Good morning! Here are today’s temperatures:

Logan: 20 - 33° ❄️

Salt Lake City: 30 - 38° ❄️

St. George: 28 - 50° ⛅

In preparation for the holiday break on Monday, our colleague Jennifer Graham has compiled five essential sermons you should read to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Before Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader, he was a preacher whose sermons can still inspire us today.

Also on our mind: The alarming rise of credit card debt, the swarm of earthquakes that hit Oklahoma City, and the unlikely but healthy ingredient to add to your recipes.

Climate takes center stage in Curtis’ Senate campaign

Rep. John Curtis’ efforts to mainstream climate-conscious energy policy among conservatives has garnered renewed attention since announcing his bid to replace outgoing Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.

Over his three terms in the U.S. House, Curtis has been an outspoken voice advocating for an “affordable, reliable and clean” energy transition that makes room for fossil fuels and prioritizes innovation in nuclear energy.

His campaign to “reverse the narrative” that conservatives don’t care about the environment has earned Curtis plaudits from young conservatives. But it has also been the focus of criticism from House colleagues and other Republican candidates running for Romney’s seat.

In his newly minted Senate campaign, Curtis recently received the endorsement of ACC Action, a sister organization to the American Conservation Coalition, a nonprofit aimed at mobilizing young conservatives around commonsense, small government solutions on climate and energy policy.

Read more about how Curtis has received support from young conservatives and criticism from Republican opponents as he makes a run for Romney’s Senate seat.

Why zoning is key to watch as Utah legislators tackle the issue of affordable housing

Ahead of the upcoming 2024 legislative session, Utah lawmakers have the ongoing housing crisis as a top of mind concern.

A legislative audit report released late last year offered recommendations that may become key in the course of the session, which begins Tuesday.

Here’s a look back at that report as well as a look forward as to what key questions around housing to look at during the legislative session.

Read more about the legislative audit report issued late last year.

More Politics:

Pro-Nikki Haley canvassers make final pitch to Iowa voters (Deseret News)
Utah will keep on growing — quickly — and that’s a good thing, Gov. Cox says (Deseret News)

Health

8 recipes to incorporate this unlikely — and healthy — ingredient into your baking (Deseret News)
Adult ADHD prescriptions went up during COVID-19 pandemic (Deseret News)
Quaker Oats recalls more products due to salmonella risk, including Cap’n Crunch (Deseret News)

Science & Tech

The moon could be millions of years older than we already know (Deseret News)
The US is bringing back nature's best firefighters: beavers (BBC)
An ancient, massive urban complex has been found in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Science News)

Entertainment

Meg Walter: The last streaming service standing when others are cut (Deseret News)
10 feel-good Netflix documentaries to watch when you’re snowed in (Deseret News)

Environment

What makes the North Sea's waves so treacherous—and what it's like sailing them (🔒 National Geographic)
Amazon rainforest: Deforestation rate halved in 2023 (BBC)
A Surprising Success Story for Humpback Whales (🔒 The Atlantic)

The Nation

6 earthquakes hit Oklahoma City, 2 of them were 4.4 magnitude (Deseret News)
Utah Bills Itself as “Family-Friendly” Even as Lawmakers Have Long Neglected Child Care (Propublica)
Vicious storm triggers historic coastal flooding as Arctic chill tees up the South’s first snow (CNN)
The overwhelming rise of credit card debt (Deseret News)

The World

As the U.S. Struggles With a Stillbirth Crisis, Australia Offers a Model for How to Do Better (Propublica)
‘We will be ready’ to host 2030 Winter Games, French official tells Utah’s Olympic bidders (Deseret News)

Analysis: No. 18 BYU survives UCF’s big comeback, gets its first Big 12 win

Jay Drew: "The 18th-ranked BYU Cougars have said all along that absolutely nothing will come easy in their first season in the Big 12.

"Then they went out Saturday afternoon and proved it, nearly blowing a 13-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining before hanging on to escape UCF 63-58 in front of an announced crowd of 9,137 at Addition Financial Arena.

"'Proud of our guys for fighting,' said BYU coach Mark Pope. 'It was a slugfest, like we kind of anticipated and expected coming in. We came out with a win and we are super proud of that.'

"It wasn’t just an ordinary win. It was not only BYU’s first Big 12 victory, but it was the Cougars’ first road win since Jan. 7 of 2023, snapping a seven-game skid."