If you've been hoping to take an international trip, now is the time to apply for that passport.
✈️ Wait times for the travel documents are now the lowest in years after the U.S. State Department unveiled a new and improved online application system.
Just over a year ago, the agency advised travelers to submit applications for new passports or renewals at least six months ahead of departures.
🧳 Even just renewing a passport proved to be stressful in 2022 — I was going on a trip to Iceland and almost didn't get my renewed passport in time because of the delayed waits. Stressful!
Please take advantage of the more streamlined process and avoid the stress I went through if you're hoping to take a trip!
🚢 Tell me: Are you planning any fun trips this year? I would love to hear about it!
Donald Trump Jr. visits Utah as Harris continues Latter-day Saint outreach
With less than a month until Election Day, the fight over crucial Latter-day Saint votes in Arizona and Nevada is heating up.
Donald Trump Jr. visits Utah: The oldest child of the former president and current Republican nominee, Trump Jr. and his fiancee, Kimberly Guilfoyle, spent the weekend on a hunting trip at Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz’s ranch in Morgan County.
A key aspect of his visit involved meeting with officeholders and political figures to “strategize” about Latter-day Saint turnout in the two Western battleground states in between sessions of the Church's General Conference.
He also used the visit as an opportunity to fortify ties with prominent Utah Republicans, including Schultz, Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson, and former Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes.
Harris expands Latter-day Saint outreach: Before Monday, Harris’ outreach to Latter-day Saints focused on Arizona, where she launched an advisory committee in September.
During a launch event for the committee on September 19, one of the leaders of the group said she felt “strongly” she needed to “tell people that it’s okay — and not just okay, it’s great — to be a person of faith and be supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Harris has secured endorsements from several high-profile Latter-day Saint Republicans in Arizona, including Mesa Mayor John Giles and former U.S. Ambassador and Sen. Jeff Flake.
Read more about how the 2024 presidential candidates are looking to capture the valuable Latter-day Saint vote.
More in Politics
Lisa Murkowski is one of the last moderates left in the Senate. How does she survive? (Deseret News)
💭 Robert Griffiths: Why should ‘compromise’ be a dirty word? (Deseret News)
‘Something Inside Me Broke on October 7’ (The Dispatch)
When Smith Entertainment Group bought the Arizona Coyotes for $1.2 billion in one of the most unusual transactions in sports, the sale consisted of 70 players, coaches and staff but no material assets, apparently not even skate sharpeners. “We acquired the people. That’s all it was,” Ryan Smith said.
🥅 How Utah did it: The to-do list over the past six months to put the temporarily named Utah Hockey Club on the ice for Tuesday’s 2024-25 season opener was daunting: finding practice ice, Delta Center modifications for fans and players, ticketing, uniforms, staffing, sponsorships, broadcasting. It goes on and on. There’s no manual for putting a hockey team together in a matter of months.
“It’s hard. I mean, this is a tight, tight turn. But ... when these things come along, you don’t blink. You just do it. We’ll figure it out,” Ryan Smith said in April.
That "tight, tight turn" is coming around; the team's first inaugural game hosting the Blackhawks at the Delta Center is tonight at 8 p.m.
Packed with behind-the-scenes insights from players like Robbie Bosco and Kelly Smith, game-by-game highlights, and more, this collector's edition is your all-access pass to one of college football's most legendary seasons. Get your copy today and celebrate the triumphs of the 1984 BYU Cougars!
Health
To avoid myopia, kids should get outside more, report says (🔒The Washington Post)
Think allergy season is over? Not so fast, a doctor says (CNN)
Utah
Man told to move out to make room for boyfriend now charged with murder (KSL)
Fighter jets to fly over Delta Center in celebration of Utah Hockey Club's home opener (KUTV)
Funding to aid initiative to improve antibiotic treatment by Intermountain Health (Daily Herald)
How a community council is working to transform a freeway underpass into a gathering spot (FOX13)
Book banning activists target Little Free Libraries in Utah (Axios SLC)
Visually impaired teen cyclist successfully completes 2-week trip across Utah (St. George News)
Record high temperatures in Salt Lake City raise concerns amid Yellow Lake wildfire (Deseret News)
Road rage incident escalates, leads to shooting death on 2100 South freeway (KSL)
Faith
💭 Jacob Hess: In an era of pointing fingers, prophets redirect us back to our own hearts (Deseret News)
Photo gallery: The part of general conference you may have missed (Deseret News)
More than 6,000 Latter-day Saints aid in Hurricane Helene relief efforts (Deseret News)
A faith is on the edge of vanishing in Georgia after being exiled from Russia centuries ago (Associated Press)
The Nation and The World
In the aftermath of Helene and ahead of Milton, Florida schools are becoming shelters (Deseret News)
NC tweaks voting rules in counties ravaged by Helene (Axios)
💭 Alex Durante: The crisis our candidates keep ignoring (Deseret News)
What to know about the Supreme Court’s new term, including a new order on abortion in Texas (Deseret News)
Entertainment & Culture
She made a bucket list when she turned 60. Now she’s competing on ‘The Voice’ (Deseret News)
Walz and Harris’ schedules packed with media appearances this week (Deseret News)
Sally Field recounts her 'horrific' illegal abortion (USA Today)
Dolly Parton Donates $1 Million to Hurricane Helene Relief Effort (Vanity Fair)
What Going on Call Her Daddy Did for Kamala Harris (🔒The Atlantic)
🗓️ Events Calendar
Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:
Kuwahara’s Pumpkin Patch and Thriller Park | Draper 🎃
Judah and the Lion | Union Event Center 🎤
“The Phantom of the Opera Interactive Comedy Dinner Theater” | Red Lobster in Layton, Layton 🎭
Utah Hockey vs. Chicago Blackhawks at home | 8 p.m. 🏒
BYU softball — Blue-White Scrimmage | 1 p.m. 🥎
U of U men’s golf vs. Big 12 Match Play
Weber State and SUU men’s golf at Bill Cullum Invitational 🏌️
Utah Tech women’s golf at Loyola Chicago Parkinson Family Invitational ⛳
We are trying some new things with Utah Today and would love your feedback! You're welcome to email me at sgambles@deseretnews.com with thoughts, ideas and suggestions.
I might not answer right away, but I promise we are reading your feedback and considering your valuable opinions.
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