across Utah including a recent incident in South Salt Lake and a deadly explosion last November in South Jordan Hunt was asleep when the explosion occurred killing her next-door neighbor and leaving her with severe injuries It's almost unimaginable when you see the devastation to her home," said Chris Cheney The lawsuit alleges maintenance workers opened a valve that should have remained closed allowing gas to flow undetected into Hunt's home the Dominion employees and subcontractors that were involved failed to detect that gas was flowing uninterrupted even though that they smelled natural gas when they went to use the restroom in our home," Cheney said The civil lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for Hunt's damages but Cheney indicated they hope the legal action itself brings about change a professional fire and explosion investigator not affiliated with the case said lawsuits can effectively drive safety improvements the fastest way is unfortunately through lawsuits and it is by making it too expensive to be negligent," Meier said The explosion has dramatically altered Hunt's life All of that was severely affected by the explosion," Cheney said Dominion Energy and the subcontractors named in the lawsuit did not respond to requests for comment by publication time Daily HeraldAmerican Fork's Lewis Knecht celebrates scoring a goal against Lone Peak in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday American Fork’s Lewis Knecht had just scored his fourth hat trick of the season in his team’s 3-0 boys soccer victory against rival Lone Peak and his focus after the match wasn’t on taking a victory lap talking to a group of young kids who dream of one day playing varsity soccer for the Cavemen kindest kid,” AF assistant coach Josh Winn said “He will find these little kids here on the field “Every Tuesday we have the oldest senior players mentor and train the freshman and sophomores our sophomore team is first in the Canyons League and killing it A lot of that comes down to the way that these older young men treat and mentor the younger players that are coming into this program We just decided that we are a family and our culture was going to be different than two or three years ago.” Both Lone Peak and American Fork are at the top of their game in 2025 The Knights went into last Friday’s showdown as the No The Cavemen are coming off their first state championship season and are sure to rise from their No Daily HeraldLone Peak's Juan Cubillas (12) leaps over an American Fork defender in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday who has coached many players on both sides over the years said the two North County programs build from their club teams (LaRocca and Utah United) and create a culture that demands excellent “These are the two best teams in state by a mile,” Winn said “They have the most college committed players and I love the recommitment that they have to try and establish themselves back in region and getting ourselves ready for state The two programs have built a little differently: Winn said every player on the American Fork roster lives within school boundaries and six players for Lone Peak don’t “I think I’ve coached these players in almost 90 games in the calendar year,” he said “So they’ve played a lot of soccer together There isn’t turnover that you have at some other high schools where they’re trying to bring together 16 to 18 kids and mesh them Most of these kids that play for these two programs are starters for Utah United They start for USL teams and that allows us to be able to play on the same page earlier and not have to figure out how to play We are very proud that we are a community team That community showed up in droves for Friday’s matchup lining the north sideline of the AF soccer field It was a crowd so big that the head official had to ask fans to move off the west end line for safety purposes Daily HeraldLone Peak's Juan Cubillas (in white) competes for position on a header with American Fork's Hudson Rios in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday American Fork made a deep run into the Lone Peak scoring third and was awarded with a penalty kick which Knecht slotted for a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute Lone Peak had its best scoring opportunity but AF goalkeeper Jackson Dingus made an impressive diving stop That defensive gem turned into a breakaway for Knecht who beat two Knights defenders and the goalkeeper for his second goal and a 2-0 lead a Caveman shot clipped off the crossbar and Knecht was in the right spot for the loose ball to score his third goal for the 3-0 advantage It was vindication for American Fork (9-1 overall 3-1 Region 3) after a stunning shootout loss to Lehi on Wednesday especially because this is our rival team,” Knecht said We won the state championship last year and I think we got a little too cocky Last night we talked about it and we planned for this game Daily HeraldMembers of the American Fork soccer team celebrate a goal against Lone Peak in a Region 3 match on Friday Knecht provided the offensive power but it was the American Fork defense that made the biggest difference in the match “I would personally say that Lone Peak is the most lethal offense in the state,” Knecht said “But our defense is the best in the state and we handled them It’s easy to score goals when the defense does all the work for you.” Knecht is headed to play for Kyle Beckerman at Utah Valley University in the fall and plans on serving a church mission in 2026 He said he embraces the opportunity to mentor the next generation of American Fork boy soccer players “I was so excited when they sanctioned a sophomore team at American Fork,” he said “I really looked forward to taking the kids in and teaching them about the culture which is different here than at any other school There’s no culture better than American Fork Daily HeraldA large crowd watches a Region 3 boys soccer match between American Fork at Lone Peak on Friday Expect even more excellence and competitiveness “Soccer has always kind of waited for its moment and I feel like for the last couple of years People are going to be excited to see the explosive growth of soccer And the reason why I think soccer has become more popular is because our Utah kids are finally getting chances to play big time college and professionally and to be able to play on the men’s national team I think all but three of my starting 17 boys all have college offers and the other three it’s because they’re going on church missions So when we start getting soccer at that level then soccer becomes a little more fun to watch American Fork's Gavin Nash (in red) slides on the field as Lone Peak's Seth Larkin races toward the ball in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday American Fork's Ian Brinkerhoff (left) and Lone Peak's Seth Larkin compete for a ball in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday The American Fork boys soccer team huddles before the start of a Region 3 match against Lone Peak on Friday Lone Peak's Caden Shin (14) heads the ball in a Region 3 boys soccer match against Lone Peak on Friday Lone Peak goalkeeper Samuel Parker gets wrapped up in the net while defending a shot against Lone Peak in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday Lone Peak's Patrick Stevenson (11) handles the ball against American Fork pressure in a Region 3 boys soccer match on Friday LLC | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd Utah (KUTV) — Major backups and traffic detours—that's what people in southwestern American Fork have been dealing with through their neighborhood after city projects closed two roads in the area After KUTV's reporting on Friday voicing the neighborhood concerns the city is responding: American Fork is apologizing for the traffic headache but said these projects are meant to provide better access for residents in the long run "It's been extremely inconvenient The big trucks are having to go through all the neighborhoods and sometimes you forget which roads are closed and you have to turn around and come back and make a detour and go up around and down another underpass," said resident Marsha Skidmore The recent closures of 100 West and 100 East in American Fork have caused a lot of traffic to have funnel through neighborhoods in the area "We only have two ways out of down here We have Storrs Avenue and we have 1st West and when one of them is shut down then everything is funneled one way and that's what's hard," Skidmore said After people around here began voicing concerns about the backups and the safety of their streets now the city is responding: "There's no two ways about it we know that it's not going to be an ideal experience for them," said Camden Bird assistant city administrator of American Fork City "Especially on the roads that typically don't see a lot of traffic then to have a considerable amount as a detour we get it and we're so sorry about that We know that it must be tough for those residents." The city said its two projects were planned to start at the same time—but a third project outside of their jurisdiction got underway late in the same area and now all three are impacting the area at once KUTV 2News' Natalie Wadas asked the city about their resident's concerns: We appreciate any way their voice can be heard," Bird said "While we knew there would be times that the two projects that the city has down there would require both roads to be closed we are trying to be intentional about these roads to limit or reduce that probability as much as possible." Bird said they knew the other project was going to happen: "but even then their project was delayed three months so we thought they actually would have been through the bulk of it by the time we started ours." "We definitely understand the frustration the difficulty and the heartache of the situation every time we do these projects," Bird said "We're trying to do them together just to be smart with what we're doing I think most of the residents that live down there can definitely attest that that road needed some TLC so we're glad we're able to get started on that." The city said they didn't want to delay the projects said they are still unhappy with the planning "It seems to me like nobody knew what the other person was doing," Skidmore said The city says construction should be done on these two projects by September "We are actually talking with the police department just to make sure that they have a heavier presence in there so that they're just kind of monitoring making sure people are safe as possible," Bird said "Roads have been the number one issue for residents It's been a top priority for residents and it's a top priority for our mayor and council as well," Bird said we're planning on putting $95 million dollars in road improvements which is the most we've ever done." The city said they didn't want to delay the projects either 5:47 PM | Updated: May 5 BY ANDREW ADAMS SOUTH JORDAN — Parents of a missing South Jordan teen pleaded for their daughter to come home safely Sunday as they retraced some of her last-known steps Alisa Petrov, 15, was last seen on April 21, and South Jordan police have characterized her as a “runaway juvenile who is endangered.” Parents Nikolai and Olga Petrov said Sunday afternoon they were concerned about several possibilities including whether their daughter was lured away by an adult or that she was potentially trafficked “That’s what we are suspecting at the moment,” Olga Petrov told KSL TV The mother said she dropped her daughter off at her school classes in American Fork on Monday she didn’t make it to the classroom,” Olga Petrov said “The teachers said she never saw her that day.” the parents said Alisa went to a nearby gas station where teens often go for snacks and told two boys that she planned to run away don’t do it,’ but I guess she went for it anyway,” Olga Petrov said the parents said they learned that Alisa got someone to give her a ride to the UTA FrontRunner station at 6786 W where she then boarded the train and traveled to Provo The parents and police said Alisa approached multiple people about helping her in her journey “She asked a girl to get her a ticket in exchange of cash for the bus to Las Vegas,” Olga Petrov said The 15-year-old was last seen at the Provo FrontRunner station at 690 S The Petrovs said though their daughter was always on her phone including during their excursion to the ski slopes the Sunday before her disappearance she has not been active on social media over the past 13 days it might be really dangerous,” Nikolai Petrov said The couple said they had spoken with Alisa within the past 6 months about talking online to strangers including in places like Discord and Snapchat and they instructed her to delete contacts she didn’t know They said they had checked her daughter’s phone in the days prior to her appearance and there was nothing to suggest she was going to run away The family set up its own website for Alisa and they pleaded Sunday afternoon for her safe return “(Our) whole life is upside down right now,” Olga Petrov said A police spokesperson told KSL TV on Sunday that there were no updates on the case Anybody with information or knowledge of Alisa’s whereabouts is asked to contact law enforcement immediately including by calling the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center at 801-840-4000 Follow @KSL5TV For the past two months, Heidi Rowley and her staff at HideAway Books have been busy transporting thousands of books tucked away in a storage unit over to their American Fork storefront to sort through and shelve for incoming book lovers The mass restocking isn’t a part of a typical clearance sale; instead they are liquidating as the used bookstore prepares to close made the bittersweet announcement of the store’s “slow closure” in early January longtime and new customers visiting the bookstore are taking in the final pages of its journey people can come in and exchange their books for ones others have read said she’s been coming to the bookstore for about two years and was sad to learn that the bookstore would be closing Boren was picking up two children’s books: “Spring Fever,” about characters on “Sesame Street,” and “My Dear Little One,” which she said had been hard to find But I’ve been collecting children’s books long before I had her as well and just recently got into some romance books,” Boren said The joy of reading a wide array of books and experiencing the work of different authors has been a part of Rowley’s life since she was a child I was one of those kids who snuck books under the covers with a flashlight,” she said Rowley and her kids would often travel to different bookstores in Provo and in Salt Lake County she chose to take a chance in opening her own used bookstore in northern Utah County “I was at a crossroads in my job and decided that I was a little bit crazy and decided to open a bookstore in American Fork,” Rowley said The bookstore initially operated out of a 500-square-foot basement before moving to its permanent location at 8 E “It’s just been a fun place to be,” Rowley told the Daily Herald I also like the treasure hunt of a used bookstore.” From children’s picture books to vintage out-of-print books signed first-edition copies and just about anything and everything in between one could spend countless hours combing through the collection of titles inside HideAway Books The bookstore has been a staple in the community especially during events like Halloween on Main where they would hand out 2,000 books to children Rowley has had the opportunity to see those children grow up “I had a little boy who wrote me a story because he loved coming to the bookstore so much,” she said “So he wrote a story and came and read it to me and dedicated it to the bookstore Rowley shared other fond memories of connecting people through the power of reading such as through family bonding time and even some people who had a first date at HideAway Books Aside from the many customers who have supported the bookstore the thing she will miss most is helping nonreaders discover a book they found interesting “That’s a really meaningful connection,” she said but it’s opening up a world to somebody who thinks they don’t like reading.” But even through the fulfilling sentiment of inspiring a culture of readers and trying to navigate those is always a challenge,” Rowley said Rowley cited some factors that played a part in her decision to close the bookstore including a national bookstore chain that opened nearby last year and the more trendy novel style titles that customers are seeking out they take some time to filter (in),” she said “And so used bookstores are never going to be like the trendy location; we’re more like the holders of the past.” mixed with other pressures of sustaining a small business led her to make the difficult choice to close shop HideAway Books will remain open until May 17 its liquidation sale is underway with 25% off pre-priced items in the store Rowley said there are still more than 20,000 books in their storage units Employee Sienna Cullimore has worked at HideAway Books for four years is a book lover and enjoyed meeting different people and getting ideas about new material to read Cullimore said she’ll miss the book shoppers and interacting with the community during different events It’s not like I’m friends with these people but I’ve been seeing the same people every week for the last four years As the final chapter for HideAway Books emerges Rowley encourages consumers to support small businesses that depend on their communities to survive “I feel like small businesses are the culture of a community And when you don’t have small businesses in a community your culture is franchises and corporations you don’t have any individuality,” Rowley said HideAway Books is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m to 6 p.m Several road closures have turned an American Fork neighborhood into a traffic nightmare Utah (KUTV) — Several road closures have turned an American Fork neighborhood into a traffic nightmare Residents said the city initiated multiple construction projects in one area we don't let our kids play out in the front it's just not safe for them to be out right now," said Brad Mills and we have only a few exit points from here on this side of the freeway and so now everyone has to go through one path and so it just adds on top of each other and makes a big mess." People on the southwestern side of American Fork have been seeing a lot of construction and road closures lately it's the road over next door," said Jake Nielson "So all of the traffic is just funneling through here through this peaceful neighborhood," Mills added The traffic re-routing has caused headaches for people living near Storrs Avenue it's an hour drive when it's usually a ten-minute drive back from work," Nielson said "The roads in American Fork have notoriously been awful I think one of the things that we've been frustrated with is they've closed three out of the four roads here at the same time." "Our kids can't even cross the street safely and it just feels like we're living on State Street now," Mills said The neighbors told 2News they're frustrated with the city's planning "I don't even think they thought about it and I don't even know if they know that all three roads are going to be closed at the same time," Nielson said They're also concerned about the lack of safety with the increased traffic and lack of traffic calming measures like those are places that like have obviously figured out how to like provide basic amenities for their communities," Nielson said Nielson said the best thing they can do now is finish the projects as quickly as possible Mills said they want a better timeline of when things will be closed in advance "I would like to see just better planning I would like to have just more roads coming in and out of high traffic areas I mean that's a good place to start," Nielson said when you close three out of the four roads with no notice and just like hey you just feel like your voice isn't heard in the community." 2News reached out to the city Friday afternoon The United Way of Utah County is expanding its services and resources into northern Utah Valley The organization on Thursday celebrated the grand opening of its newest community center in American Fork marking its third location in the county along with the existing Provo and Payson facilities and community members spoke during a brief presentation highlighting the center’s role in fostering community connections and providing educational programs and curious minds of all ages explored interactive STEM activities said the new center is more than just a building — it’s a vibrant place where neighbors come together to learn “It is designed to be a place for neighbors to get together and also we’re bringing others programs and classes and opportunities to learn and grow together,” Hulterstrom said during Thursday’s celebratory event The new center will focus on early education and STEM programs offered in both English and Spanish the facility will provide accessible resources for families and individuals looking to grow the organization said in a press release issued last month United Way of United County announced plans to open the American Fork facility last August after receiving a $300,000 grant from the Texas Instruments Foundation to fund the new center Though Thursday marked the facility’s grand opening the American Fork community center’s doors opened to the public in late January The facility is already making an impact in the community with more than 90 families utilizing its programs and services head of marketing at United Way of Utah County American Fork resident Alicia Meiners said she was delighted to learn the new center was right in her neighborhood earlier this year She’s been coming to the center on a weekly basis since February participating in a kids’ playgroup and science activities “The center feels like a second home to us,” Meiners said She also noted the center’s significant impact on the community more specifically for its proximity and convenience for those without access to a car during the day so it’s really important to us that something is close,” Meiners said but it was just too far away to make a difference in my life.” American Fork Mayor Brad Frost took the opportunity to express gratitude for the new resource and benefits it aims to offer to the local families “In a world that might be a little confusing to some especially to the younger kids … how grateful we are to have a space where they can come and they can connect with their community,” Frost said Hulterstrom said the new United Way Community Center would not be possible without the support of Texas Instruments and its commitment to education and building strong “Texas Instruments and the TI Foundation are longtime supporters of United Way and believe in the significant role it plays in creating opportunities for all to thrive,” said Andy Smith the company’s director of giving and volunteering and executive director of the TI Foundation coordinator at American Fork’s United Way Center stressed the facility’s desire to empower the community in an inclusive environment through different resources — including digital inclusion courses and English classes for immigrants “I want to welcome and embrace everyone,” Hales told the Daily Herald More than 200 volunteers and attendees from the local businesses and neighboring communities took part in Thursday’s celebration The United Way Community Center in American Fork is located at 90 S For more information, visit unitedwayuc.org American Fork piled on Pleasant Grove early in its 13-5 road victory over the Vikings Friday afternoon handing their Region 3 rival a second straight defeat — the first time Pleasant Grove has dropped back to back games this season “Pleasant Grove’s a good team,” American Fork head coach Jarod Ingersoll said after the game “(I’m) just proud of our guys and the way that they battled.” American Fork could not have gotten off to a better start as it rattled off eight runs in the first inning The Cavemen took advantage of four plunked batters adding four hits and getting the Vikings’ first relief pitcher in the game with just one out “Our offense did a good job of being aggressive and keeping balls on a line,” Ingersoll said “We had traffic and just played tough baseball.” The Cavemen kept things rolling the rest of the game American Fork scored more runs on Pleasant Grove than any team has all season When asked how his team accomplished such a feat putting balls hard in play and trying to limit the strikeout was a big important thing for us and our guys did a great job of that.” making things difficult on the Vikings’ pitchers throughout the afternoon as it never cut the American Fork lead to fewer than five runs after the first inning and got shut out in the final three innings The Vikings showed some life in the fourth though getting the bases loaded with one out and ultimately scoring their last pair of runs for the day The contest marked a rubber match in the two teams’ three-game series as each beat the other 9-2 earlier in the week but American Fork got the best of Pleasant Grove in the final two games with a flurry of runs they did a really good job on us,” Ingersoll said “We just made the adjustments just being ready to play and compete.” Those adjustments not only earned the Cavemen two impressive wins but also propelled them to first place in Region 3 just ahead of the Vikings who entered the week with only one loss on the season American Fork continues to look forward following its win over Pleasant Grove “It’s a stepping stone for where we want to be,” Ingersoll said (I) wouldn’t expect anything less and I’m just proud of the way our guys came out and got after it.” The Cavemen will get after it again next week in another region series this time against Skyridge beginning Tuesday Pleasant Grove will look to get back on track in its next series starting the same day against Lehi Two things were evident in Tuesday’s game between American Fork and Fremont The Cavemen certainly have the talent to be a significant 6A title threat but it also has a lot of kinks to work out before that point While it wasn’t as pretty as American Fork would’ve liked the Cavemen showed resiliency in a 6-3 win over the Silverwolves It was only American Fork’s third game against a Utah opponent as the Cavemen previously played Nevada’s Desert Oasis American Fork had as good of an opening to Tuesday’s game as you could reasonably hope for. In the Cavemen’s first three at-bats CJ Mascaro and Bode Gaggero each hit doubles and Cooper Jones hit a home run for a 3-0 lead American Fork was in a great position to put the game away early After his first inning struggles, Silverwolves pitcher Jace Hadley started to make life difficult for American Fork and kept hitters off base Hadley had nine strikeouts as Fremont kept American Fork scoreless for five straight innings “Fremont’s pitcher did a good job just keeping us off balance,” said American Fork head coach Jarod Ingersoll they’re well coached and their pitcher made an adjustment We got away from who we are and that was ultimately why we put a lot of zeros up there.” While the Silverwolves did their job defensively they still struggled to execute at the plate Fremont had particularly good chances at running up the score in the second and third innings The Silverwolves had runners on first and third in the second and loaded bases in the third However, both times Fremont was kept from scoring thanks to smart fielding and strong pitching from American Fork’s Jamon Yates “We bent a little bit but we didn’t break,” Ingersoll said “We limited some of the mistakes and played pretty good for the most part On defense there was a couple of mistakes here and there but I thought the pitchers did a pretty good job of throwing strikes We got to limit those freebies and we got to play just a little bit better defense.” The score stayed stagnant at 3-0 until the bottom of the sixth when Fremont finally got a runner in to bring it to 3-1 Gaggero and Jones who stepped up once again Gaggero got on base with a hit by pitch and Jones hit a single to jump the score up to 4-1 “We have the most success when guys are up there passing the baton,” Jones said “I mean our whole lineup are amazing hitters so it’s all about passing the baton and we have the most success when guys are getting on base and letting the next guys in the lineup get the job done.” That’s exactly what American Fork did as it further ran up the score to a 6-1 lead Fremont quickly made the game dangerous in its last inning It started strong with its first three runners all getting on base and loading the bases without an out While the Cavemen still held a five-run lead they knew this was a dangerous situation didn’t allow a run without an out to accompany it and it held off Fremont with a 6-3 win They’ve been in our program for three or four years and they have a good feel for what they’re trying to do up there and how to be successful.” On Tuesday in its first game of a Region 3 series against 6A defending champion Lehi American Fork ended the top of the seventh inning with a 7-3 lead but then gave up five runs in the bottom of the seventh as the Pioneers came back to win The Cavemen rebounded with a 10-4 win on Wednesday and then on Friday they cruised to a dominant 11-2 road victory Five different players hit home runs for American Fork in Friday’s win “We just kind of limited the freebies,” said American Fork head coach Jerod Ingersoll “We just threw strikes and trusted the defense they’re the team until someone knocks them off Obviously (coach) Eric (Madsen) does a great job and I was just proud of the way our guys came out and threw strikes and played defense.” It didn’t take long for American Fork to get on the board, as a double from Bode Gaggero and a home run from Cooper Jones in the first inning allowed the Cavemen to jump to a 2-0 lead In the second inning though, Lehi’s Boston Drakulich answered with a home run of his own and Gavin Yates drove in Brandon Manookin to tie it 2-2 The tight rivalry game and a controversial tag out call against American Fork caused things to get chippy. However, Cache Poulson stepped up for American Fork and hit a home run with two runners on base for a 5-2 lead The home run heavily swung the momentum in favor of the Cavemen and they used it to further build the lead. CJ Mascaro and Brandon Upham each hit a homer, and Gavin Robinson hit two “We have such good hitters and it’s fun to watch everybody hit “It feels great when everyone’s just passing the baton and everyone’s willing to stay in it for each other and we can build off the momentum that we got “It’s just really fun when you’ve got guys who will go do what they do so it’s just one through nine all being elite hitters.” Defensively, American Fork largely got it done with its pitching. Tege Kelley came in on the mound in the fourth inning for the Cavemen and dished out five strikeouts Kelley’s teammates were quick to field it and didn’t give Lehi any chances to come back Friday’s win is significant for American Fork as the Region 3 title race is largely among it Pleasant Grove currently sits 5-0 in Region 3 while American Fork is close behind with a 4-1 record mostly I’ve felt good,” Ingersoll said of this year’s American Fork team “There’s a few things we got to go to work on and get better at in all facets of the game but we’re headed in a good direction “We just have to keep taking strides forward.” 1:33 PM | Updated: 5:00 pm BY CARLYSLE PRICE SALT LAKE CITY – An illegal operation to extract precious metals in American Fork caused a chemical explosion Wednesday At approximately 11 a.m., there was a chemical explosion at Marina Cove Storage located at 22 E. 1500 South, according to Brandon Boshard, battalion chief with American Fork Fire & Rescue. Units with American Fork Fire & Rescue and the Provo Fire Department all responded “The situation escalated quickly, prompting the dispatch of the Utah County Special Response Team (SRT) to assist with the emergency,” the Lehi Fire Department said in a Facebook post. Boshard said the explosion was caused by “hundreds of gallons of chemicals” being used to break down metals to extract precious metals The explosion was reportedly contained in one storage unit One person was transported by a medical helicopter to a hospital with severe burns Another person was reportedly treated for injuries at the explosion site “The initial first responders ensured that the victims received immediate medical attention,” the Lehi Fire Department said Boshard said the people involved were cited The chemicals found in the storage unit are reportedly off-site “We want to (emphasize) the importance of safety and preparedness in dealing with hazardous materials,” the Lehi Fire Department said “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or incidents involving chemicals.” Utah (KUTV) — Two individuals were transported to a burn unit following a chemical explosion in American Fork on Wednesday and Provo Fire responded to an undisclosed location on March 19 after receiving reports of a hazardous materials incident prompting the Utah County Special Response Team to be dispatched Authorities said two individuals sustained chemical burns and were treated by first responders before being transported to a nearby burn unit for further care Fire crews successfully neutralized the hazardous chemicals preventing additional injuries and reducing the potential risk to the surrounding community ------------------------------------------ Utah (KUTV) — Officials have released a report into the cause of the natural gas explosion that destroyed a Utah County duplex and damaged nearby homes The 24-page document outlines the investigation and cause of the March 2024 blast that killed a 78-year-old woman The explosion was first reported around 6 a.m March 20 at the home near 100 North and 300 East in American Fork they located the owner of one of the residences injured outside the remains of the home Firefighters responded from the American Fork Pleasant Grove Saratoga Springs and Provo fire departments crews were able to get inside and search the rubble Early reports suggested a possible gas leak a natural gas valve was left open and uncapped - but investigators were unable to determine who left it open The gas ignited when it reached the furnace mechanism ignition which was determined to be the source of the explosion The report said the explosion was accidental but could have been prevented with the proper awareness KUTV spoke with neighbors of the duplex on Monday morning who witnessed the blast especially when they knew the gas company had been there," said James Hopkinson Both Rocky Mountain Power and Dominion Energy were seen at the duplex completing routine maintenance the day before the explosion Hopkinson went on to voice the confusion in the air over the extensive length of this investigation “It doesn’t make any sense that it’s taken this long you would expect that they would have known (the cause) the day after," he said Initial information on the cause of a deadly South Jordan home explosion that occurred on Nov 8 was released within days of the incident KAYSVILLE — Davis High basketball guard Bode Sparrow was selected as the Standard-Examiner’s co-Player of the Year during this past football season and is used to playing in a game with contact when American Fork got physical in a second-round 6A boys basketball bout Sparrow aggressively made plays that got him to the free throw line 14 times — making 10 — and none bigger than a basket and foul shot in the closing seconds of the second overtime Friday night American Fork had taken a 63-62 lead on a rebound bucket and free throw by Bridger Burnside with 39.3 seconds remaining and Davis headed up court without calling a timeout made his shot and drew contact as the ball nestled the net at the 21.9 mark took it to the hole and finished … got the and-one They gave me the confidence; they told me they loved me,” Sparrow said “I focused on hitting the shot and nothing else … knocked it down Davis (21-3) played lockdown defense and the Cavemen had to call time out with 1.8 seconds left without getting off a shot A contested desperation toss at the buzzer did not draw iron 2 Davis advanced to the 6A quarterfinals with a harrowing Three different players picked up two fouls each in the first quarter who took a seat on the bench with 3:42 left in the period He was whistled for two more fouls by early in the third quarter and ended the game with four personals “I felt like I had four fouls the whole game probably just the second half because of so many overtimes,” Sparrow said “I could have been smarter but that comes from being aggressive “My teammates had my back and I was able to play hard without fouling.” It was somewhat of a miracle that the Darts even got to overtime trailing 35-26 midway through the third quarter before Sparrow made another three-point play and football teammate Tradon Bessinger scored inside Coleman Atwater then made back-to-back 3-pointers and suddenly it was 37-all with 1:34 remaining “We’re a close group and whenever stuff goes bad “We all believe in each other and that gives us confidence.” the game was tied or the lead changed hands eight times in the fourth period scored seven points for the Darts in the first three minutes of the fourth period and Bessinger also nailed another 3-pointer Bryker Couser made a driving layup for the Darts with 34.6 ticks left with Sparrow scoring all of the Davis points “My whole thing is no hesitation; I had a good look and let it fly “They were taking away some of our other looks so that gave me a chance to step up and make a play.” Sparrow had six and Atwater added a fall-away 3-pointer Bessinger added 13 (three 3s) and Turley also had double digits with 11 for the Darts “I’ve kind of been doing this for two years now because I’ve been playing varsity basketball and football since I was a freshman,” Sparrow said Sparrow didn’t feel like the Darts overlooked American Fork (8-17) a lower seed that had struggled with injuries and transfer issues during the season We knew they would come to play and didn’t expect it to be a pushover,” Sparrow said They were going for every rebound so we had to match it.” American Fork junior Bryce Mella led all scorers with 22 points Davis only shot 12 of 24 from the free-throw line and knows it needs a better mark in its quarterfinal game with No I’m excited for the opportunity on Monday,” Sparrow said LLC | www.standard.net | 332 Standard Way Wins had been far more elusive during the 2024-25 season than the American Fork girls basketball team had hoped Other than a stretch in January where the Cavemen won three times in five games they had dealt with a lot of heartache and frustration including ending the season on an eight-game losing streak That made Tuesday night all the sweeter for American Fork 16-seeded Cavemen started the 6A state playoff by hosting No 17-seed Herriman and made the most of the opportunity American Fork seized control with a big second-quarter run and never looked back pulling away to keep their season alive with a 54-33 win over the Mustangs honestly,” Caveman senior Samantha Smith said “I feel like we came out positive and ready to play American Fork head coach Aimee Dorais said she was proud of how her athletes played overall at both ends of the court “Emotionally it gets really frustrating to see the losses stack up,” Dorais said “It was great to see that as a group they stayed poised through that tough stretch of region they got the job done and that’s what you’ve got to do in the playoffs.” Herriman stayed close through much of the first quarter thanks in large part to getting to the foul line The Cavemen led 11-8 after the first eight minutes of play But then the home team settled in and got rolling going on a 12-2 run to push the lead to double digits “That helped us keep the game calm and stay poised,” Smith said we were able to stay in it and hold our ground The Mustangs cut the deficit to 24-16 at halftime but that would be as close as they would get “Basketball can be a funny mind game,” Dorais said “Sometimes you just need to see the ball go through the hoop and see the things you work on in practice every day work in a game Tonight it was a combination of executing what we know and adjusting to what Herriman was trying to do.” Smith simply refused to let her team lose the momentum At times she put her head down and attacked “It’s just all about taking it with confidence.” Dorais said Smith is the type of player who plays in such a way that pushes others to do the same “She’s kind of the emotional spearhead for us as well She’s the example that shows if she can play that hard That’s a great leadership role that she has for us.” Smith led a balanced American Fork effort with 12 points Herriman was paced by 10 points apiece from sophomore Shawnee Asiata and sophomore Bergen Jettie the Cavemen (5-18) head on the road to face top-seeded Copper Hills in the second round “Copper Hills has been the team that everyone has been chasing this year,” Dorais said “What’s fun about sports is you have an opportunity in front of you and so you go try your hardest to make the most of it We know it’s a challenge because we know how good they are Smith said they are ready to go see what they can do “I feel like we can play up to our potential and to our standard at the same time,” Smith said American Fork will face the Grizzlies in West Jordan on Thursday at 7 p.m AMERICAN FORK — One person was severely burned in a chemical explosion in American Fork Wednesday American Fork firefighters responded to Marina Cove Storage on a report of a hazardous materials incident triggered by a chemical explosion An illegal operation was being conducted inside a storage unit involving hundreds of gallons of chemicals American Fork Battalion Chief Brandon Boshard said The chemicals were being used to break down metals to extract precious metals The exact cause of the explosion is under investigation One person sustained "severe burns" and was flown by helicopter to University of Utah Hospital A second person was treated at the scene for minor injuries Pleasant Grove and Provo fire departments responded to the incident The Utah County Special Response Team was also called on to assist "Fire crews worked diligently to mitigate the incident by neutralizing the hazardous chemicals involved Their actions helped secure the scene and prevented further injuries and potential risks to the surrounding community," Lehi fire officials said Boshard said the people involved were cited and the operation has been shut down "We emphasize the importance of safety and preparedness when handling hazardous materials and urge the public to report any suspicious activities or chemical-related incidents," American Fork fire officials said on social media. The best example of that in 6A boys basketball in 2024-25 might be American Fork 15 in the final RPI rankings — but no one should take the Cavemen lightly American Fork only managed a 7-16 record during the regular season but eight of those losses and one of the wins came against out-of-state competition And this is a Cavemen squad that is battle tested Of the 14 games American Fork played against teams from Utah 10 were decided by four points or fewer with the Cavemen going 6-4 in those games So when American Fork found itself in a dogfight in the fourth quarter against No 18-seed Fremont in the first-round home game on Wednesday American Fork got a couple of big plays from sophomore Jax Oyler down the stretch to help keep the Silverwolves at bay and kept their season going with a 59-50 victory “I’m happy for our guys,” Caveman head coach Ryan Cuff said “We’ve been through it this season but so has Fremont The records of both team don’t show the true character of the programs We’ve had battles with them before and our preparation was just as tough for that one as any other.” Oyler felt like his squad was ready for the intensity and up to the test even though it saw a 12-point second-half lead cut to just two in the final period “No team has been through adversity like we have but we are all together and ready to make a run.” Cuff saw his guys stay composed when Fremont made its run which was a testament to how well they learned the lessons from those regular season games “Because of that adversity and being in that position “You know this is a playoff game and if you lose But our guys have been there and down the stretch we took care of the ball We were able to get to the foul line and make some free throws The home team needed one big play to get to the point where it could salt the win away from the charity stripe and Oyler was the one to make it With the Silverwolves only down 50-48 with under four minutes left American Fork broke the Fremont press and got the ball to where Oyler was open in the corner He confidently fired up the big 3-pointer and hit nothing but net “My teammates trusted me to make that shot,” Oyler said “The coaches believe in us and we are all ready for that moment Oyler got fouled and drained both shots to push the lead back to two possessions Fremont wouldn’t score again as the Cavemen put the game away Since American Fork didn’t have a single margin of victory greater than three points in the regular season Oyler said it felt great to actually not have to stress at the final buzzer “All the others were by one or two or three points That gives us some momentum heading into the next round against Davis.” The Cavemen were led by junior Bryce Mella with 18 points while junior Jax Clark added 15 points and Oyler had eight The Silverwolves were paced by 23 points from Easton Duft Cuff said American Fork was locked in to be ready to face Fremont but now the Cavemen have to turn their attention toward going on the road to face No “Right now it is survive and advance and everyone is 0-0,” Cuff said Davis is a very good basketball team but we’ll be ready We’ll enjoy this but we’ll probably be up all night.” Oyler said American Fork will go in expecting to win “We are ready for whoever is in front of us,” he said “We believe we are the best in the state and that we can go beat anyone.” The Cavemen will take on the Darts in Kaysville on Friday at 7 p.m with the winner advancing to the 6A quarterfinals next week American Fork rebounded quite nicely from a tough triple overtime loss to Lehi shutting out a strong Lone Peak side and coming away with the victory 3-0 Friday I thought that our boys today after a really really rough loss to Lehi bounced back with a really professional performance and I love the recommitment that they had to try to establish themselves back into region and get themselves ready for state,” said American Fork coach Josh Winn It was very much a defensive battle in the first half with both teams struggling to get any high-quality shots off Momentum swayed to American Fork in a big way midway through the second half Miller Hall found himself going toward goal and was taken down in the box by a Lone Peak defender Knecht stepped up to the spot and calmly converted the penalty kick for his first goal of the game to give the home side a 1-0 advantage Knecht doubled the lead just five minutes later American Fork found itself in transition and Knecht was able to race past the Lone Peak defensive side and calmly place the shot past the keeper for the 2-0 score “We kind of decided that we would sit a little in a mid-block and try to play on the counter We knew that Lewis was fast enough so that we could exploit that and kind of take advantage We waited to kind of suck them in a little bit and then try to go ahead and get them on the counter Knecht was able to get his hat trick with six minutes left in the game when the Lone Peak goalkeeper was unable to handle an American Fork free kick and Knecht quickly pounced on the rebound to seal the victory If American Fork can continue to put together performances similar to what it did against Lone Peak Winn likes his team’s chances as they get further into region and head toward the postseason “I think it was incredible to take a team as talented as Lone Peak with that kind of ability and be able to shut them down,” Winn said “We limited them to really just one decent shot on goal After a short stint in northeast Provo that was marred by a string of threats, Mosaics Community Bookstore and Venue has found a new home in American Fork which also served as the headquarters for the United Drag Alliance The closure followed fundraising efforts to keep the Provo location open with donations also set to go toward the cost of expanding services Mosaics carved out a niche as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community with efforts aimed at fostering inclusivity among people of all backgrounds Even in the face of multiple bomb threats made toward the bookstore and personal threats reportedly directed at co-founder Tara Lipsyncki they remain committed to keeping the resource available in Utah County we’ve faced relentless attacks–both physical and digital–on our right to live authentically and provide life-saving resources to our community who also serves as executive director for United Drag Alliance told the Daily Herald in an emailed statement Tuesday this space is laser-focused on protecting those who need it most Mosaics Resource Center will kick off a new chapter Saturday during the grand opening celebration of its new location at 42 N The new center will remain geared toward providing support resources and community connections tailored to the LGBTQ+ community in Utah County “Our carefully curated used book selection exclusively features LGBTQIA+ and diversity-centered works,” said Lipsyncki “Our mutual aid now operates in a dedicated space offering only the essentials: a gender-affirming closet and survival kits for unhoused individuals We’ve also established designated offices for mental and medical care tailored to our community’s needs.” Saturday’s grand opening will run from noon until roughly 5 p.m and will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the Utah LGBT Chamber of Commerce followed by a Family Resource Carnival The public also can participate in a community donation drive by contributing nonperishable food items lightly used clothing of all gender expressions and new or like-new books dealing with LGBTQ+ and BIPOC topics The donations will aim to support people in need within the community “This new chapter is not just about survival–it’s about resilience and resistance and bolder than ever before,” Lipsyncki stated Utah — Students at American Fork Junior High School recently recognized World Down Syndrome Day Brady Murray led the rally to celebrate the superpowers of children with Down syndrome while honoring kindness and inclusivity and we know exactly why – our son was in Chin Cooper is an important member of the American Fork community “The biggest fear that I had when I found out I had a son with Down syndrome is how would others treat him,” Brady said Brady honored three of Cooper’s classmates who chose kindness and friendship “We were going to go trick-or-treating and wanted to make sure Cooper was included,” said Lincoln Belliston Lincoln and two others made sure Cooper was part of their Halloween plans “He was pretty excited because we are friends at school and he was excited to hang out with us,” added 8th-grade student JD Edwards That display of inclusivity made a tremendous impact on the Murray family “To be able to come today and see those three boys step up and just be an amazing friend,” Brady said He hopes others see that example and do their part to share good in the world He knows every individual has the power to make a difference – just like Cooper and his friends do every day “Every kid here has a song they are meant to sing,” Brady said The way we do that is through the superpower of Down syndrome.” Brady founded an organization to raise awareness about Down syndrome while providing resources and educating families about adoption. To learn more about the nonprofit, click here. R.A.G.E. Level Up Boot Camp brings free fitness training to Utah students Lehi City fiber network at 23% adoption rate in completed areas, 15% less than break even point Lehi City budget forecast: Utility rates set to increase again in 2025, 2026 Ocotillo Prime brings fine dining to AF with brunch and Mexican steakhouse menu How to Create a Cozy and Functional Home Office in Salt Lake City, Utah Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. DA Sim Gill rules shooting involving American Fork police as justified SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to file charges in a Feb 2024 shooting involving the American Fork Police Department The officers were in the county after reports that a suspect from an open criminal case was in South Salt Lake Officials said 36-year-old Kevin Ballew's vehicle was locked in a tow yard in American Fork when he was accused of breaking a lock and taking a vehicle It was not clear if the vehicle belonged to the suspect Investigators suspected Ballew of firing a 9mm handgun 21 times at the lock on a gate at the Utah County tow yard Police were called to the scene after reports of shot fired and found the gate damaged and partially open A window to the business was shattered and a silver Honda Civic was missing The vehicle was discovered in an apartment complex parking lot in South Salt Lake Officials said when police approached the vehicle Ballew got out of the car and fled on foot but investigators said the resident chased him out prompting multiple officers to fire at him He was hit and transported to the hospital Gill showed the body camera video with members of the media Friday pointing out Ballew raised his firearm at officers Gill ruled the shooting was justified and declined to file any charges in the incident 9:14 AM | Updated: 12:28 pm BY DEBBIE WORTHEN SALT LAKE CITY — Chad Graham says the dashcam video from his daughter’s car shows exactly what happened in American Fork Canyon on Dec He’s thankful she’s still alive after another car veered into her lane Graham said his daughter’s boyfriend was driving and made a split-second decision that may have saved both of their lives A post shared by KSL 5 TV (@kslnews) “I gave my daughter’s boyfriend a hug and said ‘You saved my daughter’s life,” Graham said Graham said the other driver needs to turn themself in he knew something was seriously wrong he said After a frightful situation that could have cost her and her boyfriend their lives Lorelei Graham wants the other driver to take accountability and pay for the damage to her car which is now totaled The Grahams said the driver hit the mirror of their car and they believe that driver knows they caused a crash The Utah Highway Patrol said the case is still under investigation 3:08 PM | Updated: Jan 15 BY MARY CULBERTSON PROVO — New details in an American Fork murder case were revealed in court Tuesday ahead of an anticipated trial The defendant in the case, Kevin Ellis, 43, initially claimed he shot his brother-in-law, Matthew Restelli, 42, out of self-defense. Days after Restelli’s July 12 death, Ellis was arrested and booked on murder charges Ellis’ sister and Restelli’s wife 59 were arrested in connection to the case The two of them were at the scene when responding officers arrived Joseph Nordin with the American Fork Police Department was the sole witness in Tuesday’s hearing I observed several empty shell casings on the floor,” he said from the witness stand “I then observed a deceased body in the hallway.” Nordin described the rest of what he saw on July 12 — a “firearm on the counter in the kitchen, along with a knife,” which had been previously reported in court documents Nordin described details of an upstairs bedroom that held crucial evidence in the case Joesph Nordin with the American Fork Police Department during a hearing for Kevin Ellis in an American Fork murder case on Jan “I found a rolled-up dollar bill on a nightstand in a bedroom,” he said “When I unrolled it I found a white powdery substance on the dollar bill.” Nordin said he performed a field test on the substance The bedroom was also found to belong to Ellis because his California ID card was sitting next to the dollar bill the rest of the effects in the room were consistent with Ellis’ belongings Ellis consented to a blood and urine test which he took during questioning The results came back positive for cocaine Nordin was then asked to identify Kevin Ellis in the courtroom He complied and pointed to Ellis sitting near the front Kevin Ellis appears in court during a preliminary hearing on Jan 2025 ahead of an expected trial where he will face charges for murder he and his wife were having marriage difficulties Kathryn Restelli traveled to American Fork from her California home with her husband where she stayed for weeks before his death and made a plan with her: he would drive to American Fork to come get her and booked a rental car to do so Nordin detailed some of the results of a search warrant obtained for the cellular devices of Matthew Restelli and all the defendants in the case he previewed some of the evidentiary contents the trial may bring The first text messages read aloud were from Matthew and Kathryn Restelli The messages confirmed that the two had made a plan for the rental car Text messages also showed another plan Kathryn Restelli and her mother The idea was that her husband would be forced to retrieve her from Utah Charging documents showed Kathryn Restelli had her sister in California place an Apple AirTag tracker on the rental When Matthew Restelli arrived at the American Fork home Police said video footage from a neighbor’s home helped them piece together the timeline The street in American Fork where Matthew Restelli was killed When Ellis’ attorney Scott Williams began questioning he pointed out that much of the communication discussed during the hearing id not include his client “Exhibit after exhibit of all these communications between all these different folks in this investigation; I want to circle back to what appears to be texts between Tracey Grist and Kevin as the only examples where Kevin participates in the communications.” And Williams mentioned one other text where Ellis was notified of the AirTag location “You got these texts because you took them from Tracey Grist’s phone,” Williams said Nordin couldn’t recall exactly but said it was several days after July 12 “So she had gone back to living and doing whatever she was doing — she wasn’t in custody or anything right?” Williams asked “Communicating about anything she wanted including the events of the 12th?” Williams asked when you seized that phone nearly a week later The hearing on Tuesday was a preliminary hearing in this case Follow @culbertreport_ SALT LAKE CITY — Three members of the American Fork SWAT team who tracked down a wanted man were legally justified when they shot and injured him after he pulled out a gun on the porch of a random residence the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced Friday the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force and American Fork police tracked down Ballew and the vehicle at an apartment complex in South Salt Lake near 800 West and 3900 South With the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter flying overhead to assist three officers then spotted Ballew in the parking lot and ran after him according to the final report prepared by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill Ballew ran and found an unlocked apartment and went inside officers who had run past the apartment were instructed by the helicopter crew to turn around Ballew raised the gun he was holding in his right hand and Sgt detective (Ron) Bibeau and medic (Darren) Cooper fired their handguns," Gill's report states A fourth officer also fired a less-lethal round A K-9 police officer at the scene that night later described to investigators "I saw him bring (the) gun up to his head I want to say he started to move it away form his head And then shots rang out," according to the report Stack up on the shield," after Ballew is shot A group of SWAT team members then got in a single-file line behind an officer who was holding a ballistics shield and approached Ballew Once the officers separated Ballew from his gun was shot and injured by American Fork police on Feb after they say he stole his car that had been impounded in American Fork the officers were found to be legally justified in shooting him (Photo: American Fork Police)The American Fork SWAT team had two staff medics on scene that night Gill said that "significantly contributed" to Ballew's survival The investigation determined that police fired a combined 14 rounds plus one less-lethal round Police recovered a loaded handgun Ballew had been carrying He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries and survived he said he was homeless and living out of his vehicle Ballew explained that he saw police looking like 'SEAL Team Six' and 'all tactical,'" according to the report Ballew allegedly said he went into the apartment at random to hide but then "realized that would be a bad move" and walked back out The apartment he entered was unlocked because the tenant expected his wife to arrive home at any minute Because Ballew entered the residence only briefly and then exited he was charged in 3rd District Court with trespassing and failing to stop for police Gill said some of the shots fired by police went through the front door of the apartment Ballew had entered But by that time the tenant had run to a back room and no injuries were reported in the apartment Ballew is charged in 4th District Court with aggravated burglary a first-degree felony; unauthorized control of a car for an extended period of time and property damage third-degree felonies; reckless endangerment a class A misdemeanor; plus theft of services and 20 counts of discharge of a firearm class B misdemeanors for the events that happened in American Fork the day before the shooting A warrant was issued for his arrest on Aug 5 when he failed to show up for court and remained outstanding as of Friday Gill said Friday that Ballew is confined to a wheelchair and being treated at a facility in Salt Lake City American Fork’s boys swimming team is back on top of 6A a similar storyline unfolded once again Saturday at BYU as Lone Peak captured its fifth straight 6A state championship The difference between the two: Lone Peak’s title was never in jeopardy as it won by over 200 points while American Fork’s celebrations had to wait until the final race of the meet The Cavemen won that final 400 freestyle relay securing the school’s first state title since back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 with Mountain Ridge a close second with 310 points and Lone Peak in third with 302.5 points “All meet we just talked about taking care of our own business and making sure that we do what we should do flawless,” said American Fork coach Michael King We knew we didn’t have to win the relay as long as we were smart and had good exchanges.” Truman James won two events to lead the way for American Fork (100 fly with Jaxon Fellingham (100 free) also winning an individual title The Cavemen also won two of the three relays the last the title-clinching 400 free relay as the William Tell Overture blared over the Richards Building speakers at BYU but I had a quick prayer and I felt a lot of energy coming in my last high school swim incredibly its margin of victory has swelled every year during its title streak from four to 174 to 200 to 209 and then 229 on Saturday Coach Celeste Tiffany chalks it up to team camaraderie “This year was a little different than the rest I’ve never really quite seen something so unified but you can see what you can do when you’re a team,” said Tiffany Lone Peak won all three relays and then had two individual winners two from Taylor Bennett (50 and 100 free) and another from Sarah Favero (200 free) this year’s state meet had a totally different vibe Bennett swam the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle and in the 500 free she had one first-place finish and two runner-up finishes Instead of trying to go for the 4-peat in the 200 IM the BYU commit wanted the sprints to be her focus this year “She’s always been capable of that 50 and 100 free so discussing that was kind of molding that into the state meet That’s always been a really strong skill set of hers and it was so neat to see her completely embrace that this year and huge credit to her club coaches for stepping in and us being able to work well together,” said Tiffany The end results unfolded better than Bennett ever dreamed they could She set a new 6A record in the 50 freestyle prelims on Friday and then in Saturday’s final swam the fastest 50 free race in Utah history Later in the meet she won the 100 freestyle with a 6A record time of 50.67 She also contributed to a pair Lone Peak winning relay teams really nervous” all week in the lead up to the state meet “The meet went way better than I expected it to go Really I was just in competition with myself and I chose events I haven’t done that past three years for the first time at state,” said Bennett “Being able to do these events for the first time at state and doing as well as I have has been so rewarding and out of this world I am just so grateful for everything I’ve put in this season and the outcome of it has been so fulfilling.” Despite four easy wins at state during her high school career Bennett said the euphoria of the experience never dulls “It doesn’t get old winning state all together especially ‘cause last year we lost so many seniors We weren’t necessarily expected to win by such a big sweep but our freshmen girls have been so amazing this entire season,” said Bennett The other 6A individual girls winners were Syracuse’s LayLeigh Turner (200 I.M.) American Fork’s Addie Harding (100 back) and Pleasant Grove’s Ruby Homer (100 breast) the boys team standings were tight all meet with American Fork Lone Peak and Mountain Ridge shuffling back and forth event after event Coach King thought Fellingham’s win in the 100 freestyle was one of the big turning points Even though American Fork still trailed by 14 points after that race King knew that the upcoming backstroke and breaststroke races lined up very well for his team to pick up big points We talked all week with the boys about making sure you ride those energy waves when they come in so keep yourself grounded so you can seize those opportunities,” said King Other individual wins for the boys were Bingham’s Lincoln Hymas (200 free) Mountain Ridge’s Huckleberry Burton (200 IM) Bingham’s Lincoln Humas (500 free)and Skyridge’s Connor Clark (100 breast) AMERICAN FORK — Natural gas that filled a home while work was being completed on an outside line caused an American Fork duplex to explode in March But while the final investigative report into the explosion concludes it was "unintentional or accidental" and does not implicate any individual for being responsible it also notes "the home explosion could have been prevented with proper awareness." On March 20, an explosion at a duplex at 67 N. 370 East in American Fork resulted in the death of 78-year-old Kathy Harrison who was found on a bed under a pile of debris Employees with Dominion Energy and a subcontractor had been at the duplex the day before working on the natural gas system on the exterior of the home according to the final report released Monday by American Fork Fire Marshal Mat Sacco "The type of work completed was considered regular system maintenance and is typically completed without customer contact," Dominion Energy told investigators A subcontractor "had only been working alone on natural gas systems for approximately a week-and-a-half" and "had only worked on single meter sets This was his first two-meter set service," and he was doing what is known as a "hot change" or "hot gas," allowing "work to take place without interruption of natural gas service." Because the subcontractor had questions Dominion Energy employees were called to assist "the exterior in-line valve located on the accessory natural gas line was opened by one of the individuals conducting service on the system that day," the report states the gas meter recorded "a significant increase in usage" and "consistently elevated natural gas usage begins at or around the time Dominion Energy employees finished work on the noted system; and ends at or near the time the home explosion occurred prior to 6 a.m.," according to the report "Damage to the furnace indicates the furnace ignition mechanism was the source of the ignition of the flammable gas concentrations." the investigation also noted that "the accessory valve and piping were not considered Dominion Energy equipment This was stated multiple times during the investigation The accessory pipe installation was completed by someone other than Dominion Energy with no documentation available for review from American Fork "Since maintenance of the accessory line was not the responsibility of Dominion Energy and Dominion employees did not service that portion of the line the accessory valve should not have been touched by those conducting system service on behalf of Dominion Energy … The accessory line should have been left in the closed position until the line was inspected for leaks or openings," the report continues The report concludes that the explosion could have been prevented by "providing system testing requirements following work done on fuel gas systems." "Since it is unknown when the accessory line was installed or disconnected inside the home If leak testing had been conducted as noted the open line could have been discovered and capped," the report states Shirley Hunt, 82, who lived in the other side of the duplex and miraculously survived the explosion she is deeply saddened to learn of the preventable nature of this event She believes that this American Fork report coupled with other recent incidents and tragedies involving natural gas in Utah should serve as reminders to public utilities of the dire consequences that result from cutting corners or failing to follow proper procedures." Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Merrill "Sam" Nephi Slater passed away peacefully at his home in American Fork Utah surrounded by his loved ones on October 26 to Samuel Alroy Slater and Alice Wright Slater in American Fork Their marriage was solemnized in the Provo Temple on January 6th Whether traveling or spending the evening at home they always enjoyed each other's company hunting right up until the last year of his life He enjoyed taking long rides around Utah Lake and in the mountains He and Linda spent many weekends four-wheeling with friends Merrill had a love for baseball and spent many days on the field playing One of his highlights while coaching Carey was taking the National League to the West Coast World Series and grandpa who supported his family in all their activities and hobbies Merrill is survived by his wife Linda Slater He is preceded in death by his parents Samuel Alroy Slater and Alice Wright Slater at 11:00 AM in the American Fork 8th Ward Chapel 321 North 100 East American Fork from 6 to 8 PM in the Anderson & Sons Mortuary from 9:45-10:45 AM prior to the service in the 8th Ward Chapel The family would like to express our gratitude to the IHC Hospice team for the great care and love shown to our father and family during this difficult time Please click on the link below to watch Merrill's service via live stream: https://youtube.com/live/XFZpTUT63RU?feature=share Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors READ MOREThree American Fork children returned to their mother two years after going missingby Kaigan Bigler SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Three children have been returned to their mother after being missing for two years The children were reported missing out of American Fork in Oct suspected to be taken by their father to a community of Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints American Fork police worked with Washington County Sheriff's Office to find the children RELATED: Ex-FLDS parents searching for missing children believed to be hidden by church police received information that the children were in Fredonia Police in Fredonia worked with Coconino County Sheriff's Office deputies and retrieved the children It was not specified if the children were with their father but police said the children's grandmother and aunt were arrested in connection to the situation No identifying information about the children were released Police said they were reunited with their mother We are sad to announce the passing of Peggy Ann Hansen Utah to George and Alice Blake of Copperton 1963 in Salt Lake City and their marriage was later solemnized in the Jordan River LDS Temple June 11 Peggy was a dedicated wife and mother to her husband She took great care to create a home filled with warmth and special holiday memories Her yard was always beautiful and reflected her love of flowers and gardening Peggy's kind and friendly nature attracted many lifelong friends with whom she created countless wonderful memories Peggy's life was defined by her generosity and dedication to her family She loved to spend time with her children and grandchildren and gathered them together often in her home and also in her favorite camping spots As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints she found great fulfillment in her faith and served diligently including a meaningful mission at Martin's Cove in 2006 Her spirit of service extended to her involvement with the Ladies Fireman's Auxiliary for over 30 years where she offered her time and support with grace and kindness She is survived by her children: Leslie (Craig) Hermansen; Brad (Marni) Hansen; Laurie (Jon) Slater; 11 grandchildren; and 6 great grandchildren We would like to offer our sincere thanks to all of the dedicated care-givers at Bella View Assisted Living as well as Zach and Victoria from Canyon Home Care and Hospice We invite family and friends to celebrate Peggy's remarkable life and legacy Funeral services will held Monday December 23 2024 at 11 am in the LDS church at 455 East 300 North December 22nd from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Anderson and Sons Mortuary and on Monday from 9:45 to 10:45 am prior to services She will be laid to rest at the American Fork Cemetery Please click on the link below to watch Peggy's service via live stream: https://youtube.com/live/88I9zh0XoI4?feature=share Utah the daughter of Max Lynn Walker and Mary Elaine Barnes Walker Karen grew up in Pleasant Grove and attended school there graduating from Pleasant Grove High School in 1959 She married Dale Henry Greening in the Logan LDS Temple on August 9 She worked at the Utah State Prison for many years before she left to start her family Her grandkids and great-grandchildren were here pride and joy Karen loved genealogy and was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and Daughters of the American Revolution She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings during her lifetime She was active in her community serving on the American Fork Cemetery Committee for many years and working for the American Fork Citizen newspaper and siblings Janet Harris and Robert Walker at 11:00 am in the Anderson & Sons Mortuary Chapel Please click on the link below to watch Karen's service via live stream: https://youtube.com/live/u_tLoR87htY?feature=share AMERICAN FORK — American Fork High School's marching band performed "spot on" over the weekend at a national competition ranking eighth in the country at the finals of the Bands of America Grand National Marching Competition has long aimed to get the marching band to the national finals The last time American Fork High School was a grand national finalist was in 1995 The competition starts with more than 100 bands whittled down over two days of preliminary competition to the top 30 semifinalists and the top 12 are chosen as grand national finalists the top 12 perform a third time to determine the winners the band made it to nationals and placed 13th missing the top 12 by just a few tenths of a point "(It) was a little heartbreaking when you've been working four years to get there but it didn't really deter us," Landis said He said placing 13th was a good learning experience for the kids as "you can't have success all the time." So the American Fork High School marching band kept on working Drum major Jared Rajaratnam said since May the band has focused on making it to finals and we all wanted to push and try super hard this season and put it in the work to reach that goal and we are happy and really satisfied we were able to do that," said Rajaratnam now in his fourth year performing in the band The band qualified for finals after winning the Utah regional competition in St As one of only two bands from west of the Rockies that qualified the more than 230 students and dozens of parents and staff traveled to Indianapolis for the national competition Landis said the band played one of its best performances during the preliminary round on Nov The American Fork High School Marching Band performs "Spot On" in Indianapolis at the Bands of America Grand National Marching Competition on Nov (Photo: American Fork High School)Saturday morning the team "had a really spectacular run The kids easily did the best that they had done of the year," Landis said Due to getting so tantalizingly close two years prior, the band members were on pins and needles waiting to hear if they would make it to a top 12 spot. When the announcers said American Fork High School was the sixth school to make it to the finals, the students erupted. "Hugs and high-fives and fist bumps and screaming and yelling and we don't even know who made the other six positions because everyone was just screaming and yelling," Landis said to have a band that's in the grand national finals .. Rajaratnam said he held his breath during the finals announcement The drum majors salute whenever their band name is read their salute "was not very good" as they were all crying and so excited who were on the field accepting the trophies in the competition The drum majors had to stay composed while out on the field they ran to Landis to celebrate and take in the accomplishment they work as hard or harder than what I do The rest of the band has been celebrating for 30 minutes at this point and the (drum majors) are down in the tunnel waiting for me So I was the first one they got to celebrate with It was a really great moment to get to share that with those guys," Landis said (Photo: American Fork High School)The band members then rushed back to their instruments to get ready to perform a final time and the kids just have the hugest smiles on their face," he said With more than 50,000 people in the stands and millions more "band kids" watching online the American Fork band "hit it out of the park" with its best performance of the year The band performed Cody Fry's songs "Flying" and "I Hear a Symphony," Cory Wong's "Golden" and a heavy metal rock version of Béla Bartók's String Quartet No The band's routine this year was called "Spot On," highlighting the band's aim to put on such a show that the audience would think The recognizable pop songs helped get the crowd involved in the performance The band couldn't have done it without the support of parents and the community American Fork High School Principal Peter Glahn sports a pink beard in honor of the marching band making it to the finals at the Bands of America Grand National Marching Competition on Nov (Photo: American Fork High School)"I've never been anywhere else where the parents care so much for the kids' experience," Landis said our parents — we are nothing without them." Principal Peter Glahn even promised to dye his beard if they made it to the finals Rajaratnam said it was touching to see the support of the community and from around the state Westlake High School's marching band also competed in the preliminary round and Rajaratnam said it was awesome having their friends with them "I love music and the way that it can evoke emotions Music speaks to everybody," Rajaratnam said The high school senior said he will forever remember this experience achieving a goal with his bandmates who became family He is grateful for the impact marching has had on his life Correction: A previous version said Westlake's marching band traveled to the competition to support Three teenagers who went missing from American Fork just over two years ago have been found in rural Arizona near the Utah border and reunited with their mother police said in a press release issued Friday afternoon The three boys, who the Daily Herald is not naming due to their ages, reportedly left their home in October 2022 and were picked up by someone and transported to the southern part of the state Stuart Fore said it was suspected that their father may have orchestrated the disappearance and helped hide the children “The father and family are members of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints faith,” the release noted Fore said American Fork police have worked closed with authorities in Washington County over the past two years to locate the teens received information that the children were in the area Officials working with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona and other agencies were successful at locating and retrieving the children According to a press release issued by the Fredonia Police Department earlier this week the minors were reunited with their mother in early September though news of the recovery was not issued until Wednesday Police also said the children’s grandmother and aunt were arrested by Arizona authorities for their part in the incident American Fork police and authorities in Fredonia thanked all the agencies and family members who assisted with the safe return of the children Nearly nine months after a deadly home explosion in American Fork a newly released investigative report details what happened prior to the blast The 24-page report released by the American Fork Fire Department on Monday concluded that a significant increase of natural gas reached flammable levels inside the home’s furnace and may have ignited the explosion 78-year-old Kathy Harrison was found dead in her home located at 67 N firefighters and other emergency responders were called out to the home just before 6 a.m Another woman who was said to be the owner of the duplex survived as well as a dog who emerged from the rubble and was listed in good condition Dominion Energy workers were at the residence a day before the explosion performing what’s called a “hot change” on the natural gas system located outside of the home The service allowed Dominion Energy to make changes to the home’s natural gas valves without interrupting service the surviving victim recounted the Dominion Energy workers at the home that day and noted that she let one of them use the bathroom the worker thought he smelled natural gas but she said he didn’t find anything after exploring for the source of the odor with a flammable gas detector The crew finished their work and left the premises early that afternoon returned home and went to bed just before 9 p.m “She said she was awakened when the house shook,” investigators reported being told by the woman the technician who was subcontracted by Dominion performing the “hot change” had only been working on natural gas systems for about a week and a half The findings go on to say that at some point during the service the technician required additional assistance from Dominion crews who then called in their own help after “experiencing complications,” though the report doesn’t specify what the complications were The report speculates that one of the subcontractors servicing the line may have left the supply valve open causing an increased usage of natural gas from approximately 2 p.m the day prior to the explosion until 6 a.m “The flammable mixture rapidly ignited through the home creating an explosion from the enclosed environment,” the report said an American Fork Fire & Rescue battalion chief heard “a constant blowing sound consistent with something leaking,” the report said “He followed the sound to the exposed riser of the underground natural gas line where he found an open shutoff valve While investigators concluded the explosion was accidental “the home explosion could have been prevented with proper awareness,” the report stated investigators indicated that no pressure testing was done on any of the gas lines because there was no interruption of natural gas service while the technicians were at the home Investigators believe that had a leak test been conducted upon completion of the service Lehi eliminated fellow 6A Region 3 rival American Fork 28-7 Friday night marking the last home game for Pioneer head coach Ed Larson who is retiring at the end of the 2024 campaign The longtime Pioneer coach gets at least one more game though at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City at 11:00 a.m And of course Larson and the rest of the Pioneer faithful will hope that won’t be the end of the season 4 seed Lehi to beat top-ranked Corner Canyon Larson knows that his team will need to play better than they did in their quarterfinal game “I don’t want to take anything away from them (American Fork) as they did a great job defensively but we just had too many unforced errors,” the Pioneer head coach said “We need to clean things up offensively especially in the passing game.” Larson did praise the work of his defense which only allowed seven points “I’m grateful for my defense,” Larson said One of the star players on defense was Penisimani Takitaki who came up big in a critical juncture of the contest when American Fork had some momentum after Easton Atwood had recovered a fumble in Pioneer territory It was then Takitaki had three straight sacks and ended both the American Fork scoring threat but any chance for a Caveman comeback “I was just getting off the ball fast,” Takitaki said “I noticed during film that the tackle can’t kick step get behind his hip and it’s game time from there.” The Pioneer offense did have some bright spots Devaughn Eka took a swing pass from quarterback Jett Niu and showed both speed and nimbleness to get into the end zone on a 36-yard score Niu connected with Legend Glasker on a 8-yard score American Fork showed its mettle to start the second half and after stopping Lehi on downs took over at midfield Dyson Richards hauled in a 26-yard pass from Davis Gaisford which set up a 4-yard TD reception by Cade Wilkinson which cut the Pioneer lead to 14-7 Lehi’s offense didn’t get traction but the defense came up with a big turnover when Murphy Madsen intercepted Gaisford at the midfield strip and returned it 48 yards Lehi added one more score in the final stanza when Niu showed his mobility at quarterback and then connecting with Mays Madsen for a 36-yard score Then it was up to the Pioneer defense to do its thing and Takitaki and company were more than up to the challenge Fuapauna Mama and Jeremiah Owno was particularly effective Corner Canyon knocked off Lehi (9-2) in the 6A semifinals last year and Takitaki would love to see his team get some revenge “They sent us home last year,” Takitaki said “I feel we have a chip on our shoulder and we come up there and eat them up With the loss American Fork finished its season with a 5-7 mark BY ALEXANDER CAMPBELL SALT LAKE CITY — The American Fork Fire Department released the final investigation report from a March 20 home explosion on Tuesday The explosion and ensuing fatality were classified as unintentional But investigators noted that the explosion was preventable Officials said an American Fork fire investigator was called to the scene and arrived at about 7:20 a.m the occupant in the northern half of the duplex was found deceased She was later identified as 78-year-old Kathy Harrison The investigation found that Dominion Energy workers were at the home a day before the explosion They were conducting a “hot change” service on one of the home’s natural gas valves The process allows uninterrupted natural gas service while workers change service valves A Dominion Energy employee said a fellow employee entered the home to use the restroom the employee allegedly smelled natural gas and investigated with an explosive gas detector The final investigation report found that the detector did not sense any explosive gasses A pressurization check was not completed on the service lines after the Dominion Energy workers finished their servicing The report concluded that such a check could have detected a leak in the system it was noted that a detective with American Fork police received information from a subpoena request filed against Dominion Energy an increase in natural gas usage was found at the explosion site This increase in usage occurred from the time Dominion Energy workers were at the house until the explosion the next morning The investigation found that a supply valve at the home was opened by a subcontractor employed by Dominion Energy reaching an air concentration that could cause an explosion This ignited the gas and caused an explosion that destroyed the building The report included recommendations to prevent further incidents including alternative forms of leak testing While Dominion Energy workers did walk through the area with a gas detector other leak testing was not done on the system the report suggested capping outlets that aren’t connected to appliances using a threaded plug or cap The report states that this type of leak prevention should have been done to comply with code requirements Driving along Main Street in American Fork you may notice the marquee outside Maven Cinemas that says “extended intermission” on one side and “you are loved” on the other That “love” for the community may just be the reason why the owners of the resurrected retro movie theater are interrupting the intermission and once again putting classic films on the projector screen before an audience But they’ll have to do it in another space — or several other locations the shows came to a halt due to an electrical fire inside the building that houses the theater along with five other tenants — one of whom lived on the top floor As the Daily Herald reported co-owner Dvorah Governale said they had trouble communicating with the owners of the building and getting an accurate timeline of when the issues would be resolved and could they could reopen The couple made the decision to close in early July as the building was left dark and their business in limbo community members have rallied around the theatre-loving couple in hopes they will reopen again there or somewhere else “That building has been a staple in the community for a long time So people were really excited when we brought movies back to that location,” owner Joseph Governale said “And I think everyone was really hopeful that it would come back that we would be able to open that building again.” The Governales’ passion for movies and creating memorable experiences was evident to the dozens of people who visited Maven Cinemas each week to watch classic titles on the big screen — at least during the short period of time it was open The couple had a dream to revive historic movie theaters and what better place to do it than the building previously known as Towne Cinemas The Governales worked to restore the old theater and bring it back to life where they reopened it as Maven Cinemas in October 2023 classic films graced the screens each week at Maven Cinemas The Governales would often host events aligning with classic titles like Ghostbusters Indiana Jones and even a Saturday morning pajama party where they showed classic Looney Tunes cartoons on the big screen All in favor of creating magical memories the same way its predecessor did since the early 1950s With the Maven Cinemas location unlikely to reopen an idea was formed to collaborate with small businesses to keep the classic movie revival alive with different events Fortunately, the Governales had already built a relationship with the owners of Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria in Provo prior to the fire Inspired by a cinematic experience that brings movie and food lovers together in cities like Las Vegas and Portland called “Fork n’ Film” the two are uniting for their own iteration “Pizza and Pictures.” The yummy collaboration will offer a slice of holiday cheer with extra cheese and toppings in a 7:30 p.m “We are both local business owners and it means the world to us to create an evening that blends the magic of the holiday season with the simple joy of gathering with neighbors,” said Janine Coons owner and operator of Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria Attendees also will notice menu selections that are in sync with scenes throughout the 34-year-old movie like “nutritious” mac and cheese bites paint cans filled with popcorn among other festive items “We’re looking to see if we can make this a monthly event with them every month we can get the rights every month,” Dvorah Governale said The Governales also are in talks with the Angelus Theater in Spanish Fork for a lineup of events many community members suggested they start a crowdfunding campaign to help them gather enough funds to continue showing historic films A recently started crowdfunding campaign is up with the goal of raising $50,000 to help recoup startup monies spent to restore equipment and other costs needed to open Maven Cinemas last year “So the hope is that we’re able to have the bandwidth to be able to keep moving forward since we did send the money to fix that equipment,” Dvorah Governale said they’ll work with places like Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria who will provide the space while the Governales secure rights to show the movies and equipment to screen them Their ultimate goal is once again to find another building And while funds are vital to their plans of starting over it’s largely about bringing joy and laughter to movie lovers of different generations we love the events and we love seeing people happy,” Joe Governale said but none of either these events or the previous location was about money.” The couple believes in the power of film for helping people process emotion and how movie theaters create community among adults I think more and more we’re appreciating an event like something that feels fun,” Joe Governale explained “This isn’t just watching ‘Home Alone’ in the movie theater (but) about having a meal and having that shared experience of that community event.” For more information, visit mavencinemas.com Utah (KUTV) — Shocking new information has emerged in a murder case out of American Fork revealing what investigators say was a calculated plot involving multiple family members Police report that what initially appeared to be a family dispute escalated into a premeditated killing allegedly orchestrated by the victim’s wife police responded to reports of a shooting in a gated American Fork community evidence has now led police to arrest the victim's wife recounted the unsettling night: “We didn’t really have any idea what was going on,” she said Parish and her boyfriend had returned home late that evening to find the neighborhood filled with emergency vehicles 40-year-old Matthew Restelli was fatally shot eight times and mother-in-law all inside the home during the incident Although family members claimed self-defense Stuart Fore of the American Fork Police Department described the killing as “pretty much cold-blooded murder.” Fore shared further chilling details: evidence indicates that Kathryn Restelli and her mother had been tracking Matthew's movements via an AirTag — a small device used for tracking — secretly placed in his vehicle “He didn’t know it was in the vehicle from California to here in Utah,” Fore said The couple had reportedly been separated due to marital issues and the victim believed he was traveling to Utah to assist his wife and children in returning home Matthew Restelli’s wife falsely claimed to have an injured ankle as part of an alleged plan to lure him to Utah under the pretense of needing his help Investigators discovered that the mother-in-law had recently searched for a Dateline episode about a similar case in which a woman had hired a hitman to kill her son-in-law over a custody dispute “It was similar to this case here,” he said investigators noted that the left-handed victim was found with a knife staged in his injured right hand raising suspicions that it may have been placed there to alter the crime scene The couple’s two children are now in state custody (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Police cars near the American Fork Police Department The agency spent months investigating 42-year-old Matthew Restelli's death before officers arrested his wife and the woman's mother and brother on Oct Police on Tuesday arrested the wife of a 42-year-old man who was fatally shot in American Fork this summer alleging the family plotted to kill him and cover up their crimes The documents say Matthew Restelli‘s wife wanted out of the couple’s seven-year marriage but didn’t know how She had already left the couple’s home in California with their two children to stay with her mother in Utah she confided in her mother and online friends she and her mother and brother schemed to kill Restelli officers allege in probable cause statements included a ploy to get Restelli to drive to Utah a planted knife and a plausible self-defense setup But police said in a news release that they saw through the conspiracy after an “intensive Restelli’s wife and the woman’s mother were both booked into jail Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child They all remained in Utah County jail as of Thursday afternoon The Salt Lake Tribune typically does not name criminal defendants unless they have been charged police say Restelli‘s wife contacted a divorce attorney That meeting left her feeling “helpless” and unsure of “what to do” — apparently worried about custody laws since she had taken their children across state lines Restelli was asking his wife to return to California He offered to send her money so she could rent a car When she relayed that conversation to her mother according to text messages police reviewed the mother suggested she fake a sprained ankle according to text messages reviewed by police “I know we can wrap it and make it look swollen under the wrap.” Restelli then planned to drive to Utah to pick up his wife Police said she texted him the gate code to her mother‘s neighborhood her mother’s address and a photo of the house on July 12 — the day he was set to leave California — so he would know “exactly where to go.” He told his wife that day he was worried his truck would leak oil on the driveway so she laid down a piece of cardboard he could later park on He also worried that if he turned off the car so he planned to leave it running for the 15 minutes it would take to load up and leave according to recordings of the couple’s phone conversations “Are you going to come inside?,” the recordings showed she wrote in her social media group: “I have to do big girl things this morning.. according to a neighbor’s security camera footage They first called Restelli‘s wife’s family Restelli‘s wife’s mother called 911 at 10:15 p.m they found Restelli dead with multiple gunshot wounds The family first told police that Restelli and his wife were going through a separation and he showed up at the house with a knife they said Ellis shot Restelli in self-defense noting Restelli was “agitated” and surprised them The documents say officers found Restelli on the ground inside But the family’s story unraveled as police examined the evidence was facing toward Restelli’s hand — the opposite of how someone would normally brandish a weapon “It appeared that the knife was possibly placed into Matthew‘s right hand after he had been shot dead,” police wrote in a probable cause statement in the minutes between the shooting and the mother’s call to police Those phones helped build a case against the family police found that Restelli’s wife had texted a friend saying “I’m trying to wait… I just might murder Matt today though…” Detectives also learned the family had been tracking Restelli using an AirTag hidden in his truck since at least June They were texting about his movements minutes before the shooting police found the mother had searched online for various topics apparently regarding her daughter‘s parental rights — and the death of Daniel Markel Markel was a Florida State University law professor killed in an apparent conspiracy plotted by his ex-wife’s mother and brother she searched for the “its happening meme” — an image or gif of Steve Carrell’s sitcom character Michael Scott from “The Office” excitedly shouting Restelli‘s wife talked to some of her online friends on a video call She told them Restelli was dead and showed them the blood on the floor where he was shot Restelli’s wife told them it was OK and she was happy they found an email suggesting his wife‘s mother got it in April when she visited a friend to help after the friend’s husband died The husband apparently subscribed to a monthly surprise box of tactical gifts — which included the type of knife found in Restelli’s hand The mother had emailed the company that same month to cancel the dead man’s subscription In interview with police after Restelli’s death his wife said the couple had been having marital issues and Restelli misused substances and “yelled at her daily.” She left with two of their three children after a fight and had been in Utah about three weeks when he came to pick her up sometimes arguing about her taking the children and once about a “negative interaction” he had with a fast-food worker in Beaver The couple‘s children have since been placed in Division of Child and Family Services’ custody In an obituary, Restelli — known by those closest to him as Matt — was remembered for his “deep love for the outdoors.” He enjoyed mountain biking, fishing and hiking — “often accompanied by his beloved children.” “Matt’s adventurous spirit and his profound appreciation for the natural world were evident to all who knew him,” it read. “His commitment to his family was unparalleled, providing them with not just love, but the shared experience of adventure that brought them closer together.” For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune The Pleasant Grove girls basketball team has dealt with injuries and growing pains as it had a tough time getting on track during the first round of Region 3 action But while this Viking team may be young and learning Pleasant Grove had to dig deep during Tuesday night’s game at American Fork another team that has had some struggles this season but always fights hard The Vikings and Cavemen both had chances to come up with big plays down the stretch but it was Pleasant Grove that got the job done “We talked a lot about rebounding and taking care of the basketball,” Pleasant Grove head coach Lacey Larson said you just can’t give away possessions because every possession is so important Limiting turnovers and taking care of the basketball is huge for us.” The Vikings took the lead for good when they broke a 21-21 tie in the second quarter and closed out the half on a 7-2 run But although Pleasant Grove led by as many as seven points in the second half The Cavemen put together a 6-0 run to cut the Viking edge to just a single point at 41-40 with 1:39 on the clock “It was chaotic and stressful,” Larson said “It’s always tough going up against American Fork We knew we weren’t done and that we had to play until the very last second.” American Fork forced a Pleasant Grove turnover and got a solid look in the paint to take the lead with just under a minute to play but the shot was just a touch too strong and the Vikings secured the rebound The Cavemen got Pleasant Grove to bobble the ball with the time winding down but the Vikings got to it first and an American Fork diving for it ended up committing a foul It was only the fourth foul of the quarter for American Fork but it meant the shot clock was turned off and the Cavemen had to foul Pleasant Grove got the ball to its only senior who calmly stepped up and drained both free throws with 18 seconds left American Fork still had a chance and although an interior pass ended up being too low it went to the corner where the Cavemen got a decent chance at the game-tying 3-pointer but American Fork got to the rebound and scored with just under three seconds left the Cavemen thought they had forced a steal only to have an extremely late whistle stun the home team “They were trying to foul since they had to get the ball back,” Larson said The foul resulted in a made free throw by Viking junior Ma’ele Tuiasoa and American Fork wasn’t able to get another shot off Larson credited American Fork head coach Aimee Dorais for always putting her team in position to succeed “She always knows how to keep games close.” The Vikings now have a pair of two-point wins in their last three games Larson said she hopes her team is figuring out how to close things out “It was really good for them to see some of those things to learn from,” Larson said because we have been there before we will handle them better the next time.” That is particularly true for a talented but still inexperienced Viking squad which was good for the freshmen to get experience but it’s tough to be thrown into those situations Hopefully that time now helps them be more calm and comfortable when they get in the game Pleasant Grove (8-12) hosts Westlake on Friday while American Fork (4-15) plays at Lone Peak the same evening Both games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m After splitting both games in the regular season 7 seed Skyridge used a second-half shutout from goalkeeper Kait Meyer to complete an impressive comeback and beat No 10 seed American Fork 5-3 on Tuesday in 6A girls soccer second-round playoff action This second-round playoff game was a high-scoring affair that included multiple lead changes an impressive number of shot attempts and an exceptional display of talent from both teams The Skyridge Falcons are led by senior forward Cambria Lee she led the team with 12 goals and seven assists She scored another two goals and added two more assists Tuesday Rachel Boren and Aly Johns also recorded goals Skyridge went into the second half down 3-2 a slow start that isn’t exactly normal for coach Toby Peterson’s team we came out a little sluggish on the defensive side of things,” Peterson said “They were kind of working around us in the first half and we asked them to make some adjustments in the second half and I couldn’t be prouder of our defense.” While the defense flipped the script in the second half no one did more than goalkeeper Kait Meyer The 5-foot-9 senior used every inch of her reach to stop various well-placed shots from American Fork She also used her speed to outrun defenders to the ball on breakaways she used her leg to boot the ball nearly the length of the field to keep her team attacking on offense Kait’s had to feel the majority of the reps all the way through the season Another player locking things down was senior forward The Utah Tech commit played with a force the entire game and that force intensified as Skyridge made its comeback Boren used her height and strength to block out American Fork defenders and her speed to outrun everyone to her sixth goal of the season Peterson stressed the importance of not just being physical but also being patient as they possessed the ball most of the game ”We know that from working with American Fork they’re really disciplined on their back line We knew that we couldn’t just send the ball over the top and run to it They would’ve picked us apart if we did that,” Peterson said “Our mantra has been patience: work up through the middle third and find the slot as we get into that final third When we pointed that out in the second half the importance of breathing and not panicking and I think it all paid off in the second half.” Skyridge will play the winner of Mountain Ridge vs Riverton in the quarterfinals on Thursday.