Most Impactful Stories of the Decade in Utah

By McKenzie Stauffer

Thu, January 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM

Updated Thu, January 2, 2020 at 12:20 PM

• 27 VIEW ALL PHOTOS

From the legalization of medical marijuana and same-sex marriage to a fire that burned 70,000 acres of Utah land, much happened between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2019. (Photo: KUTV)

Top Stories of the Decade:

Brian David Mitchell Sentenced for Kidnapping Elizabeth Smart

Brian David Mitchell was sentenced to two life sentences in federal prison in 2011 for kidnapping Elizabeth Smart.

FILE – In this Dec. 10, 2010, file photo, Brian David Mitchell is escorted by a U.S. Marshall as he arrives at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City. Wanda Barzee, a woman convicted of helping the former street preacher kidnap Elizabeth Smart in 2002 will be freed from prison more than five years earlier than expected, a surprise decision that Smart called "incomprehensible" on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. Mitchell is serving a life sentence after being convicted of kidnapping and raping Smart. He and Barzee were married at one point. (AP Photo/Colin E Braley, File)

He was convicted of federal kidnapping and unlawful transportation charges for the 2002 kidnapping of Smart from her family’s Salt Lake City home at knifepoint, raping her, and holding her captive for nine months.

Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs Sentencing

Warren Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison in August 2011 on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 14 and sexual assault of a child under 17.

He allegedly "married" young girls within his polygamist sect, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in U.S.

The United States Supreme Court voted to legalize same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015 by the United States Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The court’s 5-4 decision struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalizing it in all 50 states and requiring states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses. Reactions in Utah were mixed.

Former Attorney General Scandal in Utah

Scandalous allegations surrounding two Utah Attorneys General spanned through half of the decade:

• John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff were arrested in 2014 on multiple felony charges, including bribery.
• The case against Shurtleff was eventually dismissed in 2016, and he accepted a $600,000 settlement from the state for legal fees in October 2019.
• Swallow went to trial and was found not guilty in March 2017.

Tornado Damages Homes in Washington Terrace

A tornado touched down in Washington Terrace in September 2016, causing severe damage to the area.

Close to two-dozen homes were damaged and 300,000 people were left without power. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Brian Head Fire Burns 70,000 Acres of Utah Land

One of the biggest wildfires of the decade was the Brian Head Fire in 2017, which destroyed 13 homes and burned more than 70,000 acres of land. (Photo: KUTV)