General News

Dallas Missionary Leaves Hospital Beaten but not Broken Elder Burke Jensen was released from the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation Friday, 2 1/2 weeks after he and his companion were attacked in a Dallas neighborhood in an apparent robbery attempt. Elder Jensen still suffers from the attack -- he has blurred vision, slurred speech and an arm in a sling -- but the attack has not dampened his enthusiasm nor made him bitter towards his attackers.

LDS Church Speaks Out on Idaho Religious Freedom Act The LDS Church is using its influence in Idaho to support the Idaho Religious Freedom Act, a state law meant to restore the legal standard that existed before a 1990 US Supreme Court decision. Speaking in the Eagle Idaho Stake Conference Sunday, Elder F. Melvin Hammond, a former three-term minority leader in the Idaho legislature and now president of the LDS Church's North America Northwest Area, made the Church's position clear to local members. Monday, the Church released his remarks and an explanatory press release on the national service, PRNewswire.

Local News

Maine Branch Faces Zoning Controversy The Yarmouth branch has grown from 40 members to 150 in the past eight years, and now it is trying to build a chapel. But the building's neighbors are objecting, saying the building is too large for the community and that its construction seems to be controlled by far-off officials in Salt Lake City.

Tacoma Area LDS Chapel Ransacked Vandals ransacked an LDS chapel on Washington's Key Peninsula Saturday night, leaving $40,000 in damage and leading Bishop Robert Barrett to cancel Sunday meetings in favor of a cleanup project. While nothing was stolen, the vandals destroyed computers, video equipment, plumbing fixtures and furnishings.

Sports

Wyoming Star Fights BYU, but also Eliminates Religious Slurs Marcus Bailey has become a star basketball player at the University of Wyoming, and fights hard against BYU every time they play, gaining the admiration of BYU coach Steve Cleveland. But Bailey has also managed to eliminate the religious slurs the Cowboy's fans used to yell at BYU's players. The fans, it seems, don't want to offend their star player. Bailey is an LDS Church member.

December Drunk Driving Incident Proves Costly to BYU, Player Both BYU's football team and a team member, potential recruit and former player are paying the price of a drunk driving incident December 9th associated with a recruiting trip. BYU has now placed the player, star running back Brian McDonald, on probation, and dropped the recruit from its list of potential candidates.

Politics

Brisbane Temple Restrictions at Stake in Zoning Fight The LDS Church's plan to build a $9 million temple in Brisbane's Kangaroo Point cliffs neighborhood could be decided in a legal battle set to start next month. While the Brisbane City Council approved the plans, it did so with building and operating conditions that the Church considers unacceptable, and which it is challenging. However, LDS Church officials have declined to say what they will do if they loose the Church's appeal of the restrictions.

Mormons Supported Bush More Than Other Religious Groups Mormon voters chose George W. Bush over challenger Al Gore by 88% to 12%, according to a new poll by researchers at the University of Akron, Calvin College, Furman University and Wheaton College of Illinois. However, Mormon voters were a small part, less than 5%, of the support for either candidate, in line with the proportion of Mormons in the general population.

Internet

LDS Internet Apologist Websites Agree to Merge The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, known as FAIR, has joined Internet forces with the Scholarly &Historical Information Exchange for Latter-Day Saints (SHIELDS) by merging their operations into one central clearinghouse in order to answer anti-Mormon claims. The merger was approved by the boards of both organizations and will consolidate the two groups into one.

Joe Firmage Seeks Credibility On-line The Mormon millionaire whose claim to have seen an alien got him ejected from the boardroom of his dotcom company in 1998, has fought his way back online, and is seeking a much more credible reputation. Joe Firmage, a former LDS Church member who founded the Internet consultancy USWeb (now called MarchFirst, Inc.), will launch his new venture, OneCosmos.net this month after partnering with one of the most credible sources in the science community, the widow of famed scientist Carl Sagan.

People

Walnut Creek Expells 'Flasher the Clown' from Parade A self-described devout Mormon has been expelled from Walnut Creek's annual Walnut Festival Parade after townspeople complained that his 28-year-old act is offensive. Bob Manion has appeared in the parade, and several others, as "Flasher the Clown" since 1973. In his act he opens his coat to reveal a small terrier sticking out of the top of his pants.

Arts & Entertainment

Angel Moroni Installed in Museum, Instead of Atop Boston Temple The LDS Church hasn't yet been able to put a statue of the Angel Moroni sculpted by artist Cyrus E. Dallin on top of the Boston Temple, but it has been able to put a 29-inch replica in a local museum. After some controversy, the Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum in Arlington, Massachussets has accepted the smaller replica as a permanent part of its exhibits.

Business

Marriott in Auction Battle to Acquire Hotel Group Marriott Corp. is one of the bidders seeking to buy the Forte Hotels group in an auction expected to be the world's biggest. The third round of the auction will continue this week, and is expected to be completed in March. Marriott, founded and run by the Marriott family, members of the LDS Church, is looking at the chain of hotels to make a major expansion outside of the US.

MediaNews Opposes Adding Deseret News to Tribune Lawsuit The Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Company's lawsuit against Tribune owner MediaNews Group, filed December 1 in federal court will soon go before U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell. But MediaNews Group Inc. is now opposing the attempt by the Salt Lake Tribune to add Deseret News Publishing Co. as a defendant in the suit, fearing an attempt to shift the lawsuit to another court. If the News becomes a defendant it would mean that the two parties are Utah companies and MediaNews fears that could give the state courts jurisdiction.

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