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Utah School Board Member Arrested for Soliciting Child Pornography

June 7, 2021June 6, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

On Wednesday, a Utah school board member was arrested on charges of using social media to solicit child pornography from students, the Daily Caller reports.

The suspect is 29-year-old Joel-Lehi Organista, who had recently been elected to the Salt Lake City School Board after having previously taught at Horizonte High School. He faces eight felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The authorities were led to him by a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which alleged that Organista had child pornography downloaded onto his Dropbox account. A subsequent search of his computer confirmed this, and Organista was arrested.

Following his arrest, he “admitted to having downloaded, viewed, and kept the images and videos containing child pornography.” One of his chief tactics was to use the social media app SnapChat to message children between the ages of 12 and 17, asking them for nude photos and other inappropriate material. He first started sending such messages and downloading such content in January, shortly after he became the youngest board member in the board’s history upon his election in January.

New Utah Law Requires Biological Fathers to Pay 50 Percent of Mother’s Pregnancy Costs

April 8, 2021April 7, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

A new Utah law will require the father of an unborn baby to pay half of the costs of the pregnancy.

HB 113 requires that the father of the unborn baby pay 50% of the mother’s insurance premiums during the pregnancy, as well as “pregnancy-related medical costs, including the hospital birth of the child, that are not paid by another person.”

13 States Sue Biden Administration, Demand Ability to Cut Taxes

April 4, 2021April 3, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey

Thirteen states sued President Joe Biden’s administration over an American Rescue Plan provision prohibiting states from cutting taxes after accepting coronavirus relief funds.

The 13-state coalition argued that the provision included in the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package preventing states from cutting taxes if they accept relief from the federal government is unconstitutional. The coalition, led by Republican West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

“Never before has the federal government attempted such a complete takeover of state finances,” Morrisey said in a Wednesday statement. “We cannot stand for such overreach.”

21 States Sue Biden Admin for Revoking Keystone XL Permit

March 22, 2021March 21, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

A group of red states sued President Biden and members of his administration on Wednesday over his decision to revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, The Hill reported.

The lawsuit is led by Montana and Texas, and backed by 19 other states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Mitt Romney: 84 Percent Approval Rating with Utah Democrats

January 31, 2021January 30, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is far more popular with Democrats and unaffiliated voters than he is in his own party, The Daily Caller reports.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee has an impressive 84 percent approval rating among Utah Democrats, while only a third of GOP voters approve of what he is doing.

Utah Tribe Calls Biden’s Order on New Oil Drilling a ‘Direct Attack’ on Its Economy

January 25, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

A Native American tribe in Utah said a Biden administration order blocking new permits to drill for oil and gas on federal lands is a “direct attack” on its economy and sovereignty.

The Ute Indian Tribe is seeking a waiver from Order 3395, which Scott de la Vega, the acting secretary of the interior, implemented on Jan. 21.

Woman Missing for Two Weeks Found Safe in Zion National Park

October 20, 2020October 19, 2020 The Associated Press

A California woman who was missing for about two weeks in Zion National Park in Utah has been found and left the park with her family who had feared the worst, authorities said.

Holly Suzanne Courtier, 38, of Los Angeles, was found Sunday by search and rescue crews after park rangers received a tip that she had been seen in the park, Zion National Park officials said in a news release. They didn’t say where she was found or anything about her condition or what had happened.

‘Racist’ Brigham Young Statue Vandalized at Namesake University

June 22, 2020June 21, 2020 Michigan Star Staff

In yet another example of statues being vandalized on America’s college campuses, the namesake statue at Brigham Young University in Utah was vandalized with the word “racist” written across the monument in red paint, according to the campus newspaper, The Daily Universe.

Separately, a sign marking the location of the Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building was also splattered with a red “X.”

Biden Dominates Super Tuesday States, Upsets Sanders in Minnesota

March 4, 2020May 21, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Tuesday night in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, a shocking upset in what was a tough night for the Vermont socialist.

‘C’est Moi’: Mitt Romney Confirms Ownership of Alternate Twitter Account

October 22, 2019October 21, 2019 Michigan Star Staff

On Sunday night, Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) confirmed that he was the owner of an alternate Twitter account that had previously tweeted in his defense, according to The Hill.

American Inventor Series: Dave Goode, Skiing Pioneer

September 24, 2019May 21, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Michigan native David Goode launched one of the country’s most successful snow and water ski companies in 1975 when he was just 19 years old. He was a member of the U.S. downhill ski team at the time, but his career was sidetracked by an ankle injury.