8+ min ago (207+ words) I own a small business that helps cancer patients. I know the importance of having comprehensive, affordable health insurance. Several of my employees " some cancer patients " rely on Marketplace plans made more affordable by enhanced premium tax credits. These health care tax credits allow them to stay healthy and continue serving patients. Nationwide, nearly half of adults with Marketplace coverage are small-business owners, employees of small businesses or self-employed individuals. That is true in Utah, where these enhanced health care tax credits often make the difference between coverage and going uninsured. For many, this is the only affordable option for good health coverage. The enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of the year without action from Congress. With open enrollment underway, Utahns are seeing premium spikes for next year. Without the enhanced health care tax credits, coverage will…...

52+ min ago (408+ words) BYU and Utah again took care of business during the final week of the regular season. The Cougars woke up after a sleepy first quarter and beat UCF 41-21 in the team's home finale, while the Utes used a fourth-quarter surge to rally past Kansas 31-21 on the road. While the focus remains fixed on how these and other results factor into the chase for the College Football Playoff, how did they impact where BYU and Utah were ranked at the end of the regular season? BYU (11-1, 8-1 Big 12), which is headed to the Big 12 championship game next week where it will face Texas Tech, stayed put at No. 11 in both the latest Associated Press and US LBM Coaches polls. Utah (10-2, 7-2 Big 12), meanwhile, fell one spot in both the AP and Coaches rankings to No. 15 after their second straight game where the Utes…...

1+ hour, 35+ min ago (864+ words) It's been 18 years since BYU last won a conference championship and with the last quarterback to do it, Max Hall, in attendance on Saturday, freshman Bear Bachmeier marched the Cougars another step in that direction. BYU's 41-21 victory against UCF completed the regular season with the same record as Texas Tech (11-1, 8-1). All that's left to decide the Big 12 champion and automatic qualifier into the College Football Playoff is a rematch in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday (10 a.m., ABC). "The next best thing to a 12-0 year is 11-1, which we are," said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. "Our only loss was to a top-five ranked Texas Tech (29-7), so we are looking forward to the rematch." The Cougars capped their first unbeaten season at home since 2020 with a 20-point win against the Knights. Desperate to keep their own postseason hopes alive, UCF charged out of the gate…...

1+ hour, 35+ min ago (375+ words) Continuing to lean into artificial intelligence rather than fight against it, the University of Utah last week launched OpenAI's ChatGPT Edu " a version of the AI tool specifically designed for higher education and securely deployed for university use " across its campus community. Every U. student, faculty and staff member can now request access to the tool via the U.'s IT Service Catalog, and they'll receive an email with login instructions. "We've been steadily building a foundation for responsible AI across campus, and ChatGPT Edu represents a major leap forward," Manish Parashar, chief AI officer at the U., said. "The U. is at the forefront of reimagining how we teach, learn and research in the age of generative AI, and ChatGPT Edu will help us maintain an edge. "We're excited for our community to use this tool in a way that's secure, optimized for…...

1+ hour, 47+ min ago (1088+ words) Though it was always possible that her husband, being at the time the second senior apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, could become the next prophet president of the church, Sister Kristen Oaks recently recounted the shock and solemnity that fell upon her and her husband, President Dallin H. Oaks, when they received news of then church President Russell M. Nelson's death. "I never thought my husband would be the prophet," Sister Oaks told Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, in a recent interview for the Church News podcast. "He'd been such a devout counselor," she explained. In fact, President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles "told me that he'd never seen anyone who was so loyal or so supportive. And he just loved the prophet." But President…...

2+ hour, 8+ min ago (456+ words) As an architecture professor at UVU, I witnessed how a recent campus shooting created waves of distress in our community. A couple of weeks later, another attack in a Michigan church affected me even more personally as I pictured my own family in those pews. These events are symptoms of a broader sickness as political discourse collapses into hostility. Extremist rhetoric fills our public square, and hate groups are increasingly comfortable expressing their views. Increasingly polarized elected officials deepen divisions by deflecting blame instead of reflecting on their own words and policies. Commentators often cite gun control and social media as causes of our fractured civic life. These are critical issues that deserve careful deliberation, but there is a deeper structural issue that rarely enters the conversation: the way we've built our cities. Consider the daily life of the average…...

2+ hour, 28+ min ago (915+ words) Ken Jennings had 30 seconds to come up with the answer. The clue: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year. Jennings wrote his answer down quickly. His competitor, Nancy Zerg, took a little longer. And then time was up. Zerg, who was in second place with $10,000, revealed her response: H&R Block. She was correct. Her $4,401 wager put her just a dollar ahead of Jennings. All eyes were now on the reigning champ. It was the gasp heard round the world. Sounds of disbelief rang throughout the "Jeopardy!" studio. Even Zerg's mouth dropped open. Jennings smiled through it all. He shook Zerg's hand and the two hugged, marking the end of a "Jeopardy!" era. (Zerg would end up losing her very next game.) That shocking episode aired 21 years ago. On Nov. 30, 2004, Jennings was dethroned after…...

3+ hour, 35+ min ago (299+ words) Federal land managers say a new campground near Capitol Reef National Park should help to alleviate the impacts of growing visitation to Utah's outdoor gems. Bureau of Land Management officials announced Tuesday that they've signed a decision that will create the Beas Lewis Flat Campground, flipping an unmanaged dispersed camping area into a managed facility. The site, located less than a half-mile from state Route 24 between Torrey and Capitol Reef, will feature 45 campsites in its first phase. "The (bureau) is committed to increasing recreational access while maintaining responsible resource stewardship," said David Mortensen, the bureau's Richfield field manager, in a statement. "By authorizing this campground, we're improving the visitor experience and addressing long-standing concerns about unmanaged dispersed camping in the area." New interpretive signage will also be added, including information about the benefits of the region's dark skies, according to…...

4+ hour, 7+ min ago (265+ words) Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 30, 2024. On Nov. 30, 2004, "Jeopardy!" fans saw Ken Jennings end his 74-game winning streak as he lost to real estate agent Nancy Zerg. In truth, the game had been taped in September, but Jennings had to sit on the loss for a couple of months before the world knew. Still, there is no need to feel sorry for one of Utah's native sons. Jennings parlayed his run into a fine career in the entertainment industry, authoring books, speaking of his experiences and now hosting the show he rose to fame on. All while maintaining the charm that endears him to his fans. The Deseret News has followed Jennings' career from the start. Twenty-one years later, here are some delightful articles from colleagues about Jennings, his past, his future, his faith and "Jeopardy!" itself:…...

4+ hour, 8+ min ago (233+ words) The seven-year-long attempt by the Utah Legislature to overturn Proposition 4 is an excellent case study of the poison of partisanship. Republicans at federal and state levels are currently crying foul over Judge Dianna Gibson's latest ruling to choose an electoral map that keeps the largely liberal-leaning Salt Lake County in one electoral district. Yet there is little acknowledgement that it was the repeated attempts of the Utah Legislature to overturn voter-supported Proposition 4 that led to Gibson's ruling in the first place. Gerrymandering is a treasured weapon of partisanship. Most reasonable people agree that the creation of electoral maps to favor a specific political party is objectively unethical. Yet we often embrace overt gerrymandering when it benefits "our" political party, and in doing so we make democracy a means rather than an end. Historically, Utah's electoral maps have been some of…...