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Show A-12 The Park Record Congratulations to Morgan Irvin for passing the CFP® exam Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, December 15-18, 2018 FLDS evicted from house of worship over taxes, fees Remnants of Jeffs group left without a church BRADY MCCOMBS Associated Press TO LEARN MORE, CALL: 435-383-1430 MORGAN IRVIN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ 1389 Center St. Suite 200, Park City, UT 84098 @wasatchcapital | www.wasatchcapitalmanagement.com Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Member New York Stock Exchange/ SIPC Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements. See page B-7 for just a few of the cats and dogs available for adoption Trib December v2.pdf 4 12/11/2018 1:22:33 PM SALT LAKE CITY – A polygamous group based on the Utah-Arizona border is letting go of the sprawling building where its members worshiped, in the latest sign that the sect run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs is crumbling and losing control of the community it ruled for a century. The group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, now has nowhere to gather for worship services after the nearly 53,000 square-foot building was taken over last week as part of government-ordered evictions that have taken away about 200 homes and buildings from members who refuse to pay property taxes and $100-a-month occupancy fees. The meetinghouse with capacity for several thousand people is valued at $2.8 million and sits on about 7 acres in the remote red rock community, on the Arizona side of the border. The building has a stage, a church-like setup for services and classrooms for religious education but has not been used for at least six months, Jeff Barlow said Monday. He is the executive director of a government-appointed organization that oversees a former church trust that has properties in the sister cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. The FLDS doesn’t have a spokesperson to comment about the development. The sect is experiencing a major leadership void with Warren Jeffs serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage girls he considered brides and his brother Lyle Jeffs serving nearly a fiveyear sentence for his role in carrying out an elaborate food stamp fraud scheme and for escaping home confinement while awaiting trial. Members have said they have been worshipping at home on their own. The lack of local leaders meant nobody stepped up to take responsibility for the building when Barlow’s organization warned an eviction was imminent, said Christine Katas, who lives in the community and serves as an intermediary between Barlow’s organization and the FLDS. Rank-and-file members don’t believe they have the authority to do so, she said. “It’s very sad for the FLDS. I’ve seen people cry over it,” Katas said. “Both sides are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everybody wishes there was a different outcome.” The evictions have led many FLDS members to take refuge in trailers around town or move away, while former members have purchased the homes and buildings and moved back. Group members don’t believe they should have to pay for what belonged to a communal church trust that the state of Utah took over more than a decade ago amid mismanagement. The evictions are part of the shifting demographics in the sister cities of about 7,700 people. Non-sect members last year won control of the mayor’s office and town council in Hildale and nearly did the same in municipal elections in Colorado City. The town government and police are being watched closely by court-appointed monitors after a jury found past town and police leaders guilty of civil rights violations. Sprawling homes that used to belong to Warren Jeffs have been converted into beds and breakfast and sober living centers. Members of the group still consider their leader and prophet to be Warren Jeffs, even though he has been in jail in Utah or Texas continually since 2006. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the mainstream church abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. The Salt Lake Tribune first reported the eviction of the meetinghouse. Barlow said the board of the organization he runs, called the United Effort Plan (UEP) Trust, will meet on Jan. 5 in a public meeting to discuss what to do with the building, constructed in 1986, Barlow said. One possibility is converting it to a civic center, though that would likely require seeking grant funds, he said. The UEP board will make the final decision. Your New Best Friend is Waiting for You See page B-7 for just a few of the dogs and cats available for adoption. SEE YOU IN DECEMBER Beautiful Boy David Sheff & Nic Sheff Saturday, December 15, 2018 - 7:30 pm The father and son whose memoirs inspired the movie Beautiful Boy, in a rare joint appearance, share their heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery. Bob Woodward We are hiring for a front desk position in Park City Please contact: Blake Christian Sunday, December 16, 2018 - 7:30 pm The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and author of Fear: Trump in the White House, shares insights on important issues of the day. With a team of over 600 employees in 12 offices, we are positioned to handle your complex tax and financial challenges. Ocean Soul - with Brian Skerry Saturday, December 29, 2018 - 7:30 pm Take a deep dive with this photographer, a National Geographic Explorer of the Year, as he guides us on a tour under the sea—beneath Arctic ice or in predator-infested waters. New Year's Eve Celebration With Sutton Foster Monday, December 31, 2018 - 8:00 pm Our classic PCI New Year’s Eve starts in the Eccles Center with a cabaret performance by two-time Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster. The star of TV’s Younger, recording artist and Broadway musical actor will perform her critically acclaimed one-woman show. Add on our after-party at Tupelo, with an elegant dinner, drinks, and dancing past midnight. ALL EVENTS AT THE ECCLES CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 1750 KEARNS BLVD / PARK CITY, UT BOX OFFICE 435-655-3114 PARKCITYINSTITUTE.ORG 136 HEBER AVE, SUITE 301, PARK CITY,UT 84060 435.200.9262 TAX | BUSINESS MANAGEMENT | ENTERTAINMENT | AUDIT CAMARILLO | ENCINO | LONG BEACH | LOS ANGELES | ORANGE COUNTY PASADENA | WALNUT CREEK | WEST LOS ANGELES | WESTLAKE VILLAGE FORT WORTH, TX | PARK CITY, UT | PHOENIX, AZ |