“Alex understands that strong families are the foundation of a strong state. Her experience in education policy, child protection and strategic leadership will be an asset as we continue working to support parents and improve outcomes for Utah children,” Cox said in a news release.

Of Winder Newton, the governor said that “she built the office from the ground up and helped ensure the needs of parents and children were considered across state government. We are grateful for her leadership, her commitment to Utah families and her years of dedicated public service.”

The release noted that as director of the office, Winder Newton championed social media legislation and education, home visiting programs for vulnerable families and various proactive policies aimed at helping families and children.

The Utah Office of Families was created to promote “policies that support parents, protect children and strengthen marriages and families.”

Peterson, a mother of five, earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach and a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University.

Peterson worked in Congress before becoming national director of donor relations and the personal aide to Ann Romney when Mitt Romney was running for president in 2012. Back in Utah in 2015, she led corporate relations for doTERRA International and was a volunteer researcher and analyst with the Utah Women & Leadership Project.

More recently, she directed strategic development and impact at The Policy Project and now serves as the board chair and policy adviser with an emphasis on child sexual abuse prevention.

Said Peterson in the release: “Utah’s future depends on strong families and children who are safe, supported and prepared to succeed.”

She added, “I look forward to listening closely to parents, policymakers and partners across the state and advancing practical, evidence-based policies that meaningfully improve outcomes for Utah families.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is typically a one-week story at most, but this year’s event has spanned two seasons because of the shooting that interrupted the April event and now because of President Donald Trump’s antipathy for Kaitlan Collins.

Collins, the White House correspondent for CNN, was a target of one of Trump’s least effective jokes during the rescheduled event, and has since become a cause célèbre in the media because of her stoic responses to the president’s jabs and one thing in particular that he said Friday.

“She never smiles. Do you ever smile?” Trump said, looking toward Collins.

It’s unclear if the president knew that he was asking a prickly question that comes front-loaded with gender-related tension. But he should have known. Just ask MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough, who got in trouble in 2016 for telling then-candidate Hillary Clinton that she should smile more during a speech. Or anyone else who has made this recommendation in the public square.

Attempts to explain why so many women find the request offensive usually center on sexism: the idea that men are telling women how they should look or behave. But Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders has said Nancy Pelosi should smile more, and there is a whole lot of ongoing conversation about why New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani smiles so much.

In an essay for The Guardian entitled “I spent a month trying to smile like Zohran Mamdani — it’s no easy feat," Arwa Mahdawi wrote, “I can’t say with certainty why Mamdani grins all the time but I suspect the reasons aren’t particularly uplifting. The thing is, not everyone is allowed to be angry. When you’re brown or black and growing up somewhere where you are a minority, you soon learn that your emotions are constantly policed.”

The “emotion police” sounds downright Orwellian, and telling a woman she ought to smile more seems to fall short of harassment, as some claim. It’s an oafish comment to be sure, even worse when expanded to “You’d be prettier if you’d smile,” which I and countless other women have been subjected to by complete strangers.

Trump: Kaitlan Collins is a young, attractive woman. She never smiles. Do you ever smile? I thought she had really made it big with a major new sponsorship but then I informed her that it was not her on the Bud Light can. It was Dylan Mulvaney pic.twitter.com/Eqfu4gs7kA

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2026

Still, there are worse things to say to a person, and there were, in fact, worse things said at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. (You can read Trump’s full speech here, courtesy of RealClearPolitics.) In her assessment of the evening, Sasha Stone wrote, “It was either hilariously funny or extremely offensive, depending on your tribal affiliation.”

But the room was mostly silent when Trump took on Collins, a 34-year-old Alabama native who once worked for The Daily Caller, the right-leaning website co-founded by Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel. (Carlson sold his stake in 2020.)

Trump’s beef with Collins has nothing to do with his beef with Carlson, however. The president has been calling out Collins for years, so much so that three years ago Politico published a piece entitled “‘Don’t talk to me’: A look at Trump’s previous clashes with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.”

This clash, however, comes at a time when there is a real chance that CNN could come under the ownership of Paramount Skydance and CBS boss Bari Weiss. It also bestowed upon Collins the kind of celebrity that made her a plum “get” on late-night shows.

On “The Daily Show,” she smiled ... a lot.

But you do have to wonder why she went on “The Daily Show” to have a friendly conversation with Jon Stewart, no fan of the president, especially since she told Stewart, “It’s really not about me, and I don’t want it to be about my reaction.”

.@KaitlanCollins on Trump's verbal attacks:

"It's really not about me, and I don't want it to be about my reaction. ... In those moments it's important to put the reminder back on the work, on the question, and on the non-answers that we get." pic.twitter.com/DY009dNy3k

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 28, 2026

You also have to wonder why Trump agreed to speak at all, given his disdain for the audience, and the potential for things not going well, which is the general consensus of what happened. (“He bombed,” former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin said.)

Perhaps the moral here is that not every invitation has to be accepted. There’s a lot to be said for a quiet evening at home with the family, just sayin’.

When poets attempt satire

Over the past few years, Joseph Massey has been called the poet laureate of the right. This happened, in part, because of attention he got after being on Megyn Kelly’s podcast, and because in some conservative circles, he was held up as an example of a person who got unfairly canceled because of a messy relationship gone bad. (He told a writer for The Free Press last year, “it was at the frenzied peak of #MeToo, and the poetry world hadn’t had a scalp yet.”)

Now enjoying a professional renaissance with a book of poems about America, Massey posts on social media regularly, often about his photogenic cat. But this week, amid increasing chatter about the journal of former federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci, Massey departed from his usual fare to share what he said was an “unbelievable” excerpt from Fauci’s journal.

The “unbelievable” part should have been a clue.

If not, the outlandish entries should have been. They included “I can’t leave my house because my neighbors chant my name and disturb the wildlife” and “Off now to be interviewed by Wolf Blitzer, who I had dinner with yesterday. Delicious mozzarella sticks — no masks, but hot dairy dilutes the germ plume.”

There were also some off-color remarks that, to me, made it clear that Massey was making fun of the real journal entries released by Sen. Rand Paul in advance of Fauci’s testimony under subpoena this week.

But not everyone made the distinction. Massey’s post was shared more than a thousand times on X, with many people believing it was real, prompting the platform to display a “community note” that said, “This entry does not appear in Anthony Fauci’s diary entries released by Sen. Rand Paul. No March 14, 2021 entry exists in the documents.”

Massey also had to wade into the comments to assure people that he had written the post and that it was satirical. There is danger in stepping outside one’s genre.

Recommended Reading

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the longstanding “Dead Donor Rule” with regard to organ donation bears revisiting in a time when people in some countries are allowed to choose medically assisted death. Valerie Hudson sees the “logical” end to this thinking as abhorrent.

“One might be excused for thinking there is no way to make the Canadian euthanasia situation worse than it already is, but you’d be wrong,” she writes.

Read more here: How Canada’s MAiD laws could become even worse

The Wall Street Journal recently asked whether talk therapy is leading to rising numbers of young people cutting ties with their parents. Naomi Schaefer Riley has another theory.

“The estrangement crisis is largely confined to America’s ‘haves.’ (They are people who can afford therapy in the first place.) These are the young adults most likely to have been overparented at every step,” she writes.

The ever-changing definition of adulthood and its costs

“Trump Accounts” may sound much like “Trump watches” or “Trump phones” but don’t let the name scare you off, writes David Blankenhorn.

“In his will, Benjamin Franklin, arguably our greatest American, created a revolving loan program in which young artisans of good character could borrow money at low interest to establish themselves in a trade, on the condition that the repaid loans would in turn be used to help more young artisans. This was more than income support. It was seed money coupled with responsibility intended to perpetuate itself across generations.”

Don’t dismiss ‘Trump Accounts’ just because of the name

End Notes

In last week’s Right to the Point poll, we considered whether MAGA would still be a force when Donald Trump leaves office. Only a quarter of us said yes.

Finally, it didn’t take long for the Cyclospora outbreak to become political and to be dubbed “Lettucegate,” with a slow federal response being blamed on the Trump administration’s DOGE cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Americans deserve to know how Taylor Farms impeded public health efforts to stop Cyclospora. How its Trump multi million dollar campaign contributions caused CDC staff cuts & weakened reporting. How halting spread & outbreaks has been delayed. https://t.co/XANwJ9Qq2o

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) July 26, 2026

It’s possible to raise your eyebrows at that, and also at Trump’s vow to punish Mexico with tariffs because of contaminated lettuce.

Meanwhile, Peter Doocy’s question to Trump — when is it safe to eat lettuce again? — goes unanswered, and we’re not taking any chances in my household. As my friend Gary Karr quipped, “We have gone from ‘Let us pray’ to ‘Lettuce? Pray.’”

On a more positive note, lettuce-phobia has given rise to a question I’d never considered until now: whether a “real” Greek salad contains lettuce or not.

The consensus seems to be no — news you can use in the time of Lettucegate.

Do you like this Salad? pic.twitter.com/CL4rVRV0iQ

— Chef 👩🏻‍🍳 (@chefsevenn) July 28, 2026

All but one of the students being recognized on stage that day were boys. That was in 1976 — 50 years ago.

“At my own public high school, the highest achievers — the valedictorian, the editor of the school newspaper, the winner of the poetry award — were all boys.

“Not anymore. Things have changed profoundly,” said Sax, a physician and psychologist who earlier this month presented at Utah’s Show Up for Teachers Conference.

An author of several parenting books — including the recently updated “Boys Adrift” — Sax spoke with the Deseret News regarding an educational question vexing Utah and the nation: Why are so many boys and young men struggling to succeed in school?

When Sax recently visited a middle school, he took a peek at the honor roll posted in the hallway. There were 22 names on the list. Only three were boys. While meeting with a group of students at that middle school, he asked the boys why there were so few males on the honor roll.

One of the boys raised his hand, offering this answer: Girls are smarter.

“And (he was) not joking,” said Sax. “He believes this. He’s grown up in a world of ‘Girls rule — boys drool’ and ‘Girls go to college to get more knowledge — boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider.’

“That’s the world he lives in.”

When asked what’s behind such academic gender shifts over the past few decades, Sax references the 1994 book “Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls,” which detailed gender bias in schools that left girls with classroom disadvantages.

Such research prompted changes in how instruction was formulated and delivered in American classrooms — and now it’s the boys who are being underserved, asserted Sax.

Today, in every K-12 grade level, girls are earning higher marks than boys — and by a wide margin, he said.

“The American Institute of Boys and Men recently published the male-female ratio in each of the 10 percentiles of grade-point average,” he said. “In the top 10 percentiles — the kids who are the top 10% of students in the United States — girls now outnumber boys by 2 to 1.”

And that academic performance gap, he added, is seen across K-12 curricula — including math, science, and career and technical education.

“Now if the gender gap was growing because girls are doing better, I don’t think that would be a problem. That would be cause for celebration,” said Sax. “But the gender gap is growing not because girls are doing better — but because boys are doing worse.”

Boys have little interest in picking up a book for fun

To illustrate his claim of dramatic slips in motivation for boys in the classroom, Sax points to surveys from 40 years ago asking American teenagers if they read for fun. The girls outnumbered the boys, but the difference was small.

But a recent national study showed the “reading-for-pleasure” gap between girls and boys is now a chasm. Reading for fun has become a gender identity marker.

But the recent survey also reveals that the reading gap isn’t widening because girls are reading more, explained Sax.

“Girls are reading significantly less today than they were reading 40 years ago. But boys have stopped reading altogether.”

Wanted: More young men enrolling in college

No surprise, the differences between male and female educational engagement and motivation don’t end with high school graduation. Women at four-year colleges in the United States now make up approximately 60% of enrollment.

That holds true for completing a bachelor’s degree as well. Twenty years ago, the number of men and women 25 to 34 years old holding college degrees was even; now there’s a 10-point gap favoring women, according to Pew Research Center.

Sax: The societal realities of ‘educational assortative mating’

When Sax sounds the alarm about the growing gender gaps in the classroom to educators, their reaction, he said, is often hostility or indifference.

A common response: It’s no big deal if the gender pendulum has swung the other way in recent decades. Men still control most of the money and most of the power. Why should it matter if boys are doing worse in schools than girls?

“The answer,” responded Sax, “is educational assortative mating.”

Those three words — educational assortative mating — basically mean a woman will typically choose a man whose educational level is equal or greater than her own.

“If a woman is going to marry a man, she’s looking for a man who is as accomplished and as motivated as she is,” asserted Sax. “And there are not enough good men to go around.”

That tendency, he added, is not confined to women who have earned a college degree. And it’s happening in countries far beyond the United States and is a major factor in declining marriage and fertility rates.

A call for ‘snowball zones’

Schools have changed over the past several decades in ways that have had the unintended outcome of disengaging boys from school, said Sax. Classrooms have become “unfriendly to boys.”

To illustrate, Sax points to K-12 schools in the U.S. that prohibit tossing snowballs. Designated “snowball zones” were once common on the American playground. But that’s changed because of liability risks.

“But as I’ve shared with American schools, don’t criminalize boyhood,” he said. “Boys doing things that boys have always done — throwing snowballs, drawing pictures of weapons, writing stories where people get killed — now can get you a disciplinary referral.”

Many of today’s American educators, added Sax, have been taught that gender is a social construct and that teachers should not use the term “boys and girls” because it reinforces the heteronormative binary — or loosely, the view that one is either male or female.

The consequence of such beliefs, asserted Sax, are disengaged boys.

Meanwhile, schools that are seeing motivated boys in the classroom are often those that foster and encourage competition.

“You can boost achievement and motivation for boys without making school unfriendly to girls,” said Sax. “You have, say, a snowball-throwing tournament. If girls sign up, that’s great. Some girls love to throw snowballs. Some boys don’t. That’s fine.

“You can make the school more friendly to boys without making it unfriendly to girls. The snowball tournament is open to everybody.”

Do gender differences matter in the classroom?

A boy’s negative attitude about school, warned Sax, often starts early, long before he ever steps on a college campus. “And we can change that easily and at zero cost — you just have to have school leaders who understand the problem and care about it.”

Sax advocates for “gender-aware” instructional strategies in K-12 schools.

“The best way to get boys excited about Emily Dickinson is very different from the best way to get girls excited about Emily Dickinson,” he said. “And the best way to get girls excited about computer coding is very different from the best way to get boys excited about computer coding.

“But you put in place gender-aware instructional strategies.”

When educators ignore gender differences, Sax added, they ultimately reinforce gender stereotypes.

“If you understand gender differences, you can break down gender stereotypes. And that same boy who loves football and video games will love ‘Jane Eyre’ and will love Emily Dickinson.”

An effective teacher, explained Sax, will recognize gender differences when, say, preparing a middle-school history lesson about the Civil War. While many boys will be drawn into the accounts of men who fought battles and made key decisions, many middle school girls will respond to lessons that connect them to the experiences of Civil War-era girls.

“I’ve seen how well this works,” said Sax. “If you understand gender differences, you can break down gender stereotypes and boost achievement and motivation for every girl and every boy.”

The dangers of porn, AI and the manosphere

Originally published in 2007, Sax’s “Boys Adrift” originally identified five factors resulting in unmotivated, underachieving boys and young men: schools unfriendly to boys, video games, medications for ADHD, environmental toxins and the devaluation of masculinity.

A revised edition of “Boys Adrift” — scheduled for a September release — adds a sixth factor: the combined forces of pornography, AI, and the “manosphere.”

The growing pervasiveness of pornography and AI are reshaping today’s male understanding and expectations of sex, said Sax. Consequently, women are increasingly hesitant to form intimate relationships.

Young women, he declared, “are sick of these boys raised on porn.”

“We are failing in our most basic obligation as a culture to raise boys to be men that women want to be with.”

When Sax works with parents of boys, he counsels them to “lock down the manosphere” that can prompt anger and disenfranchisement. And, he added, moms and dads must be willing to be “the evil parent.” Say no to the porn and the manosphere.

“You have to say ‘No’ to the porn and the manosphere. Lock it down so your son can’t access this stuff,” he said.

“But you also have to say ‘Yes.’ You have to offer your son a healthier culture; a healthier community.”

Sax noted that Utahns are fortunate to have an abundance of “healthier culture” options.

“Turn off the screens and go for a hike,” he said. “People come from all around the world to Utah to do what people here can do. There’s so much fun stuff to do.

“Build connections with your kid by climbing a mountain or sailing on a lake. Do something real.”

Mamdani, nicknamed the “smiling socialist,” has moved quickly to try to implement many of his most aggressive agenda items. While saying he wants to represent all New Yorkers, on a recent New York Times podcast, he said “my party is the Democratic Party, and my organization is DSA.”

As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, his allies include DSA co-chair Megan Romer, who over the weekend confirmed the organization’s priorities: Abolish the Senate, abolish ICE, abolish prisons and ultimately do away with American democracy as we know it.

Mamdani also allied himself with streamer Hasan Piker, an anti-Israel, self-described Marxist who said America deserved the 9/11 attacks.

Now, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Giovanni Galante, whose wife Grace was among the nearly 3,000 killed that day, has launched a petition to bar the mayor from attending this year’ceremony at Ground Zero.

“Our objection is based on his public record — his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for, or association with individuals who have minimized 9/11, defended terrorists, or even suggested America ‘deserved’ the attacks,” Galante told the New York Post.

As of Tuesday evening, the petition had gathered over 36,000 signatures.

“It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful and inappropriate — like an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony," Galante added.

Despite the request, Mamdani said he still intends to go to the ceremony and pay his respects.

Although Mamdani continues to enjoy support among many New Yorkers, not everyone is convinced his message is resonating beyond the progressive coalition that helped elect him.

And as his administration begins implementing some of his signature campaign promises — including a rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores and new tax proposals — the criticisms are multiplying.

When campaign promises meet reality

Mamdani apparently learned for the first time last week that he doesn’t have the authority to arrest the prime minister of a U.S.-allied country just because he claims he is guilty of war crimes.

During his 2025 campaign, Mamdani pledged multiple times that, if elected mayor, he would order the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever stepped foot in New York City.

After it was confirmed that Netanyahu would attend the United Nations General Assembly in September, Mamdani posted a video stating that Netanyahu is the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” and that he agrees with the International Criminal Court — which the United States is not a member of — to prosecute the prime minister.

The arrest warrant was initiated by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who was effectively fired last month after being accused of sexual misconduct involving a junior ICC lawyer. He denies the allegations.

Despite saying for over a year that he would arrest Netanyahu, Mamdani admitted in the video that “it is clear” his office doesn’t have the legal authority to do so, and then urged the federal government to execute the warrant. President Donald Trump quickly made clear it would not be happening.

“Attacks on Israel have been central to Mamdani’s political rise,” Douglas Murray wrote in The Free Press, specifically following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 and saw another 251 taken hostage in what was the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Murray continued, “There is nothing more preposterous than the idea that what the Israel Defense Forces have done since October 7 has been a ‘genocide’ of the Palestinians. If Netanyahu had wanted to eradicate every Palestinian from Gaza he could have done so on October 8. But obviously he didn’t. If the IDF had sought to kill as many Palestinians as possible, they would have not gone to such extraordinary lengths — lengths I have seen with my own eyes — to separate civilians from combatants, even when the line between the two has been deliberately blurred by Hamas."

Jeff Miller, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Council, responded to Mamdani’s comments about Netanyahu by personally inviting the mayor to visit the museum so that he could “understand what genocide looks like.”

“Words matter. Especially from elected leaders. Jews in New York are being threatened and attacked, and rhetoric that demonizes Israel and the Jewish state has consequences,” he continued. “I hope you are simply ignoring the impact of your words and not purposely trying to normalize antisemitism.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu responded to Mamdani’s video in an interview with Fox News.

“He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone, but he’s trying to turn one group against the other, and he’s foisting hate and fear,” Netanyahu said. “I speak to Jewish Americans in New York, and they’re afraid right now. And I don’t think it’s accidental that after he made this hate speech against Israel and against me, the next day, a Jew is stabbed coming out of a synagogue."

Following the stabbings of a Jewish man and an Asian man on Friday, Mamdani said his office would do everything it could to root out antisemitism. But a Rabbi for the Jewish Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan recently said that Mamdani’s comments inflict fear on the Jewish community.

According to witness statements, 51-year-old suspect Raul Morales yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the two separate stabbings.

“When I was growing up, the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue or my Jewish day school was when the mayor came to speak. The police were there to protect him. Today every time the mayor speaks we need the police to protect us,” Rabbi Yosie Levine said on Saturday at a press conference regarding the stabbing that took place outside his synagogue.

Rabbi Levine: “When I was growing up the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue or my Jewish day school was when the mayor came to speak. The police were there to protect him. Today every time the mayor speaks we need the police to protect us.” pic.twitter.com/5U6wmoNTv6

— Roger Zakheim (@RogerZakheim) July 24, 2026

Is Mamdani facing an economic reality check?

If Mamdani’s foreign policy rhetoric has dominated headlines, his economic agenda has fueled equally contentious debate.

His latest affordability initiative is the creation of city-owned grocery stores in each of the five boroughs that would offer essential food items at roughly 30% below market prices.

During a press conference on Monday where he announced the stores, Mamdani argued they would lower grocery costs for families without directly competing with neighborhood bodegas.

His reassurances failed to ease people’s worries.

An immigrant-led business group is already suing the mayor’s office, arguing that taxpayer-funded stores will disrupt the market and unfairly compete with established grocers.

The Multicultural Business Coalition had been preparing for the announcement and is working to raise $1 million to bring litigation against Mamdani and bring “awareness about the plight of its mom-and-pop shop members, many of whom struggle to secure capital, fend off shoplifters and keep up with rising costs including rent and taxes,” per The New York Post.

Daniel Di Martino, an economist and research fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said Mamdani’s proposed city-owned grocery stores are the strongest example of the mayor embracing socialist economics.

Drawing on his experience growing up in Venezuela, Di Martino said his initial worry when Mamdani was running for office was that he would “change the Democratic Party and make it much more likely that it would become a communist party.”

He told the Deseret News the stores will likely be costly, suffer from shortages and fail.

I am not kidding: This is how they started with government grocery stores, mass nationalization and price controls in Venezuela. https://t.co/nJ4j3J1mI9

— Daniel Di Martino (@DanielDiMartino) July 27, 2026

“Nobody before Mamdani was speaking about government grocery stores in this country, and he’s now bringing that into the conversation as if the government had a legitimate role to play in that sector, which it does not,” Di Martino said. “It’s outrageous.”

For Di Martino, the grocery stores are less about groceries than about changing expectations. He argued the proposal opens the door to a larger debate over whether government should directly operate businesses that have historically been left to the private market.

No Senate. No ICE. A new presidency and Supreme Court. The DSA’s vision for America

The socialists trying to reshape the Democratic Party

The cost of a rent freeze

Though he said government grocers are the clearest manifestation of socialist economic policy, Di Martino said he finds the mayor’s rent freeze policy the “most concerning.”

In what Mamdani called a “historic victory” for the city’s tenants, the mayor’s rent freeze policy prevents rent increases on roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments for one- and two-year lease renewals.

Di Martino argued the rent freeze would ultimately lead to deteriorating rent-stabilized buildings, make being a property owner less attractive, and discourage the construction of new rental housing.

He explained that it would decrease the city’s housing supply over time, making it harder for lower-income and young people to find homes, which could lead to a population decline in New York and, as a result, reduce tax revenue for the city.

Will the wealthy leave?

Some experts, including Di Martino, believe that Mamdani’s tax policy could lead to an exodus of Manhattan’s upper class. Mamdani says his policy is designed to ensure that wealthier residents and luxury property owners contribute a larger portion of the city’s costs.

The mayor recently announced the city’s first Pied-à-Terre Tax, which “targets ultra-wealthy out-of-city residents and global elites who use New York City real estate as a vehicle for wealth storage rather than as homes,” per the press release.

It’s an annual surcharge on second homes valued over $5 million when the owner’s primary residence is outside the city.

If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you've got mail.

Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon.

The best…

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 23, 2026

While the measure represents Mamdani’s first major tax policy to become law, Di Martino contends that singling out wealthy taxpayers risks doing more harm than good.

“He’s framing it in a way to attack the wealthy for being wealthy. He thinks being wealthy is bad,” Di Martino said. “That’s just going to cause more wealth flight from the city. And I think it’s moving America in a really just concerning economic direction.”

This wasn’t anything new. As a mom who works from home with a 4-year-old and 2-year-old, getting my kids dressed and at the table for breakfast has never been a linear process.

Since my kids aren’t in school yet, this generally hasn’t been a problem. But things were a little different on a Wednesday morning in early June.

With my 2-year-old daughter still in her unicorn-footie pajamas, I rushed my 4-year-old son over to a neighbor’s house for a summer day camp. I rushed back home with idealistic plans to get my daughter, Lucille, dressed and equipped with a bowl of cereal that would keep her occupied while I logged onto Zoom to interview Sarah McLachlan.

Yes, that Sarah McLachlan.

I should’ve known better.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my nearly five years of motherhood, it’s that very rarely, if at all, do things go according to plan. I had also forgotten to account for my daughter’s newfound desire to put together her own mismatched outfits. Fighting this was essentially an Olympic sport.

“Lucille, we need to put your pants on for Sarah McLachlan!” I exclaimed in a final act of desperation.

When that didn’t work, I accepted my fate. Time was short.

So at 10:20 a.m. on June 3, Sarah McLachlan found me sitting on my living room floor next to my pantless daughter, who was devouring a bowl of Lucky Charms and completely oblivious to the fact that a legendary singer-songwriter was staring at her.

I said hi, introduced McLachlan to my daughter and apologized that she hadn’t put her pants on for the occasion.

The singer smiled and, without skipping a beat, offered up the kind of wisdom that can only come from lived experience.

“She’ll put them on when she’s ready.”

Sarah McLachlan reflects on her ‘Toy Story’ moment: ‘One of the most beautiful songs ever written’

McLachlan has two daughters of her own, and has spent the past decade raising them through their teenage years. Some of that experience has now seeped into the lyrics on “Better Broken,” her first album of original music in 11 years.

Ahead of her July 30 show at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, McLachlan opened up about navigating her career as a mom of two and getting back in the studio to record what she thought would be the last album of her career.

Raising kids on the road: ‘I kind of got to have my cake and eat it too’

Throughout her career, McLachlan has typically equated making a record with leaving.

Whenever she released new music, she’d usually go out to do interviews to promote the album, and then she’d hit the road for a tour.

The three-time Grammy winner was 34 when she had her first daughter, and almost 40 when she had her second. With a slew of hits like “Angel” and “Building a Mystery” already attached to her name, she was established enough in her career that she could comfortably take time off.

That security also allowed her the flexibility to build a touring schedule around her children. On the road, she’d spend the days with her daughters while a nanny helped out during her shows.

“I was incredibly lucky,” McLachlan said. “I kind of got to have my cake and eat it too. I recognized how lucky and blessed I was to be able to do that. My kids didn’t miss anything. I didn’t miss anything with them. I was always around.”

Eventually, though, releasing new music got put on the back burner as “life got busy with kids and school,” McLachlan said.

Raising her daughters and doing the lion’s share of work for her nonprofit music program for underserved youth took up the bulk of her time.

“I think it probably wouldn’t have taken 11 years, except that the longer you’re out of the game, the more trepidation you have about getting back into it,” she said of releasing new music. “I think just because I’ve become such a homebody, that the idea of leaving my kids — my daughter was in grade 12 last year, so … I kind of pushed it (back) as well because I wanted to be home for her for that last year.”

Now, her daughters have ended up becoming an integral part of the new album.

The emotional piano ballad “Gravity,” featuring McLachlan’s signature ethereal tone, explores the singer’s relationship with her oldest daughter. In a video she released about the song, McLachlan shared how she and her daughter worked through their “combative” relationship and found healing together.

You can hide away, hold your heart at bay

I know you wanna be loved

Though life will come apart, break and unbreak your heart

I will be like gravity, always true

I won’t give up on you

And although it was “a bit like pulling teeth,” her daughters’ voices also became a literal part of the new album. In somewhat of a last-minute decision, McLachlan had them provide unison backing vocals on “One in a Long Line,” a song that celebrates female empowerment.

All of their voices possess a tonal similarity, McLachlan said, so the average listener might not be able to hear the distinction. To her, though, it’s loud and clear.

“I should have done harmonies with them, but as I said, it was a big win to get them to agree to do it at all,” she said with a laugh. “But for me to have them on that song, … these are my babies, these fierce young women that I’ve raised up, and I’m so proud of them adding this beautiful energy to this song.”

Initially, McLachlan thought this collection of songs would mark her last album. But in her long-awaited return to the studio, she was in for a big surprise.

What big shows are coming to Utah this year? Here’s the latest

‘I’m definitely not done’

In McLachlan’s mind, “Better Broken” was it — the final album of her storied career.

“Mostly because it took 11 years to get here,” she said with a laugh.

When the singer felt like she had enough good material to head to the studio, she had a much dreaded conversation with her longtime producer and creative partner, Pierre Marchand, who had helped to shape her breakthrough sound.

“I thought if this is my last record I owe it to myself to kind of step out of my comfort zone and try to work with someone different,” McLachlan said, noting that Marchand was understanding and freely gave her his blessing.

For “Better Broken,” the singer collaborated with producers Tony Berg and Will Maclellan. As the album started coming together, the daunting nature of it all — especially after a decade away — began to dissipate. She was no longer committed to the idea that “Better Broken” was the end.

“They completely reignited my passion for being in the studio, for the co-creation of music,” McLachlan said. “I was like, ‘What was I thinking? This is amazing. This is so much fun.’

“So I’m definitely not done.”

At this point, the singer doesn’t know what her future song output looks like. The industry has shifted, she said, going from an emphasis on full-length albums to highlighting singles. But to figure out her next move, she said with a laugh, she needs to write more material.

In the meantime, though, she’s embracing live performing. Out on the road, including her upcoming Utah show, she’s sharing her new music that has made her so proud. But she’s also going back almost 40 years to the beginning — and everything in between.

“I’m opening up the vault,” she said.

Early on in our interview, as McLachlan was sharing how she was no longer ready for “Better Broken” to be the end, my daughter stood up and held out a pair of pants. She was ready to put them on.

“Look at you,” McLachlan said to Lucille with a knowing smile.

Later on, as the singer got ready to log off and head to her next interview, she left me with one last piece of mom-to-mom wisdom.

“Enjoy that sweet girl.”

The Saints’ do-it-all star announced in a message on social media that returning to the only NFL team he’s called home “is not in the cards,” while he shared a heartfelt thank you for the New Orleans community.

“I’m still working through what comes next, but I couldn’t move forward without taking the time to say thank you,” Hill wrote. “New Orleans, you will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we will always be cheering you on.”

Thank you New Orleans ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/Q27EJAg4Xk

— Taysom Hill (@T_Hill4) July 29, 2026

Hill, who has spent his entire nine NFL seasons with the Saints, became an unrestricted free agent in March. With teams around the league reporting for training camp in recent days — New Orleans held its first practice Wednesday — Hill said he felt it was pertinent to address his situation.

“I’ve taken time this offseason to think carefully about what comes next for my family and me. I still don’t have a clear answer about what the future holds, but I know that returning to New Orleans is not in the cards,” Hill wrote.

“As training camp begins, I didn’t want my silence to be misinterpreted, and as hard as it is to put it into words, I wanted to express my gratitude.”

The Saints franchise also put out a touching appreciation video, narrated by former teammate and friend Drew Brees, that called attention to what Hill accomplished with the team.

Mr. Football.

🎤 Narrated by @drewbrees pic.twitter.com/11Uoq8U4mC

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 29, 2026

Hill was a do-everything weapon for New Orleans during his time with the franchise, playing several positions on offense — from quarterback to running back to tight end — and also contributed on special teams.

During his time with the Saints, Hill rushed for 2,551 yards and 34 touchdowns, while he also caught 110 passes for 1,034 yards and 11 more scores.

The onetime quarterback who went undrafted out of BYU also completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,426 yards and 12 touchdowns in New Orleans.

Hill shared his appreciation for being embraced by the New Orleans community, and for the lasting relationships he cultivated within the Saints organization.

“To the city of New Orleans: thank you. I had always heard, ‘If you love New Orleans, New Orleans will love you back.’ That could not have been more true,” he wrote.

“You exceeded every expectation I had of what it would be like to live and play in a city. The passion, loyalty, and support you showed my family and me over these nine seasons were truly one of a kind. We will always be grateful for the way you embraced us both on and off the field!”

We’re approaching the most wonderful time of the year in Provo, as BYU prepares to open fall camp ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Expectations for the Cougars haven’t been this high in years — but that’s what a 23-4 record since the start of 2024 will do for your program.

Perhaps Kalani Sitake’s crew finally gets over the hump this fall to earn a College Football Playoff bid, or maybe BYU will suffer a similar regression to that of Big 12 foes Baylor or Colorado last season. The possibilities are endless, which makes trying to predict what will happen all the more entertaining.

A year ago, I took a stab at guessing what the Cougars would accomplish in 2025, offering five bold predictions which you can read here. As fate would have it, I batted 3 for 5 on the exercise, although my declaration that McCae Hillstead would start every game at quarterback definitely aged catastrophically. Swing and a miss.

Thus, in an attempt to make this something of an annual pre-fall camp tradition for myself, I’m back with five new hot takes for BYU in 2026, where hopefully I can nail four of them this time around.

But first, a disclaimer: These are bold predictions, so don’t take them too seriously. While any of these things could definitely come to pass, there’s practically no chance of them all happening, and perhaps none of them will end up coming true.

If I do indeed get all of them wrong, we can all enjoy a nice, hearty laugh at my foolishness, just like you should about my aforementioned Hillstead belief last year. Let’s just have some fun!

Here are my five bold predictions for BYU in 2026.

Roger Saleapaga will be BYU’s leading receiver

There’s a lot of uncertainty within BYU’s receiving corps.

The three most productive Cougar pass-catchers from a year ago — Chase Roberts, Carsen Ryan and Parker Kingston — are all gone. Jojo Phillips and Tiger Bachmeier will be leaned on more than ever before. If healthy, Tei Nacua and Kyler Kasper should factor in, and new freshmen Legend Glasker, Jaron Pula and Terrance Saryon all have plenty of potential but still need to prove themselves at the college level.

But as much as the wide receivers have something to prove, BYU’s tight end unit appears rock solid, with a pair of talented transfers in Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga headlining at the top.

Lyons caught 20 balls at USC last year, while Saleapaga was a third-stringer at Oregon playing behind two of the sport’s best tight ends in Kenyon Sadiq and Jamari Johnson. However, Saleapaga should be poised for a breakout, as the former Orem High standout and 4-star recruit was widely heralded by players and coaches for his performance during spring practices.

Bear Bachmeier finds Roger Saleapaga on day four of Spring Camp.

The two transfer tight ends have consistently been mentioned as standouts. pic.twitter.com/IrhesiUzfE

— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) March 7, 2026

Saleapaga’s route running and potential as a vertical threat could make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses — especially when paired with a proven quarterback in Bear Bachmeier and Aaron Roderick’s creative offensive mind.

I suspect BYU’s receiving production will come from a deep committee rather than a few big names, and Saleapaga’s statistical contributions will lead the rest of the bunch.

Nusi Taumoepeau will lead the Cougars in sacks

While he may have only played 130 snaps last season as a true freshman, Nusi Taumoepeau offered some legitimate flashes of brilliance for the Cougars.

Taumoepeau‘s official coming out party came in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Georgia Tech, where celebrated his first career start by leading BYU in tackles and forcing a fumble — with his foot.

Nusi Taumoepeau and @BYUfootball with the CRAZIEST forced fumble of @BowlSeason 😱 #Big12FB | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/lP2BPXLjGM

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 27, 2025

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end also had a sack against TCU and posted a 29.4% pressure rate for the season, meaning he either sacked, hurried or hit the opposing quarterback on nearly 30% of his pass rush attempts. For comparison, BYU’s sack leader, Jack Kelly, had a pressure rate of 29.3%.

Long story short — Taumoepeau has a knack for disruption, one that should launch him to become BYU’s top sack artist.

Bruce Mitchell will be a First Team All-American at center

Whenever other Big 12 coaches talk about BYU, they almost always point out the Cougars’ toughness and physicality, especially in the trenches.

No player better symbolizes such traits than Bruce Mitchell, the heart of BYU’s booming offensive line and a reigning First Team All-Big 12 selection at center.

"They certainly make our job hard but we got a good group returning."

Bruce Mitchell on playing against BYU defense in spring ball. pic.twitter.com/3foCjtzS1G

— BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) April 2, 2026

BYU ran for 33 touchdowns and nearly 2,500 yards last year with the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Mitchell paving the way up front. He committed just three penalties and allowed two sacks in 2025, and since the start of 2024, the Cougars are 19-2 in Mitchell’s starts.

Pro Football Focus gave Mitchell an overall offensive grade of 77.8 for 2025, which ranked 10th among all centers nationally. Only three of the nine centers ranked ahead of him are returning to college in 2026, making Mitchell an early favorite for end-of-season recognition.

If BYU reaches its potential as a team this year, it will likely mean Mitchell was as good as expected. He’s a true X-factor for the Cougars and will get some national hardware and attention as a result.

BYU will boast both the Big 12 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year

I’m being purposely vague with this prediction because BYU has multiple worthy candidates for these awards. Why pigeonhole myself with specific guesses when I could play the field and have a better chance to be correct? It’s not cheating, it’s strategy.

As we all know, LJ Martin earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors from the Big 12 last year and was recently the preseason pick for the same award. A repeat performance would make perfect sense, as he’s slated for another heavy workload out of the backfield behind a strong offensive line. Health permitting, you can pencil him in for another 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown effort, at the very least.

Have a DAY, LJ 🤩
📊 32 CAR | 222 YDS | 2 TDs

LJ Martin Highlights vs. Cincinnati 🎥#Big12FB | @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/nCmTz5mhYk

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) November 23, 2025

But what if Bear Bachmeier takes a sophomore leap, becoming a more prolific passer while continuing to make magic happen on the ground? BYU returning to the Big 12 championship game on the back of an even better Bachmeier would present an interesting award case, especially if Martin is excellent again and the Offensive Player of the Year becomes a Bachmeier vs. Martin showdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, transfer linebacker Cade Uluave was a First Team All-ACC selection in 2025, cornerback Evan Johnson just had five interceptions as a junior, safety Faletau Satuala broke out in a major way last year and both Isaiah Glasker and Keanu Tanuvasa have played at an elite level before. Everyone has a chance to win, but I think the current frontrunner should be Uluave.

There are few transfer fits I like more than Cade Uluave at BYU. Complete tone-setter with his aggression, motor, and play speed.

At Cal last season, Uluave was one of four players in the ACC to rack up 40+ defensive stops and 10+ TFLs. pic.twitter.com/cqP3AcueZK

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) July 28, 2026

ESPN’s “College GameDay” will visit Provo ahead of BYU’s clash with Notre Dame

Aside from playing Utah, one game on BYU’s schedule stands out a mile above the rest:

Oct. 17 against Notre Dame.

It’s one of the most highly-anticipated matchups ever for the Cougars — and one deserving of college football’s brightest spotlight.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” show has come to LaVell Edwards Stadium just once, in 2009, and the Cougars and Fighting Irish will convince Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and company to come back 17 years later.

Oct. 17 does have some other great games on the docket, including Ohio State-Indiana, Penn State-Michigan and Alabama-Tennessee. Competition to get “GameDay” will be fierce.

But the amount of potential juice behind BYU-Notre Dame will be really hard to ignore.

There’s the faith aspect. The playoff implications. The Pop-Tarts Bowl drama last year. If both teams are undefeated, it practically becomes a no-brainer for ESPN.

Sports enthusiasts united with the uninitiated for love of country, while fans from different nationalities united over love of sport. Many realized that people from other walks of live aren’t so different from them.

At its core, that’s what sports spectatorship is all about. It gives people a reason to band together. It gives them something to talk about. It gives them something to hope for.

Here are four aspects of this year’s major international sporting events that would make for a better NHL viewing experience, should the league institute them.

Order is restored to the hockey universe

Fewer TV timeouts

In the Olympic hockey tournaments, there were only two TV timeouts per period, as opposed to the three that interrupt each period of NHL action.

At the FIFA World Cup, fans were outraged at the stations that showed commercials during the two hydration breaks in each 90-minute match.

The worst part about the NHL’s current setup is the timing.

Commercials come at the first stoppage of play (with some exceptions) after the 14-, 10- and six-minute marks of each period. People’s attention spans are perhaps shorter than they’ve ever been before. If your system causes them to take out their phones every four minutes, there’s a good chance you’ll lose their attention altogether.

Having fewer TV timeouts also helps the flow of the game. Momentum is a major factor in hockey. Fewer interruptions could, in many cases, equate to more action.

The consequence of a change like this would be the finances. Ad space produces a lot of revenue for the league, so to compensate for three fewer commercial breaks in each game, the cost of the streaming services would likely skyrocket.

The NHL salary cap has never been higher. Neither has the cost of hockey fandom

Games starting on time

Both the Olympic committee and FIFA did a great job at starting their games when they said they would. If it’s scheduled for 7 p.m., the puck drops (or ball is kicked off) at or very close to 7 p.m.

NHL fans have become accustomed to 7 o’clock games beginning closer to 7:20, which extends the time commitment to watch the game. It takes close to three hours to watch a normal NHL game, but a few simple changes could easily drop that number to two and a half hours or less.

Again, attention spans aren’t what they used to be. Any fluff that can be cut out should be.

Proper start times would require attending fans to be in their seats on time, which isn’t always the case even with the current setup. But that would figure itself out over time.

Extra dressed players

As much as possible, the Olympic committee wanted every player to see ice time. Lots of top NHL players were suddenly forced into depth roles with the depth of some of the Olympic teams, and the IOC didn’t want them going home with sour attitudes because they didn’t get to play.

While that was still the case for a handful of players, allowing teams to dress 13 forwards and seven defensemen for each game decreased it significantly.

It also helped maintain the integrity of the game. When mid-game injuries inevitably struck, teams weren’t suddenly forced to play short a man. The extra player simply slotted into a regular line rotation.

In the NHL, teams carry 23 players on the active roster, but only 20 dress for each game. They travel to every away game whether they play or not, so the only cost of having an additional guy or two on the bench as opposed to the press box would be an extra skate sharpening.

This would especially make sense in the playoffs, where games frequently need extended overtime periods. Having more fresh legs would decrease the risk of injury and increase the level of play.

Mandatory neck guards

Incidents where a player is injured because he didn’t wear a neck guard are few and far between — thank goodness. But they’re entirely preventable, and the equipment required is hardly considered invasive.

A number of professional leagues, including the AHL, made the use of neck guards mandatory after former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson died from a laceration to his neck after taking a skate up high in a game in England.

It’s time for a conversation on mandatory protective gear in the NHL

The Olympic tournaments required all players to wear neck guards.

“At the start, it was kind of annoying,” Boston Bruins forward JJ Peterka, who played for Team Germany at the Games, told the Deseret News after the Olympics. “But I think if you get used to it, it (will be) different. But definitely, it (takes) some time to get used to it.”

The NHL has adjusted its mandatory equipment policies from time to time: It was only in 1997 that the last helmet-less player retired. The league typically grandfathers these changes in, meaning the existing players can choose to play without, but incoming players must comply with the new rule.

Virtually every youth hockey league in the world requires every player to wear neck guards. The CHL does as well, and the NCAA is considering doing the same. A rule change wouldn’t require many players to pivot away from what they’re used to wearing.

Her life was visibly leaving her body, said her dad, Michael Santiago. And they were thousands of miles from their Midway, Utah, home.

The journey she will never remember is one that her family — and the medical team that rescued her — will never forget.

A desperate plea for help

Michael Santiago, his wife Ellie and their little girls Estelle, then 3, and baby Bianca flew to South America Dec. 13 to see his parents, who were serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to enjoy a few weeks’ vacation. They were all having a great time until Estelle got what they thought was a bug that included diarrhea and fatigue. Then whatever illness she had — they later learned it was hemolytic uremic syndrome — morphed into intense vomiting. Her eyes crossed and she was saying things that didn’t make sense.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome can be deadly. It’s typically triggered by an E. coli infection that does terrible damage to small blood vessels, destroys red blood cells and causes kidney failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michael Santiago and his dad rushed Estelle to the hospital in the very early morning hours. By then, she was only somewhat coherent and she had a seizure as her dad cradled her in his arms.

As Michael told the story, he paused periodically, overcome with the enormity and emotion of the experience and the memory of how fragile she was.

That day, in a foreign hospital, little Estelle would undergo lots of tests, including a spinal tap and scans. She would be placed on oxygen. And still she would continue to get worse, day after day. At one very long point, her body cramped and she contorted and screamed in pain, though she wasn’t really conscious, he said.

Estelle’s grandfather, Todd Santiago, the Latter-day Saint mission president, got the ball rolling to solve his family’s dire situation. With the crisis enveloping his granddaughter, he started working the phones to see if he could get his family some desperately needed help.

Working through the challenges

On Jan. 7, those pleas were escalated by phone to the Intermountain Health Transfer Center. Heather Sullivan took the call about the gravely ill 3-year-old patient in a hospital in Uruguay.

This week, various members of the team that worked hard to successfully bring the child to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City had a chance to tell the story and to meet Estelle, who is now 4.

The scramble included getting health insurance authorization for a medical flight to Uruguay by the Intermountain Health Flight & Ambulance team. There were permits needed to land, a process that in Uruguay could take seven business days the little girl didn’t have. There were nudges and prayers and lots of activity to arrange for the 6,300-mile, 18-hour one-way journey.

“Such a complex flight takes an enormous amount of teamwork, from planning to execution. It never goes perfectly. There are always things to solve,” said Adam Hornung, vice president of Intermountain Health’s medical transport.

It would be Intermountain Health’s first international pediatric transport flight — if they could pull it off. Brooke Hicks, supervisor of the air ambulance team, told the media that every international transport “feels like a victory,” noting some are straightforward and others are very complex. Estelle’s story, she said, “is a victory worth sharing.”

BYU grad runs University of Utah Health system and does brain surgery on Fridays

By a miracle, the permit was approved a day later. And so was the insurance needed to cover the cost of the transport. Within three days that included lots of conversations and negotiations both in the U.S. and Uruguay, the plane was in the air.

Critical care

Meanwhile, the hospital care team in Montevideo was diligent and working hard to save the little girl, who they deemed too fragile to survive the flight. They practically begged the Americans to abandon the plan, even as the family urged them to get them back to Utah.

Camille Ward, a registered nurse on the teams’ medical staff, said she knew the highly trained crew could handle it. But she will never “forget how scary it was for all of us.” The team included two registered nurses, a respiratory therapist and four pilots who would have to change out to meet guidelines for a safe flight.

It was an adrenaline-inducing inaugural international flight. The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 604 medical jet, had been added to Intermountain Health’s air ambulance fleet in 2022. It’s especially designed for complex medical procedures in flight and Estelle’s care required that. The jet has made a lot of different flights to provide care and transport, including picking up organ donations where time is critical. The day of the press event, it would be dispatched to Hawaii to transport someone needing medical care. In a couple of days, it will bring someone who’s medically fragile back from Mexico, she said.

The doctors in Uruguay were doing a phenomenal job, according to Dr. Jon Woods, University of Utah Health/Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital pediatric critical care physician.

“We could see how emotionally invested they were in Estelle’s care,” he said. But the family and the Utah doctors agreed that she needed the care Primary Children’s could offer. They kept assuring and reassuring the South American care team that the trip would be the girl’s best option. Medicine is somewhat different in the two countries. For instance, Michael Santiago said on the girl’s third day in the hospital, the doctors cut a slit in her abdomen to do dialysis by hand (peritoneal dialysis).

Part of Woods’ job was predicting what would change in the toddler’s condition before they could get to Uruguay and figuring out what medications she might need in flight. One snag they had to figure out was how to provide five days of a certain drug when the pharmacist said once it was mixed it was only good for 24 hours. There were lots of bumps to overcome in planning, including some language barriers.

The call came Wednesday night. By Friday morning, the jet was on its way.

They usually make room for a family member to travel with them on what’s really a rescue flight. In this case, they brought Estelle’s sister and parents home with them.

Witnessing the outcome

The jet landed and refueled in Peru, changing pilots, before heading to Uruguay. But a massive, tear-trees-up storm was raging as they neared Montevideo. It looked like landing would be impossible, so the family did the only thing they could. “We prayed,” Michael Santiago said.

The clouds lifted and wind abated and the plane landed.

Alta View behavioral health center to boost mental health care

Ellie Santiago described the pain she’d felt watching her daughter’s health crumble. She was both helpless and terrified. When the Utah crew got there, though, she said she felt a profound sense of relief and peace. “I felt the cavalry had arrived to save us,” she said.

Facing the dozens who were involved in some way in her daughter’s rescue, she added: “You are truly angels. Instruments in God’s hands.”

“It’s fun to get to celebrate miracles, isn’t it,” Hornung said, addressing the flight team. “Thank you for being prepared and being who you are.”

Rose Linsler, an Intermountain Health air ambulance flight nurse, said some patients tug at you and that describes Estelle and her family. Some of the flight team did keep in touch and the Santiagos not only welcomed them at the toddler’s bedside, but also sent pictures and videos, including one where Estelle was sitting up and taking tiny sips from a spoon.

Estelle was still in danger and would spend several weeks at Primary Children’s, moving from intensive care to rehabilitation before she finally made it home.

“Often we don’t see the ending,” Linsler said. “We move on and most of the time we don’t know.”

She summarized the journey — all 18 hours and 6,300 miles — as a “weekend well spent.”

But Estelle got the last word. She whispered something to her parents, which they relayed as “She asked dad to say ‘Thank you for saving my life.’”

Then the girl grabbed her mom’s hand and smiled at her little sister.

The 2020 Utah State Amateur champion is just tired of living with them in Sandy.

That’s why the 29-year-old professional golfer, who grew up in Ogden and graduated from Park City High and then the University of Utah in 2021, is laser-focused on playing well in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship this week at Ogden Golf & Country Club. Schow and another Ogden native, former Georgia Tech golfer Connor Howe, received sponsors’ exemptions to play in the PGA Tour-branded event, which is in Ogden for the second straight year and begins Thursday with the usual Utah flair.

“I would love to win, get some status (on a golf tour), and hopefully buy a house,” Schow said of his expectations this week. “I love my in-laws, but we’re living with them right now, so if there’s any pressure to win, that’s it.”

Howe, who attended Weber High before a stellar five-year career at Georgia Tech, is also hoping for a high finish to continue his professional golf career. He’s been playing on the PGA Tour Americas, and is fresh off a T3 finish at that tour’s Osprey Valley Open.

“Making the cut is always a goal, especially at a hometown event like this,” Howe said. “A top 25 would get me into the next week’s (Korn Ferry) event, and would be considered a success. I feel like I know this course better than anyone, so a win is definitely the goal.”

Last year, after Monday-qualifying, Howe shot 11-under and tied for 37th to pocket $5,250, while Schow shot 8-under and tied for 54th to earn $4,150. Preston Summerhays, who grew up in Farmington before graduating from Arizona State, was the top finisher with Utah ties, shooting a 15-under to tie for seventh.

Journeyman Julian Suri wins Utah Championship in 2025

Utahns aplenty in 2025 Utah Championship at Ogden Country Club

With full status on the KFT, Summerhays is back in this year’s event, along with his uncle, Daniel Summerhays. Others with Utah ties in the 156-player field include former BYU golfers Carson Lundell and Zac Jones and former Weber State golfer Barry Schenk, who now lives in Sandy.

Lundell recently won the Colorado Open and got a $50,000 payday.

Jones shot a 10-under 62 and Lundell shot a 9-under 63 at Glen Eagle GC on Monday to qualify, while Schenk advanced with a 64. New BYU golfer David Liechty, from Layton, came close but lost in a playoff.

Another former BYU golfer on the KFT, Peter Kuest, has been sidelined by an injury.

Having gone the qualifying route last year, Schow said he was “excited” when he got the call from Jeff Robbins of the Utah Sports Commission letting him know he was in.

“Being able to play in Ogden is always a gift, especially when it is on a stage like this, the Korn Ferry Tour,” Schow said. “Plus, I have so many family and friends here that it will be nice to kind of see a couple of them come out.”

Schow said he’s been playing Monday qualifiers and a few mini-tour events the past year, while also working part-time for his father’s hardwood flooring business. His father’s friend from high school, Steve Biakanja, will be on his bag.

“I’ve been caddying for Mitchell since he was 8 years old,” Biakanja said, having flown in from Pleasanton, California, specifically for this event.

Schow said he’s played Ogden Country Club “probably 50 times” and feels as comfortable on the course as any in America.

But he’s got nothing on Howe, whose parents are longtime members of the club on Washington Boulevard in South Ogden.

“Last year was pretty surreal, just to have it here where I have played hundreds of times,” Howe said. “This year there will be maybe a few less nerves. I know the drill. I’ve done it before. I can’t wait to get it started.”

Howe’s caddie will be his brother, former Weber State and University of Utah golfer Hunter Howe, who is now a teaching pro at Ogden G&CC.

In 2024 at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Howe made the cut and shot a final-round 64 to tie for 36th. If he can string four similar rounds together this year, he can challenge for the title and perhaps get back on the KFT — or at least make it to next week’s stop in Omaha, Nebraska.

Last year, former Duke player Julian Suri won with an 18-under tally of 262, and five others tied for second at 16-under.

The purse in the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and International Health is $1 million, with $180,000 going to the champion.

Thursday’s tee times of golfers with Utah ties in Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship

At Ogden Golf & Country Club

• Daniel Summerhays, former BYU golfer, Farmington, 8:05 a.m., No. 1 tee
• Preston Summerhays, former ASU golfer, Farmington, 9:05 a.m., No. 1 tee
• Connor Howe, former Georgia Tech golfer, Ogden, 9:15 a.m., No. 1 tee
• Carson Lundell, former BYU golfer, Alpine, 9:15 a.m., No. 10 tee
• Zac Jones, former BYU golfer, Highland, 2:30 p.m., No. 1 tee
• Barry Schenk, former Weber State golfer, Sandy, 2:30 p.m., No. 1 tee
• Mitchell Schow, former Utah golfer, Ogden, 2:30 p.m., No. 10 tee

Carl Dietrich, the co-founder, president and chief designer of Jump Aero, said that’s what drove him to design a fully electric aircraft that can cut emergency response times in half.

The aircraft is still in development but could be ready to fly as early as next year.

Ready for takeoff

Pulse, Jump Aero’s spaceship-like electric aircraft that Dietrich compared to the lunar lander in design, took seven years to develop and is unlike any other kind of aircraft, he said.

He saw a need, especially in rural communities far from hospitals, for a quicker way to get injured people the medical care they need.

“Helicopters take generally about 3 minutes to spool up, and in a rapid response scenario where the patient is not getting oxygen at that point, those minutes are really expensive,” he said. Expensive in a figurative sense for the patient losing oxygen, and expensive in a literal sense for insurance companies, Dietrich explained.

What makes Pulse unique and effective is how quickly it can take off and land, and how fast it can travel. In less than eight minutes, Dietrich said it can cover 2,800 square miles. “That’s a capability that doesn’t exist” in other emergency response aircraft, he said.

BYU students built a vehicle that can go 2,145 miles on a gallon of fuel

Pulse can also land in remote and rocky areas, like “on a rural dirt road or somebody’s backyard” because of its four shock-absorbing landing points, Dietrich said.

And it’s much quieter than a helicopter because it’s powered by batteries, noted Clint Harper, the director of integration at Future Flight Global. He said communities appreciate that.

Sending help

Pulse is a piloted aircraft that can transport a medic or EMT trained to pilot it. The pilot flies while standing up and looks out a large window to see where to go and land.

Instead of picking patients up and taking them to a hospital, Pulse allows help to arrive quicker than current technology does.

“They fly themselves to the scene of the emergency, they get out with their life-saving equipment and they go and they stabilize the patient,” Dietrich said. “They stay with the patient until the ambulance shows up, and then oftentimes they’ll actually go with the patient because they know the most about the patient at that moment.”

In the future, Dietrich said Pulse could potentially fly itself home after the pilot is dropped off.

The time frame and cost

The aircraft is expected to be flying “as soon as next year” and “in the field as soon as a couple years after that,” Dietrich said. Much of the timing depends on money and contracts the company is working to secure. Jump Aero needs around $50 million to finish developing the technology.

Just how far out are we from boarding electric planes?

Dietrich estimated an aircraft like Pulse will sell for $1.8 million to $2 million. To put that in perspective, “the least expensive helicopter right now is about $2.4 million,” and many sell for $5 million, he said.

And it’s not meant to replace ambulances or helicopters. “It’s meant to be a complementary technology,” he said. Getting medical help to patients in rural areas faster while they wait for transportation to arrive can shave off crucial minutes and save lives.

The 4.1% increase in second-home mortgages comes after four years of declines from a 2021 peak, the online real estate brokerage Redfin reported. Last year, the number of mortgages for primary residences rose just 1% from 2024.

Prices up in Utah’s ‘bipolar’ housing market

But vacation home numbers fall far short of pre-pandemic activity.

In 2021, there were more than 258,000 second-home mortgages compared to just over 90,000 last year, according to Redfin’s data. The share of total mortgages going for second homes also fell, from 5.1% in 2021 to 2.7% in 2025, just a 0.1 percentage point increase from 2024.

The same affordability issues and high mortgage rates that have slowed the overall market are seen as being behind the decline, along with fewer opportunities to use the properties for remote work or rental income.

Chen Zhao, Redfin’s head of economics research, said those shifts make “vacation homes less appealing for regular Americans,” many of whom are struggling to be able to afford a primary residence.

“Vacation homes are making a modest comeback, but it’s a very different market than it was during the pandemic,” Zhao said, noting today’s buyers “tend to have the financial flexibility to make a big, discretionary purchase even in an expensive housing market.”

Who’s buying vacation homes?

Here’s how Redfin describes who took out a mortgage for another home last year:

• High earner. Just over 85% earned a median income of $294,000 last year, while less than 3% of second-home mortgages went to low-income buyers making a median income of $69,000.
• White. More than 4 in 5, 81.5%, were white, followed by buyers who were Hispanic, at 5.6%; Asian, 5.2%; and Black, 2.2%.
• Gen X. In the year when members of the first post-baby boomer generation were aged 45-60, close to one-third of second-home mortgages, 31.1%, went to those 55-64 years old plus an additional 27.6%, to 45-54 year olds. Those 35-44 accounted for 18.6%; 65-74, 14.1%; and under 35, 5.4%.

The West Palm Beach, Florida, metropolitan area had the biggest percentage of second-home mortgages last year, accounting for nearly 6% of all loans, followed by the Jersey Shore in the New Brunswick, New Jersey, area at 4.6% and the Palm Springs, California, area at 3.8%.

And while 35 of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas saw more mortgage originations for second homes in 2025, there were spots around the country that saw significant drops from 2024, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

What amenities are U.S. house hunters looking for? Hint: Wildfires may be behind a top pick

But the largest year-over-year decline was 20.9% in Las Vegas. Even so, the Nevada city still had the sixth-highest share of vacation home mortgages in the country, at 2.7% of all home loans last year.

Where Utah fits in the luxury second-home market

The list of metropolitan areas in the Redfin analysis did not include any places in Utah. However, in March, a Forbes article highlighted Salt Lake City as one of four locations said to be “reshaping the luxury home landscape” for wealthy second home buyers in 2026.

Along with Naples and Popano Beach, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Scottsdale, Arizona, the Utah capital and neighboring mountain communities were described as attracting “a new generation of buyers (looking) beyond legacy markets like Aspen, Miami and the Hamptons.”

Sick of the lousy weather and want to move? You’re not alone

Buyers in the Salt Lake City area also “expect to benefit from a huge boom eight years from now,” when Utah hosts the 2034 Winter Games, Molly Jones, managing partner of The Agency Salt Lake City, told Forbes.

The big spenders who often pay in cash for a second home venture further out to the Park City and Heber Valley areas for the world-class ski resorts and high-end amenities that are still close to the Salt Lake City International Airport, Forbes said.

Family friend Chandler Pearson, whose wife is the cousin of Kim Brown, organized the GoFundMe account and set an initial goal of $100,000 to cover funeral expenses and other funds needed to help the family recover.

“They are completely leaning on each other, their friends, and their faith right now,” Pearson said Wednesday from his home in Temecula, California. “They are completely rocked and will be for quite some time.”

Pearson said dozens and dozens of Curtis Brown’s former teammates and coaches, including Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was Curtis’ coach during his time at BYU from 2002-2006, have reached out since the drowning happened last Sunday.

At the time of his departure from BYU, Curtis Brown was the leading rusher in BYU history with 3,193 yards. A native of Palmdale, California, Brown signed a free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns but never made it in the NFL, according to his profile on BYUCougars.com.

He currently works in pharmaceutical sales in Clovis, California, while Kim Brown works a day or two a week as a nurse. Pearson said the donations goal may be adjusted upward to take the financial pressure off the family moving forward.

The couple’s other four children are heavily involved in sports, academics and the like, he said.

Haze Brown was the couple’s fifth child, and called a “miracle baby” by Pearson in the GoFundMe account because he came after “much prayer and fasting” and through some medical intervention after the couple experienced fertility issues.

“The other children (are a bit older) and they felt like another baby was waiting for them,” Pearson said. “Little Haze brought so much joy and light to the family. Obviously, they are absolutely devastated. We all are.”

Curtis Brown, once BYU's all-time leading rusher, enjoying life as a father

Curtis Brown's LDS conversion at BYU

The family includes 13-year-old triplets and a 12-year-old who was conceived naturally while a surrogate mother was carrying the triplets.

After the toddler was found in the family pool and rushed to the hospital, first-responders were able to get “a flicker of a heartbeat,” but the child could not be revived.

Tony Botti, Public Information Officer for the Fresno County Sheriff Coroner’s Office, confirmed via email Wednesday that 2-year-old Haze Brown of Clovis “drowned in a swimming pool on July 26″ and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Pearson said an autopsy is still pending, so the family is “in a holding pattern” before funeral arrangements can be made.

Cougar Nation, my teammate and his family have experienced a huge tragedy. A big thank you and much love to anyone who can help. https://t.co/ZaxOIJw8yj

— John Beck (@jbecktwelve) July 28, 2026

Kim Brown’s parents have been serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Croatia but had already planned to return to Utah and California for a series of family events — bridal showers, mission farewells and weddings — within the next few weeks.

Pearson said the outpouring of love and support for the family the past four days has been welcomed and appreciated, but now the family “needs some space” as it moves forward from the tragedy.

“It has been an unimaginable loss for everyone involved,” Pearson said. “This family is beloved in their community, by their ward members, by everybody. Everybody knows who they are, and everybody is saddened beyond description.”

Oh no….
My heart and love goes out to Kim and Curtis Brown.
This BYU legend could use all your love and support…
Sending all my love your way Curtis.https://t.co/zNbBAiqy6H

— Hans Olsen (@GBSHansO) July 29, 2026

It’s 1:30 p.m. on a Friday. Zavier Gozo opens the door behind his mom, Esther Gozo, in their Eagle Mountain, Utah, home. For the past half hour, Esther and I have been speaking over Zoom about how her son became one of the most talked-about names in American soccer.

Zavier, who is just 19, says hello to me before hugging his mother goodbye. He is about to leave for Texas to play in Real Salt Lake’s game against FC Dallas the next day. But he couldn’t leave without telling Esther goodbye.

Esther Gozo wishes her son safe travels and asks if he has everything he needs. He does.

“Love you, bud,” she says as he walks away.

If life goes Zavier Gozo’s way, this type of scene could soon be playing out in Europe. The Utah-born phenom could be hugging his mother goodbye before heading off to play matches for his new Champions League team — in stadiums double to quadruple the size of Real Salt Lake’s America First Field and with the sport’s most prestigious players.

At just 19, Gozo is the leading goal scorer for his hometown Major League Soccer club. His coach calls him the team’s “golden child” who plays with an “unwavering belief in himself.” His acrobatic goals go viral. Some soccer pundits and fans demanded the “uncapped teen” represent the U.S. at next month’s World Cup, though he reportedly didn’t make the cut. He’s been garnering the interest of Champions League teams.

But Zavier Gozo believes he’s “much more than just a soccer player.”

“I think first of all, I’m a child of God and that’s what I’m here to be,” the teenager told me while sitting in the east stands of America First Field after training earlier this month, still dressed in his gray training kit. “And I’m here to help people and share his light and share his word.”

I feel like my only love was soccer.

Zavier Gozo

Upbringing and journey to Real Salt Lake

Zavier Gozo stands barefoot on the grass of one of Real’s practice fields in Herriman, Utah. The fearless winger isn’t playing, but he has a soccer ball at his feet as he watches teammates scrimmage. A whistle signals the end of training. Gozo — still barefoot — dribbles over and sends a shot into the empty goal.

The relationship between Zavier Gozo and a soccer ball has always been magnetic.

“My dad was a coach, so he kind of groomed me to be a soccer player for sure,” Gozo said. “I feel like my only love was soccer.”

His middle name — “Didier” — pays homage to the Ivorian great Didier Drogba, whose Chelsea jersey Gozo used to sleep in. He started playing rec soccer in West Valley, Utah, at just 3 years old. At his first game, his oversized T-shirt/jersey went down to his knees. He was so happy to have his own little shin guards and cleats, Esther Gozo recalled.

In that first game, Zavier scored all the goals, according to his father, Alban Gozo, who recalls asking the coach to take his son out of the game for a few minutes to give the other kids a chance.

You could tell that there was something there.

Andrew May

At age 14, Zavier Gozo joined Real Salt Lake Academy, the MLS team’s residential youth soccer development program.

“You could tell that there was something there,” said his former academy head coach, Andrew May. “He was very relentless in his training.”

The intrinsic motivation Gozo possessed was evident even at the academy, and May knew that “the ceiling was going to be very high for him.”

In his first season, some of Gozo’s teammates were called up to play for the Real Monarchs, Real Salt Lake’s reserve MLS NEXT Pro team. But Gozo was not.

“Let’s not fast track this,” May recalled being told. “Let’s be patient. Let’s make sure that he’s getting what he needs.”

Frustrated, the future RSL star met with May. He remembers his coach telling him to be patient and that “it was what’s best for me in the long run.”

“I think if I had gone earlier, I feel like my development wouldn’t have gone the way it did,” Gozo said.

He finished that first season with 16 regular-season goals and added another five in the MLS NEXT Cup tournament. It was after that first season that Gozo realized his dream of pursuing soccer professionally was possible.

In December 2022, at 15, the Real Monarchs signed Gozo to a MLS NEXT Pro professional contract. He made his Real Salt Lake debut the following October and signed his homegrown contract with RSL in February 2024.

But as he transitioned to Real’s first team, he realized what most young players realize in that situation — he was no longer the best on his team.

“You get up there, and you think you’re the best player,” Gozo said. “You get into practice, you become the worst player all of a sudden, and you have to climb the ranks. I think that was the biggest shock for me.”

Gozo earned his first start on April 29, 2025. It’s a moment, the young star thinks of often.

“I feel like every game I play I want to be as hungry as I was then,” he said.

I feel like if I’m right with my faith, I play well on the field and I am happier off the field.

Zavier Gozo

About a month later on May 24, 2025, he scored his first goal, 50 seconds into the match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Upon scoring the goal, Gozo didn’t know what to do, so he ran to the corner nearest the goal and screamed. His family was seated in that corner section and ran down the stairs toward him.

“We’re watching. It just goes in. We just start freaking out,” his older brother Elijah Gozo said. “I think none of us really knew what to do.”

That moment is Esther Gozo’s favorite from her son’s Real Salt Lake career.

“I’d never had such an adrenaline rush,” she said.

That first goal came in the middle of a special, whirlwind weekend for the then-18-year-old. Two days prior, he graduated high school, and the day after the goal, he baptized one of his former teammates and best friends into the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

‘God has a perfect plan for me’

Zavier Gozo has built his life and his soccer career on the foundation of his faith.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gozo regularly attends the temple, a dedicated house of worship where church members participate in sacred ordinances. Gozo also studies the church’s Sunday School curriculum daily.

“I always say God has a perfect plan for me and whatever happens is what’s supposed to happen,” he said. “So I think that helps me play free during the games and live my life. Whether good or bad happens, I feel like it’s what’s meant for me.”

The morning before a Real Salt Lake match, you’ll find Gozo at what Latter-day Saints believe is the House of the Lord. Last year, he decided to include worshipping in the temple as part of his prematch routine. Inside the temple, he’s reminded of “what I’m really here for and what life really means to me.”

“I feel like a lot of times I get too hyped up, and when I’m too hyped up, I don’t play my best,” Gozo said. “So, I just like to be in a calm mindset and feel like the Lord is with me.”

‘I’m a lot more than just a soccer player’: How faith guides RSL forward Zavier Gozo’s life

Gozo believes that if he prioritizes his faith, it shows on the pitch.

“I feel like if I’m right with my faith, I play well on the field and I am happier off the field,” he said.

Gozo didn’t always prioritize God. But following some serious internal reflection roughly two years ago, he committed to changing that, he said.

A quick scroll through Gozo’s Instagram reveals that he uses scripture verses as captions for the majority of his posts.

“Soccer is a tool that I can use to spread the light that God has given me and all the blessings that he’s given me,” Gozo said.

Every match, he plays with a white, makeshift wristband with a scripture verse scrawled on it. He chooses a new verse every season. This year, it’s Jeremiah 1:8: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.”

Underneath the scripture, he writes “Just be you” and the names of his mother and girlfriend, Afton Perry, who plays soccer for BYU.

“I think it’s just a reminder every time I step on the pitch who I’m playing for and what I should be,” he said.

His older brother has seen faith ground Gozo as the spotlight grows and pressure builds — especially with Europe looming.

“I think the reason why he’s been able to kind of stay grounded and stay humble and get through all those things is just being so centered in Christ and having that relationship with him, and having a good relationship with his family,” Elijah Gozo said.

Perry, who often attends the temple and studies scriptures with her boyfriend, said Gozo has “relied on the Lord more” as his life and career have gotten “crazier.”

“A lot of people try to find their confidence from awards or the fame or what other people have to say,” Perry said. “But I think he finds his confidence and true value, again, from his faith and what he believes.”

Whether I do good or do bad, I go home. I hug my mom.

When Gozo was in elementary school, he and his father were at The Humanitarian Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where Alban Gozo volunteered as a teacher. The father and son were about to head to Burger King when Alban Gozo realized he had lost his wallet.

Zavier Gozo suggested they pray to find it. Alban Gozo hadn’t even thought to pray — it “was too elementary for me,” he said — but he asked his son if he would like to say the prayer. The young Zavier obliged.

Still unable to find the wallet, they left the humanitarian center. But after leaving the parking lot, Alban Gozo’s phone rang. Someone had found the wallet, which meant Zavier’s prayer was answered — and he was able to get his burger after all.

A safe space away from soccer

Once Zavier has left the room, I ask his mother if she has time for a couple more questions. The first one brings her to tears.

What’s one thing everyone should know about her son?

“You’re going to make me cry,” she said. “He’s got a great heart. I’m so proud of him, and I think the gospel helped with that for sure, keeps him humble. But he really has a sweet heart. He treats me very well. … He just really cherishes and works to have good relationships with his family and now with his girlfriend and her family.”

Esther and Alban Gozo separated when Zavier was 8 and divorced three years later. Though Alban is still very involved in all of their lives, Esther, Zavier and Elijah became a “good tight unit” following the separation. She considers her son one of her “good friends.”

After two years living in the dorms at the academy, Gozo moved home at 16 and still lives with his mom in Eagle Mountain.

Being able to come home after every training session and match helps the young star never “get too low or too high.”

“Whether I do good or do bad, I go home. I hug my mom,” he said.

Esther and her ex-husband worked to make their family a safe space for their son away from soccer, she tells me.

“It was never about being a pro to us, to me or his dad,” Esther Gozo said. “It was just do your best, and we’re always here no matter what happens, no matter what the result of the game is.”

Real Salt Lake’s ‘golden child’

When Zavier Gozo isn’t practicing or playing soccer, he’s your typical teenager. He enjoys playing Skip-Bo, UNO and Nertz with his family, though his brother says he “definitely” is not as good at card games as he is at soccer. He has a habit of leaving the lights on — that’s how his mom knows he’s been home — and he often sings around the house. (His go-to is Mario’s “Let Me Love You.”)

“I don’t think I have the best voice in the world, but I do love to sing,” he said.

His unwavering belief in himself is what’s really setting himself apart.

Pablo Mastroeni

He plays Just Dance and Super Mario Bros. with Perry. He watches and attends as many of her BYU games as he can, including spring scrimmages, and he gets mad when his career prevents him from being there. He attends her siblings’ soccer games, where he is often recognized by young Real Salt Lake fans.

“My parents always think it’s crazy how one second they’re watching him on TV (doing) all these crazy things, and then the next second, he’s just at our house just being himself and being a 19-year-old kid,” Perry said.

At practice, he’s often smiling as he visits with his teammates. When he leaves the practice field, he greets Real’s communications team with high-fives and fist bumps.

Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni called Gozo “one of the most wonderful, joyful, happy, smiling, pleasant players I’ve ever met.”

“I think he’s ingratiated himself in a way where he’s friends with everyone in the locker room,” Mastroeni said. “He gets on with everyone on the staff. He’s a model, a representative of this club and the state, and so he’s really our golden child.”

‘The sky’s the limit’

Gozo’s game is defined by creativity and confidence. While trying to break into Real’s first team, Gozo learned to play with a sense of fearlessness. That came with some hiccups early on, as Mastroeni would talk with his young star about if he made the best decision on a play. Gozo made his share of mistakes, but Mastroeni said that hasn’t stopped him — noting the young star’s recent goals with “low percentage chances” of success.

“His unwavering belief in himself is what’s really setting himself apart because he’s willing to go against conventional thought in certain plays,” Mastroeni said. “But he makes the play.”

Growing up, Zavier and Elijah would practice moves they saw on YouTube, including Zlatan Ibrahimović’s legendary bicycle kicks, which they dreamed of scoring in a real game. That dream came to fruition last season when Zavier Gozo scored one for Real Salt Lake. It’s his favorite moment of his career.

Bicycle kick from Zavier Gozo!! 🚲 pic.twitter.com/FEsE3FTDuh

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 18, 2025

Mastroeni said Gozo’s defending has improved, and he’s learned to preserve his energy through better defending and understanding of tactical concepts.

“His improvement has been through the roof, and if he keeps going at this pace, the sky’s the limit for Gozo,” he said.

To take his game to the next level, Mastroeni said Gozo just needs “more games in an environment like we have here that is psychologically safe for the young players” to make and learn from his mistakes, instead of at other clubs where “you get yanked out of games” for those same errors.

Mastroeni said he sees the Utahn becoming a star on both the national team and eventually in Europe, home of the sports’ most prestigious teams and players.

“He’s the prototype of what you want from a modern soccer player, which is highly technical, goal-scoring threat, assist threat,” Mastroeni said. “Physically he’s on par with some of the best players in the world, I’d imagine, given that he’s one of the top players in MLS.”

Zavier Gozo’s soccer future

On Tuesday, at New York City’s South Street Seaport’s Pier 17, U.S. national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino will unveil his 26-player roster for the World Cup.

Real Salt Lake hoped two of its players would be on it — Gozo and Diego Luna. But The Athletic reported Friday that both players were informed they will not represent the U.S. at the World Cup.

On Monday, Gozo told The Guardian, who published the entire U.S. roster Saturday, that he and Luna both received an email Friday after training, informing them that they had not made the roster.

“I thought I would be less disappointed than I was,” he said. “Obviously, it wasn’t like I was supposed to go. I feel like I was disappointed, but I also think it just gave me so much more motivation to be able to make the first team, whenever that is.”

Prior to the news, Gozo had told me he was “extremely flattered to be in that conversation.”

I feel like you don’t grow when you’re comfortable.

Zavier Gozo

Just to be in consideration for one of the 26 roster spots is significant for a 19-year-old who has never been called up to the senior national team.

“To represent the senior team in the World Cup would be my biggest dream probably,” Gozo said. “I think the World Cup is the pinnacle of all soccer, so I think representing my country that I’ve grown up in and that’s given me so much, I feel like is my dream.”

His other dream is to play in Europe. In April, Gozo appeared on “MLS Countdown” and was asked about his “dream scenario” with “some big-time clubs in Europe sniffing around Zavier Gozo.”

“In the summer window, obviously, I’d like to go to Europe,” he said. “That’s been my dream for as long as I could remember. I think that’s the perfect time for me to take the next step. And if I have that opportunity, I 100% want to take it.”

"In the summer window I'd like to go to Europe." 👀

Zavier Gozo talked to the MLS Countdown Crew about his club future and USMNT hopes. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ZeSjZdKN7c

— MLS on Air (@MLSonAir) April 28, 2026

Gozo reiterated that hope in our recent conversation.

“I want to play in Europe,” he said. “I want to play in Champions League. I want to play in the biggest competitions and play for the best leagues. … I feel like I’m developing at a fast pace, and I think going over there, I would be able to adapt quick at the stage that I am.”

But Gozo can’t just leave for Europe on his own volition. He is still under contract with Real through 2027 and with club options through 2029, suitors for his services will have to make a handsome offer to Real Salt Lake to buy his rights.

Whenever Gozo leaves for Europe, it will be quite the change — both personally and professionally — after spending his entire life and career in Utah, but his family supports his decision. His parents may even take turns staying in Europe while he adjusts to his new life and environment.

New tests await the young star as he’ll have to climb the ranks of his new team, much like he first did with Real. But he’s at peace with the challenge.

“It will be hard I think, for sure, but I feel like you don’t grow when you’re comfortable,” Gozo said. “I think this is the place where I’m comfortable. So I think given that, I think I need to get out of my comfort zone.”

It’s his relationship with God that’s given him that peace, and much like the scripture on his wristband says, he won’t be alone. Wherever Gozo ends up and whatever life throws his way, he’ll always have his family and his faith to anchor and guide him.

“The Lord’s given me peace in my heart that this is the right time for me to go, and that’s my biggest pushing factor,” he said. “That’s why I feel so good about it.”

These are tangible, hard-fought successes that give Washington unprecedented leverage. Yet battlefield dominance is not the same as strategic victory. If the United States continues to be caught in a cycle of bombardment followed by tepid diplomatic engagement with Iran’s authoritarian Islamic regime, the price may be the alienation of the single greatest ally America has in the region: the Iranian people.

The support of the Iranian people

Iran’s younger generations are educated, digitally connected and exhausted by religious authoritarianism. Surveys from as recently as 2024 indicate that as much as 89% of the country supports democratic reform. Seventy-eight percent believe Iran’s foreign policy is responsible for the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, and only 12% support the foreign policy of the corrupt regime.

The line between air and ground warfare is getting thinner in Iran

Even surveys commissioned by the Islamic Republic itself (which likely overstate support for the government’s positions) show a public which is deeply disappointed by its leadership. In a leaked government report asking the Iranian public what they felt was the best way forward with the United States, 44% of Iranians supported a ceasefire and negotiations, and nearly 20% supported the acceptance of all U.S. conditions.

With so much of Iran’s public still on America’s side, we cannot risk losing the support of the Iranian people by doubling or tripling down on endless war, or by legitimizing the existing regime through engagement: both courses of action that play perfectly into the theocracy’s hands. President Donald Trump may have threatened to destroy Iranian civilization, but the Islamic Republic has been doing it for decades.

The Islamic Republic, by design, has turned Shiism into a cult of martyrdom and is more than happy to sacrifice Iran’s people, livelihood, and future to maintain its ideological war against the United States and Israel. Lasting peace will only be achieved when the Iranian people are able to determine their own destiny.

The United States must pursue a strategy that facilitates and mobilizes the courage and capabilities of the Iranian people over the blunt force of bombs.

How China is utilizing the war in Iran

The president must also remember that the bigger picture of this war expands far beyond Iran’s borders. While the U.S., its allies and the Iranian people are bleeding, China is reaping strategic dividends without firing a single shot. Beijing is actively framing itself to the rest of the world — and particularly to Washington’s uneasy regional allies — as the calm, predictable and reliable partner in an increasingly volatile global order.

How the U.S. has spent $37.5 billion in 5 months on the war with Iran

The ongoing military campaign has begun to drive sharp wedges between the United States and its European and Gulf partners, who are terrified of regional fallout and economic paralysis. If the status quo continues, American partners, particularly in the Gulf, may feel they have no alternative but to partner more closely with China to secure their long-term interests.

As the U.S. ponders its next move, it must not fall into an endless cycle of one-upmanship with the Islamic Republic nor act out of desperation. Already, whispers in national security circles have suggested a push to leverage regional separatist groups — particularly along Kurdish borderlands — to fracture the regime’s territorial control. If true, such a cure would be worse than the disease.

Breaking the country in such a manner would functionally lead to the Talibanization of Iran — hardly a recipe for democracy or regional stability. More likely, it would trigger a devastating civil and sectarian war that could destabilize the region for generations.

Securing true victory in Iran

America’s ultimate strategic objectives — preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and dismantling its threat network — are entirely legitimate. But an endless cycle of conflict with the Islamic Republic resurrects fundamentalism and is the most dangerous mechanism to achieve them. A true course correction requires abandoning the illusion of victory through force alone and adopting a sophisticated pressure strategy in collaboration with European, Asian and Gulf allies.

Both parties want a solution to the Iran war. Nobody seems to know how to end it

Crucially, America should build global support to empower the Iranian people directly by opening routes to unfiltered internet access, supporting civil society and exposing the regime’s systemic failures and corruption on the world stage.

Securing a peaceful, stable and democratic Iran will not be achieved with another volley of Tomahawk missiles. It will not be forged in the fire of civilian suffering. It will happen when the Iranian people are given the space, tools and freedom to reclaim their own nation from within.

Trump can avoid the Pyrrhic trap and resist playing into the dictatorship’s hands. To do so, the United States must pursue a strategy that facilitates and mobilizes the courage and capabilities of the Iranian people over the blunt force of bombs.

That funeral at the UCCU Center in Orem was held nearly two weeks after Long, his wife Katrina, and three of their children — Reid, 20, Thayne, 13, and Gage, 12 — died in a flash flood caused by heavy rainfall in central Utah.

Many current and retired firefighters from multiple departments joined other members of the public in paying respects to the Long family. Last week, firefighters from across northern Utah lined overpasses to honor the fire captain and his family.

Additionally, the community has rallied around Long family member Lydia Vernon, Katrina Long’s daughter, who was not with the family in Wayne County when the flood happened on July 17. An online fundraiser* raised more than $300,000 for her.

Funeral speakers shared memories about each member of the Long family and the impact they had on those around them.

Capt. Spencer Long

“What can be shared about Spencer is the person he was,” Provo Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Moon said of his colleague. “Spencer was a very down-to-earth person. What you see is what you get. The public saw a very professional, compassionate, charitable and honest firefighter and paramedic.”

Casey Long said his brother was the oldest, the “leader of the pack” who all his siblings looked up to. Spencer Long was always willing to help, loved adventures, and lived by the motto that “life is what you make it,” his little brother said.

Spencer Long started out as a wildland firefighter after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was so proud of the work he did, Casey Long said.

“Spencer, in all the jobs he was doing, knew how dangerous that could be and he took that seriously. He loved what he did and he loved his family,” Casey Long said.

Spencer Long deeply loved his family and friends, volunteering to be his wife’s guinea pig for her new spa treatments, playing hockey with his sons (who quickly became better at the sport than him, his brother joked) and treating every new firefighter as a family member.

Moon spoke fondly of Spencer Long, saying he served as his captain for six years while becoming friends with him. Moon took comfort knowing Spencer Long was a “subject matter expert” on many specialized departments of firefighting.

“As a crew, we saw the goofy, but humble, dry-wit humor, family-oriented guy, content with a Pepsi and a Snickers,” Moon said.

Spencer Long loved Panda Express, dressing up for parties, organizing team member adventures and always saying “I’m in” to new things.

“The advice I learned from my friend is to live like the Longs. Go all in, make great memories, be a part of the stories, and try something new when given the chance,” Moon said. “We had a lot of great memories and I will always cherish those moments together.”

Katrina Long

Samantha Butler, Katrina Long’s business partner at Summit Medical Spa, recalled the many hats that Katrina Long wore, including wife, mother, and former member of the Mona City Council. She even served for a time as acting mayor.

“She was someone that people trusted without question,” Butler said. “She led with integrity, wisdom, and genuine love for her community.”

Butler added that Katrina Long “never did anything halfway” and never stopped learning. She said her business partner was committed to making a difference in the spa industry and investing in other people.

“Somehow,” Butler said, “she gave her best to every single role she held.”

Travis Gubler, Katrina Long’s brother, recalled his sister’s drive and commitment in her business endeavors and learning the art of massage therapy.

“She wasn’t satisfied with only being able to be a healer herself, but had the desire to pass that on to others to maximize the increased amount of people that she could reach and help,” he said. “I truly think that’s why she started the spa.”

Gubler said his sister inspired him to take risks and achieve things, despite the difficulty.

“She lived with intention in everything she did,” Gubler said, while noting that his sister was not perfect. “What made her so inspiring was that she was always moving forward.”

Reid Vernon

Joshua Vernon, who was previously married to Katrina Long, said his 20-year-old son’s favorite expression to use was “not gonna lie.” Although Reid never lied, hearing that expression always brought a smile to his family’s faces.

“So today I borrow it to say, not gonna lie, this eulogy, together with the writings I’ve worked on this past week, have been the most difficult words I have ever written,” Vernon said.

Words fail to describe the person Reid was, his dad said, and despite the simplicity of the words “son, brother and friend,” the terms are “something quite special when associated with him.”

Vernon shared a story of Reid as a child, who was so determined and at times stubborn. One night, Reid “defiantly” refused to eat his mashed potatoes during dinner, causing him to stay sitting at the table throughout the whole movie night the family had planned.

“This was just a glimpse of Reid’s strong will. Fortunately for us, almost all of his steadfast and immovable moments after this were focused on wonderful and wise pursuits,” Vernon said.

Vernon said Reid always rose up to challenges, in school and in life.

“It suffices to say, I’m so proud to be his dad. He surpassed all my hopes for him in so many ways and I’m so grateful to have watched him grow,” Vernon said.

Reid was full of brotherly love, with a seemingly endless supply of energy and willingness to play games and go on adventures with his five little brothers, and lending a listening ear to his older sister.

He was a great friend to all, his dad said, reminiscing on the silly and rambunctious games Reid would play with his friends. Vernon shared how Reid also touched many lives while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Although he misses his son greatly, Vernon said he knows Reid is strengthening and comforting his family up in heaven, continuing to be a wonderful son, brother and friend.

“I pray that each of us can be the sons or daughters, brothers or sisters, and friends that will spread joy, light and love and lift others the way that Reid did,” he said.

Thayne Long

Cole Quarnberg, a family friend, called Thayne “such a good kid” who had a “quiet but lasting impact” on others.

“Thayne was a very big mixture of Katrina and Spencer,” Quarnberg said. “He had the fire in him that Katrina had, and he had the quiet and thoughtfulness that Spencer had a lot of the time.”

Quarnberg said the almost 14-year-old loved the outdoors, fishing, and camping. He recalled one time when Thayne went camping with some friends on Dec. 31 — in the middle of winter — and stayed out the whole night.

“They wanted to be the very first boys who slept on Mount Nebo in the new year,” Quarnberg said. “Thayne was very driven like Katrina.”

Thayne Long played hockey and was dedicated to it, Quarnberg remembered. Around 30 boys wearing their hockey jerseys attended the funeral in support of their teammates Thayne and Gage.

Thayne also started a car detailing business. Admittedly, the teen didn’t do a great job cleaning Quarnberg’s truck the first time, he said, but he later gave it another try that made it look “immaculate.”

“His drive for being the best at what he could be — that was his thing,” Quarnberg said.

Thayne was “wise beyond his years,” Quarnberg said, and was a young man of faith.

“Thayne knew who he was and how he fit into God’s plan,” he said. “Thayne would confidently tell you he was a child of God, a disciple of Christ, and a child of the covenant.”

Quarnberg urged friends of Thayne to “be aware of everybody around you.”

“Be aware that if someone’s struggling, be there for them,” Quarnberg said, “because Thayne would have done that.”

Gage Long

The youngest Long, often referred to as “little dude” by his mother, was remembered as a high-spirited, compassionate and smart boy who made everyone feel seen.

“Gage may have been small in stature but the influence of his life was anything but small. He changed people by simply being himself. I know Gage will be missed by all of us but I also know we are better because we knew him,” Walker said.

Walker served as the bishop of the Longs’ congregation, and was a close family friend of the Longs. He shared stories from people close to Gage, including several from his schoolteachers.

Gage was described as someone who loved learning and was always attentive in school. He was diagnosed in 2023 with Type 1 diabetes, and would often tell the school secretary that he was worried he was “missing the good stuff” in class when he had to go to the office to regulate his blood sugar.

Gage would often walk around looking at flowers and bushes while his brothers fished. He loved learning more about the world and used wildflower and berry books he had bought.

His orchestra teacher told Walker that Gage started a tradition of students dancing and cheering on their fellow classmates when they had to play their instruments to help them feel less nervous.

Walker shared thoughts from Gage’s hockey coach, who said Gage had a maturity, kindness and positivity well beyond his years. He once even stepped aside starting a game as goalie because he knew his teammate also deserved the opportunity.

“A leader without needing a title, a competitor without selfishness and a young man who brought joy wherever he went,” the coach’s quote said. “His impact will never fade. His spirit lives on in every joke we remember, every story we tell, every child who feels welcome because of the example he set and every life he touched with his kindness.”

Walker also quoted Gage’s friend Trenton: “Gage always made me feel included … He always had a smile on his face and knew how to make everyone laugh. He was my best friend.”

Honoring the Long family

Katrina Long’s mother, Susan Gubler, emotionally sang the song “His Hands” at the funeral. Just before she sang, she told those at the funeral that while there has been some negativity shared online, she appreciated those who have shared positive stories.

“My loved ones were swept away by a flood of filth and destruction. They would like us to return the favor and send a tsunami of goodwill into our neighborhoods and social media,” she said.

Even though this has been an incredibly difficult time, she hopes people follow the Long family’s legacy of doing good to others by sharing posts of positive thoughts until “grief is replaced by peace.”

Outside the UCCU Center on the Utah Valley University campus, funeral attendees expressed love and support for the Long family, including many affiliated with various fire departments throughout Utah. Some of them knew Spencer Long personally.

“I just wanted to be here and support his family,” said Cliff Stott, a retired Provo firefighter. “He wasn’t on my crew, but I saw him a lot … He was competent, quiet, a wonderful guy. Just a guy that I admired.”

“Everybody, when you die, they always have good things to say about you, but you couldn’t say enough good about him,” said retired Orem firefighter David Forsyth. “He was just that kind of guy that you couldn’t help but love him.”

Provo Fire Battalion Chief Jason Branson, who worked for years with Spencer Long, called his colleague “one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known.”

“We’re glad to be here to celebrate his life,” Branson said, “and couldn’t be more proud to know him.”

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, also attended the funeral. He declined to comment to KSL other than to say that what happened to the Long family was a tragedy.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

TCU is just a few years removed from the most memorable run in modern program history — a 13-2 season that featured an appearance in the 2023 national championship game. Though the Horned Frogs were battered 65-7 by Georgia, it was still the furthest a Big 12 team has gone in the College Football Playoff era.

After a down year the following season, TCU posted back-to-back 9-4 seasons, including an Alamo Bowl victory against USC in 2025.

That’s two good years for the team from Fort Worth, but in 2026, does TCU have what it takes to jump into Big 12 contender status?

The Horned Frogs are going through something of a transition season, bringing in a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback. Kendal Briles, TCU’s OC since 2023, took the same job in South Carolina, so Sonny Dykes turned to UConn’s Gordon Sammis to run the offense.

With the help of Sammis, who was also named the interim head coach ahead of the Fenway Bowl after Jim Mora took the Colorado State job, the Huskies posted their second 9-4 season in a row.

BYU, Utah both rank high nationally in win conversion matrix

Big 12 football writers conducted our own preseason poll last week; here’s who we have at No. 1

UConn averaged 445.2 yards per game, 21st in the nation, and 35.3 points per game, 15th in the nation.

“Once we knew we were going to have an opportunity to hire a new coordinator, Ryan Dorchester, our chief of staff, kind of did a deep statistical study to things that we felt like were important and would give us the best opportunity to win,” Dykes said.

“UConn kept showing up. At that point it’s like, OK, who is doing this? It’s Gordy Sammis. Interesting background. He’s an offensive line coach that’s a play caller. There are not too many of those in college football. … The thing I appreciated about him was, you know, there’s nothing that happens randomly. Everything has a reason. It’s just well thought out, it’s well conceived. I think he’s really bright. I just like what we’re doing offensively.”

With last year’s quarterback, Josh Hoover, transferring to Indiana, TCU brought in Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig, who threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns on a 61.5% completion rate.

“I don’t know that we knew we were going to take a transfer quarterback, honestly. We had a quarterback that had been with us for a number of years and still had a year of eligibility. We kind of assumed he would be with us, and that ended up not being the case,” Dykes said.

“Once that happened, our personnel department came in and said, ‘OK, look, take a look at this guy, see what you think.’ You turn the tape on of him playing at Harvard, and you really like what you see. You see a big, strong guy that is making throws that you go, wow, that’s impressive. You see a guy that doesn’t turn the ball over. You see a guy that handles himself well.”

Protecting Craig will be one of TCU’s best offensive lines in years, featuring returning starters Ben Taylor-Whitfield and Cade Bennett. While TCU has to replace two starters, they nabbed Oklahoma State’s Noah McKinney, who was a top target in the transfer portal.

At running back, starter Jeremy Payne (623 yards, five TDs) is back, alongside sophomore Jon Denman, who rushed for 178 yards and three TDs on 50 carries and will be elevated to a bigger role this year.

There are question marks at receiver as the Horned Frogs lose top wideout Eric McAlister (1,190 yards last year), but their second option, Jordan Dwyer (730 yards, seven TDs) returns as WR1. The Horned Frogs will be counting on Ed Small (186 yards) and Dozie Ezukanma (28 yards) to take that next step.

Preseason rankings are largely meaningless, but for this reason they do matter

On defense, the Horned Frogs return a good chunk of starters, including the preseason All-Big 12 selection, safety Jamel Johnson, who had five interceptions last season.

Other returning starters include defensive end Paul Oyewale, defensive tackles Markis Deal and Ansel Din-Mbuh and cornerback Vernon Glover.

The defensive line should be good.

TCU will need to answer some questions at the cornerback position, where it struggled last year. Glover was solid, but the Horned Frogs will need sophomore Gil Jackson to take a leap.

After two straight 9-4 seasons, could this be the year that TCU makes the leap and gets into the conference championship game mix down the stretch? It could happen if everything clicks and Craig lights it up behind a good offensive line.

TCU opens the season in Dublin against North Carolina, and plays BYU, Arizona, Utah and Texas Tech. Several of those games could prove key in the Big 12 title race.

A panel of 16 Big 12 beat writers, who conducted their own preseason poll, had the Horned Frogs No. 6, and that’s about in line with Vegas.

2026 TCU Horned Frogs at a glance

2025 record: 9-4 (5-4 Big 12)

Utah ties

• None

2026 schedule

• Aug. 29 — vs. North Carolina
• Sept. 12 — vs. Grambling State
• Sept. 19 — vs. Arkansas State
• Sept. 26 — at UCF
• Oct. 3 — vs. BYU
• Oct. 17 — at Baylor
• Oct. 24 — vs. West Virginia
• Oct. 31 — vs. Kansas
• Nov. 7 — at Arizona
• Nov. 14 — vs. Kansas State
• Nov. 21 — vs. Utah
• Nov. 26 — at Texas Tech

That impulse never faded. It scaled.

A NICU Mother’s Instinct, Multiplied 100,000 Times

Since 2009, eight of Hendry’s grandchildren have spent time in a Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During one especially harrowing stay — when a grandson arrived at just 30 weeks — Hendry gave her daughter Jami a small Minky Couture mini blanket. Jami held it to her chest, absorbing her scent, then placed it beside her son in the incubator. That simple act brought a fragile new life a measure of connection and security.

It was at that moment, according to the company, that the Heart of Minky program was born.

Today, Minky Couture donates over 100,000 mini blankets each year to NICUs across the country — each one a gift of love and warmth for a baby fighting for life. The science is intuitive: a mother’s scent on a soft blanket helps premature infants feel safe and thrive. Parents report treasuring those blankets for years; one family shared that their six-year-old son still sleeps with his.

The company’s charity page describes Hendry’s guiding ambition as a dream to “blanket the world,” a vision that extends well beyond the NICU. The Heart of Minky blog features dozens of firsthand stories — from Felix, born months early, to Evie, whose mother recounted the comfort a tiny blanket brought during the longest nights of her life.

Minky Couture has also pledged $1 million toward the state-of-the-art NICU at Primary Children’s Hospital through Intermountain Children’s Health — and recently announced a $3 million donation to autism services, further widening its circle of care.

Generosity Woven into the Business Model

Hendry’s instinct to give has shaped Minky Couture’s culture in tangible ways. Fifty seamstresses work from home, allowing mothers to earn income while staying with their families — a deliberate choice by Hendry, a retired teacher with 30 years in education who understands the value of flexibility for working parents.

The company also created “Pay It Forward” cards: free blanket codes distributed at events with one instruction — pass it to someone who truly needs it. And when a representative from the Christmas Box House, which shelters children from abuse, asked for a couple hundred pillowcases, Hendry’s response was characteristic: “How many kids come through in a year?” She delivered 2,000.

“The crazy thing about Sandi is it doesn’t just happen at Christmas time,” said Shirley Heaps of Minky Couture’s marketing team. “We do this all year long.”

Customers can join the effort by donating at checkout or by suggesting NICUs in need at heartofminky@minkycouture.com.

From a single handmade blanket to a 400-employee operation, Minky Couture is proof that commerce and compassion can grow from the same root — a mother’s love, scaled to meet a world of need.

One item they won’t be carrying? Cellphones.

A new law passed by the 2026 Utah Legislature will be in effect when K-12 students go back to school in the coming weeks. The state’s default school cellphone policy now restricts cellphones in school from opening bell to closing bell.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and several state lawmakers — along with many teachers, parents and even a few students — are confident the updated cellphone policy will improve student academics, even while increasing classroom focus and social connections.

Time will tell if Utah’s bell-to-bell cellphone prohibition is working.

Meanwhile, national studies of school cellphone ban outcomes examine only limited elements of student performance and environments. And most cellphone restriction policies in the U.S. are still in early stages.

But one local educator with an extensive background in the science of learning and student success said the early research indicates bell-to-bell cellphone bans are not magic bullets to optimizing learning outcomes in K-12 schools.

In a discussion with the Deseret News, Western Governors University Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the School of Education Jeff Borden said that banning cellphones at schools “is a fairly new initiative.”

But early research on such policies suggests mixed results, observed Borden.

Low-achieving students from typically low socioeconomic backgrounds, he said, have shown far more academic progress following bell-to-bell cellphone bans than their counterparts from middle and high socioeconomic backgrounds.

Another study found that reading scores improved for fourth and eighth graders.

Legislature: Should Utah third graders struggling with reading be held back a year?

But classroom factors such as attendance and bullying have shown to be largely unaffected by cellphone bans, at least in the early studies, according to Borden.

“The research does say banning cellphones is a good idea — (but) I don’t know that it’s good as a panacea. It doesn’t necessarily accomplish everything.”

Will Utah students be more focused in class without their phones?

One key outcome that the early cellphone ban research has not adequately determined is whether or not student focus improves, said Borden.

“The measures of learning did go up — and that’s great,” he said. “Test scores went up. But that isn’t necessarily (a measure) of better focus. … I think we’re trying to prove that out, but the studies have been too small. The methodologies weren’t great. And I don’t know that we can claim that definitively.”

Brain focus, from a neuroscience perspective, “comes down to novelty,” said Borden.

For starters, he said, the neurotransmitter norepinephrine is created when students have “just enough of a challenge that they think they can overcome something. They think they can figure it out.”

Generating norepinephrine is both a curricular approach and an instructional approach, explained Borden.

“So getting people puzzles or problems that they believe they can overcome — that is what drives focus from sort of a neurotransmitter perspective.”

No surprise, surveys show teachers are embracing cellphone bans in class. But Borden emphasized that teachers in a phone-free classroom still have to take the next step to promote better student focus.

And while there may be fewer digital distractions, teachers still have to capitalize on engaging their students with “best practices” of instruction and curriculum.

So what are classroom ‘best practices’?

Teachers must find ways in their instruction to include “desirable difficulties,” said Borden. The challenge is making learning “just a little bit harder than it could be” to engage more parts of students’ brains while increasing focus and motivation.

Borden gives the example of a teacher who tells the students that they are going to be learning fractions. Many of the kids may have already decided they don’t like math. They will quickly lose focus and tune out the teacher.

But a teacher who says that they need help discovering just the right amount of ingredients to make Grandma’s cookies — “a one-third teaspoon of this, a one-fourth tablespoon of that” — will shift the student’s motivation element.

“There’s a focus element that’s changed as they’re trying to uncover the answers that they will ultimately need to figure out in order to know how to multiply, add, subtract fractions,” Borden explained.

With or without classroom phone bans, it’s necessary for teachers to drive motivation, he added. “It won’t always work, and people are different — but motivation is part of the learning equation.

“And it is incumbent on any good teacher to say to a student: ‘Here’s the reason this matters to you.’”

Learning catalysts: Competition and collaboration

Most Utah teachers can’t personalize an instruction model for each individual student. It’s not scalable. But teachers, said Borden, can utilize two seemingly opposite approaches to sharpen focus and learning: competition and collaboration.

“Competition is a great catalyst that motivates people to say, ‘I want to do better than another team, another group, or another person.’”

For others, collaboration is a “best practice” catalyst, said Borden.

The so-called “love hormone” oxytocin is produced when a person believes that they have a network, friend or relationship that is supportive — or collaborative.

“When a person has oxytocin in their system, they are willing to accept the advice of another, like a teacher or a peer,” said Borden.

In fact, one of the allures of a cellphone constantly receiving a steady stream of notifications is that the notification functions almost like a fake hit of oxytocin.

“We’ve got to work as practitioners to connect our students to one another and to ourselves — because when we do that, they start driving oxytocin and then they can learn from us,” said Borden.

And what about AI and student focus/instruction?

Borden said WGU alumni working in the classrooms are reporting that parents are eager for their kids to learn how to use artificial intelligence. They recognize that the technology will be prolific throughout their children’s lives.

But, added Borden, “students primarily use AI to cheat.”

So teachers are searching to find an AI balance in their instruction.

“These AI tools are emerging so fast that nobody knows what to do with them or how to use them effectively,” said Borden.

“So what we’re trying to do, at our school anyway, is to try to find sort of that middle-ground where we can say, ‘I know what the desire is, I know what you’re up against. Here’s how you can kind of bridge that continuum as things evolve.’”

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Jay Clayton to become the next director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down from the position last month. Clayton’s nomination has long been viewed as the final obstacle to overcome the gridlock stalling reauthorization of the government spy powers.

But there’s still a long way to go for the program to be renewed. And some Democrats say there is time to hammer out a better deal.

The FISA fight explained

“We’re not under the time crunch that we anticipated because the communication providers are still cooperating,” said Sen. Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “This was always going to be a lift. The majority of my caucus probably won’t support it … but those of us who are in this national security environment understand it’s got to get done.”

Clayton’s nomination was approved along party lines as Democrats cited concerns he may weaponize the position to benefit President Donald Trump. However, Democrats view him as a better alternative to Bill Pulte, who is currently acting as the interim director of national intelligence until Clayton is formally sworn in.

Pulte is reportedly pushing to delay Clayton’s swearing-in as he completes some projects, a request that could further stall progress on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.

“First, we have to make sure Pulte is out,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Wednesday. “Many of us have wanted to get 702 enacted, but it needs some reforms.”

Even if senators can come to an agreement before leaving next week for the August recess, the program is set to remain dark until September. That’s because any deal would need to be approved by the House, which is not scheduled to return until Aug. 31.

Debate over FISA renewal rages on

The debate over reauthorizing FISA has been ongoing since it was enacted. The program is an intelligence collection authority that allows the intelligence community to “collect, analyze, and appropriately share foreign intelligence information about national security threats.”

The tool allows intelligence agencies, particularly the National Security Agency, to collect communications of foreign targets located outside the United States without needing a traditional warrant. In doing so, the authority allows the U.S. to track potential terrorist threats, espionage and more.

But Section 702 has periodical expiration dates, meaning Congress must routinely reauthorize the spying powers. While some national security hawks pushed for a clean extension, meaning the program would be extended without any changes, there are some members of Congress who believe the program needs substantial reforms before it can be reauthorized.

Those competing views pose a rare fight that is not beholden to party lines. In fact, it has united conservative Republicans with progressive Democrats in a way that has made it hard for top congressional leaders to get anyone on the same page.

The main disagreement is over the sweeping authority Section 702 gives intelligence officials when it comes to collecting communications without needing a warrant. While the section only allows the targeting of non-U.S. citizens abroad, it can sometimes sweep up communications from Americans living inside the country.

As a result, some lawmakers have pushed for reforms and language that would require warrants before the FBI can search 702 databases for U.S. citizens’ data. Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Mike Kennedy have both called for reforms involving warrant requirements.

But intelligence officials warn those requirements could slow investigations.

Republicans urge Democrats to renew FISA

Although senators were on track to approve a bipartisan deal extending the program earlier this summer, those plans were scuttled after Trump abruptly told Clayton not to appear for his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Instead, the president wanted to keep Pulte, a close Trump ally, as the interim director a little longer.

Trump asks Congress for last-minute extension of spy powers as bipartisan deal unravels

That decision infuriated Democrats, who accused Pulte of having no experience in intelligence and using the position to target Trump’s opponents. Democrats then tanked the bipartisan FISA deal, vowing not to renew the program until Pulte was removed.

Now, Republicans are urging Democrats to drop their hold on the legislation.

“Democrats have refused to pass a bipartisan FISA bill until a new DNI is confirmed,” a spokesperson for Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in a statement. “Now that Jay Clayton is confirmed, it’s time for them to stop playing politics with national security and put up the votes to give our intelligence community the tools it needs to keep this country safe.”

Others said that if a national security concern occurs because of a FISA renewal delay, Democrats would be responsible.

“The blame for any possible national security incident that comes from this will sit squarely at Senate Democrats’ feet, and we will make sure the American people never forget that,” Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Punchbowl News.