General News

LDS Church Will Remove More Jews from Baptismal Records

A Salt Lake City genealogist recently discovered the names of more than 200 notable Jews in the LDS Church's records of baptisms for the dead, in violation of a 1995 agreement with Jewish organizations. The discovery has now lead to renewed controversy over the practice and a new agreement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to remove the names. Genealogist Helen Radkey discovered the names in her research and alterted the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, which negotiated the new agreement with the Church.

UVSC Honors Hinckleys with Doctorates

Utah Valley State College presented President Gordon B. Hinckley and his wife, Marjorie P. Hinckley with honorary doctorates at its commencement Friday. The honors came as the college, one of two major institutions of higher education in Utah County, Utah, along with BYU, awarded degrees to 2,638 students. UVSC is dominated by Mormon students and faculty, although it is a state institution.

Local News

Guadalajara Mexico Temple Dedicated

President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the church's 105th operating Temple yesterday, sealing the Temple's cornerstone in a short ceremony and dedicating the building a little later. In the dedicatory prayer for the Guadalajara Temple, President Hinckley blessed both the people and the land in which the building is located.

Former Missionary Sentenced for Sexual Assault during Mission

A former LDS missionary plead guilty Monday to five counts of sexual assault committed while he was serving an LDS mission in the North Carolina Charlotte Mission and was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime. Matthew Alan Nash, 27, of Salt Lake City, has admitted to molesting at least 22 children in both North Carolina and Utah since age 16.

Funeral Held for LDS Mother and Son Killed in Car Crash

More than 1,000 LDS Church members in Las Vegas attended the funeral of Holly Barton and her eight-year-old son Benjamin while giving thanks for the miraculous recovery of husband and father James Barton, who was able to attend the funeral just five days after waking from a coma and a week after the car crash that took his wife and son as they traveled to the broadcast dedication of the Winter Quarters Temple.

Sports

Missionary, U Michigan Choose Each Other, Sight Unseen

In a leap of faith by both Spencer Brinton and the University of Michigan football coaches, Brinton is on the University of Michigan campus starting classes today, less than a week after returning from an LDS mission to Durban, South Africa. Brinton, who was San Diego State's starting quarterback before leaving on his mission, had never seen the Ann Arbor campus before, nor had he met the coaches. For their part, they had never met Brinton, nor seen him play in person. But they are giving him a chance to compete for a quarterback spot on the team.

U Wisconsin's Bower Transfers to BYU

Sophomore basketball player Ricky Bower is transferring to BYU and, by so doing, is also returning to his family's college roots. His father, Wayne, played on the Cougar football team in the early 1970s and his older brother, Danny, played basketball at BYU for two years during the late 90's. In addition, Bower's mother is also a former BYU student.

LDS Quarterback Expects All-Canadian Season

The University of Calgary's Lincoln Blumell is headed into his final season, and hopes to lead the Dinosaurs to a win in the playoffs this year, possibly even getting the team even further. "My main goal is to help the team win a playoff game and then win the Canada West title. I feel a real emergency to get that done. From there, the goal is to get to the Vanier Cup and win it. And, if it all falls into place, maybe an All-Canadian selection." But just four years ago Blumell was finishing a two-year LDS mission, during which he hardly touched a football.

Politics

Senator Smith Suggests Sanctions over Religious Restrictions in France, Europe

Oregon's US Senator Gordon Smith, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, suggested yesterday that the US impose restrictions on European visitors because of their country's restrictions on minority religions. The comments came as the Senate's European Affairs subcommittee, which Smith chairs, reviewed proposed French legislation that the US State Department considers an affront to religious freedom.

Hill New Deputy Parliamentary Leader

Official Opposition Leader Stockwell Day, in response to this week's resignations of House Leader Chuck Strahl and Deputy Parliamentary Leader Deborah Grey, both former Canadian Alliance Members of Parliament, reorganised his leadership team. Grant Hill, a member of the Calgary Alberta Foothills Stake, was named as the new Deputy Parliamentary Leader.

Internet

In praise of a day unplugged

In an era of e-mail, cell phones, pagers, home satellite dishes and "constant connectivity" to the Internet, many people are rediscovering the need for a Sabbath - a day, an hour or a season when they consciously disconnect from the machine to rest, rebalance their lives and restore their perspectives.

People

Elder Learns Mission is Hard, Great

Salt Lake Tribune religion writer, Peggy Fletcher Stack, has been following the progress of LDS missionary Elder Colin Timothy, who is serving a two-year mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "I got up at 6 a.m. today, no problem," he proudly wrote his family of his second day in the LDS Missionary Training Center located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "It is great, except that I couldn't sleep all night," Elder Timothy added.

Arts & Entertainment

Living Scriptures Video Series Gets Attention at Film Sites

Three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson may have to wait for his chance to film a new movie while history is being recorded by Heber J. Grant, Lorenzo Snow and Harold B. Lee. The prophets will be filming first, as the historical site of the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Nebraska is going Hollywood. The drama, part of a 14-episode series being filmed by "The Living Scriptures," follows the lives of the prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Book of Mormon Epic to Be Produced for Giant (IMAX) Screen Release

A group of accomplished LDS filmmakers have begun development on the first of a series of epic motion pictures based on stories from the Book of Mormon. The slate of films will be presented in the large screen format (i.e., IMAX).

Business

LDS Millionaire Launches Ambitious Effort to Help Homeless

When it comes to helping the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised in the world today, it sometimes seems that too many people "talk the talk" but don't ever "walk the walk." John Volken, owner of United Furniture Warehouse in Canada, a furniture company with $200 million in annual sales, hopes to demonstrate that one person can make a difference.

Redlands California Notice Confuses Neighbors, City

The news that the LDS Church will build a small Temple in Redlands, California led to a city council session on the planned building Tuesday night. Councilman Kacey Haws, an LDS Church member, tried to give his fellow city councilmen an idea of the Temple's size, purpose and impact. But meanwhile, recent articles in local newspapers showed a good deal of confusion and speculation among Redlands citizens and others in California's "Inland Empire" about the building.

Marriott Abandons Bid for Le Meridien in Final Round

Marriott, International, the giant hotel chain run by LDS Church member J. Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr., dropped its bid for the Le Meridien chain of luxury hotels after it wasn't named the preferred bidder in the final round. The auction of the 150-hotel chain was part of the auction of the hotel properties of Compass Group PLC, in what has been called the world's largest hotel auction. Marriott had been expected to win Le Meridien, and dropping its bid led to the company's stock price to fall 5% yesterday.

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