Utah State News Service

By Hannah McDonald Ten people were arrested at Utah State University’s annual Halloween party — a four-year low, according to police. Utah State Police Captain Steve Milne is unsure why police made fewer arrests at this year’s Howl, but he said he hopes word is getting out that the party, which draws thousands of Utah State students and guests from across the region, is not the place to be for students who are drinking. “When you have 30 police officers spread out between two buildings, your chances of getting caught are going to be increased a lot,” Milne said. “I don’t know if the word has gotten out on that. We’ll see. If crime rates continue to stay low for the next few years, then I guess so.” The drop in arrests is part of a four-year trend. Last year, police made 16 arrests. In 2014, 23 attendees were arrested, and in 2013, law enforcement arrested 28 partygoers. Emi Facer, the student director of the Howl, said the lower crime rates may correspond to party planners’ ...

By Jessica Dryden In the wake of a student government declaration of a “mental health crisis,” at Utah State University, some Aggies are working to launch a National Alliance on Mental Illness club on campus. Once the club is in place, likely by the end of this year, NAMI state organizations will train students to lead peer support groups. Those sorts of resources, organizers said, could help combat the waitlists students face for on-campus mental health care. NAMI is the nation’s largest mental health organization, and has had a presence at Utah State University in the past. But Ty Aller, a NAMI USU outreach board member, said it’s not uncommon for university clubs to lose membership with students constantly graduating and moving. “I believe that NAMI USU suffered a loss due to just this,” Aller said in an e-mail, “students being students.” Aller is currently working with the organization’s Cache Valley affiliate to determine ways to minimize member loss in the future, ensu...

By  Bronson Teichert Vitamin imbalances in rabbit feed have been causing Utah rabbit owners to suffer losses for the past six months. The problem was discovered on Oct. 21 in toxicology labs at Utah State University. “These bunnies were our beloved pets and 4-H projects,” said Vicky Sleeman, an owner of a small rabbitry in Ogden, Utah. Sleeman switched feed brands to Commercial Rabbit in May. In the past six months, her farm has experienced the death of three females, two complete litters of newborn rabbits, infertility issues and abnormal eating behaviors. According to Sharon Christianson, a representative of Commercial Rabbit, the feed company changed to a different distributing company in May that had a 20 percent higher concentration of vitamin D. Bracken Davis, a representative of the state’s Plant Industry Feeds Program, said multiple farmers noticed problems with their rabbits all summer and into the fall but were not able to determine the cause. A feed sample w...

By Jessica Dryden A Mormon-created online platform that links local volunteers to nearby service projects is being tested in Cache Valley — and organizers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are pledging that the program won’t be used for proselytizing.      “One of the one main objectives of the Just Serve program is to strengthen communities,” said Riley Crosbie, a bishopric first counselor in the Second Logan Married Student Stake. “No doubt there will be opportunities along the way to answer questions and discuss the Restoration of the Gospel and the Book of Mormon, but it has been stated that this is not the purpose of Just Serve.” Marion Hyde, a bishop in Logan, is optimistic Just Serve will break down religious barriers in the community. “There are many fears and misconceptions about the Mormons,” Hyde wrote in an email. “There are fears that all we want to do is convert everyone that is not a member, which is a substantiate...

By Judd Workman On Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. a local women's clothing boutique will be celebrating its grand opening. During these times there will be giveaways, refreshments and “swag bags.” Roolee, a Logan-based company that opened in 2013, moved this week to its new building at 165 W. 1600 North. With the increasing success of their store, Chad and Kylee Champlin, the owners of Roolee, felt they needed a larger space to grow their company. “Our other store was pretty crowded,” Chad Champlin said. “We had limited dressing rooms and limited space. Now we have more dressing rooms, more checkout counters and much more room for displays.” With the new room, Roolee has now been able to expand its home decor and baby sections. The new store is more conducive to what the Champlins want to bring to Cache Valley. “We feel like this building really represents the image of our brand,” Chad Champlin said. ”We’re trying to bring a City Creek...

By Paige Cavaness A Salt Lake Tribune sports reporter tweeted after a Utah State University football game at 1:06 a.m. Sunday morning that he was drinking "a Coors Light while driving in Sardine Canyon." Steve Luhm, who had just left Maverik Stadium following the Aggies' 38-20 victory over Fresno State University, noted in the tweet that he was celebrating the Chicago Cubs' first visit to the World Series in more than 70 years.  Luhm's followers quickly took screenshots of the tweet and replied in bewilderment that Luhm was admitting to drinking while driving on one of the most dangerous roads in Utah. Luhm deleted the tweet about 40 minutes later, but not before replying to critics.   "Sipping one 12-punce beer during a two-hour drive is hardly dangerous," he wrote. "I am not stupid. Good grief." That tweet has also since been deleted. Followers commented that they hoped the typo for the word "ounce" was simply due to ...

By Bronson Teichert If rhetoric foretells policy when it comes to international trade, it might not matter who wins the presidency in November. Utah’s farmers could lose big. That’s the contention of several Utah economists who say the politics of public perception, rather than sound policy, appear to be driving the debate on trade agreements that benefit American agriculture. “From the point of economics, I see politically where people will talk about trade and say we are disadvantaged in some way,” said DeeVon Bailey, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at Utah State University. “But in the case of agriculture, that’s not true.” Yet between barbed exchanges during three debates culminating Wednesday in Las Vegas, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton found détente on trade. Both favorably spoke of renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Trans Pacific Partnership and economic relationships with China. NAFTA includes the United States, Cana...