Utah
Orem temple dedicatory prayer: Elder Christofferson notes the nobility, sacrifices of past generations
Following is the text of the prayer offered by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate the Orem Utah Temple on Sunday, Jan. 21.
O God, the Eternal Father, Thou great Elohim, Creator of heaven and earth, we present ourselves before Thee in humility to dedicate unto Thee and Thy Son this, the Orem Utah Temple. We are grateful for this privilege, and we pray that Thou wilt look upon us in Thy tender mercy and grant that Thy Holy Spirit may attend us.
We are grateful to live in the day of the hastening of Thy work. We thank Thee for the multiplying of temples across the earth in our time. We thank Thee, dear Father, for Thy perfect plan that provided our first estate as spirits in Thy presence, and now our second estate in this mortal sphere, and the promise of celestial glory with Thee and Thy Son for all who are “valiant in the testimony of Jesus.” We are grateful for Thy Beloved Son, whose Atonement and Resurrection enable and sustain Thy plan and redeem us. We feel impelled to exclaim in joy, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” (Matthew 6:13).
We are grateful for our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of us have enjoyed this blessing throughout our lives thanks to the faith and example of our fathers and mothers, grandparents and other ancestors. Through their nobility and sacrifices they built families of faith that have endured and will yet endure through generations. Bless them, dear Father, and help us to be faithful in our time as they were in theirs.
The Orem Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Others participating in these dedicatory services have come into the Church as the first in their family’s generations. Bless them and all members similarly situated as they begin a chain of eternal families including both their ancestors and their descendants.
We thank Thee for the Book of Mormon, the great instrument of gathering and conversion that Thou has prepared and preserved for this great and last dispensation. We thank Thee that Thou didst raise up the Prophet Joseph Smith and by Thy gift and power enable him to translate and publish this uniquely powerful testament of thy Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Grant that our faith in the Savior may grow as we study the Book of Mormon such that we “shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in [Him]” (Moroni 7:33).
Father, we recognize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the kingdom of God upon the earth, tasked to gather Thy scattered covenant people both here and in the world of spirits. And so, we pray, “May the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 65:6).
Now, Father, on this day of joy and gladness, with hearts full of love and yearning to please Thee, acting at the direction of the First Presidency and in the authority of the Holy Priesthood, we humbly dedicate to Thee and Thy Son, this, the Orem Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We pray that Thou wilt accept this offering and put Thy name and the name of Thy Son upon this house that it may indeed become The House of the Lord. We pray that the presence of Thy Holy Spirit may be here continually.
We dedicate the foundation, the walls and windows, the roof, and all elements of the construction. We dedicate each of the rooms that they may serve their intended purpose. We dedicate the furnishings and fixtures, the mechanical equipment, the beautiful grounds, and all else pertaining to this holy building.
The Orem Temple is pictured in Orem, Utah, on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
We also dedicate the stake center and service buildings located on this property to the purpose of worshipping Thee in the name of Christ and for accomplishing the work of the Church — the work of salvation and exaltation — in all its facets.
Holy Father, we ask Thee to bless and protect this temple and the other buildings we dedicate today. Grant that they may not be marred by earthquakes, storms or other natural forces. We pray that they may be protected from evil-disposed persons and any form of desecration. May Thy Saints be permitted to worship and serve Thee here without distraction or disturbance. May Thy servants “go forth from [the temple] armed with thy power, and … thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22).
We pray for Thy blessings upon the leaders, members and missionaries of the Church from the First Presidency to the newest convert. Minister to us through Thy Holy Spirit and the grace of Christ in our individual needs and together as the body of Christ. We ask to be filled with joy and light. We would be holy.
The Orem Utah Temple in Orem on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
We also pray for the United States of America, the host nation for the headquarters of the Church and some 85 of its temples with more to come. For the sake of the righteous, we plead that this nation might be preserved in freedom and that its moral foundations be strengthened. Wilt Thou maintain it as a force for liberty and a beacon of hope in the world. May its citizens repent and turn unto Thee that Thou canst bless them.
Our gracious God, we thank Thee for this day and for this temple. Most of all, we thank Thee for Thy Beloved and Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. We thank Thee for His birth, His sinless life, His death to atone for our sins, and for His Resurrection that we might have immortality and eternal life. We raise to Thee this dedicatory prayer of gratitude and supplication in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Utah
22-year-old arrested in Utah in connection to Las Vegas double-homicide
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Officials have identified a 22-year-old man as the suspect in a Las Vegas homicide case that killed two people in a Southern Highlands neighborhood.
Detectives say 22-year-old Ziaire Ham was the suspect in the case. According to officials, Ham was located on Tuesday, March 3, by the Ogden City Police Department and the Utah Highway Patrol.
Ham was taken into custody and booked into the Weber County Jail. Las Vegas authorities said he will be charged with open murder with the use of a deadly weapon and will be extradited back to the valley.
MORE ON FOX5: LVMPD corrections officer arrested on multiple felony charges
The shooting occurred Monday night at the 11000 block of Victoria Medici Street, near Starr Ave and Dean Martin Drive.
According to police, officers were conducting a vehicle stop in the area when they heard gunfire. After searching nearby neighborhoods they found a car with bullet impacts with a woman and a toddler inside suffering from gunshot wounds.
The pair were transported to hospital where they later died. The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified them as Danaijha Robinson, 20, and 1-year-old Nhalani Hiner.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
Utah
Utah nonprofit creates events, experiences for disadvantaged children
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A simple moment watching a child laugh changed everything for Ivan Gonzalez.
Eight years ago, Gonzalez was working at the Ronald McDonald House when he had an idea to throw a birthday carnival for the kids staying there.
“Let’s do a carnival, birthday carnival for the kids,” he said.
MORE | Pay It Forward
What happened during that event stuck with him.
“There I was watching this kid play whack-a-mole, just having a blast, laughing,” Gonzalez said. “And then I see his mom kind of with happy tears because he’s enjoying himself.”
That moment led to something bigger.
Gonzalez realized the experience shouldn’t stop with just one event or just one group of kids.
“I said, wait, we can do this not just for kids in the hospital,” he said with excitement.
So he started a nonprofit called Best Seat in the House, which creates events and experiences for children who often face difficult circumstances.
“We provide events and experiences for disadvantaged kids,” Gonzalez said.
The organization serves children battling cancer and other medical conditions, refugee children, kids living in poverty, those in foster care and children with special needs.
“These kids grow up too fast,” Gonzalez said.
For Gonzalez, the mission is deeply personal.
“I grew up very poor,” he said.
He remembers the people who stepped in for his family when they needed it most.
“The local church, we weren’t even a part of it,” he described. “My parents couldn’t afford Christmas gifts and I still remember the gifts they gave me. They didn’t even know me.”
Today, he hopes to create that same feeling for other children through his nonprofit.
“Kids live in poverty and they don’t know where the next meal is coming from, let alone going to a play or to a game,” Gonzalez said.
But for Gonzalez, the reward isn’t the events themselves, it’s the joy they create.
“You can give me a billion dollars, all the money in the world,” he says as tears roll down his face. “I won’t trade these opportunitieskids just enjoying life.”
Because of his work giving back, KUTV and Mountain America Credit Union surprised Gonzalez with a Pay it Forward gift to help him continue creating those moments for kids across Utah.
For more information on supporting Best Seat in the House, click here.
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Utah
‘Don’t release him ever. Please.’ Family of slain Utah teen calls for justice at parole hearing
SALT LAKE CITY — Francisco Daniel Aguilar says he’s sorry for shooting and killing his girlfriend, 16-year-old Jacqueline “Jacky” Nunez-Millan, a Piute High School sophomore, in 2023.
But just as he did when he was sentenced, he didn’t have much of an explanation on Tuesday as to why he shot her not once, but twice.
“It just kinda happened. I was mad. And I stepped out (of my truck) and started shooting,” he said. “When I saw her fall, I just kind of panicked, I just went and shot her again.”
But Jacky’s friends and family members say even before she was killed, Aguilar already had a history of violence, and they now want justice to be served.
“You don’t accidentally take a gun, you don’t accidentally grab a knife … you don’t accidentally shoot someone, those are all choices,” a tearful Rosa Nunez, Jacky’s sister, said at Tuesday’s hearing. “Keep him where he needs to be.
“Don’t release him ever. Please.”
On Jan. 7, 2023, Aguilar, who was 17 at the time, got into a fight with his girlfriend, Jacky, shot her twice and left her body near a dirt road outside of Circleville, Piute County. He was convicted as an adult of aggravated murder and sentenced to a term of 25 years to up to life in prison.
Because of Aguilar’s age at the time of the offense, board member Greg Johnson explained Tuesday that the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole is required to hold a hearing much earlier than the 25-year mark, mainly to check on Aguilar and “see how things are going.” Aguilar, now 20, is currently being held in a juvenile secure care facility and will be transferred to the Utah State Prison when he turns 25 or earlier if he has discipline violations and is kicked out of the youth facility.
According to Aguilar’s sentencing guidelines, he will likely remain in custody until at least the year 2051.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Aguilar told the board that he was feeling “stressed out” during his senior year of high school. He said he and Jacky would often have little arguments. But their bigger fight happened when he failed to get her a “promise ring” around Christmastime, he said.
On the night of the killing, the two were arguing about the promise ring and other items, Aguilar recalled. At one point, he grabbed a knife and then a gun because, he said, he wanted to “irritate” and “scare” Jacky. According to evidence presented in the preliminary hearing, Aguilar and his girlfriend had been “trying to make each other angry” when Aguilar took ammunition and a 9mm gun from his father’s room and then drove to the Black Hill area in his truck with Jacky.
Jacky’s friend, McKall Taylor, went looking for her that night and found her. But after Aguilar shot Jacky in the leg, he began shooting at Taylor, who had no choice but to run to her car to get away. Her car was hit multiple times by bullets. Aguilar then shot Jacky a second time as she lay on the ground and Taylor drove away.
On Tuesday, Taylor’s mother, Lori Taylor, read a statement to the board on her daughter’s behalf.
“My innocence and freedom was taken from me,” she said.
McKall Taylor says the “horrifying events of that night will forever play in my head,” and the sounds of Jacky screaming and the gunshots as well as the sight of Jacky falling to the ground, will never go away.
“Francisco is a murderer who has zero remorse,” her letter states.
Likewise, Rosa Nunez told the board that for her and her family, “nothing in our world has felt safe since” that night as they all “continue to relive this horrific moment.”
After shooting Jacky and driving off, Aguilar says he called his father and “told him I was sorry for not being better, for not making good choices, I told him that I loved him. I was just planning on probably shooting myself, too.”
His father told him that although what he did wasn’t right, “he’d rather see me behind bars than in a casket,” and then told his son to “be a man about it. … This is where you have to change.”
Aguilar was arrested after his tires were spiked by police.
“An apology won’t fix what I did. I’ll never be able to fix what I did. But I want to say I’m sorry,” he said Tuesday. “I don’t even know how to fix what I did. I’m hoping I’m on the right track now.”
Johnson noted that Aguilar has done well during his short time being incarcerated. But that doesn’t change the fact “the crime was horrific,” he said.
The full five-member board will now take a vote. The board could decide to schedule another parole hearing for sometime in the future or could order that Aguilar serve his entire life sentence. But even if that were to happen, Johnson says Aguilar could petition every so often for a redetermination hearing.
The board’s decision is expected in several weeks.
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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