The NFL Divisional Round playoffs are tomorrow! And there are plenty of players with Utah ties to cheer for. I'm most looking forward to the 49ers-Cowboys game, which will feature former Cougar Fred Warner and former Bingham High Miner Dalton Schultz, and the Bengals-Bills game.
Which game are you most excited to watch?
Also on our minds: what you need to know before watching "A Man Called Otto", how rat poison ended up in a Taco Bell burrito and whether theNHL player that sat out a "Pride Night" event should be punished or praised.
Sundance is back in-person and more accessible than ever
The Sundance Film Festival returned this week for the first time in two years. But it's a little different this year. The festival has adopted a hybrid model, allowing attendees to watch nearly 80 of the films online.
“We felt like we couldn’t go back, we really need to go forward,” Kim Yutani, the director of programming, said. “We need to take the incredible learnings of these past two years.”
The festival is also offering screenings at theaters across Salt Lake City, such as the Grand Theater and Megaplex at Gateway.
The Utah Senate approved three bills aimed at LGBTQ children on Friday, sending them to the House. It passed bills SB16, SB93 and SB100.
Here's a breakdown on the bills:
SB16: bans sex reassignment surgeries. It also places a moratorium on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for kids.
SB93: blocks birth certificate changes for minors.
SB100: requires schools to let parents access their children's education records and other information “regarding a student’s gender identity that does not conform with the student’s sex.”
Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Who’s right about social media, liberals or conservatives?(Deseret News)
‘I have no regrets’: President Biden on handling of classified documents (Deseret News)
Biden administration unveils new immigration program to sponsor refugees. Here’s how it works (Deseret News)
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Education:
Jay Evensen: Voters rejected school vouchers in 2007. Have public feelings changed? (Deseret News)
DeSantis administration rejects AP African American course for Florida high schools (Deseret News)
Opinion: Want to help Utah’s students? Teacher pay and parental choice are how we start (Deseret News)
Health:
Record demand for 988 suicide prevention, mental health hotline (Deseret News)
Should COVID-19 vaccines be banned? Here’s why a Nevada county didn’t do it (Deseret News)
Technology:
Google’s parent company announces layoffs of 12,000 employees (Deseret News)
Faith:
This Pro Football Hall of Famer is facing criticism for attending the March for Life (Deseret News)
RootsTech 2023 Family Discovery Day will feature keynote by Elder and Sister Gong (Church News)
An NHL player skipped a ‘Pride night’ event. Observers still don’t agree if he should be punished or praised (Deseret News)
Culture:
Tennessee animal shelter honors Taylor Swift’s donation to the center by naming some puppies after her songs (Deseret News)
The trailer of ‘A Man Called Otto’ hides an important plot point (Deseret News)
Remember Danny Ainge's shot that upset Notre Dame in the 1981 NCAA Tournament? Well, the Cougar legend said he wasn't even planning on taking it, but with no one in his way, he went for it.
“I was just pushing it up the court and they never stopped me and so I just went all the way and it just happened,” he said.
Ainge sat down with the "Y's Guys" podcast to discuss that legendary basket, how a visit from Elder Marvin J. Ashton convinced him to go to BYU and the tough decisions he's had to make as the CEO of the Jazz.
BYU Cougars: Can Saturday be a special day — again — for BYU as it visits San Francisco? (Deseret News)
Utah Jazz: 3 keys to the Utah Jazz’s 117-106 loss to the Brooklyn Nets (Deseret News)
Utah Utes: This Utah football standout is tabbed an underrated prospect in the 2023 NFL draft (Deseret News)
Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond! Reply or send a message to newsletters@deseretnews.com to tell us what you think of Utah Today!
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