A woman who helped kidnap Utah’s Elizabeth Smart is living several blocks away from a Salt Lake City elementary school following her release from prison in September, according to Utah’s sex-offender registry. Continue reading →
{FD} Elizabeth Smart kidnapper now lives near elementary school
A woman who helped kidnap Utah’s Elizabeth Smart is living several blocks away from a Salt Lake City elementary school following her release from prison in September, according to Utah’s sex-offender registry. Continue reading →
{FD} Polygamous group lets go of sprawling Arizona worship center
A polygamous group based on the Utah-Arizona border is letting go of the sprawling building where its members worshipped, in the latest sign that the sect run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs is crumbling and losing control of the community it ruled f… Continue reading →
{FD} Once rising GOP star, Utah’s Mia Love loses seat to Democrat
Utah’s Mia Love was tabbed as a rising star in the GOP when she became the first black Republican woman in Congress with her 2014 victory. Continue reading →
{FD} Remains of mayor killed in Afghanistan returned to Utah
The remains of a Utah mayor killed while serving in the National Guard in Afghanistan have been returned to his home state. Continue reading →
{FD} Mormons to stay outdoors after split with Boy Scouts
The Mormon church’s new youth program, which will roll out in 2020 when it cuts all ties with Boy Scouts of America, will still include outdoor and adventure activities even as the initiative becomes more gospel-focused, the faith confirmed Friday. Continue reading →
{FD} Mormon fighting to end youth interviews ousted from faith
A Mormon man who led a campaign criticizing the church’s practice of allowing closed-door, one-on-one interviews of youth by lay leaders has been kicked out of the faith. Continue reading →
{FD} Elizabeth Smart kidnapper to be released from prison
A woman convicted of helping a former street preacher kidnap Elizabeth Smart as a teenager in 2002 from her Salt Lake City bedroom and hold her captive will be freed from prison in a surprise move announced Tuesday by state authorities. Continue reading →
{FD} Mormon man opposing youth interviews says ouster likely
A Mormon man facing church discipline for his public opposition to closed-door, one-on-one interviews of youth said Monday he thinks he might have helped his chances slightly during a disciplinary hearing but not enough to stave off excommunication. Continue reading →
{FD} No more snail mail: Mormons to receive mission calls online
The days of young Mormons anxiously waiting for letters to arrive in the mailbox telling them where they will serve their missions are over, the latest tradition fading away under the march of technology. Continue reading →
{FD} New Mormon narrative history book includes polygamous roots
Mormon church founder Joseph Smith insisted on introducing polygamy in the early 1800s despite knowing the societal risks and getting pushback from other leaders and his first wife, recounts a new church history book unveiled Tuesday. Continue reading →
{FD} Woman suing over rape by Mormon leader speaks at this church
A woman who sued a former Mormon missionary leader claiming that he raped her in the 1980s, went to his congregation in Arizona and said church leaders are covering for a “sexual predator.” Continue reading →
{FD} Mormon fighting to end youth interviews summoned to hearing
A Mormon man who has led a campaign criticizing the church’s practice of allowing closed-door, one-on-one interviews of youth by lay leaders where sexual questions sometimes arise said Thursday he has been summoned to a disciplinary council. Continue reading →
{FD} Shot hits Utah bus with passengers aboard, no one hurt
A commuter bus and a semitrailer traveling on a Utah highway were accidently hit when someone fired a series of shots from a nearby peach orchard early Monday morning, police said. Continue reading →
{FD} Mormon president: Don’t use ‘Mormon’ or ‘LDS’ as church name
The president of the Mormon church wants people to stop using “Mormon” or “LDS” as substitutes for the full name of the religion: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Continue reading →
{FD} AP NewsBreak: Pilot who crashed his own home had hangar code
A man who flew a plane into his own house after he had been arrested for assaulting his wife had full access to his employer’s plane because he had earned the firm’s trust, the president of the Utah company said Tuesday. Continue reading →
{FD} Hunger strike puts more scrutiny on Mormon youth interviews
A Mormon man has launched a hunger strike to bring attention to a campaign calling on church leaders to bring an end to closed door, one-on-one interviews where youth are asked by adult lay leaders if they are following the religion’s strict rules on s… Continue reading →
{FD} Honduran woman vows to fight for asylum from Utah church
A playground surrounded by a large shade tree stands right outside the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City, where Vicky Chavez and her two young daughters have been taking sanctuary for the past six months. Continue reading →
{FD} Elizabeth Smart kidnapper denied early prison release
A woman convicted of helping a former street preacher kidnap then-Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 has been denied early parole. Continue reading →
{FD} New Mormon leaders bring diversity, new perspectives
The two newest members of a top Mormon governing panel said Thursday that they hope to bring a new perspective as the first Latin-American and the first person of Asian ancestry to a previously all-white top leadership group that helps make church policy. Continue reading →
