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Utah Boy Scouts lay off 21 employees as it prepares for LDS Church exodus

The Boy Scouts of America in northern Utah has laid off 21 employees, a move that was bound to happen after its largest partner — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — decided to sever ties to the national organization.

“This is a difficult decision,” Kent Downing, interim scout executive for the Great Salt Lake Council wrote in a letter posted on its website. “We wish our former colleagues the best as they transition to new employment, and we have offered them severance package to support them at this time.”

In May 2018, the LDS Church announced that it was ending its relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, effective Dec.