Experts say the economic downturn hits students harder than any other age group. And BYU students say they feel the financial strains of college, just like other students. But they say at BYU there are factors other than money, like travel and the single life, that put marriage on the back burner.

“If a cow gets sick or there’s some kind of disease, we can identify really fast what other cows were around that cow, essentially allowing us to quarantine the problem and address it quickly and easily,” Legendairy team member Kevin Brown said.

Team “Legendairy” is the cream of the crop, and they’re headed to Seattle just hours after graduation to compete in a national software competition.  Part of the contest involves a people’s choice category, so if you want to vote for them click here.

A recent federal study says that autism rates in Utah have reached a record high. One in 47 children suffer from the mysterious disease. Families with autistic children are joining together to make sure that their kids get all the help they need and the Utah Health Department said they are doing all that they can to provide for so many children, but early detection is key.

Nurse Al works at the Utah Health Department and he said there are signs for parents to look for as soon as their child is born. “The earlier we can catch them the earlier we get them into treatment. If we wait until the school age they have lost a lot of those skills and it’s very difficult to make up that ground once they are in school” said Romeo.

Passey said those medical services are a luxury she and other families can’t afford, because Utah doesn’t require insurance carriers to cover autism. “The one thing that will make the biggest difference to families in Utah is insurance. That’s it. It’s horrible to know that all these therapies are there that can change my daughters life but we can’t get to them.

Learn the Signs Act Early

Utah Autism Coalition

“We’ve had people come in with containers with just a whole bunch of weird stuff dumped in them. We’ve had refrigeration units taken off old motor homes and brought in full of freon,” said Public Health Official Lance Madigan.

People drop off hundreds of gallons of household poisons, hazmat teams and student volunteers help sort the waste, then specialist recycling companies package it and take it away.

“Most of the volunteers here are students from BYU. I personally volunteered because of a class,” said one BYU student.

One new thing that the organization is collecting this year is something they call e-waste, like old computers, televisions, and other electronics.

Public health officials say more than 300 cars drive through on the collection day.

“We’ll probably generate about 40,000 pounds of waste that we’ll remove that would be in the landfill if this event wasn’t going on,” says Brandon Christiansen of Veolia Environmental Solutions.

This was the fifth year that habitat for humanity organized this recycling effort, and they say they hope to see more people come in the future.

For more information on future collection days, visit utahcountyhealth.org/hhw.

A report from utahsright.com says psychiatrists at the Utah State Hospital earn nine out of Utah’s 10 highest state salaries outside of academia. With psychiatrists dominating the top 10 salaries list this raises the question of whether they are getting paid too much for what they do.

With the release of the hospital’s 14 psychiatrists salaries, people are questioning why the state is paying them that much money instead of using the tax dollars elsewhere. But Hospital Superintendent Dallas Earnshaw says their doctors are actually underpaid compared to the national average.

Said Earnshaw, “The salaries that get reported in their transparency websites for the state actually reflect all of their pay, so their on call, overtime and benefits put together. So it isn’t a true reflection of what the base salary that a psychiatrist makes.”

Some employees say it’s not just the pay that matters. But more than that it’s the fulfillment that comes from helping those in need.

Hospital Police Officer Brian Powers said, “It’s very refreshing to work with them. Every single person that works here, and it’s easy to see it in the doctors, is working here because they have a compassion for their fellow human being.”

With only so much funding available balancing where the money goes and keeping the hospital fully staffed are on-going issues.

“We do have some problems at times recruiting psychiatrists because they are below the market salary base”, said Earnshaw. “But for the most part we try to be competative with other options for them.”

Utah’s growing population and the increase of disorders such as depression are raising the demand for mental health professionals. This high demand continues to fuel the funding debate at the state hospital.

Keith B. McMullin was second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric for 17 years. Now, he is making the transition from General Authority to corporate CEO.

McMullin is replacing Mark Willes as CEO of Deseret Management Corporation. Mcmullin says he’s excited to follow in Willes’ footsteps.

“Mark Willes has a superb sense for strategy and he has a wonderful manner in the way he deals with others who are his colleagues in a particular industry that he is in, and who work with him on a daily basis,” says McMullin.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns Deseret Management Corporation, which is a family of businesses including KSL, Deseret News, and Temple Square Hospitality.

“The company’s purpose is to be a trusted voice of light and knowledge to hundreds of millions of people around the world, that’s what we’re about, and that’s what all of us are engaged in, in a vigorous way,” says McMullin.

McMullin also says his time as a general authority has given him valuable skills and abilities he can use in this new position.

“The Presiding Bishopric’s responsibilities are very complex and span a very broad scope of activities from real estate, to buildings, to records, financial affairs and systems, and so all of those experiences in running those operations have been helpful experiences in preparation for this undertaking,” says McMullin.

McMullin says he is most excited about executing the strategies that Willes put in place and he also says he looks forward to seeing the influence companies like Deseret News can have around the world.

“It’s our future right? I mean, we’re the one’s who are going to be inheriting debt. We’re the ones who are going to be living here,” said Skanchy.

Like Matthew, delegates from districts in south Provo wanted to know more about the candidates running for office before the state convention in a couple of weeks. Organizers put together a “meet the candidates” event which allowed them to meet the candidates and ask them questions face to face. Senator Orrin Hatch and opponent Dan Liljenquist both made an appearance and answered questions and concerns delegates had.

Kraig Thorn, the Vice Chair of District 57 in Pleasant Grove, UT, said, “Dan is a fantastic individual who if he’s a senator would bring a great deal of knowledge to the senate. And then you have Senator Hatch, who is responsible for every single fantastic Supreme Court justice.”

Delegates spoke to the candidates directly at the event, but some say they left wanting more information. “They had all the candidates who were underfunded speak and it was really hard to get a feel for them given the fact they only had a few minutes,” said Thorn.

People came from all over Utah County to hear seventeen different speakers.  And even though speakers started at 8:30 a.m., many stuck around till 3 and 4 p.m. to hear Hatch and Liljenquist speak.

For more information on the Republican State Convention, visit this link to answer questions you may have: www.utgop.org.

Senior Delaney Willard is the power behind the lady Cougars punch this season. She leads the team in every single offensive category. She’s already eclipsed her hits, RBI’s, and home run totals from last year and still has twenty games to go. Where did these massive numbers come from? The answer seems almost too simple.

“Confidence. I mean being more confident when you step in the batters box can really make or break, your year,” says Willard.

With her new found swagger, she’s the Albert Pujols of BYU softball. She hits a sizzling .457 and has tallied 13 home runs and 49 RBI’s. Her dominance extends beyond Provo as she leads the WAC in five categories and also ranks top five in the nation in three more. Coach Gordon Eakin explained the change in her.

“There is a Stark difference between this year and years past is, because she’s actually changing the game in our favor, game in and game out,” says Eakin.

And of course, every great hitter needs a little superstition mixed in her game.

“I have weird things that I do. In the batter’s box I do the same thing pretty much every time. I hold my bat up, look at it, take a deep breath and then get to the batter’s box,” says Willard.

With a slugger like willard behind the plate the cougars have compiled a 23 and 10 record. She says the end goal is to reach the ncaa championship.  So we know about her lumber, but how about her leather? Her glove work is just as good as her hitting, she has a fielding percentage of .963, which means she almost never makes an error.Willard is the whole package.

But as long as the pitches keep coming, she says she’ll gladly send them sky high.

“A leadership council, which is basically every position group elects one or two dudes from the group and we get together and put our minds together and try to come up with what’s best for the team.”

The workouts are technically voluntary, but the Cougs are putting maximum effort into the summer session. Coaches aren’t allowed to attend so the players in charge of practice will have to pick up the clipboard and whistle.

“You know twice a week we’re gonna have player run practices and make sure we’re working on those fundamentals. A lot of emphasis is on getting faster, getting quicker, more explosive,” Ogletree said.

“It puts a lot of pressure on us, a lot of responsibility on us seniors and us old guys, but I think it’s something that we’ll rise to that challenge in the best way we can,” said Senior Riley Nelson.

Despite multiple ten win seasons, the Cougars haven’t had a winning record for their first three games in each of the last two seasons. Senior Quarterback Riley Nelson isn’t waiting for the leaves to fall before capitalizing on the changes to the program.

“We can’t keep having the same kind of summers that we’ve been having. We can’t do things the same. I think it was Albert Einstein that said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So we’re not gonna do that. We’re not insane around here,” said Nelson.

Artistic Director, Jodi Maxfield said, It’s definitely added pressure to walk in and have everyone know you’re the team to beat, it gets harder every year but we are ready, our routine is really unique and is something that people haven’t seen before.”

Megan Phillips, President of the BYU dance team says, “We always do things together to help strengthen the team, last year we read the book of Alma together and before that we read the whole Book Of Mormon and now we are having a different girl bring a devotional to all study before practice.”

More than 100 Cougarette hopefuls audition every year for a spot on the team. This final group of twenty on-point dancers are skilled in jazz, ballet, lyrical, and pom.
These girls take pride in providing service to their community and say they’re working towards being role models for young LDS dancers.