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KUNR Today: Autopsy confirms body found in reservoir is California girl

A social media graphic from the Placer County Sheriff's Office shows two photos of 16-year-old Kiely Rodni. Block letters above the photo read "identity of Kiely Rodni confirmed."
Placer County Sheriff's Office
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A social media post from the Placer County Sheriff's Office on Aug 23, 2022.

Read or listen to news headlines for Wednesday, August 24, 2022.

Autopsy confirms body found in reservoir is California girl
By The Associated Press

An autopsy has confirmed that a body found inside a car submerged in a Northern California reservoir is that of 16-year-old Kiely Rodni, who disappeared after a large youth party earlier this month. The Nevada County Sheriff's Office released the official identification Tuesday in a social media post that did not include any other findings of the autopsy, citing the ongoing investigation. The discovery was made during the weekend by a volunteer dive team and Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Monday that it was believed to be the body of the Truckee, California, girl who was last seen alive on Aug. 6.

False claims that 2020 election was stolen continue impacting Mountain West elections
By Madelyn Beck, Mountain West News Bureau

A legislator in our region has changed parties from Republican to Democrat over false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Colorado Sen. Kevin Priola is not alone in questioning his party’s loyalty to 2020 election disinformation. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney spoke out against stolen election claims and was recently defeated in a primary.

Sen. Mitt Romney in Utah has also spoken out against the claims. But plenty more Republicans, like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Idaho Rep. Russ Fulcher, have questioned the election’s outcome.

Boise State University political scientist Jaclyn Kettler said years later it remains divisive even for conservatives like Cheney and Priola, who don’t support more gun control or expanded abortion access.

“And they continue to see it having really impactful outcomes within the party,” Kettler said. “Whether it’s primaries, or in this case a state legislator switching parties, it is really interesting to see that development within the Republican party.”

The issue may even play a role in the upcoming national Senate elections, where Nevada, Arizona and Colorado have key seats. A 2021 Frank Church Institute survey across much of the Mountain West found that only half of people believe Joe Biden legitimately won the election.

Decision looms for Idaho abortion case
By James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio for the Mountain West News Bureau

Idaho’s near-total abortion ban is scheduled to take effect Thursday, but the U.S. government has challenged it in a case being watched by other states. The ban’s fate now rests with a federal judge. Before the hearing got underway Monday, Judge Lynn Winmill said there seems to be “an absolute conflict” between Idaho’s abortion ban and a federal law regulating emergency care.

That federal law requires hospitals receiving Medicare dollars to treat patients with significant health problems. The Department of Justice argues, that includes abortions in some cases. The state’s attorney said hospitals don’t have to cure the patient. They only have to stabilize a patient before discharging or transferring them.

The state did admit, though, that an ectopic pregnancy would be included under the ban. That’s when an unviable fetus grows outside the womb and can cause severe bleeding or death. An attorney for the state legislature said Idaho isn’t “capable of producing a prosecuting attorney stupid enough to prosecute an ectopic pregnancy.” Winmill said he’ll issue a decision by Wednesday.

Oregon officials defy order to halt farmer water deliveries
By The Associated Press

The Klamath Irrigation District in southern Oregon says it will defy a U.S. government order to stop delivering water to farmers in the drought-stricken basin. The Capital Press reports the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation manages the Klamath Project that includes Klamath Irrigation District and serves 170,000 acres of farmland at the Oregon-California border. A limited allocation of water was allowed for irrigators from Upper Klamath Lake this year because of extreme drought. The bureau ordered the water shutdown last week but the irrigation district's directors on Monday authorized the district's manager to continue operations. The Capital Press reported that a Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

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