News Briefs

Mountain Meadows: Is that all?

A BYU graduate and former Utah resident says that the LDS Church still hasn't taken care of its responsibility to the victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He says "the descendants of the Fancher party still await any official apology or even a statement of responsibility by the Utah LDS Church."

see: Utah massacre still has hint of hypocrisy
Little Rock AR Democrat-Gazette 10Oct99 N1
By James A. Everett: Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Gay and Lesbian Group protests during General Conference

Utahns for Fairness, a group of gay and lesbian rights activists staged a "silent protest" oustide Temple Square in Salt Lake City during the recent General Conference. An estimated 150 people joined the protest, asking the LDS Church to stop its "involvement in gay hatred politics."

see: U Group Joins LDS ConferenceProtest
(USU) Daily Chronicle 4Oct99 N1
By Scott Lewis: Chronicle News Writer

Gay rights group protests church's initiative stance
Ogden UT Standard-Examiner 4Oct99 N1
By Loretta Park: Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau

Hits & Misses: Out in the Open
Salt Lake City Weekly 7Oc99 N1

Hatch came in 2nd in GOP straw poll

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch finished 2nd, with 29 percent of the vote, in a presidential straw poll at the Western States Republican Leadership Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. Presidential front- runner George W. Bush came in first with 34 percent, while Steve W. Forbes collected 24 percent of the vote. Hatch and Forbes were the only candidates to show up at the low-profile straw poll.

see: Hatch wins 2nd place in Western GOP poll
Deseret News 4Oct99 N2

LDS Church's Genealogy site one of the busiest on Internet

Since going on-line May 24th, the LDS Church's Family Search site has received more than 1.5 Billion 'hits', serving as many as 8 million pages a day. Despite early problems, the site has 300,000 registered users and is very stable.

see: Genealogy site one of the busiest
Ogden UT Standard-Examiner 9Oct99 N3
By Joe Pyrah: Standard-Examiner staff
LDS' www.familysearch.org has had close to 1.5 billion hits

Mormon history sites conserved using legal technique

Conservationists in Summit and Morgan counties in Utah have preserved portions of the Mormon Trail as well as 3 Mormon militia fortifications used to try and repel U.S. Troops during the 1857-58 Utah war. The conservationists used a legal technique which involves having public trusts receive or purchase conservation easments on the property to be preserved. The easements restrict future development of the land.

see: Ranchers Help Ensure 'Old' Utah Is Preserved
Salt Lake Tribune 12Oct99 N1
By Tom Wharton: Salt Lake Tribune

BYU Professor seeking WWII letters from LDS Soldiers

BYU Professor Mark Grandstaff says that the full history of World War II has not yet been told because a "people's history" of the war hasn't been writen. He and other researchers are looking for the writings and stories of WWII soldiers and Grandstaff is particularly interested in information from LDS Soldiers. "We have no letters from LDS soldiers and their experience on war," says Grandstaff. "How did religion play in maintaining their sanity during war?"

see: Time running out as researchers seek letters home
Provo UT Daily Herald 9Oct99 N2
By Karen Hoag: Daily Herald