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⛅ 17 – 35° Logan | ⛅ 28 – 39° Salt Lake

⛅ 18 – 32° Manti | ⛅ 26 – 44° Moab

☀️ 20 – 36° Cedar City | 🌤️ 32 – 53° St. George

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

2 very different stories being told about people stepping away from faith

What does Utah's 4th-place ranking in household debt mean for residents?

What big shows are coming up in Utah? Here’s the latest

Should you blow your nose when you have a cold?

Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO prompts discussion of insurance practices

Analysis: Why would Mendenhall leave New Mexico for Utah State?

Fields of faith: A Utah monastery’s legacy preserved

The way to renew the message of Christmas in a divisive age remains simple: Promote understanding

The annual First Presidency Christmas devotional of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held Sunday night. Here are some highlights from the speakers:

President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency: “Christmas should be a time for forgiving, a time to heal old wounds and restore relationships that have gone awry ... The spirit of Christmas encourages us to use this season to step across barriers and promote understanding with people of all races, creeds and national origins.”
Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency: “I submit that we are all injured lambs in need of the Good Shepherd who will cradle us in the arms of his love, because to be mortal means we have things about us that feel broken, that need fixing.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy also spoke.

Read more about the messages shared at the annual devotional.

Gene England: remembering a legendary trucker

Lee Benson writes:

Among the things Gene England loved in life — and the list of the things Gene England loved in life is a very long one — was a fully loaded Mountain Dew.

Then one day, someone told him drinking Mountain Dew wasn’t good for him.

“I’m thinking of giving it up — for health purposes,” he announced to his family.

That was two years ago. When he was 103.

That story, and hundreds more, have been making the rounds over CB radios, at truck stops, and especially at the CR England Trucking Company ever since news broke in November that the legendary trucker passed away just days after he turned 105.

“In our industry he was kind of a Paul Bunyan type character; I don’t think there’s ever been anyone quite like him,” says Gene’s grandson Chad.

Read more about Gene’s life and legacy.

More in Utah

Why was this Utah lawmaker on ‘Dr. Phil’? (Deseret News)
Tired of Utah? Immersive park at Orem mall aims to transport patrons to another world (KSL)
Authorities warn Hyundai, Kia owners of surge in thefts in Salt Lake City (KUTV)
Valley inversions making for poor air quality, should start clearing soon (ABC4)
Bureau of Land Management: Should Cedar Canyon's Dry Creek gypsum mine be expanded? (St George News)

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Faith

Faith over fear: What Hollywood gets wrong about sister missionaries (Deseret News)
Giant statue of the Buddha in New Jersey becomes interfaith hub and spiritual home for many (The Associated Press)

Politics

How anti-Trump conservatives will cover the Trump White House (Deseret News)
What does Donald Trump’s victory mean for the rest of the world? (Deseret News)
Opinion: Reflections on Martha Hughes Cannon and Senator Orrin Hatch (Deseret News)
Trump vows to end birthright citizenship and pardon US Capitol rioters (BBC)

U.S. & World

Police closing in on suspect in UnitedHealth executive's murder, New York Post reports (Reuters)
Trump discusses war in Ukraine with Zelensky and Macron in Paris (Axios)
President Biden says U.S. air strikes conducted in Syria against ISIS as Assad flees country (Deseret News)
Australian synagogue fire declared terrorism in a decision that increases investigation resources (The Associated Press)

Sports

Analysis: BYU vs. Coach Prime's Colorado Buffaloes in Alamo Bowl could be must-see TV (Deseret News)
Kyle Whittingham announces return for 2025 season (Deseret News)
Gavin Petersen’s Cardiac Utes deliver again in the clutch — this time in a win over Princeton (Deseret News)
3 positions of need for Utah in the transfer portal (Deseret News)

Entertainment

They won ‘The Voice.’ Now, these siblings are trying to become a household name (Deseret News)
Deseret News archives: John Lennon shot in New York City by onetime fan (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

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

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

Dec. 9 — Live Nativity at University Place | Orem
Dec. 9 — Live Nativity at Nature Hills Farm | 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