Thursday, December 7, 2023 | 
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Holly Richardson

Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy and a columnist for the Deseret News. A former Utah legislator, she holds a master’s degree in professional communication and a Ph.D. in political science, where she focused on public administration/nonprofit management and international relations. She and her husband, Greg, are the parents of a large and unique family.

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Opinion
Becky Edwards is launching an effort to promote good political leadership
The former Senate candidate and state lawmaker wants to promote pragmatic solutions rather than partisan conflict.
By Holly Richardson
An Armed Forces body bearer team carries the casket of former first lady Rosalynn Carter while family watches.
Opinion
Opinion: The funerals of my grandmother and Rosalynn Carter reveal many similarities
Both women blazed their own trails in an era that wasn’t exactly supportive of female trailblazers
By Holly Richardson
Rep. Celeste Maloy looks on during a ceremonial swearing in on Nov. 28, 2023, in Washington.
Opinion
Utah now has 2 women in major elected office. Here’s why that matters
It’s been 23 years since the last time 2 women held major political offices in the state.
By Holly Richardson
Casandra Friend laughs as her daughter asks for a toy after collecting their luggage at the Southwest luggage carousel at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
Opinion
The nightmares of holiday travel
Luckily, most of them become amusing with the passage of time
By Holly Richardson
Greg and Holly Richardson gather with more than two dozen of their immediate family members for Thanksgiving 2023.
Opinion
40 pounds of turkey, 15 pounds of potatoes, 16 sticks of butter: Thanksgiving dinner with a gigantic family
Two quarts of gravy, eight boxes of stuffing mix, two 10x15 pans of Jello, a gallon of heavy whipping cream, four jars of jam and dessert.
By Holly Richardson
Portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Opinion
What Abraham Lincoln said about choosing hope in dark times
Abraham Lincoln knew something of dark days. Yet time and again, Lincoln chose hope.
By Holly Richardson
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Politics
New Jersey’s first lady running against indicted Sen. Bob Menendez
Tammy Murphy says that she is ‘proud of everything we’ve accomplished — but I know there’s a lot more to do’
By Holly Richardson
An Ethiopian man carries a sack of wheat on his shoulders to be distributed by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in northern Ethiopia in 2021.
U.S. & World
USAID to resume food aid in Ethiopia after massive theft resulted in a monthslong suspension
In the northern region of Tigray, site of a brutal 2-year civil war, 5.4 million out of a total of 6 million people rely on international food aid. Hunger now accounts for more than two-thirds of all the deaths in the region
By Holly Richardson
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Opinion
World Kindness Day: A dozen donuts is a good place to start
“The kindest things anyone ever did for me, were also very very simple.”
By Holly Richardson
South Sudanese who fled from Sudan sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023.
U.S. & World
Mass killings in Sudan leave 800 dead
The war that erupted without warning turned previously peaceful Sudanese homes into cemeteries
By Holly Richardson
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Politics
Meet Ariel Defay, Utah’s newest representative-elect
Ariel Defay will replace Brad Wilson when he resigns on Nov. 15
By Holly Richardson
A man works on his computer amid a messy living room.
Opinion
Opinion: Moving through the messy middle
“The middle is messy, but it’s also where the magic happens.”
By Holly Richardson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., arrives on Capitol Hill on Oct. 24, 2023. Taylor-Greene is angry with members of her own party, per reports.
Politics
Marjorie Taylor Greene battles fellow Republicans over failed censure resolution
Greene’s resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib failed, with 23 Republicans voting no. She was not pleased
By Holly Richardson
Sharon McMahon speaks at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Education
‘America’s government teacher,’ Sharon McMahon speaks to a sold-out crowd at UVU
The ‘Great Commission’ of the U.S. Constitution can be summed up in 4 words: ‘We the People’ are to be ‘just, peaceful, good and free’
By Holly Richardson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives for the Republican caucus meeting in Washington on Oct. 19, 2023.
Politics
Marjorie Taylor Greene says Matt Gaetz, others need to apologize
Greene said earlier that Gaetz had left the GOP in a weakened position after ousting McCarthy. Gaetz said it was worth it
By Holly Richardson
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U.S. & World
Sweden is closer to NATO membership
Turkey President Erdogan sends Sweden’s NATO bid to parliament for ratification
By Holly Richardson
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company, has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent.
U.S. & World
Russian American journalist detained in Russia could face up to 5 years in prison
Alsu Kurmasheva is the second U.S. journalist detained in Russia this year, after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in March.
By Holly Richardson
Delta Air Lines aircraft are lined up at Salt Lake International Airport in Salt Lake City on Nov. 18, 2021.
U.S. & World
U.S. State Department issues global travel warning
The department is advising all U.S. citizens around the world to exercise increased caution due to the ‘potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens’
By Holly Richardson
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U.S. & World
The anguish of not knowing
For families who do not know if their loved ones are dead or taken hostage or lying in a hospital somewhere, the anguish of not knowing keeps them stuck in a cycle of pain and numbness, hope and despair.
By Holly Richardson
A pile of documents and photographs related to family history.
Opinion
Opinion: How Swedish death cleaning can help you declutter your family history documents
What do you save from the pile of old journals, pedigree charts, group sheets, loose papers and books of remembrance?
By Holly Richardson
In this handout photo released by MSF Afghanistan, injured people received treatment after a powerful earthquake in western Afghanistan on Oct. 15, 2023.
U.S. & World
Two more earthquakes hit western Afghanistan
There have been a total of 4 earthquakes measuring 6.3 in the last 8 days
By Holly Richardson
Heidi Balderree was declared winner in the special election to replace Sen. Jake Anderegg in Utah Senate District 22.
Politics
Heidi Balderree wins the special election to replace Sen. Jake Anderegg
13 candidates and 6 rounds of balloting were needed before a winner was selected
By Holly Richardson
Teaching children how to work is as much about consistency as it is about completion.
Family
Struggling to get your kids to do their chores? This mom has a strategy
I used to think if I just told them to do their chores, they would. I quickly learned I need a system — and I need to be the example.
By Holly Richardson
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U.S. & World
104-year-old skydiver dies days after record-breaking jump
Dorothy Hoffner died in her sleep Monday night.
By Holly Richardson
Afghan men search for victims after an earthquake in Zenda Jan district in Herat province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 8, 2023.
U.S. & World
Search continues for survivors after Afghanistan earthquake
Hope is quickly fading due to lack of equipment, experienced rescuers and a functioning health care system
By Holly Richardson
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U.S. & World
Earthquake in Afghanistan kills thousands
Several villages have “completely perished.” Rescuers are trying to dig through rubble with their bare hands.
By Holly Richardson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks as former President Donald Trump looks on at the Georgia Republican convention on June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Ga.
Opinion
Opinion: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene really, really wants Trump to be House speaker
She says if Trump is speaker, it would be a Trump rally every day and the House would be a ‘MAGA House’
By Holly Richardson
Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Kariko speaks at the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 2, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Health
Research not funded, demoted and then let go. She just won the Nobel prize
Katalin Karikó knew that mRNA was valuable in vaccines and new medications. She remained undeterred, among many set-backs. Her research was the building block for COVID-19 vaccines.
By Holly Richardson
Arthur C. Brooks, left, and Oprah Winfrey discusses their new book “Building the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier” on Sept. 12, 2023.
Opinion
Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey’s recipe for a happier life
“Happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a direction.”
By Holly Richardson
A stack of the Marion County Record is shown on Aug. 16, 2023, in Marion, Kan. The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of the small Kansas newspaper has resigned, per reports.
Police/Courts
Police chief who led raid on Kansas newspaper has resigned
Police Chief Gideon Cody’s departure came after the AP obtained body camera footage of the raid.
By Holly Richardson
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