Plus, Tabernacle Choir guest stars get emotional during performance.
⛅ 22 – 46° Logan | ⛅ 32 – 53° Salt Lake ⛅ 26 – 53° Manti | ⛅ 26 – 49° Moab ⛅ 31 – 60° Cedar City | ☀️ 35 – 62° St. George 🌅 Good morning! The way the guest artists for this year’s Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert interact with each other, you’d think they had been working together for quite a while, according to entertainment reporter Lottie Johnson. "A little over 12 hours after their first of three Christmas performances in the 21,000-seat Conference Center, Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles wrapped her arm around actor Dennis Haysbert, whose typically deep and authoritative voice was quivering with emotion as he recounted telling the life story of Dr. Charles Mulli during the concert — a narration he said could easily make him 'blubber through every line.' "And as Miles shared what it meant to have her mom, her musical inspiration, in attendance as she performed Christmas music with a choir she listened to as a child, Haysbert smiled at her and gently patted her arm in support. The two seemed at ease with each other, unafraid to let out their emotions. "It was only just last week that Haysbert was even officially announced as the concert’s narrator. And the two guest artists have only been in Salt Lake City together for a few days leading up to the concerts — in fact, Miles was shocked to learn that the choir and orchestra only practiced together for the first time on Tuesday. "The quick bond everyone has formed, she said, stems in part from the collaborative and warm nature of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square." Read more about the emotional and inspirational performance. |
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| Utahns register subdued exuberance for holiday shopping season |
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| The economic concerns that rose to the top of voters’ list of issues in the recent presidential election appear to be carrying over into end-of-year as most Utahns report they’re embracing a careful spending approach for the winter holiday shopping season, according to a new statewide survey. Nationally, consumers are expected to spend more than ever on holiday-related shopping this year but the uptick is one somewhat blunted by ongoing inflationary pressures. Here are three key points from the survey Cautious spending in Utah: The state survey showed an average expected expenditure of $931.60, with 42% of respondents planning to spend about the same as last year and 37% planning to spend less. National spending trends: Nationally, holiday spending is expected to increase by 7.9% to an average of $1,063. However, when adjusted for inflation, the increase is less significant Credit card use: Rising consumer debt is a concern, but Utahns are managing better than the national average, with lower outstanding credit card balances. Read more about the poll results. More in Utah Weber State graduates its maiden class of physician assistants (Deseret News) What were Utah’s top Google searches in 2024? (Deseret News) From over 900 to 53: Miracles continue as donations pour in for local families (Deseret News) Vigil held to remember 112 deaths among Utah's unhoused population (KSL) Huntsville volunteers deliver water to elderly during 9-day boil order (KSL) |
| From Chuck Wing: In just 12 short months, Utah gained another professional sports team in the Utah Hockey Club, saw the return of pro women’s soccer, and watched the University of Utah join BYU in the Big 12 Conference. Speaking of the Cougars, several of their sports programs enjoyed exceptional seasons, including football, cross-country, basketball and volleyball, while Utes fans cringed at the results of their football and basketball seasons. Another thing that brought fans and communities together were local high school teams, and 2024 didn’t disappoint passionate prep sports fans — from the first contests of the year to the championship contests to cap the season. See more of the best sports images of 2024 through the eyes of the Deseret News photojounalists. |
Health 4 or 5-minute bouts of intense exercise may slash cardiovascular risk (Medical News Today) A restful yoga routine for insomnia (Healthline) Faith What is the most important condition for elevated learning? Moral agency, Elder Gilbert tells BYU–Idaho graduates (Church News) 4 simple ways to center on Christ before Christmas (LDS Living) Politics House votes to avoid shutdown after Trump proposal fails (Deseret News) Sen. Mike Lee on his relationship with ‘rock star type’ Elon Musk (Deseret News) Gov. Cox: How Utah can finish counting election results on election night (Deseret News) Salt Lake Chamber launches National Civics Bee® (Utah Policy) The Nation and the World As government shutdown looms, AAA predicts holiday travel record (CBS News) At least 2 dead, dozens injured after a car rammed into a German Christmas market (Deseret News) Swimming mouse among 27 new species discovered in Peru (BBC) Sports BYU vs. FAMU analysis (Deseret News) Utah OC Jason Beck’s 3-year contract makes him one of Big 12′s highest-paid assistant coaches (Deseret News) How Utah State football’s hire of Bronco Mendenhall was graded (Deseret News) Stressed out this holiday? Guided snowshoeing returns to Cedar Breaks National Monument (St George News) How winter sports programs are diversifying Utah's slopes (Axios) Entertainment The best family movies of 2024 — and where to find them (Deseret News) Taylor Swift had another landmark year. What’s next? (Deseret News) ‘The Chosen’ is going into the wild with Bear Grylls (Deseret News) Utah loves fantasy. Brandon Sanderson fans tell us why (KUER) |
Photo of the week by Brice Tucker
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| Joyce Acor, 3, hands Santa Rich a candy cane during Sensory Sunday at the Layton Hills Mall in Layton on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. Acor’s mother said this was his first time visiting Santa in the classic mall Santa experience and that he was really scared to see Santa this year but the sensory-friendly environment made him feel more comfortable. |
🗓️ Events Calendar We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah during the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything! Here are some highlights for events in Utah today: Winter Solstice Celebration | Salt Lake City “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever the Musical” | Lehi Arts Center BYU women’s basketball vs. Arizona at home | 2 p.m. U of U women’s basketball vs. Arizona State at home | 4 p.m. Weber State men’s basketball vs. UVU at home | 7 p.m. SUU men’s basketball vs. Northern Arizona University at home | 2 p.m. Utah Tech women’s basketball vs. Pittsburgh at home | 1 p.m. |
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Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share! ✨ Cheers ✨ — Gambles |
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