Utah Republicans reject domestic-partner benefits


Salt Lake County council members have rejected extending domestic-partner benefits to county employees by a vote of five Republicans to four Democrats. The GOP opponents cited the voter-approved constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. "We did get a semblance of this in November's vote. Our community did tell us then and there--the nuclear family and this definition of marriage ought to have a different classification in our society," councilman Cort Ashton said at Tuesday's meeting.