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In this photo from 2009, David Cameron (left) attends a book launch for Charlie Brooks in London. Cameron, who has since become Britain's prime minister, went to Eton with Brooks, husband of Rebekah Brooks, the former News International executive toppled by Britain's phone-hacking scandal. The latest twist in that scandal involves Rebekah Brooks, Cameron and a retired police horse.

Vicki Barker

Vicki Barker was UPR's Moab correspondent from 2011 - 2012.

A native of Moab, she started working in radio as a teenager and earned a degree at Utah State University-Logan in broadcast performance and management. She worked as a news reporter and feature writer for radio and publications throughout the intermountain area and also worked in the national parks, in outdoor environmental education, and as an editor.

Vicki passed away in April 2012 and has left a void on UPR where her voice used to be.

  • In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence.
  • There's no place for chronic misplacers of keys at the 21st World Memory Championships under way in London. About 75 competitors from some two dozen countries are vying to see who can memorize the most numbers, faces, playing cards or random words in a set amount of time in this "mnemonic Olympiad."
  • On Thursday, Lord Justice Leveson is expected to release his report on regulating the British press, following phone hacking and other abuses by the tabloids. The report, and Prime Minister David Cameron's response to it, will likely be controversial.
  • The number of black, beetle-like taxis is dwindling. As the company that manufactures the vehicles files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic car alive.
  • Illustrator Ralph Steadman became known for his collaborations with "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson, but their partnership wasn't always easy. The documentary For No Good Reason looks at Steadman's life, art and relationship with the eccentric writer.
  • Britain's High Court ruled that five terror suspects, including radical preacher Abu Hamza, can be extradited immediately to the United States. The five suspects have fought for years to avoid facing charges in the U.S.
  • During a recent argument, British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell allegedly called a police officer a "plebe," a pejorative term derived from "plebeian." The ensuing controversy has rekindled accusations that the governing Conservative Party is out of touch with ordinary Britons.
  • This month, the British government issued licenses allowing trained marksmen in southwest England to shoot badgers. Farmers — and many scientists — say the animals pose a health threat to cattle. But the decision has outraged British animal lovers.
  • More than 20 years after Britain's worst sporting disaster, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that there was a police and media conspiracy to blacken the names of the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. After summing up the blistering conclusions reached by an independent panel, Cameron apologized to the families of the 96 victims — Liverpool soccer fans who had come to Sheffield's Hillsborough stadium to watch their team play.
  • Working closely with a former detective, James still goes out with Brighton police to gather material for his work about an English city with a rich criminal history.