Union, Family File Suit to Stop Vouchers – KSUB News Summary

>>UEA Files Lawsuit To Stop State Voucher Program

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- The Utah Education Association and a family say they are seeking to stop the use of public funds for private education through a lawsuit. The association says the lawsuit is challenging the recently implemented Utah Fits All voucher program which seeks to give private schools more than 82-million dollars in public funds. The association released a statement saying the lawsuit is in response to legislators passing HB 2-1-5 in January 2023. That legislation provides eight-thousand-dollar scholarships to qualifying families to use for private school tuition and other education options. The lawsuit argues that the law violates Utah's constitutionally protected right to a free education.

>>Levi Wright's Parents Hope To Remove Breathing Tube Soon

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Levi Wright's parents say they hope to remove his breathing tube "this week." The son of rodeo star Spencer Wright has been in the hospital since driving a toy tractor into a river in Beaver County last Tuesday and nearly drowning. He was taken about a mile upstream where he was found unconscious and was then flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City. His mother Kallie posted on social media Tuesday they want to see if Levi can breathe on his own and they are taking his recovery "one step at a time." Levi also has another MRI scheduled for tomorrow.

>>Family Safe After House Fire

(St. George, UT) -- A southern Utah family is safe after flames damaged a St. George home. The fire started in the side yard of a home in the Dixie Downs neighborhood yesterday afternoon before spreading to the house. Those inside were able to get out before the blaze reached the house, but firefighters had to rescue three cats. Firefighters say the house doesn't appear to be a total loss but the family did have to find somewhere else to sleep last night. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

>>Cox Calls For More Foster Families

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- Governor Spencer Cox is asking Utahns to come to the rescue of foster kids. Cox said children across the Beehive State need foster parents because of a massive shortage. There are more than 17-hundred foster kids, but only 822 families licensed to care for them. Utah Foster Care says that's the lowest number of licensed foster families in two and a half decades. Cox explained his belief that Utah can become the first state where families are waiting for foster kids instead of the other way around. The governor's wife, Abby, added fostering isn't for everyone and any one person can become a foster parent regardless of background.

>>Hogle Zoo Snow Leopard Expecting First Cub

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- A snow leopard at Utah's Hogle Zoo is expected to give birth to her first cub early next month. The four-year-old snow leopard, named Babs, is nearing the end of her three-and-a-half-month pregnancy, and zoo officials are hoping for a smooth delivery. Zoo staff members have been doing ultrasounds, are adjusting Babs' diet, and are completing training sessions in anticipation of the cub's birth.