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Here is today's forecast:

🌧️ 40 – 57° in Logan | 💧100%

🌧️ 57 – 64° in Salt Lake City | 💧90%

🌤️ 54 – 79° in St. George ⚠️

⚠️ Wind Advisory

I am pumped for some more football after watching my Cardinals beat the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was the first home win in almost a year. And it's all thanks to DeAndre Hopkins and his spectacular season debut after completing his six-game suspension.

The Utes have a bye this week after their 43-42 win over USC before they play Washington State. The stellar work of the offensive line may have been lost in the excitement, but coach Kyle Whittingham made sure to credit the O-line for their role in the passing game's success.

The Cougars are one loss away from falling to .500 and erasing the early magic of the season. Can they pull off a win against Liberty and save the season? It depends on which version of BYU shows up to play.

Also on our minds: why slavery is on the ballot in five states, the "COVID baby boom" and why scientists taught brain cells to play the game Pong.

Cold, windy weather on tap for Utah, lake effect snow could be a thing

The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City warned of plunging temperatures, snow and strong winds as the season's first winter weather storm rolls through from the Pacific.

Large amounts of snow are expected in the northern mountains, and the valley should expect rain and possibly some snow, too. On Saturday, winds up to 50 mph could hit southern and south central parts of Utah. The agency encouraged residents to winterize recreational vehicles and protect their pipes and late season crops.

What else should residents expect? Read more here.

'Please do not stop at the top of your ballot,' Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall urges voters

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall encouraged residents to vote in all the races on the ballot, saying there were 18,000 Salt Lake County residents that voted in the 2020 mayoral election but not in the county council election.

"Every one of these races is important not just to our country, but to our city," she said. "Please do not stop at the top of your ballot."

What else did she say? Read more about it at KSL.

More in Politics:

Opinion: When it comes to election trust, Utah stands apart from the nation (Deseret News)
Trump adviser Steve Bannon sentenced to prison (Deseret News)
Opinion: Will we see any October surprises before Utah’s election day? (Deseret News)

FROM OUR SPONSOR UTAH EDUCATION ELECTION

Ensuring You Are Ready to Vote in the Upcoming Election

Be ready for the voting process so you can show off your sticker without the stress this November. Check out the Utah Election website. Learn how to vote, track your ballot, find candidate information, find voter registration info and how to update your registration preferences or address.

Health:

New omicron subvariants are more transmissible, scientists say (Deseret News)
The pandemic increased birthrates — here’s why the ‘COVID baby boom’ happened (Deseret News)

Technology:

Scientists teach group of brain cells in a dish to play Pong
(Deseret News)
Elon Musk told investors he’d slash Twitter workforce by 75%. Is it real or a money ruse? (Deseret News)

Faith:

Why one law school is mixing lawyers, art and faith to communicate values to law students (Deseret News)
The Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert is back — with a Disney princess and live audiences (Deseret News)

The Wasatch Front:

Utah man charged with theft involving hundreds of catalytic converters, more than $900K (KSL)

Southern Utah:

Southern Utah mountains may be in for a winter storm
(St. George News)

The West:

Yellowstone National Park sees drop in visitors last month
(East Idaho News)
Native people angry after bloody Indigenous Peoples' Day tweet by Kari Lake campaign aide (AZCentral)

The Nation:

Missing Princeton student has been found dead — what happened? (Deseret News)
EPA launches civil rights investigation over Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis (Deseret News)
5 states have slavery on their ballots — here’s why (Deseret News)

The World:

Italy Meloni: Far-right leader agrees to form government (BBC)
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned — what happens now (Deseret News)

Conner Mantz reflects on record run — and how it could have been even better

Former BYU runner Conner Mantz made his marathon debut on Oct. 9 at the Chicago Marathon, one of the six most prestigious marathons in the world, and set a record. Finishing seventh overall, Mantz's time of 2:08:16 was the fastest marathon debut of an American-born runner. Out of all Americans, Mantz is the sixth fastest to finish.

“It wasn’t what I expected,” he said. “Not at all. It felt like a nice run for 18 miles. Then it was a grind, and by the last mile, I was ready to be done. I expected it to be different early on.”

Read about how Mantz could have finished faster.

New With The:

Aggies: Utah State tight end Ron Tiavaasue has reportedly entered the transfer portal (Deseret News)
Cougars: Slumping BYU, surging Liberty clash Saturday in Flames’ ‘biggest home football game ever’ (Deseret News)
Jazz: Facing Jazz for first time since the trade, Rudy Gobert reflects on his time in Utah (Deseret News)
RSL: RSL players left hungry for more after early playoff exit (KSL)
Utes: ‘Unwavering belief’: How Utes QB Cam Rising found redemption (Deseret News)

Thanks for reading Utah Today! If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, we’d love to hear them — just reply to this email or send an email to newsletters@deseretnews.com.

— Krysyan