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Trent Toone

Deseret News

Trent Toone is a journalist and feature writer for the Deseret News and Church News. He was raised in northern Utah and graduated from the University of Utah. He has worked for several newspapers and received a number of awards over his career. Toone is the author of "No Excuses, No Regrets," a sports biography of NFL football player Eric Weddle. Toone served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile, and spent a year teaching seminary. Like his father before him, he is a proud Eagle Scout. Trent and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of four children.

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From the Church

We love the faith, conversion story of perhaps the only Latter-day Saint in the NHL

By Trent Toone

April 26, 2024 10:57 AM MDT

Derek Ryan is frequently asked about his faith in the locker room. He knows of no other Latter-day Saints in the NHL as long as he has played.

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From the Church

Kristin Chenoweth is the RootsTech 2024 keynote speaker—how to get tickets

By Trent Toone

February 15, 2024 04:30 PM MST

Kristin Chenoweth, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her work in musical theater, TV, and film, is coming to RootsTech 2024.

1 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

What became of the oak coffins that carried Joseph and Hyrum Smith after they were martyred

By Trent Toone

June 26, 2023 01:06 PM MDT

Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2019.

3 Min Read

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Super Bowl champion and Latter-day Saint Daniel Sorensen says faith in Christ matters more than football

By Trent Toone

May 19, 2021 08:12 PM MDT

For Daniel Sorensen, the experience of winning a Super Bowl does not compare to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

1 Min Read

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'Marvelous Stories': A Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice Bring the 100-year History of the Laie Hawaii Temple to Life

By Trent Toone

November 27, 2019 09:07 AM MST

As a 9-year-old girl, Mary Ann Mele Wong Song traveled with her family from their home in Kauai to Oahu for the dedication of the Laie Hawaii Temple in November 1919.

9 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

5 Important Themes from the October 2019 General Conference

By Trent Toone

October 21, 2019 06:33 PM MDT

The journey from premortality back to our heavenly home is like a “great adventure,” as told in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Hobbit.

7 Min Read

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The Dream That Compelled One Historian to Help His Dying Colleague

By Trent Toone

October 16, 2019 11:54 AM MDT

Not long after Michael H. MacKay took a job in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, he was approached by William G. Hartley.

4 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Brothers Who Swam the English Channel Share 6 Spiritual Takeaways

By Trent Toone

October 15, 2019 04:00 PM MDT

As they swam from England to France—the Mount Everest of long-distance swims—brothers David and Richard Barnes braved frigid temperatures and treacherous water currents, faced high winds and waves, endured physical pain, tangled with jellyfish, and carried on through other obstacles.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

The Only Book of Mormon Ever to Reach the Moon Is Up for Auction and Coming to Utah

By Trent Toone

October 02, 2019 01:36 PM MDT

The only known copy of the Book of Mormon ever to go into space is coming to Utah as general conference approaches.

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Why a Former BYU Dean of Religious Education Decided to Write a Book About the Holy Ghost

By Trent Toone

September 24, 2019 11:56 AM MDT

When author and former dean of religious studies at BYU Robert L. Millet needs an idea for his next book, he goes to a bookstore.

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Emily Belle Freeman Talks Creating "a Christ-Centered Home" and Don't Miss This

By Trent Toone

August 29, 2019 04:08 PM MDT

There’s one teaching of Jesus Christ that author Emily Belle Freeman thinks about regularly.

6 Min Read

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Rare Discovery Provides Insight into Apostle's Tour That Changed Missionary Work in South America

By Trent Toone

August 19, 2019 03:21 PM MDT

The discovery was a historian's dream.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Jewish Couple Is Helping Church Members Connect with Early Church History

By Trent Toone

August 09, 2019 01:00 PM MDT

For Jonathan and Leslie Bari, homeownership has never been such a "fascinating" adventure.

5 Min Read

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Father and Son Rediscover Hidden Arch Named After President George Albert Smith

By Trent Toone

August 08, 2019 06:00 PM MDT

Tucked away in a less-traveled area of Canyonlands National Park, there's an arch few people have seen since it was discovered six decades ago.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

"Your Ancestors Are Watching": The Needed Message This Man Received After Converting to the Church from Hinduism

By Trent Toone

August 01, 2019 01:06 PM MDT

On the day Sai Maddali was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he initially emerged from the water with feelings of peace and comfort.

6 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

Author Dean Hughes on How His Ancestor Joined the Church After Trying to Punch an Apostle, Polygamy, and His Book "Muddy"

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 03:05 PM MDT

One of author Dean Hughes' favorite pioneer stories starts out with his angry, somewhat intoxicated ancestor trying to punch out an early Latter-day Saint apostle.

8 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

The story of these early Black Latter-day Saints coming to Utah is not your traditional pioneer tale

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 01:23 PM MDT

It’s not the traditional pioneer story.

4 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Faith Crisis and Cancer Inspired One Latter-day Saint Scholar to Write About Her Faith

By Trent Toone

July 17, 2019 12:02 PM MDT

One of Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye's life "crossings" came when she encountered a faith crisis while doing her undergraduate studies at Harvard University.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How One Latter-day Saint Teen Is Using Big Macs to Spread Cheer, Feed Thousands This Christmas

By Trent Toone

December 18, 2018 01:43 PM MST

Most Americans recognize McDonald's Big Mac as two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun.

6 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Community Is Lifting a Latter-day Saint Family with 3 Boys with Muscular Dystrophy

By Trent Toone

November 28, 2018 12:49 PM MST

Mark Honey deeply loves his three sons, but he also knows he can't lift them in and out of their wheelchairs forever.

4 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

Injured Latter-day Saint Wins 8 Medals at Invictus Games, Receives Personal Congratulations from Prince Harry

By Trent Toone

November 26, 2018 12:47 PM MST

It's not a place Joshua Smith ever expected to be.

6 Min Read

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Fun

Meet the 69-Year-Old Stake Patriarch from California Who Climbed the Matterhorn

By Trent Toone

November 13, 2018 08:00 PM MST

Most patriarchs in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints don't own an ice ax, teach technical climbing classes, or summit world-famous mountains.

5 Min Read

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Famous Latter-day Saints

20+ Latter-day Saints Who Are Playing in the NFL This Season (and How They're Sharing Their Faith)

By Trent Toone

November 10, 2018 12:31 PM MST

Taysom Hill, the once injury-prone BYU quarterback, is now making his way in the NFL as a jack-of-all-trades.

9 Min Read

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Fun

USU, Stanford Latter-day Saint Football Players Share How Their Missions Changed Them, Made Them Better Players

By Trent Toone

November 01, 2018 07:14 PM MDT

Three of Utah State University's most experienced offensive linemen have something in common.

7 Min Read

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