Tribune Editorial: Why Orrin Hatch is Utahn of the Year  —  These things are often misunderstood.  So, lest our readers, or the honoree himself, get the wrong impression, let us repeat the idea behind The Salt Lake Tribune's Utahn of the Year designation.  —  The criteria are not set in stone.

Kremlin trolls burned across the Internet as Washington debated options … The first email arrived in the inbox of CounterPunch, a left-leaning American news and opinion website, at 3:26 a.m. — the middle of the day in Moscow.  —  “Hello, my name is Alice Donovan and I'm a beginner freelance journalist …

Secret Service interviews person over manure sent to Mnuchin  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service says it has interviewed someone claiming responsibility for delivering a gift-wrapped package of horse manure addressed to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (mih-NOO'-shin).

Trump's first year was even worse than feared  —  Grit your teeth.  Persevere.  Just a few more days and this awful, rotten, no-good, ridiculous, rancorous, sordid, disgraceful year in the civic life of our nation will be over.  Here's hoping that we all — particularly special counsel Robert S. Mueller III — have a better 2018.

TRUMP SNUB FEAR Government pleads with Prince Harry not to invite Barack Obama to his wedding  —  Prince, 33, became friends with former US President after bonding with them at the Invictus Games  —  GOVERNMENT mandarins are urging Prince Harry not to invite the Obamas to his wedding for fear of infuriating Donald Trump.

President Trump Spent Nearly One-Third of First Year in Office at Trump-Owned Properties  —  Unlike his predecessors, president traveled frequently to places he owns but where others pay to stay  —  President Donald Trump, who is currently spending a 10-day Christmas vacation …

Topless Femen activist tries to snatch Jesus statue from Vatican crib  —  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A topless activist from the feminist group Femen tried to snatch the statue of the baby Jesus from the Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square on Monday but was stopped by police as she grabbed it.

Eric Garner's 27-Year-Old Daughter Is in a Coma  —  The oldest daughter of Eric Garner, the black man whose dying calls of “I can't breathe” after he was placed in a chokehold by a police officer became a protest chant across the country, has been hospitalized after a heart attack, her mother said on Monday.

Julian Assange's Twitter account reappears after mysterious absence  —  The official Twitter account of controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — @JulianAssange — is back online after disappearing from the social media platform overnight.  It's unclear whether the account was suspended by Twitter or deactivated by Assange.

Parents Killed After Warning Daughter About Boyfriend's Racist Views, Family Says  —  A husband and wife were shot dead in their Virginia home three days before Christmas by a 17-year-old boy they had warned their daughter not to date because of his racist views, according to officials and news accounts.

Russian officials bar Navalny from running for president  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian election officials on Monday formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president, prompting calls from him for a boycott of next year's vote.  —  The Central Election Commission …