Plus, a look at NBA events happening during All-Star Weekend in Utah.
Good morning! Here is today’s forecast: ⛅ -5 – 24° in Logan ⛅ 21 – 41° in Salt Lake City ⛅ 29 – 56° in St. George NBA All-Star Weekend is here! The NBA has invaded Salt Lake City. Tomorrow, Jazz fans can watch Lauri Markkanen start in his first All-Star Game after watching his unofficial All-Star campaign manager, Walker Kessler, in last night's Rising Star Game. Kessler, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton will also be participating in today's Skills Challenge. Have you participated in any of the All-Star Game festivities? Looking for something? Anything related to the 2023 legislative session will have a bee emoji next to it. 👉 🐝 Also on our minds: the story of the world's oldest Hebrew Bible, what QB guru John Beck said about Zach Wilson and a missing romance novelist flew to Salt Lake City before disappearing. |
| Mitt Romney: California wildfires may be Utah’s destiny without quick action |
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| | Sen. Mitt Romney met with state representatives of a federal wildfire and mitigation commission on Friday to discuss problems and recommendations to ease the pain and breadth of wildfires. Romney said overcoming federal hurdles is a necessary step in preventing Utah from experiencing the same fate as California. "We’ve got to approach this differently than we have in the past," he said. "And we have been fortunate here that while there’s been economic impact and a lot of structures have been lost, we haven’t had massive loss of life like they’ve had in California." The senator compared the impacts of drought and fires to a foreign nation dropping bombs on the U.S., arguing the former should be approached with the same sense of urgency. | On Friday, the Utah Senate voted unanimously to pass HB228, codifying the state's conversion therapy ban. The bill is now on Gov. Cox's desk, and he said he will sign the bill into law. “We’re very pleased with the outcome on HB228,” he said in a statement. “The unanimous vote shows a commitment by the various parties to find common ground and we look forward to signing the bill.” Read more about the bill here. More in Politics: Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Why can’t members of Congress work together? (Deseret News) Kamala Harris says she intends to run with Biden in 2024 (Deseret News) Lawmakers say they’ll repeal Utah’s food tax — if a constitutional earmark for education is removed (Deseret News) 🐝 Utah is in a mental health crisis. Why are some social workers opposed to easier licensing? (Deseret News) 🐝 | FROM DESERET NEWS MARATHON This is the race: Join us on July 24 Don’t give up on your New Year’s resolutions! Sign up for the Deseret News Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K. Register now for the 4th oldest marathon west of the continental divide. | All-Star Weekend: A look at NBA events happening during All-Star Weekend in Utah (Deseret News) All-Star Weekend: Walker Kessler’s Rising Stars moment goes by in a flash (Deseret News) NBA Celebrity Game: For actor Everett Osborne, playing in the Huntsman Center again is a full-circle moment (Deseret News) Utah entrepreneur wins $50,000 at NBA All-Star Weekend pitch competition (KSL) Jewel — a Utah native — will sing the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game (Deseret News) Entertainment: Ken Jennings is done hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ — for now (Deseret News) Faith: The story of the world’s oldest Hebrew Bible (Deseret News) How to connect with new cousins worldwide using free ‘Relatives at RootsTech’ feature (Church News) Wasatch Front: Afghan human rights activist honored with Warrior Award in Utah (KSL) NBA unveils newly renovated gym and STEM lab at Salt Lake elementary school (KSL) Ogden missionary who went missing during cyclone found safe in Wairoa, New Zealand (KUTV) Southern Utah: How can Cedar City reduce traffic congestion amid growth? Residents asked to share input. (St. George News) The West: Romance novelist flies to Salt Lake City, then later is reported missing (Deseret News) The Nation: ‘I don’t use TikTok and I would not advise anybody to do so,’ federal official says (Deseret News) Brian Laundrie’s mom allegedly wrote son a ‘burn after reading’ letter (Deseret News) Tesla recalls over 360,000 vehicles with ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature (Deseret News) The World: Opinion: US relationships with Turkey, Syria can be restored through humanitarian aid (Deseret News) Russia has lost half of its tanks since invading Ukraine, report says (Deseret News) | Jazz rookie Walker Kessler played in last night's Rising Stars game, but that's not the end of his time in the All-Star Game spotlight. He is doing his part to be an ambassador for the state of Utah. Kessler will be playing in tonight's Skills Challenge alongside teammates Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton. He will also be making an appearance at NBA Crossover today. "I’m gonna do my best to represent Utah," he said. "I’m excited for the opportunity, and I hope I make y’all proud." In between the weekend's festivities, the rookie will be showing his friends and family around Salt Lake City. Read more about how he's trying to make the most of his All-Star experience here. New With The: BYU Cougars: QB guru John Beck weighs in on Zach Wilson (and Jaren Hall and Kedon Slovis) (Deseret News) Utah Jazz: Utah Jazz gift NBA All-Star tickets to woman ripped off trying to buy seats online (KSL) Utah Utes: Blowout loss at No. 8 Arizona dinged Runnin’ Utes’ pride, but game at ASU is the more important one (Deseret News) |
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