December 2005
On Christmas Eve--TO keep the spirit of things--we all decided to choose a "Christmas virtue" and take a minute to talk about it. My word was "joy"--as in "to the world." As I listened to others talk about trust and charity and justice, it occurred to me the problem with real joy is people constantly confuse it with other kinds of feelings.
Y. raising funds for Hinckley Center (12-29)
Feel bad you didn't send a present to LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley for his 95th birthday in June?
Utes benefit from mission experience (12-29)
Utah
kicker Dan Beardall is older than Michael Vick. Fourteen Utes are 24,
25 or, in Beardall's case, 26. Utah even has freshmen old enough to
drink legally, if their religion allowed it.
Main Street flap over? (12-27)
All
signs indicate that one of the most divisive chapters in Salt Lake
City's history may be over. The American Civil Liberties Union has
until New Year's Day to file an appeal of the dismissal of its second
Main Street Plaza suit.
Scripture readers in a rush (12-27)
As
Christmas 2005 becomes a memory and New Year's celebrations loom large,
some Utahns may be more anxious than usual about the stroke of midnight
on Dec. 31.
LDS Pres. Hinckley gentle, unpretentious (12-25)
The
president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pulls out
a pocket knife, balances the tip gingerly on his nose, flips his wrist
and lets go. The blade stabs at the top of the walnut desk--an heirloom
used by two previous presidents--but doesn't stick.
Pres. Hinckley answers myriad questions about the LDS Church (12-25)
The
Associated Press talked with Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as he prepared to
celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Joseph Smith, founding
prophet of the LDS Church.
Millions hail the prophet (12-24)
The
modern successor of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith joined millions of
people Friday in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Smith's birth on
Dec. 23, 1805. Satellite technology brought the commemoration to church
members and others in 61 countries around the globe.
Bishop Niederauer's leadership recognized (12-24)
There
is a wise, knowledgeable peace that envelopes visitors to the office of
Utah's Catholic shepherd. It is not the modest decor but the occupant
--Bishop George Niederauer--whose leadership the past decade has earned
him the respect and admiration not only of his flock but of Utahns who
appreciate the depth of his humanity.
Church also hailed prophet's 100th year (12-24)
The
200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith, founding prophet of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, evoked memories of a
similar celebration held in December 1905 on the occasion of the
centennial observance.
New statue in N.Y. (12-24)
A
bronze statue of Joseph Smith is dedicated in Manhattan's Old Slip Park
Friday. "The Frontier Prophet," which was sculpted by local LDS artist
Dee Jay Bawden, will remain in place until at least June 2006.
Joseph Smith celebration tonight (12-23)
President Gordon B. Hinckley says the first time he came to southern Vermont, he came to visit. Thursday was different.
Happy 200th to man who shaped Utah (12-23)
A
happy 200th birthday today to Joseph Smith Jr., the man who did more
than anyone, despite the fact he never personally set foot here, to
make Utah the Utah that it is.
Joseph Smith statue to be unveiled in Manhattan (12-23)
Just
hours before LDS Church founder Joseph Smith is celebrated worldwide by
an audience of millions via satellite tonight, a likeness of him will
be unveiled in lower Manhattan, where Latter-day Saints will sing
praise to the man who was born 200 years ago today, Dec. 23, 1805.
Utah college graduation rates favorable (12-20)
Graduation
rates of local college athletes compare favorably to national averages,
even though NCAA statisticians don't make allowances for athletes who
leave school to serve two-year church missions.
Prophet's birthday nears (12-18)
"Wet
Paint" signs dangle almost everywhere; television producers huddle with
audiovisual technicians in front of a mantel red with poinsettias; a
worker in the next room polishes a bronze statue. Outside 150,000
Christmas lights fill the trees; music fills the air.
Tabernacle choir aglow at yule (12-18)
There's
just one thing that could ruin David Gehris' Christmas season: Being
singled out on stage as a member of the renowned Mormon Tabernacle
Choir.
LDS leader writes of Joseph Smith (12-18)
President
Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, writes in a church message this month about Joseph
Smith:
Movie opens today about LDS founder (12-17)
A
week before the 200th anniversary of his birth, a film biography of LDS
Church founder Joseph Smith debuted Friday for local media and hundreds
of church employees in the building that bears his name.
LDS snowboarder a role model for youths (12-16)
In
a sport whose participants have typically been pigeon-holed as
drug-using high school dropouts, professional snowboarder Mitch Nelson
of Bountiful has emerged as a different kind of athlete: a role model
whose fans would actually do well to imitate.
Temple Square sees 40th year of holiday lights (12-14)
Forty
years ago, Deseret News publisher E. Earl Hawkes proposed an idea that
had some skeptics literally blinking: decorate Temple Square with
thousands of lights and a nativity scene.
John J. Miller on Mitt Romney on National Review Online (12-14)
The governor of Massachusetts may soon be appearing in a (political) theater near you.
Food drives are critical (12-11)
A
woman recently drove up to the Community Action Services food bank on
Freedom Boulevard in a newer-model sport utility vehicle, seeking
canned and dried food for her family.
BYU-Idaho president intent on rethinking education at the school (12-11)
If
Kim Clark doesn't like southeastern Idaho, he doesn't show it. But one
gets the feeling he'd be happy to have a few of the surrounding potato
fields sprouting grass and water hazards.
'Spirit of Ricks' lives on (12-11)
Lori Woodland came to what was then Ricks College in 1985 and built her life around her family and basketball.
Idaho town is booming (12-11)
hen
word came in 2000 that Ricks College would become Brigham Young
University-Idaho, the news set off more than a wave of academic change.
Population figures soared, local housing construction took off and
business development followed, as retailers moved in to serve the
town's rapidly growing population.
Public open house set for Santiago Temple (12-11)
The
First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has
announced a public open house for the newly remodeled Santiago Chile
Temple.
LDS probing subpar donation shipment (12-10)
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is investigating the
medical equipment that it donated to a charity in China after the
shipment was reportedly found to be dirty and expired.
Choir, Fleming share sounds of Christmas (12-10)
"A
Christmas Festival" by Leroy Anderson and Mack Wilberg's "Gloria in
Excelsis Deo," the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple
Square opened this year's edition of their annual Christmas Concert.
Spending Christmas with Joseph and Emma (12-9)
The
200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith has focused attention
not only on his work and his message but also on his personal life. As
the holidays approach, some may wonder what the Christmas season would
have been like for the early church prophet.
Oppal, Utah A-G get together to talk about polygamy (12-9)
The
polygamy circus came to town Thursday. Two attorneys-general--Wally
Oppal from British Columbia and Mark Shurtleff from Utah--had scheduled
a meeting to share information about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints and the other polygamists who live in
Bountiful, a remote community in southeastern British Columbia, and in
Hildale, Utah.
Utah's LDS influence is turnoff, some firms say (12-8)
A
new survey of businesses looking to relocate found that while Utah is
competitive, concerns persist about the effect of the "Mormon
influence" as well as limitations posed by the state's size and
location.
Stoned Immaculate: The Wonder of Gilgal Gardens (12-6)
There
is no shortage of weirdness in Utah. For every eccentricity or closeted
skeleton, there's another waiting to be discovered--and each new tidbit
is as fascinating as the last. Now each week, New West will give you a
dose of beehive surreality with Clint Wardlow's column, "Utah Gothic."
Charges dropped against teen in LDS church fire (12-6)
An
arson charge against a Blackfoot teen accused of burning down an LDS
church last winter has been dismissed, with the judge calling the
accusations against the 17-year-old boy "far-fetched" and without
probable cause.
Christ's mission is affirmed in Book of Mormon, LDS told (12-5)
As
Christmas 2005 draws near, Latter-day Saints were reminded that Jesus'
birth, crucifixion and atonement are recounted not only in the New
Testament but in the Book of Mormon, as a second witness of Christ's
sacrifice for all mankind.
Alone in the fold: Many LDS gays struggle to cling to faith despite their yearnings (12-3)
Ty
Mansfield and Stuart Matis never met, but they were brothers in church
and in spirit. They held to the iron rod of their faith and
successfully completed LDS missions.
Conference shines light on prejudice (12-2)
As
a topic of much public display and discussion in recent years, Utah's
religious divide is but one manifestation of a power struggle that
plays out nationally and globally between people who perceive
themselves as "the chosen" or "in" group and those who are or perceive
themselves in the "out" group.
Faith communities unite to fight HIV (12-2)
Faith
communities are in a unique position to provide HIV and AIDS prevention
education and to comfort and assist those who are infected.
Prophet created cohesion, scholar says (12-1)
Joseph
Smith's greatest legacy is not the remarkable growth of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a University of Richmond religious
scholar said this week at Brigham Young University.
Joseph Smith's fame (12-1)
Scholars
around the world are studying the impact of Joseph Smith, attempting to
account for the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Here's what some have said in academic settings this year, the
200th anniversary of Smith's birthÂ