The Salt Lake Temple will open its doors to the public for the first time in 134 years, President Russell M. Nelson announced Friday.
The public open house will last for six months in 2027, following an arduous seven-year renovation project that has fascinated the public, Tad Walch reported.
“Today, exactly 172 years after the groundbreaking ceremony, I am delighted to announce that the temple will reopen for tours during a public open house from April to October 2027,” President Nelson said in social media posts. “We warmly invite our friends to come and learn about God’s plan for His children and rejoice in the love of Jesus Christ.”
Former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson will run the day-to-day operations of the 2034 Winter Games, for at least the next three years, Lisa Riley Roche reported.
He will serve as the CEO of the new organizing committee for the Games and a vice-chair of its board.
“For the next few years, CEO. Maybe the CEO through the finish line. We’ll see,” he said. “I had a season of my life in political and public service. My entire life as an adult has been running and operating business and organizations. I’m looking forward to using my skills as an entrepreneur and a business owner and a leader to help execute the best Games the world has ever seen.”
Here are some of the other major players and how they'll be involved:
Fraser Bullock: Executive chair and president of the board; involved in operations and oversight. Former COO of the 2002 Winter Games.
Steve Starks: Vice chairman of the board; adviser to both Wilson and Bullock. CEO of The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies and former president of the Utah Jazz; Gov. Spencer Cox’s Olympics adviser.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Signed the host contract; serves as an honorary board chair.
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper: Involved in selecting key leaders, and serves as an honorary vice-chair.
Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton: Involved in selecting key leaders and serves as an honorary vice-chair.
Erin Mendenhall: Salt Lake City mayor; serves as an honorary board chair.
Catherine Raney Norman: Chair of the bid committee; senior executive at the organizing committee and head of the new athletes commission.
Board members include: Ryan Smith, Lindsey Vonn, Sarah Hughes, Abby Osborne and Mindy Benson.
The board will hold its first meeting on Feb. 27 and aims to have the organizing committee up and running by March 1.
Read more about Utah's new Olympic organizing committee.
More in Utah
Mark the spot: X Games coming to Salt Lake City (Deseret News)
Utah seems ready to pay farmers to leave more water in the Colorado River (KUER)
Utah has joined 16 other states in a lawsuit surrounding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
What is Section 504?
Section 504 helps provide accommodations and aid for kids in school, and also provides assistance for people with disabilities in other aspects of life such as in hospitals and doctors offices, Caitlin Keith reports.
What is Utah's involvement in the lawsuit?
Utah joined the lawsuit because in May 2024, the Biden administration expanded the definition of a disability to include gender dysphoria.
Utah's Attorney General Derek Brown has released statements expressing support for Section 504 accommodations, outside of including gender dysphoria as a disability.
“We anticipate that our challenge to a Biden-era regulatory change will be resolved imminently," the statement reads. "If it is not resolved quickly, we are looking at all of our legal options, including amending the lawsuit to protect children. I will continue to strongly defend and protect Section 504 benefits and accommodations for Utah children.”
Jack Tidrow, president of Professional Firefighters of Utah, center, expresses his disappointment to HB267 “Public Sector Labor Union Amendments” passing through the Senate with a vote of 16-13 at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
🗓️ 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:
Ivins Art Festival | Kayenta Art Village
Bryce Canyon Winter Festival | Bryce Canyon National Park
Kanab Balloons and Tunes Roundup
Arrival from Sweden (The Music of ABBA) | Eccles Theater
“The Producers” | The Ziegfield Theater, Ogden
“Fiddler on the Roof” | Hopebox Theatre, Kaysville
BYU men’s tennis vs. Idaho State | noon
BYU men’s basketball vs. Kansas State | 7 p.m.
U of U men’s basketball vs. Kansas | 8 p.m.
Weber State women’s basketball vs. Montana | 2 p.m.
UVU women’s basketball vs. Southern Utah | 2 p.m.
SUU men’s basketball vs. UVU | 6:30 p.m.
Utah Tech women’s basketball vs. California Baptist | 2 p.m.
Utah Tech baseball vs. Northern Colorado | 3:05 p.m.
Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!
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