Plus, what Robert O’Brien said about attack on Israel. "This wasn’t just an attack on Israel, it was an attack on America."
Good morning! Here are today's temperatures: 🌥️ 36 - 65° in Logan 🌥️ 45 - 69° in Salt Lake City ☀️ 49 - 79° in St. George Football is back today for Utah and BYU fans. Get ready for an afternoon of football with Utah kicking off against Cal at 1 p.m. and BYU playing its first game against TCU in 12 years at 1:30 p.m. Here are your game day watch guides: How to watch No. 16 Utah vs. Cal How to watch BYU vs. TCU Also on our mind: 10 uplifting books to add to your reading list, the role an FBI tip played in bringing LJ Martin to BYU and how to talk to your kids about the Hamas attack on Israel.
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| The fascinating backstories of Utah’s two new National Blue Ribbon Schools |
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| | Two Utah elementary schools were among the 353 schools recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools in 2023 for setting “a national example for what it means to raise the bar in education.” Wasatch Elementary School in the Salt Lake City School District and Milford Elementary School in the Beaver County School District became the 22nd and 23rd Utah schools to ever earn the honor. The honor for Wasatch Elementary comes at the same time it is one of seven elementary schools that could face a possible closure. Elementary school enrollment in the Salt Lake City School District has dropped almost 30% since 2014. “It’s hard, because we know we’re doing really good things at our school,” Adrienne Kumik, principal of Wasatch Elementary School, said. “I understand there’s some things about our building that are not ideal, but the people in our building are wonderful. Our students are hard working. Our staff is collaborative. I really do think that one of the things that has driven us to get this award is the amount of collaboration that we do at our school.” |
Read more about the schools' journeys to earning the national honor and Wasatch Elementary's possible closure. |
| As a former national security adviser and special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Robert O’Brien played a pivotal role in normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and several predominantly Muslim nations and helped bring some 55 American hostages home. His expertise in hostage negotiation and international relations, particularly in the Middle East, makes O'Brien uniquely qualified to comment on the recent mass atrocities committed by the terrorist organization Hamas against Israeli civilians. Here are some highlights from his conversation with the Deseret News: The Israeli-Palestine conflict has a long, violent history. Can you help our readers understand why the events of the last week were so unprecedented and shocking? We’ve never seen mass murder on this basis before. The deliberate targeting by Hamas of women and children, the elderly, the horrific reports of infants being slaughtered, is beyond the pale. We’ve never seen anything like this before, in scale or in depravity. This brings up the worst of ISIS, but almost makes ISIS look good compared to what Hamas did this past weekend. Why do you think the U.S. should show support of Israel? Anyone who claims that the Jewish people don’t need a safe haven only needs to look at the protests that took place in London recently, and Sydney, and even in our own country, in New York and Detroit, with people marching, chanting, “Gas the Jews,” to understand that the Jewish people need a homeland, and a place where they can be safe. And unfortunately that homeland wasn’t safe this weekend. What does Hamas' terrorist attack mean for the U.S.? This wasn’t just an attack on Israel, it was an attack on America. Hamas knows full well now, even if they didn’t know at the time, that they’ve taken Americans hostage. When you take Americans hostage as a terrorist organization, you make yourself the enemy of the United States. Read what else O'Brien had to say about the nature of Hamas’ attack, how to rescue the American hostages and why he thinks the U.S. should lend Israel its unwavering support in the coming months and years. More in Politics As Jim Jordan wins GOP’s 2nd attempt at nominating new speaker this week, uncertainty remains (Deseret News) Utah congressmen sign bipartisan resolution showing ‘unwavering support’ of Israel (Deseret News) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Thomas Griffith speak about disagreeing better at Restore conference (Deseret News) Trump’s opponents, White House, react to him calling Hezbollah ‘very smart’ (Deseret News) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will travel to Israel with bipartisan delegation (Deseret News) Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Can Gov. Cox’s ‘Disagree Better’ initiative work? (Deseret News) | FROM UTAH BUSINESS Are you ready to drive your business to new heights? Join us at Utah Business Forward on Nov. 16 Designed exclusively for executives to discover cutting-edge strategies, engage with industry experts, and network with like-minded professionals. Tracks include Entrepreneurship, International Business, Marketing, People & Culture, and Strategy. Purchase tickets now at forward.utahbusiness.com. | Faith President Bonnie H. Cordon introduced as 10th president of Southern Virginia University (Deseret News) Why a Catholic nun sued the Louisiana Board of Pardons (Deseret News) Entertainment 10 uplifting books to add to your TBR list (Deseret News) Natalie Portman, the Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and other Hollywood stars speak out on Israel-Hamas war (Deseret News) Sports How Utah State fared against Fresno State (Deseret News) Will extra week of prep time, recuperation result in victories for Utes and Cougars? (Deseret News) How an FBI tip helped bring LJ Martin to BYU (Deseret News) What are Cal coaches saying about Utah — and what challenges could Bears present? (Deseret News) Bryce Harper and the Phillies got revenge against the Braves (Deseret News) Big 12 newcomer BYU preparing for ‘extremely motivated, maybe desperate’ TCU (Deseret News) Salt Lake County Salt Lake arts market spotlights Native American artists from across the U.S. (KSL) Draper on high alert after family dog is attacked by coyote (KSL) Iron County Former SUU lecturer admits to terroristic threats against the school (KSL) Israel How to talk to your kids about Hamas attack on Israel (Deseret News) As war continues, BYU Jerusalem Center students and faculty leaving for Greece (Deseret News) ‘Our hearts ache’: Latter-day Saint leaders issue statement calling violence in Middle East ‘abhorrent’ (Deseret News) Opinion: ‘What do our Jewish friends need right now?’ This rabbi says the answer is simple (Deseret News) Utah tourists began tour of Israel, now trying to leave (KSL) The U.S. and World Kaiser, unions reach tentative accord, forestalling future strikes (Deseret News) Awarding 2030, 2034 Winter Games together gets ‘green light’ from IOC leaders (Deseret News) What is a ring of fire eclipse? Here’s what you should know (Deseret News) Man pleads guilty to stealing Wizard of Oz ruby slippers (BBC) |
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