Stokes Sounds Off: BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Announced for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple

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Monday, July 6, 2026

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Announced for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency set a groundbreaking date for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple. The groundbreaking will take place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, under the direction of Elder Hutch U. Fale of the United States West Area Presidency. This will be the 13th temple groundbreaking in 2026. 

The 13th temple groundbreaking in 2025 occurred on August 23, so we are only a few days behind last year's groundbreakings. I am hoping many other groundbreakings will take place during the remainder of this year, and that 2026 groundbreakings will well surpass 2025 groundbreakings. I am more than slightly surprised that we didn't also get either one or two more groundbreakings or another temple dedication set. Right now, we have 4 temples with major construction wrapped up, and 5 more nearing completion.

But maybe we'll see one or more dedications and one or more groundbreakings announced next week. Given that the First Presidency announced this today, I'm hopeful we can count on Monday announcements continuing through the remainder of this month and for the foreseeable future. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. 

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

9 comments:

  1. The Church News also covered today's groundbreaking, though for some reason, the link in this case also mentions the Maceio Brazil Temple, which was not mentioned in the Newsroom release. My thanks once again to you all.

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    1. The Church News has also published one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.

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    2. After what has been a very busy Tuesday for me, I am pleased to share the following updates from the Church News: How the Church is providing key support for veterans in Tampa Florida; the latest edition of the Church News podcast; Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes outline what youth should know about serving a mission; and a new meetinghouse is open for the Church's ward in Trinidad & Tobago. With nothing new from the Newsroom today, any temple construction updates will be shared here later tonight. My thanks once again to you all.

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    3. On this Wednesday, the Church News has reported on the effects of the recent earthquakes on native Venezuelans, in addition to detailing how the Salem Utah Stake is including Primary children in their stake conferences.

      With no new reports from the Newsroom today, any temple construction status updates will be passed along here ASAP after I learn about them. My thanks once again to you all.

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    4. The Church News has also shared teachings about ministering from the Relief Society General Presidency. My thanks once again to you all.

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    5. On this Thursday, the Church News has detailed key aid provided by the Church in Jamaica and in South America. A new Church News video features outgoing Primary General President Susan H. Porter's reflections on learning she was never alone following her husband's death. A 190-year-old verse of scripture underscores religious freedom, a principale reiterated by a Church historian during the Church News podcast this week My thanks once again to you all.

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    6. After being down intermittently throughout the day today, the Newsroom website is finally back up. Today, from the African Newsroom page, comes a report sharing how the Church is >a href="https://news-africa.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-provides-critical-aid-to-families-living-in-the-deserts-of-northern-kenya" >providing critical aid to families residing in the desert regions of Northern Kenya.

      I would just like to note something here: when the May 2026 supplement to the Church magazines covered an extensive tribute to President Oaks and brief profiles of his counselors, I had theorized that more extensive biographies of Presidents Eyring and Christofferson might be forthcoming. But it appears that, as of the August 2026 Liahona (which is now available in both HTML and PDF formats), that theory has not proven to be correct. This may be another change in what has generally been longstanding practice.

      I should also parenthetically note that there have been no changes noted to the editors and advisers to the Church magazines as of yet. I am anticpating that, with the call of Elder Robert M. Daines to serve as the president of the Church's United States Northeast Area, that at some point, there will be a change noted in the editors of and advisers for the Church magazines, since a call to be an area president in the United States areas generally means that the area president doesn't have any other assignments at Church headquarters. But I looked into it, and Elder Daines has only been listed as an editor of the Church magazines since early last year, and the assignment to serve as editor has generally been at least 2-3 years. It's possible that Elder Daines could retain the editorship of the Church magazines, but that would be a first, insofar as I am aware. Stay tuned here for more on that subject as I learn more. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

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    7. The Newsroom link I tried to share above was broken, so hopefully it works this time. My thanks once again to you all.

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    8. And, just like that, the Newsroom website is down again. My thanks once again to you all.

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