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When music reporter Lottie Johnson asked Ben Harper about his connection to Utah, he responded by saying it's one of the places that has "accepted" his music.

”Utah was there en masse representing the sounds we were making, the noise we were making," he said. "So it’s a real privilege to always come back here and have people still recognizing what we’re doing.”

He also said every time he comes to Utah he tries to make a stop at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Harper was in Utah this week for the premiere of “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” a documentary that explores the too-short life and career of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of artist — one of Harper’s friends and musical heroes.

Read more about Harper's visit to Sundance, which included a surprise performance.

‘We have zero and zero’: Legislature passes base budget with no new revenue for supplemental spending

Utah lawmakers approved over 90% of the budget this week with 35 days left in the 2025 legislative session, Brigham Tomco reported.

After a disappointing tax revenue forecast, there is little money left over. This means hard decisions will need to be made about what to keep and what to cut.

“We’re instructing the committees right now that if they want to add different priorities, they have to find within their existing budgets money that they can reallocate," House Budget Chairman Val Peterson, R-Orem, said.

Here are three key points from the article:

Lawmakers approved a $28.1 billion base budget this week, with $8.4 billion for social services and $8.3 billion for public education.
Utah's budget has increased from less than $7 billion to over $29 billion over the last 25 years.
Utah is notable for being fiscally resilient and tends to not rely on federal funding much.

Evangelicals, Jews, Adventists, others grateful judges supported church autonomy in Latter-day Saint tithing case

Tad Walchreports:

The eyes of much of American religion were focused on the lawsuit James Huntsman filed seeking the return of $5 million in tithing he donated to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Faith organizations, including specific religious groups, colleges and universities, as well as charities didn’t just await a verdict, they had filed their opinions and arguments with the judges who would decide the case in half a dozen friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the positions of the Latter-day Saints.

On Friday, they responded with gratitude when a panel of 11 judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the church summary judgment. The judges ruled unanimously in favor of the Latter-day Saints without allowing the case to get to trial.

More in Faith

President Camille N. Johnson honored with Sundance leadership award for global service (Church News)
Unanimous 9th Circuit panel dismisses Huntsman tithing lawsuit (Deseret News)

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LDS Author Wins 2024 International Impact Book Award

Amora, by LDS Author Grant Hallstrom, earned the 2024 best Christian Fiction International Impact Book Award. Reviewers said, "Amora is a fascinating tale based on the true story of the noblewoman who inspired Justin Martyr's petition to the Roman Senate on behalf of Christians." "It is a first-class historical fiction with perfect pacing." Read More.

Health

FDA approves new type of nonopioid painkiller for acute pain (NBC News)
Buying Eggs During the Bird Flu Outbreak? Here's What You Should Know (Healthline)

Politics

Sen. John Curtis says he has 'deepened concerns' about Tulsi Gabbard nomination (Deseret News)
Trump's tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico start Saturday (Deseret News)

The Nation and the World

Medevac jet with 6 on board crashes in residential area in Northeast Philadelphia (Deseret News)
What we know about the D.C. plane crash victims (Deseret News)
U.S. inflation, consumer spending ticks up to end 2024 (Deseret News)
Ukraine says North Koreans may have pulled out of front line (BBC)

Sports

Ranking the best plays from the 2024 BYU football season (Deseret News)
Dawson Baker's confidence and mid-range game add to BYU’s arsenal (Deseret News)
Jay Evensen: Legal gambling is killing sports (Deseret News)
What’s going on with judging this women’s gymnastics season? (Deseret News)

🗓️ 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:

Mid-Winter Farmers Market | The Gateway
Winter Market by Farmers Market Ogden
Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat” | SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater, Orem
“Beauty and the Beast Jr.” | Draper Historic Theatre, Draper
Utah Jazz vs. Orlando Magic | 3 p.m.
BYU men’s volleyball vs. Hawai’i | 7 p.m.
USU men’s basketball vs. New Mexico | 7:30 p.m.
Weber State men’s basketball vs. Eastern Washington | 1 p.m.
UVU women’s basketball vs. Grand Canyon | 2 p.m.
SUU women’s basketball vs. Tarleton University | 2 p.m.
Utah Tech women’s basketball vs. UT Arlington | 1 p.m.

Please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!

✨ Cheers ✨

— Gambles

More in Utah

Evangelicals, Jews, Adventists, others grateful judges supported church autonomy in Latter-day Saint tithing case

More in Faith

🗓️ Events Calendar