Cinamon Hadley couldn’t help but make an impression. She projected an unforgettable image with her long dreadlocks, her tall and wispy, tattooed and pierced figure, her goth couture, her 6-inch-high heels.

But there was far more to it than that. She entranced people with her dancing. She inspired the look for the Death of the Endless character from DC Comics’ “The Sandman” series. Mostly, she enchanted those she came across with the kindness of her spirit.

“She was probably pretty empathic. She felt things from people around her — their hurts, their joys, and she was very, very compassionate,” said her mother, Patti Hadley. “I can't count the number of people who came up and expressed how she had loved them and helped them, and it was genuine. She gave her heart.”

Cinamon Hadley died Jan. 6 in Salt Lake City from the effects of colon cancer. But through phone calls and emails, some of those who knew her best shared the memories of her that show her spirit still lives on.

The dancer …

Patti Hadley, mother • She started ballet at age 8, and that pretty much consumed her life until she graduated from high school. … We spent an incredible amount of time together because of her ballet career. She'd grab her soles, and she would leave school and go straight to ballet — she wouldn't get home until probably 10 o'clock. And that was probably five nights a week.

Ivy Earnest, friend • I met her probably when I was about 14 at The Palladium dance club. On Wednesdays, they had dance night for a dollar, and I’d sneak out of my house to go. And we ended up in the same friend group. She was actually very shy — very timid and quiet. So we kinda just sat there together and didn’t say a lot.

Tracy Painter, friend • The first time I saw her was dancing at The Ritz. I had never seen anyone like her. … Her movements were so graceful, like she was telling a story with her whole body. She was so excited because her dad had bought her the black dress she was wearing. It was a big deal, because he had never bought her anything black before. At that moment, I found a connection. I had lied to my parents about where I was supposed be (It's OK — they know all about it now). We both come from an LDS background.

… My little sister was taking classes at the Christensen Center in Murray. I would go in and watch sometimes. One day, I was watching a class of older girls and saw Cinamon. Her gorgeous hair was tied up in a tight bun on top of her head, and she was in the requisite ballet uniform. Watching her dance was transcendent. It was like the world fell away and she was on her own.

The new scene …

Tarey Potter, friend • I met Cinamon at the Denny's in Provo in 1986. She was still blond then, but her hair was still as big as ever.

Patti Hadley • When she first got into goth, one day she said, “I only wanna wear black and white.” So, as mom, that's what I did — we went to the store and tried to do black and white. And then it was switching to only black.

Jennifer Russell, friend • I would take her and other friends home with me to my family’s house in Holladay for sleepovers. She found a kindred friendship with my very Mormon mother, who used to be a ballerina for several dance companies in SLC. My mom always loved when Cinamon came to stay over. She never cared that she had a spiderweb painted on her face.

Tarey Potter • In 1987, she moved into a basement apartment at the Hollywood Apartments (aka “Kill Pigs”). We would talk late into the night, listening to and talking about music. We both had similar tastes, but she absolutely loved Skinny Puppy.

Corrinne Lovendahl, friend • I met Cin when I was 16, back in ’87. She let me live with her at “Kill Pigs,” where we painted our walls black and the bathtub blue — who knows why the landlord allowed it, but he did. We were in such a quandary how to dye the carpet black.

Jennifer Russell • We had many crazy adventures at SLC dance clubs (The Ritz and The Palladium). Many more at the apartment building on 1st and 3rd — nicknamed “Kill Pigs.”

Ivy Earnest • We’d panhandle at Crossroads Mall, trying to get a dollar to get a cup of coffee, and then we’d go hang out at the park.

Tarey Potter • We were all starving and barely making ends meet, but we all looked out for one another. Cinamon, much like me, hated to see anyone without a roof over their head, so she opened her apartment to our friend Chandra, who was only 15 at the time.

Patti Hadley • Absolutely everywhere Cinamon went, she was kind of the star of the show. It's just her degree of being able to put things together. She was a leader without even trying to be. That, plus a group that readily accepted her, where maybe she didn't feel as much acceptance from at least part of her own family of origin …

The comic book …

Ivy Earnest • Our mutual friend Mike Dringenberg was a DC Comics artist, and he drew her one time. She had this certain look — people seemed to admire her fierceness. … We didn’t really know anything about that drawing until two years later, and then it was, “You’re in ‘The Sandman’ comic!” I think she was insanely humble about it. It was always other people — “Hey, you’re famous.” That never came out of her mouth. It was always kind of a word-on-the-street thing.

Jennifer Russell • As for her “fame” as Death, she really never cared too much about it. We all had a close-knit group of friends and watched Mike draw “The Sandman” over coffee at Bandaloops [Deli] and Nordstrom’s.

Corrinne Lovendahl • I found out later Mike D had convinced [series creator] Neil Gaiman to use her likeness as Death. We laughed and laughed and thought, “How fitting — a kind, beautiful Death. Yes.” Even she never realized that she would become an icon to people she'd never met.

Alana McDonald, friend • I found out about her association with “The Sandman” series. I had read it many times and love Neil Gaiman. Despite all that, in my head, Cinamon wasn’t Death — she was very much alive. There is a disassociation that still exists here for me.

Rest in Peace, or head off to your next adventure, Cinamon Hadley. You gave Death of the Endless her face and her smile. https://t.co/lsikh0BHCW

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 6, 2018

The struggles …

Patti Hadley • There were tattoos and drugs and whatever else. She didn't share a lot of that with me. … Living on the streets and trying to figure out whom to live with. Not everybody in the goth scene is of the same caliber as all the people I met. So there were some ups and downs for her. And of course, some of the people that she lived with were into drugs and so forth.

Corrinne Lovendahl • She loved Skinny Puppy, was obsessed. So, after getting our roommate to cover the rent and “watch the place,” we tried to hitchhike to Chicago for an upcoming concert. We made it to Portland, Ore. — her, Chandra and myself, in 1988. October is a strange time to hitchhike, cold. And we ended up on the West Coast, not Chicago. Ugh. We figured out SP was playing in Seattle and thumbed it there. … We lost each other in Seattle, when we got separated.

Tarey Potter • Once the rent money had run dry for Cinamon and Chandra, they tried moving to Portland. Cinamon’s car broke down as soon as they had arrived. The place they were supposed to stay had also fallen through, so they ended up living in the broken-down car. To make the situation worse, they were being chased after shoplifting some food one evening, and Chandra accidentally broke her ankle. Cinamon hauled Chandra around in a shopping cart for almost a week. … I never did find out how Cinamon made it back to SLC, but she did — of course without her car.

Corrinne Lovendahl • [We] reunited a few years later in SLC — I had an apartment on South Temple and 5th East. She came and laid in bed with me, and we talked and laughed and cried, and then she had to go. Back to somewhere.

The return …

Tracy Painter • After the first Ritz reunion, Aaron Shea and I got talking and decided that Cinamon HAD to be at the next one. It was The Ritz — it wasn't the scene history without her. We took up a collection and got her here. Meeting her at the airport, being able to give her a HUGE hug — it felt like coming home. That reunion was insane. A ton of people had found out that we were bringing her in for it, so folks that I hadn't seen since the early ’90s came out of the woodwork. She was mobbed by people and given SO much love. As a result of that, she decided to move back. She said she needed to come home. That was in 2010.

Cas Reich, friend • I met Cinamon when she returned to Salt Lake and fell back in love with her former girlfriend, my friend Megan [Dinnell]. Her aesthetic made her seem otherworldly — so ridiculously tall and graceful. Her thin dreadlocks reached her thighs and were often piled high on her head. … After they wed, they found themselves homeless with two kids. My husband and I welcomed them. Cinamon, Megan and [Megan’s] two boys, Po'okela and Ender, moved in with us. It was a rough time for them and they stayed with us for a while. We would encourage them to join us at meals so we could make sure they all ate. But they didn't want to be a burden (despite us assuring them they were not). … I vividly remember coming home from work to find Cinamon on our back deck sorting through potatoes and salad mixes she had gotten from the food pantry — this tall pagan goddess sitting on the ground picking out the best leaves and setting aside the wilted with a smile.

Alana McDonald • Six years ago, my now-husband and I sat on the porch of the house he rented downtown. It was summer, blistering hot. He mentioned a few friends were coming by to pick up an old air conditioner he wasn’t using at the time. Two women and a little boy lightly walked down 900 East toward us. This is when I met Cinamon — her 5-foot dreads slipping from her hair tie while her then-wife struggled to collect them. I’d come later to know how precious her hair was to her. At times, when one dreadlock may have accidentally been clipped off, she would sew the fallen soldier back into its well-worn place.

Cas Reich • After they got back on their feet, we helped them move into an apartment downtown. The heat was off and it was so cold in there a kitchen sponge had frozen to a wall. I was anxious about them moving there, but they insisted, and it soon flourished into a beautiful home.

Alana McDonald • She lived about a block from us. I would occasionally visit her quiet apartment that was littered with antiques (seemingly Victorian era) and enough pink to turn a person blind. Her two babies, Frappuccino and Tulip (rambunctious Chihuahuas), pranced under foot, begging to be touched while hiking endless steep steps to her door. She, always in heels nearly 6 inches tall. She always wore dangerously high heels — even in the winter, in ice, in mud, the rain. … We became fast friends rather quickly. She loved tea roses. We would drink cheap Bernettes gin, with whole milk, a tiny bit of sugar and rose water underneath my wisteria in the summer; she and I talking and drinking entire nights away, falling asleep in strange places around my house. The next morning, we’d make breakfast. Whenever she left, it smelled of patchouli and roses. … As the last few years wound down, I walked with her through the end of a marriage, the death of her beloved pet, jobs … the loss of her home.

Tracy Painter • My favorite memories of her are the moments where it was just us, sitting around drinking way too much coffee out of HUGE coffee mugs. She talked about how she wanted to become a fashion designer. When she was accepted to [the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising] in California, she was beside herself. She was also devastated when she wasn't going to be able to get enough scholarship money to be able to afford to live there. Fashion design became her life. She worked her TAIL off and pushed herself to get straight A’s.

Cas Reich • Being a designer myself, I was ecstatic to discover that she was entering the fashion program at [Salt Lake Community College]. She had modeled for me before and her taste in fashion was wild. We frequently chatted online about designing and sewing, and swapped techniques we discovered for working with plastics and vinyl (Cin’s favorite fabrics). Cinamon struggled with drawing her design croquis and agonized over every detail. Despite her anguish, end results were always fabulous.

Tracy Painter • One day she called and said she needed a break and could she come visit. We had moved to Perry by this point, so it was going to be a sleepover. This was in 2016. She hadn't been feeling well and just wanted to chill. She came up, we drank wine and watched dance movies, her favorite.

The cancer …

Cas Reich • Cinamon told me she hadn’t been well and was going for a biopsy. She was diagnosed as being in the advanced stages of small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. This was devastating news.

Tracy Painter • On March 10, 2017, she called me, crying. She had just been told her biopsy came back positive for cancer. She asked if I would come to her doctor’s appointment with her, because she didn't want to face it alone. That next week, I picked her up and we met with her internist, who went over the results of the PET scan with us. Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the colon. We were in shock. Her doctor helped get her next appointments with the radiation oncologist and medical oncologist set up, as well as applying for Medicaid, and we were on our way. As we stood in front of the elevator, she broke down and looked at me: “I don't want to die.” All I could do was hold her. I promised her I would be there every step of the way.

Patti Hadley • This particular cancer is supposed to be absolutely lethal — 94 percent fatality [rate]. When I got there, she could hardly speak. She was very, very weak.

Cas Reich • She had been too sick to work and she had no insurance. Our community of weirdos and freaks rose to the occasion. We mobilized and organized fundraisers and Medicaid coverage. We spent days cleaning her sweet, cluttery friend Dan’s apartment for her to move into, and organized meals. Her closest friends took her to chemotherapy and radiation treatments and held her hand through doctors’ visits.

Tracy Painter • Here is where we saw this amazing community come together. EVERYONE was there. They helped clean her house, took her grocery shopping, took her to get her prescriptions. They spent time with her, sat with her while she slept. I have never met ANYONE who has had that kind of magnetic power.

... Before her second round [of chemo], her hair was starting to come out. I told her I would shave my head with her. We turned it into a girls’ day out. We got our heads shaved, saved her knee-length dreads, then got our heads hennaed. It was an incredible experience to be able to share that with her.

Patti Hadley • The days were filled with trying to keep her busy. Cinamon is a person who likes to stay busy, so that's kind of what we did on a daily basis, whatever project — we shopped, went to the canyons, we did Reiki healing [a Japanese form of alternative medicine]. … There were some other treatments she had heard about that she had availed herself of. So between the two, her body very quickly responded and was eradicating the cancer.

The end …

Patti Hadley • When the radiation was over, you had to wait, I think, two months, because the inflammation in the body will show up the same as cancer. So you had to wait for all that inflammation to be gone. And so it was two months before her next scan.

… We brought her [to my home in Houston] for Christmas. She told me when she was here, “Mom, I don’t think I’m going to beat it this time. I think I’m going to die.” And, of course, my response to her was … “No, you’re not going to die.” And so, in some ways, I feel like I cheated her, because we could have talked about and addressed her fears. On the other hand, she had hope.

… So when she got back — I don’t know how she made the trip, actually — but she got back in time for a scan, and at that next scan, of course, it had just spread, it was still just going rampant. … Her body — she's very delicate. The chemo just really ended up destroying her immune system.

Cas Reich • The cancer returned with a vengeance. Despite returning to radiation therapy, she began to decline rapidly until about [three] weeks ago, [when] she was admitted to LDS Hospital.

Patti Hadley • At that time, we knew there was nothing else we could do for her. So it was a matter of me trying to figure out when should I go. She just absolutely went downhill so quickly. So she had gone to the hospital because she was in incredible pain and nauseous. And I got a call from one of her friends, Edgar, and he said, “You need to come.” And I thought, “OK, I'll get things wrapped up here so that I can come.” And then he called me the next day and he said, “You really can’t wait.”

Tracy Painter • My last private moment with her, she looked in my eyes, and I knew we would never be separated. I kissed her head and saw a tear slide out of her eye. That moment will stay with me forever.

Cas Reich • When I visited her in the hospital, she was so fragile and tiny. I sat awkwardly in her room amongst other friends and took her in. Despite being on her deathbed, when she came to, her light burned brightly. She thanked each nurse and visitor with a genuine smile. I held her hand and kissed her head, telling her that I loved her so much and I would see her tomorrow. I left her room knowing that was my goodbye. A nurse found me crying and hugged me so tight as I wept for my friend. She had so many plans, but life is fleeting.

Patti Hadley • My former husband, he did come. They had been estranged for … I think it’d been 20 years. I called him because I thought that he needed to come, I thought that it might be good for her. And so he came. She didn't respond because she was that medicated and probably that much on the other side, as well. But he sat down and touched her arm, and as he began to talk to me — her breathing had been labored, but it totally changed. It was peaceful, it was like all was right with the world.

The legacy …

Patti Hadley • My life is forever changed from meeting all of her friends. The love and the acceptance — and so you look beyond whatever the clothing is, or the tattoos, or the piercings, and you find people with such incredible heart, that I thought, “Oh my goodness! I see why she loves this person. I want this person in my life, too!” So it was an immediate love and acceptance of me, too. I’m sure that’s because I’m her mom. But I get the attraction, because that’s not so much in the world that I live in — the acceptance without judgment.

Tracy Painter • Cinamon was this amazing, otherworldly entity. She was so loving and kind. She lived a hard life, but NEVER let the bitterness get to her. She never had a mean word to say about anyone.

Tarey Potter • She will be permanently etched into my memory — two kids fighting and clawing their way off of the streets to being good adult friends.

Jennifer Russell • The love that she gave was genuine and overflowing. … Cinamon was one of a kind, and I am a better person for having her in my life.

Cas Reich • Her light touched so many people across this Earth, and she will be forever in my heart.

Corrinne Lovendahl • She was an amazing human being. I’m so sorry the world has lost her.

Alana McDonald • What I truly will miss most about my sweet, timid, elegant friend … is her voice. There was a specific way she would answer the phone when I called. The delicate sustain of, “Hello. I love you!” will endlessly resonate in my mind. … My darling, Cinamon, you were, and are, otherworldly. Promise you’ll find me on the other side.

Patti Hadley • I have felt her spirit. I felt her spirit as her pulse left her body — and it was her. It acted the same way she acts. It was a very peaceful, quiet … It was just like she stealthily left her body, and she turned around and she was concerned about me. And she’s concerned about her friends. Several friends have reported to me that she's visited with them. … So, there’s this very strong spirit here … and I don't know how all that works, but at least for right now, she is continuing to visit people and have some kind of an influence on her very dear friends. She has with me, as well. … I feel her spirit, I feel things from her. I’m not making it up. I wish I were more intuitive. I’d sure like it to be maybe more than just a vague feeling. I don’t mean to be hokey. I don’t know how that works, I don’t know how long she can do that, I don’t know if she’ll pop in and out. I don’t know.

My little grandson — I was crying the other day, and he came over to comfort me and asked me why I was crying, and I said, “Well, I miss Aunt Cinny, and I’m just thinking of wonderful things about her.” And he said, “Oh Grandma, it’s OK. You’re old — you’ll be dead soon and you’ll be able to be with her!” Haha! OK. There you have it.

Two of the nine movies nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture got their first public screenings this time last year at the Sundance Film Festival.

Director Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name,” recounting a teen’s first romance during an Italian summer, premiered to rave reviews in Park City last year and earned four nominations Tuesday. And Jordan Peele’s racially charged horror thriller “Get Out,” which also snagged four nominations, was shown at Sundance in a “secret” sneak preview.

“Call Me by Your Name” received nominations for Best Picture, actor in a leading role for Timothée Chalamet, adapted screenplay for James Ivory, and original song for Sufjan Stevens’ “Mystery of Love.”

“Get Out” received nominations for Best Picture, directing and original screenplay for Peele, and a lead-actor nod for Daniel Kaluuya.

The other big multiple nominee that premiered at Sundance last year is the 1940s race-division drama “Mudbound.” It received nominations for Virgil Williams and Dee Rees’ adapted screenplay, Mary J. Blige’s supporting performance, the original song “Mighty River” (sung by Blige), and Rachel Morrison’s cinematography.

Morrison’s nomination is historic, as it’s the first time a woman has ever been nominated in the cinematography category.

Morrison is serving on the U.S. Dramatic competition jury at this year’s Sundance — alongside Octavia Spencer, who was nominated for her supporting performance in Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.” A third juror, actor Michael Stuhlbarg, has the rare distinction of appearing in three Best Picture nominees: “Call Me by Your Name,” “The Post” and “The Shape of Water.”

The romantic comedy “The Big Sick,” which got a rave reaction when it premiered at Sundance, received an original-screenplay nomination for Kumail Nanjiani (who starred) and his wife, Emily V. Gordon. The movie is a fictionalized version of Nanjiani and Gordon’s up-and-down early courtship.

Three of the nominees in the documentary feature category premiered at Sundance: the sports-doping exposé “Icarus,” the Syria documentary “Last Men in Aleppo” and the true-crime exploration “Strong Island.”

The Utah Legislature is finally getting around to repealing that embarrassing law passed in 2000 that created an “obscenity and pornography complaints ombudsman,” commonly called a porn czar, that generated international jokes and razzing.

Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, is sponsoring HB50, which will erase the position from the state’s law books. (The post hasn’t been funded since 2003.)

When Utah became the only state to have an official “porn czar,” late-night comedians and international publications had fun teasing the Beehive State, already suffering from a reputation for provincial prudishness.

The position became part of the Utah Attorney General’s Office. It was supposed to take complaints from the public and develop policy positions to fight pornography.

A Washington Post story told how the porn czar was called on by residents to “persuade supermarkets to display racy magazines at adult-eye level, intercept a Victoria’s Secret catalog from a family’s mailbox, remove R-rated videos from public libraries, forbid the display of unclothed mannequins at department stores and outlaw strip clubs.”

When the Attorney General’s Office had to cut its budget in 2003, the porn czar joined the tally of items no longer funded. The post has not been filled since, but it has remained on the books.

While the Legislature is dealing with that embarrassing chapter, some Utah lawmakers are busy ensuring the state remains in the crosshairs of national commentators and news outlets looking for comic relief.

Let’s face it: For a state with a relatively small population, Utah holds its own when it comes to legislative ideas that make the rest of the nation laugh.

Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, who put Utah on the national radar last year by successfully sponsoring a bill that lowers the legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05, the strictest DUI law in the nation, now wants to tweak the law so that those whose alcohol intake prohibits them from driving can still shoot someone in self-defense.

Thurston has not yet introduced that legislation for the 2018 session, but he told the Deseret News last month he is considering such a proposal.

Currently, carrying a firearm while over the blood alcohol limit is a misdemeanor. Because of Thurston’s bill, that limit would drop to 0.05.

“We’re looking at modifying it to say that there is an overriding feature that if you are using that dangerous weapon to defend yourself, or your home, or a family member, or another person, [then] that’s justifiable,” Thurston told the Deseret News, “that even if you’ve been drinking, you still have the right to defend yourself.”

So the premise is that at 0.05, you are too impaired to drive a car but you still have the judgment to decide when to pull a trigger.

In 2015, Thurston sponsored a measure that would have taken away the prohibition of carrying a concealed weapon on a bus or light rail train. It passed the House but died in the Senate.

Had that passed, along with the Utah County lawmaker’s newest proposal, a drunken person could get on a bus or TRAX carrying a firearm.

What could possibly go wrong?

Another doozy this year is HB135, sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab.

Among other features, the bill would require cities exceeding 100,000 residents to provide a “highway” for driving cattle, as well as sheep, hogs and horses, through town.

I’m sure you’ve noticed all the cattle grazing that occurs in Salt Lake City that creates a need for such a provision.

If it passes, how about we designate State Street? After all, there isn’t enough traffic congestion fouling the air already.

Past bills contributing to Utah’s colorful history of national embarrassment include the resolution from Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, two years ago declaring pornography a public health crisis.

Then there was the proposal last year by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, that would allow Utah to pay its bills with gold and silver. That was sent to a study committee.

So buckle up for this year’s legislative session. Who knows what our esteemed lawmakers have in store that could provide a punchline for Jimmy Fallon or Stephen Colbert?

Using an office computer for a personal Google search or printing a non-work-related document on the clock generally goes unnoticed by employers.

But it definitely matters more if you’re a public employee or elected official using your work email to coordinate a political campaign.

A state legislator wants to discourage state and local government employees from using taxpayer resources for personal political communication.

Rep. Justin L. Fawson, R-North Ogden, is proposing a bill during the 2018 legislative session that would modify the definition of “record” in the Government Records Access and Management Act to include personal communication of a political nature, making such correspondence available to the public.

Fawson said there have been instances in the past where state employees have actively worked on a campaign while using things like their state email or state-issued computers.

“I’m not saying that they can’t use it for that purpose — even though I don’t think it should be used for that purpose,” Fawson said.

“I’m not interested in digging into anyone’s personal details, but I do feel like if you’re using state resources and having discussions of a political nature or coordinating campaigns of a political nature that should not qualify as a private conversation.”

He said that when he uses state resources, he considers all of his correspondence public information.

Fawson still has work ahead of him. The bill currently has no floor sponsor or Senate sponsor, but is up for consideration Tuesday afternoon at a House Government Operations Committee meeting.

Fawson said some agencies have expressed concern over his bill, but when he explains it, he hears the same thing — most people think that this type of communication is already public information.

Matthew Burbank, a political science professor at the University of Utah, said he had the same reaction to the bill. He said that when it comes to political work, he doesn’t see using state resources as a large problem for state employees.

“I think most state employees would be very cautious about using their office resources to do campaigning,” he said. “I think that most of them realize that’s probably a line they don’t want to cross.”

Burbank said obvious exceptions are legislators and the governor, whose jobs often blend working on legislation with campaigning to stay in office.

He also said the bill could either sail through the lawmaking process or sink — it’s hard to say in this early stage. It may be seen as a straightforward decision or an issue not worth spending time on during the 45-day session.

While the bill could be part of a larger push for greater public access to government information, Burbank said it is crafted narrowly to specifically stop public employees from misusing government resources.

“I’m not trying to shut down our First Amendment rights,” Fawson said. Employees would still be allowed to discuss political activities if the new law is enacted. The correspondence would just be considered public.

“I would encourage them to have this type of conversation over private resources, not state resources,” Fawson said.

With the Sundance Film Festival in full action, here are a few of the celebrities we’ve seen so far in Park City.

Daveed Diggs, co-producer, co-writer and co-star of “Blindspotting,” poses at the film’s premiere on opening night of the Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, Jan. 18.

Kathryn Hahn, a cast member in "Private Life," is interviewed at the premiere of the film on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Molly Shannon, a cast member in "Private Life," poses at the premiere of the film on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Actor Nicolas Cage is interviewed at the premiere of "Mandy" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Actor Chloe Sevigny is interviewed at the premiere of "Lizzie" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Producer Elijah Wood poses at the premiere of "Mandy" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Actor Rose Byrne poses during the premiere of the film "Juliet, Naked" at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Actors Barry Keoghan, left, and Evan Peters, right, pose at the premiere of "American Animals" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Actor Andrea Riseborough poses at the premiere of "Mandy" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Actor Ethan Hawke poses during the premiere of the film "Juliet, Naked" at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 19.

Common, a cast member in "The Tale," poses at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Jaden Smith, right, and Jada Pinkett Smith speak during the premiere of "Skate Kitchen" at the Library Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Actors Chloe Grace Moretz, left, and Sasha Lane appear at the premiere of "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 22.

Filmmaker Spike Lee poses at the premiere of the film "Monster" at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 22, in Park City.

Rupert Everett, center, the writer, director and star of "The Happy Prince," poses alongside cast members Colin Morgan, left, and Edwin Thomas at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Actor Forest Whitaker, left, and singer Usher Raymond, right, pose at the premiere of "Burden" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Actor Danny Glover speaks to reporters during the premiere of "Come Sunday" at the Eccles Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Attorney Gloria Allred poses at the premiere of "Seeing Allred" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Nick Offerman, a voice cast member in the animated film "White Fang," holds an 8-week-old Siberian husky at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Director Idris Elba, right, poses with Sabrina Dhowre during the premiere of "Yardie" at the Ray Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20.

From left, actor Elle Fanning, director Reed Morano and actor Peter Dinklage pose during the premiere of "I Think We're Alone Now" at the Eccles Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Keira Knightley, a cast member in "Colette," poses at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Park City.

Actor Luke Wilson poses during the premiere of "Arizona" at the Egyptian Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Paul Dano, third from right, director/co-writer of "Wildlife," and his girlfriend, Zoe Kazan, far right, pose with cast members, from left, Zoe Colletti, Ed Oxenbould, Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Actor Bella Thorne poses during the premiere of "Assassination Nation" at the Library Theatre during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21.

Naomi Watts, a cast member in "Ophelia," poses at the premiere of the film at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 22.

Actor Jon Hamm poses at the premiere of "Beirut" during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 22.

Most big-game hunters can go their entire lives and never get a chance to legally shoot one of Utah’s desert bighorn sheep, a privilege reserved for fewer than 40 lucky hunters each year.

After 21 failed tries, Arizona big-game hunting guide Larry Altimus finally landed such a permit in 2014 soon after taking up residence in Kanab, the Utah town on the Arizona line in the heart of desert bighorn country. But a jury later determined that Altimus was merely pretending to be a Utah resident for the sake of taking one of the state’s most valuable wildlife trophies.

In addition to a felony conviction and more than $30,000 in fines and restitution, the act of fraud will also now cost Altimus his hunting privileges, under a recent decision by a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources hearing officer. The ban will apply not just in Utah, but 46 other states as well.

While Altimus may still guide hunting clients, he cannot hunt for the next 10 years, according to DWR spokesman Mark Hadley.

“He not only stole the permit. He used the permit he wasn’t entitled to to kill an animal,” Hadley said.

Based in the southeast Arizona town of Pearce, Altimus, 69, operates his company Hunter Application Service and guides hunters in pursuit of trophy animals in several Western states. Altimus, who did not return a phone message Monday, has hunted and guided hundreds of times in the Southwest and has appeared on industry magazine covers with his trophies.

Bighorn sheep are among the most coveted big-game species to hunt. Utah’s system for issuing tags for such hunts gives an advantage to those who have tried and failed to get permits in past years.

Hunters earn a bonus point each time they unsuccessfully apply for a particular big-game species. Altimus actively sought these Utah tags, and by 2013, he had amassed 21 points toward a desert bighorn sheep, more points than earned by any in-state hunter, according to court records.

Even with this trove of points, the chance Altimus would draw a nonresident bighorn sheep permit were still slim.

“But if he claimed residency in Utah, he knew he had a good chance of drawing a permit reserved for Utah residents,” said DWR director Mike Fowlks.

Under Utah law, however, hunters are not to obtain a resident hunting permit if they move to the state for a “special or temporary purpose.” As someone who makes a living helping clients obtain hunting tags, Altimus was well aware of the rules, according to Kane County prosecutor Jeff Stott.

At trial last July, Stott had to convince a jury that Altimus knowingly took steps to illegally game Utah’s system for awarding sheep tags, which can auction for as high as $70,000.

In 2014, according to DWR data, 5,174 Utah hunters vied for 35 desert bighorn tags, while 7,184 nonresidents vied for three.

“This is a big tag,” Stott said. “It’s huge in the hunting world.”

Big enough, it appears, for Altimus to uproot his life for a few months.

In August 2013, he rented a house in Kanab, moved his belongings there and obtained a Utah driver license, according to Stott. Using the Kanab address, Altimus applied the following March, not long after meeting the six-month threshold for residency, and drew a permit to take a bighorn from the famed Zion hunting unit — just one of 11 awarded that year.

“We proved it was all for this permit,” Stott said. A few weeks after winning the tag, Altimus moved back to Arizona, then returned for the fall hunt, where he bagged a ram.

After three days of testimony in Kanab’s 6th District Court, the jury returned a guilty verdict for wanton destruction of wildlife, a third-degree felony. Judge Wallace Lee ordered Altimus to pay DWR $30,000 in restitution, payable in monthly payments of $1,000 as part of his three months on probation. He also lost his right to possess a firearm and hunt in Utah during that period. Officials had already seized the ram trophy, whose prodigious horns curled into a full circle.

But the real punishment was meted out by DWR, which filed a petition to revoke Altimus’ hunting privileges for 10 years in the states participating in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which includes all 50 states but Delaware, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

A hearing officer affirmed the recommendation, although the order could be appealed to the Utah Wildlife Board.

Tony Jones, one of the Tribune’s Utah Jazz beat reporters, will answer questions submitted on Twitter each week in his Jazz mailbag. Here are this week’s questions and answers.

#TonyTalks Seems unusual for a player to be so openly discussed as tradable by the Jazz. Am I off on that assessment? Or is this a result of Hood himself saying he wants out. Was the booing a factor?

— BHodges🎙 (@LifeOnaPlate) January 22, 2018

This analysis would be spot-on in a normal season. The Jazz usually are great at keeping their business out of the limelight and the media. They are one of the best teams in the league at that.

This season is rare. Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors both are free agents this summer, and after the Gordon Hayward conclusion, one could make the logical assumption that the Jazz would rather make a trade than lose a key piece for nothing, especially if those pieces aren’t in the long-term plans. Favors certainly isn’t. Hood began the season as a future piece, but Donovan Mitchell’s rise — they play the same position — compromised that. Hood being on the block has more to do with the fact that he’s a sixth man with the Jazz going forward and probably would be a starter on many other teams. Are you going to pay your sixth man $18 million? That’s what Hood could be offered. So it makes sense financially if the Jazz are able to secure the right deal. Be sure that the Jazz won’t give away Hood. After all, they have team control in restricted free agency.

aside from Chicago which teams are frequently coming up that are talking to the jazz? #TonyTalks

— Lauri Bird (@pickuphoop) January 22, 2018

Chicago’s come up because the Jazz and the Bulls had discussions revolving around Nikola Mirotic. Most of the league is talking to each other around this time. Things will flesh out a little more as we get to the final week of the deadline.

With the solid young core the Jazz have in Rudy and Mitchell, do you think are they better off trying to trade for a 3rd star, see what’s in free agency or tanking for the draft. #TonyTalks

— Steven Newbold (@sknewbie) January 22, 2018

The Jazz don’t tank. They are dead set against that. Trading for a star means trading a star, which is robbing Peter to pay Paul. So don’t count on that, either. They are 19-28 this season and headed toward a top-10 draft pick if things don’t improve soon. And there’s a decent chance the Jazz can be players this summer on the free agent market. They will be one of the only teams with money to spend — most of the league is expected to be at or over the salary cap — and there are a number of enticing free agents who will be out there. I don’t think this will be a difficult rebuild for the Jazz. More like a hiccup.

Has Donovan met, exceeded, or fallen short (dare I say?!) of Jazz front office’s expectations? #tonytalks How is Tony Bradley developing?

— Trent Tueller (@TrentTueller) January 22, 2018

Donovan Mitchell has exceeded expectations. For example, they didn’t realize he would be this adept at playing point guard so early in his career. They knew he had the potential to be dynamic defensively. But they didn’t realize he would be so far along offensively. Tony Bradley is developing. He’s still a ways away from being able to help the Jazz. At the same time, he’s young and he has a lot of time.

@tribjazz Dante is heading into free agency this year. Is there any other interest for him around the league, or does the Jazz get a potential high level player, at a very good contract, a Jae Crowder type of contract? #tonytalks

— Blurbman (@blurbman) January 22, 2018

I don’t think it really matters if there’s a lot of interest around the league for Dante Exum because the Jazz almost certainly are going to keep him. He’s solidly in the long-term plans for this franchise. Let’s put it this way: The Jazz think Exum’s injury has hurt the team almost as much as Rudy Gobert’s injury.

Donovan's game has shifted to being a facilitator since Rudy's return. Do you think this is due to the way that defenses have been guarding him or a shift in Donovan's mindset? #TonyTalks

— Ryan Dangerfield (@ryandanger26) January 22, 2018

It’s the way defenses have been guarding him. Take Monday night’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks for example. When Donovan Mitchell executes a pick-and-roll with Rudy Gobert, the Hawks took whoever was guarding Ricky Rubio and whoever was guarding Derrick Favors and planted them in the lane. So even if Mitchell got past his primary defender, there were two other guys in the lane to greet him, forcing him to kick the ball to Rubio or Favors. The Hawks guarded Mitchell the best I’ve seen a team guard him all season. They clogged the middle and made life difficult on him. The Jazz have to get more shooting onto the roster to prevent this.

@tribjazz what year has had the best and worst locker rooms since you’ve been covering the team #tonytalks

— Maren Baumgartner (@Mare_Bear_Baum) January 22, 2018

The Jazz have always had great locker rooms, even in the down years that I’ve covered the team. The current locker room is a frustrated one, but it’s not at all fractured.

#TonyTalks If Udoh got 30 min a game (here, elsewhere, wherever), where do you think he ranks in end-of-year voting? DPOY candidate/winner? All-Defensive 1st team, 2nd team? Thanks Tony!

— Jake Sperling (@Jake_Sperling) January 22, 2018

I truly think Ekpe Udoh could make a run at All-Defense. He’s almost as good a defender as Rudy Gobert, which is saying something. He’s Utah’s best big man at hedging and guarding perimeter players. He’s a spectacular rim protecter. He’s a great communicator. If he were even half as good offensively, he’d be a real impact player in this league. As is, he’s a solid backup.

@tribjazz what are key things for the Jazz to look for in the chemistry between Rudy and Mitchell #TonyTalks

— Adam Fisch (@adamthecashew) January 22, 2018

They just have to keep playing together, and the chemistry will come. Their lockers are next to each other. The two sat in their stalls talking about their pick-and-roll play, where it had to improve and where they missed each other after the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Mitchell and Gobert are probably the two most competitive guys on the team and the two biggest perfectionists. That bodes well for the Jazz because they also are their two best players. So I think the chemistry will improve significantly in time.

It was neither the #TrumpShutdown nor the #SchumerShutdown. It wasn’t even the #StephenMillerShutdown.

It was always the #McConnellRyanShutdown.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan are responsible for the completely avoidable three-day federal shutdown that ended Monday. They will likewise be responsible for the catastrophe coming in a few weeks if Congress can’t get its act together to raise the debt ceiling.

McConnell and Ryan, after all, not only lead the majority party. They also control the legislative agenda. They determine which bills come up for a vote and when. And they knew far in advance the drop-dead deadlines for keeping the government funded.

They also knew the Democrats’ conditions for cooperating.

But McConnell and Ryan chose to do nothing. Worse than nothing: They frittered away their precious time and political capital on policy pursuits that were totally irrelevant. Worse than totally irrelevant: actively destructive.

Every year, Congress must pass a budget. This is … not a surprise. Yet for the first half of last year, Republican congressional leaders chose to spend their time and energy chasing a repeal of Obamacare, a phenomenally unpopular endeavor that would have raised premiums and ripped health insurance from tens of millions of Americans.

They failed, of course. In the meantime, they also missed their opportunity to pass a budget before the new fiscal year began in October.

So they kicked that can down the road, passed a stopgap funding measure and promised to deal with a real budget later. Sometime before early December.

Instead of even attempting to pass a budget at that point, Ryan and McConnell pivoted to another unrelated, unpopular and fiscally profligate hobby horse: tax cuts for corporations and the rich.

This time they were successful. But while they futzed around with the Obamacare repeal and $1.5 trillion in plutocratic tax cuts, more time-sensitive crises accumulated.

Some, such as the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico, were natural. Others were man-made: Authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program lapsed, leaving 9 million low-income kids in limbo. And with McConnell and Ryan’s blessing, President Trump announced that undocumented immigrants brought here as children would be subject to deportation come March, unless Congress acted.

No matter. The only thing McConnell and Ryan felt any urgency to work on was stuff their donors care about. They focused on that and orchestrated more stopgap budgetary measures in their spare time. Monday’s, in fact, represents the fourth stopgap 2018 funding bill, with this one set to expire on Feb. 8. It does, at least, include a six-year reauthorization of CHIP.

Don’t get me wrong. Trump has not exactly been helpful in brokering a deal on budgets, health care, immigration or other major policy issues. When he has gotten involved, he’s often struggled to remember what’s existing law, what his own positions are and how the legislative process even works.

McConnell and Ryan have no such excuse. Collectively, they have served five decades in Congress. They know Congress’ arcane procedures and obligations and, again, they set the agenda. To date, that agenda has not included a single serious budget deal.

Somehow this dynamic duo still takes no responsibility for our lack of a budget. They’re like students who play video games instead of writing their term paper, plead for extensions, still wait until the last minute to start writing — and then blame the teacher when they don’t finish.

As embarrassing as this shutdown was (and as embarrassing as another one will be if there’s no budget agreement by Feb. 8), shutdowns are not catastrophic. Far more worrisome is what McConnell and Ryan’s abdication of leadership means for another showdown rapidly approaching.

Because, unfortunately, the budget isn’t the only basic responsibility they’ve been shirking. There’s also the matter of safeguarding the validity of the public debt, a constitutional requirement.

Rather than substantially raising (or, better yet, eliminating) the statutory debt limit, Congress has likewise relied on a series of stopgap measures for paying our creditors over the past year. The Treasury Department has had to resort to “extraordinary” accounting measures to stave off a debt default, which could trigger a worldwide financial crisis.

The latest round of such measures, which began in early December, will likely be exhausted sometime in the next several weeks. Meanwhile, the markets look nervous.

Yet instead of laying the groundwork now to prevent default, McConnell and Ryan engage in hashtag wars. They’re cutting more taxes. Ryan is even fantasizing about slashing entitlements.

#McConnellRyanShutdown is bad enough. Let’s hope #McConnellRyanCrash isn’t next.

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

Three adults were injured Monday night in a shootout on a residential street in Payson, police say.

About 10:30 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired near 650 West and 500 South, about a block west of Wilson Elementary School, a news release from Payson police said.

At the scene, they found two men and a woman with gunshot wounds, the release said. Investigators determined that the two men had been in an altercation, and one of them pulled out a handgun and shot the other man and the woman.

The man who’d been shot then also produced a gun and returned fire, striking the original shooter, police said.

Medical personnel took all three people to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Police said that the cause of the altercation is under investigation, and criminal charges are pending.

Boise, Idaho • An Idaho House leader said Monday he’s set up a security camera in his legislative office to record meetings with fellow lawmakers, lobbyists and constituents in response to the wave of sexual misconduct allegations erupting across the country.

House Assistant Majority Leader Brent Crane, a Republican from Nampa, says he felt the need to take extra steps to protect his reputation after seeing multiple lawmakers face accusations of sexual misconduct in Idaho and Washington D.C.

“People are concerned,” Crane, who owns a security alarm system company in Nampa, said in a phone interview. “It’s a different environment and we should be able to take measures that protect our integrity.”

Idaho Public Television was the first to report on the existence of the hidden security camera on Monday. According the report, Crane declined to be recorded when interviewed by IPTV.

Crane told The Associated Press he initially informed his House Republican colleagues of the camera, but no one else.

House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, says he found about the camera during a meeting at Crane’s office earlier this month. Erpelding said he had been chatting with Crane for several minutes before noticing the small, black camera on the bookshelf. When Erpelding confronted Crane about it, Crane told him he was being filmed.

“I was blown away by it,” Erpelding said. “In response to the #MeToo movement, they’re implying that someone is out to get them.”

In Idaho, people can record others without their permission. Crane says he does not always tell people of the camera — which records only video and not audio — and has no plans to change that during the legislative session.

“A picture is worth a 1,000 words,” Crane said.

Footage from the security camera can only be archived if Crane chooses to do so. If not, the data is recorded over with new footage.

Crane says he’s never had a reason to archive any of the footage and dismissed questions over concerns that he could delete any incriminating recordings because no one else has access to the footage.

This isn’t the first time an Idaho lawmaker has been caught secretly filming. In 2016, Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill said Rep. Ron Nate, R-Idaho Falls, secretly recorded them talking before the May primary election. Prior to that, Bonneville County GOP official Doyle Beck surreptitiously recorded former Idaho GOP Chairman Steve Yates in an effort to bolster his claims that a secret society had been formed to oust certain members from party positions.

Meanwhile, Idaho lawmakers underwent anti-sexual harassment training at the beginning of the legislative session. It was the first time in recent history that the Legislature took steps to address harassment in the workplace.

Prior to that, 14 female Idaho lawmakers reached out to GOP legislative leaders over the summer asking for anti-harassment training to be a regular event for legislators at the Idaho Statehouse.

Dennis Lindsey recently was asked what life is like for him in the run-up to the NBA trade deadline, a date that is now just over two weeks out (Feb. 8).

He said it’s terrible.

He said it’s one of the worst periods of his year.

He said he loathes it.

The Jazz general manager wasn’t referring to the extra work he has to put in as his phone constantly rings and he punches up other GMs looking to organize possible deals. He wasn’t pointing to the pressure he feels. He wasn’t talking about the difficulty of pushing a deal through, especially as the Jazz have struggled to find positive consistency. He wasn’t targeting the fact that the Jazz have won six games out of their past 23 and now are feeling crazy urgency to get something — anything — done. He wasn’t complaining about the unreasonable demands of the guys who occupy his same office for different franchises. He wasn’t bemoaning that some players whose names have been mentioned in media reports as commodities in potential trades aren’t feeling all that comfortable about their situations.

Although that last one indirectly is related to what he hates.

Lindsey was talking about the human side of doing deals.

He reminded that players actually are real, live human beings, not mindless mercenaries, not unfeeling automatons, not robots, not inanimate objects of any kind, not slabs of beef, not pork bellies or soybeans.

They are … you know, people.

Wow. Who’d have thought of that?

In the case of the Jazz, they are people/players who kind of have grown up here in Utah. People/players who have developed their games here. People/players who have developed relationships, both professional and personal, here. People/players who have families, spouses and children attached, all of whom are affected by speculation about whether they would be where they had been, in some situations, for years now. Or whether they’d be shipped off to who knows where as a means to an end, in a manner that supposedly would be in the team’s best interests, in the spirit of … well, there’s something out there that the team wants more than you.

That is tough, Lindsey said.

There are those who might scoff and laugh out loud at that notion because these players are paid millions of dollars to play their games wherever they’re paid to play them and then get their carcasses sent off to points unknown, too.

Getting paid may, in fact, make being unwanted and saying goodbye a bit easier. It might make being seen as that commodity a bit easier. It’s a business, they say. It can be a cold business, they know.

But going to battle with teammates and coaches night after night, season after season, going to battle for executives and for friends and fans, often forms a strong bond that can be complicated and wrenching from which to simply walk away. Even for players who might see a better opportunity elsewhere or players with agents who think they’d be better off on a different team being used a different way.

On that human level, it can be hard.

As everyone wonders whether Favors will be sent to Chicago, in part, for Mirotic or if Hood will be shipped out for future considerations or if Burks might help land a better shooter, remember that there is a Derrick in there, too, a Nikola, a Rodney, an Alec, a man who really does have feelings, emotions, attachments, hopes and dreams and connections with/to a community that might be torn away.

Lindsey will do his job. If he sees a chance at improvement, he’ll take it. He’s not so sentimental as to blow off what his position requires. And if they think their team will be better for it, coaches and teammates won’t dip too low at the loss of a teammate and a friend.

One coach is known to have cried when a particular player he was close to was swapped for another player his team needed more. But he was glad to have ended the day-to-day association for a more free-flowing offense and a few extra wins.

Nobody’s blubbering like a baby here.

This market knows better than many that players sometimes want to get out of Dodge and begin again at some other place. Sometimes — like last July — it is the team and the fans who feel the rupture, all the human emotions of big, painful change. But it is worth keeping in mind that players are not pieces of meat. They are not just products or bait or pawns or exports to be sent packing for the greater good.

They are living souls who may feel and hate the trade deadline as much as Lindsey does.

Gordon Monson hosts “The Big Show” with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone.

Washington • Multiple American citizens were killed and injured in the Taliban’s 13-hour siege of an upscale hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, the State Department said Tuesday.

No exact figures were immediately available for either the U.S. fatalities or injuries. In total, 22 people were killed in the attack including 14 foreigners, Afghan officials have said. Eleven of the 14 foreigners had been previously identified as working for the private Afghan airline KamAir.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those wounded,” the State Department said. “Out of respect for the families of the deceased, we have no further comment.?”

The American deaths were the latest reminder of the continuing toll paid by the United States in Afghanistan, where local forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally ended their combat mission in 2014.

President Donald Trump has pursued a plan that involves sending thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and envisions shifting away from a “time-based” approach to one that more explicitly links U.S. assistance to concrete results from the Afghan government. Trump’s U.N. envoy, Nikki Haley, said after a recent visit to Afghanistan that Trump’s policy was working and that peace talks between the government and the Taliban are closer than ever before.

The six Taliban militants who stormed Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday in suicide vests were looking for foreigners and Afghan officials to kill. Afghan security forces have said the standoff ended Sunday when they killed the last of the militants. More than 150 people were rescued or escaped during the siege, including 41 foreigners. Some hid in bathtubs or under mattresses as the attackers roamed the hotel’s hallways killing people.

It was unclear how seriously the injured Americans were wounded. In addition to the Americans killed in the attack, six Ukrainians, two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir and a citizen of Kazakhstan and a citizen of Germany were also killed, officials have said.

Word of the American deaths came as Afghan’s interior ministry said an investigation is underway to find out how the attackers got into the building so easily. Najib Danish, spokesman for the interior ministry, said Tuesday that security forces also defused a vehicle full of explosives near the hotel after the siege ended.

The gun industry is holding its biggest annual trade show this week just a few miles from where a gunman slaughtered 58 concertgoers outside his high-rise Las Vegas hotel room in October using a display case worth of weapons, many of them fitted with bump stocks that enabled them to mimic fully automatic fire.

What exactly will be among the thousands of products crammed into the exhibition spaces at the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show convention, running from Tuesday through Friday, will be a bit of a mystery, shielded from the public and, this year, members of the general-interest media.

One thing is known: Slide Fire, the leading manufacturer of bump stocks, a once-obscure product that attracted intense attention in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, won’t be among the exhibitors.

The Texas-based company hasn’t said why it’s not on the roster of more than 1,700 exhibitors, although it was last year. It didn’t return messages seeking comment. The company also isn’t on the list of those attending this year’s National Rifle Association annual meeting or other prominent gun trade shows.

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre Oct. 1, Slide Fire had so much trouble keeping up with demand it temporarily stopped taking orders for the product. It has since resumed.

“From purely a public relations standpoint, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if bump stocks just sort of disappeared this year,” said Robert Spitzer, chairman of political science at the State University of New York at Cortland and an expert on firearms and the Second Amendment. “That’s a PR no-brainer.”

Still, the convention floor is likely to have plenty of other devices that gun-control advocates have taken aim at in recent years: accessories that make it easier to carry a firearm, shoot it or reduce the noise it makes.

On the list of products they oppose are “trigger cranks,” which, like bump stocks, make it easier to fire a long gun rapidly, and “assault pistols,” which look remarkably like short-barreled AR- and AK-style firearms but skirt certain federal restrictions because they aren’t designed to be shot from the shoulder.

“For a person from the general public, I think the thing that would startle them the most about the SHOT Show ... is just the sheer scope and the vastness of this show,” said David Chipman, a former agent with the federal agency that regulates firearms and now a senior policy adviser with the gun safety organization founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was gravely wounded in a shooting in 2012.

SHOT Show has been held for 40 years, half that time in Las Vegas, and this year’s gathering was scheduled well before the bloodshed last fall. It will have some 13 miles of aisles featuring products from more than 1,700 companies. More than 65,000 visitors are expected at the gathering, a place where connections are made and deals worth millions are struck.

The general public is not allowed to roam the aisles; the only people who can attend are those with direct ties to the industry: manufacturers and dealers of firearms or associated products. Although a few reporters from general-interest news organizations attended in recent years, NSSF this year restricted access to about 2,500 journalists from trade publications and media.

The show’s location and timing 3½ months after Stephen Paddock’s murderous attack have heightened awareness of the event.

Michael Bazinet, NSSF director of public affairs, said that while those attending are well aware of the tragedy that occurred nearby, “they also know that legal gun ownership and the lawful commerce of arms is something quite removed from the act of an individual such as this. And that’s not to diminish the tragedy at all. But people come to the show do make that distinction.”

The show comes as the gun industry’s fortunes have waned after nearly a decade of unprecedented sales. No longer concerned about the federal government restricting gun rights, Americans have scaled back their firearm-buying sprees.

When SHOT Show, which stands for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, was launched, its emphasis was on hunting and the outdoors. Over the decades, it has evolved and grown and now has huge sections devoted to the law enforcement and military community. No sales are allowed at the show, firing pins are removed from all guns on display, and there is no live ammunition.

There are so many companies that want to exhibit, there isn’t enough space. The waiting list is several hundred names long.

Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, has been going to SHOT Show for more than a decade and said he doesn’t anticipate this year’s event will have a different feel from other years. He said it’s a close-knit industry accustomed to being put under the microscope by the media and by gun-control advocates.

“This is not just a group of redneck gun owners as are often portrayed by the mainstream media. This is serious business,” he said. “Millions and millions of dollars are exchanged, and it helps the economies of many, many states, it helps the economy of the U.S.”

A victim of sexual assault at the hands of a staffer at a St. George school for troubled youth has sued the school in civil court, alleging it failed to protect him from the abuse.

The lawsuit was filed against Red Rock Canyon School — a psychiatric residential treatment center for adolescents — and its subsidiaries Thursday. It seeks damages to be determined at trial.

The lawsuit alleges an employee at the school, Diarra Fields, was 27 years old in the summer of 2012 when he engaged in sexual activity with a 16-year-old boy on school property multiple times. The lawsuit alleges Fields also molested two other students at the school.

Fields, now 33, was charged criminally for the sexual abuse in 2012 and pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in 2014, shortly before he was set to go to trial.

He was sentenced to 210 days in jail with credit for time served and placed on probation. His probation ended March 28, according to court documents.

The civil suit is the second such lawsuit filed by the victim against Fields and Red Rock. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2015, but in December 2016, Red Rock filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming the plaintiff had not complied with prelitigation procedures outlined in the Utah Health Care Malpractice Act.

About two weeks later, both parties stipulated to a dismissal without prejudice, which was approved.

Matthew Feller, the plaintiff’s attorney in the most recent litigation, said there has not yet been any discussion with the school regarding settlement. Red Rock Canyon officials did not return a request for comment.

The lawsuit filed Thursday claims school policy dictated that staff could not be alone with students; however, employees were aware that Fields was spending time alone with students, including the plaintiff.

Feller said while the individual acts of Fields and others like him are unspeakable, he finds it is more appropriate to go after the institution in situations like this.

“Our target in all of these cases is why did it happen,” Feller said. “We see that if a school gives an individual the time, space and opportunity to do these things, it’s going to happen.”

Feller said when a school employee molests a student, the school either failed to enforce policies put in place or failed to institute the proper policies. Either way, the situations are avoidable with proper supervision, he said.

“When that happens, it just becomes a breeding ground for these kinds of events,” he said.

Poppy Chan was surprised when she learned that her short film had been accepted at the Sundance Film Festival.

“First I thought, ‘Wow. Are you sure it’s me? Are you sure that the real Poppy just got her film at Sundance?‘” she said in an interview with The Tribune. “And then they said yes, so I was just in shock.”

Her expressed surprise is about the only thing Poppy has in common with a lot of other stars at Sundance. Because Poppy isn’t your typical performer. She’s a person. She’s a character. A pop star. And a performance artist. Sometimes she seems like an android. And she’s definitely an internet sensation.

“I like to consider myself a Poppy of many gifts,” she said.

And she has her share of obsessed fans.

“Sometimes I get followed, but I usually run faster than them,” Poppy deadpanned. “Oh, they’re very nice. They usually ask for a selfie, which is my favorite photo to take.”

(Talking to Poppy is an experience. She’s always in character and speaks in a high, sweet voice that is at once flat and weirdly melodic. Oh, and somewhat robotic.)

Poppy’s videos have gotten more than 250 million views. Her most popular video, “I’m Poppy,” has almost 14 million viewers. It’s 10 minutes of Poppy saying “I’m Poppy” — occasionally “I am Poppy” — over and over again.

Her success came as “a big surprise,” Poppy said. “If people didn’t watch my videos, I would still make my videos. But it’s more fun that people watch them.”

Poppy and her enigmatic creative partner, Titanic Sinclair, have posted more than 300 videos since the first (“Poppy Eats Cotton Candy”) in November 2014.

Poppy Chan was born Moriah Pereira; Titanic Sinclair (who wrote and directed “I’m Poppy”) was born Corey Mixter; neither talks about their former selves. Most of their pieces run about a minute, but some are longer — including the music videos.

Fans and critics can — and do — debate Poppy and Sinclair’s satire and comedy, but the upbeat pop music is real. Poppy’s first album, “Poppy.computer,” was released in October; a second album will be released later this year. And she’s been touring. She’s scheduled to perform at The Complex in Salt Lake City on Feb. 16.

That will be her second Utah concert; she performed at Sundance on Sunday.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “I got to play at the YouTube House, and I love YouTube.com.”

You’d love it, too, if you’d gotten more than a quarter of a billion viewers on your YouTube channel.

The 24-minute “I’m Poppy” is at Sundance as part of Indie Episodic Program 5.

Sinclair, in — you guessed it! — a YouTube video, said the film is “based on real-life dreams of a young girl, with hopes and dreams of making it in Hollywood. But Hollywood is not all that it seems on television and in the movies. The real Hollywood can be a dark and mysterious place.”

Poppy plays herself, and things take off when she signs a contract with a TV network executive (Samm Levine, “Freaks and Geeks”). But her success upsets her nemesis Charlotte — an actual mannequin — who plots against Poppy, which echoes a number of Poppy’s earlier videos. And Poppy’s life story.

“To me, I’m not acting,” she said. “I just think the other actors in the film were acting. I’m Poppy.”

The short film, planned as a first episode in a series, debuts Thursday on YouTube Red, the streaming site’s subscription (pay) service.

“It’s uncharted territory,” Poppy said. “And if you sign up for YouTube Red, you can get 30 days free. Honestly, it’s the best-case scenario.”

“I’m Poppy” plays on some of the internet rumors about her and Sinclair — that he’s a cult leader; that she’s a Satan worshiper. Poppy signs a deal with the devil, which prompts a religious cult to kidnap her.

The cast also includes Dan Hildebrand (“Game of Thrones”) and Brad Carter (“True Detective”).

“They’re all very, very talented,” Poppy said. “They’re all very nice to me.”

And they’re “experienced” actors … as opposed to Charlotte, who Poppy said was difficult on the set.

How was the mannequin difficult?

“Well, her arms kept falling off, so we had to keep putting them back on,” Poppy said.

But Poppy keeps an optimistic outlook, even when she’s experiencing her first big snowstorm ever while in town for Sundance. Her first impression of Park City?

“I think that there’s a lot of snow and it’s really cold,” she said. But she’s planning to return to Sundance.

“This is my first time — but not the last,” she said.

In concert • Poppy is scheduled to perform on Friday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $31-$192 at the box office or TicketFly.

At Sundance • “I’m Poppy” premieres Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at The Ray in Park City. It also screens Tuesday at noon at Park Avenue in Park City and Friday at 6 p.m. at the Broadway 6 in Salt Lake City.<br>“I’m Poppy” also begins streaming Thursday on the subscription service YouTube Red.

Utah’s conservative public-policy think tank, the Sutherland Institute, has named Vice President Rick Larsen as its new president. Larsen will replace Boyd Matheson, who announced his departure last week.

“Rick … is a trusted executive who knows how to inspire and lead people, organizations and communities from dreaming dreams to designing a better world and delivering extraordinary results,” Matheson said in a news release.

Larsen has a history of working in the community. Before becoming vice president at Sutherland, he was the chief development officer for United Way of Salt Lake. He also has experience working in the entertainment industry and consulting on philanthropy.

Larsen also served as president of Operation Kids Foundation, which provides funding for organizations focused on helping children in need.

Stan Swim, chairman of Sutherland’s board of trustees, said Larsen’s experience in the nonprofit and private sectors will contribute to the organization’s vision.

Larsen said that to enact social change, generously donating money is simply not enough.

“Real change only occurs when local communities engage, government takes its proper role and citizens demand sound public policy. With this philosophy at the forefront of my mind, I humbly look forward to filling my new role at Sutherland,” he said.

Matheson, who led Sutherland since March 2016, will begin working as opinion editor and head of strategic reach for the Deseret News at the end of January.

As presented by NBC Sports, the Olympics are a feel-good festival of nationalism, positively packed with American flags and chants of “USA! USA!”

A protest by American athletes might take a bite out of that narrative. Particularly if such a protest came, say, during the Opening Ceremony — if something took place equivalent to Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City or NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem.

So what will NBC do if an American athlete does something like that during the Opening Ceremony?

Depends on which host you ask, Mike Tirico or Katie Couric.

“If it happens, whether it’s during the Opening Ceremony or during a medal ceremony, I think it’s our responsibility to report it, show it, and then follow up on what the situation was,” Tirico said on a conference call with reporters. “As we go through the Olympics, I think we’ll have a better feel for how that might play out and how it’ll be shown on television.”

Couric — perhaps because she’s not actually an NBC employee — replied more cautiously.

“I don’t think we’d ever shy away from something that’s newsworthy,” she said, adding that the decision would be made “collectively” by NBC, which would “make a determination based on the event.”

“And so I think it really is dependent on what that looks like, what it is, how organized it is, and a lot of other factors that go into editorial decisions that are made every day,” said Couric.

That’s a long way from the more simple answer — “Yes, we’ll cover it.” And it ends up sounding a lot like, “No, we won’t.”

Whether you like it or not — whether you agree with the substance or the timing of a political protest by American athletes at any point during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea — it would unquestionably be news. That’s a no-brainer.

No other American outlet has the broadcast/online rights to Games, so NBC would be the only news organization that could cover it. And Tirico is 100 percent correct — NBC has a “responsibility” to do so.

Again, Couric’s attempt to answer without really answering might have been because she’s a hired hand. Tirico has been a full-time employee of NBC Sports since 2016; Couric left NBC, where she co-hosted “The Today Show,” almost 12 years ago.

(She returned to “Today” for a week in January 2017 to celebrate, ahem, since-fired Matt Lauer’s 20^th anniversary as host of that show.)

Tirico is the prime-time host for NBC’s Olympic coverage throughout the games. Couric has been hired just to co-host the opening ceremonies.

Take a knee

The man in charge of NBC’s telecast of the upcoming Super Bowl said his network will absolutely, positively show us if one of more players takes a knee during the national anthem of the Eagles-Patriots game.

“When you’re covering a live event, you’re covering what’s happening,” said NBC Sports executive producer Fred Gaudelli, who will be helming his sixth Super Bowl telecast. “So if there are players who choose to kneel, they will be shown live.”

He doesn’t necessarily think that’s going to happen — he said “a lot of that has kind of dissipated and died down” — but acknowledged “It was a pretty big story in our country this fall.”

“We’d show it. We’d identify the person. We would probably try to, in a very concise manner, mention why it is this person is kneeling … and then get on with the game.”

Benton, Ky. •

A 15-year-old student opened fire with a handgun inside his rural Kentucky high school Tuesday, killing two classmates, injuring 17 others and sending hundreds fleeing for safety.

Police were seen leading a teenager away in handcuffs. It was the nation’s first fatal school shooting of 2018.

The teen will be charged with murder and attempted murder, Kentucky State Police Lt. Michael Webb said.

“He was apprehended by the sheriff’s department here on site, at the school, thankfully before any more lives could be taken,” Webb said.

Police did not release any identities, nor did they describe a motive. Webb said detectives are looking into his home and background.

Students ran for their lives as the student began shooting inside an atrium just before morning classes would have begun at Marshall County High School. Many jumped into cars or ran down the highway, some not stopping until they reached a McDonald’s restaurant more than a mile away. Parents left their cars on both sides of an adjacent road, desperately trying to find their teenagers.

“They was running and crying and screaming,” said Mitchell Garland, who provided shelter to between 50 and 100 students inside his nearby business. “They was just kids running down the highway. They were trying to get out of there.”

A half-dozen ambulances and numerous police cars converged on the school, along with officers in black fatigues carrying assault rifles. Federal authorities responded, and Sen. Mitch McConnell sent staffers. Gov. Matt Bevin rushed from the Capitol to the scene.

Two 15-year-olds were killed: A girl died at the scene, and a boy died later at a hospital, the governor said, adding that all of the victims are believed to be students. He said 12 of those injured suffered bullet wounds. Five were flown about 120 miles to Nashville, Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, spokeswoman Tavia Smith said.

“This is a wound that is going to take a long time to heal,” Bevin said.

The attack marked the year’s first fatal school shooting, 23 days into 2018, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, which relies on media reports and other information. The anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety has counted at least 283 shootings at schools since 2013.

Bevin said earlier in a statement that “It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County.”

Marshall County High School is about 30 minutes from Heath High School in Paducah, Ky., where a 1997 mass shooting killed three and injured five. Michael Carneal, then 14, opened fire there about two years before the fatal attack at Columbine High School in Colorado, ushering in an era when mass school shootings have become much more common.

Meanwhile, in the small north Texas town of Italy, a 15-year-old girl was recovering Tuesday after police said she was shot by a 16-year-old classmate in her high school cafeteria on Monday, sending dozens of students scrambling for safety.

Tuesday’s shooting happened as students gathered in a common area, just before the day’s first classes. Sixteen-year-old Lexie Waymon said she and a friend were talking about the next basketball game, makeup and eyelashes when gunshots pierced the air.

“I blacked out. I couldn’t move. I got up and I tried to run, but I fell. I heard someone hit the ground. It was so close to me,” Waymon said. “I just heard it and then I just, everything was black for a good minute. Like, I could not see anything. I just froze and did not know what to do. Then I got up and I ran.”

Waymon did not stop running, not even when she called her mom to tell her what happened. She made it to the McDonald’s, her chest hurting, struggling to breathe. “All I could keep thinking was, ‘I can’t believe this is happening. I cannot believe this is happening,’” she said.

It was chaotic outside the school as parents and students rushed around trying to find each other, said Dusty Kornbacher, who owns a nearby floral shop. “All the parking lots were full with parents and kids hugging each other and crying and nobody really knowing what was going on,” he said.

Barry Mann said his 14-year-old son was put on a bus and taken to another school to be picked up.

“He gave me a call as soon as he run out the door and I didn’t know what was happening to him,” he told the AP. “It sounded like his heart was in his throat.”

Garland said his son, a 16-year-old sophomore, jumped into someone’s car and sped away before joining others inside his business.

“Everyone is just scared. Just terrified for their kids,” Garland said. “We’re a small town and we know a lot of the kids.”

Associated Press contributors include Stephen Lance Dennee in Benton; Adam Beam and Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Ky.; Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Ky.; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tenn.; and Lisa Marie Pane in Las Vegas.

Detroit • It’s a matter of time now. Donovan Mitchell knows it.

Joe Ingles will have his revenge.

After the 30-year-old swingman tied his career high with 21 points on Saturday night against the Clippers, Mitchell — as he’s done to other veterans this season — ambushed Ingles during his postgame interview by squirting him with a water bottle. After the two exchanged a series of Instagram comments, Mitchell now knows on a day not too long from now, he’ll come to the practice facility parking lot to find his car filled with popcorn.

The hazing ritual, of course, is all in good fun. And that’s the case for Ingles, too. In his fourth year with the Jazz (19-28), he’s known as the player who keeps things loose.

“He’s that guy to keep the energy going, to keep up jokes and be funny,” Mitchell said. “He’s always been that guy. We love him. He keeps the same energy whether we’re up or down. He keeps the same energy, and that’s one of his best locker room attributes, to be able to keep everybody up with a positive vibe.”

Utah has needed positive vibes this season. From the departure of Gordon Hayward, one of Ingles’ best friends, to the seemingly endless parade of injuries, Ingles has been counted on as a mainstay in the lineup and the locker room — he’s the only Jazzman to play every game so far this season.

According to teammates, he has been his typical engaging self, but some of the issues surrounding the season have seemed to grate on him, particularly in interactions with the media. After the Jazz’s win over the Clippers on Saturday night, Ingles offered that he’s been frustrated with public assumptions he’s seen or heard about the Jazz; when asked to specify, he said, “We ain’t got enough time.”

While The Tribune has reported that tensions have mounted recently as the Jazz have lost 17 of their past 23 games and trade rumors have swirled, it’s clear that Ingles is one of the players most invested in defending the integrity of the locker room.

“The end of the day it’s really only us and the coaching staff and the guys in the locker room that knows what’s going on,” he said. “Everyone else just assumes and makes assumptions, or does what they have to do. I love how we’ve stuck together.”

Ingles has a lot invested in the Jazz, and vice versa. After signing a four-year, $52 million contract that made him Australia’s most handsomely compensated sportsman, Ingles, his wife, Renee, and their twin children decided to nest in the state where his NBA career blossomed. Even after Hayward left, the Jazz viewed him as a versatile piece who could shoot threes, defend the perimeter and facilitate offense.

The moment the ink dries on an athlete’s new contract is when outsiders start questioning if he’s worth it, but for the most part, Ingles has been what the Jazz expected. He’ll never be transcendent, but he’s upped his scoring, rebounding and assist numbers in fairly close alignment with his increase in minutes, all while shooting nearly 43 percent from 3-point range.

“All the things that connect us offensively are things he’s capable of doing and that he’s looking to do,” coach Quin Snyder said. “More than anything, he’s looking for any way he can to contribute.”

That goes for the atmosphere as well. Ingles isn’t on the trading block, but others are, and it’s clear that has hampered the Jazz as they have looked to break out of their slump.

But players and coaches say Ingles remains committed to interact with teammates and bring them together. Ricky Rubio, who is having a rough season on the court while transitioning to the Jazz, has visited with the Ingles family and considers Joe in his corner.

“He’s great for that: He’s a goofy guy,” Rubio said. “That helps too with the chemistry and in the tough moments you need that chemistry, because you gotta know you got each other’s backs.”

The person Ingles has been toughest on, Snyder said, is himself. He’d like to see Ingles stay more upbeat in games when he doesn’t start well. There have been times when that resilience shines through, as it did against the Clippers when Ingles notched five 3-pointers after a slow first quarter. Then there are games where he is all but invisible, like when he shot only once against the Pacers and notched one assist.

Ingles is unapologetically allergic to what he sees as bad shots, and sometimes he and Snyder have been at odds on the issue. Snyder said the two butted heads in Charlotte, which he called “a sign of a healthy relationship.” That may be true with Ingles, who lets such interactions roll off his back.

“Guys are gonna go at each other — coaches, players, it is what it is,” Ingles said. “The good teams are the ones that can take that on the chest and handle it and move on and use that criticism to better themselves and the team. We’ve had plenty. I screamed at Rudy last night [against the Knicks] to run back one time. He told me where to go. And the next play, we were good. I think the good teams are the teams that can do that.”

The record indicates that the Jazz haven’t been good lately, but Ingles is one of those invested in turning that around. If that means a few jokes here and there, he’ll gladly play the role of class clown.

But there’s also a more fiery side — he’ll stand up for the locker room if he must.

“We have a bunch of guys who want to get better and want to be better, that’s been our biggest thing,” Mitchell said. “When you have guys like Joe who defend our locker room and our team, it’s just leaders like that who keep guys together.”

JAZZ AT PISTONS<br>At Little Caesars Arena, Detroit<br>Tipoff • 5 p.m. MST<br>TV • AT&T Sports Network<br>Radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM<br>Records • Jazz 19-28; Pistons 22-23<br>Last meeting • Jazz 97, Pistons 83 (March 15, 2017)<br>About the Pistons • Averaging 15 rebounds per game, center Andre Drummond leads the NBA in boards. … Detroit has lost five straight games, with losses to the Raptors, Wizards, Hornets, Bulls and Nets. … Pistons forward Tobias Harris is enjoying a career-best 18.1 scoring average while shooting 41.4 from behind the 3-point line.<br>About the Jazz • Rookie guard Donovan Mitchell is coming off a game with no assists, but has had zero assists in only two games since Nov. 5. … Since returning from injury, center Rudy Gobert has blocked three shots in each of the three games he’s played. … Guard Rodney Hood has missed consecutive games with a lower leg contusion.

Utah is known as a family-friendly state with high birth rates and big families. But it’s not so friendly when it comes to legally allowing mothers to breast-feed in public.

“There are 48 states that have this legislation in place today” to clearly allow public breast-feeding, says Rep. Justin Fawson, R-North Ogden. “Utah is one of the two that does not.”

So his HB196, formally introduced on Tuesday, seeks to change that.

“I guess it’s surprising to me that we don’t have something like this in place, that we would tell mothers there are places you can’t breast-feed,” Fawson said, adding some constituents and stakeholders asked him to push the bill.

His bill says, “A woman may breast-feed in any place of public accommodation … irrespective of whether the woman’s breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breast-feeding.”

Fawson said Utah law already exempts breast-feeding from indecency laws, as 18 other states also do.

He said Utah has also taken some other steps to protect moms, including being one of 28 states that provide some protection for breast-feeding mothers in the workplace and one of 17 that exempt them from jury duty.

Given the health benefits of breast-feeding, he said it’s finally time to clearly allow it in public and make it easier for mothers.