General News

Hinckley Relief Society Remarks Make National News A news story about LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley's remarks during the LDS Church's General Relief Society Meeting on Saturday evening made the associated press' newswire and were picked up by newspapers throughout the US. The story indicates that Hinckley "warned mothers" about "degrading concerts and drug-ridden dance parties" that their children may be attending.

LDS Church Objects to Main Street Coverage The LDS Church's Public Affair's Department started taking a much more active public stance Friday, blasting the Salt Lake Tribune's coverage of the lawsuits over the Church's Main Street Plaza for its suggestion that the Church deceived the public about its intentions for the new plaza. In public statements to the media and in press releases, the Church claims that it made clear from the beginning that the plaza was to be private property on which the Church controlled access.

Proposed White Plains Temple Loses Zoning Decision The LDS Church's plans to construct a Temple in Harrison, New York, just north of New York City, were dealt a set back last Thursday when the Harrison Zoning Board of Appeals rejected the Church's request for a height variance. The requested variance would have allowed the Church to construct a 44-foot high building in an area zoned for residences no taller than 30 feet.

Local News

Teen Arrested for Shooting in LDS Chapel A 16-year-old Idaho boy was arrested Friday after he fired shots at his stepfather. The incident took place at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints center located outside of Blackfoot, Idaho.

Sports

The Not-So-Little Wrestler That Could Its being called the Miracle on the Mat and the biggest upset in wrestling history. An on-line poll on MSNBC rates it the second biggest Olympic upset ever, behind the 1980 US Hockey Team win over Russia. LDS super-heavyweight wrestler Rulon Gardner told the Associated Press, "When did I think I could beat him? About 10 minutes ago. I kept saying, 'I think I can. I think I can.' But it wasn't until it was over that I knew I could." Gardner's shocking win over Russian Alexander Karelin Wednesday has caught the attention of the US news media, which is hungry for this kind of underdog win.

Politics

Clinton Signs Religious Zoning Law US President Bill Clinton signed a bill protecting religions from discrimination under local zoning laws into law on Friday. The bill addresses the concerns of many religions, including the LDS Church, that local governments are using zoning laws to keep them from building new churches or expanding existing ones.

Newspaper Says LDS Church Involved in Nebraska Defense of Marriage Group A Nebraska newspaper says that the LDS Church joined with Catholics and conservatives to form a group to lobby for Nebraska's defense of marriage amendment. The group, the Nebraska Coalition for the Protection of Marriage was formed last week, indicating in its organizational papers that it had raised or spent at least $5,000 in support of Initiative 416, an amendment to the Nebraska constitution that would ban same-sex marriages and civil unions.

People

Gilbert Stake President in Diversity Effort Gilbert, Arizona residents, Arnette Ward and John Lewis have been appointed to lead the town's first Diversity Task Force. The town held a Summit to End Hate and Violence  following assaults by a teenage White supremacists group.  They hope to encourage more than 40 participants to take meaningful personal diversity messages home to the community.

Arts & Entertainment

LDS Conductor Pursues Classical Music from Thailand to Utah to South Carolina Bundit Ungrangsee, a recent LDS Church convert and until recently associate conductor of the Utah Symphony, has accepted a position with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as its associate conductor, prompting a profile in the Charleston Post and Courier. A Thai native, Ungrangsee brings first rate orchestral qualifications to a position where he expects to conduct a wider variety of music more often. Ungrangsee will conduct the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in his debut on Friday, September 29th in Charleston's Sottile Theatre.

Business

Forbes 400 Yields New List of the Richest Mormons Quick! Who is the richest Mormon? If you answered Jon Huntsman, you are no longer correct. Forbes magazine's latest list of the 400 richest Americans puts Fiber Optics scientist and entrepreneur David Huber at #28 in his debut on the list, with an estimated net worth of $8.2 billion, twice that of Huntsman.

LDS Business Confronts Misinformation in Putting LDS Stakes on Web Two LDS entrepreneurs are trying to overcome misinformation and put LDS stakes on the Internet. Kari Thurber and John Lewis' site StakeInfo.com offers a place for LDS stakes to make their information available to stake members and visitors. But first, Thurber and Lewis must overcome rumors that the LDS Church discourages such sites and suspicion that they are using the Church's directory info against Church policy.

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