She’s unique as a trailblazer among female magicians, and also as a Yale graduate who headlines at the hotel where Elvis once starred.

Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 35-year-old man whose body was found in east Las Vegas in early October.

Nevadans and Americans are expected to spend more on Halloween this year than in any year prior, according to projections released by groups representing retailers.

The death of a bartender after a fight with an intoxicated patron was ruled a homicide Tuesday.

Attorney Cybill Dotson was appointed Tuesday to replace ex-Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Tobiasson, who resigned in April as she faced ethics charges.

Desmond Trufant, a nine-year veteran, is signing with the Raiders to add depth to an injury-riddled position.

Lab director Mark Pandori, who worked briefly at the Silicon Valley startup, is a possible witness in the criminal fraud trial of Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

Starburst Parlor owner Jill Shlesinger hopes her keto-friendly bakery will satisfy the sweet tooth for nearly everyone, even those with dietary restrictions.

Layne Flack, who died in July at age 52, is nominated alongside seven other top players and two other industry figures for the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Clark County Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to build 100 new single-family homes in southwest Las Vegas.

Federal agents were carrying out “law enforcement activity” on Tuesday at a Washington mansion and New York City townhouse tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. FBI officials would not ...

With a centerpiece of President Joe Biden's climate change strategy all but dashed, Democratic lawmakers headed to the White House Tuesday searching for new ways to narrow, reshape and swiftly wrap up negotiations on what had been his ...

Manatees have starved to death by the hundreds along Florida’s east coast because algae blooms and contaminants are killing the seagrass the beloved sea mammals eat, a wildlife official told a House committee Tuesday. Seagrass has been decimated in the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon and ...

Entertainer Flavor Flav will fight a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from a scuffle with his girlfriend at home in suburban Las Vegas, his attorneys said Tuesday. The ...

Metro Police say they are seeking the public’s help identifying a vehicle that hit and killed a pedestrian early today. Officers were called to West Sahara Avenue and ...

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore announced today that she will seek the Republican nomination for governor. “This will be a fight,” said Fiore, who joins a field of seven other Republicans looking to unseat Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. “I”m not going to stop fighting for the people.” Other Republicans who ...

A judge in South Carolina denied bond Tuesday for attorney Alex Murdaugh on the second set of charges he has faced since finding his wife and ...

The head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog plans to visit Iran before the end of next month amid questions about whether Iran will return to negotiations aimed at reviving the ...

Police fatally shot a Florida teenager after he pointed what turned out to be an air rifle at people, cars and ...

A Russian actor and a film director who spent 12 days in orbit making the world’s first movie in space said Tuesday they were so thrilled with their experience on the International Space Station that they ...

Dalia Fahmy gets a hug after speaking at the Islamic World Today conference at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Brigham Young University’s student center has had a dedicated Muslim prayer room for more than 15 years, but a second one opened Monday and Tuesday in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center while it hosted a major conference on Islam. The temporary prayer room was part of the first impression made by BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on many of the internationally renowned participants, including Dalia Fahmy, the chair of International Relations and Diplomacy at Long Island University. “Of all of the academic conferences I’ve been to, being here in the LDS community you feel the urgency of wanting to overcome a lot of the challenges our country’s facing,” she said. “So, it’s not your typical academic conference in that we’re simply presenting ideas. I believe that we’re having a deeper conversation about possibly getting to solutions that overcome a lot of the differences.” Fahmy and other conference speakers battered common American and European misperceptions of Islam and Muslims. “Islamophobia is irrational,” Fahmy said during her presentation, in which she argued that anti-Muslim sentiment subverts fundamental American constitutional, social, religious and cultural values about inclusion and understanding. Latter-day Saint leaders have long sought interfaith understanding with Muslims and others, said conference chair Grant Underwood, who holds BYU’s Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding. Elders David A. Bednar and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday in BYU’s Joseph Smith Building auditorium on “Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Understanding One Another.” Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News John Esposito speaks at the Islamic World Today conference at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. Common ground for Muslims and Latter-day Saints Muslims and Latter-day Saints regularly work together on marriage, family and religious freedom issues. The church’s entire First Presidency has spoken out on behalf of Muslims or, like virtually all members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, joined Islamic leaders at major international conferences. Latter-day Saint Charities regularly partners with local and international Muslim relief organizations, which has included multimillion-dollar donations to Islamic Relief USA. “There’s a steady historical stream of interfaith outreach and appreciation for other faiths in our Latter-day Saint history,” Underwood said. “People don’t know that, but we can document it in every decade of this dispensation.” The conference, titled “The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives,” emerged out of growing interests among Latter-day Saint leaders and BYU faculty and students. BYU has a joint Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic program. “We’re all in sync here,” Underwood said. “The church leadership is leading out, and there’s a concurrent sensibility here on campus that something like this would be desirable and appropriate. Those sensibilities came together to generate the conference.” Personal interactions reduce misperceptions Fahmy said 76% of Americans have negative associations with the terms Muslim and Islam. “What I didn’t say,” she told the Deseret News afterward, “is there is a very important mitigator that drops that 76% down to 30% or so, and that is knowing a Muslim and interacting with one and realizing that we all want our kids to go to school and grow up and be healthy and we’re civic-minded and we care about the environment. That one mitigator is knowing and interacting with a Muslim, and then the negative perception drops dramatically. “So if you are the average BYU student or Latter-day Saint, it’s important to know a Muslim, and it’s also incumbent upon Muslims to know a member of the church. I really do believe that it’s that interaction that’s going to help us build those bridges, overcome a lot of the social ills and really realize the ideals of the country.” Muslim and Latter-day Saint leaders around the world have found common ground on many religious issues, and the Church of Jesus Christ works closely with Muslim political leaders around the world, from the Middle East to Africa and Southeast Asia. For example, Elder Bednar has traveled extensively to Muslim-majority countries as president of the church’s Middle East Africa North Area. Last month, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with important Muslim leaders from Azerbaijan, Sudan and other countries at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Italy. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Dalia Fahmy waits to speak at the Islamic World Today conference at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. American hysteria: The recent rise of anti-Muslim sentiment Other conference panelists included Georgetown’s John Esposito, whom Underwood called the dean of Islamic Studies in the United States, and Debora Jones, a BYU graduate who is the former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait. Esposito, 81, said Muslims were essentially invisible in America until the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In the 1990s, some prominent academics wrote about Islam as a triple threat — historical, geographic and demographic — bent on a clash of civilizations. The Sept. 11 attacks ratcheted up and globalized the fear of a threat, but what Fahmy called an American hysteria really began in 2010 and was fueled by political strategy and media hype, Esposito said. “Negative perceptions today are worse than they were one week after 9/11,” Fahmy added. For example, a study of American and European journalism found that in 2001, 2% of stories presented images of Muslim militance and 0.1% showed mainstream Muslims. In 2011, 25% of pieces portrayed militance while those about mainstream Muslims remained the same. By 2015, 80% of pieces were about militance and terrorism. “Islamophobia has become normalized internationally,” Esposito said, adding that “There are Muslims who hate us, but it’s a fraction of a fraction.” Data shows that American Muslims are economically, educationally and socially integrated into what Esposito called the mosaic of the United States. Muslims in the American mosaic “Our obligation is to build a world where we can have our differences and yet see everybody as having a right to citizenship, to part of the mosaic,” he said. Fahmy said anti-Muslim rhetoric has become a political strategy, with hysteria about the possibility of the U.S. becoming Islamized or Arabized popping up when it helps candidates raise money and win elections, then disappearing afterward. Fahmy pointed out that Muslims have fought for the United States in every war from the American Revolution to the war on terror, and American leaders have been declaring the right of Americans to worship as Muslims or a part of any other faith from the nation’s founding. “This is antithetical to the fabric of our country,” she said of Islamophobia, which she said has become a political strategy. “The birth of the Islamophobia industry — $50 million a year to tarnish the image of Islam in the West as anti-West, anti-women, antisemitic, anti-justice, angry and anti-everything — is a business.” Among the effects is shame and pain for young American Muslims. “They increasingly see the odds are stacked against them,” Fahmy said. “It’s crazy how second-generation American Muslims feel like they belong more than third- and fourth-generation American Muslims. And this ultimately shapes how they identify. Because when you feel like you don’t belong, and you’re told that you don’t belong, you might start to believe that you don’t belong.” She and Esposito would like to see more Americans get to know more of their Muslim neighbors. “It is the Muslim next door” who holds the key, Esposito said in an interview. Awareness and understanding of the Muslims in one’s community can lead, Fahmy said, to the inclusive attitude of a Texas trucker who was offended when a mosque in his city was set on fire. “They might be Muslims,” he said indignantly, “but they’re our damn Muslims.”

Azim Kakaie, front, serves lunch to his flatmate, Hussain Yaqobi, in the living room of their home in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Kakaie, who worked as an air traffic controller at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover and arrived in Utah on Sept. 1. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Gov. Spencer Cox announces Afghan Community Fund to support the 765 refugees truckling into Utah Azim Kakaie got his wish. Kakaie, the first Afghan refugee to arrive in Utah in the wake of the evacuation of Kabul, told the Deseret News three days after landing in the Beehive State that his first order of business was to meet the family of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, who was killed in a suicide bombing at the same gate his family was ushered through just 30 minutes earlier. The blast killed 180 people, including 13 U.S. service members. That day, Kakaie’s wife, brother, mother-in-law and brother-in-law boarded a plane for Germany. On Sept. 18, less than a month after Hoover was killed, Kakaie accepted an invitation to meet Hoover’s family at a ceremony at Hillcrest High School, where the Marine had graduated. “It was somehow a difficult time and a good time,” said Kakaie. “I had the opportunity to tell them their boy sacrificed his life for humanity. I couldn't believe I got the opportunity.” Kakaie, a 34-year-old former air traffic controller who credits Hoover and the rest of the Marines at the gate for saving his family, was able to shake hands with members of Hoover’s family and tell them what he told several Utah reporters — that Hoover and the 12 others killed are “heroes.” “I was really emotional when I saw his family there. Especially his sister, fiancé, his father,” Kakaie said. “Basically, we cried a lot.” Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Azim Kakaie takes out groceries from his friend’s car at his home in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Kakaie, who worked as an air traffic controller at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover and arrived in Utah on Sept. 1. Utah’s role in the resettlement process Utah is gearing up to resettle 765 Afghan refugees who escaped the country as the Taliban took the capital city, Kabul, by storm in August. Roughly 130,000 people were airlifted out in the largest mass evacuation in U.S. history. According to The Associated Press, 50,000 will be resettled in the U.S. On Aug. 17, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox penned a letter to President Joe Biden, telling the administration that the state “stands ready to welcome refugees from Afghanistan.” On Tuesday, Cox announced the Utah Afghan Community Fund, a partnership between the state, private sector, the International Rescue Committee and Catholic Community Services. Cox called the fund an “opportunity for businesses and individuals to donate what they can and know their money will go directly to helping those Afghans that are resettling in Utah.” The fund is aimed at supporting medical, food, household, legal, educational and other community needs for the newcomers where public funding falls short. Naja Lockwood, co-chairwoman of the fund, said $275,000 is already available. “They’re coming to build a new life, and we have the opportunity to help them create a bright, safe and vibrant future,” Cox said Tuesday. “He is a nice guy, he has lots of energy,” Kakaie said of the governor, who he met during an event at Catholic Community Services. “For the refugee people that he opened his arms to welcome ... they really appreciate that, it means a lot that he will give us an opportunity to come here and make Utah home.” Kearstin Cantrell, marketing manager at the Catholic Community Services, says the agency has received 92 Afghan clients in October, totaling 94 since the evacuation. Of the 765 headed for Utah, between 150 to 250 will be taken in by Catholic Community Services. The International Rescue Committee will manage the rest of the case. Some semblance of a normal life Kakaie’s family is still in Indiana. After being evacuated from Kabul, they were flown to Germany for 10 days, clearing several background checks before being flown to Indiana. They are some of the roughly 6,400 Afghan refugees currently being held at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, according to Fox 59. Kakaie talks to his family every day. He had just got off the phone with his wife, Shazia, the day he met with the Deseret News at the Catholic Community Services Utah office. All that lies between him and Shazia is a medical checkup, a few interviews with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and a flight from Indiana to Salt Lake City. He is hoping they arrive in Utah in a week. Kakaie witnessed firsthand the chaos at the Kabul airport that shocked the world. And as an air traffic controller, he played an integral role in the evacuation of the city, until the U.S. military stepped in to take control. He was flown to Qatar, where he worked as a translator for U.S. forces, helping reunite the scores of families being held on a military base. Kakaie described a scene there almost as chaotic as the airport. Then, he boarded a plane for Washington, D.C., and three days later, Utah. Now, much to Kakaie’s delight, life has slowed down considerably. He goes to the gym almost every day. He does chores around the apartment where he is staying. He studies, whether for his driving test or the Microsoft Excel program. He wants to buy tickets to a Real Salt Lake game soon. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Azim Kakaie puts on his workout gloves before his weekly workout session at his home’s gym in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Kakaie, who worked as an air traffic controller at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover and arrived in Utah on Sept. 1. His special immigrant visa allows him to apply for a job, and he interviewed with the International Rescue Committee looking to work as a translator. “I want to do my part,” he says. Settling in For now he helps out with Catholic Community Services where he can. He spent much of a recent morning translating over the phone for an Afghan family that had recently arrived at the airport. He lives in South Salt Lake with his cousin and a childhood friend, who in September took him on a drive up one of the Cottonwood canyons, though he can’t remember which one. As soon as he gets an arrival date for his family, he will begin looking for an apartment with help from Catholic Community Services. Shazia, her mother and brother, Kakaie and his brother will all live together. Kakaie knows of roughly 100 Afghan families living along the Wasatch Front, and his goal is to meet with as many as he can. “I know everybody's busy, but we meet when we can. If I get the chance, I visit them,” he said. “Everybody is very supportive. The whole environment, all the people. They are very friendly.” He has a pretty firm grasp on Salt Lake City’s grid system, although he admits at first the numbered streets had him confused. He is waiting to see if the credits earned from a university in Kabul, where he and Shazia were both in their seventh semester of a bachelor in business administration program, will transfer to a college in Utah. If possible, he wants to become certified as an air traffic controller in the U.S. And on Monday, in what some might consider a symbolic “welcome to America” formality, he made his first trip to the Utah Department of Motor Vehicles. “It was easy, it was nice. No problem,” he said. Kakaie speaks with a nonchalance that is markedly different from his first interview with the Deseret News nearly a month ago. Things that might stress the average American out — applying for a job, being unable to transfer college credits, navigating a new city or being constantly burdened with paperwork — don’t bother him at all. It’s almost as if he enjoys the red tape. “That’s the system,” he says with a grin. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Azim Kakaie checks on the rice as he prepares for lunch at his home in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Kakaie, who worked as an air traffic controller at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover and arrived in Utah on Sept. 1. Missing family in Afghanistan Kakaie describes his life as “perfect,” with one exception — he still has family in Afghanistan. The situation in his home country is tense. Kakaie says he received an email from the U.S. State Department warning that the families of those who helped U.S. and NATO forces are being targeted by the Taliban. “All those people that had a family member that were assisting and helping the United States, if those family members are still in Afghanistan, they’re in danger,” he said. To make matters worse, Kakaie is a member of the Hazara minority, who have been subjected to centuries of religious discrimination. Numerous reports suggest Hazara families are being persecuted by the Taliban. He talks with his family a few times a week, although he says he is careful not to call them too much, worried it might look suspicious. He spoke with them Tuesday night, and every time they talk, he reminds them to not leave the house unless they need groceries. “They’re fine, they just stay at home. I tell them, ‘Don’t go travel too much.’” When asked if they want to leave the country, Kakaie doesn’t mince words. “Of course! But it is very hard, and even with the neighboring countries, there is no passport, there is no visa (for them).” Kakaie doesn’t think he will ever return to Afghanistan — it’s unfathomable, he says, especially when he turns on the news and sees images of the Taliban parading around the city he called home two months ago. He misses his family, he misses his house, he misses his car, which he is “pretty sure the Taliban, they are riding in it now.” But doesn’t necessarily miss his country. Utah’s mountains and climate remind him of his home village in central Afghanistan. “It feels like home to me already,” he says. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News Azim Kakaie, who is waiting to be reunited with family, is silhouetted against the window of the living room where he currently resides in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Kakaie, who worked as an air traffic controller at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover and arrived in Utah on Sept. 1.

Utah coach Craig Smith, left, speaks next to Riley Battin, middle, and Branden Carlson during the Pac-12 Conference NCAA men’s college basketball media day Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in San Francisco. | Jeff Chiu, Associated Press New coach Craig Smith says he isn’t close to naming a starting five, but likes the energy and intensity players have displayed during the first 15 practices of camp The Runnin’ Utes are roughly halfway through preseason training camp, but new coach Craig Smith isn’t even close to naming a starting five for the exhibition on Nov. 4 against Westminster College, let alone the season-opener Nov. 9 against Abilene Christian. That’s not a surprise. Smith said two weeks ago that that decision could come down to the wire, given that eight players are new to the program. “I am all over the map right now, which is a good thing,” Smith said regarding his rotations on Tuesday before practice inside the Huntsman Center. “If you said today, ‘Who is your starting five?’ I couldn’t tell you.” “I am all over the map right now, which is a good thing. If you said today, ‘Who is your starting five?’ I couldn’t tell you.” — Utah basketball coach Craig Smith Because they are allowed 28 practices and two exhibition games and/or closed scrimmages, or a combination of the two, the Utes hit the midpoint last Saturday with their 14th practice of camp. “We are in the dog days a little bit,” Smith said. Thursday, they will begin preparing for Saturday’s closed scrimmage against Wyoming, with the coaching staff simulating what game preparations will be like once the season starts. Smith couldn’t directly talk about Wyoming — first reported to be the opponent by watchstadium.com — due to NCAA rules, but he said he “loves the opponent we are playing, just because we are really familiar with each other. They love what we do, and it helps them prepare for different teams in their league, and vice versa.” After the scrimmage, the Utes will have eight or nine practices before the exhibition game, and then three practices later, they will be playing for real. “These (scrimmages) are really invaluable,” he said. Of course, Smith coached against Wyoming coach Jeff Linder, in his second year in Laramie, when his Utah State Aggies beat the Cowboys 72-59 in Logan on March 4, 2021. Smith said the Runnin’ Utes are eager to face an unfamiliar foe, after competing against each other not only in preseason camp, but throughout the summer. “They get along really, really well,” he said. “But after 15 practices, they are ready to see someone new.” Smith said most of those practices have been intense and spirited, with the possible exception of one late last week. That was possibly because the staff threw some new wrinkles at them. “They weren’t at a high level, frankly,” he said. Partly because his wife was out of town over the weekend, Smith spent a lot of time watching film of the previous practices and contemplating his lineups and rotations after he returned from Pac-12 media day last Wednesday in San Francisco with returning players Branden Carlson and Riley Battin. Those two, along with the players who followed Smith from Logan to Salt Lake City — senior Marco Anthony and sophomore Rollie Worster — would seemingly have a step up in the competition to be starters. But Smith said nobody will be given priority. “It is wide-open competition,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you how many lineups we have used in practice. We are mixing it up all the time to see what sticks and what the synergy is. … But you gotta earn it, man. I don’t care what your merits are, or what your accolades are. That’s all in the past.”

John Stockton drives around Cleveland’s Brevin Knight as the Jazz beat Cleveland on Jan. 12, 1998. | Tom Smart, Deseret News In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary this year, the league is unveiling the 75 greatest players in NBA history, and a Jazzman is on the team. John Stockton was selected as one of the 75 greatest players to ever play the game on Wednesday as the NBA released 25 of the 75 players on the list. Stockton, along with Karl Malone, who is also a lock to make the team, led the Jazz to two NBA Finals appearances and 19 playoff appearances — never missing the playoffs during his careers with the Jazz. Stockton also rarely missed games. Stockton played in 1,504 of 1,526 games during his 19-season career with the Jazz. Stockton holds nearly unbreakable records in assists and steals. Stockton’s 15,806 career assists are 3,715 ahead of second-place Jason Kidd and 5,531 ahead of fifth-place Chris Paul, the closest active player to Stockton. Stockton’s 3,265 career steals are 581 ahead of second-place Jason Kidd and 933 ahead of fifth-place Chris Paul, once again the closest active player to Stockton. Stockton’s floor vision and durability, a 52% career field-goal percentage, a scoring machine in Malone to feed the ball to, and his tough defense make him one of the greatest point guards in history. He also made the most important shot in Jazz history, a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Houston Rockets in the 1997 Western Conference finals to send Utah to its first-ever NBA Finals. Stockton was selected to 11 All-NBA teams, 10 All-Star Games and five All-Defensive teams and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2009. The 75th anniversary team is selected by a panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. A list of 25 players per day will be unveiled from Tuesday to Thursday. On Wednesday, ESPN will reveal 25 players on “NBA Today” at 1 p.m. MDT, and on Thursday, TNT will finish the list by announcing the final 25 players at 4 p.m. MDT on their pregame show. The NBA did a similar list for its 50th anniversary in 1996, putting together the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Like the 75th anniversary team, a panel of media, players and executives selected the 50 members, which included three Jazz players — Stockton, Malone and Pete Maravich.

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, April 15, 2021. Politicians, workers and others who oppose vaccine mandates are increasingly making the argument that people who have recovered from COVID-19 don’t need to roll up their sleeves for the shot. | Al Drago, Associated Press Utah Rep. Chris Stewart co-sponsors Natural Immunity is Real Act Conservative politicians, rank-and-file workers and even high-profile athletes and coaches who oppose vaccine mandates are increasingly making the argument that people who have recovered from COVID-19 shouldn’t have to roll up their sleeves for the shot. “Now more than ever, we need to pursue every scientific measure — such as natural immunity — that can help mitigate the pandemic without threatening people’s jobs, our economy or denying Americans access to everyday life activities based on COVID-19 vaccination status,” Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., said in a statement. Harshbarger and a group of House Republicans, including Utah Rep. Chris Stewart, say natural immunity from previous COVID-19 infection is effective, durable and long-lasting. They have introduced legislation requiring federal agencies to take into account naturally acquired immunity from previous coronavirus infection when issuing any regulations aimed at protecting people from the disease. But members of the medical community say that while there is some natural immunity and protection from a repeat infection of COVID-19 after recovering from the illness, it is not yet clear how long it lasts. Health experts at the University of Utah as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain that the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone 12 years and older, regardless of a previous coronavirus infection. Although some medical professionals suggest that no vaccination is needed for those who have already had COVID-19, U. doctors disagree. “While there is some evidence natural infection provides strong immunity, there is variability from person to person and less predictability than vaccine immunity,” according to Dr. Emily Sydnor Spivak, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Utah Health. “Clinical antibody tests available also are not great correlates of immunity to COVID-19 and have wide variability from test to test.” Harshbarger said there is ample scientific evidence from numerous peer-reviewed studies that natural immunity from previous COVID-19 infection is effective, durable and long-lasting. The CDC, she said, has already acknowledged natural immunity for measles, chickenpox and other viruses. Stewart said the mere introduction of Harshbarger’s Natural Immunity is Real Act is proof of the Biden administration’s inconsistency on COVID-19. The GOP House members say President Joe Biden’s policies fail to recognize that millions of Americans have immunity because they’ve already had and recovered from the virus. People should not be forced to choose between getting the vaccine or keeping their job, they say. “We’re simply asking that President Biden practice what he preaches and actually ‘follow the science.’ These two statements are not mutually exclusive, and in fact are both true: The vaccine offers effective protection against COVID-19; natural immunity offers effective protection against COVID-19,” he said in a statement. Research comparing immune responses in people who have recovered from Covid-19 to those who have been vaccinated has been mixed, according to a Wall Street Journal story Tuesday. Many studies have found that mRNA vaccines produce a higher level of neutralizing antibodies immediately after inoculation than COVID-19 infections. Antibody levels in vaccinated people and those who have recovered from infections drop over time, several studies have shown, reducing some of the immunity that both groups of patients have developed, the Journal reported. A recent CDC study shows that those who have had COVID-19 and are not vaccinated are more than twice as likely than those who are fully vaccinated to contract the virus for a second time. “Letting people get COVID rather than a vaccine to protect them from COVID means they’re at risk of severe disease, long COVID, and even death,” Spivak said. “I say this as we are seeing young, 20-year-old patients being admitted with very severe disease. And even if only a few people have this unfortunate turn of events, it’s not worth the risk.” Biden called for companies with 100 or more employees to require their workers to be vaccinated or undergo at least weekly coronavirus testing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in coming weeks plans to issue an emergency temporary standard implementing the new requirement, which will cover 80 million private-sector workers. Businesses that don’t comply could face fines of up to $14,000 per violation. Many companies have implemented vaccine mandates on their own since Biden’s announcement last month. Stewart earlier said Biden has no right to mandate a personal medical choice. He said it’s unconstitutional and beyond the scope of any federal power. Stewart has taken exception with the Utah Jazz requiring fans who enter Vivint Smart Home Arena for basketball games to show proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test. Republican attorneys general in 24 states, including Utah, have threatened to sue the president if his proposed vaccination mandate for large companies takes effect. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has introduced several measures to counter Biden’s mandate. All have failed, including one on Oct. 6 also called the Immunity is Real Act. It would have done the same thing Harshbarger is proposing. In a Senate floor speech, he said studies in Italy, Israel and Denmark found natural immunity to COVID-19 is strong and effective. “But the president’s mandate announcement makes not mention of natural immunity, no mention whatsoever. Our entire national health apparatus seems to disregard the significant protection individuals have if they’ve previously had and recovered from COVID,” Lee said. Thank you, @RepHarshbarger and all of the House cosponsors (including @RepChrisStewart). This bill would protect millions of Americans from @POTUS’s unconstitutional mandate. https://t.co/mei56cgkXU— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 18, 2021 Harshbarger said it’s necessary to use all clinical tools as protection and treatment options to combat COVID-19. “However, my bill is a necessary and timely legislative action resulting from President Biden’s continued politicization of COVID-19 which continues to create deep divisions among Americans, such as when he chillingly said his national vaccine mandate requirements are ‘not about freedom or personal choice,’” she said.

The Shiba Inu cryptocurrency token might break out soon after whales invested in the crypto coin. | Illustration by Alex Cochran, Deseret News The Shiba Inu cryptocurrency token might break out soon after whales invested in the crypto coin The Shiba Inu cryptocurrency coin may break out soon because of recent purchases from investors, per FX Street. An ethereum whale recently spent $1.2 million to buy 49.9 billion Shib coins. The whale purchased the coins after it suffered a major dip in price. “Historically, a dip in SHIB price is followed by whale accumulation and a second leg up. Traders are expecting another bullrun in SHIB,” according to FX Street. Some of the rise will also come as you can buy it through the Coin Cloud ATMs, which are considered one of the world's largest digital currency ATM platforms. Shiba Inu coin’s recent success has led to a success for other meme-based crypto assets, such as Baby Doge coin and dogelon mars coin — both of which are loosely based off of Dogecoin, Shib coin and, well, Elon Musk, according to Bitcoin.com. In fact, right now both dogelon mars and baby doge coin are “outshining their predecessors,” per Bitcoin.com. Shib coin has suffered a bit of drop after a “mysterious whale” bought “massive amounts of Shibu Inu,” per Yahoo Finance. The Financial Conduct Authority, a group that reviews how people use money, warned potential investors that cryptocurrency coins can be risky for investment because of the shifting and volatile market. “Investing in cryptoassets, or investments and lending linked to them generally involves taking very high risks with investors’ money,” FCA’s statement said. “If consumers invest in these types of product, they should be prepared to lose all their money.”

©istockphoto.com/ChaNaWiT The 2021 6A girls soccer champions will be the first title for whoever takes the win. Second seed Riverton and fifth seed Skyridge each won their respective semifinal matchups Tuesday at Juan Diego High school, setting the stage for each team to compete for a state title for the first time in program history on Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Both games required extra time to determine the winner. The earlier matchup between Skryidge and Syracuse not only required extra time, but a penalty shootout as well, which Skyridge won 4-1, leaving coach Toby Peterson feeling very emotional. “These girls are so resilient in everything that they’ve done,” Peterson said, choking back tears. “This is just another example. They don’t quit, they fight through.” That resiliency was present when Skyridge lost both its starting center backs, Alexa Balls and Kylee Phillips, to injury during the game, requiring players to shuffle around and play other positions they were unfamiliar with. Though the Falcons noticeably lost a step following the injuries, they never conceded a lead to the Titans despite being put under constant pressure by Syracuse’s attack. One of Skyridge’s conceded goals came off an own-goal thanks to a dangerous cross by Abby Schofield and the other was scored by Cortney Cobabe, who drilled a brilliant finish from 18 yards out. The Falcons never trailed despite conceding the goals, dishing out a response to every punch Syracuse landed. Senior Olivia Barlow and Freshman Kalena Bellini were the goal scorers for Skyridge. When the game remained knotted after both overtime periods, Peterson was confident that his team was prepared for the penalty shootout to come. “We knew (a shootout) was going to be a possibility,” Peterson said. “So for the last three weeks we’ve been working on PKs, just to make sure that we have them down. We gave our keeper lots of opportunities to see a PK and to be able to read them, and so you obviously saw the results (of that practice.)” “These girls are so resilient in everything that they’ve done. This is just another example. They don’t quit, they fight through.” — Skyridge coach Toby Peterson It remains to be seen if the Falcons will have Balls and Phillips available in Friday’s championship match, but they do know who their opponent will be, as a golden goal from Riverton’s Erin Naylor was scored in the first period of overtime in the Tuesday’s second 6A semifinal match between the Silverwolves and the Layton Lancers. “I just feel so happy and so excited,” Riverton coach Paul Moizer said. “(My players) have been a bundle of energy all year and it’s so great to see them this happy.” After conceding the game’s opening goal in the 65th minute to Layton star forward Erin Bailey, the Silverwolves equalized with a goal of their own four minutes later, as Taylor O’Farrell sent a ball toward goal that awkwardly ended up in the back of the net. The score remained 1-1 at the end of the second half, but Moizer said he was confident heading into the overtime period because he knew his team was on the front-foot. “Toward the end of (regulation) we had started to put pressure on them,” Moizer said. “I felt that was going to continue and it did throughout overtime.” Both coaches said while their teams will take the time to celebrate punching their tickets to Rio Tinto, the focus will quickly turn to their final opponent of the season as they attempt to make history for their respective schools. “From the very beginning of the season we’ve been saying that getting to the state championship and bringing home the trophy was our No. 1 goal,” Peterson said. “The message to the girls is going to be, ‘celebrate this today, but tomorrow we’ve got more work to do.’ ... If we stay focused and we keep our head on our shoulders, I think we can do it.” Friday’s 6A championship match at Rio Tinto will kick off at 11 a.m.

Garrett Aida, a former BYU student, and Michelle Young appear on “The Bachelorette.” | Craig Sjodin, ABC Garrett Aida, a tech CEO from Salt Lake City, Utah, will compete on ‘The Bachelorette’ A former BYU student and tech CEO will compete on the next season of “The Bachelorette.” Garrett Aida, 33, will be a new contest on the fall 2021 edition of “The Bachelorette.” A fan of salsa dancing, Garrett is looking for a family right off the bat. “Garrett is hoping for a family one day, and if a woman does not want kids, then he is not interested. Garrett is serious about finding the one and is ready to have a little fun finding her!” reads his “Bachelorette” bio. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Garrett Aida (@garrettaida) Some quick facts about him: Garrett is the CEO of the tech company, Dark Energy. He’s a fan of “traveling the world, skydiving, paragliding and speed flying,” according to his “Bachelorette” bio. Garrett calls himself a “plant daddy.” He had a bowl-cut haircut back when he was a child. Garrett loves pickles. Aida confirmed his appearance on the show through his Instagram page, showing off a picture of Michelle Young, this season’s bachelorette. The new season of “The Bachelorette” premieres Tuesday at 6 p.m. MDT.

Nichole Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito, whose death on a cross-country trip has sparked a manhunt for her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, pauses as she answer reporter’s questions during a news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Bohemia, N.Y. | John Minchillo, Associated Press Gabby Petito’s mother recently revealed her thoughts on the infamous Moab incident Gabby Petito’s mother recently revealed how she felt about the infamous Moab incident between her daughter and Brian Laundrie. In September, police in Moab released body camera footage that showed Petito and Laundrie after a physical altercation between them. At the time, the two were on a cross-country road trip, which took them through Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. “It’s just hard to watch. I wanted to jump through the screen and rescue her,” Nicole Schmidt said of the footage, per NBC News. “I saw a young girl that needed someone to just hug her and keep her safe. I just felt so bad for her. I wish that she reached out to me.” The footage came as the couple headed toward Wyoming. Only Laundrie returned to their home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11. Petito’s body was found on the outskirts of a Wyoming national park on Sept. 19. A coroner ruled she died by strangulation. Laundrie was reported missing on Sept. 17. His whereabouts remain unknown. Many look back at the Moab incident as a symbol of how the couple — who often documented their lives on social media — might have been less happy than what they portrayed online. “Outside looking in, she did look happy,” Joseph Petito said on “60 Minutes Australia” over the weekend. “But as we look more and more into this, it might not have been as been as great as people online perceived.” Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told the Deseret News in an exclusive interview that she could see all the signs of a toxic relationship, and she wished she had done more. “I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life,” she said. “I can still hear her voice,” Hulls told the Deseret News. “She wasn’t just a face on the milk carton, she was real to me.”

https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2021-10-19/episode-53-podcast-historian-spencer-w-mcbride-nauvoo-temple-early-church-pioneers-latter-day-saints-229968

More than six weeks after promising a new vaccination-or-testing rule covering the millions of Americans at companies with 100 or more workers, President Joe Biden's most aggressive move yet to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is almost ready to see the light of day.

The Provo-based campus is the only one in a group that includes Wisconsin, Michigan and Virginia that does not house an on-campus medical school.

Utah is getting out of the student loan servicing business, which could result in the creation of a $289 million endowment for scholarships and grants for Utah students.

A 15-year-old Weber High school student was arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at her school.

Facebook will pay up to $14.25 million to settle civil claims brought by the U.S. government that the social media company discriminated against workers and violated other federal recruitment rules.

A debate ensued Tuesday as the Salt Lake County Council discussed whether to extend the emergency proclamation originally issued early in the pandemic, with Mayor Jenny Wilson saying the county remains in a difficult spot.

Salt Lake police on Tuesday confirmed that the popular owner of an artisan bakery in Salt Lake City was killed over the weekend when a truck fleeing from police smashed into her vehicle.

Think it's bad in Utah and Idaho, two western states that saw the highest price increases for homes in the nation this year?

Midfoot injuries are not always an ice and rest situation. Sometimes they require more serious attention.

The title really says it, but you have to see it because it's awesome.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the vice chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, speaks before voting to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena.

Members of the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol have shown they're willing to pursue criminal contempt referrals against witnesses who refuse to comply with the panel's subpoenas.

The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol is expected to formally kick off holding Steve Bannon, one of former President Donald Trump's closest allies, in contempt of Congress on Tuesday night with a crucial meeting to set up a House vote.

A federal judge who has strongly criticized the January 6 insurrection and handed down prison time to some convicted rioters is set to hear former President Donald Trump's challenge to a House subpoena of records from his time in office related to the siege.

• Opinion: The event Colin Powell long regretted • Analysis: Trump is trying to use the legal system to change the conversation about what he did on Jan. 6

• King discloses he is immunocompromised • Analysis: Mix and match Covid vaccine policy would provide two advantages

Football's world governing body FIFA says it's "deeply concerned" at images that have recently emerged on social media of the Congolese Under-20 women's national team.

Steve Bannon's contempt charges will now go to the full House for a vote. If it is approved there, DOJ has final say on prosecuting Bannon.      

The Pfizer vaccine was highly effective on teens even in the throes of the summer spike in COVID cases from the delta variant. Latest updates.      

McClain, 23, died in August 2019 after police threw him to the ground and put him in a now-banned carotid artery chokehold.      

There are so many decent citizens in Texas and throughout this country. We can remember the past. We have learned from it.      

Marriott made approximately $17 million from resort fees in 2019, according to a recently unsealed District of Columbia Attorney General's lawsuit.      

No one was seriously hurt when an airplane bound for Boston ran off a runway and burned Tuesday morning near Houston, authorities said.      

Police do not believe a single witness on the Philadelphia train dialed 911. They are investigating whether some bystanders filmed the assault.      

Shaun White's gold medal in the men's halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 was his third, a record for a snowboarder     

The FDA's proposed rule would allow hearing aids to be sold in stores or online without an exam or fitting by a specialist and could potential lower costs.      

Trump's mocking of Powell drew rebuke across the political spectrum. Powell, who was vaccinated but had multiple myeloma, died of COVID complications.