Utah
Dallin H. Oaks, former Utah Supreme Court justice, is selected to lead Mormon church – WTOP News
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, was named Tuesday to lead The…
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, was named Tuesday to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its more than 17 million members worldwide.
Oaks’ selection as president of what is widely known as the Mormon church follows the recent death of his 101-year-old predecessor, Russell M. Nelson. His ascension is not a surprise; a longstanding church policy says the longest-tenured member of a top leadership body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next president. The tradition is meant to ensure a seamless transition and prevent internal or public lobbying.
As president, Oaks is considered a prophet and seer who will guide the church through divine revelation from God alongside two top counselors and members of the Quorum. He’ll set policy and oversee the church’s many business interests.
The church’s leadership transition comes as many of its members have been shaken by a deadly attack on a Michigan congregation, and are grappling with the high-profile assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, where the denomination is based.
At 93, Oaks will be one of the church’s oldest presidents. He will serve in the role until he dies. Tenures for past presidents have varied, with the longest reaching nearly 30 years and the shortest being just nine months.
Experts are doubtful Oaks will pivot sharply from Nelson’s approach to leadership because he was one of Nelson’s closest advisers. But experts say Oaks might shift from Nelson’s focus on the faith’s global footprint to domestic issues.
In the first major difference from Nelson’s presidency, Oaks announced during the faith’s recent general conference that the church will slow the announcement of new temples.
He also emphasized the importance of family while acknowledging that not all families look the same. In a departure from his typical sermons, which often appeal more to reason than emotion, Oaks shared a story about the day his grandfather told him at age 7 that his father had died. He went on to describe the value of being raised by a single mother and others who stepped into parental roles for him and his siblings.
Oaks is known for his jurist sensibilities and traditionalist beliefs on marriage and religious freedom. He has been a driving force in the church against same-sex marriage and in upholding a teaching that homosexuality is a sin — a position that causes uneasiness among LGBTQ+ members and their allies.
He said in 2022 that social and legal pressure would not influence the church to change its posture on same-sex marriage and matters of gender identity.
Yet in recent years, Oaks has been part of some key church moves that suggest he might not make the topic a centerpiece of his administration, experts say. Oaks was Nelson’s closest adviser in 2019 when Nelson rescinded a policy that banned baptisms for children of gay parents and labeled same-sex couples as sinners eligible for expulsion.
Oaks has also been a strong advocate for civil public discourse.
Early on as an apostle, he was involved in a crackdown on far-right extremism that resulted in some excommunications. In 2020, he gave a speech about having faith in elections without resorting to radicalism or violence.
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Utah
Widow of protester killed files lawsuit against organizers of Utah ‘No Kings’ rally
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The widow of Afa Ah Loo, the man killed during a No Kings Rally in Salt Lake City, filed a lawsuit against protest organizers and the man accused of firing the fatal shot.
Laura Ah Loo filed the lawsuit Monday, claiming the armed “peacekeeper” and the protest organizers’ negligence caused the death of her husband.
The protest was part of the No Kings Rally, which was held in every state nationwide on June 14, 2025. The National 50501 organization led the movement, with local groups organizing protests in their respective states.
In Salt Lake City, an estimated 10,000 people showed up to protest.
During the event, Matthew Alder, a member of the security team, allegedly fired into the crowd after spotting a protester carrying a rifle. Prosecutors said he shot three times, striking the armed protester and killing a bystander.
The widow of the man killed is now suing Alder for negligence, with the lawsuit saying it “should have been obvious that any errant shot fired would pose a lethal danger to bystanders.”
MORE | ‘No Kings’ Protest Shooting:
The lawsuit claims that there was no imminent threat, but even if he believed there to be one, Alder could have moved several feet to the west and shot against a wall and not into the crowd.
“Defendant Alder, with little to no known training in crowd control or de-escalation, failed to clear an area behind Gamboa and instead simply started to fire his gun,” the lawsuit reads.
Laura Ah Loo is also suing organizers, claiming they didn’t properly train or vet all the members of the security team, nor did they inform law enforcement and the public of the armed peacekeepers.
“Defendants’ breaches of these duties resulted in a perfect storm of negligence that caused the only known fatality among a march of millions of Americans,” the lawsuit reads.
She is seeking damages for pain and suffering, lost wages and economic support, and funeral costs.
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Utah
Utah drivers rethink budgets as gas prices jump
SALT LAKE CITY — When Kimberly L. pulled up to the gas pump on Sunday, she was unfortunately prepared for the prices that awaited her.
“Between my husband’s truck and my car, we’re well over $300 a month in gas,” she said. “It hits your pocket, and we’ve got a one-working-person household of four, so we’ve had to budget differently.”
This is one of the reasons why she was driving a motorcycle.
“I’m actually probably going to be riding this a lot more often. Gets way better gas mileage than any of our vehicles,” she added.
According to AAA, as of Sunday, average gas prices in Utah were around $3.16 compared to $2.74 the week prior.
“I went to go get gas the other day, and I spent $10 on two and a half gallons of gas. And it was insane,” said Grace Wieland from Park City. “Most of my activities are down in Salt Lake, so it’s hard to come down here every week and do the things I love to do whenever gas is so expensive.”
“At work, I make around $18 an hour, and that’s not even a full tank. It’s like two hours at work is one tank, which is kind of crazy,” said Addison Lowe, who is also from Park City.
According to Gas Buddy, the rising prices come after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, impacting ships that carry large amounts of oil that pass through the Straight of Hormuz, a key trade route.
“Gas prices likely continue advancing, oil prices will likely keep climbing until that oil can move again,” said petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan.
AAA said the last time the national average made a similar jump was in March of 2022 during the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
In the meantime, Utahns told FOX 13 News that they will continue to budget and hope prices go down sooner rather than later.
Utah
Utah midterms are set: Here’s where all the Republican incumbents are running
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Reps. Celeste Maloy and Mike Kennedy made their reelection bids official this week, announcing they will run for the new 3rd District and 4th District, respectively, under the state’s newly established congressional map.
The plans were first reported by the Deseret News after weeks of discussion among the Utah delegation about how to approach the November elections under the new boundaries. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, will file in the new 2nd District, where he’s already begun gathering signatures.
“The conversations all along have been: What’s the best thing we can do to stand up for Utah, to stand up for representative government, to make sure that what’s happening is constitutional,” Maloy told the Deseret News in an interview. “But now that we’re out of options — we have to file to run next week — I’m going to run in the district that I’ve spent my adult life living in.”
The decisions come after Rep. Burgess Owens announced on Wednesday that he would not seek reelection, paving the way for Maloy and Kennedy to each choose one of the two remaining districts and avoid a messy incumbent-on-incumbent primary.
The new map reduced Republicans’ stronghold of four House seats down to three with one Democratic seat, sending the delegation into a scramble about who should run where in the new political landscape.
The redrawn boundaries especially complicated Maloy’s and Kennedy’s decisions as their two districts shifted significantly. Under the new lines, the pair both live in the new 3rd District.
But with Owens’ retirement leaving the new 4th District open, it gives room for Kennedy to run there, which leans Republican.
Kennedy to run in Utah’s 4th District
Kennedy highlighted his work in and representation of parts of the 4th District in his official announcement on Thursday.
“I’ve spent more than twenty years practicing medicine in communities throughout the Fourth District and ten years serving many of these communities in the Utah State Legislature,” Kennedy said. “I know these communities, I share their values, and I’m ready to keep fighting for Utah families in Congress.”
Kennedy and Maloy both praised Owens as he gets ready to exit Congress.
“(Owens) just did the ultimate team-player move, and people here don’t do that,” Maloy said. “I hate that this is a choice that he had to make this year, that he was forced to decide that. I have nothing but love and respect for him and how he makes his choices. … He does what’s best for the team every time, and I think he’s proving that with this decision as well.”
Kennedy said it was an “honor” to serve with Owens in Congress, adding he was “grateful for his service and his friendship.”
The reelection decisions bring an end to the monthslong game of musical chairs that garnered national attention as Democrats were given a rare pickup opportunity in the red state of Utah and the four GOP incumbents were squeezed into three seats.
Owens was long rumored to be considering a departure from public office at the end of 2026, but the Utah delegation kept its cards close to its chest until the new Utah district was solidified.
The delegation has engaged in talks with one another for months on how to proceed, with several of the incumbents telling the Deseret News that those conversations centered around what would be the best fit for the constituents in the new districts.
Still, Utah Republicans did not go down without a fight. Owens was one of two Republicans in the delegation, along with Maloy, to ask the federal courts to block the new Utah map from taking effect because it was selected by a Utah judge, not the legislature, but that request was denied.
Even with the cleared field, Maloy and Kennedy could still face primary challengers from elsewhere in the state. Republican candidates have said they will file in both the 3rd District, David Harris and Phil Lyman, and the 4th District, Stone Fonua.
Two Republican candidates have declared bids in the heavily Democratic 1st District in Salt Lake County: Riley Owen and Dave Robinson.
Candidate filings for federal races open next week and will be available from March 9-13. Primary elections will be held on June 23.
Maloy is gathering signatures to qualify for the ballot, she told the Deseret News. Since making her reelection news public, Maloy has gotten several calls from constituents back home to volunteer for signature-gathering efforts.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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