New apostle called

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Elder Patrick Kearon has been named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On Thursday, President Russell M. Nelson called Elder Kearon and along with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ordained him later that day.

Elder Kearon fills the vacancy left after the passing of President M. Russell Ballard, who died on Nov. 12.

“This sacred call is so very daunting and humbling to me,” he said. “I will need to place all my trust in the Savior as I seek to become what he needs me to be and share my witness of his love and light. The abundance and grace of Jesus Christ have brought immense joy into my life, as well as healing balm in times of trial. I love him. I will strive to serve him to the best of my ability.”

Elder Kearon spoke at BYU-Hawaii's commencement ceremony Friday, his first address since receiving his new call, and told graduates to "put your hand into the Hand of God."

How the end of hog farming can kill a way of life in rural Utah

Smithfield Foods is pulling its operations out of Utah, leaving hog farmers in rural Utah to deal with the aftermath.

The company announced this week that it will end contracts with 26 Utah farms. The decision not only affects hog farmers, but farmers like Brett Bunker, who sold a third of what he grew to Smithfield as feed.

“They were just losing too much money and they said enough’s enough. And you can’t blame them. You know when your business is failing, it doesn’t matter. Like I can’t stop them,” Bunker said.

In 2021, Utah had a total inventory of 940,000 hogs with Beaver and Iron counties as the top two hog production counties.

“We are devastated for the hog farmers and employees in Beaver County,” said Craig Buttars, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. “We are extremely concerned about what this means for the local agriculture industry and economy."

Read more about the economic impact of Smithfield Foods' decision to leave Utah.

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Take a Step Back in Time with Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place

Visit Father Christmas, enjoy the live Nativity in the quiet of the Village, and feel the warm fire while listening to the Heritage Village Carolers. Enjoy candle making and letters to Santa. Get all your holiday shopping done when you visit the Gift Shop and ZCMI Mercantile. Click for details.

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Sources: Jets will trade Zach Wilson after the season

The New York Jets have told Zach Wilson he will be traded after the season, sources close to the situation confirmed to the Deseret News.

Wilson was informed of the decision following his benching — again — and before he was named the team's starter for Sunday, the sources said.

He was the 11th quarterback the Jets drafted in 15 years. Before drafting Wilson, the team made 12 quarterback changes in five seasons.

As a Jet, Wilson has:

Read more about the report and Wilson's turbulent history with the Jets.

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