Gordon B. Hinckley, 97-year-old president of the Mormon Church, died in Salt Lake City on January 27. He had served as president for 12 years and was active as a church leader since 1961. Mormons’ global expansion is Hinckley’s major legacy; according to the New York Times, he was a talented PR man who changed the church’s logo to emphasize the words “Jesus Christ” and, in turn, the Mormons’ connection to other Christian denominations. Given that the church is now the fourth-largest in the U.S., we gotta tip our hats to that strategy. In fact, on page 18 of tomorrow’s issue, we do: Jayson Whitehead explores Mormonism’s rise here in our backyard—a coincidence, we swear.
Previous "This Just In" articles from this week:
Person killed in house fire [January 27]
Blaze engulfs townhome of Woodlake Drive
Camble on [January 26]
Former Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney crosses mountain
Free the sangria [January 25]
Restaurant owner hopes to make the Spanish drink legal
Shot down [January 24]
Gun control in the wake of Virginia Tech massacre defeated in Senate
Jones named new assistant city manager [January 23]
Will return to work for Charlottesville after beating out over 150 applicants
UVA ties for first-place in black student enrollment [January 23]
Dean of admissions expects numbers to grow
Baseball bat bill strikes out [January 22]
Proposed aluminum ban will step to the plate again next year after more research