Plus, why Utah isn't a horrible place to be single, BYU softballer on what it takes to win and six April Fool's pranks politicians pulled.
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By Sarah Gambles Tuesday April 2, 2024

Here are today’s temperatures:

 

☀️ 29 - 57° in Logan | 💧0%

☀️ 36 - 58° in Salt Lake | 💧0%

☀️ 43 - 71° in Saint George | 💧0%

 

Hopefully you made it through April Fool's Day yesterday without getting pranked. The National Parks Department is notorious for hokey pranks on the holiday, for example, this post about Utah Giant Prairie dogs that you can ride in Bryce Canyon.

 

But they weren't the only ones in government joining in on the pranks this year. Here are five pranks politicians pulled for the holiday, including Sen. John Fetterman jokingly confirming that he has a body double.

 

Also on our mind:

  • The Church of Jesus Christ will release 12 hymns from its new hymnbook including 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing'
  • Why Utah health experts are worried about a measles outbreak
  • The elite athleticism of BYU outfielder Violet Zavodnik

Rep. John Curtis says TikTok phone campaign backfired, but bill still halted in the Senate

 

The phones in Rep. John Curtis’ office were ringing off the hook a couple weeks ago. It was before the House voted on the bill requiring TikTok to divest from ByteDance, a Chinese company.

 

“We literally had calls that said, ‘So, what’s a congressman?’” Curtis said.

As part of TikTok’s media campaign against the bill, the company sent out a notification to some users asking them to input their ZIP code to call their representative.

 

It’s a move Curtis described “as very effective for us and very ineffective for them.”

 

“What really alarms me is that they could then use that same technique to influence an election or taint somebody’s opinion about an issue,” Curtis said.

Read more about the bill and how TikTok launched an advertising campaign against it.

More in Politics:

  • Trans Visibility Day collided with Easter, sparking controversy (Deseret News)
  • Texas man who changed name to ‘Literally Anybody Else’ running for president (Deseret News) 
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Ukraine vision (Deseret News)
2-leader-412024

Sister Ardeth Kapp, former Young Women general president, dies at 93

Former Young Women General President Ardeth Greene Kapp died Saturday, March 30. She had turned 93 years old only a few days earlier.

 

Sister Kapp served as the ninth Young Women general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1984 to 1992 and became a mentor to hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saint young women.

 

Her presidency was highlighted by the introduction of the Young Women values and the strong growth of the Personal Progress program that concluded in 2019.

 

“Goals can change, but values never change. Values are the lodestar, they are anchors," Sister Kapp said, referring to the Young Women values from the Personal Progress program. "If you have your values in place, then you have a basis to make decisions."

 

Read more about the life of Sister Kapp.

Round out your day (v5)

Faith

  • Church of Jesus Christ to release first hymns from new hymnbook (Deseret News)
  • Dawn Staley spoke on faith after South Carolina’s latest win. It sparked a backlash (Deseret News)
  • April 2024 general conference: How to watch and participate (Deseret News)

Health

  • Utah health officials worried about measles outbreak nearby (Deseret News)
  • CDC alerts doctors to watch for rare, serious bacterial infection appearing with unusual symptoms (CNN)

Utah

  • Where and how do singles have the best chance of finding love? (Deseret News)
  • Iron County Commission approves sales tax hike to fund new jail, sheriff's complex (KSL)
  • Utah man charged with punching 76-year-old who bumped his cart at Walmart (KSL)
  • Calling all Southern Utah stargazers: Elusive ‘devil comet’ to make rare appearance amid eclipse season (St. George News)

Sports

  • Why Indiana State reminds the Runnin’ Utes of BYU (Deseret News)
  • How the NCAA fixed the women’s tournament’s Portland court discrepancy (Deseret News)
  • For BYU’s Violet Zavodnik, it’s ‘no pain, no game’ (Deseret News)
  • Utah Jazz assistant Scott Morrison kicks off NBA-wide campaign to raise autism awareness and acceptance (Deseret News)
  • Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik to undergo kidney transplant (Deseret News)

U.S & World

  • French split over whether Paris ready to host 2024 Summer Olympics (Deseret News)
  • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are spending more and saving less (Deseret News)
  • Iranian officials accuse Israel of a deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria (NPR)

Entertainment

  • What big shows are coming up in Utah? Here’s the latest (Deseret News)
  • The 6 new Hallmark movies coming in April 2024 (Deseret News)

That's all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!

 

And reply to this email or email [email protected] to tell us what you think of Utah Today.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

— Sarah

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