With thanks to our sponsor

Eerdmans Publishing

During the last general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson spoke for just under 15 minutes and referred to Jesus Christ 86 times.

Maybe that should not surprise anyone, given that President Nelson is considered by members to be not only the church’s president but a living prophet, apostle and special witness of Christ, Tad Walch writes.

For decades, however, some outsiders and critics have accused church leaders of referring more to the church’s founding prophet, Joseph Smith, and his successors in general conference talks than to Jesus Christ, Walch writes.

The Deseret News reviewed the 34 talks given at the church's October 2024 general conference, and here are the total references we found:

More in Faith

25 years in the Conference Center (Deseret News)

A brief look at Utah’s 31 total temples — with 100+ photos (Church News)

General conference is here. What you need to know (Deseret News)

BYU and the University of Utah both crack Forbes’ ‘Top 100’ list of premier colleges

BYU and the University of Utah both landed a spot on Forbes' "Top 100" list of premier colleges — BYU landed at No. 36, while the University of Utah was ranked 94th.

Utah State University and Weber State University earned spots on Forbes' list of 500 high-performing American colleges: Utah State came in at No. 237 and Weber State at 461.

When making the list, Forbes takes into account the following: alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, Forbes American Leaders List, return on investment, retention rate and academic success.

Debt and return on investment accounted for a total of 30% of the measures to determine a school's ranking.

Here are the four Utah universities' average grant aid calculations by Forbes:

FROM OUR SPONSOR EERDMANS PUBLISHING

In today’s deeply divided world, how can people find common ground with each other?

“Davis is a wry and assured storyteller with a knack for finding touchstones of Mormon ethics in contemporary life.” —Publishers Weekly

Utah

Utah’s education board rejects letter supporting Trump’s Education Department changes, DEI resolution (Deseret News)

New law, digital tools could help law enforcement officers find missing persons faster (KSL.com)

Community rallies to support family of Riverdale murder victim in AMBER Alert case (2KUTV)

St. George donut shop to celebrate grand opening with a chance to win free donuts for a year (St George News)

Utah County’s hunger for housing is now a reckoning for Orem’s Wilkerson Farm (KUER 90.1)

Gov. Cox orders flags to fly at half-staff in honor of former U.S. Representative Mia Love (Utah Policy)

Health

Spending less time in 2 deep sleep stages may contribute to Alzheimer's (Medical News Today)

I work from home — how microbreaks improved my health (Healthline)

Politics

Here’s how Utah’s congressional delegation is responding to Trump’s tariffs (Deseret News)

Gov. Cox signs 3 bills impacting child safety online (Deseret News)

Renae Cowley and Frank Pignanelli: Gov. Cox navigates legislative challenges with strategic vetoes (Deseret News)

The Nation and the World

Jay Evensen: The cost of Donald Trump’s tariffs (Deseret News)

Dow sheds 2,200 points as markets end another day of tariff chaos (NBC News)

Measles outbreak in Texas hits 481 cases, with 59 new infections confirmed in last 3 days (ABC News)

Sports

Are Utah’s defensive tackles ready to step up? (Deseret News)

Carsen Ryan hopes to make family's No. 20 proud with BYU football (KSL.com)

How Emry Wride danced her way from Cougarette to Rockette (The Daily Universe)

Entertainment

Utah students from ‘Footloose’ high school surprise Kevin Bacon (Deseret News)

‘The Chosen’ cast reflects on Season 5 character development (Deseret News)

Photo of the week by Scott G. Winterton

Julie Paw, Leah Hernandez and Antonia Lancheros Lopez get excited about their new shoes as students at Liberty Elementary Community Learning Center in Salt Lake City receive new shoes from FedEx and Operation Warm on Friday, March 28, 2025.