Utah

A jury has found Kouri Richins, a Utah mother and author, guilty of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl. The verdict concludes a case that drew national attention, as Richins had written a children's book about grief after her husband's 2022 death. Prosecutors argued she deliberately administered the lethal dose. She now faces sentencing following the conviction.

A Utah judge has ruled that the man accused of murdering someone in a shooting at a Salt Lake City LDS church can present a self-defense argument at trial. The decision means jurors will weigh whether the defendant believed he was in danger, a notable ruling given the fatal shooting occurred on religious grounds. The case continues to draw attention in Utah.

Utah officials say the state will not use a voter database promoted by Donald Trump to purge its voter rolls, even after a Supreme Court ruling on voter-list maintenance. The decision means Utah election administrators will continue relying on their own verification processes rather than the outside data, keeping the state out of a widening national fight over who gets removed from registration lists.

A group of Utah students enrolled in Chinese language immersion programs traveled to Washington during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit. The trip gives young American learners a chance to see US-China diplomacy firsthand. Local coverage highlighted the connection between the state's investment in Chinese language education and the high-profile visit.