By McKenzie Romero | Editor
He didn’t pull the trigger, but for years, a young BYU student’s parents have argued abuse by her boyfriend pushed her toward suicide.
It’s a scenario that very rarely leads to criminal charges, and now in Utah, a man is headed to prison for the death of Rena Nguyen.
In today’s Dispatch we look at the case that the Nguyen family hopes will spread awareness — and legal precedent — across the nation, what’s happening to Utah’s emergency firework ban as Pioneer Day approaches, and the new tariffs being placed on Canadian goods.
“I believe we must do more than just teach victims to escape abuse. We must use every tool under the law to deter anyone who even considers harming another person.” — Keith Nguyen, the father of Rena Nguyen, at a sentencing hearing for the man convicted of manslaughter in her death.
Rose and Keith Nguyen pose with a portrait of their daughter, Rena Nguyen, at the offices of the Utah State Bar in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 17, 2026. (Annie Knox/Utah News Dispatch)
By Annie Knox
Knowing 20-year-old Rena Nguyen was in crisis, her boyfriend yelled at her as she cried and left a loaded handgun in a room with her, then walked away. The attorney representing her parents says this is the first case he knows of in the United States “in which a domestic abuser has driven someone to take their own life, has been held accountable for that action.”
Rena’s parents say they want the prison sentence for Caleb Aidan Rees to deter others who would do the same to a romantic partner. They also hope other authorities in Utah and beyond will take a fresh look at similar cases already closed without any criminal charges being filed.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a news conference announcing a fireworks ban on June 25, 2026. (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch)
By Alixel Cabrera
Ahead of the Pioneer Day holiday this week, Gov. Spencer Cox lifted Utah’s default personal fireworks ban and returned the authority over restrictions to cities. However, some caveats will remain, and the state forester will still be allowed to place restrictions in areas facing wildfire risk.
The existing firework restriction maps that municipalities have drawn for their boundaries will prevail from this week on. However, areas of the state that still have a substantial wildfire risk “may work with the state forester to request additional restrictions beyond their existing authority,” Cox’s office said in a news release.
President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on June 17, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
DC BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
President Donald Trump ordered 50% tariffs on several Canadian products in response to what his administration describes as retaliatory restrictions on imports of American goods, including alcohol, dairy and automotives.
Trump’s three separate proclamations to impose steep tariffs on items like hockey sticks, wine and cement, came just days after he threatened to slap more tariffs on Canada as smoke from raging wildfires in Ontario blanketed much of the northeastern U.S. through the weekend. But a senior administration official denied the new tariffs were in response to the smoke.
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