$1.50 January 12, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 02
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Seniors enjoy holiday festivities
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Residents of the Family Tree Assisted Living of Morgan got a visit from Santa.
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Morgan named fourth-best county for youngsters to get ahead By Linda Petersen
‘Oppenheimer’ upsets ‘Barbie’ at Golden Globes
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n a new study, Morgan County has been identified as the fourth-best county in the nation where children have a shot at upward economic mobility. In the study, Wealth Enhancement Group, a national registered investment advisory firm used Harvard University's Social Capital Atlas, a platform that mines social network data to measure and analyze what is known as “social capital” (the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively). Economic mobility is defined as a person's ability to move themselves and their families up the socioeconomic ladder over their lifetime. “The research draws on a privacy-protected dataset representing 21 billion friendships from Facebook made public through its parent company Meta's Data for Good project,” Wealth Enhancement’s Dec. 20 blog says. “It also uses anonymous tax records, according to the authors. The scholars assigned a score to locales according to how economically connected low and high-income people living in the area have historically been over at least a decade, per that data.” According to the Social Capital Atlas, 64.6 percent of those who use Facebook in Morgan County are high-income. Statistics cited by Wealth Enhancement Group indicate that the median income of Morgan County residents is $112,721. The study claims that friendships between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds can benefit young people in unexpected ways. ‘Those connections may provide people with the motivation, opportuni-
In a surprising turn of events in the world of entertainment, Christopher Nolan’s biopic “Oppenheimer” upset Greta Gerwig’s sensation, “Barbie” bringing home five trophies to two. The success of the Mattel phenomenon was offset largely by “Poor Things”, starring Emma Stone. Still, Gerwig’s film managed to bring home awards for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. “Barbie” also held on to the top box office slot for 2023, grossing a total of $636,230,407 in ticket sales by the end of the year. Both “Barbie” and Oppenheimer” have been credited as a rejuvenating force for movie theaters in a post-pandemic world. A RECENT STUDY SHOWS Morgan County youth have better upward mobility than most other counties in the nation.
ties, and access to information that can help them improve their circumstances,” it says. “It turns out the ability to cultivate friendships linking people of different socioeconomic backgrounds with one another is the strongest factor in determining whether a child can surpass the earning potential of their parents, Harvard researchers found,” the blog says. “They call this economic connectedness. Economic connectedness is a form of social capital, which is the relationships that allow us to obtain resources and opportunities to gain advantages in life.” The study gave Morgan County residents a score of 1.29 in economic con-
Photo by Roger V. Tuttle
nectedness. Morgan County came in behind Rockingham County, NH (#1, 1.35 score), Douglas County, Colo. (#2, 1.35 score), and San Francisco County, Calif. (#3, 1.31 score) in the study. Read the entire Wealth Enhancement Group blog here: h t t p s : / / w w w. w e a l t h e n h a n c e ment.com/s/blog/economic-mobility-us-children-MCKEMBK5YVQZBPVHN2A2GG7N2MDI See the Harvard University Social Media Atlas data here: https://socialcapital.org/?dimension=EconomicConnectednessl
MCSD opens Wellness Rooms at three schools By Ethan Hoffmann
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or many high school students, it is common to feel stressed and overwhelmed. From managing family and friend relationships to work and extracurricular activities, life has many demands and is constantly throwing curveballs. Morgan High School (MHS) offers a Wellness Room to students for that very reason. According to Kylee Rock, the head of the project, the purpose of the Wellness Room is to “provide students with the opportunity to self-regulate: realizing that they are overwhelmed and stressed and need a break.” Their mission is to provide a safe place for students to get away from school and daily stress to relax and unwind. Rock has worked at Morgan High School for the last six years and she knows the ins and outs of the school. “Whenever a student is upset, frustrated, or stressed they either go to the counseling center or the bathroom,” Rock commented. “They might not want to talk to anyone at the moment, but they do know that they can't handle things for the time being. The Wellness Room gives them that opportunity.” Rock worked with Kimmalee Crookston, a member of Weber Human Services Prevention, to make the Wellness Room a reality. Crookston informed Rock that there was grant money available for schools to organize a Wellness Room. As a result, Rock and Crookston wrote a grant together and secured the funding needed. Once that was done, all they
NEWS BREAK
Winter weather pounds US
After an unseasonably warm and dry holiday season, the United States is being pounded with winter weather, from coast to coast. Meteorologists and safety experts cautioned drivers from the East Coast to the Midwest to the West to take extra precautions during their commutes this week as heavy rain and snow were forecast in many different parts of the nation. Though dangerous, the precipitation has bolstered the underwhelming snowpack in the western US, and experts predict that there is only more on the way.
Stanley tumblers sweep the nation
Initially popular only in the Intermountain West, the Stanley brand tumbler has swept the nation causing shortages in many locations and online. The 40-ounce cup gained notoriety in recent months after one owner shared a video of the cup having survived a car fire, and the brand has only continued to gain steam. The meteoric rise in popularity, however, has spurred division on social media, separating people into three camps of thought: those who love the cup, those who are indifferent, and those who are vehemently against it.
Donald Trump returns to court
THE WELLNESS ROOM offers a quiet place for students to self-regulate.
had to do was find a place. Rock worked closely with administration to find the best location and they determined that the CTE classroom (Once used for storage and as a photo lab) was the most efficient way to use the extra space. The process itself is simple: students must inform their teacher before leaving class. Then they will receive a special hall pass that serves as a ticket into the Wellness Room. The Wellness Room is available any time throughout the day with teacher approval. Once students check-in,
Courtesy photo
they are free to go into the room and utilize a mindfulness tool. There are various services provided at the Wellness Room; music, peace and quiet, fidgets, puzzles, and sand art to name a few. As the sign “No cellphone use please” suggests, technology usage is strongly discouraged while using the Wellness Room. Students are asked to leave their belongings outside the room and phone
WELLNESS ROOMS on page 5
Former president Donald Trump returned to court this week to argue that he should be immune from prosecution for the events on Jan. 6 due to his having been the president. The three judges presiding over the hearing expressed doubt about this claim, saying that it was “paradoxical” for a former president to cite the Constitution to justify the violation of laws. Trump is currently still the frontrunner in the Republican polls in the 2024 race against the current president, Joe Biden. Despite positive polling numbers, the former president will also have to contend against states like Colorado, which have removed his name from the ballot.