With thanks to

⛅ 35 – 76° Logan | ⛅ 50 – 78° Salt Lake | 🌤️ 40 – 79° Manti

☀️ 57 – 91° Moab | 🌤️ 43 – 81° Cedar City | 🌤️ 61 – 93° St. George

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

Lance has Alzheimer’s. Here’s what he wants you to know

‘This isn’t funny’: Klobuchar criticizes Mike Lee comments about Minnesota shooter

The Deseret News Editorial Board: Weekend shootings should not define us

Baby of brain-dead mother in Georgia delivered via C-section

How one woman fell for a toll scam, and why Utahns need to be wary

Are national parks really at risk? Sen. Mike Lee pushes back on campaign against public land sales

U.S. bombers strike Iranian nuclear facilities

New poll reveals shift in views about legalizing recreational marijuana in Utah

Utahns’ opinions of recreational marijuana use have shifted in the past few years.

Two years ago, 40% of Utahns believed marijuana should be legal for both recreational and medical use. This year, a poll found that 53% of Utahns support legalization.

The survey, conducted in May for the Deseret News and Hinckley Institute of Politics, found that:

30% strongly support marijuana legalization
23% somewhat support it
43% oppose it
77% support Utah’s current medicinal marijuana law, which has been in place since 2018.

There’s currently no campaign to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and Utah legislative leaders say they would oppose such an effort.

Read more from Dennis Romboy about marijuana use in Utah.

Climbing the mountain within

Lee Benson writes:

This past April, during an extended spring break, Renee DeHaan — Ms. DeHaan to the students at Wasatch Middle School, where she is the vice principal — trekked into Everest Base Camp, the fabled high-altitude outpost that is the launching point for pushes to the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.

An admitted Everest-phile — “I’ve read all the books, seen all the movies” — Ms. DeHaan knew she was walking where Hillary, Tenzing, Mallory, Messner, Apa Sherpa and all the Everest legends had once set foot prior to pushing on to make their marks and set their records.

But none of them had done what she just did: hike to base camp on a prosthetic leg and a surgically altered club foot.

Read more about Renee’s journey to Everest.

Utah Business 2025 Innovation Awards Summit

Recognizing the state’s vibrant community of innovators — from startups to established companies — and their breakthrough creations. Submit your nomination before July 9!

Politics

An early look at the 2026 midterm elections (Deseret News)
10 questions with MyKayla Skinner, the former University of Utah gymnast who’s suddenly making news again (Deseret News)
U.S. has "no interest" in putting troops on the ground in Iran, Vance says (Axios)

Family

A silent number of American men are struggling: Survey (Deseret News)
Naomi Schaefer Riley: Is it good for kids to ‘rot’ at home over the summer? (Deseret News)
What life patterns make sexual violence against children less likely? Themes from 215 studies (Deseret News)

The U.S. & World

Jay Evensen: Americans should pray for peace (Deseret News)
Trump hits Iran: 5 questions on what comes next (The Hill)
US boosts emergency Mideast evacuations and travel warnings after Trump orders strikes in Iran (The Associated Press)
Suicide bombing at Damascus church kills 22, Syrian authorities say (BBC)
Shooter killed at Michigan church; at least 1 person injured (NBC)

Sports

More young women are becoming F1 fans. Here’s how I fell in love with the sport (Deseret News)
Three players the Utah Jazz should consider with the 21st pick (Deseret News)
Could Utah’s offensive line be one of the best in the nation this year? (Deseret News)
How has Carly Dockendorf’s tenure as head coach of Utah gymnastics gone? (Deseret News)
Kalani Sitake praises wife as No. 1 mentor (Deseret News)

Faith

President Nelson calls Book of Mormon ‘one of the greatest tools of conversion’ (Church News)
Tragic multi-vehicle collision in Southern Africa claims lives of Latter-day Saint young women, leaders (Deseret News)

Entertainment

Benson Boone has an ice cream truck in Utah — and his own Crumbl cookie (Deseret News)
Will Pixar's 'Elio' be this summer's breakout movie? (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

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

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

June 23 — Saratoga Springs Farmers Market | Neptune Park, Saratoga Springs
June 23–30 — Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” | Outlaw Trail Amphitheater at Western Park, Vernal
June 16–Oct. 4 — Utah Shakespeare Festival | Cedar City

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