Year 2 of boys high school volleyball in the state of Utah should be even better than Year 1. Last season the state crowned its first four state champions in boys volleyball: Pleasant Grove in Class 6A, Maple Mountain in Class 5A, Pine View in Class 4A and Grantsville in Class 3A. Play improved dramatically over the course of the season, producing high-level volleyball in the all of the finals. This week at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center, four more gold trophies will be awarded. Here’s a look at the 6A, 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments. Bingham (21-4) earned the No. 1 seed in 6A after rolling to 14 consecutive victories. Region 3 champion Westlake (22-5) is No. 2, Lehi is No. 4 and Lone Peak No. 7. Last year’s 6A champ, Pleasant Grove, is the No. 13 seed. Westlake rolled through Region 3 unbeaten (10-0) after taking down Cedar Valley in a sweep on Friday. Junior Kilika Tafa has 286 kills and gets offensive help from junior Kyson Ririe (181 kills), senior Parker Swenson (178 kills) and sophomore Thomas Wood (142) kills, with senior setter Keagan Cundiff (826 assists) directing things. “It’s been such a blessing to coach this team,” Westlake coach Whitney Randall said. “At the end of the season last year we did not end up how we wanted to. So we spent a lot of time talking about it and training some specific things to kind of bridge some of the gaps we saw last year. Coming in and beating a tough region in No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 from last year is something that we’re really proud of and we’re hoping to take that energy into the state tournament.” The 6A Tournament has two first round matches on Monday, then runs Friday and Saturday with the championship match at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. It would take a tremendous upset to derail No. 1 Maple Mountain (25-1) from winning a second straight 5A title. The Golden Eagles, led by 6-foot-7 BYU signee Trey Thornton and 6-7 setter Taft Hillman, have won 38 straight matches against Utah competition. Still, there are a couple of dangerous candidates in the tournament field. No. 2 Bountiful (24-4) has won 12 matches in a row and No. 4 Alta (18-7) is 10-1 in its past 11 matches. The catalyst for the Hawks has been been another BYU signee, Corbin Batista, a 6-foot-6 outside hitter who is the son of former Cougar great Victor Batista. Corbin Batista transferred to Alta from Snow Canyon in St. George and wasn’t eligible to start the season. In 11 matches he is averaging 5.2 kills per set and hitting .399, with 45 kills in his past two matches. Maple Mountain knows it has a big target on its back and welcomes the challenge. “From the beginning, the players knew what the goal was, and that is to win state again,” Golden Eagles coach Napoleon Galang said. “Every day in the gym we give the players challenges. We have to keep them challenged in every aspect of the game. They know they have to stay on top of it, because everybody is after us. As long as we play our game, play consistently and clean, and win the serve and pass game, it’s going to be ours to lose.” The 4A tournament begins with first round matches on Monday, leading to Friday’s second round and finally the championship match on Saturday at 7 p.m. Orem (22-6) is right back where it was to start last year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Tigers lost a heartbreaking five-set match to Pine View in the 4A final, falling in the fifth set 17-15. Orem setter Lucky Jennings has a lot of options to feed, including leading hitter Ben Hone (203 kills) and middles Aaron Nielsen and Luke Wolsey. Tigers coach Bill Sefita, who has coached the Orem girls team to back-to-back state titles, said the state tournament is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. “We’ve been able to meet with one of our psychologists, John Osborne,” Sefita said. “He’s done a good work with us. I think that’s one thing that’s kind of helped us. We had a tough loss against Riverton a few weeks ago, so bouncing back into the next week, we met with sports psychologists and that helped us work on, how to be mentally tough and be more present within the game.” The other challengers in the tournament are No. 2 Murray (18-7), No. 3 Desert Hills (16-8) and No. 4 Crimson Cliffs (17-8). Play begins Wednesday and concludes with the championship match on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The 3A tournament runs concurrently with the 4A and is also Wednesday and Thursday. Ogden (20-5) is the No. 1 seed and will open with No. 17 UMA-Camp Williams (4-17). American Heritage (15-11) is the No. 6 seed and Freedom Prep (17-9) is No. 9. Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Utah, LLC | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601 © 2025 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC. led by key contributions from sophomore Caylon Dygert and junior Xander McAfee Pitching efforts from seniors Rhys Stevens and Caden Noah helped secure the win as the Mavericks scored three runs in the sixth inning to take the lead The Mavericks are set to host DBU in their final midweek matchup of the season on May 6 following this weekend's successful series against Utah Valley UT Arlington's offense and pitching shined in this series sweep positioning them for momentum as they head into crucial upcoming games Their ability to rally in challenging situations augurs well for their playoff ambitions The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it OK Privacy policy the Mavericks defeated the Wolverines 16-6 led by freshman Cade Dodson and senior Parker Airhart The second game followed suit with a 14-8 victory highlighted by Austin Phillips’ home run and three RBIs Pitcher Caylon Dygert led the team's strong performance on the mound during the first game while Nicholas Robb secured the win in the second game The Mavericks will complete the series with a finale against Utah Valley scheduled for tomorrow at 12 p.m aiming for a clean sweep and solidifying momentum moving forward in their season UT Arlington's offensive depth and pitching strength showcased in the doubleheader emphasize their competitiveness marking a pivotal moment in their season with potential implications for upcoming games They need to maintain this performance level to improve their standing Utah Valley’s seventh-inning rally came up short as the Wolverines fell 4-1 to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on senior day at Wolverine Softball Field in Orem Megan Gibbs capped off her home career with a 1-for-3 day driving in the lone run of the day with a double in the seventh inning along with fellow seniors Rachael Brown and Victoria Vasquez were honored postgame Utah Valley struggled to get the bats going as SUU’s Riley Nielson took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Rachael Brown broke the seal with a single through the left side Lily Riley pitched a strong game in her first start since March 28 going 6-plus innings while being charged with all four runs Riley held the T-Birds to just two extra-base hits SUU struck first in the second inning when the T-Birds after a leadoff single came around to score thanks to a two-out walk and single SUU doubled that lead in the fifth with three straight singles Riley fell on the wrong end of a nine-pitch battle to lead off the seventh when Ariyana Miranda hit a solo homer to make it 3-0 Two singles and a wild pitch put two T-Birds in scoring position then an error by Britney Moreno allowed the fourth and final run of the day to come in Back-to-back doubles by Angelique Mann and Gibbs got the Wolverines on the board and a sharp lineout by Tatum Hall ended the game Utah Valley will enter the WAC Tournament as the No The Wolverines will open tournament play against the No 5 seed Abilene Christian Wildcats on Wednesday Utah Valley would advance to the double elimination bracket and face the No 4 seed Seattle U Redhawks later that evening at 8 p.m The Utah Valley baseball team improved in each of its three games at UT Arlington After dropping Game 1 (18-8 in six innings) and Game 2 (14-6) the Wolverines put together their best performance in Sunday’s finale but it wasn’t enough as the Mavericks completed the sweep with a 7-4 victory The visitors surged in front with three runs in the top of the fourth (two of them coming on a Luke Iverson double) but UT Arlington narrowed the gap by plating a pair of runs of its own in its half of the inning UVU then increased the lead with a run on an Iverson sacrifice fly in the sixth but the Wolverines couldn’t find a way to score the rest of the way as the Mavericks rallied to win Wolverine pitcher Jacob Heppner gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings and took the loss The Wolverines next take Utah at Smith Ballpark in Salt Lake City on Tuesday at 6 p.m Cameron Franklin and Ella Hopper both established new 400-meter program records with their performances at the BYU Robison Invitational on Saturday Isaiah Archer also competed with his PR in the 400 moving him to No Franklin clocked 45.51 seconds to finish second in the race with his time putting him firmly in the mix to earn a spot at the NCAA West Preliminary rounds in College Station at the end of the month He broke his own previous record of 46.30 seconds he had set at last May’s WAC Outdoor Championships Archer joined Franklin in the men’s invite 400 setting his new personal record of 47.07 seconds which is second all-time and trails only Franklin in the record book Hopper finished Saturday’s race in 53.70 seconds to take second place overall Her performance broke the old mark of 54.01 that she set three weeks ago at Weber State The Wolverines will now prep for the WAC Outdoor Championships in two weeks at UT Arlington The three-day championship gets underway on Thursday Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall is pleased to announce UVU’s upcoming Prospect Camp coming up on May 16-18 inside the Wolverine Wrestling Room in Orem and campers will receive instruction from UVU head coach Adam Hall Housing is not provided for the three-day camp The Wrestling Room is inside the Wolverine Service Center All camps are open to any and all entrants LLC | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd PROVO — An investigation into a report of a man waving a gun outside a mall in Provo led to the discovery of numerous homemade explosive devices in the man's bedroom is facing more than six dozen first-degree felony charges Whitaker was charged Tuesday in the 4th District Court with 75 counts of manufacturing or attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction Provo police were called to the Provo Towne Centre mall on a report "that a man was waving a gun around," according to charging documents The man drove away before officers arrived but he was located a short distance away in a church parking lot Whitaker "got out of the car and told police he had been involved in a road rage incident where he felt threatened (He) was calling 911 from the church parking lot to report the incident," the charges state Police asked if they could hold onto his gun as they talked to him But when they looked at his front passenger seat "police found a black bag that held a Glock 20 with a magazine holding 13 rounds The bag held an additional 11 loaded magazines (Whitaker) said he had steel plates for target shooting and also a machete in his trunk," according to the charges officers "found an object wrapped in duct tape with a fuse attached (which) X-rayed the device and found it was an improvised explosive device packed with nails and round metal pellets The bomb squad found three more such devices in the trunk," the charges allege Whitaker was then arrested and detectives went to his Orem residence with a search warrant to seek additional evidence officers found a total of 71 more improvised explosive devices in addition to materials to make the devices — fireworks and thumbtacks," according to the charges Whitaker's apartment complex was evacuated while a bomb squad removed the devices and transported them to a shooting range where they were detonated "Several of the devices exploded while the officers attempted to recover evidence from them officers heard shrapnel hitting objects at the range," the charges state A 73-year-old Utah man could now face charges after he was arrested at an Orem park accused of assaulting a 16-year-old Curt Jones was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of child abuse and property damage officers with the Orem Police Department were called to Cascade Park on Tuesday due to multiple reports of an elderly man assaulting a juvenile they found multiple witnesses who stated that Jones was the one who assaulted the teen The witnesses told police that the 16-year-old was riding his motorbike in the park when Curt came up to him and confiscated the bike while saying the teen couldn't leave The victim told officers that Jones had damaged the bike's handlebars and side paneling during the incident Officers state that the victim's father claimed the damage was going to cost $350 Orem police say witnesses provided video footage of the incident to detectives shows Curt striking the teen in the head and holding them down officers say Curt sat on the bike for several minutes while arguing with witnesses to the attack FOX 13 News is reaching out to police to request a copy of the video Utah (KUTV) — A man was arrested Friday after authorities seized 71 explosive devices and bomb-making materials from his Utah County residence P{rovo police said the investigation began around 10:30 a.m. on April 25, when they responded to reports of a man brandishing a weapon at the Towne Centre Mall Officers arrested 41-year-old Eric Whitaker authorities discovered four devices with fuses sticking out of them Metro Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians were called to the scene and X-rayed the items Whitaker initially told officers the devices were firecrackers but later admitted he had made them himself He claimed they were intended to be used as flares in case he got lost while hiking EOD officials deemed the devices to be explosives and seized them Whitaker was booked into the Utah County Jail on four second-degree felony counts of reckless possession of an incendiary device A search warrant was later executed at Whitaker’s home in Orem where detectives discovered an additional 71 explosive devices along with materials used to construct bombs The bomb squad responded and safely removed the devices Authorities said the devices had the potential to “cause death or serious bodily injury to multiple victims if they were in the vicinity of the device when it exploded.” Whitaker now faces an additional 71 first-degree felony counts of possession of a weapon of mass destruction as well as one third-degree felony count of reckless use of incendiary device parts Charges were field Tuesday against an Orem man after police said they discovered several homemade bombs in the man’s vehicle and apartment or attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction by the Utah County Attorney’s Office in Provo’s Fourth District Court there is no indication of any ongoing threat to the public Utah State University Extension sponsors Earth Day Birthday a family-friendly celebration of planet Earth at the USU Ogden Botanical Center held Saturday and expert gardening advice in an outdoor setting In addition are educational classes on composting “We’re excited to kick off our season by welcoming the community to celebrate Earth Day with us,” said Alex Zesiger USU Extension outreach manager for the gardens “It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature The Ogden Botanical Center is located at 1750 Monroe Blvd – Utah State University Extension press release State leaders gathered Monday for the ceremonial signing of several energy bills passed during the 2025 General Session reaffirming Utah’s commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy–one that includes geothermal advanced transmission technologies and the continued development of small modular nuclear reactors pragmatic approach ensures Utahns have access to safe affordable and reliable energy while positioning the state for long-term economic strength As Utah continues its rapid economic expansion energy-intensive sectors such as artificial intelligence the state must significantly scale its power generation Utah needs to triple its current energy production by 2050 to meet the demands of a fast-growing population and economy With minimal excess energy available in both Utah and across the country resilient energy infrastructure has never been greater Utah is answering that call with bold leadership and a clear vision The Utah Department of Workforce Services is hosting a statewide virtual job fair Approximately 40 Utah employers will participate in the no-cost online event Employers at the fair are hiring for more than 2,000 open positions statewide “We are excited about the variety of industries represented at the virtual job fair with employers participating from Logan to St “Whether you are a recent graduate or exploring a new opportunity the virtual job fair is a convenient way to connect with employers and discover what’s available.” The virtual job fair will feature open positions in education, health care, banking, hospitality construction, government and more. Find a complete list of participating employers at jobs.utah.gov Job seekers should come prepared with their resume and a professional photo to upload to their profile They can participate in the fair from their own computer or smartphone participants will be able to see a digital floor plan with rows of booths the job seeker can see the company profile They can also start a live chat with a hiring representative and share their resume start one-on-one video chats or even make job offers on the spot The statewide virtual job fair is Thursday, May 1, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. To participate, job seekers should pre-register at jobs.utah.gov and create an account or sign in to ‘my Job Search.’ Find the event on your dashboard and select it The department is also offering two online workshops the day before to help job seekers get the most out of the virtual job fair — Utah Department of Workforce Services press release LLC | www.standard.net | 332 Standard Way Utah (KUTV) — People living in Orem should prepare for a major traffic overhaul of Geneva Road south of University Parkway road is the subject of one of the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) latest ambitious projects and bike lanes of both sides - not to mention a 10-foot-wide multi-use path on one side "It's loud," said Desiree Raulston but it's loud and there's a ton of traffic." Stand on the sidewalk by Geneva Road for a few moments and you'll see just how busy the small road really is Raulston has seen the firsthand the backups and congestion right outside her door "Getting in and out of our driveway is rough," she said people 'bright us' at night - they don't realize there's a house here because the turn lane ends right before my driveway." "We are going to widen the road a little bit through there so there will be an extra lane in both directions and we're going to continue the path that Orem City has on the east side of the road - and then on the west side we'll also add another bike path," said Wyatt Woolley senior communications manager for UDOT Region Three The roughly $34 million project was requested by the state legislature and the city - wanting to connect things through the area and make room as the area grows there's a (Latter-Day Saint) temple in Orem right there," Woolley said "Orem has this project in Provo with connecting Lakeview Parkway in the area The airport's over there - just on the west side over there - so it's just trying to make a better connection for everyone," Woolley said - we've had lots of requests for better access and better traffic flow but also with the cyclists and the walking community - to be able to get through the area widening this road comes at a personal cost for Raulston She said UDOT crews came to her house and did assessments of her property "They're going to end up taking a lot of our front yard," she said "We haven't gotten a final saying on how much they're taking out but they're going to take out part of it," Raulston said UDOT said the construction will start sometime in the late fall or early winter The project is expected to last through the next year use or attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction by the Utah County Attorney’s Office in Provo’s 4th District Court Court documents released Tuesday provided further detail of what allegedly happened Provo police responded to a report Friday of a man “waving a gun around” at the Provo Towne Centre Mall before driving away in a blue Nissan Sentra Police found the vehicle on Towne Center Boulevard and followed it to a nearby church parking lot Whitaker reportedly got out of the vehicle in the church parking lot and told officers he had been involved in a road rage incident and felt threatened so he pulled out his gun Police said he was calling 911 from the church parking lot to report the incident and granted police permission to retrieve the gun from his vehicle Police found a Glock 20 with a magazine holding 13 rounds and a round in the chamber in the front seat of the vehicle along with 11 additional loaded magazines in a bag The report said Whitaker also permitted police to search his trunk where they found “an object wrapped in duct tape with a fuse attached.” X-raying the device and determining it was an improvised explosive device (IED) containing nails and round metal pellets and finding three additional devices in the trunk A warrant was then obtained to search Whitaker’s Orem apartment and additional bomb-making materials including fireworks “(Whitaker’s) apartment complex was evacuated and the bomb squad removed the devices and transported them to a shooting range where they were detonated,” the court document read “Several of the devices exploded while the officers were attempting to recover evidence from them officers heard shrapnel hitting objects at the range.” PROVO, Utah — What started with a call to police about a man in a car brandishing a weapon turned the Provo Town Centre mall into a frenzy of activity on Friday Kathy Mitchell’s daughter has an art studio there She says her daughter was fortunate to be home at the time “What first came to my head was this country’s getting more and more angry…more and more violent,” said Mitchell police said they found Eric Whitaker with four pipe bombs that led them to the steps of Angelina Starr’s Orem apartment Orem apartment after 'pipe bombs' found in suspect's vehicle “All of a sudden I heard banging on the door and them telling us we needed to evacuate immediately,” said Starr Starr left her dogs behind — something she regretted when she learned they found 71 more pipe bombs just down the hall from her Provo’s police chief has bomb squad experience and told us there’s one sole purpose for these devices: to cause mass casualties “Why are you carrying pipe bombs and all this stuff in the car unless you intend to do something with it or sell it?” Starr wondered what Starr knows is she wasn’t safe all this time “Not really — not if they went off,” said Starr She says it unfortunately stems from not being able to know her neighbors in the way she once did “Now it’s like everybody keeps to themselves so it’s really hard to know who’s across the hall from you,” Starr said When Kamryn Wilson first joined the Orem police as the department’s psychologist in its mental health department four years ago she went on a ride-along with an officer and encountered a family with an autistic child at a traffic stop Nothing was wrong — it was a routine stop and no ticket was handed out — yet the child had what Wilson described as a “very escalated response” just because of the police’s presence She remembers being bugged about the situation he’s going to shut down and be terrified of the police,” she told her lieutenant So Wilson started the “Picnic With Police,” an activity where special needs children their families and other community members could interact with Orem police officers in a comfortable setting The fourth-annual event was held last Thursday at Orem City Center Park low-key interactions between law enforcement and people with disabilities,” Wilson said they’re far more likely to have incidents with the police and it’s usually super likely for them to go awry The event has steadily grown each year and saw a large turnout Thursday fire department and local sponsors scattered around the park held a game of volleyball and handed out Legos and balloons to kids and families Others dished out soft-serve ice cream to people or took turns booting a kickball around the park ScenicView Clinic counselor Aaron Ridenour said giving kids with disabilities a chance to interact with officers can be valuable in reducing any potential apprehension they may have about police “It’s nice for them to just interact with law enforcement and get to know each other The time spent together benefits the police because familiarity with disabled individuals can help officers know how to de-escalate situations when they get called to crisis situations for individuals with disabilities throwing things.’ They don’t necessarily know that there’s a mental health component to it,” she said “So I want our officers to be able to identify those things so that they can change lanes if they need to change lanes Just anything that we can do to keep them safer and to keep us safer.” Some studies have indicated autistic individuals are seven times more likely than other people to come in contact with law enforcement an autistic boy who was nonverbal and had cerebral palsy was shot by police April 5 and died April 15 According to police body cam footage Perez was holding a knife in his yard when police arrived on the scene After one officer ordered him to drop the knife several times Perez stood up and stepped toward the officers who were separated from the boy by a chain link fence An FBI study from 2001 said people with autism are unaware of their behavior’s implications and that officers should not interpret autistic people’s failure to respond as a lack of cooperation Wilson said the Orem Police Department’s objective is to keep everyone safe and that having a good understanding between law enforcement and citizens is important The annual picnic is one way Orem strives to foster that relationship “I think there’s a little bit of danger in not treating people like humans regardless of a job or a situation,” Wilson said “So if we can all just treat each other a little bit better that our community keeps us involved and keeps us engaged and it’s better for officers and the citizens.” Utah (KUTV) — A crash in Orem left two people with serious injuries and four of the five lanes on southbound Interstate 15 The Utah Department of Transportation first reported the crash at 10:42 a.m A motorhome that was towing a passenger vehicle veered to the right where the freeway passed under University Parkway and slammed head-on into the concrete support at the entrance of the overpass The car it was towing was pulled up and over the barrier No other vehicles were reportedly involved Cameron Roden said two people who were in the RV were transported in serious condition Authorities originally dispatched a medical helicopter to the scene It wasn't immediately known what caused the crash or impaired driving was believed to be a factor No information about the two injured in the crash was provided Authorities didn't say if anyone else was in the RV "We do see crashes every day," Roden said "It's not every day that you do see one of this magnitude especially the damage to a vehicle like this." Drivers were filtering around the crash site on a single open lane on I-15 creating a bottleneck that left traffic at a stop-and-go pace for miles public relations director for the Utah Department of Transportation said there was damage to the face of the bridge and retaining wall "That's going to be addressed at some point in the future It's safe to travel on now," Gleason said The crash scene was cleared at approximately 2:30 p.m Matthew Jacobson reported from Salt Lake City The 4A girls golf regular season came to a close on Wednesday with the final region tournaments of the season The focus now shifts to Southgate Golf Course in St George next Wednesday and Thursday for the 4A state tournament Park City and Ridgeline won their respective region championships and will each be in the hunt for the 4A state title The average team score of the four region champs was all within seven strokes of each other which should make for a competitive state tournament The low golfers in each 4A region were Orem’s Kaylee Westfall (70) Stansbury’s Kamry Bryan (79.5) and Ridgeline’s Maddie Fujimoto (81) Region 9 bases its region champ on individual points acquired during all region matches and Walker didn’t play in enough matches to earn enough points despite finishing with a lower stroke average Pine View’s Molli Mullhall was crowned the Region 9 champ with a stroke average of 79.7 Walker is the two-time defending 4A state championship heading into the tournament at Southgate Here’s a look at the final region results from all four 4A regions Final individual standings (based on individual points) the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine’s inaugural class of 2025 made history Saturday The 71 members of Utah County’s first medical school class stepped across the stage at the UCCU Center in Orem to receive their doctorates of medicine ushering a “new era” for medicine and health care in Utah you didn’t just attend a new medical school You built one,” Dean and Chief Academic Officer Lynsey Drew said “There were days around this journey that all any of us had was a vision and your trust.” the Provo-based medical school received accreditation and the ability to recruit students in 2020 The first class of students arrived at the campus adjacent to Timpanogos Golf Club in 2021 The school has grown to 577 students to become the largest medical school in the state “We all decided to continue our journey at Noorda-COM being thrust into a proverbial fire as we took our next step on our journey to become physicians,” 2025 Class President Ikaikaolahui Danner said “We may not have understood every implication of going to a new medical school but we decided Noorda-COM was going to be the fire that forged us into the physicians that we will be.” The 2025 class boasts a 99% residency-placement rate with the lone student not included pursuing a research opportunity Nine of the graduates will also enter the military a Brigham Young University alum who experienced an eventful medical school experience During Williford’s third year of medical school and the babies stayed in the NICU for six weeks “During what Tanner describes as ‘The hardest year of my life,’ his daily routine became a testament of dedication before driving to the hospital for scheduled surgeries then returning home to care for his eldest daughter while supporting his wife’s recovery from the C-section,” Noorda College President and CEO Dr “Through these challenges Tanner maintained his academic and clinical responsibilities without missing a beat.” and the family is expecting another daughter Also highlighted at the ceremony was Maria de los Santos who pivoted from a career as an attorney to attend medical school Santos moved to Utah from Texas with her husband and two daughters “She uniquely combined her legal expertise with medical education through Noorda-COM’s State of the Legislature where she connected with (former) Utah Senator Mike Kennedy who sparked her interest in advocacy and ethics,” Wright said “A highlight of Maria’s medical school journey was participating in the World Medical Association’s meeting at the Vatican helping to revise the Declaration of Helsinki.” John Curtis also received an honorary degree Saturday Nielsen was given the Founders Award Recipient did not speak at the ceremony but was recognized by Wright for the role he played in helping the medical school get off the ground “As a founding trustee of the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine your vision proved instrumental in securing support for our institution during its formative years both in capacity as mayor and as a member of Congress,” Wright said leadership and business action helped Noorda-COM become the exemplary medical institution it is today Your ongoing advocacy for health care legislation medical education and residency programs will continue to strengthen osteopathic medicine throughout our nation.” Courtesy Utah Department of Transportation Construction on the 1600 North improvement project in Orem could start as early as this summer a Utah Department of Transportation official confirmed Wednesday The road will be widened to five lanes between 1200 West and State Street in Orem and part of Lindon and will include upgraded intersections at 1200 West Bike lanes will be added to both sides of the road and a pedestrian sidewalk will be placed on the south side of the street “We look at this as a great way to improve the route between (Interstate 15) and State Street in the north Orem and south Lindon area,” said Wyatt Woolley mostly to the south of the road as it winds its way between 1200 West to State Street And it will greatly improve the capacity of that route.” is to reduce the traffic time and queue length during peak afternoon and evening hours and provide a strong east-west connection to the freeway and the Lindon and Orem communities UDOT estimates construction will be completed in 2026 The process began in 2018 when Orem conducted a study to evaluate widening the roads from three to five lanes Orem and Lindon transferred ownership and maintenance of the road to UDOT An environmental study on the project began in late 2021 and was completed in early 2023 The project plans were finalized last year To expand the lanes requires land acquisition and temporary easement The environmental study’s preferred plan involved acquiring at least 24 homes Homes are actively being demolished along the route Woolley said the land acquisition is a part of UDOT’s “right-of-way” process “We determine what properties are going to be impacted and we then approach all of them way ahead of time,” he said And then we go to each and every one and figure out what’s the best means for each property owner.” A KSL TV investigation last week announced UDOT is suing an Orem man after he complained that UDOT failed to account for his backyard automotive shop in its appraisal the lawsuit was filed against Vincent in Provo District Court on Jan Daily HeraldOrem's Lucky Jennings (8) prepares to serve against Payson in a Region 8 boys volleyball match on Thursday During Orem’s 3-0 boys volleyball sweep of Payson on Thursday Tigers senior setter Lucky Jennings stepped to the service line “You gotta let the haters know they can’t take you down,” Jennings said after the match 1 RPI team in Class 4A after finishing as state runner-up last season Just by playing volleyball and the setter position “Lucky” is his given first name and there’s a story there Daily HeraldOrem's Lucky Jennings (8) prepares to set a teammate during a Region 8 boys volleyball match against Payson on Thursday “My name was originally supposed to be Feagai but at the last minute when my mom was sleeping my dad changed it to his name because he wanted another ‘Lucky’ in the family My dad and my family taught me everything about how to become a smart setter “I don’t want to play volleyball in the first place I just wanted to stick with football and rugby the only way I could honor his name was the play the sport he loved That’s why I play volleyball is to honor and keep his name alive by playing the same position he played He was one of the best setters I knew at the time so its time for me to fill in his shoes and play how he played back in the day I do it for my family but mostly for him.” Jennings has plenty of strong hitters to choose from at Orem among leading hitter Ben Hone (3.3 kills per set) and middles Luke Wolsey (2.0 kps as well as seniors Jackson Sanders and Will Brown junior Treyvon Cly and sophomore Isaac Richardson “Lucky is a natural athlete,” Tigers coach Bill Sefita said “He’s a kiddo who’s not your average setter but he’s willing to work We always encourage him to be open minded and find whatever we to always better the ball “In practice we focus a lot on how we can get our passers to engage because it opens up our pins to be one-on-one with the blockers Our middles are natural athletes and every day we try to convince them how they can always be an option Daily HeraldThe Orem boys volleyball team celebrates a point in a Region 8 match against Payson on Thursday 6-0 4A Region 8) dominated Thursday’s showdown with Payson A Jennings ace and a Nielsen kill started a 3-0 run that gave Orem a 10-4 lead in Set 1 Two kills from Wolsey pushed the Tigers to a 20-10 advantage and Brown’s ace serve made it 21-10 Hone blasted a kill to get to set point and Jennings collected another ace for the 25-12 victory A Hone kill gave the Tigers a quick 5-1 lead in Set 2 and a block from Neilsen and Aaron Maya made it 12-3 Wolsey had a solo block for set point and freshman Kaio Akana got the winner at 25-14 2-4) trailed 16-13 before Orem took control again Maya and Wolsey teamed up for a block to give the Tigers an 18-13 advantage and it was 21-14 when Brown scored on a swing the last an unchallenged blast to the floor for the 25-16 victory at match point “You can’t find a lot of middles who can hit (like Wolsey and Nielsen) in Utah People don’t expect them to hit like that but they can really jump Daily HeraldOrem's Ben Hone (25) takes a swing against Payson in a Region 8 boys volleyball match on Thursday The Tigers came oh-so-close to a state championship last season posting a 28-4 record but falling to Pine View 3-2 in the final Keanu Calles (3.1 kills per set) graduated and is a freshman at Southern Virginia but Orem returns enough talent to be considered a favorite in 2025 “I think we stacked our preseason so that way we can kind of test ourselves as a team to see where our weaknesses are and how we can get ready for state,” Sefita said Having Jennings running the offense is a big key for the Tigers to get back to the final day of the state tournament “Utah is kind of known for football or basketball,” Jennings said I’m really glad that they (the UHSAA) sanctioned volleyball so we can show what we can do I just need to step up more as a leader and help change our mentality when it comes time for state.” Daily HeraldOrem girls volleyball players Sarah and Scarlett Page take a break from their line judge duties at a Tigers boys volleyball match on April 17 Orem's Will Brown (22) takes a swing against Payson's Waylon Francom (33) and Moses Mortensen in a Region 8 boys volleyball match on Thursday Players on the Payson boys volleyball bench celebrate a point in a Region 8 match against Orem on Thursday Orem's Luke Wolsey serves the ball against Payson in a Region 8 boys volleyball match on Thursday Orem's Will Brown (22) takes a swing against Payson in a Region 8 boys volleyball match on Thursday Members of the Payson boys volleyball team celebrate a point against Orem in a Region 8 match on Thursday Members of the Orem boys volleyball team listen to head coach Bill Sefita during a time out in a Region 8 match against Payson on Thursday Orem’s new city hall was built with safety in mind and nobody seems more excited about it than Orem City Manager Brenn Bybee “According to one of those seismic studies my old office would have been ground zero (in an earthquake),” he said “So if I seem like I’m the happiest person here for the new building Orem officially opened its new city hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday evening in front of current and former city elected officials due to the safety concerns for the 56-year-old former city center the building did not meet modern earthquake standards and even experienced structural damage when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Salt Lake County in 2020 which sits directly south of the old building on the corner of Center Street and State Street — in some spots just 12 feet away — was built to withstand earthquakes and includes an emergency operation center It also serves as a significant upgrade in space from the 48,000 square-foot former city hall with 74,000 square feet across three stories and a basement fit to accommodate the city’s staff and resources Mayor David Young believes it will serve the Orem community for decades to come “We’ve come a long way since the first farm city hall,” he said “It was a converted farmhouse belonging to the Stratton family which also housed the post office and library in the city The building behind us was built in 1969 and served as our city’s center of operations for the last 56 years we take another step toward opening up this beautiful A new building was in the works for roughly a decade and was completed in two years by Layton Construction Reported in 2022 to cost around $24 million “Most people in the industry told us this wasn’t possible The city hall features 738 exterior window panels and over 75,000 bricks and was built to resemble Mount Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain the west side of the building is considered risk level 4 meaning the structure will be standing but not habitable after a large earthquake Other features include 141 solar panels on the roof and a backup generator to power the building during outages “I want you to stop and look at the details of the building and see the men and women who devoted their time and energy to build it,” said Jeff Palmer the executive vice president of Layton Construction The building will house new council chambers office space for several of the city’s departments and numerous conference rooms on each floor Orem officials believe the new space can enhance the productivity 0f city employees “A better city hall empowers our employees to deliver better results for our residents,” Young said “A more functional city hall provides more opportunities for families to connect find help and truly build a home in our community.” Following an incident where Provo police say a man was detained for allegedly brandishing a gun in an area of the Provo Towne Center on Friday and having what appeared to be explosive devices in his car authorities later discovered dozens of homemade bombs inside of his apartment Police said they were called to the mall late Friday morning after a bystander reported seeing Eric Whitaker allegedly flashing a gun while driving his car as he and another driver engaged in some sort of confrontation Officers scoured the area and located Whitaker who was allegedly in possession of a handgun along with multiple magazines containing ammunition for the gun Whitaker reportedly agreed to let officers search his vehicle where items that resembled “improvised explosive devices” were found thus prompting the Metro County Explosive Ordnance Disposal the bomb squad was able to identify that these items were indeed pipe bombs,” Provo Police Chief Troy Beebe told reporters at a news briefing on Saturday “They were fashioned in a way that they were improvised explosive fragmentation grenades.” and investigators later obtained a search warrant for his Orem apartment The discovery caused officers to evacuate the apartment building while bomb squad technicians removed the devices “The devices contained shrapnel and explosive powders inside that would cause death or serious bodily injury to multiple victims if they were in the vicinity of the device when it exploded,” the police probable cause statement reads Beebe said residents from 12 units at the Orem complex were displaced for roughly four hours during the evacuation It’s unknown what Whitaker’s intentions may have been for the devices but police said looking into a motive will be a part of their investigation “I can only say that an improvised explosive fragmentation grenade only has one purpose and that is to cause mass casualties when it is detonated,” Beebe stated captain of the Provo Police Department’s investigations division said they hope to obtain search warrants for Whitaker’s electronic devices for clues to a potential motive “I don’t believe it was the worst possible motive I believe there was some culpability that he knew that what he was doing wasn’t correct,” Patrick said He added that the investigation thus far hasn’t yielded any other suspect connected to the bombs or pointed to specific signs of public danger Beebe said the incident and subsequent discoveries underscores the importance of public vigilance and the role of the police in maintaining safety “We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he said “This is a success story in that we were able to intervene quickly and get these items out of the public get these explosive devices out of the public.” Whitaker faces 71 charges for suspicion of possession of weapons of mass destruction in addition to the previous charge of suspicion of possession of an incendiary device He’s being held in the Utah County Jail without bail The case has been referred to the Utah County Attorney’s Office Whitaker has not yet been formally charged with the alleged acts Utah — La Brioche Bakery transports you to new places “It’s kind of like walking into Buenos Aires,” said Bruce Nilsson The Argentinian bakery located in Orem has been a part of people’s lives for years getting facturas and empanadas,” Nilsson said But the beloved bakery is struggling to stay afloat health officials have required them to build a bathroom They said they may need to close their doors soon Owner Leticia Silva and her family moved from Argentina to Utah “My parents left everything,” said Yamila Hernandez “Coming here in hopes to give us a better future.” which has been around for at least 20 years Silva took over the business in 2014 and expanded it “She’s built this business without a lot of business knowledge,” Hernandez said “Sometimes she wants to give up and then she comes home and she’s like I can’t give up because someone came and they got teary-eyed and they’re so happy to have found this place,” Hernandez said Silva hopes to save her precious piece of Argentina. A GoFundMe has been set up for anyone who wants to help “I know it would break her heart to tell everyone this is over,” Hernandez said OREM — Orem city leaders this week voted against applications for the Canyon Park Tech Center and Wilkerson Farm to be rezoned and developed into housing after a tense six-hour meeting where many residents again spoke out against what they decried as high-density housing Developers Tuesday night first proposed rezoning a portion of Canyon Park Tech Center from a technology park to a zone that allows for 108 single-family homes to be built on the approximate 24 acres that currently hosts mainly vacant office buildings The proposal was submitted through the Planning Commission and City Council previously but was sent back for adjustments and chief operating officer Steve Santacroce explained the tech park has been struggling since the COVID-19 pandemic because office space has changed and some of the tenants "went dark." Two members of the Da Vinci community HOA board — a community directly east of the property — said their organization is in favor of developing the land spoke out against it during the public hearing Carine Clark said it "doesn't make sense" for the community and Ron Hansen pointed out the Planning Commission denied it Resident Janae Anderson said the project would increase starter home prices She suggested nothing less than quarter-acre lots "It's a bell we can't unring," she said Other residents pointed out there isn't another business campus like this one in the city the land is too valuable to be turned into housing and the trees and nature in the area should be preserved The community isn't in need of more starter homes It's in need of the final "move-up homes," where established families live and this proposal will not accomplish that Mayor David Young said the property is a special part of Orem and the decision needs to be made responsibly with a "less dense" solution The council unanimously denied the proposal The meeting then turned to the question of a rezone for Wilkerson Farm an area thousands of people visit in the fall for its seasonal festival Real estate broker Jason Dodge said he works closely with local food pantry Tabitha's Way cofounder Al Switzler Switzler partnered with the Wilkerson family to farm the land and provide fresh vegetables for food pantries the farm wasn't able to operate efficiently enough to continue this way Switzler gave the farm a year to try to figure out a solution but ultimately decided it would be best to sell the property and donate all of the money to Tabitha's Way Farm steward Richard Wilkerson said it is hard to make a profit on the farm and he never would've been able to save up enough money to purchase the land himself The fall festivities were introduced to help but those profits are also taking a dip in the current economy I can't do that by myself anymore," Wilkerson said If the city is interested in preserving the farmland Wilkerson said he believes a solution could be figured out Wilkerson said he wants Switzler to get compensated for his land but he is also open to finding a mediator who could help with a conservation easement to preserve the farm The proposal would change the zoning from open space to residential to allow the building of approximately 50 single-family homes and 40 townhomes on the 14.18 acres The site plan includes two-car garages and full-length driveways for all of the homes and townhomes and an additional 56 visitor parking spots The townhomes would be built along the railroad track and would have increased insulation double-pane laminated windows and an 8-foot concrete fence to reduce sound transfer from the train Resident Ryan McDougal's house backs up to the farm and he said it's hard for him to find fault with what the developers put together Putting a row of townhomes to be a sound barrier for the train and freeway is "smart," "reasonable," and he would "love to see that." Councilman Tom Macdonald said this proposal would be a "good transition" area and provide affordable housing for homeowners rather than rentals He said he would be voting "yes" to approve it Several audience members booed in response to Macdonald and yelled Many public commenters said the development would be too dense and too many of the homes would become rentals Others suggested exploring solutions to preserve the open space and protect the farm that has become a central part of the community "Are we 'Family City USA' or are we high-density apartment USA Because that's really what we are deciding right here," resident James Brown said A motion to deny the rezone proposal narrowly failed the City Council voted to continue the application for two months City leaders suggested those who run the farm investigate ways to preserve their land and for the developers to consider modifying the development design Utah — An Orem psychologist who wrote a book on breaking addictions to pornography has been arrested on multiple child sexual exploitation and voyeurism charges faces ten charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and two Voyeurism charges He is listed as the owner of Utah Valley Psychology in Orem where the company's website said Dindinger specializes in child and family psychological services Dindinger highlights that he was the author of "Pornography Addiction Breaking the Chains: A Workbook of Essential Tools for Recovery." The book's description said it is "a resource for clergy and other individuals who would like to provide support to those who are struggling with pornography addiction." 'Not going away': FBI sees rise of child sex crimes in Utah: an investigation into Dindinger began in November 2023 when a woman said he instructed her to perform a sex act while he was her psychologist between the ages of 13 and 16 years old The woman said she stopped seeing Dindinger after he told her "that adolescents take too much of his time." The detective assigned to the case found three other reports of Dindinger allegedly touching juvenile patients with two saying he ordered them to undress and weigh themselves while nude During a search warrant served on Dindinger's home in 2024 a detective seized flash drives and an iPhone that allegedly contained ten images and videos containing child sex abuse material believed to have been taken inside Dindinger's office Dindinger was ordered to be held without bail following his arrest 2:02 PM | Updated: 2:07 pm BY BRIAN CARLSON OREM — After an Orem home was scheduled for demolition and some believe the fire’s origin was suspicious everything inside and some of the surrounding trees and construction equipment Viewers shared video of the large flames and smoke burning in the old The footage shows Orem firefighters as they worked to extinguish the flames with a large amount of water The area is planned to be used for 14 new homes in a development called Acadia Heights The demolition phase is currently underway and crews had been working to remove some of the trees and the older home before it caught fire said he had an odd conversation Tuesday night just before he left the area He said someone came up to the property and asked what was going to happen to the house he got a call saying the property was on fire and some of the demolition crew think it wasn’t a coincidence “You never know with new development “We’re just not sure at this point.” The demolition crew said it’s fortunate the fire didn’t catch more of the surrounding trees on fire or several nearby homes where the existing neighborhood ends KSL TV has contacted the Orem Fire Department and did not hear back at the time of publication War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” played from the speakers in Orem High School’s fieldhouse just minutes after an on-court altercation between Orem and Timpview Friday night but the implications on the Region 7 standings only hightened the emotions Timpview’s only in-region loss was to Orem on January 17 so the Thunderbirds were eager to get revenge Orem defended its home as it held off Timpview in a 55-50 victory “I think it’s the best atmosphere in Utah high school basketball whenever we play,” said Orem head coach Jace Tavita nowhere to sit and two really good programs just battling it out “We’re fortunate to be on the winning side both times because it could go either way I think it’s great for Utah high school basketball for sure.” Orem took a slim 21-19 lead after the first quarter with Tigers star and BYU signee Chamberlain Burgess leading the way with 11 points Timpview star Dean Rueckert helped keep the Thunderbirds right with Orem with two 3-pointers of his own in the first quarter The game turned much more defensive after the high-scoring first quarter, but Orem still managed to hold onto a 29-27 halftime lead. The new defensive tone made it difficult to score, but Orem got a much needed lift from Utah State signee Jax Allen Allen led the Tigers’ scoring effort in the second half with 11 points and was also Orem’s leading scorer on the night with 21 points “(Allen) is awesome because I don’t have to take all the scoring.” Burgess said Orem continued to find some separation thanks to its defense and lack of turnovers in the second half The Tigers were rewarded with a 47-40 lead with three minutes left in the game “We just kind of hunkered down on defense and stuck with the game plan a little bit better,” Tavita said “We just made it really tough on them defensively I think we had two quarters where we held them to single digits the Orem lead was becoming more and more insurmountable a scuffle started on the court during a rebound and benches cleared while refs and coaches were frantically trying to separate the teams The Utah High School Activities Association sportsmanship policy states that if a coach or player is ejected due to violent behavior the individual can be suspended for at least two games along with any other additional penalties from the school or school district The policy also states that if a player leaves the bench area to begin a confrontation or leaves these areas during an altercation then that player may be subject to an ejection and officials may terminate the contest One or both teams may forfeit the contest as well the officials Friday decided to assess a technical foul to each team’s bench without any ejections and there were no penalties for players who left the bench during the altercation Orem held on for the win over its region rival The victory keeps Orem with a perfect record in Region 7 at 8-0 while Timpview fell to third in the region standings with a 6-2 record An Orem win next Tuesday against Salem Hills would guarantee at least a shared region title for the Tigers OREM — A Utah psychologist and author of a book on pornography addiction is facing criminal charges accusing him of convincing child clients to strip naked during sessions so he could secretly record them was charged on Thursday in 4th District Court with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor Dindinger is the owner of Utah Valley Psychology in Orem he works with people with disputes to create solutions and wrote a book about recovery from pornography addiction The investigation began in 2023 when a woman reported to law enforcement that Dindinger was her psychologist when she was a teenager years earlier "(She) stated that she initially saw (Dindinger) for depression anxiety and self-harm," according to charging documents But when she also "disclosed a pornography addiction" to Dindinger "the sessions … became exclusively about that." Dindinger had the teen girl take her clothing off while he allegedly looked away but he "made a comment suggesting that (he) could see her," and the girl "believed Dindinger had a camera or recording device that he was monitoring," the charges state The woman later told a co-worker about Dindinger and learned that another teen girl had reported being inappropriately touched by him A police detective was contacted and reviewed Dindinger's police records "and located three other reports of (him) inappropriately touching juvenile female patients Two of the reports also included an allegation of (Dindinger) telling patients to undress and weigh themselves nude," the charges allege A search warrant was served at Dindinger's home And while police were questioning him in his office they "immediately noticed a camera hanging from a diploma," charging documents state Two flash drives and multiple other electronic devices were seized Investigators reported finding child sex abuse material and two voyeuristic videos One of the videos is of a teen girl in his office who is heard mumbling this is so weird" and then begins undressing The second video is also a girl who undresses and then weighs herself in his office One of the alleged victims asked Dindinger about a camera in his office and he told her "that the camera was unplugged," the charges say but one woman declined to speak to officers A girl who was told to weigh herself without clothes thought it was odd because she had never mentioned a weight issue with Dindinger according to a search warrant affidavit served in 2024 "It should be noted that the victim also described several instances of Robert touching her thighs and legs while speaking with her about sexual scenarios of guys she thought were attractive Robert would also kiss her forehead and cuddle her when he could She did recall an instance in which Robert touched and squeezed her left buttocks while he spoke with her about guys her age she liked," the warrant states Dindinger was first licensed to practice as a psychologist in Utah in 2014 His license was placed on probation in 2023 according to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing and in 2024 he was ordered "not practice in any form or manner as a psychologist nor … engage in any other form or description of mental health care or personal counseling with members of the public including activities described as 'life coaching,'" until the ongoing criminal investigation was completed Dindinger has been interviewed in KSL-TV news specials and reports and he links to some of them on his website The Orem City Council released a “State of the City” video report last week detailing city achievements in the last year and looking forward to what’s to come As the self-proclaimed “Family City USA,” the council focused on progress it believes it took to increase business opportunity and improve the city’s livability but for generations to come,” Councilman David Spencer said The prior year saw 488 new businesses set up shop in Orem contributing to the nearly 7,000 businesses in the city Notable arrivals included the The Cheesecake Factory and SFC Energy AG The Orem Farmer’s Market also saw significant growth in 2024 averaging a record 5,500 visitors per week to help out local businesses “Orem was named one of the best places in the USA to start a business and Utah Valley University was named the number one school in the nation for graduates opening a local business,” Macdonald said Orem looks to streamline the business licensing process to simplify starting a business in 2025 and expand its ORM Business Alliance Network We’ll continue to do all we can to make Orem the most business-friendly city in the state and the best place to build your future,” Macdonald said Councilwoman LaNae Millett recapped steps Orem took in 2024 to improve its neighborhoods which provides service opportunities for residents wanting to take pride in their community Hillcrest Park received a facelift with the planting of 300 new trees and the parks and recreation facilities received a perfect score on an annual safety inspection A plan is also in the works to enhance downtown Orem through a “Heart of Orem” project Millet called it an “exciting vision to bring a true downtown arts district to our city The council also recapped infrastructure improvements made in 2024 notably the completion of a 10 million gallon water tank to supply the city water Orem has also taken steps to protect city systems and data from digital threats and constructed an asset-management system to track and maintain roads and utilities A new active transportation master plan for the city is also on the horizon “A city is only as strong as the foundation it’s built on,” Killpack said we’re making sure that foundation is strong In the final moments of the Orem-Timpview boys basketball game on Friday “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” by War echoed through the standing-room only arena There was plenty of evidence why the Tigers and Thunderbirds can’t get along: Four technical fouls were issued and finally a bench-clearing ruckus in the final 11 seconds of the game Orem handled the emotions of the super-charged matchup a little better pulling together defensively and hitting some big shots late in a 55-50 Region 7 victory Friday “It got a little crazy,” Orem’s Chamberlain Burgess said With 11 seconds left in the game and Orem leading 52-46 a hard foul by Timpview as it applied a full court press resulted in bodies hitting the floor which led to the benches clearing while administrators coaches and police officers attempted to break up the fight Both teams were assessed team technical fouls and the Tigers led 55-47 after the exchange of foul shots Orem coach Jace Tavita said his team enjoys the rivalry “I think it’s the best atmosphere in Utah high school basketball,” he said usually it’s sold out and there’s nowhere to sit It’s two good programs just battling it out We’re fortunate to be on the winning side both times because it could go either way It’s a great rivalry and it’s great for Utah basketball.” Both teams came out firing and the shot making was on display in a high-level first quarter that ended with Orem on top 21-19 Burgess made a trio of 3-pointers but Timpview matched the home team shot-for-shot Mason Ford made a follow shot to open the second quarter for the T-Birds to tie the score at 21 Timpview took a 27-23 lead with 2:55 to play in the half when Lincoln Holcombe and Ford connected on back-to-back 3-pointers but T-Birds coach Israel Ingle was issued a technical foul for protesting the foul count (it was 7-1 against his club) and Orem made 3 of 4 from the foul line to finish on top 29-27 at halftime Dean Rueckert converted a 3-point play and scored on a drive to put Timpview ahead 34-31 with 4:12 to play in the third quarter but Orem reeled the visitors back in with five points from Trey Hiatt to lead 40-36 entering the final quarter Burgess followed a Jax Allen miss with a two-handed follow dunk with 4:57 to play and the Tigers led 44-38 Chance Dastrup had an acrobatic 3-point play and Allen converted a physical drive to the basket in the final three minutes to keep Orem on top “I think we had six turnovers in the first half and then one in the second half We have a drill we do every day in practice where we work on those situations of catching the ball and being strong with it We made enough plays down the stretch and that really helped us get over the top.” Allen led Orem with 21 points and Burgess finished with 16 Rueckert topped Timpview with 17 points and Ford added 13 “I think it was our defense and then just execution in the second half,” Burgess said “We only had one turnover in the second half I think both teams locked down defensively and scoring was a little bit rougher.” The Tigers won the first meeting against the T-Birds on Jan “It seems like we have a mature group,” Tevita said we have a group who has played in so many high school games They just have experience so moments like this but they’re pretty comfortable in these environments.” finishes the regular season with games Tuesday at Salem Hills and Friday at home against Springville will play at Spanish Fork on Tuesday and hosts Maple Mountain on Friday PROVO — Two 3-year-old boys were playing with Tonka trucks outside something they had done many times in an area separated from the road by multiple fences said deputy Utah County attorney Ryan McBride made the choice to use methamphetamine and drive significantly over the speed limit eventually leading him to lose control of his vehicle veer off the road and kill the two children — Odin Jeffrey Ratliff and Hunter Charlie Jackson to find Barlow guilty of depraved indifference murder — claiming he acted with depraved indifference to human life knowingly risked another's life and caused the deaths of the two boys Two phones in a car driven by Barlow — his and a passenger's — tracked speeds as he drove through Eagle Mountain almost three years ago providing evidence McBride used to show he was not just causing danger to Hunter and Odin but to others throughout Eagle Mountain that evening both on the roads and at a baseball field in a nearby park along with a charge of possession or use of a controlled substance Odin and Hunter were playing in a horse corral at Cedar Valley Stables, 2333 N. 16000 West, and were killed when a car driven by Barlow left the road and veered into the corral on May 2, 2022 This jury trial has been delayed multiple times primarily due to the decision to amend the charges and Barlow's attorney stepping away from the case for personal reasons the judge overseeing the case was changed from Lund Defense attorney Justin Morrison said he agrees with much of the evidence that will be presented saying there is no question of who is at fault he asked the jury to find Barlow guilty of either lesser charges of manslaughter or automobile homicide — not depraved indifference murder "This is a unique case in the sense that I'm not going to stand before you and tell you that my client is innocent; in fact I'm going to ask you to hold my client accountable find him guilty — but not of what the state has charged him with," he said The attorney said he understands the jury members feel the weight of the heartbreaking loss of Hunter and Odin He asked jurors to look at the evidence beyond the emotion and tragedy and decide what Barlow is "truly responsible for." "We're going to show you that this was an accident but not a cold-hearted disregard for human life," Morrison said Two Eagle Mountain children were killed when a speeding driver crashed where they were playing The driver's double murder trial began on Thursday (Photo: Utah County Sheriff)He emphasized that Barlow had no idea the two children were there saying the evidence that is disputed is what Barlow knew what Barlow could see and what was in Barlow's mind when he lost control He argued that the young boys were "behind solid walls," saying that is what multiple crash reconstruction experts will testify is most likely "Can a person be indifferent to a risk they don't even know exists?" he asked "My client did not know those children were there plain and simple; and without that knowledge Barlow could not have been consciously aware of any danger." Morrison said prosecutors are arguing that his actions were so "reckless" and "monstrous" that he could have been aiming at the children but the children were where someone would expect horses to be He said a guilty verdict for murder would require more than just an accident or reckless actions but it was not depraved indifference murder Justice demands the truth and not exaggeration," he said McBride said it is unknown where exactly Hunter and Odin were playing saying they could have been moved during the crash He pointed out multiple buildings at Cedar Valley Stables that were visible from miles away passed the location at least three times that day and would have seen cars showing that people were there He said Odin had been visiting the stables since the day he was born and he "loved being there." About a month before the crash McBride said Hunter's big sister got a job at the stables and the two boys "became great friends right off" and would play together there often McBride showed the jury screenshots from Google maps showing Barlow's path that day as he met friends in Saratoga Springs and came with them back to Eagle Mountain The prosecutor noted Barlow's speed on multiple roads was significantly over speed limits including 96 mph on a gravel road with a 35 mph speed limit during a race he challenged his friends to he invited his friends into his car to show them what it could do A woman going the opposite direction on the same road reported a violent wind as he passed describing him traveling at an "insane rate of speed," the prosecutor said He said multiple passengers urged Barlow to slow down Reports from another driver and those in the car confirm he crossed through a stop sign at an intersection by Cedar Valley Stables "without a hint of slowing or stopping," according to McBride He said passengers were holding onto handles in the car as Barlow was traveling 117 mph when he left the road "These fences offered no protection from a car going that fast," he said showing photos of broken vinyl and horse fences After a "tremendous crash," he said Hunter's sister saw a car upside down and was the first to see a body on the ground he said Odin's mom came out and saw her son underneath the roof with massive head trauma "There's nothing that can be done; she tries anyway," McBride said explaining that she then tried to help Hunter until a man with medical training at the stables came out and pulled her away McBride said because the crash happened in the early evening police were racing against time in a "very chaotic scene" and correctly prioritized saving life over collecting evidence — addressing kids at practice Officers missed a mark on the roadway documented only in photos and a pipe that was found about 10 days later during cleanup which tested positive for meth and Barlow's DNA He said Barlow was transported to the hospital in a helicopter while others in the car were transported by ambulance After receiving a warrant for Barlow's blood he said they found he had a "very high level of methamphetamine" in his system Orem, UT — Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay has welcomed its ninth national and first Utah restaurant ahead of the holiday season ready to serve up its unbeatable burger experience to the Orem community and serving as the premier restaurant destination at the main entrance to University Place Mall in Orem this location is the first restaurant in a multi-unit statewide franchise agreement with industry veteran Joe Sample announced in August Situated between Utah Valley and Brigham Young University this new Bobby’s Burgers will bring chef Bobby Flay’s fast-casual restaurant and chef-driven menu to the state “With our new Orem restaurant opening just in time for the holidays we’re eager to bring our unbeatable burger experience to the community,” said Bobby Flay “I’ve been a burger guy my whole life and crafting this menu has been very special to me It’s wonderful to see our brand grow and watch as more and more people have the chance to enjoy our burgers Sample completed training at Bobby’s Burgers’ flagship location in Charlotte North Carolina which serves as the brand’s training center and test kitchen Sample trained on recipes developed by Flay featuring made-to-order burgers with certified Angus Beef™ and sandwiches like the Fried Chicken and The Beat Bobby Flay™ winning Veggie Burger Not only are the burgers and sandwiches perfected in Charlotte but so are the premium spoon-bending milkshakes You’ll also find irresistible sides like the buttermilk onion rings sweet potato fries and bacon + cheese fries on the menu one can’t forget the breakfast menu featuring freshly made Bobby’s Breakfast Burritos Steel-cut Oatmeal and the espresso-based coffee menu “We couldn’t be more excited to open at University Place just ahead of the busy holiday season,” said Sample “The buzz surrounding our launch has been palpable and the early response from guests has been fantastic It’s been a pleasure working alongside the team at Bobby’s Burgers—they’ve truly welcomed me like family and it’s been nothing short of amazing I highly recommend trying my favorite menu item: the Bobby Blue + Bacon Burger cooked medium-well and Crunchified® - with a thin layer of potato chips Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application to John Levi Kitchen and Annie Elizabeth Kitchen Helen graduated from Olympus High School in 1966 Helen was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints She served a mission in the Japan-Okinawa Mission from June 1970 to June 1972 she served in many capacities within the church most notably within her Lakeview Ward in Orem both to her and her parents over the years and even more so to Helen after her mother passed in 2016 They played a significant role in helping her through the past two years of her health struggles Helen went to work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City where she worked for Western Savings and Loan UT to finish her education at Brigham Young University graduating in Elementary Education in 1985 She started her lifelong profession that year as a talented and revered teacher at Highland Elementary in Highland She kept countless binders of memories over the years about her experiences and the children she taught She was selected as one of KSL’s teachers of the year due to her excellence in teaching as evidenced by the many quilts on display around her house She also loved collecting and sharing family history and doing temple work receiving Orem’s yard of the year award filling her house with decorations collected from events and many gifts from family and friends over the years She often left her decorations up through the month of January or longer The time and resources she spent on them is immeasurable Helen cherished the many caregivers who assisted her throughout the past two years She knew the value of that care and appreciated their kindness and service Her last two years were more enjoyable because of their companionship.  Helen is survived by her siblings: John Kitchen (Kay) UT; Many nieces and nephews and Grand nieces and nephews John and Annie Kitchen; her sister and brother-in-law Janae and Dallas Raty; and her sister-in-law Olga Kitchen An evening viewing for family and friends will be held on Thursday from 6-8 pm at Wheeler-Sundberg Funeral Home at 11:00 am at the LDS Church located at 155 West 1600 South in Orem with a viewing that morning at the church from 9:30-10:30 am prior to the service Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page For those unable to attend the services in person, they can be viewed via YouTube Live on Wednesday, Friday, March 7th, at 11:00 am at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL2aPQmeMYc 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 The soil at the Wilkerson Farm in Orem isn’t any old dirt. It’s sandy loam It’s the kind of dirt people pay “big bucks” for to put in their gardens, said Rachel Wilkerson as it fell through her fingers. Utah State University soil expert Janis Boettinger agrees that it’s special and said it’s relatively uncommon in this part of Utah County But as good as the soil is for growing things like carrots Because people are flocking to Utah County From a bird’s eye view, the 14-acre Wilkerson Farm makes up some of the last green space in this part of Orem and Provo. Farmland there is boxed in by Utah Lake to the west, the FrontRunner train tracks to the east a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple to the north and housing creeping in on all sides The Wilkersons are leasing their farm and want to keep going Wilkerson thinks that would be a big loss for the community “So what you're doing is you're cashing in the now and cutting off the past and you're cutting off the future,” she said But the Wilkersons haven’t been able to farm this land in two years They’ve struggled to sell produce locally and haven’t gotten enough interest in making it a community supported farm that would offer produce shares for a subscription Al Switzler started the Candide Charitable Enterprise to grow food for Tabitha’s Way “It was an enterprise that lost money every year and we didn't get produce that we needed many years,” he said Switzler said he has tried for eight years to make the Wilkersons’ farm work “There's lots of places that are great for raising vegetables Since food insecurity has grown substantially in Utah County he plans to sell the farm property to continue to fund Tabitha’s Way A sale could bring in a lot of money — the land’s value doubled between 2021 and 2022 and it’s now worth $2.4 million as agricultural land the Orem City Council would have to approve a zoning change the city’s planning commission recommended the land not be rezoned for single-family housing and the value of having open land in a community Commission member Rodney Erickson disagreed with the assessment that the city has enough housing he said “we have a lot of housing and communities in our city that are rundown and running down rapidly.” most of the open land in that area is already gone Switzler is just one of the last to want to sell are we trying to close the barn door after all the animals have escaped?” John Bennion, research director at the nonprofit Conserve Utah Valley thinks farmland versus housing doesn’t have to be an either/or situation we're cutting ourselves short by not thinking about the future of our children having access to green spaces or agriculture,” he said Bennion said cities would have to be intentional with planning and smart growth which sometimes proves to be an unpopular idea.  “There's a plan floated for a Utah City where Vineyard is even though Bennion is not in favor of the part of the Vineyard plan that affects Utah Lake After planning, he said cities would have to protect farmland. Cities or counties could buy land. There are also conservation easements when a farm owner sells the development rights to land Conserve Utah Valley is currently helping Cascade Farms in Provo do that, and over in Orem, Cherry Hill Farm is already in an easement If the community wants to keep agricultural land it might be too late for the Wilkerson Farm Switzler doesn’t see an easement as the best thing for Tabitha’s Way Someone did approach him about the possibility of purchasing the land Switzler said his enterprise had already entered a legal agreement with a developer Rachel Wilkerson said they have more ideas to try to make things work financially She believes it’s important for a community to have a local food source “The quality of the food that you get from local sources by far the city council will vote on the land rezoning proposal in May Orem needed a furious comeback to defeat fellow Region 7 rival Timpview 63-55 Friday night on the road outscoring the Thunderbirds by 18 points in the second half to escape with the win.  it looked like it was all but over for the Tigers But that’s when things turned around for the visiting school which eventually took its first lead of the night on a free throw from junior forward Simeon Suguturaga that capped off a three point play in the opening moments of the fourth quarter Suguturaga’s free throw extended the Tigers’ remarkable run to 18-2.  “It’s just a testament to the discipline of our guys,” Orem head coach Jace Tavita said “Credit to our boys for not … overthinking it and just being disciplined and sticking to the game plan.” Orem took the lead for good at 48-46 and pushed it to seven points from there on a key 3-point shot made by senior guard Chance Dastrup.  “I really liked how we … maintained and kind of extended the lead,” Tavita said “We stepped up and made big free throws and we handled their pressure.”  The two schools sat atop the Region 7 standings when Friday night began each having won a pair of contests to start league play Orem winning its last two and Timpview riding a seven game unbeaten streak — its last five wins coming by an average score of 22.2 points.  The Tigers put a stop to Thunderbird’s hot streak but not before a slow start set Orem back at the beginning of Friday’s matchup.  Timpview took a 9-0 advantage before the Tigers got on the board ultimately pushing its lead to 17-6 by the end of the first quarter.  but still trailed by 10 points heading into halftime The Tigers were again plagued by a slow start in the second half but adjusted quicker than they did in the first half this time settling in and taking control of the contest.  Dastrup pointed to his team’s defensive effort that led to the drastic change in the trajectory of the game “It was stacking defensive stops; not just getting a stop here The victory earned the Tigers a little bit of payback from a season ago The most recent meeting between the rival schools took place last year in the state tournament when Timpview topped Orem by one point to advance to the 5A semifinals.    When asked if the Tigers felt any added motivation to win after how things ended for him and his teammates a year ago Dastrup simply said … (We wanted to) bring it with all we’ve got.” the Tigers did just that Friday to stun the Thunderbirds. Both schools will resume play in region contests Tuesday Orem will return home for a meeting with Maple Mountain while Timpview matches up with Springville 9:25 PM | Updated: 10:52 pm OREM — A fire that destroyed an empty Orem home in a wooded area of the city is now being investigated as arson Orem Assistant Fire Chief Shaun Hirst said he had fire investigators on-site Friday They said the circumstances around the fire are too suspicious to ignore and who may have done it has a woman who lives next to the fire upset The home that burned down is now just a pile of blacked remains The fire came dangerously close to the house of Melissa Fukofuka Learning the fire may have been set on purpose Other than personal vengeance and thinking just in their own world,” Fukofuka said New video of Orem house Fire – now being investigated as arson. Why a woman who lives next to it, is livid, on @KSL5TV at 10pm. #fire pic.twitter.com/9TCgVMnsDe — Brian Carlson (@briancarlsontv) February 8, 2025 “One being the home was scheduled to be demolished and an individual approached the developer on scene prior to the start of the fire,” Hirst said He’s referring to a conversation the developer told KSL TV someone approached the property and asked what was going to happen to the house he received a call that the home was in flames Fukofuka said the house had been overrun for years by drug dealers and believes any one of them could’ve been upset they were losing their favorite spot but I don’t understand to the point of setting it on fire It’s a very selfish thing to do,” Fukofuka said She’s grateful the fire didn’t destroy her home too “Incredibly blessed … it could’ve been a lot worse We could’ve lost the back of our house or the whole house,” she said Orem fire said they want to find whoever it was that talked to the developer just before the fire just a couple of days after Christmas in 2023 and the investigation into the blaze is still active Utah (KUTV) — The site of the Orem mansion arson fire The Utah State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed the ongoing probe Thursday morning It was a raging fire that destroyed the building more accurately described as a 27,000 square foot structure with a mansion façade all that's left is a pile of dirt and weeds Utah County records show the property was sold May 2024 It had been owned by family members linked to Blendtec Dickson Properties LLC was the owner of record "That was a big fire," said Stephanie Bori and why haven't they been able to find whoever did it?" Another woman who walks in the neighborhood said "it's kind of weird" there has been a dearth of information about the fire you think stuff like that is going to be handled and looked at," said Ryan Slade Orem Police confirmed no arrests but would not say if there are suspects or persons of interest There is nothing like an old-school high school basketball showdown That’s what everyone who packed into the Thunderdome in Provo got Friday night as two of the top boys basketball teams in the state — Orem and Timpview — squared off for the first time this season With impressive athletes on both sides of the ball this was a battle of wills that saw both the Tigers and the Thunderbirds put together dominant moments with fans going crazy after each dramatic moment “Both of our programs have had a lot of success these last couple years especially this year,” Orem head coach Jace Tavita said “Then obviously being so close to each other It’s fun for the community and the schools it was Tavita’s Tigers who made a big rally in the second half to emerge victorious “I told our boys that they just had to keep fighting,” Tavita said “They had to believe and stick together to get back into the game.” Orem senior Chance Dastrup said Tavita told the team at halftime to stick to the game plan “Our energy was high but we didn’t come out hot,” Dastrup said “We had to stick to what we know we can do What’s different about this year’s team is that we’ve got a lot of heart.” The Thunderbirds threw the first punch as junior Aisa Galeai scored the first seven points of the game and the home teams surged to a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter Timpview’s lead fluctuated between six and 15 points with the Tigers not playing their best but making enough plays to stay close It didn’t help Orem that Dastrup picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter which changed up the dynamic for the visitors controlling the pace and getting everyone involved,” Tavita said We were doing some offense/defense substituting so we could get some points at the end of the half.” Dastrup said it was frustrating to be in that situation “I was frustrated but my coach just said support your teammates,” Dastrup said Just play with your body instead with your hands I stuck with that and didn’t pick up another one.” There was still the matter of the big deficit the Tigers had to overcome The Thunderbirds got a 3-pointer from Galaei and a layup by junior Will Openshaw at the start of the third quarter to extend their lead to 39-24 and appeared to be in the driver’s seat But Orem showed just how quickly it can flip the script senior Ryker Mikkelsen and junior Simeon Suguturaga spearheaded the offensive charge while the entire team — led by senior Chamberlain Burgess patrolling the paint — came up big on defense as Orem came roaring back The Tigers did particularly well at stopping the T’Bird isolation plays something that’s difficult for most teams to do “It was just a testament to the discipline of our guys,” Tavita said “We’re always telling them that they’ve just got to compete make them make tough shots over the top of you and then we have to go box out and get the rebound Credit goes to our boys for not overthinking it and just being disciplined.” The rest of the third quarter basically belonged to the visitors as they outscored Timpview 17-4 to make it a two-point game heading to the final frame “The key was stacking defensive stops,” Dastrup said “It wasn’t getting a stop and then letting them score Orem took its first lead to start the fourth quarter on an and-1 by Mikkelsen The Thunderbirds were able to keep it close for a couple of minutes but the Tiger momentum was simply too much at that point and Timpview couldn’t stop it The Tigers used a 9-2 to turn a 46-46 tie into a 7-point lead and although Timpview kept fighting to the end it was never able to close the gap enough before the final whistle blew Orem moves into the top spot in Region 8 but everyone knows the Thunderbirds will be fired up for the rematch at Orem on Feb “This gives us a lot of confidence,” Tavita said “Timpview is a great team and they are going to come to our place in a couple of weeks But winning this one shows we can beat anyone in 5A.” Orem (13-3) now heads home to take on Maple Mountain on Jan while Timpview (12-4) will get another test when it hosts Springville on the same evening Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m PROVO — A man detained Friday for allegedly brandishing a gun at Provo Town Center is now accused of possessing 71 homemade bombs at his apartment a road rage incident led to two vehicles getting into a confrontation in the Provo Town Centre mall parking lot A bystander saw a man brandish a gun during the confrontation and called police Officers arrived and located Eric Whitaker Police then searched his vehicle and reported locating four devices with fuses sticking out of them in his trunk "Four total devices that appear to be pipe bombs were removed from the area for safe disposal," police said Whitaker was booked into jail for investigation of possession of incendiary devices Whitaker told police the devices were firecrackers then admitted they were modified flares in case he got lost while hiking Bomb squad members identified the items as incendiary devices officers obtained a search warrant for Whitaker's apartment in Orem and located "bomb-making materials" and a large number of "homemade "The devices contained shrapnel and explosive powders inside that would cause death or serious bodily injury to multiple victims if they were in the vicinity of the device when it exploded," a police booking affidavit states The apartment building was evacuated Saturday for four hours while a bomb squad removed the devices 71 devices were safely removed from Whitaker's apartment along with the various bomb-making materials," Provo police said in a statement Whitaker was arrested for investigation of 71 counts of possessing a weapon of mass destruction Police hope to obtain search warrants for Whitaker's electronic devices to help determine a motive Although Whitaker's intent is still unknown Beebe said devices like the ones found in his apartment are designed for "mass harm and mass casualties." Sometimes the bounces go your way … and sometimes they don’t The top-seeded Orem boys basketball team had that message driven home in Tuesday’s 5A quarterfinal game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City against No 9-seed Brighton — and not in the way the Tigers wanted Orem erased a nine-point deficit and led 53-52 in the final minute only to have two bounces go in favor of the Bengals resulting in Brighton getting the 55-53 upset “It was just one of those nights,” Tiger head coach Jace Tavita said The first bounce came after Orem took the lead when Tiger senior Jax Allen made a layup and got fouled tacking on the free throw to put his team in front by one Brighton got the ball inside and dished it to where senior Creighton Evers was cutting to the basket His layup was a touch too long and hit the back of the iron then bounced … and bounced again … and bounced one final time before dropping in to put the Bengals back ahead After an Orem turnover and a made foul shot by Brighton the Tigers got the ball back with five seconds to play and no timeouts left Orem senior Chance Dastrup quickly brought the ball up and lofted a pass to where junior Simeon Suguturaga was all alone slashing in fast on the far side of the basket Suguturaga grabbed the ball out of the air and hurriedly put it up off the board just before time expired — only to have the game-tying shot hit too strong ricocheting off to miss on the other side of the rim and capping Brighton’s dramatic upset “It’s something that we’ve worked on for the end of games,” Tavita said That’s all you can ask for in those situations The Tigers never seemed to truly get into a flow against the scrappy Bengals and Brighton took advantage Orem came storming back with a 7-0 run and the game was close most of the rest of the way But the Tigers were dealt a tough blow when senior Ryker Mikkelsen had to hobble off the floor and be carried to the locker room late in the first half Orem always felt like it would come back and win but finally ran out of time and magic while senior Chamberlain Burgess put in nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds Brighton was led by 15 points apiece from Josh Mawhinney and Bradley Easton Although Orem came up short of its state championship goal Tavita wants his guys to be proud of their season and how the came together is that they did everything that we asked of them,” Tavita said I love kids like that who sacrifice for the team.” He hopes that the Tiger underclassmen who will be coming back will have the same work ethic and determination that this group of seniors had “You just got to work hard and enjoy the experience because when it’s done “It goes by so fast and you never know when your last game is going to be So they need to work hard and just enjoy the grind of it.” Brighton advanced to face Highland in the 5A semifinals at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday at 7:20 p.m Utah Valley hosts WAC foe UT Arlington this weekend for a three-game series at Wolverine Softball Field First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m with Saturday's series finale slated for a noon MDT first pitch Follow UVU Softball on social media for updates about potential postponements with rain in the forecast this weekend Due to other events at the UCCU Center this weekend the UCCU Center visitor lot will be closed to non-ADA attendees on Friday and Saturday Fans are encouraged to park at the Browning Administration parking lot south of the UCCU Center or in the student lots north of Wolverine Softball Field Utah Valley fell to BYU in the Crosstown Clash on Tuesday evening in front of a record crowd at Wolverine Softball Field Tuesday's 575 spectators surpassed the previous record of 512 Emma Haygood picked up a pair of hits in the loss to up her season average to .390 Haygood is in the top three on the team in most major offensive categories UTA has just two hitters with a .300 average or better but have gotten strong performances from their pitching staff with a 2.64 conference ERA and 3.57 overall to lead the team to a 20-11 record entering the weekend Co-aces Emilie Hoelscher and Jessica Adams lead the pitching staff with a 2.62 and 2.66 ERA respectively ALUMNI WEEKEND ON TAP FOR ABILENE CHRISTIAN SERIES UVU Softball will hold its 2nd-annual alumni weekend on April 4-5 during the home series against Abilene Christian A home run derby will be held after Friday's doubleheader and a luncheon will be held in the UCCU Center following Saturday's game Utah Valley will head to Provo for the second and final meeting in the Crosstown Clash against BYU on Tuesday Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here As open space across Utah Valley and the state of Utah continues to deteriorate cities continue to grapple with a similar conundrum How should the rights of landowners be prioritized and the growing demand for housing be addressed And how is that balanced with the preservation of open land It’s an issue the Orem City Council faces with a 14-acre plot of land on the west side of the city known as Wilkerson Farm The agri-entertainment property ran by the land’s tenants is beloved by many who have visited its farm or carnival grounds over the years who owns the property through his charity Candide Charitable Enterprise and used it to raise crops for Pleasant Grove Tabitha’s Way which he co-owns said he’s lost money trying to keep Wilkerson Farm afloat Switzler is in a contractual agreement to sell the land to a home developer that will build R-8 single family residential homes The city will either vote to approve a zoning request made by the developer A consideration for the council is Orem’s 2018 general plan which zoned the property as low density residential the Orem Planning Commission recommended in March that the property not be rezoned “The city doesn’t want to close down Wilkerson Farm,” City Councilwoman Jenn Gale said “We’d be thrilled if Wilkerson Farm was able to stay But that’s an issue between the property owner and the Wilkersons who have been tenants there and the property owner decides to sell his property well then we need to have a look at that and what that looks like.” The property sits in the center of Utah Valley providing a picturesque view of a white-capped Mount Timpanogos the ground begins rousing from its hibernation It’s a glimpse of the agricultural-side of the valley so quickly eroding “We’re hitting the point where the land is starting to get maxed out,” Rachel Wilkerson said “Resources are becoming scarce in the wild west.” This particular plot of land has been resilient The soil hasn’t been displaced since it was settled in the pioneer days Someone had purchased it in the 2000s to build a school but the project was scrapped when the recession hit and the soil remained Richard Wilkerson began leasing the field in 2010 there was another proposal for development Rachel Wilkerson said it was for townhomes Switzler remembers it being for storage units That’s when Switzler’s charity swooped in and bought the land along with 10 acres across the street in Provo He made an agreement with the Wilkersons where they could pay their lease by donating some of their crops to the Pleasant Grove Tabitha’s Way Food Pantry well maybe a strategy to do this is they can farm it pay their lease in vegetables and make a living which means I wouldn’t have to hire farmers,” Switzler said Food is stacked high at the Tabitha’s Way Food Pantry on Thursday The Wilkersons would continue to make their income selling other crops doing so on a small parcel of land proved challenging The equipment and infrastructure required to run the farm had sunk the Wilkersons into debt and they couldn’t make enough income to climb out of it “People want to pay 50 cents for a cucumber how are you supposed to make it?” Rachel Wilkerson said So they added an entertainment portion of the business in 2015 and eventually turning a portion of the property into a full-scale carnival ground but the debt and overhead from the farming side continued accumulating And Switzler grew weary as he continued to lose money We’ll give you a year to see if you can get on your feet.’ And that didn’t work,” he said the Provo side has already been rezoned and sold for development Switzer said all the money he makes will go to his charity to fight food insecurity “I can tell you there won’t be a farm on my property as long as I own it,” he said “It cost me a lot of money to try to make it work And I can’t imagine that anybody would try to be as mission driven as I was who said her and her husband haven’t gone on a vacation since their honeymoon instead pouring their time and money into cultivating the land is desperate for another solution — perhaps a coalition of buyers that can present a last-minute offer to Switzler and turn the space into a conservation easement Rachel Wilkerson poses for a photo at Wilkerson Farm on Wednesday Developer Tyler Horan of Keystone Construction who said he knew Switzler from doing previous work at Tabitha’s Way gave Switzler an offer and won the bid for the property Horan applied in early 2024 for permits to put in a mixed-residential development which he said complied with the density stipulated by the city’s general zoning plan Keystone Construction faced immediate pushback from community members who didn’t want townhomes or rentals on the land So Horan said they redesigned the whole thing and we’re excited.’ But if you saw that planning commission meeting and we don’t want anything to happen with the ground.'” The proposal has garnered media attention and publicity and the vast majority of people speaking out at city meetings are staunchly against rezoning Rachel Wilkerson thinks the attention is due largely to the connection so many people have with the farm’s fairground It’s a place she will soon say goodbye to herself In an April 8 city council meeting Switzler said he’s told the Wilkersons to vacate the property by May 31 “As long as you’re working on it and moving on it She said Switzler has always been their good friend and she recognizes the financial reasons for why he wants to sell but said if he doesn’t want to sell the property to a conservation easement he should consider selling it to community members who have an attachment to the property One individual pushing for that alternative is Orem resident James Brown who considers himself a big believer in preserving local farm land He said he’s reached out to 150 people about potentially investing in the property and has received 40-50 “vaguely positive responses” but said without knowing an asking price Brown said his attempts earlier this year to contact Switzler or the developers through a real estate agent were unsuccessful but that he spoke with Switzler directly after a city meeting but it would be nice if the community were given an opportunity to say Give us the opportunity to buy it first.'” Switzler’s response to that is that he doesn’t have the right to sell the property anymore “I’m in a contractual agreement with the developer,” he said He also views the issue as straightforward and in the general plan the property was zoned for low density residential “So all other arguments seem immaterial,” he said who said Keystone is waiting for the rezoning decision before officially buying the property has all this history and all these emotions attached to it that’s hard to look away from is residential development is what’s on the city’s general plan for this area And that actually matters for a lot of reasons And one of the reasons is because money was invested in infrastructure The infrastructure for the city was built around this kind of a plan … This was never intended to be a farm forever A FrontRunner train races past Wilkerson Farm on Friday Councilwoman LaNae Millett said she understands the importance of past decisions like the 2018 general plan that lays out the property as low density residential but believes good governance relies on “accurate and current information,” and that the city’s needs should be reevaluated and adjusted She believes Wilkerson Farm should not be rezoned primarily due to its location The property sits adjacent to the Front Runner tracks “Placing housing in such close proximity to industrial and railroad with jarring freight trains goes against land use principles,” Millett said “Taking away the Open Space Zone would lead to two undesirable results: It would remove an important buffer it would create an inhospitable residential zone there will be 10-12 backyards up against the Front Runner track with the industrial yard and Interstate-15 behind it you don’t build right on top of those kinds of disruptions to your house,” Young said And so I guess what we’re being asked to do is to take that buffer out put the houses right on the train tracks.” the question is a matter of property rights “It no longer makes sense for him to lease it to the farmer and the fact that he’s agreed to develop it in what is the gold standard in Orem Gale said she is trying to collect as much information as she can to make an informed decision One reason she is considering approving it is much of the open land surrounding the farm has previously been approved for rezoning “Wilkerson Farm isn’t actually going to be there regardless of the zoning change,” she said “And I think most (people) aren’t aware that all of the bordering properties have been zoned for housing Why can’t this one property owner sell where all these others have The city council originally planned to vote on the rezoning decision in an April 8 meeting but the vote was delayed by request of the developer “I got a call from someone in city management who said the developers asked to delay this,'” he said they contacted every member of the city council and got a majority of the vote to say we’re fine with delaying it.” Macdonald said votes are delayed frequently it was probably delayed because the developer learned two members of the council because rezoning requests can be approved only if four of the seven-person council approved it and of the five members who were at the meeting are publicly skeptical of rezoning the property Millett believes the decision to move the agenda should have been made in a transparent public vote as “judicious governance would have dictated,” she said “Four council members demonstrated a complete disregard for residents’ time and efforts,” Millett said but chose not to as two council members were on vacation Our council meeting dates are posted months in advance and technology is in place to allow councilmembers to call in so they can vote – that is what should have happened we should not be allowing developers to control our city council agenda.” Young said that the council will review the decision and procedures in a future work session Not on the agenda for the April 22 meeting the earliest a decision will be made is in May What happens is up to the discretion of the council Rachel Wilkerson recognizes her hands are tied in the decision but won’t stop fighting until everything is finalized “We’ve held nothing back,” Rachel Wilkerson said But selling the land to developers is what Switzler views as his best path forward We’ll make decisions when we have more data.” Utah — Two people have been seriously injured in an accident involving a motorhome on Interstate 15 in Orem with the resulting crash backing up traffic in the southbound lanes The Utah Highway Patrol said the motorhome that was pulling an SUV went off to the right of the highway near University Parkway and hit a concrete barrier Two of the passengers inside the motorhome were transported to the hospital in serious condition All southbound lanes of the highway at University Parkway were closed except for the HOV lane until approximately 2 p.m UTAH – ACU Baseball is set to hit the road for a crucial Western Athletic Conference (WAC) series against Utah Valley marking the first meeting between the teams since last season's WAC Tournament clash in Mesa This will also be the first time ACU travels to Orem to face UVU and before meeting each other for the first time in Abilene in 2020 The two programs last met in a regular-season series in Abilene on March 28-30 ACU enters the weekend looking to build on its momentum as the Wildcats continue their push for a strong conference standing The Wolverines' offensive depth and pitching consistency with Colten Kennedy leading the charge with a 3.57 ERA with 30 strikeouts ACU is hot from a big win on Tuesday, dominating #17 Dallas Baptist 7-1. The Wildcats held the Patriots to only four hits and one run. Diego Cardenas went 4 for 4, as Louis Bussard went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs The series opener's first pitch in Orem is set for 7:05 p.m. (CT), and all games can be streamed on ESPN+ Thanks for visiting Utah (KUTV) — An armed robbery suspect was taken into custody in Orem on Thursday night following an officer-involved shooting during an encounter with police Orem City Police said the investigation began at 9 p.m on reports of a robbery involving a weapon police received another report of a robbery that had just occurred south of their location Authorities noted that the suspect information from the second robbery matched the description of the suspect in the initial incident on State Street Police searched the area and located the suspect near 600 East and 1600 South The suspect was taken into custody without injury The Utah County Officer Involved Critical Incident Team is investigating the shooting ABC4 Utah as well as a large amount of bomb-making materials were found in an Orem man’s apartment after he was arrested for brandishing a weapon near a Provo mall on Friday We kicked off the work week with soggy weather and lingering moisture will spell a few more showers today before things start clearing out Whether it's a domesticated animal or a wild animal it's important to know what to do when seeing either one out in the wild The West Valley City Police Department (WVCPD) has arrested a woman on allegations of child abuse after a 5-year-old child was found with blood on their face and soaked with water George has agreed to move a new power substation to a different plot of land in the city preserving an excavation site right across the street from the St UDOT crews have been working for weeks to clear Guardsman Pass to get it ready for the summer season Could grizzly bears cross Utah’s border soon What to keep in mind to stay safe during spring runoff Barbershop hosting free haircuts in honor of Sgt Progress on preparing Guardsman Pass to reopen the department lost its first officer in the line of duty when Sgt Bill Hooser was struck and killed by a suspect in a semi-truck during a traffic stop the friends he made on the force are remembering him as one of the most dedicated officers who took work seriously but also made an emphasis to build relationships A low-pressure system is working its way through the region and will settle over the Four Corners more compact low drops in on the west side of the main low GET GEPHARDT 10:55 PM | Updated: Feb 11 BY MATT GEPHARDT AND SLOAN SCHRAGE OREM — The Utah Department of Transportation is buying up homes along 1600 N But when they made Tim Vincent an offer for his he says UDOT’s appraiser made a glaring mistake – not taking into account his automotive shop in his backyard UDOT sent Vincent an appraisal of $800,000 Vincent got his own appraisal which shows his property is worth $975,000 It’s not just a little bit of money,” he said Vincent says he reached back out to the people taking his home The property owner is entitled to “just compensation” for their property It also says UDOT is required to pay for “all buildings, structures, or other improvements” to a property – for example, Vincent’s shop out back And, UDOT is supposed to “negotiate before filing a lawsuit.” Get Gephardt wanted to ask UDOT about all of this; ask them to defend their offer and ask why they decided to sue rather than talk to Vincent we heard back from a state lawyer saying they don’t comment on active litigation and attached a copy of their lawsuit Utah’s attorney general is asking a judge to kick Vincent and his family out immediately “to avoid waste of public funds resulting from project delay.” the lawsuit says they can figure that out later The lawsuit also states: “UDOT has made reasonable efforts to negotiate with the property owner.” Vincent says neither he nor his attorney feel like there has been any negotiation and his family will go homeless while awaiting a judge to settle on what their property is worth FrontRunner service in Utah County has returned to normal after significant disruptions Monday morning due to an incident in Orem that resulted in a pedestrian’s death a Utah Transit Authority spokesperson confirmed a person said to be in their 20s was struck by a northbound train on the tracks at the 400 South crossing in Orem UTA spokesperson Gavin Gustafson told the Daily Herald “We also found their vehicle sort of crashed nearby,” he said No other information regarding the deceased was revealed The incident caused a ripple effect for FrontRunner service in both directions with delays between Utah and Weber counties for most of the morning as UTA kept riders updated on the travel obstructions via social media A UTA bus bridge was established between Orem and Vineyard from 5:30-8 a.m At one point, UTA said riders heading north could expect delays upward of 40 minutes for people waiting at each stop between Vineyard and Roy, as well as for those passengers going from American Fork to Provo, the agency said on its X account but minimal impacts could persist throughout the day but certainly going to be some residual delays,” Gustafson said UTA said any delays should be less than 10 minutes