$1.50 January 5, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 01
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Also...
First babies of 2024
‘Hiking for life’
Bundles of joy arrive in the new year
page 3
Auld Lang Syne
page 4
page 9
Reflecting on 2023’s biggest Davis County news stories
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com
W
e’re only into 2024 a few days but before we put 2023 completely in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look back on a year filled with ups and downs. Some happy moments and some not so happy moments that impacted not only Davis County but our lives. Who can forget the major storms that dumped several feet of snow and broke past records? Especially this season where so far we’ve received nothing but a skiff of snow in the valley. That record snow turned into potential flooding, bringing back memories of 1983 when State Street became a river. For the most part in Davis County though, it was mitigated by fail safes put into place after 1983 but cities and the county stocked up on sandbags for residents to protect their homes. Ribbon cuttings were held to mark the opening of the new Woods Cross High School Teen Center and Davis Agricultural Heritage Center, as well as a 14-mile segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail up Mueller Park Canyon. Along with the completion of some projects came groundbreakings for facilities to come such as a Teen Living Center for homeless students to stay while getting the resources they need and a new Western Sports Park under construction next to the Legacy Events Center. Two Davis County high schools took state honors, Viewmont in drill and Bountiful in girls basketball. Other schools had a good showing taking second place in football and soccer. The Davis School District got some media attention when the Bible was removed from the shelves of elementary and junior high libraries and a $2 million settlement with the family of a 10-year-old girl who took her own life. Motorists watched as bridges were raised connecting the new West Davis Highway with I-15. The highway will open Saturday, Jan. 6. With all the highs and lows, overall 2023 was a pretty good year in Davis County. Now let’s see what 2024 will bring.l
Bumper year for snowfall
A
lthough it didn’t end the severe drought in Utah people were delighted to see the white stuff that fell in abundance starting in November 2022 and lasting into the spring of 2023. In turn, that record breaking snowfall brought back memories of 1983 when flooding turned downtown State Street into a river and people were sandbagging everywhere. County and city leaders were waiting and watching but believed they were prepared. “The state did a lot of things to deal with runoff,” said Commission Chair Lorene Kamalu. “They tasked the county to put in additional infrastructure for flood control. Those have been in place and have been tested and they have performed well.” Overall, flooding from runoff was kept to a minimum in Davis County. Please see REFLECTING pg. 2
A RECORD SNOWPACK HIT everyone hard. That led to some flooding as the snow melted and ran down the mountain. Photos by Roger V. Tuttle
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