A Logan man was charged Tuesday with purposely smothering his girlfriend’s baby in December when the child wouldn’t stop crying.

Investigators spent months trying to understand what happened to Kynlee Jo Corbridge after she was found dead on Dec. 15, her face and head covered in bruises and abrasions, and tightly swaddled in a blanket in her bed, according to charging documents.

Forensic and circumstantial evidence point to 30-year-old Kyle Taylor Gooch, the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, who was the only adult home at the time the baby died, documents state.

Police built their case against Gooch after an autopsy reported the baby died in one of two ways: intentional smothering or accidental asphyxia. Multiple bruises and other injuries consistent with trauma were found during the exam.

Next, investigators went to child abuse experts, who said the baby’s injuries were “all indicators of physical abuse.” Another expert said it was very unlikely a 1-year-old child would accidentally asphyxiate in a crib.

One expert said the injuries would be consistent with rubbing the baby’s face back and forth on the mattress sheet while being smothered, according to court documents.

In interviews with police, Gooch denied pressing the child’s face into the crib and smothering her, saying that was “impossible.”

Charging documents quote him as saying he swaddled the baby tightly when she wouldn’t stop crying and placed her face-down in bed and left the room when she calmed down. The baby’s mother told police this was how Gooch normally dealt with the child when she fussed.

Gooch told police that when he went back into the baby’s room the next morning, he found her dead.

The baby’s mother was not at the house at the time Gooch swaddled the baby and put her in the crib. She said told police that when she returned later, Gooch was very drunk, she told police, and seemed “distant."

Investigators charged Gooch with aggravated murder in the baby’s death, saying he was the only one in the room with the child around the time she likely died, and that the bruises and abrasions on her body indicate forced smothering.

Gooch was booked into Cache County jail Tuesday. He is being held without bail. The Salt Lake Tribune was unable to reach Gooch’s attorney for comment, as one has not yet been listed in court records.

The Oklahoma City Dodgers beat the Salt Lake Bees 5-3 on Wednesday night in a Pacific Coast League game at Smith’s Ballpark.

The Dodgers led 3-0 when Salt Lake’s Jarrett Parker hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Oklahoma City scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 5-2 lead, before Salt Lake’s Taylor Ward hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.

Edwin Rios, Kyle Garlick and Connor Joe each had two hits and an RBI for Oklahoma City.

The Dodgers lead the three-game series against the Bees 2-0, with the finale set for Thursday at 7:05 p.m.

Happy Thursday! Former vice president and now-presidential contender Joe Biden had a good night at the second round of Democratic debates. But it wasn’t a stellar night. While much of the focus by the other nine candidates on the stage was on Biden, he wasn’t able to capitalize on the moment as he defended his long political career from several newcomers. [Politico]

Topping the news: Utah lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate Spencer Cox is polling far ahead of his potential opponents among Republicans with former House Speaker Greg Hughes and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman trailing. [Trib] [DNews]

-> The state denied appeals from six companies that applied to grow medical cannabis in Utah but failed to make the cut in the scramble over a handful of cultivation licenses. The six companies are among the 81 who applied to grow. [Trib] [FOX13]

Tweets of the day: From @blrshephard: “I am this close to asking the 2020 candidates why they think they’re worth me missing the bachelorette finale.”

-> From @eitanhersh: “If political parties had designed presidential nomination rules to entertain political hobbyists rather than to vet future presidential candidates, they would’ve done it exactly like they ended up doing it.”

-> From @itschappy: “My new (least) favorite thing about the election cycle appears to possibly be ‘let’s find a crappy part of a representative’s district and make broad assumptions based on that.’ We could find terrible parts of almost any city in America, including Ogden even - which sounds crazy!”

Happy Birthday: Rachel Stoll, a medical cannabis activist, and Jennifer Fox Young.

Trib Talk: On this week’s ‘Trib Talk’ podcast, Tribune education reporter Courtney Tanner and Royce Van Tassell, executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, join host Benjamin Wood to discuss the recent closure of a Murray charter school amid allegations of financial mismanagement. [Trib]

Also in the news: Several of the Salt Lake City mayoral candidates have proposed plans to bring tech companies to Salt Lake City. [Trib] [DNews]

-> The new homeless resource center scheduled to open in South Salt Lake is being delayed again, this time as a result of a $13 million past-due bill on construction and a failure to pay subcontractors. [Trib] [KSL]

-> A new poll from the Salt Lake Chamber shows Democratic State Sen. Jim Dabakis as the front-runner in the Salt Lake City mayoral race, but Dabakis and other candidates question the poll’s validity. [DNews]

-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley depicts medicaid in Utah [Trib]

Nationally: 10 candidates running to be the Democratic presidential nominee competed in the second round of presidential debates Tuesday evening. [NYTimes]

-> President Trump ordered the military to punish prosecutors who tried a Navy SEAL charged but acquitted of war crimes in the death of a captured Islamic State fighter in Iraq. [NYTimes]

-> The Senate confirmed nine of Trump’s judicial nominees in a rush before jetting for its August break. [Politico]

-> Protestors speaking out against the death of Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a New York Police officer, were removed from the Democratic debate after shouting loud enough to halt the forum. [NYTimes]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven’t already, sign up here for our weekday email to get this sent directly to your inbox.

-- Thomas Burr and Alison Berg

Recently, while I was traveling on business in Northern California, some of my associates there commented how much they appreciated Sen. Mitt Romney’s words condemning President Trump's behavior as documented in the Mueller Report.

I agreed that his words are encouraging, although Romney lacks the courage to truly lead the Republican Party in holding the president accountable for his "sickening" behavior and "character" that "falls short" to quote his own words.

I hope that Romney will come without delay to the defense of Rep. Elijah Cummings in the face of the president's latest attacks. Cummings is a just man who has sacrificed greatly for our nation. His character should be proclaimed as a truly great American.

Recently, Cummings publicly defended Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina against claims of racism. Will Romney, who once sought to be our commander in chief, show us true presidential courage in coming to his aid and denouncing the ugly racism and destruction to our democracy we are witnessing from President Trump?

No legislation that he will ever pass will be as important in the public eye as the stand he chooses to make today to defend Cummings and our democracy.

Bartly Mathews, Layton

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Orlando, Fla. • Major League Soccer’s elite had no answers for Atletico Madrid.

The 10-time Spanish League champions beat the MLS All-Stars 3-0 Wednesday night, with Marcos Llorente, Joao Felix, Diego Costa scoring goals to pace the rout before a sellout crowd of 25,527.

The loss was the fourth straight for MLS in its annual All-Star game, which matches the league's top players against international competition.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone felt the game was much closer than the final score.

"It was an interesting game. It was competitive," Simeone said through an interpreter. "In the second half, we were able to do things that allowed us to win."

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando entered the game in the 59th minute when the MLS squad trailed 1-0. The 20-year veteran, who will retire at the end of the season, allowed two goals and notched two saves in 31 minutes of action.

“I think I said this in the beginning, I was surprised to come into this All-Star Game," Rimando said. "There’s so many good goalkeepers in the league. But yeah, it was special, of course, for them to pick me and honor me in my last year. Very special for me, and like I said I took everything in, I brought my family out, and it was a special one even though we lost.”

Llorente scored in the 43rd minute and Feliz and Costa came off the bench to score late goals in the rain-delayed match away before a sellout crowd of 25,527.

"The league has grown each day. The league will continue to grow," Simeone said. "In the second half, we saw a dynamic MLS team that could have hurt us."

The MLS's best have faced international opponents 16 times in the All-Star Game. The past two years, Italian powerhouse Juventus and Spain's Real Madrid won on penalty kicks after the teams played to 1-1 draws through 90 minutes.

Wednesday night's match at Exploria Stadium — a 25,500-seat, soccer-specific facility that opened two years ago — culminated a week of related events thrusting Orlando into the soccer spotlight. The city also hosted the MLS All-Star game in 1998, attracting a crowd of 34,416 to the Florida Citrus Bowl.

"It gives a great representation of the league," said Orlando City's James O'Connor, who coached the MLS All-Stars. "It's a challenge for some of the young players to test themselves against some of the best players in the world. I think we have some of the best players in the world in the league. When you look at the quality of the play from a few of the individuals tonight, there were some exemplary pieces and passages of play from both teams. I thought it was a very entertaining game."

Heavy rain sent fans scurrying for cover about an hour before the scheduled kickoff, which was delayed 34 minutes, and the showers continued for much of the match. Atletico controlled the tempo, outshooting MLS 12-1 in the opening half — with D.C. United's Wayne Rooney getting off the All-Stars' only attempt — a right-footed shot from outside the box that sailed over the top of the net in the 26th minute.

Llorente scored off a nifty pass from Rodrigo Riquelme, a 19-year-old midfielder who delivered the ball off his heel. Llorente finished with a shot that deflected off the hand of diving goalkeeper Andre Blake of the Philadelphia Union.

MLS had a couple of scoring chances early in the second half, however LAFC's Diego Rossi misfired on a right-footed shot from the left side of the net in the 47th minute and Atletico starting goalkeeper Antonio Adan made his only save when Seattle's Nicolas Loderio tried to score from the same area in the 55th minute. Atlanta's Ezequiel Barco was rejected on a free kick in the 80th minute and another opportunity ended with Chicago Bastian Schweinsteiger's shot on a direct free kick veering just right of the net in the 82nd.

Atletico put it out of reach in the closing minute with Felix scoring in the 85th minute and Costa in the 93rd.

“The first half I thought we had probably a 15-minute spell where we looked and played with danger. It looked like we were going to get control of the game,” O’Connor said. “For me, the second half, the passages, the play, there were some good opportunities.”

Why did The Tribune bury the July 31 story “Ex-Michigan State president gets $2.5M retirement payout” on the sports page? It is not even remotely a sports story. It is another story about very profitable day for a CEO who ignored sexual abuse — again.

And I suppose that the story about Donald Trump attacking Baltimore on Twitter is actually a story about pest control?

Tom Horton, Park City

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Dear Ann Cannon • Over the last 50 years I have observed something that continues to bother me. I have never talked to my bishop or anyone else about this, but I am finally getting this off my chest. I am so tired of observing a couple sitting in front of me, probably a husband and wife, who throughout a church meeting are rubbing each other‘s head and neck. It is so distracting. I would think they could save the foreplay until after church. Other than not going to church or sitting on the front row, I’m not sure how to address this. I always observe at least one or two couples participating in this distraction. Any suggestions about how to handle this situation?

— Disgruntled in Draper

Dear Disgruntled • As your letter demonstrates, different people are comfortable with different levels of PDA, i.e. “public displays of affection.” While I understand that you’re put off by couples who engage in PDA in the same way others are put off by people who don’t corral their children at church, you might want to ask yourself what would happen if a bishop told people to knock it off. Would those couples feel like they weren’t welcome to attend sacrament meeting any longer? Would they stop coming? Would you be OK with that? For now I think if I were you, I’d sit on the front row.

Meanwhile, readers sound off on having to wait for other people …

I lived over 80 miles out of Denver. I had to go in to town to a doctor’s clinic on a regular basis. I was always on time. I waited in the reception area three times for 10, 15 and 20 minutes. In talking to others, I found out he always ran behind, but never took a long time with his patients. His assistant did not schedule right. I took $30 off of the next two bills. After some discussion, the wait times decreased.

And on the woman who worries a friend has a crush on her husband …

A couple years ago, I would have totally agreed with your advice to the woman whose friend seems to have a crush on her husband. But I was in a similar situation and, yada yada yada, I’m now divorced and my ex-husband is with the neighbor. I realize now that I was about as naive as I could be. I was uncomfortable watching my neighbor seem so enthralled with my husband, and yet she was married (in what I later learned was only a marriage on paper, apparently continuing to live together for the sake of the kids) and my husband didn’t seem to notice she only had eyes for him. I would have never expected this neighbor to pursue a married man, and I would have never expected my husband to “date" a married woman. But I didn’t really know this neighbor, and she convinced my husband they were soulmates and all the heartache that ensued for my family was necessary in their need to be together.

So, while I think you had a good start with your advice, I would have also cautioned the reader that she be alert and not naive. I had all kinds of premonitions that something was going on, but I kept brushing them aside, thinking, “I’m over-reacting; they’re just friends.” She may think she knows how her friend and husband will act in this situation, but she really doesn’t. At least, that’s what I learned from my experience.

And finally …

To the woman whose friend has a crush on her husband: Over the years lots of women have had/have crushes on my husband. And why not? He is charming, gracious, thoughtful, intelligent, and I personally think he is handsome. And I love the twinkle in his eye when we privately laugh about it. Who doesn’t like to be appreciated. Celebrate that others see the same wonderful qualities as you do!

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.

Utah is poised to add 34 more cougar hunting permits across the state, alarming wildlife advocates who fear trophy seekers will wipe out the older and bolder cats, destabilizing the mountain lion population and boosting the threat to cattle.

“Getting rid of the big cats, from a livestock-protection perspective, is very foolish,” said Kim Crumbo, senior carnivore advocate for Wildlands Network. “They live a long time because they learn to get along.”

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants to increase the number of hunting permits to 678 (out of about 2,700 cougars in the state) for the 2019-20 season. The Utah Wildlife Board will take public comment on the proposal before voting Aug. 22.

Robert Wielgus, former director of Washington State University’s large carnivore conservation lab, cautioned that DWR’s plan could amount to overhunting. He noted that cougar populations grow at about 14% annually. Utah’s proposal would put a quarter of the mountain lions at risk.

His research also found that heightened hunting can lead to more human issues with the big cats. When hunters gun down the large males in charge of a territory, adolescent males can become more emboldened and creep into human settlements. A 2016 study out of British Columbia also found that human-cougar conflicts, such as attacks on livestock and people, were higher after increased trophy hunting.

Darren DeBloois, DWR’s mammals coordinator, agreed that hunters often target large alpha males as prizes but said the department monitors the health of that subpopulation. If less than 15% of the cougar kills in a hunting unit are over 5 years old, it indicates that older lions have been overhunted and the DWR would push to reduce the permits.

Ashley Soltysiak, director of the Utah Sierra Club, worries that fewer cougars could lead to genetic bottlenecking. A smaller population could bring a less diverse gene pool, making the species more vulnerable to changes in their environment or diseases.

Tyler Farr, president of the Utah Houndsmen Association, desires a healthy cougar population. Unlike other trophy hunters, he said, Houndsmen go after cougars for the sport and often do not kill the lions after they find them. The association, he said, trusts that DWR is doing its job correctly.

Farr chases cougars once or twice a week during the hunting season, a pursuit he’s enjoyed for the past 12 years. Farr said he is happy with the lion supply up north, where he hunts and is consistently able to find animals. Houndsmen in other regions have seen some populations decrease, but whether cougar fluctuations are a result of hunting or weather patterns, Farr can’t say.

DeBloois noted DWR also wants to boost the permits to help stave off declines among mule deer and bighorn sheep. Crumbo of the Wildlands Network sees some justification for that but argues for a more scientific approach.

Don’t hold your breath on that, said Kirk Robinson, executive director of the Western Wildlife Conservancy. After three decades working in Utah, he said, he has no faith that the state cares about science or the public interest.

Robinson served on the 21-member board that established the 2015 cougar management plan. The panel included two with advanced science degrees, eight representatives with hunting backgrounds and no one besides Robinson from a conservancy background.

He also criticized the lack of gender, racial and political diversity on the state’s wildlife board. He said critics of cougar hunting have little chance of ever making up the majority of the governor-appointed board.

“Each year," Robinson said, “the wildlife board consists of middle to elderly-aged white males who are part of the hunting community or have agricultural interest.”

Gov. Gary Herbert’s office said in a statement that Herbert is confident in his appointments to the board and seeks to bring varied perspectives to the table. Before board members change wildlife rules, his office said, they listen to recommendations from biologists and input from the public.

This isn’t the first year that cougar hunts have caused concern. DWR has raised permit numbers over the past few years, each time to the dismay of animal advocates.

DeBloois said that no matter what DWR recommends, people will be unhappy. Some Utahns would like to see all the cougars gone; others would like to ban hunting altogether.

“It’s controversial," he said, “and there are a lot of different opinions about it.”

A Utah company released two different distilled spirits May 2.

Five Husbands — a limited-edition vodka celebrating Utah’s 2019 Pride Festival — was placed in liquor stores throughout Utah and, as of this week, has sold more than 800 cases, said Steve Conlin, CEO of Ogden’s Own Distillery.

Porter’s Rye 95, a small-batch whiskey, has a different story. It sat in the state warehouse for nearly 11 weeks before it finally reached liquor store shelves July 16. It was stocked in only two stores — Murray and Orem — and, so far, has sold 14 bottles.

“It’s a tale of two products," Conlin told members of the state liquor commission Tuesday. “If Porter’s Rye had been introduced in an efficient manner, it possibly could be selling as much as our Five Husbands brand.”

During the same time, Conlin said later, Ogden’s Own sold 52 cases at the distillery’s on-site store.

The story illustrates a problem that Conlin and other Utah distillers have with the new retail technology system the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control uses to determine what products are placed on the shelves in its state-run liquor stores.

The Symphony System uses algorithms based on what consumers buy and how much they spend. One store may have more higher priced wines, because that’s what the computer shows shoppers are purchasing. Another store may have more affordable liquors.

Symphony replaces a controversial centralized order program that often created a lack of selection and availability in stores. The problems were especially noticeable during the busy holiday season, when stores would run out of Baileys Irish Cream at Christmas or certain brands of Champagne on New Years Eve.

While those issues have mostly been solved, distillers say Symphony now favors large national manufacturers, with high volume, at the expense of smaller, Utah companies.

Some “human intervention” by the DABC is needed to ensure that Utah businesses get their products on the shelves, said Conlin. “I cannot sell what is not available to people."

DABC Deputy Director Cade Meier defended the computer selection system, saying the Ogden’s Own products were treated differently because demand is different.

“Rye [whiskey] doesn’t have the biggest market,” he said.

As for the Symphony System, “it works great,” Meier maintained. “It understands what is going on in the stores.”

The DABC is willing to work with Conlin and other distillers on the issues, Meier added. “But we cannot bend to every single vendor that is out there. If there is not a demand for the product, that is an indicator of future success. We can’t control what people want to buy,”

The DABC may be hampered by U.S. Supreme Court rulings that bar states from favoring residents or local producers over out-of-state businesses.

The most recent case involved former Salt Lake City residents who moved to Tennessee to open a liquor store. To qualify for a retail liquor license in Tennessee, a person had to be a resident for at least two years. To renew the license, they had to have lived in the state for at least 10 years.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the residency requirement was unconstitutional under the dormant Commerce Clause. The doctrine forbids states from creating unfair barriers that hinder interstate commerce.

Lawyers in the Tennessee case used, as precedent, a 2005 U.S.Supreme Court case involving Michigan and New York. Laws in those states, which favored local producers, also were deemed unconstitutional.

J.P. Bernier, the owner of Hammer Spring Distillers in Salt Lake City, has been unable to get some of his products on liquor stores shelves.

The distiller’s Perky Cowgirl Coffee Liqueur was never purchased by the DABC. The only place to buy it is at its distillery, 3697 W. 1987 South, Salt Lake City, he said.

The company’s potato vodka — the only potato vodka distilled in Utah — was put in more than a dozen liquor stores in 2018.

“We were really excited 18 months ago to get the bottles in DABC stores,” he said.

Then — shortly after the Symphony program took hold across the state — the product was “delisted" and removed from many stores. “I was told by DABC officials to start considering out-of-state sales."

For the boutique distillery to succeed, products need to be in several Utah liquor stores, Bernier said. And he doesn’t believe the small distillers should be held to the same sales requirements as large national brands.

“The DABC," he said, “wants me to sell as much as Bacardi.”

For all the abuse — much of it deserved — that legislators took for tinkering with Utah’s medical marijuana initiative, there was one idea they came up with that made a lot of sense: Tapping into the network of county health departments to act as a dispensary network.

It solved a major problem hanging over the entire program, which was how to make sure that rural Utah has access to the product in the first place?

Left to the market, it’s easy to see that the seven licensed private dispensaries would set up shop in big metro areas. If you went to the time and expense of getting a dispensary license, would you look to locate in Salt Lake County, which has more than 1.1 million people, or Beaver County, which has about 6,500?

If you chose the latter, it’s a safe bet your venture would be short-lived. So distribution through the county health departments made a lot of sense. It would guarantee a provider for patients who don’t live along the Wasatch Front and otherwise might not be able to get the cannabis that might alleviate their suffering.

While most states only license and regulate medical marijuana programs, Utah’s model puts the state and counties squarely in the middle of the supply chain. It was a novel approach. (It’s also socialism, so, shhh. Nobody tell Rep. Chris Stewart.)

However, it also created unique problems that were flagged by patient advocates — it is part of a lawsuit challenging the state’s medical marijuana law, which litigants call a “felonious, full-service drug cartel” — and were expressed months ago, behind the scenes, by county attorneys.

This week, Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill went public with their reservations, saying they would recommend that their county health departments not participate in the distribution program.

Their arguments are logical. Even though it’s legal across a significant majority of the country, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and, as you may remember from high school civics class, federal law trumps state law.

Gill — who advocated for the legalization of medical marijuana for years and supported Proposition 2 — told me Wednesday that the new state law puts him in an untenable spot. As a lawyer, he can’t recommend that his clients knowingly break federal law.

But on a larger scale, he said, it could jeopardize “scores of millions of dollars” in federal grants that Salt Lake County and its health department receive.

“We have to certify when we receive those monies that we’re not going to be engaged in knowing and intentional violations, and we’re going to comply with all the regulations and laws,” he said. Participating in the state’s distribution program would be “putting other federal grants at risk, not just the health department, the county as a whole, and the loss of that revenue would have to be backfilled on the backs of Salt Lake County taxpayers.”

Now, there is some question as to whether county funds would be jeopardized. For years, the Rohrbacher-Farr Amendment has prohibited the Justice Department from pulling grants to impede state marijuana laws.

And last week, Gov. Gary Herbert received a letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stating that, while federal funds can’t be used to help implement a marijuana program, “Utah’s Medical Marijuana law will not affect the state’s eligibility to apply for HHS grants, nor will it affect the outcome of the state’s application.”

For Davis and Salt Lake counties, an abundance of caution won’t hurt. As I mentioned, the licensed private dispensaries will almost certainly all be clustered along the Wasatch Front. Patients in that area won’t just have access, they’ll have choices, when it comes to getting their prescriptions filled.

But if rural counties use the same logic Gill and Rawlings deployed, it could be a major setback for cannabis access around the rest of the state.

Herbert’s office issued a statement that all of the county health departments and others whose job it is to implement the medical marijuana program “should do so in a manner that is consistent with the timeline prescribed in the Utah Medical Cannabis Act. Any suggestion that the current law would require county employees to be ‘drug dealers’ is unprofessional and inappropriate.”

There is a reasonable solution to this problem.

Rather than the state relying on county health departments to take the risk, however small it may be, counties should be able to opt in as providers. The counties that choose to participate should be allowed to charge a small fee to offset costs and the state should, to the extent reasonable, indemnify the counties from liability.

Where the counties choose not to participate, the state, which is apparently comfortable with the ramifications of running the program, should become the provider of last resort.

Herbert alluded in his statement to upcoming meetings with legislative leaders and there is already talk of a special session to address the issue, which would be appropriate, since, to the program is on a tight schedule, with pharmacies expected to open next spring.

By taking that approach, counties like Salt Lake could be served by private dispensaries if they choose, counties wouldn’t be compelled to take on risk and, most importantly, patients across the state would have access to the medicine they need.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assured Gov. Gary Herbert that Utah is not at risk of losing federal health grants because of its unique plan for state distribution of medical cannabis.

"Utah's Medical Marijuana law will not affect the State's eligibility to apply for HHS grants nor will it affect the outcome of the State's application," stated the letter signed by Jennifer Moughalian, acting assistant secretary for financial resources at HHS.

The correspondence came in response to an inquiry from Herbert, amid simmering concerns over whether local health departments could be placing their federal aid at risk by transporting and selling a federally illegal substance.

Letter to Gov. Herbert from HHS by The Salt Lake Tribune on Scribd

Officials and advocates have been working behind the scenes for weeks to address questions and skepticism about the state’s central fill pharmacy — a system that would make Utah’s medical cannabis program one-of-a-kind in the nation. But the issue came to a head this week as two county prosecutors went public with their reservations; Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill even declared that asking the local health department to dispense cannabis “puts us in direct conflict with federal law.”

Also as an attorney, “we cannot knowingly advise a client to violate the law,” Gill added.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings also expressed his concerns about asking local health workers to dispense marijuana products.

And Connor Boyack, founder of the libertarian Libertas Institute and one of the architects of the Utah Medical Cannabis Act, said this month’s letter from HHS isn’t enough to allay the fears of local health department officials.

“While it’s great to have a reassurance from the federal government, the letter is nonbinding and subject to change at any time,” Boyack said. “So counties have felt like that’s an insufficient reassurance that they will be forever legally protected and have access to federal funding if they were to be involved in distributing a federally illegal substance.”

Boyack said another snag in the system has emerged over the proposed cannabis pickup locations. Lawmakers had inserted the state dispensing system into the cannabis program partly so patients in rural areas could access medical marijuana at local health department offices, without having to travel long distances to a private pharmacy.

But local health departments have signaled that they wouldn’t want to dispense cannabis from satellite offices and would plan on centralizing distribution at their county headquarters, where there’s more staff and better security, he said. That could mean many patients are still without a nearby pickup site, Boyack said.

Officials with the Salt Lake County Health Department indicated they are hopeful that lawmakers will adjust HB3001, the medical cannabis act that the Legislature passed in December.

“That said, if HB3001 remains unchanged, right now we plan to follow the recommendation of our legal counsel,” Nicholas Rupp, a spokesman for the county health department, wrote in an email.

A spokeswoman for the Utah County Health Department said the agency is unsure how distributing cannabis might impact its federal funding. Because it hasn’t yet received state funding, the county’s health department hasn’t taken steps to hire additional staff or make any changes to buildings in order to accommodate cannabis distribution, spokeswoman Aislynn Tolman-Hill wrote.

Tom Hudachko, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health, said the state has done little so far to ramp up its public cannabis distribution system and has largely focused on crafting rules for the overall marijuana program and preparing to license private pharmacies.

The Utah Medical Cannabis Act currently allows for seven privately owned “cannabis pharmacies” in addition to the state distribution system.

Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, said Tuesday that state leaders have been hearing concerns about the state-run model for months so they have been exploring alternatives — and may seek a special session of the Legislature to enact changes. He said because officials are still discussing several options and ideas are fluid, he is not yet ready to talk about them publicly.

On Wednesday, Herbert’s office released a statement saying that he is determined not to fall behind on the state’s cannabis program timeline, which calls for making marijuana treatments available to patients early next year.

Herbert will meet with legislative leaders in mid-August to "provide and receive updates on a number of critical policy items" and will work with them to decide if a special session on cannabis is necessary, the statement said.

Until any legislative changes are made, health departments should continue treating the state’s medical cannabis act as the law of the land, the governor’s office said.

“Any suggestion that the current law would require county employees to be ‘drug dealers’ is unprofessional and inappropriate,” the statement concluded.

The state is already close to issuing licenses for marijuana farmers. On Wednesday, officials announced they had turned down appeals from six companies that applied to grow medical cannabis in Utah but failed to make the cut in the scramble over the limited number of cultivation licenses.

The businesses that protested the state’s selection process were among the 81 that vied for a license to produce marijuana for Utah’s emerging medical cannabis program. The state was authorized by law to name up to 10 cultivators, but earlier this month announced that it would initially only award eight licenses to prevent an oversupply of cannabis. Agriculture officials are currently working to finalize the licensing with the eight winning companies.

Six of the losing applicants — Pure UT, North Star Holdings, Total Health Sciences, Wild West Holding, JLPR and Tintic United Bioscience — lodged complaints about the state’s decision, claiming scoring inconsistencies and bias, among other things.

The state’s director of purchasing and general services, Christopher Hughes, on Wednesday announced his decision to dismiss the protests. The six companies can appeal his decision to the Utah Procurement Policy Board, he said.

Hudachko said his agency is hoping to open bidding for private pharmacy licenses sometime next month.

Park City • Climate change is often framed as a partisan issue, but it doesn’t have to be that way. That was the message agreed upon by a group of Summit and Wasatch County leaders, local academics and students who discussed climate change at a panel at the Park City Library on Wednesday.

“Climate change is way too important of an issue to be debated for the next 20 years,” said Mia Vinding, a high school student and environmental advocate from Park City who spoke on the panel. “We don’t have 20 years.”

The Mayors’ Town Hall on Air and Climate Solutions was sponsored by the Wasatch chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to addressing climate change. Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson, Heber Mayor Kelleen Potter and Park City Mayor Andy Beerman answered community questions and shared the environmental goals of their respective towns.

The mayors were joined by Brigham Young University Professor of Humanities and the Environment Christopher Oscarson, University of Utah Professor of Atmospheric Science Logan Mitchell and Vinding.

Mitchell studies greenhouse gasses and air pollution and advises local communities on how to implement policies for better air quality. He said there are overlapping environmental policies to reduce emissions that even climate skeptics can be moved to support.

“People who may not agree that the climate is changing, well it turns out they’re still part of the population of one 100% of us who still breathe and are affected by air condition,” he said.

Mitchell also pointed out the potential economic benefits of renewable energy, which he said are surpassing fossil fuels in affordability and practicality. American investment in renewable energy will help the country stay competitive in the global economy over the next decade, he added.

As a professor, Oscarson believes climate change is becoming an increasingly bipartisan issue for younger generations. But for those who doubt climate change, scientific facts are often not enough to change their deeply held beliefs, he said. It is important to listen to the concerns of people on both sides of the issue so that they feel as though they are being taken seriously, said Oscarson. When people feel that they are being heard, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

Johnson said she believes bipartisan, grassroots movements are an important way to tackle climate change. Local leadership does not have enough time to act on all the issues at hand, so Johnson says she loves it when residents take initiative on the topics they care about and then come to the city for support with their projects.

But the city has plans too. Midway residents voted last November to support a $5 million bond to purchase the development rights for land and preserve it for agriculture or open space, said Johnson. This means that landowners who are pressed for cash no longer have to sell their farms for development.

Park City’s Beerman said the resort town is working with Summit County to become 100% net zero emissions as a municipality by 2022 and communitywide by 2030. All new city projects will be net zero emissions, said Beerman. He also boasted about Park City’s increasingly electric bus fleet, and said the city is working to preserve open space.

Many people in Heber are still skeptical of climate change, said Potter, which makes community support more difficult to obtain. But she said the city has the advantage of owning 75% of Heber Light and Power, which it shares with Midway and Charleston. The city is looking to increase renewable energy sources in its portfolio and is offering rebates for energy efficient appliances and light bulbs.

When our president tweets and says racist things, it is probably because he is a racist. But this is difficult to explain to most Donald Trump supporters.

When you have six bankruptcies under your belt and your wealth was inherited from your father, you are not a good businessman. This is even harder to explain to the base.

When Trump prefers the company of Putin, Un and MBS over our democratic allies and leaders, this is a dangerous approach foreign policy. But the fans at the rallies could care less because we’re having so much fun here.

When a well-respected Republican prosecutor investigates you and produces a scathing report, Trump fans refer to the Barr report. Robert Mueller is fake news.

So anyone who is paying attention and has a basic understanding of civics knows Trump is a great big orange bag of problems with a funny comb-over. (I'm not a politician, let alone the president, so I'm allowed to be snitty.)

But, alas, the real problem is the base.

Karl R. Walker, Millcreek

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A 12-year-old girl reported missing early Thursday morning has been found safe, South Salt Lake police said.

Officers located the girl Thursday just before noon. She had last been seen at her grandmother’s house at 4 p.m. Wednesday before she left to meet some friends.

By 10 p.m., her brother had messaged her on social media, and the girl said she was on her way home — but she never arrived.

According to police, the girl went to an apartment complex near her home and met a 12-year-old friend there, along with two other girls, age 12 and 16. They decided Wednesday night to sleep over at the house of one of the girls, in West Valley City.

The girl’s grandmother found the West Valley City location through a location app on the girl’s phone, and the grandmother gave that information to police at about 12:45 a.m. Thursday.

The mother of one of the girls drove the four girls to West Valley City, and the girl contacted her grandmother to let her know about the sleepover, police said. One of the girls saw the missing girl’s picture on social media Thursday morning, and called police to arrange her safe return.

Police said community interest, and distribution of the girl’s photo and information in the media, helped resolve the case.

In the spring of 2018, a Kanosh firefighter had something to tell Scott Corry, then the town’s fire chief and a sergeant at the Millard County Sheriff’s Office.

Corry’s son, Austin Corry, had been raping the firefighter, alleges the woman and law enforcement in various court records. The firefighter told the elder Corry during a return trip from Beaver and recorded the conversation, according to the records.

Scott Corry didn’t do any of the things peace officers should do when they receive such a report, new criminal charges against him say, nor did he immediately acknowledge the reports to the detectives who eventually investigated his son. Scott Corry, 62, was charged Wednesday in state court in Fillmore with a felony count of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor count of official misconduct. The felony carries up to 15 years in jail.

Scott Corry did not return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday, nor did attorneys representing him in a related lawsuit. The court docket does not list a lawyer for him and indicates he will receive a summons to appear. No court dates were scheduled as of Wednesday morning.

Austin Corry, 27, has already been charged with 15 counts of various sexual assault charges. He has pleaded not guilty in one courtroom, where a judge in April ordered him to stand trial on 14 of those counts, a court docket shows. A trial has not yet been scheduled.

A rape charge is pending in a separate case. Corry has been in jail in lieu of $30,000 bail.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. The alleged victim has said Austin Corry raped her at the fire station in Kanosh and elsewhere from 2015 and into 2018.

The charges against Scott Corry say after the victim told the volunteer fire chief and sheriff’s sergeant what happened and played a recording of one of the assaults, Scott Corry said “they would take care of it and Scott Corry would figure out how to handle it.”

But the charges say Scott Corry did nothing and his son sexually assaulted the firefighter again in August 2018.

“Scott Corry deceived the victim... into believing that he would aid her and report the crime," the criminal charges against him say.

After what the alleged victim says was another rape in August 2018, she reported the assaults elsewhere. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office investigated to avoid conflicts for the more-local law enforcement.

On Aug. 22, Scott Corry accompanied his son to an interview with detectives in Provo. After the younger Corry was arrested on suspicion of rape, a detective questioned Scott Corry. The charges against him say the father “again failed to disclose previous reports and previous knowledge of the rape and sexual abuse.”

Later in the case, investigators talked to Scott Corry again.

“Scott Corry admitted he had heard the audio and had talked with [the victim] and told her they would figure it out,” the criminal charges say. “Scott Corry made a statement about it being time for him to retire and that he was also trying to protect his son and he never got around to it. Scott Corry said in the interview he never notified his chain of command and knowingly committed an unauthorized act which purports to be an act of his office or refrained from performing a duty imposed upon him by law by concealing reports of rape made to him about his son Austin.”

The Utah Attorney General’s Office filed the charges against Scott Corry. The Millard County Chronicle Progress has reported he left the Millard County Sheriff’s Office in October.

The firefighter who says she was raped in April filed a federal lawsuit against Kanosh, Millard County and Scott and Austin Corry. That lawsuit is pending.

Jay McFarland, a former KSL NewsRadio pundit who hosted the “JayMac News Show,” plans to challenge Ben McAdams next year in Utah’s 4th Congressional District.

In a news release Thursday, McFarland’s team described the candidate as someone who “passionately fought for compassion, understanding, and respect in a world of ever-increasing political polarization" during his nine years at the Salt Lake City-based radio station, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“How can you change hearts and minds when you use biting tactics?” McFarland’s announcement asked. “Now the time for talk is over. Jay is turning talk into action by announcing his candidacy.”

McFarland told The Tribune on Thursday that he got into radio because he wanted to have an impact on public debate. And as his children have gotten older, McFarland said, he has become increasingly concerned with the country that will be handed off to the next generation.

And while he lacks traditional political credentials, he said his experience and perspective as a former talk radio host give him an ideal background for a congressman.

“Being in Congress is about the battle of ideas,” McFarland said.

McFarland is the third Republican candidate to formally announce his candidacy, following political activist Kathleen Anderson and Army veteran John Molnar. Several other Republicans are publicly considering a run, including former Congresswoman Mia Love; state Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan; and Utah County Commissioner Nathan Ivie.

A third-party candidate, United Utah’s Jonia Broderick, has also entered the race.

The 4th District, straddling Salt Lake and Utah counties, is the state’s most competitive, although it still leans Republican. McAdams, the only Democrat in Utah’s congressional delegation, won the seat by a margin of fewer than 800 votes in 2018.

Andrew Roberts, McAdams’ campaign manager, said Utah voters appreciate the approach the congressman has taken to building bridges and solving problems.

“They recognize his commitment to listening to constituents from both sides of the aisle," Roberts said, "and then working together to get things done on the issues that matter most to us here in Utah.”

Asked about his potential opponent, McFarland said that McAdams is “a nice guy,” but someone who doesn’t represent the core values of the 4th District.

McFarland, who lives in Herriman, said he disagrees with McAdams’ belief that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is something that can be fixed. And McFarland said he’s more broadly concerned with how “the left” wants to hand states’ rights over to the federal government.

“I don’t believe they’ve earned the right to run our programs,” McFarland said. “They can’t run what they have now.”

In addition to states’ rights, McFarland said he’s focused on protecting the rights of gun owners — he is a concealed carry permit holder — while still promoting solutions to gun violence and mass shootings, like so-called “red flag” laws that would allow a person’s weapons to be seized under court order if they are determined to be a threat to themselves or others.

“As long as it is focused on actions,” he said, “not just anybody who holds a firearm, and as long as due process is involved.”

His campaign website also includes a proposed framework for immigration reform, which would combine increased border security and the termination of so-called “sanctuary cities” with the requirement that individuals currently in the country illegally pay a fine or face deportation. If that fine is paid, his plan calls for allowing Dreamers and immigrants without a criminal history to remain in the country and for changes to be made to the immigration system to improve the process of legal entry.

“I believe it satisfies all sides,” he said, “but it also requires a little bit of compromise from all sides.”

McFarland stepped down from his position at KSL last month when rumors began circulating that he was eyeing a congressional run. He said stepping down from his talk show was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made and acknowledged that he may not be able to return to his former career if his campaign is unsuccessful.

“That, honestly, is how strongly I feel about my ability to bring change to our current system,” he said. “I’m willing to go all in. And all in means all in.”

Utah is No. 15 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, the highest ranking in August in either of the two major polls in the program's history.

Thursday's announcement of the Coaches Poll comes about three weeks ahead of the preseason AP Top 25's release. The Utes haven't been ranked in that poll in August in their Pac-12 era, but are expected to land in the same range as in the Coaches Poll.

The Utes were No. 25 in the preseason Coaches Poll in 2017, when they finished 7-6. The program's highest preseason ranking in that poll was No. 18 in 2009, when Utah went 10-3 to follow a 13-0 season.

Other Pac-12 teams listed in the Coaches Poll include No. 12 Washington, No. 13 Oregon, No. 21 Washington State and No. 23 Stanford. The Utes will host WSU on Sept. 28 and visit Washington on Nov. 2; they will miss Oregon and Stanford in the Pac-12′s scheduling rotation in 2019.

Utah State received the equivalent of a No. 35 ranking in the others receiving votes category.

The Pac-12 South’s USC, UCLA and Arizona State also received votes in the poll. Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Texas Tech’s Matt Wells, formerly of Utah State, are among the 65 voters.

Cheap vodka, boxed wine and pricey Champagne — these are the top sellers in Utah’s state-run liquor stores.

Barton Vodka led all items with sales topping $3.1 million, Terry Wood, spokesman for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, explains on this edition of the ‘Utah Booze News’ podcast.

Also on the show, Salt Lake Tribune reporter Kathy Stephenson and Fox 13′s Ben Winslow discuss alcohol sales. It could be another record year for Utah, as preliminary figures show the state may top $479 million for fiscal 2018-19, which ended June 30.

Listen here:

Listen on iTunes | Art 19 | Stitcher | Spotify | Google Play | iHeartRadio

Washington • Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney voted Thursday against a compromise budget deal that only passed with Democratic support in the GOP-led Senate as many Republicans denounced the package that raises funding levels and hikes the nation’s credit card to stave off a default.

The measure passed 67-28 and now heads to President Donald Trump, who had urged Republicans to get behind the bill. The House previously approved the legislation.

Budget Deal is phenomenal for our Great Military, our Vets, and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs! Two year deal gets us past the Election. Go for it Republicans, there is always plenty of time to CUT!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2019

Lee and Romney, both Utah Republicans, said they couldn’t support the $2.7 trillion budget deal, which was hammered out between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the White House.

“If we can’t control spending now when the economy is performing about as well as it possibly can, then when can we?” Lee said in a statement. “We need to start taking steps in the right direction and the first step is voting against bills like this one that do not meaningfully address our spending problem.”

The massive package raises the debt ceiling — the nation’s limit on how much it can borrow — for two years past the 2020 election and ends budget caps to allow for $320 billion more in domestic and military spending.

While riding on an underground subway train from his office to the Capitol, Romney recorded a short video explaining why he couldn't vote for the deal.

“It goes back and forth all day and never gets anywhere,” Romney said of the subway ride. “And in some respects it’s a pretty good metaphor for our progress in Congress to deal with the federal deficit and the amount of debt we have [going] back and forth. Same thing year in and year out.”

Romney urged Congress to take up the government’s automatic spending on Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare as a way to address the burgeoning debt rather than try to rein it in piecemeal. He didn’t elaborate.

The budget deal was necessary as Treasury Department officials warned the country would hit its credit limit in September, a dire situation that could mean America couldn't borrow more money or pay its creditors.

It also helps steer Congress toward passing a budget to keep the government running beyond Sept. 31, when the last stopgap spending plan expires.

The House had passed the budget deal 284-149 a week prior, with Utah GOP Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Stewart supporting it and Rep. John Curtis opposing it. Rep. Ben McAdams, the state’s only Democrat in Congress, also voted against it.

The debt ceiling vote is always the third rail of politics in Washington. The ceiling has to be raised — the money has already been appropriated — but no one wants to be tagged with adding more to the country’s already $16 trillion debt. The country also owes itself more than $5 trillion it borrowed from other government accounts.

With the House led by Democrats and Republicans controlling the Senate and the White House, the two parties had to work out a truce to get the measure passed. Still, most Republicans voted against the budget deal.

Senate leaders made last-minute pitches to GOP members to support the bill, and Trump phoned some members urging them to vote for it.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the legislation will finally end the so-called sequester that limited government funding and hampered its ability to do its job.

“It’s an agreement that will strengthen our national security, provide our troops with the resources they need to do a very difficult and often dangerous job,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “And, importantly, it will clear the way for critical investments in America’s middle class and those struggling to get to the middle class: in health care, education, child care, cancer research, our veterans and more.”

On this rare occasion, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said all senators should have supported the measure.

“This government funding agreement is the right deal for our national defense. It’s the right deal because it ensures the United States maintains its full faith and credit,” McConnell said. “It’s the right deal because it brings predictability and stability through 2020 and moves toward restoring regular appropriations. And it’s the right deal because it secures these priorities without the partisan poison pill riders that would take us backwards on the issue of protecting human life and curtail essential presidential authorities.”

Still, critics worry that the budget deal just continues the kick-the-can-down-the-road attitude that will end up sinking Americans further in red ink.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the bill would add $1.7 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years and increase spending by more than 20 percent.

“Going forward, neither side can claim a mantle of responsible governing, and few have any moral ground to stand on. This is a bipartisan failure,” MacGuineas said. “A vote for this deal was a vote for fiscal irresponsibility and an abdication of leadership.”

The Mormon Land newsletter is a weekly highlight reel of developments in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether heralded in headlines, preached from the pulpit or buzzed about on the back benches. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Subscribe here.

Before exchanging vows

KUER’s Lee Hale kicked off his “Latter-day” series — and its focus on Mormon culture — with a look at a present-day practice: the premarital exam.

These medical checks for women about to wed and have sex for the first time take place almost exclusively in Utah and the Intermountain West’s so-called Mormon Belt.

During the exam with a gynecologist, the bride-to-be can ask questions, Hale reports, and might receive a dilater to make intercourse less painful.

So, why aren’t such discussions taking place sooner. Of course, Utah has had a tortured history with sex education in schools, and many parents don’t touch the topic at home.

“Going to a doctor for a ‘premarital exam’ can be an option, but it’s not a requirement. It’s not a necessity,” Salt Lake County-based sex therapist Kristin Hodson told Hale. “Helping our kids navigate that earlier would be better.”

Hale’s new podcast, “Preach,” is poised to debut in September.

‘Mocking’ Mormonism

When a pro-Scottish independence daily joked that a member of Parliament “does not believe Scotland could be a successful independent state but does believe in angels,” that Latter-day Saint lawmaker cried foul.

The National columnist also satirically asked, “Why put the question of deal, no-deal or no Brexit to fallible parliamentarians — or the mere mortals they represent — when we could just ask God?” and wrote that church founder Joseph Smith hid the gold plates (of Book of Mormon fame) much like the government does with Brexit legal advice.

Stephen Kerr, a Tory from Stirling, filed a formal complaint of religious discrimination with an independent press watchdog group, arguing it was inappropriate for The National to “demean and ridicule him on the basis of his religious beliefs.”

For its part, the newspaper maintained that no one is “entitled to practice religion free from criticism,” reported the Press Gazette, a British media magazine.

The Independent Press Standards Organization sided with The National, the Press Gazette said, ruling that “mocking references … to the teachings of the church were not directed at the complainant personally, and were not framed in reference to him as an individual, but to the organization as a whole, and its beliefs.”

Step-by-step membership

In a guest commentary for Religion News Service, novelist Mette Harrison spells out what it takes to be a full-fledged, honest-to-goodness, recommend-carrying Latter-day Saint.

Getting baptized and confirmed may be enough to get on the covenant path, but there are more steps (try 73) to set foot on the cultural course.

Here are a few from Harrison’s list:

• Eat meat sparingly. (Actually, scratch that. It’s in the Word of Wisdom, but no one pays attention to it anyway, so bring on the burgers. You’re going to need to keep your strength up for keeping all the other rules.)

• Go to church every Sunday, even when you’re on vacation. God gives you extra credit for this.

• Show up for moving other people in and out of your ward. Lift with your legs! And keep plenty of ibuprofen on hand.

• Know how to make important knots with rope. No one knows why this matters, but it does.

• Play “wholesome” games as a family. (Yes, Monopoly counts. The prophet Ezra Taft Benson taught that capitalism is holy, so it’s best to start ’em young.)

• Know the stories of your pioneer ancestors, if you have them, to tell your children on Pioneer Day. (Don’t worry about the gruesome details — kids will love them!)

Read the rest here.

This week’s podcast: Ministering to the doubters

Stories of members walking away from the church are legion. And plenty of books have been written in recent years documenting and addressing the concerns of these disaffected members.

But what can loved ones and leaders still in the faith do to help, to serve, to embrace these onetime believers?

That’s what David Ostler explores in his new book, “Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question.” A retired business executive, Ostler, who has lived on several continents and has served as a bishop, stake president and mission president, discusses his findings in this week’s “Mormon Land” podcast.

Listen here.

Double play

After Neil L. Andersen threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium last month, fellow apostle David A. Bednar joined the rotation several days later, hurling a strike at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

About 150 missionaries from the Houston South Mission also performed the national anthem, according to a news release.

March against abuse

Sam Young is on the march — again — and this time he has more company.

The former bishop, who was excommunicated after his aggressive campaign to end bishops’ one-on-one interviews with minors, is uniting with other advocacy groups to hold the nation’s first march dedicated to ending child sex abuse.

“Child abuse is the most prevalent health problem children face. Yet we’re not talking about it, not addressing it,” Young said. “I encourage everybody that is concerned about child sex abuse, anybody that wants to eliminate what’s happening to children, to come to the march.”

It will take place in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, starting at City Hall and ending at the Utah Capitol.

Quote of the week

“We need to take [disaffected members’] concerns seriously. These issues are very real to them and we should never try and minimize their concerns. We need to validate, even if we disagree. Later, after they know that we really care about their concerns and how it impacts them, perhaps we can discuss ways to think about the issue or even move forward without a clear resolution.”

David Ostler, in a Q&A on his new book, “Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question”

Mormon Land is a weekly newsletter written by David Noyce and Peggy Fletcher Stack. Subscribe here.