News

Trials in ricin case postponed

July 9, 2008 - 9:00 pm

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah man accused of failing to report that deadly ricin was being made in his basement is working out a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.

A federal judge postponed a Monday trial for Thomas Tholen, 54, after his defense attorney filed court papers saying a plea agreement was at hand.

Tholen faces on a felony count of knowing about a crime but failing to report it. His cousin, Roger Bergendorff of Las Vegas, is accused of cooking up the ricin in the basement of Tholen's house in a Salt Lake City suburb.

A trial for the 57-year-old Bergendorff also has been postponed. His lawyer says there have been talks about a plea bargain.

Colorado River state governors meet with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Friday, Jan. 30, in Was ...

Colorado River states appear far from deal — even after governors meet in D.C.

By Alan Halaly / RJ

January 31, 2026 - 6:31 am

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo joined other Colorado River state governors at a meeting with Trump officials.

Timbisha Shoshone tribal members join a march ending at the visitor center to celebrate the 25t ...

Tribal members in Death Valley celebrate landmark law’s 25th anniversary

By Alan Halaly / RJ

January 30, 2026 - 8:08 pm

The Timbisha Shoshone tribe celebrated the anniversary of a landmark act of Congress that returned 7,800 acres of its land in the national park.

‘Missing in Nevada Day’ seeks to name unidentified bodies found over the years

By Bryan Horwath / RJ

January 30, 2026 - 7:27 pm

John and Jane Doe bodies in Clark County represent hundreds of unsolved mysteries. Organizers for Missing in Nevada Day hope to identify over 300 unclaimed bodies in the state.

The Palo Alto-based company Pivotal has been developing the technology since 2009 and is nearly ...

Dream of owning a flying car? This California company is already selling them

Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times

January 30, 2026 - 1:08 pm

A future with flying cars is no longer science fiction — all you need to order your own is about $200,000 and some hope and patience.

Scotty's Castle continues to be repaired from massive flood damage a decade ago on Friday, Jan. ...

This con man’s striking Death Valley castle is closer than ever to a reopening date

By Alan Halaly / RJ

January 30, 2026 - 12:22 pm

After surviving floods and fire, Scotty’s Castle is two to three years off from a grand reopening, rangers say.

FILE - Catherine O'Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series "The Studio," poses ...

Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Home Alone,’ star dies at 71

The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 10:38 am

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mom in “Home Alone” to the iconic Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” — died Friday at 71.

A sign marks the Utah state line in Hildale, Utah, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Bo ...

Towns once run by Warren Jeffs’ polygamous sect emerge from court supervision transformed

By Jacques Billeaud The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 9:56 am

These days, Colorado City, Arizona, and neighboring Hildale, Utah, look much like any other town in this remote and picturesque area near Zion National Park

FILE - Documents that were included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Ep ...

Justice Department releases massive trove from its Jeffrey Epstein files

By Eric Tucker, Michael R. Sisak and Alanna Durkin Richer The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 3:11 pm

The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.

A photo of Alex Pretti is displayed during a vigil for Alex Pretti by nurses and their supporte ...

DOJ opens federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti, deputy AG says

By Michael Biesecker and Rebecca Santana The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 8:50 am

The development followed confirmation by the Department of Homeland Security earlier in the day that the FBI would now lead the probe into Pretti’s death.

FILE - Kevin Warsh, speaking to the media about his report on transparency at the Bank of Engla ...

Trump names former Federal Reserve official Warsh as the next Fed chair

By Christopher Rugaber The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 7:57 am

The 55-year-old is currently a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.