Plus, here are five Utah-related storylines to watch in this year's NFL playoffs.
⛅ 10 – 32° Logan | ⛅ 22 – 39° Salt Lake ⛅ 12 – 36° Manti | ☀️ 19 – 40° Moab ☀️ 13 – 43° Cedar City | ☀️ 29 – 51° St. George 🌅 Good morning! The NFL playoffs are in full swing and players with Utah ties continue to represent our state. It's actually a guarantee that at least one NFL player with Utah ties will end up with a Super Bowl ring by the end of the postseason. Brandon Judd lays out five Utah-related storylines worth following: Garett Bolles makes his long-awaited playoff debut Puka Nacua has his second chance at playoff success Can Kyle Van Noy and the Ravens make a Super Bowl run? Jordan Love leads the Packers into the postseason again Can Penei Sewell and the Detroit Lions capitalize on their No. 1 seed and reach the Super Bowl? Read more to see the numerous reasons for Utah NFL fans to dial into the playoffs. |
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| What Utah business wants from the Legislature this year |
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| Affordable housing is top of mind for Salt Lake City business community leaders, according to leaders at an event held by the Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. “When housing becomes prohibitively expensive, workers are forced to relocate far away, even leaving the region altogether,” said Mary Catherine Perry, the vice president of public policy and government affairs at the Salt Lake Chamber. Since 2020, the median monthly mortgage payment for a single-family home along the Wasatch Front has increased from $1,500 to $3,500, a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute analysis found. The Salt Lake Chamber called on Utah legislative leaders to prioritize affordable housing, child care for working parents and to take a balanced approach on immigration, Brigham Tomco reported. Here are three takeaways from the event: Affordable housing: Business leaders urged Utah legislative leaders to build on housing policy that would streamline the real estate development process. Immigration to grow the workforce: The business community emphasized the importance of welcoming legal immigrants to sustain economic growth. Energy production and economic development: Senate President Stuart Adams stressed the importance of making serious advances in energy production through a mix of traditional and renewable energy sources to keep Utah competitive. Read more about what business leaders and legislators said at the event. More in Politics Trump is sentenced in New York criminal case (Deseret News) Senate Democrats willing to advance Laken Riley Act. Here’s why (Deseret News) Gov. Cox on his Mar-a-Lago dinner with Trump, and how Trump compares to Biden (Deseret News) ‘The Trump Doctrine’: Global allies explore new way to engage with U.S. president-elect (Deseret News) |
After years of remote work, the pendulum is swinging more in favor of going back to the office for state government workers. Many employees are now expected to be in the office at least two days per week. In 2018, Utah’s state government launched a pilot program aimed at encouraging what was known as telecommuting to save money on new building construction and leased office space. Within months, it was seen as such a success that Gov. Spencer Cox, then lieutenant governor, declared himself “a televangelist for telework," Lisa Riley Roche reported. Here's what Cox spokesman Robert Carroll said about the shift: “The pandemic dramatically accelerated the adoption of widespread remote work. We know that our employees value the flexibility of remote work and we want to retain some of that flexibility." "We also know that there is a great benefit to the state and the people we serve when employees are able to collaborate, problem solve and team build together and in person." Read more about the push to return to office for state government employees. More in Utah Incoming storm to bring valley snow, boost to northern Utah’s mountains, again (KSL)
Several Utah school districts affected by vast PowerSchool cyberattack (Deseret News)
Utah’s growth dilemma: Leading the nation, facing its challenges (Deseret News)
💭 Jay Evensen: Should NYC’s congestion tolls come to Utah? (Deseret News) How does Utah rate on household energy costs? (Deseret News) 2024 was the warmest on record. Just ask Salt Lake City (KUER) Utah M&A experts predict stronger deal activity in late 2025, cite over $2T in dry powder (Utah Business) New Cottonwood Heights restaurant serves up elevated Thai cuisine (Axios) |
Health Hit a roadblock with your New Year's goals? Simple ways to restart and keep going (Deseret News) Is smoke in your home? Here's how to make an air purifier from a box fan (NPR) Faith Name change for Latter-day Saint addiction recovery program reflects Jesus Christ’s role in healing (Deseret News) Malcolm Gladwell returned to his faith a decade ago. Here’s what he’s said about it since (Deseret News) 2025 new mission leadership assignments (Church News) The Nation and the World U.S. job growth shows surprising December pop as unemployment inches down (Deseret News) Acts of kindness seen during the devastating California wildfires (Deseret News) The problem with food waste: Study says U.S. lagging on goals (Deseret News) Sports Will BYU play better basketball against TCU than it did vs. Houston? (Deseret News) Utah Hockey Club vs. San Jose Sharks analysis (Deseret News) What is it about Utah State that refuses to lose — no matter who’s coaching? (Deseret News) |
🗓️ 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: Grom Fest 2025 | Eden Winter Market at The Gateway | Salt Lake City Three Sacred Souls | Union Event Center “Peter Pan” | Covey Center for the Arts Utah Hockey Club vs. New York Islanders | Delta Center 7 p.m. BYU women’s basketball vs. Kansas State | 4 p.m. BYU men’s volleyball vs. St. Thomas Aquinas College | 7 p.m. U of U women’s and men’s swimming & diving | 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. U of U men’s basketball vs. Oklahoma State | 5 p.m. USU men’s basketball vs. Boise State | 7 p.m. Weber State women’s basketball vs. Idaho State | 2 p.m. UVU men’s basketball vs. California Baptist | 2 p.m. Utah Tech men’s basketball vs. Tarleton State | 7 p.m. |
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Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share! ✨ Cheers ✨ — Gambles |
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