General News

Opening of Green Polygamy Trial Attracts Attention of the World

The start of the court case against polygamist Tom Green has attracted attention from newspapers all over the English speaking world. Newspaper stories on major news wires like the Associated Press, United Press International and Reuters have appeared in newspapers across the US and around the world, including such disparate places as Johannesburg, South Africa, Manchester, England and Melbourne, Australia. Utah's 4th District Court yesterday selected a jury of eight with one alternate to hear the case against Green, who is charged with four counts of bigamy.

Elder Loren C. Dunn, Boston Temple President, Dead at 70

Elder Loren C. Dunn, President of the Boston Temple, died last night in a Boston area hospital while undergoing treatment for cancer. Elder Dunn's death came just hours after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Boston Temple's steeple could be completed. Elder Dunn was recovering from extensive surgery May 1st that was meant to combat an aggressive cancer. But his recovery had been difficult, according to a report received by Mormon News, and his condition had deteriorated rapidly in the past two days.

Local News

Boston Temple Steeple OKed

Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can build a steeple on its Boston Temple. Neighbors of the building had sued and persuaded a state appeals court judge that the steeple violated zoning ordinances. But the court, in a unanimous opinion, overturned the lower court, ruling that "It is not for judges to determine whether the inclusion of a particular architectural feature is 'necessary' for a particular religion."

BYU Molecular Genealogy Project Accused of Ethical Lapse in New Zealand

An ambitious BYU project to create a genetic world map for use by family history researchers came under fire yesterday for failing to get the approval of a local ethics committee. The claims came after representatives from the project collected blood samples and genealogical data at an LDS chapel in the Henderson neighborhood of Auckland, New Zealand. But the project' public relations director, Ugo Perego, claimed that the project didn't need local approval.

Sports

Checketts Fired

Dave Checketts, the LDS Church member who has headed the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden for six years, was fired yesterday by the corporate owner of the Garden, Cablevision, according to the New York Daily News. News of his firing spread quickly yesterday, shocking members of the sports teams he ran but pleasing some fans, who were not satisfied with the Knicks and Rangers failures in the playoffs in recent years.

Politics

Deseret News Survey Shows Mormons Still Dominate Utah

The Deseret News completed its five-day look at the most powerful and influential Utahns, creating a list of 20 people that is dominated by active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At least half of those on the Deseret News' list, and all of the top five on that list, are active LDS Church members. But the News points out that the nature of power in Utah has changed dramatically, broadening to include more people and more points of view.

Internet

LDS Internet Radio Station Now On Its Own

KZION LDS Internet Radio, the only independent, Internet-based music radio station which caters to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently took another step forward in progress as they began operating with their own equipment. Previous to May 9th, KZION had used Live365.com's free services for broadcasting.

People

Stake Relief Society President Speaks About Death of Her Son

Eighteen months after her son collapsed and died from an undiagnosed heart condition, Huntington Beach Stake Relief Society President Cindy Lang spoke in Church on Sunday about how faith gave her strength to endure the tragedy. She honored her own mother, Marlene Moore, who was with her both at the birth of her son, Scotty, and at his death 16 years later.

Arts & Entertainment

Maren is Waiting, Her Mother is Watching

While her daughter waits to see if her debut album, "Waiting," becomes popular, her mother, Kathy Ord, is carefully watching everything, worried that her daughter will be chewe up in the cut-throat music industry or devastated if success never comes. An experienced musician in her own right, Kathy Ord has served as a source of stability and strength as Maren works her career and waits.

Labute in London: Controversial Mormon Playwright & Director Has New Play

Mormonism's most controversial playwright and director, Neil LaBute, is in London directing his new play, "The Shape of Things," a look at the darker side of human nature, like the previous films and plays he has written. In Sunday's London Observer Sean O'Hagan interviewed LaBute and wrote about what makes him so controversial and so contradictory.

Business

LDS-led Construction Firm Files Chapter 11

Washington Group International, Inc., formerly known as Morrison-Knudsen, filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code today, due to financial troubles arising from litigation with Ratheon Co. The company, the fourth largest construction firm in the US, best known for its construction of Nevada's Hoover Dam, is headed by LDS Church member Stephen G. Hanks, who was recently named Business Leader of the Year by Ricks College.

Mormon Businessman Elected Chairman of Billion-dollar Energy Company

Avista Corporation's board of directors has named Gary G. Ely its chairman just six months after it named the 34-year company veteran President and CEO. Ely, who is Mormon, is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He has also played a key role in turning around two of the company's subsidiaries, returning them to financial strength.

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