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9+ hour, 51+ min ago (269+ words) Following this week's 19-6 vote, Gov. Spencer Cox's nominee thanked state leaders and his family for entrusting him with the role. "We live in a contentious time, but it's my hope to be a voice of reason and respect. I deeply love this state, my lifelong home. I love the law and I love the court, and I will do my utmost to ensure a legacy of trust. I pledge my best efforts and gratefully accept this weighty responsibility," Nielsen said in his brief remarks. Nielsen, who described his judicial philosophy as "textualist" and "originalist" at the news conference announcing his nomination, was well received by Republicans who have been quick to accuse judges of "judicial activism" in rulings they disagree with. Democrats, meanwhile, flagged his role in some of the state's most heated political lawsuits, including over abortion and transgender…...

14+ hour, 39+ min ago (410+ words) Byrd Ficklin's dynamic play over the last few weeks has often provided the Utah football team with just the spark it needs in crucial moments. With every big run the true freshman quarterback has ripped off this season, the approval rating for "Surfin Bird" receives another boost. The creative minds behind Utah's social media accounts decided to fully lean into the one-hit-wonder for their final uniform reveal post of the 2025 regular season; which, of course, featured Ficklin. The song " made popular by the animated character Peter Griffin from "Family Guy" " looped in the background of a humorous 29-second video revealing an all-white look for the Utes for their Week 14 matchup with Kansas. Ficklin, who scored 3 rushing touchdowns in his team's 51-47 comeback win over Kansas State in Week 13, modeled a white helmet featuring the interlocking "U's" logo with a matching jersey…...

15+ hour, 37+ min ago (731+ words) Kalima Watson is an ancestry detective, and he wants to help you get in touch with your family history because he knows it can change your life. "When I delved into my own ancestry, it was life-changing," he said. "I learned about their stories, the hard things that they did, some of the difficulties that they've gone through, challenges that they overcame, and just knowing that helped me to feel like I could draw on their power and then face hard, difficult things as well." It encouraged Watson to push himself, to take some chances. He got a tattoo and went on a fitness journey, all because he felt "empowered" by his ancestors. He learned of one relative who was originally from Africa but ended up in Hawaii, and how his life played out there. He also learned about Scandinavian…...

21+ hour, 10+ min ago (755+ words) A Utah father is facing child torture and abuse charges after he took his three small children on a long, strenuous hike during a winter storm in Big Cottonwood Canyon and had to be rescued. Micah Smith, 31, was charged Wednesday with three counts of aggravated child abuse and three counts of child torture, all first-degree felonies which are punishable by up to life in prison if convicted. He is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail. A Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy wrote in charging documents that Smith was "extremely selfish" when he chose to push his three children " ages 2, 4, and 8 years old " to summit a mountain on Broads Fork Trail in October, rather than protecting them and turning around when storm clouds rolled in. Instead, the deputy wrote, Smith insisted that they move forward, and allegedly…...