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Show A-10 Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 20-22, 2019 The Park Record SEE EUROPE’S CROWN JEWELS June 17 - 28, 2019 Explore the “Holy Trinity” of Central HISTORIC BORDERLANDS BERLIN PRAGUE VIENNA Europe’s most fascinating and beautiful capitals in this twelve-day journey. Join Former abortion doctor sues Daily Caller for defamation Activist says false info led to firing, harassment Dr. Julia Ault, your very own University of Utah German history expert, as JOSEPH GEDEON she brings everything we see in Berlin, Associated Press Prague, and Vienna (as well as Dresden SALT LAKE CITY — A well-known abortion rights activist from Utah has filed a lawsuit against three conservative media publications for defamation, says that online stories spread misinformation that she cut the throats of fetuses during abortions. Dr. Leah Torres, a former Salt Lake City obstetrician-gynecologist, says in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that stories written by three conservative outlets in March 2018 painted her as a doctor who conducted unlawful abortions, leading to scourging harassment online and job loss. She says her personal information and the address and phone number of her clinic were released online. Torres said she was fired by her employer for violating a provision in her contract requiring her to uphold her “professional reputation.” She is not suing the company and and Cesky Krumlov) to life. From the medieval era to the Cold War and into the present day, you will be led through the best historical and culinary highlights these cities have to offer. Join us on this adventure today! golearn.utah.edu didn’t name it in the lawsuit. She said she had to move away from Utah after not finding another job for nine months. Torres is seeking at least $75,000 for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress by The Daily Caller, The Western Journal and Liftable Media. “The internet has been weaponized by anti-abortion extremists to amplify and distort information, as a result causing online and offline harassment, stalking and violence against abortion providers and advocates,” Torres’ lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Utah. Shaun Hair, executive editor of The Western Journal, said in a statement that the news outlet is aware of the lawsuit and will refer it to the company’s attorneys “and defend our position in court.” Phone calls and emails The Daily Caller and Liftable Media were not immediately returned on Friday. Her attorney Carrie Goldberg said Friday that Torres was “harassed mercilessly by the trolls who were incited by the fake information.” The lawsuit claims the harassment started when Torres, who maintains a blog and active Twitter feed, replied to a comment on Twitter referring to her work as “infanticide” and asking her whether she hears screams at night. Torres noted that fetuses don’t have the ability to scream and that she cuts the “cord” to perform the abortion. Torres later clarified that she was referring to the umbilical cord, not the vocal cord. The Daily Caller, the defendant with the largest reach at 5.3 million followers on Facebook, was the first publication to post an article online stating that “an abortion doctor recently sent a disgusting tweet about cutting the throats of fetuses so they can’t scream,” identifying Torres by name. The story was picked up by other media outlets, including Western Journal and Liftable Media. Torres said that led to an onslaught of harassment and personal attacks against Torres on social media While living in Utah, Torres was an ardent defender of abortion rights, challenging legislators and lawmakers to explain policy decisions that affected the fetus and mother. She didn’t say in the lawsuit where she is living now. US eases land restrictions intended to protect bird Herbert praises land plan affecting sage grouse MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press Statistics tell a lot. But we think a smile says more. We’re happy to welcome Jess Reid Real Estate to our family, with 3 offices and 30 agents. BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration on Friday finalized changes to sweeping federal land use plans for the West, easing restrictions on energy companies and other industries in a way officials said would still protect a struggling bird species. The changes by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will guide future efforts to conserve greater sage grouse, ground-dwelling birds that range across portions of 11 Western states. Environmentalists said the widely-anticipated move will undermine protections for the chicken-sized grouse. It would allow more oil and gas drilling, mining and other activities that can disrupt grouse breeding grounds. But the changes secured key backing from Democratic and Republican governors in affected states, bolstering the administration’s position that revisions were needed to plans crafted under former President Barack Obama. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement that the changes marked “a shift away from planning toward active conservation and landscape management.” The birds are known for an elaborate mating ritual in which males fan their tails and puff out yellow air sacs in their chests as they strut around breeding grounds known as leks. Their numbers have plummeted due to energy development, disease and other factors. Opponents are expected to challenge the changes in court. Brian Rutledge with the Audubon Society said the revisions will make it harder to stop the long-term decline of sage grouse by giving oil and gas companies access to crucial grouse habitat. “It’s a free for all, based on prioritizing fossil fuel extraction over any other use of the federal landscape,” Rutledge said. The chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, Arizona Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva, said the changes would benefit former clients of acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Bernhardt worked as an oil and gas industry lobbyist before joining the Trump administration. Grijalva in a statement called the administration’s decision “a smash-and-grab-job on our environment.” U.S. Bureau of Land Management acting Director Brian Steed told The Associated Press the changes address concerns aired by state officials that previous policies governing millions of acres of federal land were too restrictive. Those policies had been memorialized in a 2015 partnership between Western states and the federal government, but officials from several states had since sought changes. Steed said the broad revisions to the Obama-era plans were meant to move beyond what he called a “one-sizefits-all” approach under the old rules. He said they give more flexibility to land managers and states concerned about balancing economic development with protections for the bird. “Our intent was not to throw out the plans, but to make them better respond to the needs on the ground,” Steed said. “We’re doing that in a very careful way to ensure that the bird’s protections are still in effect.” Sage grouse once numbered in the millions but the most recent estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service places the population at between 200,000 and 500,000. The 2015 plans capped years of negotiations and were intended to prevent the bird from being designated a threatened or endangered species. That status could have brought severe limitations on grazing, energy development and other activities across the bird’s range, which covers some 270,000 square miles (700,000 square kilometers). Under President Donald Trump, Interior Department officials have vowed to lift obstacles to drilling. Grouse protections have long been viewed by the energy industry as an obstacle to development. The new plans were expected to remove the most protective habitat designations for about 13,000 square miles (34,000 square kilometers) of public land. Those areas, considered essential to the species’ survival, were a centerpiece of the Obama policy. The Trump administration also would drop some requirements to prioritize leasing for oil and gas outside sage grouse habitat and allow for more waivers for drilling. In Wyoming, one of the most important remaining strongholds for the species, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon said the changes would help economic development while conserving grouse. Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said the BLM’s new approach “will really complement what we’re already doing. That’s good news for how we manage sage grouse population in the state of Utah.” Your future Mountain Home is calling Check out the Park Record’s Real Estate Monthly for listings in Park City and the surrounding areas All in, for Park City. Looking to sell a home, condo, property, or townhome? Call 435-649-9014 to get your listing seen by over 10,000 people. |