Deseret Digest December 2024

THE DIGEST

Deseret Magazine

Church News

Holiday Gift Guide

The island of treasured children

How faith and duty have guided ‘Sista’ Raskey’s journey to Air Force fighter pilot

Jump start your holiday shopping with our 2024 Deseret News Gift Guide

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DECEMBER 2024 VOL. 2 / NO. 12

The future of Utah elections

State legislators are pushing bills to create a new elections office and strengthen the caucus-convention system

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A NOTE FROM THE E XECUTIVE EDITOR your computer or on the go with your mobile phone, you can access our website for the latest news, analysis and commentary.

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By Doug Wilks

We are pleased to introduce you to The Digest, a sampling of some of the best stories written every day by the dedicated journalists at the Deseret News, Deseret Magazine and Church News. Our hope is that you will make us your trusted news source each day at a time when there is confusion and contention in the nation.

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DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Peripheral Neuropathy WARNING! South Jordan, UT - The most common method your doctor will recommend to treat your neuropathy is with prescription drugs that may temporarily reduce your symptoms.

These drugs have names such as Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin, and are primarily antidepressant or anti-seizure drugs. These drugs may cause you to feel uncomfortable and have a variety of harmful side effects.

3) How much treatment will your condition require?

The treatment that is provided at The Scranton Clinic has three main goals: Increase blood flow Stimulate small fiber nerves Decrease brain-based pain

Figure 2: When these very small blood vessels become diseased they begin to shrivel up and the nerves begin to degenerate. they cause you to have balance problems, pain, numbness, tingling, burning, and many additional symptoms.

Figure 1: Notice the very small blood vessels surrounding each nerve.

Peripheral neuropathy is a result of damage to the nerves often causing weakness, pain, numbness, tingling, and the most debilitating balance problems. This damage is commonly caused by a lack of blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet which causes the nerves to begin to degenerate due to lack of nutrient flow.

As you can see in Figure 2, as the blood vessels that surround the nerves become diseased they shrivel up which causes the nerves to not get the nutrients to continue to survive. When these nerves begin to “die”

The treatment to increase blood flow utilizes a specialized low-level light therapy (not to be confused with laser therapy) using light emitting diode technology. This technology was originally developed by NASA to assist in increasing blood flow.

The low level light therapy is like watering a plant. The light therapy will allow the blood ves-sels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with the proper nutrients to heal and repair. It’s like adding water to a plant and seeing the roots grow deeper and deeper.

The main problem is that your doctor has told you to just live with the problem or try the drugs which you don’t like taking because they make you feel uncomfortable.

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Figure 3: The blood vessels will grow back around the nerves much like a plant’s roots grow when watered.

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4 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

DESERET MAGAZINE

The island of treasured children Family tradition is defying global trends on a subtropical island in the East China Sea

By Hikari Hida Deseret Magazine

It was over two decades ago when Yuki Matsuoka first set foot on Tokunoshima, a subtropical island that rises gently from the cerulean waters of the East China Sea. Located 800 miles southwest of Japan’s capital, the island’s lush landscapes and the soothing rhythms of the waves quickly captured her heart. But it wasn’t just the natural beauty that drew her to this remote corner of Japan; it was something she had learned, something she hadn’t expected.

“I was used to the idea that two children were plenty,” Matsuoka, who was living in Tokyo at the time, recalls with a laugh. “But here, three or four is normal. Six or seven? Not uncommon at all.”

Matsuoka moved to Tokunoshima two years later to give birth to her first child, a daughter.

Tokunoshima stands as a quiet anomaly in Japan, a country that has long grappled with one of the world’s lowest birth rates. With a fertility rate of just 1.37 — compared to 1.70 in the United States — Japan faces a demographic challenge that’s common across many developed nations, where replacement-level fertility of 2.1 children per woman is increasingly elusive. The global trend toward smaller families is driven by economic pressures like rising living and housing costs, as well as social shifts such as expanded access to education and career opportunities for women, which delay marriage and childbearing. Since the 1960s, fertility rates have plummeted from a high of 5.02 to 2.2 in 2021, with projections anticipating a drop to 1.59 by 2100.

While the rest of Japan — and much of the world — wrestles with the challenges of an aging population and shrinking families, this small island, just 95 square miles with a population barely exceeding 21,000, has become a cradle of life. Here, the birth rate soars to 2.25, almost double the national average. Walk around, and you’ll hear the sounds of children playing freely until nightfall.

As the plane descends toward Tokunoshima, emblazoned across the terminal building, a singular phrase comes into view: “Tokunoshima Kodakara Kuko” — the children’s airport. It’s an unusual greeting, but one that speaks volumes about what the island most cherishes.

Located in Kagoshima Prefecture, just an hour’s flight from the mainland city of Kagoshima, Tokunoshima lies between Okinawa to the south and Amami Ōshima to the north.

The name, shortened to “Kodakara,” was coined in 2012, on the 50th anniversary of the island’s airport. The image it conjures — children laughing and running along the sandy beaches of its three small towns — feels less like a fantasy and more like a glimpse into the heart of a community that places its future in the hands of the next generation.

Despite its idyllic image, Tokunoshima is not a place of material wealth. The island’s economy is built upon traditional industries such as fishing and sugar cane production — hardly the kind of economic engines that generate prosperity in the modern world. Yet, in Japan’s annual birth rate surveys, the towns of Tokunoshima consistently rank among the highest in the nation. It’s an anomaly that defies easy explanation.

Sonny Bardot, a Ph.D. graduate of International Christian University, spent six months on Tokunoshima writing his thesis on the island’s dating culture. He recalls one conver-

Kosuke Okahara for the Deseret News

"Kids...feel like they are truly welcomed by the community," says Yuki Matsuoka, who moved to Tokunoshima from Tokyo to give birth to her first child.

sation that encapsulates the community’s unique pressures.

A woman confided about the expectations placed on her by both her parents and the wider community to have more children.

“Women often told me that after three children, it’s basically the same,” Bardot explains. The community’s perspective is that once a family has several children, the older siblings naturally take on caregiving roles for the younger ones.

“There’s no additional work between three to six kids.”

Understanding this positive perception of large families requires a look at the islanders’ deep connection to their home. In a recent local government survey, 95.5 percent of respondents expressed a strong sense of pride in being from Tokunoshima. According to Matsuoka, traditions play a pivotal role in this shared pride. “There are customs here that people ‘remember deeply’ from childhood, and they’re incredibly important.”

One such tradition occurs at key moments in a child’s life: one month after birth, upon entering elementary school, and again at 20 — the official age of adulthood in Japan.

Attended by nearly 100 guests, the host family prepares a feast including mochi rice cakes, and goodie bags filled with treats, in exchange for modest monetary gifts. Matsuoka, who experienced this tradition 18 years ago when her oldest daughter was celebrated shortly after she had moved to the island, remembers the exhaustion of the preparations, but also the overwhelming warmth. “The kids who experience that feel like they are truly welcomed by the community,” she reflects. “When you reach adulthood, you find yourself

wanting your own children to go through the same wonderful experiences.”

For families on Tokunoshima, community support is crucial, especially given the financial burdens that they may face. With local wages often less than half of that in Tokyo, the island’s economic realities necessitate a collective approach to raising families.

“Here, if everyone else is out working the fields, sitting at home just isn’t an option,” Matsuoka explains. Yet, “there are always ‘hands’ to help and ‘eyes’ to watch over the children,” says Shinobu Yoshida, the director of health promotion at Tokunoshima Town Hall. “Kids are born into safety here, parents worry less.”

Before thinking about money, “everyone has the nantoka naru mindset,” or the “it will work out somehow” mindset, says Tomokazu Hiro, head of the Care and Welfare Division at Tokunoshima Town Hall, due to all the surrounding support.

In contrast to urban centers like Tokyo and Osaka, the three towns on Tokunoshima, despite their differing governmental approaches, are widely regarded as child-friendly. For instance, out of the eight elementary schools in Isen Town, four are considered small schools, with fewer than 20 students each. According to the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, these numbers should justify reducing the town’s elementary schools to just three. But the town’s mayor, Akira Okubo, who has served for six terms, made a bold declaration a decade ago: No schools would be closed on his watch. Even when one school faced closure with only 11 students, Mayor Okubo chose instead to construct public

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024 housing nearby, attracting families with children and thus revitalizing the student population.

This strategy has paid off, not just in keeping schools open but in drawing back those who once left the island.

Many young people leave Tokunoshima after high school to pursue further education or employment elsewhere. However, the construction of new public housing has sparked an increase in “U-turn” migration — where individuals return to their hometowns after spending time away. Some towns on the island offer scholarships of around 50,000 yen ($350) per month for students in fields like health care and caretaking, effectively making their education free if they return to work on the island for five years.

But government officials on the island are quick to downplay any notion that they are doing anything extraordinary to boost fertility rates. “We were already No. 1 in Japan before a lot of these subsidies,” Hiro says, adding, “I think we try to listen to the people and that is what makes good results.” In some towns, services such as school lunches and medical care for children up to middle school are provided free of charge. Nursery schools, which are notoriously difficult to access in metropolitan areas like Tokyo, are not only readily available on the island but are either free or offered at a low cost.

One of the most significant supports for women on the island may be the financial assistance provided for in vitro fertilization. Last year, 12 women in Tokunoshima Town alone benefited from this subsidy, which even covers travel costs to Kagoshima City for those who prefer not to be seen in local clinics.

But when asked why they have so many children, island residents rarely cite these government initiatives. As one woman put it, no financial incentive — certainly not half a million yen — is enough to have a sixth, seventh or even a second child if you don’t genuinely want one.

Unlike much of Japan, where marriage and childbearing are increasingly delayed, on this island, the norm is for women to marry and start families at a young age.

In fact, 45 percent of women between the ages of 20 and 24 are married, a stark contrast to the mere 7 percent na-

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Kosuke Okahara for the Deseret News

Tokunoshima's economy is built upon agriculture, and livestock — especially bulls — are economically and culturally important to local families.

tionwide. This early marriage rate is closely tied to Japan’s broader social expectation that children are born within wedlock — only 2 percent of children in Japan are born outside of marriage.

While dekikon — marriage due to pregnancy — is often stigmatized in other parts of Japan, nearly all marriages on Tokunoshima begin this way, according to Bardot’s research. Here, dekikon is seen differently. Rather than being viewed negatively, it often represents a natural progression in relationships, deeply integrated into the local culture.

Divorce, too, is approached differently. The island has a much higher divorce rate compared to the rest of Japan, but this hasn’t led to societal ostracism. The community is notably accepting of single mothers and blended families.

Kosuke Okahara for the Deseret News

"Kids are born into safety here — parents worry less," says Shinobu Yoshida, the director of health promotion at Tokunoshima Town Hall.

Bardot shares a poignant example of this cultural flexibility, recounting the story of a 28-year-old woman who had her first child at 18, only to divorce shortly after. When she later met another man, she carefully considered whether he would accept and care for her child from her previous relationship. After confirming his commitment, they started a family together, with the new husband becoming the child’s father in every sense. Such stories are not uncommon on the island, where the “Tsurigo system” allows children from previous marriages to seamlessly integrate into new family units.

Matsuoka, the transplant from Tokyo, emphasizes that while the island has its taboos, people here are generally logical and straightforward when it comes to marriage and divorce. Unlike in many parts of Japan, where single parents often face social stigma — she herself is a single parent — Tokunoshima’s community is more accepting, she says.

This approach to relationships reflects the island’s broader social dynamics, where community support and a focus on well-being take precedence. Japan has the oldest population in the world, with almost 30 percent of its population aged 65 and older. Tokunoshima mirrors this trend. However, unlike many parts of Japan where policies overwhelmingly focus on the aging population, this island has shifted its attention toward nurturing the next generation.

In Isen Town, a longstanding tradition involved giving celebration gifts to elderly residents aged 85 and older. The budget for this initiative stood at around seven million yen ($49,000) annually. However, several years ago, during a community meeting, a surprising request emerged from the elderly residents themselves: We don’t need the celebration money anymore, so could you allocate that money to the younger generation instead?

This request, which faced almost no opposition, led to a significant policy shift. Starting in 2012, the funds that were freed up were redirected toward child-rearing initiatives.

Since towns on the island were declared as having the No. 1 birth rate in the country, NGO leaders, politicians and sociologists have visited in hopes of catching a note of the baby fever. However, most leave the island “disappointed,” says Matsuoka. “It’s not a casual culture that could be built somewhere else; it’s something deeply ingrained in the life here,” she says. “We don’t just possess some secret here that you can take home and emulate.”

This story appears in the November 2024 issue of Deseret Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.

6 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

DESERET NEWS

The future of Utah elections State legislators are pushing bills to create a new elections office and strengthen the caucus-convention system will receive one — as opposed to all registered voters automatically receiving one. This shift would keep vote-by-mail as an option for everyone that wants it but would “clean up the voter rolls in one swoop,” Lee said, for voters who have moved or died.

Under this bill, voters would be able to opt in to receive future mail-in ballots by marking a box on their mail-in ballot in the upcoming election cycle, Lee said.

In conversation with county clerks, Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, has also opened a bill file that would limit the number of voters who automatically receive a mail-in ballot to just those who have voted in the last two or four elections by mail, she said.

Vote-by-mail ... in-person

Annabelle Johnson votes at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

By Brigham Tomco Deseret News

Utah lawmakers are planning significant electoral reforms in the upcoming legislative session after a roller coaster ride during the 2024 election cycle.

Utah’s primary process and vote-by-mail system came under fire from losing campaigns in 2024 who criticized the privacy of candidate signature packets, the subjectivity of signature verification and the uncertainty of relying on the U.S. Postal Service to return ballots.

After implementing numerous election safeguards in recent years, from mandatory audits to cleaned-up voter rolls, state legislators are looking to tackle Utah elections in a big way in 2025 to improve the process and maintain trust.

Independent election office

Maybe the largest of these reforms would be a return to 50 years ago.

In February, state Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, introduced a bill that would overhaul election oversight in Utah, creating a new executive agency to manage elections independent of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, similar to the secretary of state model Utah had until the lieutenant governor position was created in 1976.

The bill, HB490, would require Utah’s statewide elected officials — the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor and attorney general — along with the Legislatures’s House speaker and Senate president, to appoint the director

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

of a new state Elections Office.

In a statement to the Deseret News, Wilcox said he will run a similar piece of legislation in 2025 to ensure “the independence of the elections office from the office of the lieutenant governor, as is done in 48 other states.”

Utah and Alaska are the only states in the country where the role of chief election official is held by the lieutenant governor. In 33 states, the chief election official is elected. In the remaining states, the chief election official is appointed by the governor, state legislature or a board or commission.

Wilcox said the bill was held in 2024 for 2025 under an agreement with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to continue working on it in between sessions.

“We’ve made significant progress over the interim and I look forward to discussing the issue with my colleagues, stakeholders, and the public in the coming months,” Wilcox said.

Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, said allegations of conflicts of interest in the gubernatorial election this year has motivated lawmakers to give election oversight to “someone who just doesn’t have any skin in the game as it pertains to the election.”

“We’ve seen everything we needed to to make sure that that’s going to happen and be a priority for our body this year,” Lee said.

Opt-in for vote-by-mail

Multiple state lawmakers, including Lee, also want to disrupt the state’s default vote-by-mail status.

Lee plans to introduce a bill that would change state code so that only registered voters who request a mail-in ballot

This year’s extremely close 2nd Congressional District Republican primary highlighted concerns about some mailin ballots being discarded by county clerks because of a late postmark stamp from the U.S. Postal Service despite having been placed in the mail one or more days before the deadline.

Birkeland said she had heard of multiple bills addressing concerns about postmark deadlines. Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, said he had heard the same, but isn’t sure there is a great solution other than better advertising about the delays inherent to relying on the Postal Service instead of county dropboxes.

Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka, who heads one of the biggest conservative lobbying organizations in Utah, said the “only secure way to vote” requires a complete shift in how mail-in ballots are returned to eliminate dependence on post offices and signature verification which is more susceptible to human errors.

Ruzicka believes mail-in ballots should be subject to a voter identification process like traditional in-person voting. Her team will be pushing for reforms that would still allow ballots to be sent to voters via the mail but would require voters to return their ballot in-person at an official polling location where they would be asked to present a valid government ID. “Nobody should be able to vote if they can’t prove that they are who they say they are,” Ruzicka said.

Convention-primary compromise

The Utah Eagle Forum is also lobbying for a secretary of state position, any bill that strengthens the caucus-convention system and bills to increase the transparency of candidate signature gathering to qualify for primary elections.

Signatures found in so-called nomination packets should be subject to the same expectations of transparency as citizen ballot initiatives, which are made public online by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Ruzicka said.

Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, expects increased transparency to be a major theme in the “dozens of bills” the state House will send to the Senate this year. This is likely a topic that can gain consensus support, Weiler expects.

“We are treating signature packets for referenda differently than we are for candidates who are doing the signature path,” Weiler said. “I don’t know that that makes sense.”

If Ruzicka had her way, the state’s 10-year-old law providing a signature-gathering route to primary qualification, known as SB54, would simply be repealed, leaving party nominations entirely up to a group of a few thousand state

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024 delegates at party conventions.

But there is a way to reverse the party convention’s fading relevance while also retaining primary elections that are open to all party members, according to Teuscher.

The bill, which passed the House in 2023 but never received a Senate vote, would allow candidates who receive a dominant share of support among state convention delegates — of somewhere around 70% or 80% — to eliminate all primary opponents and advance directly to the general election ballot, even if there were other candidates who qualified for a primary via signature-gathering.

This would incentivize participation in the state’s unique caucus-convention system, from candidates and voters, while preventing non-consensus candidates from gaining the party’s nomination, according to Teuscher. The proposal would also empower candidates who can’t afford to play in the state’s emerging signature-gathering industry and would avoid expensive primary races that produce the same result as the convention, Teuscher said.

remove some of the pressure on campaigns to gather signatures as quickly as possible to avoid overlapping with competing candidates, Morgan said. Despite its emphasis on increasing voter turnout across the state, Morgan said Count My Vote is open to compromising with the state Republican Party if it shows a willingness to make its caucus-convention system more inclusive.

7

“Voters like the dual path,” Morgan said. “So we are looking to the party to take some steps before we’re willing to further empower their process that is clearly broken.”

Amid rumors of state lawmakers swapping the “dual path” for a convention-less primary path, Cox told reporters earlier this year that he would not support doing away with the state’s unique caucus-convention system.

Easier primary access

Taylor Morgan, the executive director of Count My Vote, the group largely responsible for the state’s signature primary path, thinks there is a different way to decrease the influence of expensive signature-gathering firms and to keep the door open for candidates of all stripes to qualify for the primary.

Count My Vote’s current priorities, in discussions with state lawmakers, are to reduce the signature-gathering threshold for primary qualification, allow registered voters to sign multiple candidate nomination packets for their party in the same race, and increase the flexibility for campaigns to gather signatures on paper and through a new state app that scans drivers license barcodes to verify digital signatures.

These changes would make primary qualification more accessible for a greater number of candidates and would

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

A young man places a ballot into the container as voters turn out to cast their primary votes at the Salt Lake County Library in Sandy on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

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CHURCH NEWS

How faith and duty have guided ‘Sista’ Raskey’s journey to Air Force fighter pilot 1st Lt. Savannah Raskey serves in the Air National Guard and is stationed at Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama, where she flies the F-35 with the 100th Fighter Squadron

By Trent Toone Church News

Upon completion of training, fighter pilots receive an official nickname referred to as a call sign, and it’s a big deal.

Pilots do not get to pick their own call signs. The call signs are assigned and often based on one’s personality, foibles or an embarrassing mistake, but they are given as part of the military camaraderie and tend to stick with the aviator for their entire career.

It’s rare to get cool-sounding call signs like “Maverick” and “Iceman” from the movies. Pilots are more likely to receive such names as “Meatloaf,” “Bus” or “Sidewalk” — and with a memorable story behind every name, according to a 2022 news article.

First Lt. Savannah Raskey was willing to live with whatever call sign she was assigned, but she prayed repeatedly for one that would help her represent the Lord and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I prayed that I’d be given a call sign that I could use to emulate God’s light and love and that I could use it in a way that I could be a member missionary,” she said. “I didn’t serve a Church mission, but I feel like I was put here to serve in a different way.”

Her prayers were answered when she officially received the call sign “Sista,” a name in which she finds deep meaning and spiritual purpose as a Latter-day Saint serving a unique mission in the military.

“It’s cool to put that name tag on every day,” she said.

“When I go to air shows or meet people, I introduce myself as ‘Sista,’ and it’s a constant reminder to me of what my priorities are so I can interact with people in a way that would be pleasing to God.” Raskey serves in the Air National Guard of the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama, where she flies the F-35 with the 100th Fighter Squadron. The squadron paints its tail wings red in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen squadrons from World War II. She also currently serves as the second counselor in the Relief Society presidency of the Millbrook Ward in the Montgomery Alabama Stake.

‘I was hooked’

What’s interesting about Raskey being a pilot is that she never aspired to be one when she was younger.

Raskey grew up in Orlando, Florida, in a predominantly Latter-day Saint family with a nonmember father who was an airline pilot. He wanted her to fly, but Raskey was more interested studying opera to become a singer.

She joined the Utah Air National Guard at age 18 because she wanted to “challenge herself and be part of something bigger,” and she worked in maintenance.

A decade later, when she said her father finally stopped asking about flying, Raskey decided to give it one last chance and had a flying lesson. That was all it took.

“I was hooked,” she said. “I realized a big reason I didn’t want to fly was because I never considered myself that smart or capable. But something inside knew that if I worked hard

Provided by Savannah Raskey

First Lt. Savannah Raskey is pictured in front of an F-35 at Luke Air Force Base in Maricopa County, Arizona, in 2024.

enough, I could achieve anything.”

Raskey still dreamed of becoming a famous singer. In 2017, she auditioned for the televised talent show “America’s Got Talent” and progressed through the first round. But the second audition happened to fall on the same weekend that Raskey had an interview for a pilot position. She had to make a pivotal decision.

“I thought about what would bring me the most joy and satisfaction at the end of the day, and I knew that would be by serving my country,” she said. “I wanted to work hard and be the best that I could to help protect our men and women on the ground, to protect my family and to protect our freedoms in this amazing country.”

She began pilot training less than three years ago and graduated last January.

Relying on faith

During her Air Force career, Raskey has had several experiences that have strengthened her faith and shaped her testimony.

One came after she enlisted and attended boot camp with a diverse group of 40 other women. Everyone wore the same uniform, with no makeup or anything that identified them individually.

Each night, Raskey prayed by her cot. The other women

noticed her praying and often asked her to pray for them.

She realized there was something special about having a connection with God — it was not something everyone had — and she wanted that heavenly support.

The past couple of years of pilot training have been the most difficult of her life. Greater spiritual strength came when she made the gospel of Jesus Christ her top priority over becoming a fighter pilot.

“When I did that, my testimony blossomed and solidified,” she said. “I realized that what matters most is what lasts the longest, and that’s my testimony and the gospel. ... I don’t identify my worth based off being a fighter pilot; I base it off of being a daughter of God.” Being in the military has provided opportunities for Raskey to stand up in her values and beliefs. She was once told that she would never be a fighter pilot if she didn’t drink alcohol. She didn’t compromise.

“Sometimes there is a mindset that you have to fit this mold and do X-Y-Z to be accepted,” she said. “What I have seen time and time again is that the firmer I hold to my faith, the more I am respected.”

CONTINUES ON PG. 10

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Ultimate BYU fan stocking stuffer

Now on sale for $9.99

Order by December 15 for Christmas delivery deseret.com/1984

9

10 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Inspiring words

During challenging times, such as pilot training, Raskey has found inspiration and motivation in the gospel messages of Church leaders, including Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with whom she feels a connection because of his background as a pilot.

Words from a 2009 BYU devotional by the late Jon M. Huntsman, a businessman and philanthropist who served as an Area Seventy, have also given her peace and reassurance on discouraging days.

“You and the Lord, working together, can accomplish anything,” Huntsman said. “Never forget — God did not put us here to fail.”

Daughter of God

Raskey says she loves feeling close to God as she soars through the sky. She welcomes the challenge of her work — learning new tactics, improving as a fighter pilot, being a good member of her squadron and helping to protect her country. Most of all, she finds spiritual strength in knowing her divine identity.

“Being a fighter pilot is what I do. Being a daughter of God and becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ is who I am,” she said. “I am grateful to see God’s hand through all the struggle and the triumph.”

Raskey is aware of other Latter-day Saint women who are pilots, but she has yet to meet another female fighter pilot who is a Church member. She hopes there are more out there.

Reflecting on her journey, Raskey said she feels honored and blessed to be a fighter pilot. She feels like the Lord has led her to where she is for a divine purpose. She hopes people who read her story will be inspired in their own journey.

“I want people to see me and think, ‘Wow, if she could get to where she is because she relied on God, then what can my life look like if I put Him first?’” she said. “I want people to realize that God is aware of them.”

Provided by Savannah Raskey

First Lt. Savannah Raskey sits in the cockpit as she prepares to take off at Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2024.

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HOLIDAY GIF T GUIDE

THE DESERET NEWS 2024

GIFT GUIDE We find interesting items to spark your shopping creativity during this most hectic of seasons.

By Lois M. Collins Deseret News

Christmas will be here before you know it, and in this ultra-busy season, there’s never enough time to decide on gifts or even gather your breath. Time always speeds up as the holidays come closer.

Santa Claus told Deseret News he’s tired just thinking about it — but, oh, how he loves this time of year!

No worries for you or the Jolly Old Elf. We’ve been gathering ideas to help you make everyone’s wishes come true! Whether you’re shopping for gamers, little guys or hard-working and exhausted parents, we’ve got some suggestions. We’ve been combing the shelves online and in person to put together some suggestions for holiday gifting that will make your task easier and the recipients happier.

We’ve looked at ages, price ranges and other factors to curate a list that’s bound to delight someone on your list. The prices listed were true when we found them. We are crossing our fingers that you’ll be able to snag a deal with upcoming sales.

Happy holidays!

Nex Playground Interactive Game System

Smartivity DIY Pinball Machine

$199

For ages 8-14. Toy of the Year finalist in 2022. It’s a wooden engineering game that promises to last 1,000 hours, with free replacement parts if needed. Build, then have a ball.

All ages, with motion tracking, full of family fun and physical play. Includes five games, more available with subscription, priced separately.

$34.30

Smartivity

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

13

Peekaboo Pillow newborn lounger

PoppinColorz Hydra

1984

The four-in-one design makes it perfect for playing, tummy time, elevated feeding and reflux relief. Washable, removable covers sold separately.

Ages 6+. This South Beach Bubbles blaster shoots colored bubbles or water and is in the running for 2025 Toy of the Year.

The bubbles, by the way, wash off easily.

Revisit BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship win with a commemorative magazine. Order at deseret.com/1984.

$149

$34.99

$9.99

Peekaboo Pillow

Deseret News

Spirit of Christmas gift set

Kizik shoes

Glo Pals Pick-Up Pals

A Deseret Book favorite. Bring home the season’s meaning while honoring its traditions.

These are the “no tying, no pulling, no hands” shoes of your dreams. Slide them on and go. Many styles and colors.

Toddler sensory tools play pack supports sensory development and motor skills. $17. For 18 months and older. Play with your surroundings. You can add the light-up cubes and fun fillers, sold separately or add them to the Sensory Jar.

Deseret Book

LM Collins

Glo Pals

Book: $18.99 Lantern: $49.99

Prices vary

$17

Hess 2024 Holiday Truck

Gorjana Newport Birthstone Bracelet

HyperTiles by Fun in Motion Toys

This one is extra special, marking Hess’ 60th anniversary with three vehicles: a firetruck, motorcycle and car. So many cute features, including lights, sound and pull-back motor, not to mention free shipping and batteries.

This solid 14k gold, delicate bracelet features six of a loved one’s birthstones. January garnet is pictured.

Kids — and adults — build super-cool things based on a mathematical shape called a hyperbolic paraboloid. STEM creativity in action.

Hess

Gorjana

Fun in Motion Toys

$45.99

$208

$24.99

14 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Give a gardening class

Ooly’s Shrink-its! DIY Shrink Art Bracelet Kit - BFF

Large as Life King Penguin trivia puzzle

Utah State University Extension offers classes on different aspects of gardening, from managing pests to growing a healthy lawn, creating perfect soil and growing fruits and nuts. Your schedule, your interest.

$12.99

$29.99

$25 a course

Color them, bake them and string it for a bracelet.

USU

(or koala or red panda) Fifty pieces, each with a trivia question. Astra Star Play Award 2024 finalist.

Ooly

Large as Life

PopTaters

ArmorSiren portable alarm security system

MannKitchen Pepper Cannon

Ages 8+. Super Impulse expands its line of PopTaters, including classics like Spock, with amusing spuds that have 4-inch bodies before the add-on accessories. Like classic Potato Head, they have removable outfits and interchangeable parts.

$199

This professional grade, heavy duty, high-output pepper mill has more than twice the grind range of most pepper mills and is 10 times faster.

$14.99-$17.99

Provides security and theft protection you need at the beach, while traveling or playing sports. Compact, but armed with a loud siren when device movement is detected.

$199

ArmorSiren

GuruNanda’s Advanced Dental Water Flosser 2.0 with UV Light $29.99

Millie+Roo Pajamas

FanRoll Dungeons & Dragons Then and Now Set

Prices starting at $22

$49.99

Deck the family out in style with playful designs.

Has three flossing modes: soft, normal, and strong, with an added UV mode for sanitizing. Compact for oral care on-the-go and it’s safe for kids and adults.

GuruNanda

MannKitchen

Marks the 50th anniversary of the classic game with both a retro and modern inspired set of dice. Replica dice and new hand-polished sharp edge set made with cutting-edge technology.

Millie + Roo

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

HERITAGE PARK GIFT SHOP THE BEST LITTLE GIFT SHOP WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

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16 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Klee Twinkle Forest Holiday Deluxe Makeup Kit

Weighted blanket by Woven Woven

Masters of Crime: Vendetta

$34.99

No beads, which can be tricky with little kids, these help children reduce stress and promote sleep.

Cooperative mystery game where you’re a “morally grey” Mafia member trying to solve a crime. Examine evidence (including online) and figure out who’s letting the family down. Ages 16+.

Up to four hours play.

Ages 6+. Natural minerals, beeswax, shea butter and mango seed butter. Non-toxic and hours of fun.

Klee Naturals

Prices starting at $99

Woven Woven

$24.95

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

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18 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Linxura Smart Controller

Sleep Number travel pillow

Gecko Run: Marble Run Starter Set

More than 50 smart home devices can be configured, including those controlled by Alexa, Google Home and through IFTTT. Award-winning controller simplifies your life.

Unique blend of memory foam and premium down alternative fibers. Removable, machine washable cover. No sore necks here.

Ages 8+. Uses next-level classic marble runs and lets you build it mostly the way you want it. Great fun!

Linxura

Sleep Number

Thames and Kosmos

$99.99

$49.99

$34.95

Swingline Acrylic Compact Stapler

Garbage Play Dough Kit

Chill Pill Pave stud earrings

Sturdy and small, it staples 20 sheets at a time, making it a perfect gift for use in the home office or the office office.

Everything a child (ages 3+) needs to play for hours, including a garbage truck and surprises you can dig for in the dump. Soft pliable dough that’s great for building. Plus, it smells like root beer.

Unique and charming design, with birthday gemstones. May is pictured.

Swingline

KidDoughs

V Coterie

$22.99

$23

$68

Scentco Air Dough Bucket

Cotopaxi Allpa 35 backpack

Trot elevated dog bowl set

Lightweight, unscented, non-toxic modeling compound means kids — and probably adults — are only limited by their imagination. Ages 3+.

Opens like a suitcase, with mesh sections to organize items.

Lightweight, durable and easy to carry, this bag practically organizes itself.

With puzzle slow feeder, water bowl, mat, stand and no-leak lids, this is a great way to feed pets, and it looks nice, too!

Cotopaxi

Trot

$27.95

$225

$152

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD OF ITS KIND IN UTAH

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Celebrate the holiday season in Utah’s first 55+ monthto-month Independent Living cottages! These spacious twin homes offer 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a den, fireplace, double-car garage, and private yards—all fully maintained. Enjoy senior living amenities like chef-prepared meals, housekeeping, 24/7 emergency services, and Art of Living Well® programs. Experience a maintenance-free lifestyle with lush gardens, outdoor spaces, and a clubhouse for festive gatherings!

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20 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Pudgy Penguins

TickTalk5

MyChelle Instantly Illuminating Peptide Serum

Started as NFTs, these have morphed into physical huggables!

Pick a favorite stuffed penguin, scan the code and get traits (some rare), have a unique Pudgy registered to your name in Penguin World, trade traits and play mini games. So many critters.

“Safe kids” cellular smartwatch for children 3-12. No internet connection, games or social media. Secure voice and video calls, chat, talk-to-text, location tracking, 911 calls, activity trackers, streaming music, more on secure 4G nationwide network.

$44.99

$12.89

$149

With vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. One of a line of products that are gaining loyal users.

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MyChelle Dermaceuticals

Santa Says: “You should pay less for a beautiful smile” New Patient exam

Includes Necessary xrays

Regular Utah Price

Grandpa’s Cash Special (Uninsured)

Crown

$1100- $1400

$599

Premium Denture

$1800- $3400

$899

Implant & Crown

$3000- $3800

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$7000- $9000

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DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

21

Acacia Wood serving spoons

Snap Grip

Dime Travel Bag

Understated, elegant and durable wood spoons from Ame Atendre, perfect for small servings of spreads, olives and nuts.

You can also buy jams there. Strawberry rhubarb, anyone?

Fits any smartphone and is a grip, a stand and more. MagSafe® compatible with wireless charge-through. Thin and magnetic so you can mount it anywhere. So many colors and super versatile.

Will hold all your makeup, shaving gear or other accessories in tidy, capacious compartments. Lots of room in this little bag.

Ame Atendre

OhSnap!

Dime Beauty

$37.50 for the set

$39.99

$58

A study guide to help you actively seek and confidently expect miracles.

Scan the code with your phone’s camera to find it on Amazon.com!

If you do not have an Amazon account, simply click “checkout as guest”

“Leona Winger's book is a masterpiece...

For anyone who wants to feel uplifted, more joyful, and greater peace, this book is a must-read. Leona shares many accounts of how much God loves us and how we can access God's guidance and power in our daily lives.

Highly recommend!”

C. Brown - Amazon Review

22 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Lovesac Footsac

Paper Dragon Airplane

Enso Rings

50-by-70-inch blanket has a built-in foot pocket. Heavy, soft and uses synthetic fake fur. Machine wash, hang dry.

8+. By Powerup Toys, specially created LED lights mean you can fly at night and landing gear makes takeoff and landing smoother. Build it and fly it, controlling it with your phone.

Made of high-quality silicone, buy them separately or in a set.

Love Star Wars? Lord of the Rings? Disney? DC? There’s a ring for that. This one is the Fellowship from Lord of the Rings.

Footsac

Powerup Toys

Enso RIngs

$140

$69.99

Prices vary

Explore all day.

Snuggle all night.

A one-of-a-kind pet-centric hotel located in the heart of Utah’s national parks and just 5 miles from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

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DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

23

24 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Wise Block Race Car

Botanical Bath & Body Gift Set - Sea Salt & Lavender

Skullcandy PUSH ANC Active wireless earbuds

Build your own 414-piece remote control car. Ages 8+. Plastic is BPA free and non-toxic. Lots of styles.

$42

$99.99

Formulary 55 set includes shea butter bath bar, shea butter hand and body creme and sparkling bath tablet. Other fragrances available.

With noise canceling. Designed for active folks, it’s sweatproof and waterproof, 58 hours total battery and rapid charge.

Goes over the ears.

Formulary 55

Skullcandy

$24.99

Wise Block

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DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Holiday Hot Tub Sale Now Through New Years Day • Luxury Tubs • Bargain Prices • Made for Utahs's Extreme Climate • Veteran Owned-Operated • Financing Available

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26 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

The CAEP

The Smurfs Dreams

Prices vary

Different prices based on gaming platform

Hands-free stylish accessory that keeps your phone safe with interchangeable straps, handmade wristlets, chains and wallet attachments. No fear you’ll drop or lose your phone with this decorative accessory.

Family-friendly with great art and lots of action.

Quartet Glass Dry-Erase Easel $37

9-by-11 inches helps you organize your workspace. Or try the dry-erase desktop computer pad, $26.99.

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DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

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28 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Paw Patrol My First Instant Camera

Dreamighty wearable throw blankets

ShiKai Magnesium Chloride Flakes with Arnica

Photo, selfie and video camera by Canal Toys. Ink-free printing. Amazon exclusive with lots of add-ons.

These blankets have pocket sleeves so you can wear it, or you can use it as a throw.

$24.99

Canal Toys

Dreamighty

$65.67

$39.99

Soak away soreness and get a good night’s sleep with this refreshing bath additive. Make your muscles happy!

Momcozy Sunrise Sound Machine

World’s Smallest Toys by Super Impulse USA

Komarc’s StickiKubes

Rouses you with mellow, yellow light and soothing melodies for gentle wake-up call.

$5.99-$7.99

Customized polymer without adhesive sticks to anything but cloth. Kids can make custom 2D and 3D designs with 125 cubes.

Imagination and motor skills both benefit.

$49.99

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Ages 6+, features an iconic line that keeps growing with classic toys and games generations have loved. Etch-a-Sketch, a Polaroid camera ... you won’t believe the delightful selection.

Momcozy

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Komarc

Foxgloves

Casabella Power Spin Scrubber

Classic Earth HUGG-A-PLANET pillow globe

A gardener’s dream, these are durable, lightweight and flexible so you can do all those tasks as if your hands were bare. But no dirt under your fingernails.

Cordless and rechargeable, this spin brush for cleaning has four attachments: two flat brushes, an angled brush and a dome brush. Extendable to nearly 4 feet.

$44.95

Foxgloves Inc

Casabella

Prices vary

$49.99

Great way to learn geography while you’re relaxing. And it has a colorful vibe. You can also get other planets. Mars, anyone?

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

Internal Evidences of the Truthfulness of The Book of Mormon

Are you, or someone you love, struggling for a testimony of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? If so, this book may help.

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DECEMBER 27-29 • ECCLES THEATER

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30 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

© 2024

I’m Dr. I. Cicle, the coolest scientist around these parts!

41, No. 1

Incredible Vanishing Candy Canes

Try my fun and amazing holiday science experiments at home with a member of your family!

This experiment will reveal how candy canes react Record your observations to see if you predicted the correct results.

4 small candy canes 4 clear jars or glasses Hot water

Cold water White vinegar Cooking oil

Question:

Hypothesis: Your guess at what will happen.

Question: Will people be able to identify every scent? Which one will every person correctly identify?

Hypothesis: Your guess at what will happen.

Method: 1. Fill each jar or glass with one liquid. Use the same amount each time.

2. Place a candy cane in each container.

3. Watch what happens to the candy canes over the next couple of hours.

Method: 1. Number the bags 2. Place the bags on a 3.

1 through 5. level surface. Place an bag and tell you what they item in each bag. think they smell.

Observation: Which scent was guessed correctly most often?

COOKING OIL after 15 minutes:

VINEGAR after 15 minutes:

COLD WATER after 15 minutes:

HOT WATER after 15 minutes:

after two hours:

after two hours:

after two hours:

after two hours:

Which scent was guessed correctly least often?

Conclusion: Explain what this experiment taught you.

Conclusion: Explain what this experiment taught you.

Standards Link: Follow the scientific process to conduct simple experiments.

Standards Link: Follow the scientific process to conduct simple experiments.

Dr. I. Cicle’s Lab Equipment Circle all the things that would be useful in a laboratory to conduct experiments.

Do the math.

The evennumbered items would be useful.

The oddnumbered items would not be useful.

6+2=

8+4=

10 + 8 =

7-3=

11 + 11 =

9+7=

7+7=

14 - 6 =

bubbly reaction when mixed. Try this experiment with a family member.

Baking sheet (makes cleanup easier) Holiday cookie cutters Baking soda White vinegar Green and red food coloring

12 - 4 =

Standards Link: Solve simple equations; recognize odd/even numbers.

BAGS CANE COLD FUN JAR JOY MUSIC NOSE POPCORN REACT SCENT SCIENCE SPICE VINEGAR WATER

Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.

S R Q B T K L D P J

Step 1: Add red food coloring to a cup of white vinegar. Stir. Repeat with green food coloring.

C W E J N U L V O K I A X A E O M I P R

E T N R C J S D C A

N E M E S T F E O G C R B U H P J U R E

E Y O L S C I A N N L O W M Y I S C W I

Z J B A G S C V E V

Step 2: Place a cookie cutter on the tray and pack it with baking soda.

Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Weather or Not? Meteorology is the science of weather. Look at the weather forecast in the newspaper.

Observe the weather each day for a week to see if the predictions were correct.

Standards Link: Observe different kinds of weather patterns.

Step 3: Add drops of green and red vinegar to the baking soda.

Observation:

DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024

31

EVENTS 32nd Annual Spanish Fork Festival of Lights Dec. 11 - 27 Time: 6pm-10pm Location: 3300 E. Powerhouse Rd - Spanish Fork https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/32nd-annualspanish-fork-festival-of-lights/

Aquarium Lantern Festival

Dec. 11 - 6 Time: 5:30pm-10pm Location: 12033 South Lone Peak Parkway - Draper https://livingplanetaquarium.org/events-and-camps/ lantern-festival/

Evening Makers Market Dec. 12 - 26 Time: 4:30pm-8pm Location: 2011 1100 E, - SLC https://sugarhousecoffee.com

Hough DANCE OF THE HOLIDAYS

Utah Jazz vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Utah Grizzlies vs. Tahoe Knight Monsters

2024 New Year's Eve Torchlight Parade & Fireworks

Dec. 18 - 19 Time: 7:30pm Location: 131 Main St - SLC https://live-at-the-eccles.com/events/derek-hough

Dec. 20 Time: 7:10pm Location: 3200 S. Decker Lake Dr. - West Valley City

Cookies With Canines 2024

Dec. 21 Time: 12pm-4pm Location: 6351 South 900 East - Murray https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/cookies-withcanines-2024/

Silver Sky Nights at Canyons Village

Pioneer Christmas

Dec. 13 - 16 Time: 5pm-8pm Location: 600 North 500 West - Provo https://www.provopioneervillage.org/

Wheeler Farm's Festive Fridays 2024

Dec. 13 - 20 Time: 5pm-7pm Location: 6351 South 900 East - Murray https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/wheelerfarms-festive-fridays-2024/

"A Jazzy Christmas" Park City Treble Makers Concert 2024

Dec. 15 Time: 4pm Location: 4501 UT-224 - Park City https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/a-jazzychristmas-park-city-treble-makers-concerts-2024/ Derek

Dec. 21 - 27 Time: 4pm Location: 4000 Canyons Resort Drive - Park City https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/silver-sky-nightsat-canyons-village/

The Tabernacle

Dec. 23 Time: 8pm Location: 15 East South Temple - SLC https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/beehivestatesmen-christmas-concert-in-the-tabernacle-at-templesquare/

Kids Torchlight Parade 2024

Dec. 27 Time: 6pm Location: Highway 210 Little Cottonwood Canyon Snowbird https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/kids-torchlightparade-2024/

Dec. 28 Time: 7:30pm Location: 301 W South Temple - SLC

Dec. 31 Time: 6pm-7pm Location: Highway 210 Little Cottonwood Canyon Snowbird https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/2024-new-yearseve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/

New Year's Eve Celebration at Canyons Village

Dec. 31 Time: 5:30pm Location: 4000 Canyons Resort Drive - Park City https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/new-years-evecelebration-at-canyons-village-2/

New Year's Eve Party at Nordic

Dec. 31 Time: 5pm Location: 3567 Nordic Valley Way - Eden https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/new-years-eveparty-at-nordic/

Ogden's First Friday Art Stroll

Jan. 3 Time: 6pm-9pm Location: 25th Street between Wall Avenue and Washington Boulevard - Ogden http://www.ogdencityarts.org/

Middle Eastern Dance

Jan. 8 Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm Location: 425 West Center Street - Provo https://coveycenter.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=2288

*Events and details are subject to change. Please visit the event websites for the most up to date and correct information.

32 DESERET NEWS | DECEMBER 2024