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September 6, 2010
Confidence growing with Islamic Relief (LDS Church News) (September 6, 2010) Thanks to the generosity of countless members, the Church is able to help provide relief to millions of Pakistanis who have been impacted by recent historic flooding.
The Church does not work alone. Over the years the Church's emergency response office has developed valued partnerships with a variety of charitable organizations.
Church begins ad campaign featuring members in a central role (LDS Church News) (September 6, 2010) "Hi, I'm Rose Yvette. I'm a convert, an artist, a wife, a mother of four, and a Filipina American. I'm a Mormon." So reads a typical profile at the website mormon.org that is part of a nine-city ad campaign featuring unscripted members of the Church introducing themselves, describing their lives and declaring that they are Mormons.
From broken bones to a scholarship for Georgia Scout (Deseret News - Utah) (September 6, 2010) Michael T. Smith, of the Milton Ward, Roswell Georgia Stake, offered to help his mother type family history information into a computer data base while she was recovering from surgery. That simple act of kindness lead to national recognition and scholarship opportunities.
Michael has been named the 2010 Mable & Lawrence S. Cooke National Eagle Scout Scholar by the Board of Regents and Officers of the National Eagle Scout Association of the Boy Scouts of America and has been awarded a $20,000 scholarship. Michael plans to attend Brigham Young University in the fall, majoring in viola performance.
Ground zero church launches with anti-Muslim, anti-Mormon sermon (Salon) (September 6, 2010) To an audience of about 50 people -- fully half of whom were members of the press -- Pastor Bill Keller launched his 9-11 Christian Center at ground zero this morning with a fiery sermon targeting Muslims and Mormons as hell-bound followers of false faiths. Keller took aim in particular at Glenn Beck, a Mormon, and Imam Rauf, the organizer of the Park51 Islamic community center.
Estonian Lutheran Church protests Mormon use of deceased records (Hurriyet Daily News) (September 6, 2010) The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church is lambasting the Ministry of the Interior for allowing the Mormon Church access to records that may be being used to re-baptize deceased Estonians.
Estonian Lutherans are not happy with the state’s cooperation agreement with the U.S.-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that allows the copying of Estonian state archives to Mormon databases, the Baltic Reports website reported last week.
September 4, 2010
Church Update on Earthquake in New Zealand (LDS Church news release) (September 4, 2010) A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island early Saturday morning at 4:35 a.m., causing extensive damage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is assessing the needs of those impacted by the quake. In response to news media inquiries regarding the well-being of Latter-day Saint missionaries, the Church has confirmed that all missionaries in the area are safe and accounted for.
Media joining to eliminate duplications (Deseret News - Utah) (September 4, 2010) For years there has been a large percentage of breaking and calendar news that is double — and even triple — covered by Deseret Media Companies.
It was not unprecedented for Deseret News and KSL-TV and KSL Newsradio to all be represented at the same press conference.
Now, the entities have developed a plan to eliminate that duplication and increase coverage of other in-depth stories.
Deseret News to utilize specialists as way of enriching local reports (Deseret News - Utah) (September 4, 2010) It took four days for news of the Battle of Trafalgar to reach Britain in 1805.
It took 12 hours, after telephone and telegraph service were interrupted, for news of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which struck Japan in 1923, to reach the outside world.
It took exactly 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds for the SR-71 Blackbird to fly from New York City to London, England, in 1974.
BYU-Idaho plans to expand enrollment (LDS Church News) (September 4, 2010) REXBURG, Idaho — In order to fulfill its mission to serve more students, Brigham Young University-Idaho is increasing its full-time student equivalency enrollment cap from 11,600 to 12,500 per semester beginning this fall. This change comes as the first phase in an enrollment expansion plan the university announced last year. The plan is projected to raise enrollment to 15,000 per semester by 2015.
President Cecil O. Samuelson, Sharon Samuelson at BYU devotional Sept. 7 (BYU news release) (September 4, 2010)
Brigham Young University President Cecil O. Samuelson and his wife Sharon will welcome students to BYU for the new school year by kicking off the 2010-2011 devotional and forum series Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 11:05 a.m. in the Marriott Center.
President Samuelson’s talk is titled “Appropriate Zeal,” while Sister Samuelson will speak about “Gratitude — A Commandment of God.”
The back-to-school devotional will be broadcast live on the BYU Broadcasting channels and at byub.org. Visit byub.org/devotionals or speeches.byu.edu for rebroadcast and archive information.
Mormon Helping Hands: 10,000 LDS members set service projects in S. Idaho Sept. 11 (Idaho State Journal) (September 4, 2010) On Sept. 11, more than 10,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will take part in Mormon Helping Hands service projects across Southern Idaho. More than 800 people alone will take part in the Pocatello area.
Local LDS leaders, in partnership with county, city, school district and other community leaders will beautify and improve streets, parks, schools and other areas in their communities.
Which God Should We Turn To? (The Christian Post) (September 4, 2010) As you know, on August 28, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall for what organizer Glenn Beck called a “Restoring Honor” rally.
The stated goal of the rally was to “to pay tribute to America’s military personnel and others ‘who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.’” Beck told the crowd that “something beyond imagination is happening . . . America today begins to turn back to God.”
While I hope and pray that is the case, I do have some concerns.
New leaders for area Latter-day Saints called (Placer Herald - California) (September 4, 2010) Sean Murphy of Rocklin was recently named President of the Rocklin Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by visiting church authorities. Also called were his counselors, Jesse Deaver, also of Rocklin, and John Brasher of Newcastle.
Leaders in the LDS church serve without pay for an indefinite time until released by appropriate church authorities. Church leaders continue to hold full-time jobs in the community.
President Murphy is already well-known among local church members, having served previously as a counselor to Mike Wells of Lincoln, who served for nine years as the Stake President. The Rocklin stake grew significantly in the past nine years, to around 6000 members in 13 congregations covering the Lincoln, Rocklin, & Loomis communities.
Can BYU’s two-quarterback plan work? (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (September 4, 2010) Taking big risks has been the theme of the summer for Brigham Young University’s football program, even if nobody around Provo is calling it gambling.
Conservative-as-it-gets BYU ended months of speculation Wednesday by announcing that it is leaving the relatively safe confines of the Mountain West Conference and going independent in football beginning in 2011 — a bold, headline-snatching move that many college football observers around the country believe is destined to fail.
You didn’t think BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was going to stay away from the craps table — metaphorically speaking — as well, did you?
September 3, 2010
Brother: Sannar's family 'meant everything to him' (Fresno Bee - California) (September 3, 2010)
Clay Sannar, the young Mormon church leader gunned down Sunday by a mentally ill stranger, would want his family to heal and move on without him, his brother said Wednesday.
"That was his whole life -- his wife and his children. That meant everything to him," said Jared Sannar of Fresno.
2,000 expected at Sannar funeral in Visalia (Visalia Times-Delta - California) (September 3, 2010) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officials expect as many as 2,000 people to attend today's funeral service for Clay Sannar, a lay bishop shot to death Sunday in his church office.
Visalia police are asking those who don't need to drive near the site of the funeral, a church at 650 N. Lovers Lane, to avoid the area during the early afternoon. All in the community are invited.
Slain Mormon bishop was close to the gospel (Deseret News - Utah) (September 3, 2010) The Mormon bishop who was shot to death at the Visalia LDS Church on Sunday was the kind of man who listened to the Spirit, said a family friend.
Consequently, when Clay Sannar spoke, unruly youth quieted and listened.
He knew when to give a hug and when to give a Priesthood blessing.
Web fund hits $60,000 for slain bishop's family (Daily Herald - Utah) (September 3, 2010) A Lehi-born viral campaign to raise funds for the family of a murdered California bishop reached its $60,000 goal Thursday morning.
That's $60,000 in purely online PayPal pledges just over three days after Clay Sannar was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Visalia, Calif.
Mormons have mixed views of Beck's rise (The Washington Post) (September 3, 2010) Like conservative commentator Glenn Beck, Stephen Owens is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His in-laws traveled from Utah to Washington last weekend to join Beck's rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
Owens, however, said he has always "kind of rolled my eyes" at Beck's views.
And when the Salt Lake City lawyer read that Beck publicly questioned President Obama's "version of Christianity" the day after the rally, he was so angry that he wrote a letter to the local newspaper.
Obama, Beck: Who is Christian? Who decides? (The Washington Post) (September 3, 2010) Is President Obama a Christian? Is Glenn Beck?
That's the question that has been swirling in the media this week. The answer may lie in how "Christian" is defined and whether the Mormon church, to which Beck belongs, considers Protestants to be Christians.
Dan Peterson: Exploring universal Christian beliefs (Deseret News - Utah) (September 3, 2010) Glenn Beck has been in the news lately and, not surprisingly, so has his religion. Some have warned Christians to be wary of Beck, not because of his political views but because of his religious affiliation. He is, they say, not a real Christian.
I'm betting, though, that he is. I don't know Mr. Beck personally, but he belongs to the same church I do, and I'm a pretty mainstream member. I'll wager that his beliefs resemble mine.
Why Mormons are still thriving (Malvern Gazette - UK) (September 3, 2010) THE Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - the Mormons - is often thought of as a religion of exclusively American origin.
But how many people know that the world's oldest surviving Mormon chapel nestles in green countryside just south of the Malvern Hills, in the hamlet of Gadfield Elm, between Staunton and Pendock?
Senator Hatch: Mosque controversy will define us (Deseret News - Utah) (September 3, 2010) On the eve of the 9/11 terrorist attacks' ninth anniversary, the controversy over locating a mosque near ground zero in New York City shows that we must stand for fundamental freedoms even as we encourage their responsible exercise.
The free exercise of religion is the first right in the First Amendment. Most people on this planet will never have this right, and it is an indelible part of America's heritage of liberty. Most of the time, this right of conscience and worship is simply part of the rhythm of American life. But then conflicts occur that force us deliberately to consider, and hopefully to reaffirm, the freedom that otherwise runs in the background. Only if that freedom is kept strong will it be there when we need it.
September 2, 2010
Church and Jewish Leaders Resolve Concerns Over Baptisms (LDS Church news release) (September 2, 2010) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jewish leaders issued the following statement today: "Goodwill and friendship have marked the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Jewish people. The support that the state of Israel has given the Church in helping establish the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies is appreciated and continues to foster greater understanding between us.
Jewish, Mormon leaders issue joint statement (Deseret News - Utah) (September 2, 2010) Jewish and Mormon leaders issued a joint statement Wednesday acknowledging that concerns between members of both groups over a sensitive doctrinal issue have been eliminated.
According to the statement, which was issued to news media simultaneously in New York and Salt Lake City, The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants had pointed out to the LDS Church that its practice of proxy baptism had "unintentionally caused pain" because of the inclusion of names of Holocaust victims in the religious rite.
Mormons, Jews In New Pact On Baptisms (Jewish Week - New York) (September 2, 2010) Two years after a rupture in Mormon-Jewish relations in America, leaders of the two groups believe they have achieved “a breakthrough” and finally solved an issue of major contention between them — the Mormon Church’s practice of proxy baptism of souls, including of Jewish Holocaust victims.
The new pact, which was announced in a statement Wednesday simultaneously through The Jewish Week and The Deseret News, the Mormon-owned Salt Lake City daily, stipulates that the Mormon Church will allow Jewish Holocaust victims to be the only category exempt from Church doctrine that calls for vicarious baptism for the dead, giving souls the choice to enter the Kingdom of God.
LDS, Jews resolve proxy baptism dispute — or have they? (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (September 2, 2010) The LDS Church and Jewish leaders in New York are looking forward to working together on relief efforts and other endeavors after announcing Wednesday the resolution of a sticky dispute: posthumous proxy baptisms by Mormons of Jewish Holocaust victims.
But not everyone is convinced the problem is settled.
The Utah-based church reiterated its willingness to eliminate names of Holocaust victims from its massive genealogical database. The Jewish delegation, headed by Robert Abrams, New York’s former attorney general, acknowledged the church’s good intentions.
Elder Cook responds to bishop slaying (LDS Church News) (September 2, 2010) Our hearts go out to Bishop Sannar's family and we mourn with and pray for them, together with their friends and ward members. It is a tragic event. We are confident that the extended family, friends, ward members, the community and the Church will stay close to this family and bless them in every possible way.
Slain Mormon church leader remembered as humble, heroic (Bellingham Herald - California) (September 2, 2010) Clay Sannar, the young Mormon church leader gunned down on Sunday by a mentally ill stranger, would want his family to heal and move on without him, his brother said Wednesday.
"That was his whole life - his wife and his children. That meant everything to him," said Jared Sannar of Fresno.
Clay Sannar, 40, is survived by his wife, Julie, 39, and six sons ages four months to 14 years.
Jacksonville one of nine markets selected for Mormon campaign to dispel myths (Florida Times-Union) (September 2, 2010) Dennis Berry has heard the stereotypes about Mormons.
“A few people that think we’re maybe a little strait-laced and rigorous in our actions, and we can’t do this, this and this,” the Orange Park resident said. “We’re just everyday people, and we do the same things you do.”
As Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign also revealed, many believe Mormons aren’t Christians.
As president of the West Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jacksonville, Berry’s done plenty of talking to educate folks about his faith, one conversation at a time.
Payson annexing land for LDS temple (Daily Herald - Utah) (September 2, 2010) Payson City is annexing several swatches of Utah County land for a little more elbow room for southern expansion, which includes a forthcoming temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It's a subtle game of tug-of-war between Payson and Santaquin, with unincorporated Spring Lake caught in between. There is no single boundary line between the two cities, Payson city manager Rich Nelson said, so until there is, Payson is going after it chunk by chunk.
BYU football makes 8-year deal with ESPN (Universe - Utah) (September 2, 2010) BYU officially declared its independence in football Wednesday, but not for the reasons many people expected.
As rumors of an imminent move swirled in recent weeks, speculation focused on BYU’s desires to rake in more money and have a stronger shot at a national championship.
But BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, in making the announcement at a press conference on campus, said the greater motivations were access and exposure.
Mountain Meadows affidavit Hofmann forgery? (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (September 2, 2010) Mormon bomber Mark Hofmann’s calling card has popped up again, signaling that the forger’s handiwork may be more widespread than previously believed.
But this time, instead of bogus documents surrounding the origins of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an embarrassing affidavit on the Mountain Meadows Massacre has surfaced.
Just shy of the 25th anniversary of Hofmann’s deadly Salt Lake City-area bombing spree, a written record quoted by historians has become the focus of an investigation.
Is Glenn Beck preaching Mormon 'restoration' theology? (Washington Post) (September 2, 2010) "Does God speak through Glenn Beck?" While secularists at MSNBC smirk and some on the "permanent left" deride this question, believers understand that God chooses special messengers. Catholic theology says you don't have to be a saint for God to speak through you. So does God speak through the Fox News man?
Knowing that Beckian revelation could happen raises the question if it did happen. In the light of Beck's August 2010 rally at the Lincoln Memorial, when Beck attributed his words to God's power, a Catholic theological test helps decide if his was truly a "God moment."
Mormon Media Empire Goes More Digital (The New York Times) (September 2, 2010) The Deseret News has been around since the days after Brigham Young led the Mormons to Salt Lake City, and the fastest way to spread news was on a machine called the telegraph.
Now Utah’s oldest continuously published daily is trying to embrace a 21st-century media model.
Emphasizing just how forward-looking its new strategy is, the paper explained the reorganization (how else, you ask?) in a virtual press conference on Twitter on Tuesday.
PVH surgical nurse volunteers talents in Indonesia aid effort (Coloradoan) (September 2, 2010) Kaye Christensen of Windsor, a surgical nurse at Poudre Valley Hospital, traded operating-room locations for five weeks this summer, working aboard the U.S. Navy ship Mercy on a humanitarian aid assignment to Indonesia. "We operated daily on persons of all ages from underdeveloped areas in Indonesia; persons who would have not had such medical attention if the ship had not stopped in their area," said Christensen, who volunteered for the mission through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Christensen learned of the volunteer opportunity in November through the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. She had accumulated substantial paid time off through her 16 years of work with Poudre Valley Hospital and decided to apply for the volunteer, unpaid effort. The hospital allowed her a five-week leave of absence
September 1, 2010
Ukraine members celebrate heritage (LDS Church News) (September 1, 2010) Members of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple District honor their ancestors. Such attitude was demonstrated in the cultural program they staged Saturday evening, Aug. 28, in conjunction with the dedication of the temple the next day.
Slain LDS bishop remembered (ABC 4 - Utah) (September 1, 2010) There’s new information about the motive that led a man to kill a Mormon bishop in California over the weekend.
Shortly after noon Sunday, Kenneth James Ward walked into a Visalia, California ward house and shot the bishop, 40-year-old Clay Sanner.
August 31, 2010
President Monson Dedicates Kyiv Ukraine Temple (LDS Church news release) (August 31, 2010) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine no longer need to travel 30 hours by bus to Freiberg, Germany, to attend the nearest temple. The Church’s first temple in the former Soviet Union was dedicated 29 August 2010 in Kyiv, Ukraine, by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
Kyiv Ukraine Temple: Expressing love for a prophet (LDS Church News) (August 31, 2010) The love members in the Kyiv Ukraine Temple district feel for President Thomas S. Monson is, quite literally, beyond description. Even if there were no language barriers, many would have no difficulty expressing their feelings for President Monson’s legendary role in bringing the first temple to Eastern Europe in the vast area once under Soviet control.
China official looking to improve relations with Church (LDS Church News) (August 31, 2010) Recent talks by Church leaders with a high government official in the People's Republic of China are expected to result in "regularized" activities for the Church in that nation, the First Presidency has announced.
"The First Presidency and other senior leaders at Church headquarters in Salt Lake City have had discussions with a senior official of the People's Republic of china from Beijing and have established a relationship which we expect will lead to regularizing the activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in China," read the brief statement released Aug. 30.
China a prize in LDS’s eyes (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 31, 2010) There is no hint of a Mormon presence in the high-rise where the Beijing LDS branches meet.
Visitors must pass through a lobby featuring several boutiques, including a liquor store, find their way to the elevator, take it to the fourth floor and then stroll down a long hallway. No familiar logo above the door. No church name or meeting times on the directories.
Slain Mormon bishop 'a family man' (Deseret News - Utah) (August 31, 2010) Colleagues and ward members of Bishop Clay Sannar, the ecclesiastical leader of the Visalia, Calif., LDS ward who was shot to death Sunday afternoon, say he was a good father, good husband and a hard-working, honest man.
Jerry Rivers, an independent consultant for Soil Basics — the Sannar's family-owned fertilizer business — said he has known 40-year-old Sannar for 12 years and found him to be a good manager and excellent family man.
Slain Mormon bishop: Reaction from neighboring minister, alleged shooter's family (Deseret News - Utah) (August 31, 2010) The tragic events of past 24 hours that left a Mormon bishop dead have left a neighboring minister and the family of the alleged killer with heavy hearts.
KSL-TV is reporting on its website that Mike Ward, the younger brother of alleged shooter Kenneth James Ward, said his brother was mentally ill and felt wronged by the LDS Church – a church which he belonged to in the 1980s. His brother said Kenneth believed he had been "shunned to hell" by a bishop in 1988, and that is why he asked for a bishop when he went to the church in Visalia on Sunday.
Suspect in Mormon church attack was former member (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 31, 2010) The suspected gunman in the fatal shooting of a Mormon church official in Central California was mentally ill and believed the church had wronged him when he was a member in the 1980s, family members said Monday.
Kenneth James Ward, 47, would go through delusional spells when he blamed the Mormon church for his troubles, according to his younger brother, Mike Ward.
Memorial Account For Family of Murdered Visalia Bishop (KMPH Fox 26 - California) (August 31, 2010) A memorial account has been established for the family of a Visalia Mormon Bishop, who was murdered at his church over the weekend.
42 year-old Bishop Clay Sannar was shot and killed Sunday by 47-year-old Kenneth James Ward at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Tulare St.
Sannar leaves behind a wife and six sons.
Contributions to Sannar's family can be mailed to
The Sannar Family Trust Fund
PO Box 3328
Visalia, CA 93278
or
The Sannar Family Trust Fund
Citizens Business Bank
500 West Main Street
Visalia, CA 93291
Jubilee year marks Toronto stake's 50th (Deseret News - Utah) (August 31, 2010) The Toronto Ontario Stake celebrated 50 years with a Jubilee meeting on Aug. 15, which capped a year of special events from celebrating the anniversary.
The stake was organized by President Thomas S. Monson — the Canadian Mission president at the time — on Aug. 14, 1960, in the Odeon Carlton theater. Elder Mark E. Petersen presided and William M. Davies was sustained as the stake president of the LDS Church's 300th stake.
KSL Newsradio host Doug Wright's son, Eric Wright, dies in D.C. (Deseret News - Utah) (August 31, 2010) Eric Wright, the 22-year-old son of KSL Newsradio host Doug Wright, died this weekend in Washington, D.C., in an apparent fall.
Police found Wright's body in the rear alley of the 3700 block of Georgia Avenue, NW, shortly before 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to a news release.
August 30, 2010
Shootings leaves Mormon official, suspect dead (Associated Press) (August 30, 2010) A gunman killed a Mormon church official after a church service Sunday, then police fatally wounded the man suspected in the attack less than a half-hour later, officials said. Clay Sannar, 42, a lay bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Visalia, southeast of Fresno, died after being shot in his office, said Visalia police chief Colleen Mestas.
Mormon bishop fatally shot in California chapel; gunman killed (Deseret News - Utah) (August 30, 2010) A man shot and killed a Mormon bishop at a chapel in California and then was later shot dead by police Sunday afternoon, according to multiple reports.
The shooting took place around 12:30 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel on Tulare Avenue in Visalia, Calif., according to Visalia Police Capt. Rick Haskill.
Police and church officials identified the slain bishop as Clay Sannar, 40, of the Visalia 2nd Ward. Visalia Stake spokesman Ralph Jordan said Sannar was conducting interviews after the three-hour block of morning meetings when a man asked to see him.
Beck, Palin Rally the Faithful as Other Rallies Focus on MLK Jr. Legacy (PBS Newshour) (August 30, 2010) They came looking for hope, for change, for like-minded people. They came because they didn't want to be alone. They came because of a belief that "they" (the government, politicians, someone) is taking away their freedoms.
"Glenn Beck said this is about God, and not about politics," said Jolynne Manon, of Hollidaysburg, Pa. "It's mostly about not losing any more of our freedoms."
Point of View: God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck (Florida Baptism Witness) (August 30, 2010) A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.
The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.
If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.
BYU still pushing for football independence (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 30, 2010) With a Wednesday deadline looming, indications abound that Brigham Young University is still doggedly pursuing a plan to go independent in football and has been in simultaneous membership negotiations with both the Western Athletic Conference and the West Coast Conference for the rest of its nonfootball sports teams.
What is at stake as the two conferences wrangle for the Cougars became clearer Sunday. More e-mails and internal documents surfaced showing WAC Commissioner Karl Benson had preliminary discussions with ESPN in June in which the television sports giant indicated a WAC-BYU agreement might result in a 300 percent increase in television revenue over the roughly $500,000 per school currently being received by WAC institutions such as Utah State.
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