Latest news with #SALTLAKECITY
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Former Jazz coach and GM Frank Layden dies at 93
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Frank Layden, the sharp-witted former coach who led the Utah Jazz to the playoffs for the first time, has died. He was 93. 'Frank Layden made a lasting impact on the Jazz, the state of Utah, and the NBA,' the Jazz said in a statement Wednesday. 'There will never be another like him. Our thoughts go out to his family as we join in mourning his loss and celebrating his life. Rest easy, Coach.' Known for his humor and sideline antics, Layden coached the Jazz from 1981-89 and had 277 wins, third-most in franchise history. He's the only coach in Jazz history to be named NBA coach of the year, earning the honor in 1984, when he also was honored as executive of the year. Born in Brooklyn in 1932, Layden began his coaching career in the high school ranks before moving on to coach at his alma mater, Niagara University. He made the jump to the NBA in 1976 on Hubie Brown's staff with the Atlanta Hawks and became the New Orleans Jazz's general manager in 1979. Layden took over as coach after Tom Nissalke was fired midway through the 1981-82 season and led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in his second season. Layden stepped away from coaching early in the 1988-89 season and was replaced by future Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan. Layden stayed on as the team's president and general manager, part of a staff that selected Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. He spent one season as coach of the WNBA's Utah Starzz in 1998-99. 'It's hard to imagine the story of the Utah Jazz without the presence of Frank Layden,' Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith said. 'He was an amazing person who meant so much to this organization and to our fans. His love of the sport was felt around the NBA, and he set the franchise on a course for success, helping to build an enduring legacy for the state of Utah.' Layden remained in the Salt Lake City area after leaving coaching and earned the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. ___ AP NBA:
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Washington Post
Utah judge schedules execution by firing squad for a man with dementia
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge on Wednesday set an execution date for a man with dementia who has been on death row for 37 years , even as his lawyers file appeals and argue his condition is worsening. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, is set to be executed Sept. 5 for abducting and killing Utah mother of three Maurine Hunsaker in 1986. When given a choice decades ago, Menzies selected a firing squad as his method of execution. He would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant a month after he ruled Menzies 'consistently and rationally' understands why he is facing execution despite recent cognitive decline. Attorneys for Menzies have petitioned the court for a reassessment, but Bates said Wednesday that the pending appeal was not a basis to stop him from setting a date. Bates did, however, schedule a July 23 hearing to evaluate the new competency petition. Menzies' attorneys say his dementia has gotten so severe that he uses a wheelchair, is dependent on oxygen and cannot understand his legal case. 'We remain hopeful that the courts or the clemency board will recognize the profound inhumanity of executing a man who is experiencing steep cognitive decline and significant memory loss,' said Lindsey Layer, an attorney for Menzies. 'Taking the life of someone with a terminal illness who is no longer a threat to anyone and whose mind and identity have been overtaken by dementia serves neither justice nor human decency.' The Utah Attorney General's Office has 'full confidence' in the judge's decision, Assistant Attorney General Daniel Boyer said. The U.S. Supreme Court has at times spared prisoners with dementia from execution, including an Alabama man in 2019 who had killed a police officer. If a defendant cannot understand why they are being put to death, the high court said, then an execution is not carrying out the retribution that society is seeking. For Hunsaker's son Matt, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, it has been 'hard to swallow that it's taken this long' to get justice. 'You issue the warrant today, you start a process for our family,' he told the judge Wednesday. 'It puts everybody on the clock. We've now introduced another generation of my mom, and we still don't have justice served.' Hunsaker, 26, was abducted by Menzies from a convenience store where she worked in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns. She was later found strangled and her throat cut about 16 miles (25 kilometers) away at a picnic area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Menzies had Hunsaker's wallet and several other belongings when he was jailed on unrelated matters. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes in 1988. Over nearly four decades, attorneys for Menzies filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was pushed back. He and other Utah death row inmates sentenced before May 2004 were given a choice between firing squad and lethal injection. For inmates sentenced in the state after that date, lethal injection is the default method unless the drugs are unavailable. Utah last executed prisoners by firing squad in 2010, and South Carolina used the method on two men this year. Only three other states — Idaho, Mississippi and Oklahoma — allow firing squad executions. Menzies is among 10 people scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. Twenty-five men in the U.S. have died by court-ordered execution so far this year.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
Utah judge schedules execution by firing squad for a man with dementia
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge on Wednesday set an execution date for a man with dementia who has been on death row for 37 years , even as his lawyers file appeals and argue his condition is worsening. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, is set to be executed Sept. 5 for abducting and killing Utah mother of three Maurine Hunsaker in 1986. When given a choice decades ago, Menzies selected a firing squad as his method of execution. He would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant a month after he ruled Menzies 'consistently and rationally' understands why he is facing execution despite recent cognitive decline. Attorneys for Menzies have petitioned the court for a reassessment, but Bates said Wednesday that the pending appeal was not a basis to stop him from setting a date. Bates did, however, schedule a July 23 hearing to evaluate the new competency petition. Menzies' attorneys say his dementia has gotten so severe that he uses a wheelchair, is dependent on oxygen and cannot understand his legal case. 'We remain hopeful that the courts or the clemency board will recognize the profound inhumanity of executing a man who is experiencing steep cognitive decline and significant memory loss,' said Lindsey Layer, an attorney for Menzies. 'Taking the life of someone with a terminal illness who is no longer a threat to anyone and whose mind and identity have been overtaken by dementia serves neither justice nor human decency.' The Utah Attorney General's Office has 'full confidence' in the judge's decision, Assistant Attorney General Daniel Boyer said. The U.S. Supreme Court has at times spared prisoners with dementia from execution, including an Alabama man in 2019 who had killed a police officer. If a defendant cannot understand why they are being put to death, the high court said, then an execution is not carrying out the retribution that society is seeking. For Hunsaker's son Matt, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, it has been 'hard to swallow that it's taken this long' to get justice. 'You issue the warrant today, you start a process for our family,' he told the judge Wednesday. 'It puts everybody on the clock. We've now introduced another generation of my mom, and we still don't have justice served.' Hunsaker, 26, was abducted by Menzies from a convenience store where she worked in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns. She was later found strangled and her throat cut about 16 miles (25 kilometers) away at a picnic area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Menzies had Hunsaker's wallet and several other belongings when he was jailed on unrelated matters. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes in 1988. Over nearly four decades, attorneys for Menzies filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was pushed back. He and other Utah death row inmates sentenced before May 2004 were given a choice between firing squad and lethal injection. For inmates sentenced in the state after that date, lethal injection is the default method unless the drugs are unavailable. Utah last executed prisoners by firing squad in 2010, and South Carolina used the method on two men this year. Only three other states — Idaho, Mississippi and Oklahoma — allow firing squad executions. Menzies is among 10 people scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. Twenty-five men in the U.S. have died by court-ordered execution so far this year.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ClearOne, Inc. Announces a Special One-time Stock Dividend
SALT LAKE CITY, June 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a one-time special stock dividend on the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Common Stock"), and any Common Stock equivalents with dividend rights (the "Common Stock Equivalents"), to provide its legacy stockholders with a 100% stake in the proceeds from any eventual sale of all or substantially all of the Company's current assets and operations in one or more transactions (collectively, the "Asset Sale"). This Special Stock Dividend is part of the Company's ongoing strategic process and in support of its previously disclosed plan to pursue one or more transactions, including the Asset Sale, and involves issuing to holders of Common Stock and Common Stock Equivalents one share of the Company's Class A Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Class A Preferred Stock"), for every issued and outstanding share of Common Stock and Common Stock Equivalent. Upon the completion of any Asset Sale, which may occur in one or a series of transactions, the Class A Preferred Stock shall be redeemed by the Company for 100% of the net proceeds of any such Asset Sale. The Special Stock Dividend will be payable on July 18, 2025 to stockholders of record as of July 11, 2025. Because the Special Stock Dividend exceeds twenty-five percent (25%) of the value of the Common Stock, in accordance with FINRA UPC (Uniform Practice Code) Rule 11140, a stockholder of the Company that sells shares of Common Stock on or prior to the payment date of July 18, 2025 will not receive the Special Stock Dividend for the shares of Common Stock that are sold. Even though this dividend announcement is a special one-time event, the declaration of dividends in the future is subject to the discretion of the ClearOne Board of Directors, which will evaluate the possibility of future dividend distributions from time-to-time based on factors that the Board of Directors deem relevant. However, no additional dividends have been authorized nor are contemplated at this time. About ClearOne ClearOne is a global market leader enabling conferencing, collaboration, and network streaming solutions. The performance and simplicity of its advanced, comprehensive solutions offer unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability, and scalability. Visit ClearOne at This release contains "forward-looking" statements that are based on present circumstances and on ClearOne's predictions with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences and timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Such forward-looking statements, including the expected future sales of the Company's assets, payment of dividends, redemption of the Class A Preferred Stock, and any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations and forecasts of future growth and value, are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release and ClearOne assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. View source version on Contacts Investor Relations Contact: Simon Brewer385-426-0565investor_relations@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How much water are Utah's agriculture optimization projects saving?
SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly 700 projects have been selected to receive funds through a Utah program that seeks to improve the efficiency of agricultural water consumption across the state. And the projects that are complete and functioning are producing encouraging results, the program's director says. Close to 250 of the approved projects within the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's Agricultural Water Optimization Program are now complete and, combined, they've saved 40,891 acre-feet of water annually, according to numbers reported to the state last week. That's enough water to fill up a reservoir the size of Quail Creek Reservoir in Washington County every year. The number is based on one full year of irrigation following a project's completion, Tony Richards, the program's manager, told members of the Utah Legislature's Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee last week. It will rise as more projects go online in the coming years. On-farm enhancements account for nearly 80% of the approved projects, while the rest involve improvements to canal systems, according to department data presented to the subcommittee. About $56.7 million has been distributed to farmers and ranchers since 2019 through the $150.6 million obligated to the program so far, Richards added. The department selected projects based on different criteria, such as project type, projected water saved and cost per acre. The state also selects 'priority water' areas on a changing basis, depending on Utah's needs, he explained. He said the program has also evolved to handle other water solutions, such as exploring alternative crops that may not need as much water. 'We do understand there's an efficiency improvement (need) in the infrastructure side of it, but there's also efficiency that we could gain in looking at management,' he told the committee. 'That even includes no-till (and) cover crops — all those kinds of things we can do to try and squeeze every drop out that we can.' The program has been in high demand since it began in 2019, drawing in 1,577 applications to date. Agricultural water has historically been the top water consumer in the state, accounting for 75% to 85% of Utah's water use. The program was created as the state experienced more frequent droughts, causing water uncertainty within the industry. However, the state wasn't always so certain about the success of the program. The program has required water meters since 2019, but lawmakers said they wanted more proof of water savings being allocating more funds, as the data wasn't always clear. The state approved a measure that allows farmers and ranchers to sell their reduced water for conservation purposes without losing their water rights, helping out struggling bodies of water like the Great Salt Lake. The department is close to launching a new online dashboard that will provide updated information as more projects are completed and provide at least a year's worth of data, as well, Richards said. Utah's Agricultural Water Optimization Committee recommended that the program dedicate at least $1 million in future spending toward research. That research will include ways to figure out the best irrigation techniques that help farmers and ranchers remain productive without consuming as much water as they previously did, he added. 'We want to be able to flex where we can and make the choices and best improvements that don't have the negative impacts,' he said.
