Deseret News

The U.S. Department of the Interior has plans to fire at least an additional 2,050 employees “imminently,” it wrote in a declaration filed in federal court on Monday. Workers from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, among others, are included in the pending workforce cull. The BLM in Utah would lose 12% of its total workforce. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4hp65lX

When Cougar fans stormed the LaVell Edwards Stadium field in celebration after defeating Utah this past weekend, BYU anticipated a fine from the Big 12. Crumbl CEO Jason McGowan volunteered to pay any possible fine, allowing fans to enjoy the euphoric moment without fear of penalty. However, the Big 12’s decision not to fine BYU lets McGowan off the hook for paying $50,000 to the conference, but he has elected to spend would-be fine money in a different way. “Instead of a fine, that money’s going straight to our players through an NIL,” McGowan posted to X on Wednesday. But BYU athletes won’t be the only beneficiaries of McGowan’s charity. “And because of your overwhelming support and inspired by Kalani (Sitake)’s love for his opponents, every bit of student lunch debt in the Provo City and Salt Lake City school districts for all schools was wiped out this morning,” McGowan added. Read more here: http://bit.ly/47DcHd1

Imprisoned murderer and acclaimed journalist John J. Lennon published a book earlier this month. "The Tragedy of True Crime" gives a glimpse into the broader world of the true crime genre. Lennon opened up about forgiveness, resilience and voices society silences in a Deseret News interview. “I’m going to give you the awful parts. I’m going to give you the self-discovery. I’m going to give you ... what I observe in others, and we’ll let you have it,” Lennon said. Read more here: http://bit.ly/48HItGS

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox leads a trade mission to New Zealand and Australia that includes dozens of local civic and industry leaders. Trade mission delegates are focusing on three industry tracks: aerospace and defense, critical minerals, and development and innovation. Cox will participate in the upcoming International Mining & Resources Conference, Australia’s most influential mining event. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4hkMQKh

Uncrustables have long been a mealtime hero, easy to pack, easy to eat and entirely crust-free. On Oct. 13, Smucker’s filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Trader Joe’s crustless sandwich versions infringe on its trademarks. The filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio accuses the grocery chain of infringement, trademark dilution, unfair competition, false designation of origin and deceptive trade practices. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4qgb0tj

More than 13 million acres of public lands were opened up for coal leasing by the Trump administration at the end of September. Only 48,000 acres are in Utah, but some of the tracts are near or adjacent to some of the nation’s most popular national parks — Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. “These are places that unify all Americans ... and to put those places at risk is just wildly out of touch with what Americans want to see on their federal public lands,” said Steve Bloch, the legal director and attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4hbAwvM

The Senate voted to overturn Biden era land-use plans in Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. It is the first time Congress has intervened on land management plans using the Congressional Review Act. Stakeholders from both sides of the political aisle warn it will create chaos for the future of land management. “It really undermines the land-use planning process that — whether you like the outcome or not — people take very, very seriously in the West. In Utah, in particular,“ said Nada Wolff Culver, the former principal deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management during the Biden administration. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4n8Xllk

University of Utah on Tuesday announced an initiative to reward high school students with a 3.5 GPA. Dubbed "Utah Promise," the initiative will cover full tuition and fees for successful applicants to the school. “This is a transformative step for the University of Utah,” said University of Utah President Taylor Randall. “No student should have to choose between pursuing a college education and their family’s financial security.” Read more here: http://bit.ly/4n6tslo

All 20 of the living hostages who remain in Gaza were released on Monday as part of the historic ceasefire deal brokered by President Donald Trump to put an end to the two-yearlong war that has left tens of thousands of people dead. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4o030uU

California’s Legislature just passed a new law aimed at stopping advertisements from raising the volume on streaming services. The new law, SB576, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week, said ads cannot be louder than the primary video content that is being watched, per BBC. It builds on a federal law that sets the volume of ads on broadcast TV and cable stations. Opponents to the law argued that it would be difficult to implement, since streamers don’t have the same control over ad volume as broadcasters do. Read more here: http://bit.ly/4qjUZTs