Utah judge authorizes sale of 400 acres of polygamous sect’s land in bidding process

October 7th, 2009 Investor wants Sun-Times bidding process reopenedCHICAGO — There's no one else interested in buying the Chicago Sun-Times. Or is there? A Chicago-area investor wants a bankruptcy court to reopen bidding for the parent company of the Chicago Sun-Times.

September 23rd, 2009 Utah Supreme Court moves sect leader's hearingSALT LAKE CITY — A hearing on an appeal of the 2007 criminal conviction of polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs has been moved to a larger venue to make room for his family and members of his church. Utah State Courts spokeswoman Nancy Volmer says the Utah Supreme Court will hear arguments at 11 a.m.

September 15th, 2009 Magna bankruptcy judge approves Thistledown saleWILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of Magna Entertainment Corp.'s Thistledown race track in Ohio for $89.5 million.

September 14th, 2009 Appeals court blocks BLM-Asarco land swapPHOENIX — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a proposed land exchange between the federal Bureau of Land Management and copper miner Asarco LLC violates environmental laws. The ruling in the lawsuit filed by three environmental groups in 2001 overturns a lower court decision backing the exchange long sought by Asarco.

August 4th, 2009 Arizona jail force-feeding sect leader JeffsBEAVER, Utah — A letter from a doctor says polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs is being force-fed in an Arizona jail to prevent the possibility of "imminent death." In a letter filed with the Mohave County Superior Court on Monday, county jail Medical Director Kirsten Mortenson told a judge that Jeffs has been refusing to eat and is no longer urinating. She says Jeffs's vital signs are worsening and he is suffering from malnutrition.

July 23rd, 2009 Judge rejects polygamous church trust settlementSALT LAKE CITY — A judge has rejected a proposed settlement that would have returned control of a state-managed land trust back to followers of polygamous leader Warren Jeffs. The United Effort Plan Trust was formed in 1942 to hold the collective assets of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

July 9th, 2009 University of Utah, HBO in flap over logoSALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah says the HBO series "Big Love" can't use the school's name or logo without its permission. University officials say they learned an episode of the show displayed a document with the school name and logo.

July 8th, 2009 Land added to proposed Colorado uranium operationCARR, Colo. — A Canadian company hoping to open a uranium mine in northern Colorado has obtained options for up to 3,585 more acres, plus access to minerals it owns under the land.

June 17th, 2009 Polygamous church trust manager pleads not guiltySALT LAKE CITY — A court-appointed fiduciary of a polygamous church trust has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor trespassing and other charges related to his management operations. Bruce R. Wisan was charged in Mocassin, Ariz.

May 30th, 2009 950 acres in Pa. acquired for Flight 93 memorialSHANKSVILLE, Pa.

May 6th, 2009 Judge OKs procedures for sale of Chrysler assetsNEW YORK — The judge overseeing Chrysler's Chapter 11 proceedings says the automaker can start taking steps toward selling the vast majority of its assets to Italy's Fiat. Judge Arthur Gonzales says the procedures proposed by Chrysler's lawyers represent a "clear and orderly process." Attorneys for Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler LLC argued that the automaker had essentially been up for sale for most of the last two years and a speedy sale was needed in order to preserve the value of the company's assets.

May 5th, 2009 Lenders group objects to sale to FiatNEW YORK — A dissident group of Chrysler lenders is objecting to the sale of the bulk of the automaker's assets to Italian automaker Fiat, saying that the proposed sale process is designed to prevent competitive bidding. In an objection filed Tuesday, the lenders group says the proposed bidding procedures only give the appearance of legitimacy and don't maximize the sale price of the assets.

May 4th, 2009 Judge approves Magna Entertainment asset saleWILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved proposed sale procedures for certain assets of horse track owner Magna Entertainment Corp.

April 30th, 2009 Some fear eviction in polygamous sect's land fightSALT LAKE CITY — Some former members of a polygamous sect on the Utah-Arizona line are worried they will lose their homes in the legal wrangling for control of the church's property trust. Residents no longer connected to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints say they fear that settlement talks may lead to members of the church winning control of the land and homes in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

April 23rd, 2009 Talks start on polygamous sect's property trustSALT LAKE CITY — Negotiations are under way in a yearslong battle for control of a polygamous church property trust seized by the Utah courts in 2005 after allegations of mismanagement. At stake are the assets of the United Effort Plan Trust, an arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.