Child protection amendments stall

Legislators stalled an effort to bring Utah's child welfare rules for foster children laws in line with federal standards on Wednesday. House Bill 245, which enacts provisions in the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, would add a layer of background checks and exclusions for potential foster parents. Some people are concerned about the bill because it could cause a delay in the placement of children into foster care. "This is prior federal legislation, and should have been included in ours, but we just haven't done it," said the bill's sponsor Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan. The bill would require the fingerprinting of potential foster parents for an FBI criminal background check. Potential foster parents also would be subject to a check against the child abuse and neglect registry in every state they have resided in for the past five years.

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Lost child found safe and sound

A three year old child, who temporarily wandered away from his home in Mayo, was found safe, but hungry, approximately three-fourths to one mile in the woods nearby. The child went missing on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at approximately 10:30 a.m., found approximately one half hour later, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office (LCSO).LCSO personnel were quickly on the scene frantically searching for the child The Mayo Correctional Institution K-9 Unit was dispatched to provide assistance in the search and rescue.Before the MCI K-9 Unit arrived, the child was successfully located and brought back to his family.Sheriff Carson McCall recently stated that he commends everyone who became involved, determined to find the child no matter how long it took. - Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.

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Crime victim gets child-support check

Mary Barry thought the state's Victims of Crime Compensation Board was wrong to deny her child-support claims. She told her story to The Press of Atlantic City and convinced the board she was right. Barry's former husband allegedly stabbed her outside her Somers Point home in September 2005. The board initially denied her ensuing claims for child-support compensation, but has now reversed its decision and overturned precedent, paying Barry and opening the door to support future victims with derelict former spouses. The former husband, Brian Hoffman, had not paid child support to Barry for more than 10 years before the crime. Before Barry's case, board practice was to reject child-support compensation if victims had not been receiving entitled payments at the time of the crime, a frequent situation for victims, board Chairman Edward G.

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