Latest news with #DesertNews
New York Post
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff makes decision on his BYU future after rape allegations
Jake Retzlaff is planning on leaving the BYU football program after admitting to having premarital sex – a violation of the school's honor code – and facing a seven-game suspension to start next season, according to multiple reports. The quarterback made the admission as part of a response to a civil lawsuit which alleges that Retzlaff had raped a woman at his Provo, Utah home in 2023. 3 Jake Retzlaff of the Brigham Young Cougars rushes the ball in the third quarter against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Getty Images During a meeting last week, Retzlaff had been informed that he would likely face suspension for breaking the honor code and began telling members of the football program that he had the intention to leave the school. Retzlaff has already cleaned out his locker at the Student Athlete Building and is expected to publicly announce his decision to play elsewhere later this week, Desert News reported. He had been with the team and was taking part in summer workouts, according to ESPN. A Utah woman filed the lawsuit last month, alleging Retzlaff raped, strangled and bit her during the November 2023 encounter. Retzlaff's lawyer denied the allegations in a legal response on Friday. 'Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled AG, which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue,' part of the response read. 3 BYU Quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) pre-game Media Press Conference at the NCAA Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome. Mario Cantu/CSM / Shutterstock The lawyer also described the encounter as consensual. A source told Desert News that the lawsuit is expected to be 'resolved' this week. The woman and football player connected through social media and this led her to come over to play video games on or around Nov. 22, 2023. The woman arrived with friends and several friends and teammates of Retzlaff were at the house, but later in the evening, after the woman's friends left, Retzlaff and the female started watching a movie and began to kiss, according to the suit. 3 Jake Retzlaff (12) of the BYU Cougars in action at the NCAA Valero Alamo Bowl against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Alamodome. San Antonio, Mario Cantu/CSM / Shutterstock 'At some point they began to kiss, but Jane Doe A.G. did not want to do anything more,' the lawsuit stated. 'Retzlaff began escalating the situation … and Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate the situation and attempted to slow things down, trying to pull away, and saying 'wait.' She did not want to do anything sexual with him.' Despite attempts to say 'no' and 'wait, stop' Retzlaff forced himself on her, according to the suit, and put his hands around her neck and then raped her. Retzlaff has denied the allegations. The California native took over the starting job last season and threw 2,947 yards for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mississippi attorney general nearly collapses, is aided by Utah AG Brown during GOP tour of the southern border
Temperatures at the southern border in Yuma, Arizona, teetered at the 100-degree line on Wednesday, as members of the Republican Attorneys General Association leadership took a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border, described by the tour participants as hot, dusty and dry. Members of the association, including Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, were quick to respond when their colleague, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, appeared to become lightheaded from the conditions, nearly falling before Brown and others caught her in time. 'I am so relieved Attorney General Lynn Fitch is doing OK and we were able to help her,' Brown told the Deseret News. 'I'm proud to have her as a colleague.' Fitch's communications director, MaryAsa Lee, also told the Desert News that Fitch is doing well, as she managed to offer her remarks after the incident, though noting, 'The temperatures are well into the triple digits today in Arizona!' Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, who was speaking at the time of the incident, emphasized that it's a 'difficult environment that we ask men and women to serve in every day.' During President Joe Biden's four years in office, Sheriff David Rhodes, who serves Yavapai County in Arizona, said America's southern border created 'the most difficult, unsafe, unsanitary, unreasonable time in the history of this country when it comes to public safety and national security.' He added that in those fours years, law enforcement spent countless hours in Washington, D.C., pushing for more aid, stricter legislation and policy enforcement, 'because we knew the one thing which has been true until the end of time,' he said, 'which is that when people believe that the laws are going to be enforced, they don't break them, and that is the only way that you're going to have a safe and secure nation is to enforce the nation's laws.' Rhodes' comments were made Wednesday morning in Yuma at the southern border tour and discussion with federal officials and the Republican Attorneys General Association. Much of the conversation centered around collaborative efforts between state and federal law enforcement to crack down on criminals who came through the U.S. border under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program. As of this week, 'ICE has signed 603 Memorandums of Agreement for 287(g) programs covering 40 states.' One of those states is Utah, where most fentanyl distributed within the state is coming from the southern border. Brown said that though Utah isn't a direct border state with Mexico, it still faces the same issues. 'We have highways traversing our state, and when drugs cross the border here, they're in Utah, within a matter of hours,' he said, adding that Utah was just recently included in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's largest fentanyl bust in American history. The operation targeted the Sinaloa Cartel. Federal law enforcement arrested 16 people and 'seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history.' During Wednesday's discussion, officials said that there is a significant difference between when laws are enforced and when they are not, as shown by the variation in the number of border crossings since last year. The White House posted that in October 2024, border crossings were nearly 60,000 in just one month, down to 7,000 in March of this year. 'It turns out we didn't need a new law. We just needed a new president,' Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said. 'Under Biden's unprecedented open borders, America suffered from drugs, from human trafficking, from unprecedented crime,' he said. 'Now that we have the Trump administration, things have shifted. Instead of playing defense, now we can play offense and collaborate with President Trump as we help him to protect the border.'
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives +: Remembering the very first Sterling Scholars show
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. When Steve Hale came to his editors at the Deseret News with an idea to honor Salt Lake City area high school students, he met a receptive audience. The Desert News had already been recognizing high school athletes for their successes, so to do the same for top scholars made perfect sense. The year was 1962. More than 60 years later, the Sterling Scholars program is well known for its celebration of student success. And it grows and grows each year. According to Sterling Scholar organizers, Hale, a columnist, suggested that the Deseret News sponsor a program to spotlight scholastic achievement. Hale, along with education reporter Lavor Chaffin and marketing director Keith West, realized that outstanding academic scholars were not recognized in any manner. They decided to meet with members of the board of education in Salt Lake City for support in recognizing high school seniors. After the board of education approved the program, Chaffin and West created 12 categories and requested that each school nominate at least 12 candidates. They also decided to name the program 'Sterling' since sterling, by definition, is something pure and valuable and scholars seemed like a natural second word. Hence, the name Sterling Scholars was created. The first year, the program was only held in Salt Lake City but it quickly spread to Cache and Utah counties and then across all of Utah. Coverage in the Deseret News that year included photos of the winners on the front page, along with stories about those who helped with the awards program and what parents and school leaders said about the event. As a fun side note, one winner, who was not present because he was competing in the National Science Fair competition in Seattle, did not find out he had won until the following day, when his parents phoned him. KSL soon joined the Deseret News in its endeavors and even telecast the event for many years. Consider how may high students are involved in the program. There are more than 100 schools, and each nominates a winner in each category. The competition categories have been expanded to 14 and now include regional winners in different parts of the state. Students begin building their portfolios at the school level. Winners then advance to regional and final competitions. Winners receive awards and recognition, while some colleges and universities in Utah offer financial assistance to top nominees in the Deseret News/KSL Broadcast Group Sterling Scholar Awards Program. The final awards program is now streamed live by KSL-TV. It is now considered quite prestigious to be a Sterling Scholar, and it would probably be easy for a Sterling Scholar math nominee to figure out how many Utah high school seniors have been honored. But the process and what is learned along the way can be valuable as well. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the program: "How Sterling Scholar has awarded Utah's brightest students for 57 years" "Sterling Scholar builds on a 53-year history" "Sterling Scholars: Where are they now?" "Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar"
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives +: Remembering the very first Sterling Scholars show
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. When Steve Hale came to his editors at the Deseret News with an idea to honor Salt Lake City area high school students, he met a receptive audience. The Desert News had already been recognizing high school athletes for their successes, so to do the same for top scholars made perfect sense. The year was 1962. More than 60 years later, the Sterling Scholars program is well known for its celebration of student success. And it grows and grows each year. According to Sterling Scholar organizers, Hale, a columnist, suggested that the Deseret News sponsor a program to spotlight scholastic achievement. Hale, along with education reporter Lavor Chaffin and marketing director Keith West, realized that outstanding academic scholars were not recognized in any manner. They decided to meet with members of the board of education in Salt Lake City for support in recognizing high school seniors. After the board of education approved the program, Chaffin and West created 12 categories and requested that each school nominate at least 12 candidates. They also decided to name the program 'Sterling' since sterling, by definition, is something pure and valuable and scholars seemed like a natural second word. Hence, the name Sterling Scholars was created. The first year, the program was only held in Salt Lake City but it quickly spread to Cache and Utah counties and then across all of Utah. Coverage in the Deseret News that year included photos of the winners on the front page, along with stories about those who helped with the awards program and what parents and school leaders said about the event. As a fun side note, one winner, who was not present because he was competing in the National Science Fair competition in Seattle, did not find out he had won until the following day, when his parents phoned him. KSL soon joined the Deseret News in its endeavors and even telecast the event for many years. Consider how may high students are involved in the program. There are more than 100 schools, and each nominates a winner in each category. The competition categories have been expanded to 14 and now include regional winners in different parts of the state. Students begin building their portfolios at the school level. Winners then advance to regional and final competitions. Winners receive awards and recognition, while some colleges and universities in Utah offer financial assistance to top nominees in the Deseret News/KSL Broadcast Group Sterling Scholar Awards Program. The final awards program is now streamed live by KSL-TV. It is now considered quite prestigious to be a Sterling Scholar, and it would probably be easy for a Sterling Scholar math nominee to figure out how many Utah high school seniors have been honored. But the process and what is learned along the way can be valuable as well. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the program: "How Sterling Scholar has awarded Utah's brightest students for 57 years" "Sterling Scholar builds on a 53-year history" "Sterling Scholars: Where are they now?" "Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar"
