SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football’s star quarterback Cam Rising’s injury status has been the biggest topic of the season. That’s rather unfortunate for a program that wants to compete for a Big 12 Conference title.

Rising was shoved into water coolers by Baylor defensive lineman Trevan Ma’ae and suffered an injury to the ring finger on his throwing hand. After sitting out the Utah State game, he’s been designated as a game-time decision each of the last two weeks.

Despite that, Rising seems no closer to a return than he did three weeks ago.

Details of the injury recovery process have not been clearly stated. However, head coach Kyle Whittingham made one thing quite clear in his media availability on Tuesday… “Cam Rising wants to play.” #GoUtes
https://t.co/CQyeMUMGUZ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 2, 2024

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Cam Rising’s injury status will continue into next week for Utah

Most important to Utah fans is learning what Rising’s status genuinely is.  Even five days later, one thing has continued to stand out in Whittingham’s comments about Rising’s return: “We hope it’s this next game.”

As a reminder, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the week of the Oklahoma State game, Rising suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand. There were also stitches for a deep laceration but that’s not as important.

Typical timeline recoveries for dislocated fingers range anywhere from three to six weeks. There could be additional damage (ligaments, tendons, fractures) that were not diagnosed initially, which can extend the recovery timeline.

Following the Oklahoma State game, Rising has been wearing a molded cast over the middle and ring fingers. All of that makes pinning down an exact return like throwing a dart at the board. So what’s the best case, likely case, and worst case:

Best Case: Rising has made good progress and will return to practice next week. He leads Utah down to Tempe for their matchup with Arizona State. At this point, that seems very optimistic.

Worst Case: The injury is much worse than ever believed, given the molded cast he’s been wearing for two weeks, there is a chance that is the case. That could mean his return won’t happen until the BYU game or later.

Likely Case: The likely outcome is that Rising nearly takes the full six weeks of recovery. That would put the TCU game or the Houston contest as the most likely case for his return.

Injuries have significantly impacted how Utah has looked but the result is still a 4-1 record. Here’s how each unit grades out. https://t.co/k41uKdscID

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 1, 2024

Cam Rising’s injury situation is a case study of why we need injury reports

The lack of information and clarity has created a lot of frustration for those following the program. This situation is a leading cause for why many want a mandatory injury report.

Earlier this season, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the institution of the injury report in the SEC. His response was actually rather enlightening. Here is the full quote from Sarkisian:

“The report, I think it’s a good thing. So that everyone’s clear of why we do this report: It’s so that we can minimize the leaks in all of our buildings. From a gambling perspective, everybody wants to know the truth, right? Everybody’s trying to figure out who’s playing and who’s not. And then everybody wants to call student trainers and student managers (and ask) who practiced, who didn’t, and all these things. So, at the end of the day, if that minimizes them having to talk to people, I’d just give the report. I mean, that’s why the NFL has done it.”

Earlier this week, CBS Sports Dennis Dodd wrote about the growing frustration over Utah’s handling of the Rising injury situation. In the article, Dodd highlighted the growing frustration of the Utah fanbase. However, he also made it very clear that the growing sports gambling market is also contributing to the increased frustration.

From Utah’s perspective, they could not care less about the impact this is having on the sports gambling world. Their entire focus is on maximizing their chances of winning.

However, they do care about leaks from within the program. An injury report would help alleviate the need for outsiders to take such measures in acquiring that information.

Utah Football’s Remaining 2024 Schedule

• Utah Football @ Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday, October 11
• Utah Football vs. TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, October 19
• Utah Football @ Houston Cougars on Saturday, October 26
• Utah Football vs. BYU Cougars on Saturday, November, 9
• Utah Football @ Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, November 16
• Utah Football vs. Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday, November 23
• Utah Football @ UCF Knights on Friday, November 29

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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Jewish adherents across the globe have begun the annual 10-day examination of their lives and deeds. It started with Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) on the evening of Oct. 2 and concludes with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) on the evening of Oct. 11.

It is a time to reflect, remember, recommit, repent and forgive.

This year’s High Holy Days are especially fraught for the world’s Jewry with so many eyes on Israel and its ongoing battles against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and now against Iran. War is also raging in Ukraine, and deep divisions are polarizing Americans during this election season.

Here are excerpts from The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Mormon Land” podcast with Rabbi Samuel Spector, who leads Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami, and explored questions of repentance and atonement during troubled times.

What is the meaning of Rosh Hashana?

Rosh Hashana commemorates the creation of the world and humankind. I like to think of it as an opportunity for us to start to re-create ourselves. On Rosh Hashana, God makes a list of who is going to have a place in the world and who is not going to be written into the book of life. But over those 10 days between the two holidays, we have the opportunity to change God’s mind, and, once Yom Kippur is over, that list is sealed. So there’s a little bit at stake. I prefer to think of it less literally and more like if my life were to end in the next year, would I be remembered as a good person?

What about Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is a very solemn day. We have 25 hours of fasting — if you’re medically able to — no food, no water. We have five prayer services. It is a day where we are really thinking about what we have done individually and communally that we could be doing a better job of, and also how we can seek forgiveness from others, how we can improve ourselves over the next year, and make our lives worth living. And also perhaps how we can forgive others, or, even if we aren’t in a place to forgive others, how we don’t let anger hold us captive for the next year.

Do more people come to services on the High Holy Days?

Yes. Typically at a Shabbat service on Saturday morning, we’ll have about 70 to 80 people. I would guess that on the evening of Yom Kippur, we get about 700 people that come to our synagogue. It’s like the Super Bowl sometimes.

With the rise of antisemitism in America and increasing violence on the world stage, what steps have you taken to protect your congregation?

Sadly, since 2015 and up to the past year, we’ve seen antisemitism growing annually to record numbers. In 2022, there were nearly 3,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States recorded by the ADL [Anti-Defamation League] which estimates that they only record 1 out of every 40 events. Last year, that number reached close to 9,000 and most of that was toward the end of 2023. So I don’t know what the 2024 numbers are, but after this horrible thing that happened on Oct. 7, we received our first of four bomb threats on Oct. 8. We’ve sadly had to file numerous police reports because of harassment, threats, intimidation. We had to do some construction projects to make our synagogue safer. If you go to the synagogue right now, you will see two police cars in our parking lot, because whenever our building is open, we have a police presence, or try to at least, and we have to pay for those off-duty officers. We’ve been looking at somewhere around a half-million dollars for security.

Those threats aside, how do you and your congregation feel about living in Utah?

I feel immensely loved and accepted here. For every bad thing that’s happened, we’ve had 100 amazing things.…When people heard about our financial issues due to security, we had people call in who donated $10 and others who donated $10,000 just to make us feel loved. One of our local Latter-day Saint stakes, the East Millcreek Stake [a group of congregations], called us the last week of October and said, “We don’t know how to help, but we want to send our young people to your houses to do a leaf cleanup so you have one less thing to worry about.” The amount of love and support we’ve received has been beyond anything I could ever imagine.

When you see the suffering, especially of innocents, in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, what thoughts run through your mind?

I haven’t been to Gaza, but I’ve been to the West Bank plenty. I lived in Israel. I’ve been to southern Lebanon and met with Hezbollah militants, actually. Most people don’t want suffering. I have a bias. I’m not going to act like I don’t. But I try to always see other perspectives and understand other perspectives.… I’ve gotten to know the Lebanese people through my time in Lebanon and know the Palestinian people through my time in the Palestinian territories. I’ve certainly gotten to know the Israeli people. They’re all beautiful people. What’s happening is really, really, really tragic. …[My hope is] that folks in those three areas might be saying, “We need leadership that puts our needs first and puts our lives first.”

What would be a theological response as opposed to a political response?

In the [biblical] Book of Jonah, Jonah badly wants the city of Nineveh to be destroyed. Yet the people of Nineveh listen to Jonah and change their ways, and God does not destroy the city. You’d think Jonah would be happy. He’s not happy. He wanted to see Nineveh be completely destroyed, and God chastises him for this. And we also read elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible that we’re not supposed to celebrate our enemies’ downfall and that we are supposed to take all measures to prevent the loss of innocent life. So for us, as Jews, we need to make sure that we maintain our humanity in this, that we don’t forget that the people over in Gaza or southern Lebanon are people, that they’re just like us and that we cannot celebrate their suffering.

Do you have hopes for peace anytime soon?

I do. Israel has been held in this political lock with only [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu being the main source of power for the last 15 years. I think that Israelis are ready to get rid of him and that we need fresh thinking over there.…Hopefully, with these Israeli operations in southern Lebanon and Gaza, it could set both Hamas and Hezbollah back far enough that there won’t be wars for a good while. That’s my hope and prayer.

With this new year, what’s your concluding message?

Fred Rogers, a la “Mr. Rogers,” famously said after 9/11, to “look for the helpers” when things are scary and bad. This past year has been very lonely for many. There were a lot of people we thought would be there for us who were not, a lot of people who we thought were friends, who were not, and a lot of people who did step up for us. And so a message that I have for folks is that it’s not good for a person to be alone. So what can you do to step up and be part of the solution for somebody else, and, in doing so, also remove your own loneliness? …Part of the problem with the Yom Kippur sometimes is we sit and focus on those who have wronged us, and a lot of times, people are not thinking as much about who they have to apologize to. We need to spend as much, if not more, time thinking about those who have not let us down, those who have been our friends, those who have reached out, and also how we can follow in that example.

To hear the full podcast, go to sltrib.com/podcasts/mormonland. To receive full “Mormon Land” transcripts, along with our complete newsletter and exclusive access to all Tribune religion content, support us at Patreon.com/mormonland.

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SALT LAKE CITY — The damage done by Hurricane Helene’s stormwater has damaged thousands of cars, trucks, and SUVs, which can cause sorts of hidden issues that slowly turn them into junk: electrical damage, engine issues, corrosion, and more.

Several car owners do not immediately see that damage, and insurance companies tend not to mess around. Those companies could brand a flooded car’s title as “salvage” or a “total loss.”

But not all cars don’t stay that way. Scammers have been known to repair cars and wash their titles by fraudulently documenting damages. This allows them to resell flood-damaged cars for much more than they’re worth.

Flooded cars with washed titles tend to turn up far away from a storm’s flood zone, like in Utah.

“They will clean them up and they will sit on them,” said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at CARFAX. “And they’ll bring them to places like Utah and Minnesota, Illinois, Kentucky – places where consumers aren’t really thinking about flooded cars.”

CARFAX, which offers a free tool for consumers to determine whether their car has hidden flooding damage, estimates that about 7,000 vehicles in Utah have been damaged by water.

KSL Investigates has reported on some of the signs to watch out for and spot a car with water damage. While the water substantially damages a car’s engine and electrical systems, the best place to check for damage may be the trunk.

As engine compartments become easier to clean, CARFAX recommends looking for rust in and around the spare tire well or the car’s jack. In the cabin, pull up some upholstery and see if there is sediment underneath it.

Also, CARFAX suggested buyers look for water beads in places where they should not be, like inside a headlight can. But the biggest thing is to look for mud and silt stains in places that are hard to clean, like glove boxes, trunks, and under the hood.

Whether it’s a CARFAX or some other provider, buyers should always pull a vehicle history report to see what kind of damage has been reported. Experts said buyers should always have a mechanic check out a car before they buy, as mechanics see telltale signs of damage that untrained eyes often miss.