A household takes a photograph with the three clever males at a Día de los Reyes celebration at Centro Civico Mexicano in Salt Lake Metropolis on Friday. The group has been internet hosting these celebrations on and off for the previous 80 years, and an estimated 500 people attended the middle’s occasion Friday. (Sydnee Gonzalez, KSL.com)
Estimated learn time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Irma Hofer grew up in Baja California, Mexico, setting her footwear out by her mattress or subsequent to the window annually on Jan. 5 earlier than going to sleep.
The custom was in anticipation of a go to from the three clever males, who depart presents in and across the footwear for kids to get up to on Jan. 6, or Día de los Reyes — a vacation celebrated in lots of Hispanic international locations. The Jan. 6 date honors the clever males’s journey, which custom says would have taken 12 days from the time they noticed the Christmas star.
When Hofer moved to america 45 years in the past, her household adopted American vacation traditions, like a Christmas tree, however they nonetheless held onto Día de los Reyes traditions. As we speak, Hofer is celebrating each vacation traditions together with her youngsters and grandchildren.
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“We now have each, and I prefer it as a result of have the morning of the twenty fifth, when we now have some presents, and we now have Jan. 6, when we now have some presents, too. It is enjoyable and it is nice as a result of Día de los Reyes is extra non secular and the opposite is extra Pagan and associated to Santa Claus,” Hofer stated. “I believe that you will need to know your roots so you possibly can contribute to our society and enrich it.”
Hofer is not the one one holding Día de los Reyes traditions alive in Utah. Centro Civico Mexicano has been internet hosting Día de los Reyes celebrations on and off for the previous 80 years. This yr, an estimated 500 people attended the middle’s occasion at 155 S. 600 West in downtown Salt Lake Metropolis.
“On this occasion, it is a sense of neighborhood that we’re holding a practice alive that isn’t widespread throughout this nation,” stated Hofer. “Remembering what we did as children and passing it on to our personal children, it is an amazing factor.”
Belia Paz — founding father of Mujeres Unidas, one of many organizations that helped manage the occasion — stated her favourite a part of the vacation is seeing the grins on the youngsters’s faces as they expertise the traditions.
“It is a custom that we have to guarantee that our younger youngsters stay,” Paz stated of the vacation, “Adapting resides it and nonetheless persevering with the custom, however with hundreds of individuals so that they know that the custom has not gone away wherever they go.”
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Brandy Farmer, Centro Civico Mexicano president, additionally burdened how vital these occasions are in sharing cultural traditions with the mainstream.
“It is actually vital for us to proceed our tradition,” Farmer stated. “After we rejoice our signature occasions, then we invite everybody to turn out to be a Mexican or Latin American individual and take part and rejoice with us in order that we are able to educate them about our tradition, our dances and our meals.”
As a baby rising up in Texas, Farmer stated she was usually teased about her Mexican American tradition, reminiscent of when different children noticed her consuming a tortilla. Regardless of feeling quite a lot of pleasure for her tradition and rising up in a household that celebrated its heritage, she finally stopped talking Spanish and “forgot” some her tradition. She stated she’s been in a position to re-immerse herself in her tradition now as an grownup by way of her work with Centro Civico Mexicano.
“We do not need anybody to neglect our tradition,” she stated. “Now the generations proceed it, and that is great.”
In the course of the occasion, households had been in a position to get garments, footwear and toys, in addition to the vacation’s signature rosca de reyes, a candy bread formed like a crown to symbolize the clever males. The bread does include a warning, nonetheless. Inside are a handful of small plastic child Jesus collectible figurines. Whoever finally ends up with one of their slice of bread is obligated to make meals, usually tamales, for everybody else.
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Volunteers lower a rosca de los reyes into items at a Día de los Reyes Celebration at Centro Civico Mexicano on Friday. (Picture: Sydnee Gonzalez, KSL.com)
For Paulina Arias, a mother of two, the rosca is her favourite a part of the vacation.
“I am from Mexico and my youngsters had been born right here, however I need to contain them in my Mexican traditions,” Arias stated in Spanish. “As a result of that is what I used to be taught as a bit of woman.”
Carmenza Rincón celebrated Día de los Reyes in her residence nation of Columbia, however she says the traditions there are a bit of completely different than these in Mexico or what she’s seen in Utah.
“We do not have the rosca and it is not as large as it’s right here. The youngsters get a small reward and we inform them the story of the three clever males that went to go to the newborn Jesus,” Rincón stated in Spanish, including that she continued the custom together with her three daughters once they had been youngsters. “I believe it is vital to contain the subsequent technology in our international locations’ cultures.”
Passing on tradition to the subsequent technology is typically simpler stated than completed, nonetheless. Jose Luis Rodriguez introduced his youngsters and grandchild to the Día de los Reyes celebration to assist hold that custom alive.
“They do not perceive it very properly. They got here as a result of we introduced them,” Rodriguez stated in Spanish. “They do not know rather a lot concerning the that means of Día de los Reyes. We inform them about it, however it’s not their custom.”
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He added that occasions just like the one Centro Civico Mexicano hosted are vital in serving to cross on cultural traditions to youthful generations.
“It is a part of your childhood, Día de los Reyes, and a part of the kid you carry inside you as an grownup,” he stated. “It is good to contain them in all this.”
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Sydnee Gonzalez is a multicultural reporter for KSL.com masking the range of Utah’s folks and communities. Se habla español. You will discover Sydnee at @sydnee_gonzalez on Twitter.
Utah Hockey Club (16-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Calgary Flames (18-12-7, in the Pacific Division)
Calgary, Alberta; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club look to break their five-game losing streak with a victory against the Calgary Flames.
Calgary has a 13-4-3 record at home and an 18-12-7 record overall. The Flames have gone 16-3-3 when scoring three or more goals.
Utah has a 16-15-6 record overall and an 11-8-2 record on the road. The Utah Hockey Club have a 6-9-5 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.
The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Utah Hockey Club won 5-1 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau has 16 goals and 13 assists for the Flames. Nazem Kadri has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
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Clayton Keller has 13 goals and 24 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Dylan Guenther has scored six goals with four assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 5-3-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.4 assists, four penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
Utah Hockey Club: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Flames: None listed.
Utah Hockey Club: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Today I’ll be chronicling the best performances of the 2024 calendar year from our Golden State Warriors. Although the Dubs didn’t make the playoffs during the 2023-2024 season and have been pretty mid to finish the year, there have been plenty of fantastic individual performances to enjoy and give Dub Nation hope for the future.
One such performance came from Buddy HIeld in a win against the Utah Jazz. Check out the vid!
Goldblooded eyes on Splash Buddy
Buddy Hield is the kind of player who makes offenses hum, and his tantalizing skills are built on a foundation of one elite trait: shooting. And not just your run-of-the-mill, standstill shooting—Hield is a flamethrower, a guy who can bury threes in a dizzying variety of ways. Whether it’s coming off a screen, spotting up, or pulling up in transition, Hield is always a threat to light it up from anywhere on the court. His stroke is effortless, his confidence unshakable, and his range downright ridiculous. For any team in need of offensive firepower, Hield’s skill set is like plugging a cheat code into your offense.
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What makes Hield so lethal is the speed at which he operates. He’s not just a shooter—he’s a mover. He sprints off screens with precision, keeping defenders glued to his hip and bending defenses as they scramble to keep up. His ability to relocate and find open pockets of space is elite, and he doesn’t need much time or airspace to get his shot off. That constant motion creates gravity, and Hield’s presence alone can open up driving lanes for his teammates or force defenses into mistakes.
But don’t box Hield in as just a three-point specialist. He’s also got a sneaky knack for putting the ball on the floor and attacking closeouts. While his handle isn’t flashy, it’s effective enough to punish overzealous defenders who fly by him on the perimeter. And once he’s inside the arc, Hield can pull up for a smooth mid-range jumper or finish with a floater. He’s a solid secondary creator, capable of keeping the offense flowing when plays break down.
Defensively, Hield’s game doesn’t shine as brightly, but he’s no slouch. He competes, plays within the scheme, and uses his strength and quickness to hold his own against most matchups. While he may never be a lockdown defender, his offensive impact more than compensates for any shortcomings on that end.
Ultimately, Buddy Hield’s skill set is tailor-made for a modern NBA offense. He’s a sniper with elite off-ball movement, a player who thrives in space and elevates those around him. Plug him into a system with ball movement and shooting, and he becomes a weapon of mass destruction—someone who can swing games with his scoring bursts and keep defenses in constant panic mode. In Buddy Hield, you get a player who embodies the art of shooting in its purest, most tantalizing form.
The 2024 season for the University of Utah football team started out with high expectations and much promise.
Through one-and-a-half games, the Utes looked like a team capable of reaching their preseason goal of winning the Big 12 championship, but injuries to starting quarterback Cam Rising derailed the season.
Utah’s offense foundered for the majority of the season as the Utes lost seven consecutive games for the first time in the Kyle Whittingham era, finishing with a 5-7 record.
Here are 10 moments that defined Utah’s 2024 season:
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Preseason expectations set the stage: Utah wasn’t shy about its expectations for the season — to win the Big 12 Conference and make its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. With quarterback Cam Rising, who had led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in his last two healthy seasons, returning, the addition of receiver Dorian Singer and the return of tight end Brant Kuithe, the offense appeared set. The defense also returned a lot of its contributors from the previous season.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, setting up high expectations, which the team itself shared.
Utah interim OC Mike Bajakian stands on the sidelines, with headset, as Utah plays Southern Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The Utes did what expected in the opener, defeating Southern Utah 49-0 to start the season. | Eli Rehmer, Utah Athletics
A 2-0 start … but trouble arises: Utah was always going to run away from Southern Utah, but the way the season started had Ute fans dreaming about what could be. In a 49-0 season-opening win, Rising played for the first time since the 2023 Rose Bowl and threw for 254 yards and five touchdowns in one half.
Next week against Baylor, it was the same story. Utah raced out to a 23-0 lead and Rising threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, but everything came to a screeching halt when Rising was pushed into a Gatorade cooler.
Rising would suffer a finger injury that would keep him out for the next three contests.
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Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising is driven out of bounds by Baylor Bears defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae (9) as Utah and Baylor play at Rice-Eccles stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 7, 2024. Rising injured his finger on the play, which sidelined him for a number of games. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Isaac Wilson helps Utah to a 4-0 start: It wasn’t the situation that Utah envisioned for Isaac Wilson in his true freshman year. Wilson won the backup quarterback job over Brandon Rose and Sam Huard, but the plan, ideally, was for the Deseret News Mr. Football winner to learn from Rising and only play in mop-up situations.
Wilson was thrust into action after Rising’s injury and helped lead the Utes to a 4-0 start, beating Utah State on the road and then traveling to Stillwater for a top-15 matchup against Oklahoma State.
Of course, both the Utes and Cowboys ended the season toward the bottom of Big 12’s worst standings, but at the time, it was a monumental matchup, and though he made some mistakes, Wilson helped guide Utah to its first Big 12 win, with 207 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus 41 rushing yards.
Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) runs the ball towards Oklahoma State safety Kendal Daniels (5) Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla. | Mitch Alcala
A season-ending injury for Rising as Utah’s Big 12 dreams go up in dust in the desert: After weeks of game-time decisions surrounding Rising and his ability to play, the senior quarterback returned to the field in a crucial game at Arizona State.
Utah lost 23-10 to Arizona the week before, and a second Big 12 loss would severely hurt any title prospects.
Rising’s return went anything but as expected. He completed just 16 of 37 passes for 209 yards and threw three interceptions. His finger injury looked to be bothering him, and early on in the game, he suffered a lower-body injury. Though he played through it, it clearly limited him, and turned out to be a season-ending injury.
Just like that, Rising’s season was done early and so, too, was the Utes’.
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Utah quarterback Cameron Rising looks to throw against Arizona State, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Rising suffered a lower-body injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. | Rick Scuteri, Associated Press
Andy Ludwig resigns: Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig returned to Utah in 2019 and helped the Utes to some of their most impressive offensive performances, including two Pac-12 championships and a revitalization of the passing game.
It felt like Ludwig was going to stay on at Utah until Kyle Whittingham retired, but after a 13-7 loss to TCU — Utah’s third defeat in a row and third time in as many games that the offense failed to score more than 19 points — that changed.
Ludwig resigned after six years in his second as Utah’s offensive coordinator and Mike Bajakian was named the interim offensive coordinator.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig watches players during warmups as Utah and Baylor prepare to play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. After three straight defeats in which the Utes’ offense struggled, Ludwig announced his decision to step down. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Season hits a low point in Houston: After losing three straight games, it felt like Utah’s game at Houston was a make-or-break moment for the program. Yes, the Utes were all but out of the Big 12 title race with three early conference losses, but could still get the season back on track with a winning streak.
Houston seemed like it could be a get-right game for the Utes.
For the most part, Utah’s defense did its job, limiting Houston to 17 points, but the Utes only mustered 14 points in a fourth-straight loss.
Wilson was benched in the third quarter, and Brandon Rose got his first real action of his career, but couldn’t lead Utah to a victory against the 2-5 Cougars.
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Houston wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV, left, breaks ae tackle-attempt by Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn, right, to score on a pass play during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Houston. | Michael Wyke
Brandon Rose starts against BYU, but Utes lose heartbreaker to Cougars: The first conference rivalry game in over a decade featured two teams on polar opposite tracks.
BYU entered the contest with a No. 9 ranking and a perfect 8-0 record, while Utah was reeling after losing four straight.
Looking to spark offensive change, Rose started, and the offense found life for the first time in weeks. Utah shocked BYU, getting out to a 21-10 halftime lead behind Rose’s 87 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, plus 45 rushing yards.
Shortly before halftime, Rose suffered a Lisfranc injury, and while he finished the rest of the game, he wasn’t the same. Utah went run-heavy with Rose’s injury and didn’t score a single point the rest of the way. BYU drew within three, but the Cougars were backed up toward their own end zone, facing fourth-and-10 at the nine-yard line with 1:35 left.
Utah appeared to have won the game by sacking quarterback Jake Retzlaff, but cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn was flagged for a holding call against a BYU receiver, resulting in an automatic first down. The Cougars drove down the field to set up a 44-yard field goal make by Will Ferrin and escape Salt Lake City with a 22-21 win.
Following the game, Rose and tight end Brant Kuithe ruled out for the season, joining an extensive list for the second consecutive season. Rising, Wilson, quarterback Sam Huard, receiver Money Parks, cornerback Kenan Johnson, running back Anthony Woods, linebacker Levani Damuni and offensive guard Michael Mokofisi were among the players that suffered season-ending injuries in 2024.
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BYU place kicker Will Ferrin (44) kicks and makes a field goal to put the Cougars ahead 22-21 with seconds left on the clock during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City early on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Lander Barton extends Utah’s pick-six streak: As Utah continued on its seven-game skid, one of the few areas of interest was if the team could extend its 20-season pick-six streak.
Against Iowa State, Utah did just that, extending its streak of consecutive seasons with an interception return for a touchdown to an NCAA-record 21 years.
In the second quarter of Utah’s 31-28 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht’s pass was behind Jaylin Noel and went off the receiver’s hands and into the hands of Barton at the Utah 13-yard line.
Barton broke a tackle from Becht and got a few key blocks, including from Vaughn, for an 87-yard pick-six.
Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) races for the end zone for a pick-six during Utah’s game against Iowa State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. The score extended Utah’s NCAA record for consecutive games with a pick-six. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Defense holds up its end of the bargain for the majority of the season: Sure, there were a few things to nitpick about Utah’s defensive performance in 2024. Utah didn’t tally as many sacks as we’ve been accustomed to seeing, and had a few times where they could have sealed the game with a stop and didn’t.
But for the most part, it was another good year for Morgan Scalley’s unit. The defense didn’t get much help from the offense, but still allowed only 20.7 points per game (No. 28 in the nation) and 329.7 yards per game (No. 30) in another good defensive season.
The defense was the reason why Utah was in most every game it played in 2024, even if it didn’t translate into wins.
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Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley talks with players in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. While the offense struggled in 2024, Scalley’s defense was solid once again. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Micah Bernard surpasses 1,000 rushing yards: The individual triumph of the season was by running back Micah Bernard, who finally got his shot at the lead running back role after being with the program since 2019. A 1,000-yard season has always been a goal of Bernard’s, and he checked it off the list in his final season.
Bernard rushed for 1,009 yards in 2024, becoming the 17th Ute to do so in a season. He also had 100-plus-yard performances in four games this year.
Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) runs the ball during an NCAA football game between the University of Utah Utes and the Iowa State University Cyclones held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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