News roundup: Man fires gun during 2nd Amendment rally in Vernal

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

2nd Amendment rights rally speaker shoots gun in Vernal. Fact-checking Bennion's defense. Bishop, Chaffetz work towards San Juan County land bill.

Happy Monday. Shot: The Vernal Express reports that Mitch Vilos, the keynote speaker at a recent 2nd Amendment rights rally in Vernal, fired his pistol into the air to punctuate his remarks. [UBMedia]

Chaser: Vernal City Ordinances: Section 9.08.010 Discharge of firearms prohibited. A. It is unlawful for any person, except public officers in the pursuit of their lawful duties, to discharge firearms of any description within the limits of Vernal City.

Topping the news: Robert Gehrke fact checks SL Co. GOP Chairman Chad Bennion's assertion that The Tribune is trying to make Sim Gill the state's attorney general. [Trib]

-> A carriage horse collapsed in downtown Salt Lake City this weekend, with the owners saying he fell ill from colic while animal activists say it was the heat. [Trib]

-> Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz are working toward drafting a public lands bill for San Juan County. [SJRNews]

-> They also worked with local residents and groups in Grand County. [MoabTimes]

Tweet of the day: From @mviser: "While roaming IA State Fair, Scott Brown gets a call from...John Kerry. 'Alright, man, I miss you, as well,' he says."

From ‏@BuzzFeedAndrew: "The ability of C-SPAN hosts to not even flinch while callers make insane comments is incredible."

Happy birthday: To state Rep. Brian King and Former state Sen. Scott McCoy.

Opinion section: GOP Sen. Stuart Reid says that at the least, Congress should do what states can't and then allow states to pursue solutions their own way. [Trib]

-> A retired architect from Park City says orienting neighborhoods, shopping and jobs around transit connections will help save millions in time wasted facing congestion. [Trib]

-> A former educator says the goal of those who want to do away with public school mandates is to make vouchers a reality. [Trib]

-> Paul Rolly takes on the Utah Legislature's love affair with tobacco money. [Trib]

-> Rolly also notes how long it takes for a UTA bus driver to rack up the one million miles it takes to earn a $500 bonus. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley gives his take on the GOP's effort to win more elections. [Trib]

-> John Florez says taxpayers and citizens aren't getting what they should from Utah's correctional system. [DNews]

-> Sen. Bob Bennett says Congress needs to grab back the many powers it has lost to the Executive Branch if it wants to help fix America's problems. [DNews]

Weekend in review: St. George protesters say they aim to promote unity in call for Obama impeachment. [Spectrum]

-> As Utah's two-year schools transition to four-year universities, some are questioning whether the move is making it more costly and difficult for some students to attend college. [DNews]

-> UTA gets lauded for completing its Frontrunner project two years early and $300 million under budget. [Trib]

-> But if you thought major road construction was finally over, guess again. Say hi to a $247 million widening project for I-15 expected to take two years to complete. [Trib]

Nationally: NJ Gov. Chris Christie is making hires and lining up plans for a presidential bid three years ahead of the election. [NYTimes]

-> Former Sen. Scott Brown drops by the Iowa State Fair, hinting at a possible White House run himself. [Register]

-> A former top aide to Mitt Romney, Eric Fehrnstrom, says the GOP's plans to bar NBC and CNN from hosting debates because of the Hillary Clinton shows is bad form. Says attacking the media is a "loser's game." [HuffPost]

-> Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus responds by questioning whether Fehrnstrom's "Etch-A-Sketch is on tilt." [WaPost]

-> The partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke much of the NSA scandal stories, was detailed for nine hours at Heathrow Airport. [Guardian]

-> Detroit, with its rampant poverty, corrupt politicians and bankrupt government, has become the Republican's new punching bag of what's wrong with Democratic governance. [Politico]

Where are they?

Rep. Chris Stewart meets with officials from the Salt Lake City Chamber, Girl Scouts of Utah and Goldman Sachs and later tours the U.'s Hospital and Moran Eye Center.

Gov. Gary Herbert is taking a personal day.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker meets with his Committee on Homelessness and holds a senior staff meeting.

WVC Mayor Mike Winder attends the Farnsworth Elementary Back to School event.

President Barack Obama meets with lead financial regulators to discuss the progress that has been made in strengthening the financial system.

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

— Thomas BurrTwitter.com/thomaswburr