It was March 2021 when Martin Norman opened the doors to his souvenir shop in downtown Salt Lake.

But one big problem: There were practically no tourists.

He made $20 the first day. Enough to keep the lights on — for about an hour.

Prior to becoming a small business owner and purveyor of Utah souvenirs, Martin’s career was in law enforcement. He was a corrections officer at the Utah State Prison.

“I’d have worked at McDonald’s just to have a career change of path,” Norman says.

Church-related scams may be more common than you think

The rise of smartphones and mobile payment apps has brought with it a new kind of faith-based crime: scams in which someone impersonates a religious leader and texts a large group of church members asking for urgent donations.

Earlier this year, a man posing as a Catholic priest was able to steal $500 from a Houston church and infiltrate several other houses of worship.

“The unidentified man has also been active in California, Oregon and Ontario, according to memos from March and April from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which warned of a man posing as a priest who had gained access to parish offices and who was ‘likely responsible for stealing $1,770 from a parish in Oregon,’” The New York Times reported. 

Read more about the scams here.

More National News:

• Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at age 96 (Deseret News)
• Inside the fight to save America’s mothers (Deseret News)
• ‘I’m afraid of the kids we’re leaving our country’ — a conversation with civics educator Jack Miller (Deseret News)
• Samuel J. Abrams: College presidents can change the hostile environment on campuses (Deseret News)

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Faith

• What does the Bible say about gratitude? (Deseret News)
  
• See locations, dates for Giving Machines in 2023 (Church News)
  
• Elder Cook addresses 5 key concerns for young adults in the Church (Church News)
  

Business

• Community groups in Salt Lake City create 9 Line Up campaign to help businesses on 900 South (KSL)
• The battle against fast-fashion knockoffs (Utah Business)

Holidays

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Davis and Salt Lake Counties

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• Can ocean pipeline save the Great Salt Lake? New report cites staggering costs (KSL)

Summit County

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• This winter is shaping up to be a ‘solid season’ (Park Record)
  

The World

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• Israel says tunnel found under Gaza hospital as hostage deal hopes grow (BBC)

Sports

• The Jazz took on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Here's what happened (Deseret News)
• Cam Rising returns to Utah for 2024 season (Deseret News)
• Blake Anderson knows the Utah State Aggies’ roster must improve and retain existing talent (Deseret News)
• Will Puka Nacua break even more NFL records this year? (Deseret News)