Elected leaders in Draper have delayed a controversial housing development proposed for Traverse Ridge while they look into allegations against two City Council members of undue influence by the developer.

Mayor Troy Walker said Wednesday the city would hire an outside attorney to probe accusations that council members Alan Summerhays and Michele Weeks may have been swayed by favors from Shaun Michel of Sandy-based Michel Land.

Michel and his company have been seeking city approval for Mountain Ridge Estates, a proposal to build 106 single-family homes on about 83 hillside acres they own at about 2100 East Lake Bluff Drive, near the existing Suncrest subdivision on Draper’s southern end.

The project is opposed by some Suncrest residents, who fear it could make their homes vulnerable to landslides. After being rejected at a previous meeting, modified plans for Mountain Ridge Estates were to come before the City Council on Tuesday evening for review and possible approval.

Instead, after a presentation from the developer, the meeting devolved into angry claims and counterclaims, leading Walker to call for a halt to the project until what he called “rumors and innuendo” surrounding contacts between Weeks, Summerhays and Michel could be explored. On a motion from Councilman Mike Green, the council then voted unanimously to hire an independent counsel to investigate the matter.

“I’m not accusing anybody of anything,” Walker said Wednesday. “I’m saying, ‘Let’s lay it out there so that if this does get approved, people know what kind of influence, if any, there has been.’”

The mayor said Mountain Ridge Estates had been the focus of an intense campaign for approval by the developer since it was proposed more than a year ago.

“In my time in public office,” Walker said, “I’ve never seen lobbying like this before.”

Michel, the developer, denied any wrongdoing and said his project had been unfairly caught up in deep personal animosities between the mayor and council members, particularly Weeks, who ran against Walker in Draper’s most recent mayoral race.

“There’s nothing we’ve done that’s been inappropriate,” Michel told The Salt Lake Tribune. “That is a very dysfunctional, caustic and angry council. … It’s ugly. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Michel said he welcomed the investigation and vowed to cooperate with the independent counsel, including opening his financial books for examination.

Weeks, a first-term councilwoman elected in 2015, also said she had done nothing wrong and accused Walker and Green of being driven by a long-standing vendetta against her.

“This is a personal thing," Weeks told The Tribune. “ I have nothing to hide.”

She noted the city had hired another independent counsel about a year ago to investigate a dispute over some of her personal emails, “and they found nothing.”

Summerhays did not respond to a request for comment. Council members Green, Tasha Lowery and Marsha Vawdrey referred Tribune inquiries to Walker.

City records show Summerhays and Weeks were the lone votes on the Draper City Council in favor of Mountain Ridge Estates when the council narrowly defeated it in August.

Summerhays, a Draper businessman and council member since 2005, confirmed in a Feb. 12 letter to Walker and the council that his adult son Camryn, who suffered spinal cord damage in a December car accident, was receiving physical therapy at Neuroworx, a rehabilitation clinic in Sandy. Michel is listed as a member of the clinic’s board of directors.

According to Summerhays’ letter, obtained by The Tribune, he had previously recused himself from voting on Mountain Ridge Estates over those ties, only to reverse himself a week later, saying he had handled the matter improperly and, upon reflection, no longer thought the connection to Neuroworx posed a conflict.

“I am very sorry for the confusion and any problems that I have created by my actions,” Summerhays wrote in the letter.

Michel said he referred Summerhays to the clinic only “in case he [the son] could receive some therapy he wasn’t getting.”

“There was no money offered. There was no payment. There was no benefit to me,” said Michel, who added that he had written a letter to Draper City Hall clarifying the matter.

The mayor said Wednesday at least one council member had shared a separate email from a board member at Neuroworx, reportedly promising a $1 million donation to the clinic if the subdivision was approved — an assertion that Michel also denied knowing about.

Walker said Weeks is alleged to have received funding from Michel for a teacher-appreciation charity she operates.

Weeks countered that she does run a yearly charitable event, celebrating teachers with a party at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, but “I don’t have a 501(c)(3) and I didn’t receive any donations [from Michel] that I know of.”

The mayor said there are also assertions that one of Weeks’ sons was planning a trip to Thailand with a Salt Lake City youth group reportedly tied to Michel, called Youthlinc.

Weeks confirmed her son was involved in the program but said he was paying his own way.

Michel acknowledged reaching out to Weeks’ family after the recent death of her husband, recommending her son for the Youthlinc program and taking another of Weeks’ sons on a fishing trip at one point. He said his family’s philanthropic arm, the Michel Family Foundation, had made donations to Youthlinc to assist with its humanitarian projects overseas, unrelated to Weeks’ involvement.

Walker, who is also a former assistant Salt Lake County district attorney, said that as allegations of conflicts surrounding Mountain Ridge Estates and the council began to surface, he confronted members 10 days ago with an email demanding to know all their links to Michel. Summerhays and Weeks, he said, did not respond.

Weeks said when she saw Walker’s email, “I figured it was a witch hunt,” so she worked with City Manager David Dobbins as a neutral party, reviewed relevant Utah law and concluded all was aboveboard.

“So I didn’t reply,” Weeks said, adding that she now views emails from Walker “as setting a trap.”

Walker acknowledged that he and Weeks do not get along but said the city’s probe was not driven by animosity for her but instead by an urge to be transparent with Draper residents.

“We don’t do this on everything that comes before us,” the mayor said of the independent counsel, “but this is pretty bizarre.”

Randall Carlisle retired last year after 50 years in broadcasting. He is well known and highly recognized across the state as the former lead news anchor at ABC4. He was awarded three Emmys during his career and covered many major news stories. He was also an addict.

Carlisle began drinking at age 14 and continued as a “functional alcoholic” for decades. He has been sober for the last six years and is now the media and community affairs specialist for Odyssey House of Utah, the state’s largest addiction treatment center. He is also the keynote speaker for the 2019 Utah Valley University Conference on Addiction being held this Friday.

Addiction comes in many forms. It may involve substances like alcohol, opioids, nicotine, inhalants, caffeine, cocaine or other forms. It may involve behaviors such as gambling, shopping, overeating or pornography use. It may be a digital addiction to gaming, smart phones and social media.

It can affect any family, cut across any socio-economic strata and is never “victimless.” According to Psychology Today, we know that both substances and behaviors share a “key neurobiological feature — they intensely activate brain pathways of reward and reinforcement.” Dopamine and other pleasure hormones are released in the brain. Addictions can also become “habits,” which can explain why treatment programs that don’t include a change in the environment and routines you were accustomed to engaging in while in your addition often fail.

Addiction can be defined broadly as using more/doing more of something than you would like and continuing despite negative consequences. To be considered an addiction, it must meet at least three of the following criteria, based on the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization.

• You develop a level of tolerance, needing more and more to get “the fix” you crave.
• You experience physical or emotional withdrawal when you stop using.
• You seem to have limited or no control over your usage.
• You continue to use in spite of negative consequences.
• You neglect or postpone social, recreational, work, family or household activities because of your addiction.
• You spend significant amounts of time thinking about, planning, using, concealing, minimizing and creating cover stories to hide your usage.
• You want to cut down your use and may have tried, unsuccessfully, to do so on your own.

Beyond these definitions, many professionals are now recognizing addiction as a “disease of despair.” Alice Miller, psychologist and expert on child abuse, said: “What is addiction, really? It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress. It is a language that tells us about a plight that must be understood.” Some posit that, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety but connection.” Two of the sessions at Friday’s conference will be looking at the connection between trauma and addiction.

Utahns are not immune to addiction. More people die of prescription opioid overdoses here than all other drugs combined. The rate of overdose deaths in Utah is higher than car accidents and firearm deaths. We also have the nation’s highest rate of drug overdose deaths for our veterans.

Looking specifically at Utah women, we also see some disturbing trends. From 2013-2015, 776 Utah women died from a drug overdose. Utah also has the highest rate in the nation of opioid use among pregnant women and a 2014 study of women on Medicaid showed that Utah moms were prescribed opiates at almost double the national rate: an astounding 41.6 percent compared to a national average of 22.8 percent. Those numbers beg the question: What doctors are prescribing opiates to 4 in 10 of their pregnant patients on Medicaid? Opioid overdoses were also the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Utah in 2015/2016, with 80 percent occurring during the postpartum period.

There is hope! The Psychology Today article mentioned above notes that “research documents that recovery is the rule rather than the exception.” Friday’s conference is focused on the addict and his or her recovery and is designed for professionals, community members and anyone interested in learning more about recovering from addiction.

Holly Richardson is a regular columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune.

Happy Thursday!

A majority of U.S. political consultants believe that sexual harassment is at least somewhat common in campaign industry. Nearly half of female consultants say that they have experienced harassment themselves. The survey by Campaign and Elections magazine suggests that more than a year after the advent of the “Me Too” movement, such conduct lives on in campaigns. “There are bad apples in every industry, but there’s a clear recognition within the political campaign space that it’s not as good a working environment for people of color and women,” said lead pollster Jason Boxt. (Campaign&Elections][TheHill]

Topping the news: Troy Williams, prominent LGBTQ advocate and executive director of Equality Utah, quit a state suicide task force accusing Gov. Gary Herbert of turning his back on gay young people after supporting a substitute bill that gut a proposed ban on conversion therapy on minors. [Trib][DNews][ABC4]

-> Draper leaders delayed a controversial housing development proposed for Traverse Ridge while they look into allegations against two City Council members of undue influence by the developer. [Trib]

-> A bill that would have allowed Utah grocery stores to sell higher-alcohol beer was gutted by a committee and replaced by a measure that would create a task force to study the proposal. [Trib] [Fox13]

Tweets of the day: From @BenWinslow “Overheard at the news conference on the tax bill: A man who claimed it’s the first he’s heard of it and when told local news has been covering it for weeks now: ‘I don’t pay attention to local news. It depresses me.’ #utpol #utleg”

-> From @TroyWilliamsUT “I expect @GovHerbert will issue a statement about his precious love for children, and sincere desire to end suicide, and other platitudes. But, it’s not empty rhetoric that we are interested in hearing. We want action. We want him to keep his word. Period. #utpol”

-> From @alison__berg “The most exciting event of my life was when @SpencerJCox followed me on twitter and I realized I never tweeted about it, so this is me tweeting about it.”

-> Reply From @SpencerJCox “Here’s hoping you have FAR more exciting times ahead!”

Happy Birthday: to Scott Harrington, Taylorsville CFO.

Trib Talk: On this week’s episode of “Trib Talk,” Riverton City Mayor Trent Staggs and Salt Lake Tribune reporters Tony Semerad and Taylor Stevens join Dan Harrie to discuss the frustration and challenges over development and transportation in Riverton and neighboring communities. [Trib]

In other news: A bill that would prohibit people from openly carrying a gun within 500 feet of any K-12 school in Utah was defeated in committee Wednesday after complaints from gun lobbyists and Republican lawmakers. [Trib]

-> Another school safety bill to require schools to provide more lockdown trainings and create staff teams to respond to threats deadlocks in committee, for now. [Trib]

-> A bill that would redistribute state scholarship funds by taking away some merit based funding in order to bolster support for students from low income families cleared committee unanimously on Wednesday. [Trib]

-> Matt Tueller, a career diplomat from Utah nominated to be the U.S. ambassador for Iraq, said during a Senate confirmation hearing that he understands the challenges in the Middle East and is well prepared to take on the job. [Trib]

-> Utah voters will have an opportunity on next year’s ballot to approve or deny a proposal to render the state’s constitution more gender neutral. [Trib][DNews]

-> Prosecutors dropped charges on what appears to be the first case of charges against a Utahn who qualifies for medical Marijuana under newly implemented state law. [Trib][DNews]

-> Former President Barack Obama told a business conference in Salt Lake City on Wednesday that he based decisions on ‘facts, reason and logic’ — a possible jab at President Donald Trump, whom he never specifically mentioned. [AP]

-> In a bill cleaning up Utah’s criminal code, lawmakers repealed the misdemeanor crime of fornication. [Fox13]

-> The Provo City Council votes to endorse a bill in the Legislature that would increase the age for legal purchase of tobacco in Utah from 19 to 21. If state lawmakers fail to pass it, the council may pass a city ordinance to do so. [Trib]

-> A right-wing political painter from Provo releases his latest piece in support of U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico southern border. [Trib]

-> A controversial Utah tax overhaul bill will abandon attempts to reduce local option sales taxes because, lawmakers have said, the clause renders the bill too complicated. [DNews]

-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke said it is time for Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney to back-up talk with action. Both senators have criticized President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, and soon they will be faced with a voting on a resolution to repeal the order. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley illustrates bar flair at the Utah legislative session. [Trib]

Nationally: Former presidential lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen presented documents to House Intelligence Committee that he hopes will demonstrate that President Trump’s lawyers helped him in drafting a false statement to congress in 2017. [NYTimes]

-> As investigations into the Trump administration ramp up, congressional Democrats are still wary of targeting the president’s adult children. [Politico]

-> Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, a former Air Force pilot, reveals during a hearing that she was raped by a commanding officer, and did not report it at the time because she felt powerless. [Politico][MilitaryTimes]

-> Tensions reportedly ran high among U.S. House Democrats during a closed caucus meeting while discussing a resolution introduced by leaders of the party in response to comments made by freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar. on Israel. [WaPost][Politico][NYTimes]

-> The Democratic National Committee blocks Fox News Channel from hosting host any Democratic primary debates during the 2020 election cycle, saying it doesn’t have confidence the conservative-leaning network would responsibly handle such an event. [Politico]

-> A 1976 law could allow House Democrats to pass a resolution to reopen questioning every six months on the state of national emergency declared by Trump at the U.S.-Mexico southern border. [Politico]

-> America’s trade deficit in goods with the rest of the world rose to its highest level in history — $891 billion — as the United States imported a record number of products, including from China. That delivers a setback to President Trump’s goal of narrowing that gap. [NYTimes]

-> Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sparred with Democrats in a hearing over separating migrant children from their parents their parents. [NYTimes]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Send us a note to cornflake@sltrib.com.

Lee Davidson and Christina Giardinelli

twitter.com/LeeDavi82636879; twitter.com/C_Giardinelli

A teacher told a fourth-grade boy to remove the religious symbol from his forehead, and the Davis School District is investigating the episode, FOX 13 reported.

William McLeod told the station he was the only student at Valley View Elementary School in Bountiful wearing an ash cross on his forehead.

“A lot of students asked me what it is," William told FOX 13. “I said, ‘I’m Catholic. It’s the first day of Lent. It’s Ash Wednesday.'”

Then a teacher approached him.

“She took me aside and she said, ‘You have to take it off,’” William described. “She gave me a disinfection wipe — whatever they are called — and she made me wipe it off.”

William’s family complained to his principal. Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams told FOX 13 that the teacher could face discipline.

“When a student comes in to school with ashes on their forehead," Williams said, “it’s not something we say, ‘Please take off.'”

William said he received a handwritten apology and candy from his teacher.

Editor’s note • The Salt Lake Tribune is a content-sharing partner with FOX 13.

Dear Ann Cannon • I have a good friend who lost her brother two years ago. She doesn’t seem to be getting over his death. Is it possible for someone to get “stuck” in their grief? How can I help her do to move on? It doesn’t seem to me like she’s landed in a very emotionally healthy place.

— My friend’s BFF

Dear BFF • Thank you for your question. As it turns out, I’ve been thinking about this very issue recently.

OK. Grief is personal and the expression of grief is personal, too. Some people, depending upon both temperament and (frankly) the circumstances, can work through it relatively quickly. Others, not so much. You ask if it’s possible for someone to get “stuck” in their grief. The answer is … I don’t know. I’m not a professional therapist. I do know, however, that you can’t put a timetable on grief, for yourself or for another person.

The reason I’ve been thinking about this subject is that we’re coming up on the anniversary of the death of my friend who died suddenly a number of years ago. We had known one another most of our lives and were in constant contact. After we’d share our stories and go over the events of our days, she would sigh happily and say how lucky she felt to live her life and my life, too. We were close like that.

Her death, needless to say, was an enormous blow to me and to the many people — family, friends and co-workers — who loved her. Weeks, months, even years went by. My grief did not diminish. And then one day I realized that I was holding onto my grief because at some level I was afraid that if I let it go, I would lose my friend all over again.

This growing realization, as well as the passage of time, helped me to move on. And the miracle of it all was that when I finally let go of my grief, my friend came back to me in my memories, unfettered by shock and sadness, as her vivid remarkable self.

The takeaway here? It is possible to move past a prolonged period of grieving, but only when the griever is ready to do so. There are certainly resources to help with this. Therapy works for some people. The same holds true for grief support groups or even self-help books such as the classic “Healing After Loss” by Martha W. Hickman.

In the meantime, what can you do for your friend? Remind yourself that you can’t “fix” her. But you can be present. And patient. And provide diversion. I wish you and your friend the very best. She’s lucky to have you.

Dear Ann Cannon • Sometimes I bring doughnuts into work to share on a Friday. One of my colleagues is very rude and complains about how it’s going “to go straight to my hips” and grouses at me for making her fat. I want to say, “Look, no one is forcing you to eat the doughnuts!” It’s not like I’m bringing food every day, and most of the people appreciate having a treat once in a while. But this woman is making it so unpleasant, I’m thinking of giving up bringing in food altogether. Do you think I should?

— The Doughnut Maven

Dear Maven • Mmmmmm. Doughnuts.

Oh! Sorry. I was just channeling my inner Homer Simpson for a minute.

My advice? DO NOT LET MRS. CRANKYPANTS RUIN THE REINDEER GAMES FOR EVERYBODY ELSE! So what if one person in the office complains? I can totally promise you that the rest of your co-workers are planning to nominate you for Time’s Person of the Year. Carry on is what I’m saying.

Ann Cannon is The Tribune’s advice columnist. Got a question for Ann? Email her at askann@sltrib.com or visit the Ask Ann Cannon page on Facebook.

There was a time when people would take doses of mercury for just about any ailment. No, it didn’t really help. Often it made things worse, sometimes much worse. And there was a chance it could result in death.

The modern-day equivalent is so-called “conversion therapy,” where practitioners believe they can “cure” a patient’s same-sex attraction. It’s an (almost) universally discredited and disavowed practice, surviving predominantly in die-hard religious communities.

It can prove incredibly damaging to young people subjected to the antiquated pseudo-science. One recent university study found that youth victims of conversion therapy were twice as likely to suffer from depression and two to three times as likely to attempt suicide.

It is pure voodoo.

A whole long list of organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association and the American Psychological Association have all said homosexuality is not an illness and cannot and need not be cured.

The American Psychological Association in 2009 reported that conversion therapy increases the risk of substance abuse and addiction, severe depression, risky sexual behavior, feelings of dehumanization and suicide.

So state Rep. Craig Hall had a fairly modest proposal: Ban the practice on children in Utah and, in the process, maybe save some young lives.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has publicly and repeatedly disavowed the practice of conversion therapy and after weeks of hammering out language agreed to remain neutral on Hall’s bill as it was proposed. For the church to be neutral is a big deal on an area where in years past it may have resisted such a bill.

In a sign of just how bad conversion therapy is, in January, David Matheson, once a pre-eminent conversion therapist, left his straight marriage and said he would begin dating men. “I realized I couldn’t stay in my marriage any longer," he said at the time. “And I realized that it was time for me to affirm myself as gay."

But apparently the notion that trying to “pray away the gay” was harming young people and shouldn’t be condoned was too much for some in the Legislature. Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, and a small group of ideologues — working hand-in-hand with fringy practitioners of the conversion therapy quackery — not only hijacked Hall’s bill, they attempted to go even further.

Lisonbee’s disingenuous replacement would actually have given the reprehensible practice protection in state law, legitimizing an illegitimate treatment, so long as those who engaged in it didn’t explicitly promise that they could turn the kids straight.

It also stripped out any reference to “gender identity,” because in the eyes of the right-wing ideologues like Lisonbee and Rep. Brady Brammer, that doesn’t really exist — which is why earlier in the session we saw a push to prohibit changing a gender on a birth certificate.

Until recently, I thought conversion therapy was a relic of a bygone era. But it is still practiced, and to drive home the point, the snake-oil salesmen time-traveled from the 1970s to the legislative committee this week — not to apologize for the harm they’ve caused, as they should have, but to publicly defend their malfeasance.

And it worked. The committee approved Lisonbee’s replacement and she pushed this terrible proposal with the backing of Gov. Gary Herbert.

It was a disappointing about-face from the governor, who days earlier had called conversion therapy “barbaric,” then endorsed a version of the bill enshrining the barbaric practice in state statute.

For Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, it was more than disappointing. Williams and Taryn Hiatt, of the Utah chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, resigned from Herbert’s suicide task force in protest, saying they would not serve as “window dressing” for a group that wasn’t serious about addressing the causes of LGBTQ suicide.

I was hopeful that reason would prevail and the bill could be salvaged this session and maybe some youth might be spared from being subjected to the mercury of conversion therapy. But the risk that Lisonbee’s bill might actually pass was deemed too great, so they’ll try again next year.

In the meantime, Lisonbee should be reminded that she helped ensure that more Utah children can be subjected to this kind of mistreatment the next time a conversion therapy victim takes his or her own life — which the research shows is likely to happen. Quite an accomplishment.

The Utah Avalanche Center is warning home owners who still have snow on their roofs to look up.

The center said “numerous roofs avalanched” on Tuesday. The slides dumped large piles of snow, the center wrote on its website, and warned that they could be especially dangerous for children.

“Warm temperatures mean roofs will continue to shed their snow — please alert your friends and family who may not normally check avalanche forecasts," the Utah Avalanche Center wrote.

I am writing in support of Utah Senate Bill 214, which would limit the amount of property taxes that could be charged by water districts in the state, and encourage water conservation in Utah. The system that Utah has in place for water taxes and water pricing is flawed. Currently, property owners pay a tax to water districts to sell water to the property. This creates internal subsidies that allow water districts to sell water cheaper than true market value. This taxation leads to some of the lowest water prices in the west and encourages high municipal usage.

The tax and subsidy system is problematic, as it also raises issues of taxpayer money being used for subsidies for entities that don’t pay taxes and use large amounts of water. Universities, golf courses and government buildings use 10 to 20 times more water and are still given the subsidized price of water. Allowing these entities to have the subsidized water price creates no incentive for conservation, as they are paying little to nothing for water usage at the expense of the taxpayers.

Supporting SB214 would end this wasteful cycle and provide financial relief to property owners and forge a path towards real water conservation in Utah.

Baile Turnbow, Salt Lake City

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It is no secret to anyone watching the news that a key GOP strategy in 2020 will be to blow the socialism dog whistle loud and often, and Rep. Chris Stewart's recent commentary in The Tribune is a perfect example of that strategy.

The U.S. economy, as are most developed economies, is what is known as a hybrid economy, in that it blends both capitalism and socialism. The only difference between them is how much of a blend is at work in each. One would not want to live in pure unregulated capitalism any more than one would want to live in pure socialism.

One cannot call "Medicare for all" socialism without, by definition, also inferring that Medicare itself is socialism. I would encourage Stewart to ask for a raise of hands at his next town hall

for those currently on (or hoping to someday be on) Social Security and/or Medicare, and then ask them how they would like to see those "socialistic" programs eliminated. I'd love to see the response.

Stewart cannot see the economic forest, because he is fixated on a specific tree, the tree of socialism. Perhaps he should return to school and actually study some economics this time.

David Child, St. George

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The spectacle of Michael Cohen testifying before Congress was enough to turn my stomach.

Not the fact that he openly admitted to perjuring himself in the service of Donald Trump, but the behavior of the Republicans on the committee.They made a big show of outrage trying to discredit Cohen as an admitted liar in the service of his client.

These same people — and all Utah's Republicans in the House — offer unqualified support for Trump who, according to The Fact Checker, has told almost 8,000 false or misleading statements as President. He has lied about everything from the size of the crowd at his inauguration, the number of would be immigrants at the southern border, even the number of burgers he served to the Clemson football team.

Much of what Congress has passed under Trump has been negative for everyday Americans. Whittling away at Obamacare and at Obama's environmental controls. Passing a tax bill which enriched the top 1 percent and added over $1 trillion to the deficit (so far).

In my opinion, the first step toward an effective government is to reject "Party first and foremost" and vote out all of our congressional delegation.

Sometimes, as with children, the only treatment that works is a short, sharp shock.

Frank Fish, Park City

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Rainier Huck, in his March 3 letter, pretends to champion the aged and the disabled in his protest against wilderness designation. I don’t think that Mr. Huck speaks for me.

I am 66 years old, I have MS, and when I get tired my left foot will drag. I can no longer go as deep into wilderness as I once did. But I would never want to despoil it with roads and gasoline power vehicles just so I can go deeper into it. That would be the height of selfishness.

I am grateful that wilderness exists, that there will always be wilderness, and that our children and their children’s children will have unspoiled wilderness to explore and appreciate. Wilderness is not a poison for the people of Utah, it’s a therapeutic.

Even though Mr. Huck has millions of acres of federal land he can denude with his dirt bike, he still covets the small remaining places that aren’t carved up by gasoline-powered recreation. I think that is a very selfish outlook, and to pretend to claim he is concerned about the aged and disabled is duplicitous and sad.

Michael W. Loring, Cottonwood Heights

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Once again, the Utah Legislature has said it’s OK to drive with one hand while holding and talking on a cellphone with the other.

Rep. Carol Moss introduced a bill, for the third time, to make it illegal to use a hand-held device while driving. Again it was defeated.

Is this an acceptable practice in the eyes of the legislators who voted no? Will my grandchildren pass drivers education while holding and talking on their cellphones?

Between 2007 and 2016, Utah had 52,000 accidents caused by distracted driving; 203 of them were fatal.

Moss says that one of the reasons she believes the bill was defeated was that the legislatures are doing it themselves.

Enter Rep. Mike Winder, to demonstrate on television how safe this behavior is. Winder demonstrated how he straps the phone to his left hand while driving. Does this allow him to read texts and emails while driving? Does he believe this is safe as long as he does not reply back?

Moss states she is simply introducing a deterrent to bad behavior. Isn’t that what all the laws the Legislature pass carrying a penalty are? This one is a deterrent to stupid behavior.

Gregory Jones, North Salt Lake

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“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Asking people if they want a tax increase is like asking some of my patients if they want a flu shot.

“No way!” comes the response from kids. “It just makes me sick,” is a common reply from others — like many of you.

Most who succumb to my pleading accept the fact that, more often than not, it helps prevent serious illness. Sure, we get a sore arm for a couple of days. But about half the time the vaccine helps keep kids in school, mom and dad at work and grandma out of the hospital.

Is House Bill 441 a “flu shot” meant to keep us healthy?

Yes.

The problem with sales tax in Utah stems from a change in our tax revenues from a goods-based to a more service-based economy. Thus, the sales tax that makes up our general fund will soon not be enough to pay for public safety, social services and transportation. We expect to double in population by 2050. Finally, some “special interest” groups don’t pay sales tax, for one (good) reason or another.

Why not simply increase the sales tax on our remaining goods to pay for what we need?

Most claim it wouldn’t be fair. The tax “shot” would hurt too much and might just make us financially sick.

I am also reminded that “whatever you tax, you get less of it,” meaning we have less money in our wallets to spend on other things.

Therefore, the “Utah solution” in HB 441 is to spread the misery evenly to as many people as possible, but also lower the overall rate. More people pay for services rendered, but the amount is small. In the long term, the sales taxes received will be enough to cover the needs of our growing state.

Professional services will be taxed – attorneys, accountants, engineers and others. But not doctors. Health care is a special interest group that escapes a direct tax, though there will be a new 1 percent tax on medical insurance premiums.

Sensitive to the current struggle in rising health care costs among Utahns, I have mixed feelings in not assessing three cents on the dollar for those who come to my office and can afford a co-pay or deductible. I want to do my share, being the gander after all.

Let’s encourage our elected leaders to give us the inoculation we need to prevent illness in the future. It simply good medicine, even though it might hurt for awhile.

Brian Zehnder, M.D., is a family physician, a former Utah state senator and current medical director of the Exodus Healthcare Network in Magna.

The Utah Legislature has proposed a dramatic tax overhaul in the form of House Bill 441). How does HB441 help Utah? We don’t know every way it will help but we do know one way in which it won’t — education funding.

Utah has a budget revenue surplus of about $1.3 billion this year. HB441 proposes lowering income taxes and taxing services instead. What isn’t being said is that education funding is tied constitutionally to our income taxes. Last year, the Legislature lowered income taxes from 5 percent to 4.95 percent, which reduced education funding by $55 million annually. If income taxes are lowered as proposed in HB441 to 4.75 percent, the annual reduction in education funding is an additional $220 million. For a total of $275 million lost to education each year.

For years, the Legislature has promised educators that education needs would be adequately funded when there was a surplus. What better time than now when there is over $1 billion in surplus? Now, HB441 is proposing a tax cut that will take away education funding.

The proponents of the bill state that it will be “revenue neutral.” How can this claim be true when there is no way to know if the new taxes generated will be equal to what is lost in the tax cut? This uncertainty leaves our children to pay the unknown price for less funding.

If the increase of sales tax on services is equal to the decrease in income tax, why even pass the bill? We are told this bill will be revenue neutral but, what we actually need is to increase education funding.

Rep. Tim Quinn, R-Heber, the sponsor of HB441, stated that education will be held harmless. Yet, nowhere in HB441 is this guaranteed. If education is not to have any negative consequences from the bill, language protecting education funding must be added. K-12 funding must be safeguarded, and the only ones who can do that are the legislators themselves. They also need sufficient time to study the bill and to make the public aware of the details. Two weeks from the time the bill was unveiled until the end of the legislative session is not enough time to make an informed decision.

One job of the Legislature is to ensure our students have what they need. Each year more and more students come to school with increasing needs. We need more counselors, more nurses, more social workers, more mental health professionals, more paraprofessionals working with special education students and more aides to work with regular education students that need extra help. There isn’t enough money to pay for existing needs let alone the changing needs of the students coming into our classrooms.

The bottom line is this is a huge gamble with our children’s education and their futures. Quinn is proposing this as a $650 a year tax cut for the average family in Utah. This tax cut will come at what cost and with no guarantee that education will be held harmless. The Legislature doesn’t know all the ramifications and they need to know more before they pass this bill.

A cut to income taxes sounds good but the devil is in the details, and the details have not been clarified. The Legislature should be helping public education funding to grow. Yet sadly, this bill, in its present state, does not do that. Education funding needs to be protected and added to, not gutted. Please contact your local legislators and ask them to keep their promises to Utah’s students, parents and educators by voting against House Bill 441.

Lara Slade is a teacher in the Murray City School District and the representative for the Wasatch Uniserv on the Utah Education Association Board of Directors. The Uniserv serves teachers associations in the Murray, Salt Lake and Tooele school districts. Also signing this statement are James Lewis, Wasatch Uniserv director; Mark Durfey, Wasatch Uniserv president and Murray Education Association president; Amy Roberds, Murray Education Association vice president; James Tobler, Salt Lake Education Association president; Mike Harman, Salt Lake Education Association vice president; Rick Harrison, Tooele Education Association president; Becca Hall, Tooele Education Association vice president.

Snow is expected to reach valley floors on Friday in northern and central Utah.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories, and the storm could affect both the morning and evening commutes.

The next storm system was expected to reach the state late Thursday — and it could bring “several inches” of snow to the valley floors in northern Utah, the National Weather Service predicts. The mountains of northern and central Utah will be hit with “heavy snowfall, with the greatest amounts along the Wasatch range.”

The Salt Lake City, Tooele, Lehi, Provo and Nephi areas can expect snow accumulations up to 4 inches from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

New Winter Weather Advisories in Utah and SW Wyoming, including both mountains and valleys! Check out the full list here: https://t.co/6j4WZlqX3P
For an interactive link to your area, click https://t.co/syF1KTDa2E #utwx pic.twitter.com/eDAOleRyCG

— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) March 7, 2019

The Logan, Smithfield, Brigham City, Ogden, Bountiful, Wendover and Snowville areas can expect 2-6 inches of snow, and wind gusts as high as 40 mph from 2 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.

Woodruff, Randolph, Alta and Brighton can expect 7-14 inches of snow through 9 p.m. Friday, with the heaviest accumulations late Thursday through early Friday evening.

Snow accumulations of 4-10 inches are expected in the western Uinta Mountains, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs and central mountains — including the cities of Mirror Lake Highway, Scofield, Cove Fort, Koosharem, and Fish Lake — from 2 to 9 a.m. on Friday. And “travel could be very difficult, especially through the higher passes.”

A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for Zion through 7:15PM. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly. All slot canyons and the Narrows are closed until 2 hours after the Warning is lifted. The Narrows will continue to be closed until the flow is below 150CFS for 24 hours.

— Zion National Park (@ZionNPS) March 6, 2019

In southern Utah, a flood warning remained in effect Thursday morning in Washington and Kane Counties. Although the National Weather Service reported the flow in most rivers and streams was decreasing, the Virgin River south of St. George remained a problem, with flooding possible in Zion National Park.

Some areas received 2-3 inches of rain on Wednesday; Zion National Park reported 1.41 inches.

For years President Trump has been obsessed with trade deficits, (incorrectly) viewing them as a good measure of which countries are "winning" and which are "losing." The United States has run a trade deficit for decades, thereby designating us a perennial loser in Trump's worldview. He promised to turn things around by picking a few easy-to-win trade wars.

Instead, by Trump’s own measure, we’re bigger “losers” than ever before. The trade deficit just jumped to its largest size in a decade. Even worse: Our deficit in goods, which Trump for some reason emphasizes most, just hit its largest level ever.

There are a few takeaways from this news, including that trade was probably a bigger drag on growth last year than previously forecast. But the bigger question is this: Why exactly is the trade deficit expanding when Trump promised it would shrink? The answer largely (though not exclusively) has to do with Trump's own economic policies.

To be clear, trade deficits — whether bilateral or otherwise — are not necessarily bad, nor are they a sign that we’re being somehow “cheated” by other countries. They reflect broader trends in the economy, including savings and investment rates.

Small or shrinking trade deficits are also not necessarily a measure of a healthy economy; in fact, as Bloomberg News' Shawn Donnan points out, the year the U.S. trade deficit shrank the most was 2009, which was not exactly a blockbuster year for the economy. We were at the tail end of the Great Recession then, and, because the economy was bad, Americans bought less stuff from abroad.

Today, the U.S. economy is healthy, with economic growth relatively robust. This is partly because of the fiscal stimulus Trump has been pumping into the economy, through both his tax cuts and federal spending hikes. Consumers have more money to spend, which means they demand more stuff, and companies have ramped up their imports to satisfy that demand.

Simultaneously, other countries — including China and members of the European Union — have not been doing so hot. With the U.S. economy doing well while other economies are faltering, and the Federal Reserve raising rates, the dollar has strengthened, making foreign products look cheaper and making our exports more expensive (i.e., less competitive) in other countries. That, too, leads to higher trade deficits ... and it's one of many reasons Team Trump might want to cool it with the schadenfreude about other countries' economic woes.

So in some ways then, Trump's preferred metric of "winning" is a victim of his own fiscally driven economic success. But it's also a victim of his trade policy failures.

He has picked trade wars the world over, with friends and foes alike. He has also threatened even more tariffs, including an additional hike in tariffs on Chinese goods, a new "national security"-driven duty on auto imports, etc. These actions and threats have led to some predictable consequences.

One is that U.S. companies have stocked up on some imported goods to beat the tariffs, which increases imports in the short run. Higher imports equal bigger trade deficit.

Another is that other countries have levied their own retaliatory tariffs on our own products — most famously, red-state goods such as soybeans and bourbon. So there has been less demand for U.S. exports. Lower exports also equal bigger trade deficit.

Trump has pledged that once his brilliantly negotiated deals go through — the new North American Free Trade Agreement gets ratified by Congress, China fully capitulates to all his wildest demands, the European Union and Japan suddenly decide to buy more of our cars, etc. — our balance of trade will turn around. There's reason to be skeptical, however, and not only because some of these objectives seem like fantasies.

Even the ones that look more plausible, such as the implementation of the new NAFTA, seem unlikely to move the needle. After all, the new NAFTA looks an awful lot like the old NAFTA, plus some language cribbed from the Pacific trade pact Trump pulled us out of.

In fact, the most significant change in the new NAFTA deal involves new content rules for autos, which are intended to lead to more manufacturing (and manufacturing jobs) in the United States. But as trade experts have pointed out, these new rules may be so costly to comply with that they could have the opposite of their intended effect, leading manufacturers to source less rather than more content from North America. Which could mean a boost to auto and auto-parts imports, which would contribute to ... you guessed it ... a wider trade deficit.

Catherine Rampell’s email address is crampell@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter, @crampell.

Chris Wallace is an exceptional interviewer, and Shepard Smith and Bret Baier are reality-based news anchors.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about the overall problem of Fox News, which started out with bad intentions in 1996 and has swiftly devolved into what often amounts to a propaganda network for a dishonest president and his allies.

The network, which attracts more viewers than its two major competitors, specializes in fearmongering and unrelenting alarmism. Remember "the caravan"?

At crucial times, it does not observe basic standards of journalistic practice: as with its eventually retracted, false reporting in 2017 on Seth Rich, which fueled conspiracy theories that Hillary Clinton had the former Democratic National Committee staffer killed because he was a source of campaign leaks.

Fox, you might recall, was a welcoming haven for “birtherism” — the racist lies about President Barack Obama’s birthplace. For years, it has constantly, unfairly and inaccurately bashed Hillary Clinton.

And its most high-profile personality, Sean Hannity, is not only a close confidant of President Donald Trump but appeared with him onstage at a campaign rally last year.

Anyone who was paying the slightest bit of attention knew all of this long before Jane Mayer's 11,000-word investigation in the New Yorker magazine was published a few days ago.

But because Mayer is so highly respected, and the piece so thorough, it made an impact. Within days, DNC chairman Tom Perez announced that Fox wouldn't be chosen as one of the hosts of the Democratic primary debates.

This was a mild, reasonable step that recognizes the reality that Fox News shouldn't be treated as an honest broker of political news. It was not censorship as some bizarrely claimed, merely a decision not to enter into a business relationship.

Some of the reactions, though, missed the point spectacularly.

Here, for example, was NBC political reporter Jonathan Allen on Twitter, careful to say this was only opinion:

“There are plenty of quality journalists at Fox, some of whom have been excellent questioners at past presidential debates. And really, if you can’t answer questions — especially if they’re not the questions you want asked — maybe you don’t have good answers.”

Others took it a step further, saying that Democrats are running scared. And Trump, predictably, vowed retribution in an overheated tweet.

Given First Amendment protections, Fox News can do pretty much what it wants on the air. It can shrug at Hannity's excesses. It can allow Tucker Carson's misleading rants on immigrants and crime. It can constantly undermine special counsel Robert Mueller III's investigation of Trump.

But for mainstream journalists to suggest that there be no consequences or even recognition is willfully blind — and smacks of an unseemly inside-the-Beltway solidarity.

What Fox News has become is destructive. To state the obvious: Democracy, if it's going to function, needs to be based on a shared set of facts, and the news media's role is to seek out and deliver those facts.

Most news organizations take that seriously, though they may flounder badly at times. When they do, they generally try to correct themselves — that’s why you see editor’s notes, lengthy corrections, on-air acknowledgments, suspensions and even firings of errant news people.

Not at Fox News.

The rule at Fox is to stonewall outside inquiries, and to close ranks around its rainmakers.

And, of course, to double down on its mission, described aptly by my Washington Post colleague Greg Sargent: “Fox News is fundamentally in the business of spreading disinformation, as opposed to conservative reportage.” And that disinformation “is plainly about deceiving millions into believing that core functionings of our government — whether law enforcement or congressional oversight — no longer have any legitimacy.”

Sometimes, as with Hannity's rally appearance or the Rich reporting, there will be a passing acknowledgment that standards haven't been met.

But we never know what those standards might be. Unlike most news organizations, Fox News doesn't seem to have a department in charge of ethics and standards, and it certainly doesn't publish its guidelines as some do.

So, yes, Fox News can continue to function as something close to Trump TV. It can go on spreading disinformation.

But everyone ought to see it for what it is: not a normal news organization with inevitable screw-ups, flaws and commercial interests, which sometimes fail to serve the public interest.

Instead, it's a shameless propaganda outfit, which makes billions of dollars a year as it chips away at the core democratic values we ought to hold dear: truth, accountability and the rule of law.

Despite the skills of a few journalists who should have long ago left the network in protest, Fox News has become an American plague.

The detective assigned to investigate Lauren McCluskey’s complaints about harassment and extortion — which the student reported weeks before she was killed by the man she told officers about — has left the University of Utah’s police department.

The woman, who started working at the campus in March 2016, is no longer in her post as of Wednesday, said U. spokesman Chris Nelson. He declined to say whether she resigned voluntarily or was terminated.

“We won’t talk about personnel issues,” he added.

When reached by phone, the detective said: "I do not have a statement at this time.” She did not respond to a question asking whether she quit or was fired. She retained an attorney Thursday, who also said he would not comment.

Officers who are disciplined can file an appeal. The university has denied an open-records request by The Salt Lake Tribune asking for any documentation of discipline of the officers involved in handling McCluskey’s case.

McCluskey, a 21-year-old track athlete, was killed Oct. 22 outside her campus dorm by Melvin S. Rowland, a 37-year-old registered sex offender who had lied to her about his age and name. He later died by suicide.

McCluskey had called the campus police department several times starting on Oct. 12 to report concerns about Rowland, including threatening text messages from him, after she had ended their brief relationship. University police did not open a formal investigation until seven days later.

But even then, no work happened because the assigned detective was off, and she did not return to the investigation until after McCluskey was killed.

An independent review of the university’s handling of the case found the detective never talked to McCluskey in person and never connected McCluskey to the university’s two victim advocates in its wellness center. But it also found gaps and shortcomings in the way the department trained its officers, and said the detective had been “placed in a position for which she lacked the expertise to recognize subtle indicators of domestic violence cases.”

Chief Dale Brophy has led the campus department since January 2015. U. President Ruth Watkins said in December that Brophy “has my full confidence” to continue to lead the department and train its officers to recognize the warning signs of potential relationship violence; she also said no officers would be disciplined.

The university, through its spokesman, later amended that statement to say it “does not comment on or publicize employee discipline,” and it is possible that staff may be required to undergo training or may receive a corrective letter as the school continues to investigate.

McCluskey’s parents have repeatedly called for the detective and another officer who worked on the case to be disciplined, saying they need to be held accountable for “neglecting [Lauren’s] numerous, persistent attempts to seek help.” They declined to comment Thursday because it was unclear whether the detective had been forced to leave over her handling of the case or if her departure was unrelated.

On the day she died, McCluskey attempted to contact the detective, but she didn’t hear back. She emailed her several screenshots of messages from Rowland trying to lure her out of her dorm, which the detective didn’t open until after McCluskey was killed.

The detective, who was supposed to be off until the next day, never checked her inbox during her time away from the office and didn’t talk to another detective about covering the case in her absence.

The university has since changed that setup and has a detective on-call 24/7.

The independent review of the case also criticized the detective assigned to McCluskey’s case for not checking whether Rowland was on parole — which he was — “when she had evidence that he was a convicted felon and [McCluskey] identified Rowland as a suspect.” In fact, investigators found that no officer on the force had ever run such a check and all were unfamiliar with how to do so.

Some of McCluskey’s allegations, as well as others reported by her friends to housing officials but never forwarded to police, could have led to Rowland’s arrest for violations of the terms of his release.

The woman assigned to McCluskey’s case was hired by the university in 2016 and promoted to detective in September 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before that, she worked as a compliance enforcement officer for Salt Lake City and as an officer in Arizona.

Utah’s police regulators, Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), would investigate the detective only if she were accused of committing a crime or violating the state’s rules for police. Otherwise, she could seek employment at another police force.

Currently, she still has an active certification and does not have any open investigations with POST.

— Salt Lake Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle contributed to this article.

Washington • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says two missionaries serving in Russia will be deported after a court there ordered their removal.

“At this time, they remain in custody while their deportation is being processed," church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement Thursday evening. “The young men are in good spirits, are being treated well, and are in regular contact with their mission president and their families.”

The church, Hawkins said, is working with local Russian authorities and "we remain hopeful these volunteers will be allowed to leave the country soon. In the meantime, we are grateful for the many offers of assistance and support expressed on their behalf.”

A Russian court had ordered the deportation of the two Americans — referred to as “volunteers” because Russia doesn’t allow outside foreign religious groups to proselytize — after authorities say they were teaching English without a license and violating terms of their visas.

The church has denied any wrongdoing by the pair.

On Thursday, a regional court upheld a lower court on deporting the two volunteers. Tass, a state-run news outlet, reported the court rulings.

The State Department said it is aware of the detention in Russia, adding that there is no “higher priority” than the protection of U.S. citizens abroad.

The two volunteers were detained last Friday in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk while at a church building. The Moscow Times previously had reported the two may be deported, though because of a holiday Friday and the upcoming weekend, the duo may be stuck in detention until next week.

“We are aware of reports of two U.S. citizens detained in Novorossiysk, Russia,” a State Department spokesperson said Thursday on background. “We have no higher priority than the protection of U.S. citizens abroad.

“Due to privacy considerations," the spokesperson added, “we do not have any additional information at this time.”

The White House and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow referred questions to the State Department. U.S. Ambassador to Russia, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, is a former missionary for the Salt Lake City-based faith.

President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted his concern about the detention by Russian authorities.

“Terrible,” the son tweeted. “I know many great Mormon families with children who are missionaries or who have done missions. That they would be held for doing this and their numerous other charitable deeds is sickening!”

Terrible, I know many great Mormon families with children who are missionaries or who have done missions. That they would be held for doing this and their numerous other charitable deeds is sickening!
Russian police detain two Latter-day Saint volunteers https://t.co/IUogpWWfLh

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 6, 2019

Utah’s senators, Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, said Thursday they were aware of the dispute but declined to comment.

Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, tweeted that he was ready to help seek the release of the two Latter-day Saint volunteers.

I’m extremely troubled by reports of volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being detained in Russia. I’m in communication w/those connected to the situation & stand ready to be helpful however possible as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. https://t.co/oPkDuVcMTX

— Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) March 6, 2019

“I’m extremely troubled by reports of volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being detained in Russia,” Curtis wrote. “I’m in communication [with] those connected to the situation & stand ready to be helpful however possible as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Russia prohibits proselytizing by outside religious groups and the LDS Church rebranded missionaries in the country as “volunteers” to comply with the dictate. The church also reduced the number of missions in the country.

Tass quoted Russian Orthodox Church official Dmitry Kravchenko as saying the area’s diocese is concerned Latter-day Saints have ramped up their efforts to influence Russians in the area.

“They start with English language courses. The guys usually come from the U.S., they are native speakers, which attracts people, and then, after a few classes, they start to insert certain religious themes into their texts,” Kravchenko is quoted as saying.

The government-controlled news outlet added that a representative of the LDS Church, Yuri Kozhokin, said the two detained Latter-day Saints were not teachers but volunteers.

"They just talked with Russian citizens who came to see them on their own accord,” Tass quoted the official as saying. “They just talked about various topics unrelated to religion, got to know one another, but they talked to each other in English.”

One of the fathers of the two men sought prayers in a Facebook post.

“They were in the church building and arrested during their English class,” wrote Kyle Brodowski, the father of missionary/volunteer Kole Brodowski. “It has been difficult to understand, and is becoming more complicated each day.”

According to Kyle Brodowski, the mission president “is doing everything possible to gain their release, all we can do is pray.”

In an earlier dispute between Russian authorities and the church, two volunteers were deported over a disagreement about their registration. That duo was reassigned to Ukraine and completed their volunteer service.

In 2017, Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled that those two had been wrongly deported.

Editor’s note • Paul Huntsman, The Tribune’s owner and publisher, is a brother of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman.

Red All Over is a weekly newsletter covering University of Utah athletics. Subscribe here.

The Pac-12 has widened its membership in the conference's Hall of Honor to include athletes in sports other than basketball, and football player Steve Smith Sr. will be Utah's honoree during next week's Pac-12 men's basketball tournament in Las Vegas.

The news of Smith’s award came this week, just as his former Baltimore Ravens teammate, ex-Ute defensive back Eric Weddle, was being released by the team, as the Baltimore Sun explained (SUN).

Each player has produced a phenomenal NFL career, and Weddle's may not be over. When he's eligible in 2022, Smith will be a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with the hope of following safety Larry Wilson as the Utes' second inductee. Smith caught 1,031 passes in his 16-year career with Carolina and Baltimore.

Weddle has played 12 seasons with San Diego and Baltimore. He's likely to have multiple offers from NFL teams, if he chooses to keep playing at age 34.

Smith will visit the Utah campus March 30 as the guest speaker during the Ute football staff’s annual coaching clinic. That event comes in the middle of Utah’s spring practice, which started Monday (TRIB). Before taking the field, coach Kyle Whittingham signed a two-year contract extension that will take him through the 2023 season (TRIB). Whittingham is 59; I’m figuring he’ll coach three or four more years, although he may keep going if he continues to enjoy the job.

Senior safety Julian Blackmon produced one of the highlights of Utes’ first practice, making a nice interception of a long pass from Tyler Huntley. Blackmon seems excited about his move from cornerback (TRIB).

After Thursday's third practice of the spring, the Utes will take next week off for the school's spring break and resume drills March 19.

Meanwhile on the hardwood ...

After 16 conference games, the Utah men’s basketball team has its primary goal available this week: a top-four finish in the conference. The Utes also could fall a long way in the seeding for next week’s Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. I’ve been saying for several weeks that a winning record (overall and in conference play) would make this season a success for coach Larry Krystkowiak’s program. The Utes could have clinched that mark, but they lost last weekend at Colorado as a result of poor shooting (TRIB).

So they’re 15-13 (9-7 Pac-12), going into home games Thursday night vs. USC and Saturday vs. UCLA. The big question is whether the Utes can play better at home, where they’re 3-4 in league games (TRIB). My preview of the final week includes a link to a site that projects where every Pac-12 team would be seeded in the tournament, based on this week’s results (TRIB).

The No. 6-seeded Ute women’s basketball team opens the Pac-12 tournament Thursday night vs. Washington in Las Vegas (TRIB). This season has been a breakthrough for coach Lynne Roberts’ program, amid personnel shortages and missed opportunities. Winning more than one game in Las Vegas will be difficult, with No. 3 seed Oregon State as Utah’s quarterfinal opponent.

The women’s gymnastics team has a week off during an otherwise crowded schedule for Utah athletics. The Utes staged a successful Senior Day last Saturday (TRIB). And here’s Lya Wodraska’s look at the coach who’s behind the Utes’ improvement on vault (TRIB).

Other voices

Athlon Sports has ranked all 130 teams in the FBS, treating Utah favorably. Check this list to see how the Utes and their 11 FBS opponents of 2019 are viewed (ATH).

Dirk Facer of the Deseret News found a good subject in Beau Rydalch, one of the four basketball players the Utes will honor Saturday (DNEWS).

Writing for the Pac-12 Hotline, Brian Bennett analyzed the disappointment level of each men’s basketball team (MERC).

Around campus

• The Utah men’s and women’s ski team is seeking another national championship this week in Vermont. The Utes took the team lead Wednesday as freshman Julia Richter won the women’s 5K freestyle event. The competition goes through Saturday.

• The Ute baseball team’s home-opening series vs. Niagara is scheduled Friday through Sunday at Smith’s Ballpark, although snow is forecasted for Friday. Niagara is making the trip, anyway, with two games booked at Utah Valley next week. The Utes (5-5) will host Gonzaga on Tuesday before starting Pac-12 play next week at Arizona.

• Lacrosse is played in any weather conditions except lightning. The Utes (3-3) will meet Bellarmine at 1 p.m. Saturday at Judge Memorial High School.