Back to school: After Irma, Florida classes begin resuming

Maria Stotts, and Heather Mueller, volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, clear debris from a Monroe County sheriff's deputy's home damaged by a six-foot storm surge, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Big Pine Key, Fla.

Funeral set for Mesa businessman, politician Wil Cardon

Funeral set for Mesa businessman, politician Wil Cardon Funeral details have been set for Mesa businessman and politician Wil Cardon, who died Saturday. He was 46. Check out this story on azcentral.com: http://azc.cc/2wTa1Ig Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Chapel, 4225 N. 56th Street in Phoenix.

Microphone cut after Mormon girl reveals she’s gay at church

A video of a young Mormon girl revealing to her congregation that she is lesbian and still loved by God - before her microphone is turned off by local church leaders - is sparking a new round of discussions about how the religion handles LGBT issues. Savannah, 13, spoke on May 7 in Eagle Mountain, Utah, about her belief that she is the child of heavenly parents who didn't make any mistakes when she was created.

Hatch, Feinstein bill would make threats against religions, worshippers federal crime

Citing past persecution of early Mormons and recent bomb threats at Jewish community centers, Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday to strengthen protections for religious minorities. The bill would expand criminal law to include threats to intentionally deface, damage or destroy any religious property or to threaten to obstruct - by force or threat of force - a person's exercise of their religious beliefs.

‘South Park’ creators aim to scale back Trump coverage

'South Park' creators aim to scale back Trump coverage "We decided to just kind of back off and let them do their comedy and we'll do ours." Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2ka4562 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone say fans keep assuming they must be loving the Trump presidency - there's so much dramatic material to parody, right? The creators of South Park have acute Trump fatigue - so much so that they plan to scale back on the number of storylines about him when they return to work on the show's 21st season later this year.

To celebrate inaugural or not? Trump critics are divided

In this Dec. 8, 2016, file photo, construction continues for the Inauguration and swearing-in ceremonies for President-elect Donald Trump on the Capitol steps in Washington. It's typically an unquestioned honor to participate in the inauguration of an American president.

White House Brief: Things to know about Evan McMullin

Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin had never run for any political office, until he decided to make a bid for the highest office in the country. The impetus behind the bold idea: give conservative voters an alternative to Republican Donald Trump's firebrand candidacy.

Who is Evan McMullin, third-party candidate surging in Utah?

Two months after he jumped into the presidential race as a political unknown on the fringe, independent candidate Evan McMullin is surging in the polls in Utah and drawing large crowds at rallies as he becomes the conduit for conservative voters fed up with Republican Donald Trump's crudeness and antics. The Republican stronghold of Utah is suddenly a toss-up state amid widespread rejection of Trump, with polls showing McMullin closing in on the Republican nominee and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Piety before politics? Mormon politicians defend ex-Sen. Gordon Smith after video leak

Courtesy image A screen shot from a leaked video showing LDS leaders discussing politics with former Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith. Courtesy image A screen shot from a leaked video showing LDS leaders discussing politics with former Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith.

Twitter reacts to LDS general conference

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held two sessions of its 186th Semiannual General Conference on Saturday. One of the main messages to come out of the morning session , according to our own Tad Walch, was the hope that Mormons share Christian love with the people they meet in life.

Mormons gather in Utah to hear guidance from leaders

In this April 2, 2016, file photo, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs during the opening session of the two-day Mormon church conference in Salt Lake City. Mormons gather for a twice-yearly conference to hear spiritual guidance from top leaders during a testy presidential election and as society grapples with issues of race and sexuality.

Who said 2016 was unusual? For religious groups, it looks like 2012 all over again.

For all the talk about 2016 being a wildly unusual election cycle, it's looking a whole lot like 2012. When it comes to how religious and non-religious voters appraise candidates, the prospective Clinton-Trump matchup resembles the Obama-Romney choice, the Pew Research Center found in a new poll, the results of which it announced Wednesday.

Smooth operator: He escaped the FBI using olive oil

The leader of a polygamous Utah sect may have came up with a simple but slippery way to escape law enforcement late last month: olive oil. Lyle Jeffs, the leader of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was initially being held in jail after federal authorities arrested him and 10 other church leaders over a food-stamp-fraud case earlier this year.