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🌧️ 29 – 43° Logan | 🌦️ 34 – 49° Salt Lake

⛅ 28 – 50° Manti | ☀️ 27 – 51° Moab

🌤️ 32 – 55° Cedar City | ☀️ 35 – 61° St. George

Good morning! Here are the top stories from last week:

How playing Mary Magdalene on ‘The Chosen ’ changed Liz Tabish’s life

BYU to make history at Alamo Bowl

These are the best cities for singles. Did anywhere in Utah make the list?

West Valley father shot wife, 4 children, then himself, police believe

Photo gallery: A backstage pass to the ‘Nutcracker’ ballet

Sports photos of the year 2024: Through our lenses

Why a Republican mayor endorsing Harris made him ‘unelectable’

The lights still shine bright on Salt Lake’s Christmas Street

Since 1947, the residents of Glen Arbor Street in Sugar House have transformed their cul-de-sac into a Christmas wonderland.

Each house is ablaze with lights and other decor, and the entrance to the street is marked by a glowing sign naming it “Christmas Street.” For years, thousands of Wasatch Front residents have visited the street as part of their holiday festivities.

Last year, the tradition’s future became uncertain when the famous sign broke and residents were told it would require at least $1,500 to fix. It was too much for one person to handle, but the community came together to revive Christmas Street.

Read more about how a determined woman and hundreds of donations keep a 77-year Sugar House tradition alive and thriving.

Naomi Schaefer Riley talks about the ‘challenges facing today’s youth’

Sarah Jane Weaver writes:

Naomi Schaefer Riley wanted to be a journalist so she could spend her days “asking people questions and getting to talk to them about the most interesting, intimate parts of their belief systems and their families.”

A former columnist for the New York Post and a former Wall Street Journal editor and writer, Schaefer Riley is now the senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute focusing on issues regarding child welfare. She is also a Deseret News columnist.

In this Deseret News “yellow couch” video, titled, “The challenges facing today’s youth,” Schaefer Riley talks about child welfare, social media, higher education and religion in the United States.

Read more about what Schaefer Riley hopes the nation understands about marriage and raising children in stable nuclear families.

More in Family

The century-old Supreme Court cases that will shape the future of parental rights (Deseret News)
Valerie Hudson: Christmas celebrates a birth, but childbirth in America is no holiday (Deseret News)

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Christmas

The Deseret News’ favorite Christmas cookies (Deseret News)
How Charles Dickens stole Christmas (Deseret News)
Meagan Kohler: Christmas invites us to be soft, instead of just strong (Deseret News)

Faith

See President Nelson play ‘Silent Night’ on the piano in a Christmas message about heavenly peace (Deseret News)
How Allison Hong Merrill found her voice and learned to forgive (Deseret News)
Behind the scenes of this year’s Light the World video (Church News)

Utah

Salt Lake police warn against leaving items in cars after alleged theft of up to $3K in gifts (KSL)
Utahns spend the weekend before Christmas by giving back to resource center (KSL)
‘Water crisis 2024 will be one we remember’: Huntsville mayor provides update on leak (KUTV)
Inversion haze clears out soon, white Christmas possible as storm rolls through (ABC4)

Politics

Sen. Mike Lee: 3 bills that are ‘big wins for Utah’ pass Senate and House (Deseret News)
4 highlights from Trump’s speech at AmericaFest (Deseret News)

The Nation & World

Police identify driver who crashed into Texas mall before being shot by officers (CNN)
Heroism attributed to CEO murder suspect is alarming - Mayorkas (BBC)
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass (The Associated Press)

Sports

These Paris Olympians are bringing the ‘next major league’ to Salt Lake City (Deseret News)
‘We didn’t do anything good’ — Tourigny speaks on Utah Hockey Club’s blown lead against Ducks (Deseret News)
Jazz beat Nets for their second straight win, but is that a good thing? (Deseret News)
Why Chase Roberts returning to BYU is so important (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

Dec. 1-23, 26-30 — Zoolights at Hogle Zoo | Salt Lake City
Dec. 1-23 — Christmas in the Canyon at Tuacahn | St. George
Dec. 19-21, 23 — A Babe is Born Live Nativity | Lehi
Dec. 20-23 — Hunt Family Live Nativity | Ogden
Dec. 23 — Utah hockey vs. Dallas Stars at home | 7 p.m.

Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!

And reply to this email or email newsletters@deseretnews.com to tell us what you think of Utah Today.

Thanks for reading!

— Ariel