Cottonwood Heights Journal | April 2023

GYM JAM-PACKED

BRIGHTON’S UNIFIED BASKETBALL SHOWCASE,

By Julie Slama |

As Brighton High warmed up for a regional unified basketball tournament, they may have had an edge on their competition.

A couple days beforehand, the Bengals scrimmaged the school’s boys’ basketball team, taking them down 31-6. The stands were full of fans—students and teachers, First Lady Abby Cox, Canyons Superintendent Rick Robins and Canyons Board of Education and Canyons Education Foundation members.

“It was fun and I’m glad we won,” said freshman Sam Jensen with the unified team. “We were playing where our ‘professional’ (high school) team plays, and we were making so many baskets. I made six.”

Sophomore Mitchell Burt chipped in eight points and got a high-five from his peer tutor and teammate, sophomore Jack Peterson.

In unified basketball, each team has five players on the court—three athletes and two unified partners. Teams play against other squads of the same ability in two eight-minute halves. Supported by Special Olympics and the Utah High School Activities Association, unified sports has both a competitive and a player development level, the latter which provides more of a cooperative environment with partners being teammates and mentors.

UHSAA referee Paul Madsen said he ap-

Continued page 14

Brighton High protects the ball against Davis High at the state unified basketball tournament. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

City looks at redesigning their website for easier navigation

As the Cottonwood Heights City Council continues to deliberate funding priorities for this upcoming fiscal year’s budget, city staff have been providing further detail on a few potential expenditures. On March 1, Communications Manager Lindsay Wilcox presented options for continual maintenance and possible improvements to the city’s website.

The Cottonwood Heights city website is hosted by the platform Granicus. The city currently pays a service fee between $7,000 and $7,500 annually to continue using Granicus’s server and 24/7 technical assistance.

City councilmembers would like to see substantial improvements to the city’s website. At the top of their priority list is updating the landing page for clarity and easier navigation.

“We want to get the homepage right; that is crucial,” said Mayor Mike Weichers.

Councilmember Ellen Birrell requested adding “How Do I?” buttons directly to the front of the homepage. She provided the example of including a button for “How Do I…access the city’s master plan?” with detailed step-by-step instructions for users to get to and access the pdf file.

Councilmembers requested additional revisions to the city’s website including creating a dedicated page for the city council meeting live Zoom links and audio recordings, making the form to sign-up for email subscriptions more visible, compiling a master calendar for all city meetings and events, and less jargon.

Unfortunately, with the current plan the city pays for with Granicus, Wilcox is rather limited with the layout and design options for the city’s website. For exam-

Jou r nals

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By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

ple, she is limited to only five buttons along the top banner of the city’s website, even though they are fully customizable.

Based on the council’s feedback, Wilcox will be talking to the Granicus representatives to get quotes for more extensive plan packages with the intention of gaining more freedom with layout and design options.

If the council were to pursue a full redesign of the city’s website, it would cost a minimum of $75,000. It would require Wilcox and the city’s Communications Team to compile a list of specific items to change or retain, at least three different bids from different companies/platforms to compare pricing, building an entirely new website that’s ADA compliant (and housed off-site), then transferring that new website onto a new platform. A full-time web developer would be necessary.

“We don’t have the resources to house the website with our own servers,” said City Manager Tim Tingey.

Meanwhile, Wilcox will continue working to improve the city’s website by fixing broken links, updating old pdf files, adding events to the community calendar(s), publishing newsletter articles, posting banners about city meetings, consolidating information, and creating new pages (for topics such as specific road projects, Ranked Choice Voting and others).

“I don’t think we realize how much work (Wilcox) puts into this,” Tingey said. “She’s been connecting so many things to enhance our website.”

In addition to routine maintenance, Wilcox has been working to ensure the city’s website is ADA compliant and safe from cybersecurity threats.

Per ADA standards, a website should be designed so any information a user may be looking for is accessible within three clicks and minimal scrolling. Wilcox has condensed some of the pages on the city’s website that required 20 scrolls or more. In addition, websites should be able to be navigated and accessible by screen readers with scaling compatibility for mobile devices and tablets.

“One of the latest cybersecurity threats we have is called cyberscanning,” said Systems Administrator Alex Earl.

Cyberscanning was described as bots finding personal email addresses on websites and blasting those email inboxes with fraudulent messages. In response to the uptick in cyberscanning, personal email addresses have been removed from the city’s website.

Part of the reason for Wilcox’s work

to maintain and improve the city’s website can be traced back to 2019. The city council at the time made the decision to migrate the city’s website from their original platform to Granicus. Transferring platforms was more of a migration instead of a redesign, so existing content was moved onto the new platform without changing structures or categories as necessary.

Wilcox also manages the city’s social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To visit the city’s Twitter, visit: @ CHCity

To visit the city’s Facebook or Instagram, search: CottonwoodHeights

To visit the Cottonwood Heights website, visit: www.cottonwoodheights.utah. gov l

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Cottonwood Heights City Councilmembers have requested the homepage for the city’s website to be redesigned. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)

Trailhead concept design for 26 acres of open space in the works

Afuture Bonneville Shoreline Trail access location, trailhead and shareduse path within Cottonwood Heights will be located near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon (9361 S. North Little Cottonwood Road). A conceptual site plan and trailhead design concept for the 26acre parcel is beginning to be drafted.

Since many municipalities identify the 26-acre parcel as a Bonneville Shoreline Trail access location, Utah Open Lands has termed it the Cottonwood Heights Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) parcel. However, the area has commonly been referred to as the Despain property by the community.

Utah Open Lands purchased the property through a fundraising initiative in 2020 with the intent of open space conservation. The city of Cottonwood Heights contributed to the fundraising. Ownership was then transferred to the city so a conservation easement could be implemented for the property.

UDOT has envisioned a shared-use path connecting Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon. This parcel would not only connect to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail but be an important component for the shared-use path connecting the canyons as well.

Cottonwood Heights and Utah Open Lands are concerned that UDOT would be hesitant to construct a shared-use path on this parcel, due to the conservation easement, unless there is a conceptual site plan in place.

“It’s not envisioned as a trail access with major amenities or large parking lots,” said Community and Economic Development Director Mike Johnson.

Councilmember Doug Petersen spoke to Utah Open Lands Executive Director Wendy Fisher as she has a vested interested in the parcel. Fisher believes that if Cottonwood Heights has a plan for the parcel in place, UDOT won’t be able to push them out with their own plans.

“Planning for a shared-use path will be part of the design contract for this parcel,” Johnson said. “We would want to accommodate all modes of transportation.”

The shared-use path may likely be designed as an asphalt trail separated from the roadway. The intention would be for the shared-use path to connect from the canyons to the trails to create a big recreation network that hikers, pedestrians, scooters, bikes, and people with strollers can utilize.

Designing a conceptual site plan will help Cottonwood Heights city staff to seek outside funding for developing a trailhead with necessary minimal amenities. The Community and Economic Development Department does have the necessary funds, around $3,000, to develop a conceptual

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

site plan within their budget already.

“There have been times where the State of Utah asked if we have projects ready for funding options,” said City Manager Tim Tingey. “To be ready for that is really key.”

“If we’re not ready…we’re last,” Petersen echoed.

Mayor Mike Weichers emphasized how important getting the conceptual site plan designed quickly will be, as Gov. Spencer Cox has set his initiative for paved trail connectivity into action.

“How are we going to ask for funding if we don’t have anything in mind?” Weichers questioned.

The LCC BST parcel has been listed as a secondary access location within the Bonneville Shoreline Master Plan. Secondary access location site plans only need to account for some parking, minor amenities and trail access.

The general guidelines for what those minor amenities can include have yet to be clearly defined. Suggestions for a shade structure and a bench, or two, have been circulated in city council meetings. Minor amenities do not have to include restrooms or major parking facilities.

“When that land was purchased, it was meant to be open space,” said resident Nancy Hardy. “If we allow parking, there will be overflow with illegal parking.”

It is possible to keep the number of parking stalls limited within the design for the conceptual site plan as there are numerous parking opportunities nearby. The existing park-and-ride location near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon (4385 Little Cottonwood Canyon Road) already has 155 parking stalls and major amenities. In addition, parking in an unimproved dirt gravel area off the shoulder of the road is often utilized, even though it is technically in UDOT’s right-of-way.

“I’m in favor of the initial design, especially if it’s with a multiuse path from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Little Cottonwood Canyon. It would be good to get a consensus with the stakeholders,” mentioned Councilmember Ellen Birrell on March 1.

Johnson reassured the council that feedback from the stakeholders will be requested and incorporated through the design process.

On March 1, the Cottonwood Heights City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2023-10: Approving Entry into a Consulting Agreement for Trailhead Design Services. It was motioned by Councilmember Scott Bracken and seconded by Councilmember Peterson. Under a consulting agreement with the city, Blu Designs Corp. will prepare a conceptual design plan for an access trailhead for the parcel within the city’s boundaries. l

This 26-acre parcel was previously acquired by Utah Open Lands for open space conservation. (Photo courtesy of Mike Johnson/Cottonwood Heights)

Example of a typical concept plan for secondary access trailheads (not site-specific). (Photo courtesy of Mike Johnson/Cottonwood Heights)

A shared-use path connecting Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon is envisioned for this area. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)

New legislation brings concerns for Cottonwood Heights

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

The Utah State Legislature General Session began on Jan. 17 and concluded March 3. For the past two months, Cottonwood Heights lobbyists and leaders have been meeting weekly (on Thursdays at 9 a.m.) to discuss updates to a handful of bills that could have significant impacts to the city.

“Our focus is advocating for the traditional role of local government, recognizing that every city is unique, and that there are not one-size-fits-all solutions,” said Cottonwood Heights City Manager Tim Tingey on Feb. 16.

Capitol Hill Advisors Principal Lobbyist Brian Allen reported that out of the 1,800 bill files opened this year, his team was tracking over 140 bills that could institute high impact for local cities.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the House get to 552 as a numbered bill or the Senate get to 282,” Allen said. “It’s absolutely insane.”

Allen also shared how he believes the Utah State Legislature is moving things through too quickly this year. He’s witnessed controversial bills go through with little to no public comment; and the public comments that have been heard were limited to one minute.

“I’m not happy with the way things are going,” Allen said. “No one in leadership wants their name in the news, especially those that are up for their seats.”

The seven bills predominantly on Cottonwood Heights’ radar this year concerned issues of taxes, trail connectivity, transportation funding, short-term rentals, event permitting and transparency.

“Our city works really closely with the League (of Cities and Towns) to be able to have conversations around some of the bills that may impact us as our city,” said Cottonwood Heights Councilmember Shawn Newell on Feb. 21.

SB 260: Transportation Funding Requirements sponsored by Sen. Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Val Peterson would allow counties within the state to impose an optional sales and use tax. Counties that elect to implement the increase would raise sales tax by 0.2%. For example, the current sales tax rate in Salt Lake County is 7.2%. This bill would allow that rate to bump up to 7.4%.

“This bill would add significant revenue dollars to our city,” said Cottonwood Heights Mayor Mike Weichers on March 2.

City Lobbyist Greg Curtis reported that state leadership wanted to take 0.1% out of that increased sales tax for a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program to fund transit. The remaining 0.1% would then be distributed to the local cities within the county.

“It’s hard to get an exact pinpoint of what Cottonwood Heights would get, but it may be close to half a million dollars per year,” said Curtis on March 2.

SB 2: New Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations Act sponsored by Sen. Jerry Stevenson and Rep. Peterson would provide budget increases to be used by certain state agencies and institutions of higher education. The bill mentions providing over $50,000,000 to provide enhanced bus services, tolling, a mobility hub, and resort bus stops for the Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.

“There were rumors that this would be spent on the (Little Cottonwood Canyon) gondola. UDOT has stated that is not their intention,” Allen said on March 2.

However, Cottonwood Heights Councilmember Ellen Birrell questions if any of this money will go toward expanding Wasatch Boulevard.

SB 185: Transportation Amendments

sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper and Rep. Kay Christofferson would create an Active Transportation Investment Fund to be used to improve connectivity between communities with paved trails.

“The vision is connectivity. People can choose to walk or bike without having to battle car traffic,” Curtis said on March 2. This vision is part of Gov. Spencer Cox’s initiative for a state trail network.

The bill would set aside $45 million per year for paved trails and $45 million to jump-start the program ($90 million the first year). This funding would be appropriated to UDOT with rule-making authority to set up a ranking process for proposed projects.

It would then be administered by the Utah Transportation Commission “which means the UDOT staff,” Curtis said on Feb. 16. “UDOT will receive a significant amount of money.”

HB 301: Transportation Tax Amendments sponsored by Rep. Mike Schultz and Sen. Harper would impose a 12%

tax on charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs); equating to around $3-$4 per charge. An extra $7 for vehicle registration would be initiated as well.

“EVs are using the roads for free. It’s a way for the state to recoup some money for road funding,” Allen said on Feb. 16.

Councilmember Birrell voiced her opposition to this bill on Feb. 23. “We don’t need to tax the things we want more of.”

HB 291: Short Term Rental Amendments sponsored by Rep. Calvin Musselman and Sen. Cullimore would institute a pilot program to allow for an increase of short-term rental licenses within local cities (no less than 5% of the total residential units within the city).

“(Rep. Musselman) stressed he’s not doing anything that would usurp authority from local government,” Allen said.

HB 329: Event Permit Notification Amendments sponsored by Rep. Jack Colin and Sen. Evan Vickers would require public notice for an event with adult theme(s).

“Cities would be required to rate content for events,” Allen said on March 2. “We have talked to every senator and no one wants to vote yes on that.”

HB 294: Governmental Entity Budget Transparency sponsored by Rep. Nelson Abbott and Sen. Keith Grover would require government entities to disclose population estimates within their budget documents.

“We thought we had killed it,” Allen said on Feb. 23. He recounted how his team had heard from the majority of legislators that they would be voting in opposition. The bill was put on the agenda for early the following morning. Many ended up voting yes. When Allen’s team asked those legislators why they had changed their mind, their response was “Oh! Was it ‘that’ bill?”

Additional bills that caught the attention of Cottonwood Heights were:

SB 75: Sand and Gravel Sales Tax Amendments sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall and Rep. Bridger Bolinder would distribute local sales and use tax revenue to municipalities with gravel extraction sites within its boundaries. For Cottonwood Heights, there could be a short-term benefit while Granite Construction’s gravel pit (6900 S. Wasatch Blvd.) is still in use. Beyond that, this bill would negatively impact the city.

HB 21: Open and Public Meetings

Act Amendments sponsored by Rep. Joel Briscoe and Sen. Jacob Anderegg would require every city meeting to be open and public, including those meetings held by city committees. For Cottonwood Heights, that would include city bodies like the Arts Council and Parks,

Open Space

Trails, and

Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson (District 6) sponsored a bill (SB 2) to allocate money for canyon transportation. Cottonwood Heights officials are wary about what that money will be going toward specifically. (Photo courtesy of the Utah State Legislature)

Sen. Wayne A. Harper (District 16) sponsored a bill (HB 30) that will impose an increased tax on electric vehicle chargers. (Photo courtesy of the Utah State Legislature)

Rep. Kay J. Christofferson (District 53) sponsored a bill (SB 195) that will set aside $90 million for paved trails to encourage connected communities throughout the state. (Photo courtesy of the Utah State Legislature)

Rep. Calvin R. Musselman (District 9) sponsored a bill (HB 291) that will kick-start a pilot program to increase the amount of short-term rentals in various cities and communities. (Photo courtesy of the Utah State Legislature)

Committee.

HB 527: Mining Operation Amendments sponsored by Rep. Keven Stratton would constitute a process change for filing or challenging vested rights. It would also shift the process for how the State Office of Mining approves expansion of a mining operation.

HB 374: County Sheriff Amendments sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher and Sen. Daniel McCay would create interlocal agreements between the Sheriff’s Office and Unified Police Department.

HB 499: Homeless Services Amendments sponsored by Rep. Steve Eliason and Sen. Anderegg would modify the amount of collected sales tax revenue local governments are required to deposit to the Homeless Shelter Cities Mitigation Restricted Account.

HB 174: Conviction Reduction Amendments sponsored by Rep. Teuscher and Sen. Todd Weiler would modify requirements for reducing the degree of an offense after sentencing.

HB 476: Food Truck Regulations sponsored by Rep. Kera Birkeland would earmark an income tax for tier-one food trucks.

One day before the general session would come to a close, Allen warned city leaders, “Every bill has the Lazarus effect until the final gavel falls.” l

Public Utilities requests resident engagement to help inventory water infrastructure

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) Director Laura Briefer presented an overview of the water supply for the area to the Cottonwood Heights City Council on March 1. She reported on current drought conditions, detailed the water utility infrastructure and drinking water supply, shared new federal regulations, and provided updates on the department’s guiding documents.

Additionally, Briefer asked Cottonwood Heights to spread the word about their calls for resident engagement. SLCDPU is asking residents to be mindful of water conservation, get informed about new regulations regarding lead in water pipes, provide feedback for their management plan updates, and help inventory the water utility infrastructure system.

“Our snowpack and water supply is in very good condition this year,” Briefer said.

Even though the winter season has been positive in terms of contributing to the service area’s water supply, Briefer reminded the council that drought conditions persist. According to the Intermountain West Climate Dashboard in February, 99% of Utah remains in some level of drought. Salt Lake Valley, specifically, remains in severe drought conditions. The Great Salt Lake remains in critical condition as well.

“One year of snowpack is great. But we need average, or above average, snowpack for several years to exit drought status,” Briefer said.

SLCDPU has a vast water utility infrastructure from water treatment plants to transition mains and pipelines, with over 90,000 connections. Their service area includes all of Salt Lake City as well as portions of South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray and Midvale.

The drinking water supply for the service area is collected from a few different channels. Fifty percent to 60% is filtered from Parley’s Canyon, City Creek Canyon and the two Cottonwood Canyons (Little and Big), while 30% to 35% of the drinking water supply flows from the Deer Creek Reservoir as part of the Provo River project.

“These canyons are so valued and important for the quality of life for our community. There is a lot of interaction with communities interested in what is happening in the canyons,” Briefer said.

Many additional cities throughout Salt Lake County and Utah County benefit from Deer Creek Reservoir. Briefer described the reservoir as an insurance policy when experiencing year over year droughts as it can store a significant amount of water for long periods of time. The canyon systems, however, are not equipped for storing wa-

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

ter (with the exception of the Little Dell and Mountain Dell reservoirs in Parley’s Canyon).

“The combination of readily available water sources and stored water puts us in a very nice position,” Briefer said.

Following the crisis in Flint, Michigan (and other drinking water crises concerning lead contamination), the Environmental Protection Agency has made it a priority to update their federal rules related to lead and copper. The SLCDPU has already replaced older parts of the water utility infrastructure system that could have been constructed from lead.

“We are quite sure we don’t have lead in the water mains that run through the city,” Briefer said.

Recent mandates require every single water service line to be inventoried. If there is suspicion any part of a service line could have the potential for lead contaminants, a plan must be developed and put into place to remove and replace those service lines.

“One of the challenges we are having is we have good records of the water lines the city has installed, but not water lines installed by private entities,” Briefer said.

SLCDPU is responsible for water lines connecting from mains to meters, but connections from water meters to developments are the individual property (or home) owners’ responsibility. Currently, 64,000 service lines are unknown. SLCDPU is asking for help from residents to reduce that number.

In addition to helping inventory the water utility infrastructure, residents have been working with SLCDPU to update the Watershed Management Plan through surveys and open houses. Originally drafted in 1989, the Watershed Management Plan identifies pollution risks to drinking water resources and identifies management strategies to reduce those risks.

Vulnerability assessments and resident feedback will be finalized into a report that will be taken to the Salt Lake City Council and the Public Utilities Advisory Committee. (Cottonwood Heights resident Ted Boyer serves on that Advisory Committee.)

“We have a lot of coordination opportunities,” Briefer said.

Residents can expect water quality reports annually delivered to their mailboxes. SLCDPU monitors water quality for more than 90 contaminants to comprise individual water quality reports.

To learn more about the rebuild of the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant (4101 Big Cottonwood Canyon Road), visit: KeepItPureBigCottonwood.com.

To learn more about the process to get involved with the Watershed Management

Plan update, visit: slc.gov/utilities/watershed/watershedmanagementplan.

To learn more about new regulations surrounding lead in water pipes, visit: slc. gov/utilities/LeadandCopper

To help inventory the water infrastructure system, visit SLCDPU’s survey at: slc.gov/utilities/LeadandCopperSurvey

For find the annual Water Quality Consumer Report, visit: slc.gov/utilities/ water-quality

To learn more about conserving water at home, visit: slc.gov/utilities/conservation l

Salt Lake Public Utilities is encouraging residents to participate in inventorying the water infrastructure system through their website. (Laura Briefer/Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities)

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities Director Laura Briefer is requesting resident participation and feedback in a variety of projects. (Photo courtesy of Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities)

The Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant is currently in the process of reconstruction. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)

The Cottonwood Heights Youth City Council is now accepting applications for new members. The Youth City Council provides young members in the community a chance to get involved with local government and promotes friendship among the youth.

“If you have someone who will be in high school, ninth through 12th grade next school year (2023-24), have them apply,” said Councilmember and Youth City Council Advisor Scott Bracken.

Youth City Council members participate in biweekly meetings and service or social events. Members are also provided with the opportunities to participate in the USU Leadership Conference, visit the Utah State Capitol to meet representatives and senators, attend state legislature and city council meetings, dine with Cottonwood Heights city leaders and staff members, and volunteer at city events such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Monster Mash and Butlerville Days.

“The Youth City Council is going strong,” Bracken said. “Students have a really good grasp of what’s going on as we go through our educational meetings. They have a lot of good ideas for what’s going on.”

To apply to be a member of the Youth

Youth City Council seeking new members

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

City Council, individuals must either reside or attend high school within the boundaries of Cottonwood Heights. Applicants must submit a statement detailing their hobbies or interests, a written response indicating why they would like to become a member, and have a letter of recommendation (from a non-relative such as a teacher, employer or coach).

The call for applications will be open for about three weeks with the final day to submit being Tuesday, April 11, at 4:30 p.m. Applicants may be asked to participate in a short interview with the current Youth City Council mayor and advisors on April 13.

If accepted, applicants will be expected to participate in a short orientation. Members will also be expected to show integrity, be willing to serve, set appropriate examples, attend meetings, and support the Youth City Council’s goals.

Applications can be submitted online through the city’s website (cottonwoodheights.utah.gov/community/youth-council) or dropped off in person at Cottonwood Heights City Hall (2277 E. Bengal Blvd.). l

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Her interest in the field of pain medicine began with a genuine desire to maintain continuity with her patients and a passion for improving her patient’s function. Dr. Nagpal sees pain medicine as a rapidly evolving field with multiple opportunities to impact and improve a patient’s quality of life.

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Every year, the Cottonwood Heights City Council participates in the Leadership Conference at USU. (Scott Bracken/Cottonwood Heights)

Brighton duo, other youth, bring awareness of inclusion to state leaders

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Brighton High sophomore Jack Peterson has a friend who’s brother has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.

“His name is Dash, and he has powered through surgeries yet he’s still a fun kid, who likes sports and dancing,” Peterson said. “I saw him perform at halftime at a BYU football game. It was through him that I got involved in Special Olympics and YAC (Youth Activation Committee) and then, unified sports.”

Peterson was at the Utah State Capitol along with his unified sports partner sophomore Mitchell Burt meeting with Utah legislators. They were waiting to meet Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion to tell her their story and ask for her to sign the pledge for inclusion as they did for other house and senate leaders.

Bennion did one step more and invited Burt to sit on the house floor.

The mostly non-verbal student had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. His mother, Jennie, was overjoyed.

“Being here, including these students, is so important,” she said. “Inclusion involves everyone and they’re here to share that. Special Olympics’ unified sports has given him the opportunity to be included, to be treated respectfully, to play on and be a part of a team, and to form friendships with other high school stu-

dents that may not have happened otherwise.”

Earlier in the day, the Brighton pair, along with 18 other statewide YAC members, were recognized on the Senate floor as Sen. Kathleen Riebe introduced them and their mission. They were met with a standing ovation.

“It’s been awesome,” Unified Champion School’s College-growth Coordinator Boston Iacobazzi said, who advises Utah’s YAC high school students. “They have never felt they had a voice and now, they have.”

The group had a chance to talk with Gov. Spencer Cox and interacted with First Lady Abby Cox several times during the day. In the governor’s office, Peterson asked First Lady Abby Cox to sign during Inclusion Week. The governor also pledged.

“We’re taking little steps toward a more inclusive future,” Peterson said. “We’re wanting to be more welcoming and inclusive in all stages of life because it helps everybody.”

Iacobazzi said about 20 legislators signed the pledge of inclusion and even more became aware of Unified Champion Schools, which promotes a three-tier approach through unified sports, inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

During their visit, the First Lady said it is through their leadership that will help define the state’s future.

“You are going to be the leaders in this state in just a few years and what kind of state do you want to see?” she asked. “Do you want to see a more inclusive state? Do you want to see a state where everyone feels a sense of love and belonging and that they can do what they want to do and they can be who they want to be?”

Abby Cox, who was a special education teacher, has Special Olympics Unified Sports as one of her pillars for her “Show Up” Initiatives.

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“My heart is with the Special Olympics unified sports, and I will always be a champion for my friends who don’t have a voice, and I want you to be that too,” she said. “I want to do a special shout out to my athletes, for the work that you do in being able to show the world what it means to have ability. You have incredible abilities. Don’t ever let anybody tell that tell you that you don’t. To my partner athletes, you are making a huge difference in creating an inclusive environment, not only in your schools, but in your entire communities and in this state. You are being powerful leaders to be a voice for people that don’t always feel like they have a voice. I want you to recognize your power in that and continue to do what you’re doing and bring more along with you.”

Special Olympics Executive Committee Board Chair Michelle Wolfenbarger echoed those sentiments to the youth delegation.

“You’re all choosing to spend your time here and let your voices be heard and it will be heard; they are by far the most important voices out there,” she said. “There’s nothing

like being here with you and seeing the future leaders of our country and our state and of our communities be here and want inclusion, want kindness and love and unity.”

During their visit, the group toured sights such as the Hall of Governors and Gold Room to behind-the-scenes places by taking spiral stairs or the governor’s elevator past the capitol printing press to the emergency operations center. There, Mike Mower, community outreach and intergovernmental affairs senior advisor for the governor, walked them through the coordination and cooperation of civic leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It took everyone working together to bring awareness and understanding in the decisions that were made,” he said. “That’s what you’re doing—bringing awareness and your voices, and that means so much here at the capitol.” l

Brighton High sophomores Mitchell Burt and Jack Peterson and other members of Special Olympics’ Youth Activation Committee met with Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox about the need for inclusion. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

We’re taking little steps toward a more inclusive future, we’re wanting to be more welcoming and inclusive in all stages of life because it helps everybody.

Jack Peterson

Teenage author returns to her elementary school to inspire youngsters

Flash back to five years ago. Kimberly Cope was teaching her fifth-grade class at Butler Elementary and after assignments were completed, students busied themselves with various projects around the classroom.

One girl, who loved stories, began writing in a blank book her own story about a mermaid, which she eventually finished after several months. After adding her own artwork and having her mother type the story and her dad design it and print it, she gave Cope, Principal Jeff Nalwalker, and others her story that Christmas.

Fast forward to 2023.

That same student, Mary Ann Jensen, returned to Cope’s classroom, where her sister, Caroline, is now a student. Mary Ann didn’t come empty-handed. She not only brought her book she wrote in class, “The Lost Mermaid,” but four other children’s books she has written and published.

The 15-year-old Brighton High freshman returned to her alma mater on career day to share the importance of working hard to make dreams come true as well as to show how she uses basic skills she learned in school in her writing and illustrating career.

“I’ve always loved writing, so I showed them a whole bunch of my old drafts of stories that I had written when I was really, really little,” she said. “When I was young, my mom and dad would always read books to me. Before I could read, I would look at the pictures in the books and make up stories for them and I would also draw a lot of pictures. We would staple them together, make them into little books. I have one I wrote was when I was in kindergarten at the old Butler Elementary, and it was called the ‘Kindergarten Princess Teacher.’”

After giving her teacher her stapled story, Mary Ann decided to improve it.

“I wanted to share the book with more people so I went to my parents with the fistful of money, and I said, ‘How can we publish this and make it into like a real book with a real cover and real spine?’” she said.

After adding more details, pictures and an epilogue to her story, her mother, Elizabeth, helped Mary Ann edit it. Her sister read it.

“She’s a great critic. She is really good at telling me what she likes and what she doesn’t like, and it helps to make the story better,” Mary Ann said.

Her dad, Curt, helped with the layout and got the final draft together with his daughter and sent it off to be self-published. In late July, she received a package.

“On my 12th birthday, the real books arrived. I was beyond excited; I started to cry. It was so cool to see a real final product. That was so amazing,” she said. “Since then, I’ve sent books all over the United States and I have gotten messages from parents and say-

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

ing their kids are very inspired by my books and now they’ve started writing stories of their own.”

She currently is writing the fifth book in a series called the “Sundance Springs” series and told the students that each book is written from a perspective of seven main characters.

Brighton Work-Based Learning Facilitator Eileen Kasteler organized Butler Elementary’s career day that featured speakers talking about medical and law professions to a film and TV electrician and video game designer to a yoga instructor and dog sled tour guide.

“Career day in the elementary school helps students recognize jobs they see happening all around them every day—the principal, the crossing guard, the lunch workers, even their teacher, who they may not have thought about as ‘working,’” she said. “Thinking so far into the future might seem overwhelming, but focusing on career exploration and interests even in elementary can create a more focused pathway for students as they move into middle school and high school.”

The speakers also tied their careers to subjects they learned in school. For example, Mary Ann shared how she applies skills she’s learning in school apply to being an author.

“I told them that my English class helped me to gain new vocabulary and know how to take words and put them into sentences and then paragraphs to then create a book. I told them in art classes I learn new techniques I use to draw. History is really important. In my most recent book, ‘S’mores,’ I dug deep into the Salem witch trials because one of my characters is a witch. If I didn’t know about the Salem witch trials, the book would not be as accurate. I also told them I use math to know how much I need to sell my book for. I need to know how I can cover the costs of making the book and still have a little bit of money leftover so I can put that toward my next book,” she said. “I learned typing because after I had written another story by hand—I think I filled three spiral notebooks—my mom said I needed to learn how to type; it’s a skill I’m going to use for the rest of my life not just with writing or school reports, but with everything I do.”

Mary Ann, who learned some students had checked out her autographed books in Butler Elementary’s library, plans to continue writing fiction, but she also wants to be a journalist. She is president of Brighton High’s 15-member journalism club and editor-in-chief of the school’s monthly newspaper, The Bengal Bite.

“It’s cool to write real stories about real people. I’ve also written an article (about youth council) for the Cottonwood Heights City newsletter. I think it would be so cool to both be a journalist and an author when I grow up because I love both,” she said. “It’s

important for kids to see that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are, you can follow your dreams. The students were enthralled with the idea that you don’t have to wait be a grown-up to start on your path. I told

them you do have to learn how to have persistence. When something comes in the way that says, ‘No, you can’t do this,’ I just keep going—and that told them they can, too.”l

Fifteen-year-old Brighton High freshman Mary Ann Jensen returned to the classroom where she first started writing her first book to talk about being an author to Butler Elementary fifth-graders as part of their career day. (Photos courtesy of Curt Jensen)

Canyon View students engaged in hands-on learning during science night

It was a night brimming with science activities.

Students could learn about air pressure, rockets, color changing, oysters and pearls, and more at Canyon View Elementary’s second annual science night.

Third-grader Carolena Bosley “loves anything science,” according to her father, Gene.

“She was bouncing off the walls, just super excited about it,” Gene Bosley said.

Carolena, and her brother, kindergartner Einar, were breaking open geodes.

“I really like rocks and biology,” she said. “Biology is fun to learn about there’s tons of animals to learn about and rocks are really cool.”

She also likes robots and has made some “crazy killer robots.”

In another room nearby, first-grader Nora Crittenden and her 3-year-old sister, Opal, were cutting worms.

“It’s kind of cool,” Nora said. “I like seeing how it’s so fascinating.”

With a dream of a career as an explorer, Nora brought her dad, Matt, to the science night.

“Nora loves science she she’s very interested in animals and is very inquisitive about certain things,” he said, adding that Opal also enjoys hands-on learning. “This gives them a chance to discover and learn.”

Throughout the engaging activities, students were learning from both experts in the field and volunteers.

Volunteer Jody Mulligan and two Brighton senior class officers, Phoebe Roberts and Olivia Martin, were helping Canyon View elementary students with seed necklaces.

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Mulligan, who taught 23 years at The McGillis School, a Salt Lake City private kindergarten through eighth-grade school, helped last year with Nitro rockets and this year, she was teaching the youngsters about germination.

“This is a fun atmosphere for students to learn with Mom and Dad and the family; it’s fun when everyone is involved,” she said. “The biggest take-away is that they have something they can take home and can watch. I think that’s kind of cool they have a little treasure they will care for. I also like that they may take the responsibility to plant it somewhere else. This night is meant to inspire future scientists.”

Nearby, Roberts and Martin, who have taken a couple Advanced Placement science classes, were helping other elementary students.

“We like to volunteer and help out our community and several of our student government members actually went to Canyon View, so specifically for them, it’s meaningful to give back to the school they attended,” Roberts said.

Martin said that students, who put the seed on top of a moist cotton ball in a plastic container, will be excited to see the seeds sprout over the next couple days.

“It was researched by University of Wisconsin to help develop and sustain farms, so it’s neat that kids are getting to learn the basics of something that was researched and is being used,” Martin said. “But mostly, for them, it’s just one of the really fun things they can do.”

University of Utah science demonstrator Tori Spratling was teaching students

about liquid nitrogen. For 20 years, she has demonstrated various science experiments at schools around the Salt Lake valley.

“Students are discovering how the state of matter we’re used to—solid, liquid, gas— how quickly we can go in between them; what you can’t do just normally on your own,” she said. “You can freeze water and that takes a while. So, this is just showing very quick transitions between states of matter. We’ll go from a liquid to a gas, we’ll do liquid nitrogen to nitrogen gas, and we’ll do

frozen water.”

While it’s part of the state core curriculum students learn in elementary school, she said it will also help with their basic science understanding they’ll build upon in secondary schools.

“What I want is for these students to develop just a love of science, and learn that science is fun, and it’s exciting,” Spratling said. “It’s something that you want to explore.”l

Brighton boys lacrosse soared in preseason coaches’ poll

TheBrighton High School boys lacrosse program was founded in 1993 under head coach Mark Davis. Back then it was a club sport and Brighton combined with multiple Salt Lake high schools. The team quickly became a top contender in the state, winning its first state championship in 1996. The team would go on to win state titles in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

This year the program is back in the discussion for region and state honors.

In addition to its state championships, Brighton has had many players go on to play at the collegiate level, including several who have played in the NCAA Division I ranks.

The program has also been recognized for its sportsmanship and community involvement, with players participating in local service projects and charities.

The 2023 boys lacrosse team was named in the preseason coaches’ poll as one of the top 10 teams in the state and in the top three of 5A teams. "While that is an honor

By Jerry S. Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com

given that we weren't ranked last year, the other two teams in that top three tier are region rivals—Olympus and Park City. It will be an exciting and competitive season for sure," said coach Chris O'Donnell.

Brighton has top-rated talent to back up its case. Brighton players to watch according to the 2023 Preseason Boys All-American Watchlist include: Isaac Hanson, senior, goalie; Bowen England, senior, long stick middle; Grayson Harris, junior, middle; and Donovan Wismer, junior, attack.

Hanson has committed to play at UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) D1 and Porter Boyce will continue his lacrosse career at Colorado Mesa University D2 in Grand Junction.

The public is welcome free of charge at all games in the Brighton stadium beginning in March and continuing through the state tournament in May. Find the current schedule at https://tinyurl.com/yck56kur l

Canyon View Elementary students learn about germination by dipping cotton balls in water and add those to seeds in containers. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Brighton boys lacrosse is ranked and ready for the 2023 season. (Photo All Star Photography)

Bengals hockey wins state championship – heads to nationals

BBrighton Hockey, a club sport for the school and community, has a strong edge—home ice. The Cottonwood Heights Rec Center in close proximity to Butler Middle School gives young athletes early experience in ice. Dane Christensen, a member of the 2008 Division 2 state championship team recalls that “the choice of swimming or ice skating for gym at Butler was an embarrassment of riches. I choose ice and sharpened my skating skills for six years culminating in the championship game at the E Center.”

A teammate, Nate Wilkinson, said, “I liked playing hockey for gym in middle school and found that it introduced new people to the sport and team. I also thought it was helpful to have some extra fairly unstructured ice time. It was also great to avoid swimming, ha!”

Brighton High School’s varsity hockey team won Division 2 titles over the next decade but with its championship in 2017 it set a goal of winning a state title at the highest level and qualifying for the national tournament.

On Feb. 24, that goal was accomplished when the Brighton Bengals defeated the Park City Ice Miners 3-2 to win the varsity state title, a feat which Brighton had not accomplished in 15 years.

It was a magical game to cap off a magical season. “This is a special team that has had an incredible season and an even more amazing post season,” said head coach Greg Doucette. “These young men started the season as individuals and finished the season as a team.”

The Bengals had an impressive regular season with a 13-2-2 record. However, it was in the playoffs where this team really shined. Brighton went undefeated in the state tournament, winning all four of its games with an impressive goal differential of plus-24 and a perfect penalty kill.

“Park City is a great team. We tied them 2-2 earlier this season so we knew it was going to be a tough game,” said junior Hogan Gottlieb, team captain for the Bengals. “It was no surprise that we met them again in the state finals.”

The Miners struck first, scoring a soft goal on a broken play that goalie Alex Minnock would definitely want to quickly forget. He made the initial save but the puck hit his shoulder and slowly rolled down his back and across the goal line. After the first period, Park City led 1-0.

It only took the Bengals 30 seconds into the second period to flex their offensive muscles. Team-scoring leader Anders Waugaman, a junior, sniped a power-play goal to tie up the game 1-1.

“Every player on this team contributed to the win,” Waugaman said. “Backchecking, forechecking, blocked shots. The scoresheet doesn’t tell the entire story.”

By Jerry Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com

Head Coach, Greg Doucette

And the second-period scoring came in pairs for Brighton. About a minute later, the Bengals continued their offensive pressure, and assumed the lead with a goal by senior Tanner Laub. “We entered the O-zone, I got the puck from Anders, just tried to get the puck on net, and it went in. We all went crazy!” Laub said.

Park City—looking for its fourth consecutive state title—would not go down without a fight. With 9:52 left in the third period, the Miners tied the game 2-2. However, it was not to be for the defending state champs. Sixteen seconds later, Waugaman scored off a costly Park City turnover with what proved to be the game winner. The Bengals relied on their stout defense, led by seniors Gabe King and Ian Skelton, as well as goaltender Minnock, who saved 30 out of 32 shots (.938 save percentage) to hang on for the victory. “I just try to be there for the boys and give them a chance to win,” Minnock said.

“We know Alex is there for us, and we can rely on him in the crucial minutes of the game,” King said. Skelton concurred. “We do our best to make Alex’s job easier, but have confidence in his ability when we really need him.”

With the win, the Bengals stamped their ticket to the USA Hockey National Tournament in Plymouth, Minnesota. The team competed against other state champions from around the country during the five-day tournament March 23-27 (after press deadline).

“Listen, it was difficult to win state so you can imagine the challenge at nationals,” said Doucette. “Regardless of the outcome, I can’t say enough about this team and our Brighton family. We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to competing together at nationals.”

Far from the home ice in Cottonwood Heights, Brighton Hockey opens its

national bid against Yorktown, Virginia. Follow the Bengals in their bid for a national title at www.nationals.usahockey. com/2023highschooldivisioni l

Brighton Hockey checks in as Utah’s team to compete for a national title. (Photo by Todd Gottlieb)

This is a special team that has had an incredible season, and an even more amazing post season. These young men started the season as individuals and finished the season as a team.

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preciates unified basketball.

“There’s great sportsmanship,” he said. “Everyone is helping each other. It’s wonderful to see.”

Burt’s mother, Jennie, said she is grateful for unified sports as it provides her son opportunities he doesn’t get normally.

“There is much more community involvement and inclusion,” she said. “There is real friendship.”

Brighton Principal Tom Sherwood agrees: “It really helps put things into perspective when you see how much joy everyone gets from participating in Unified Sports. It’s contagious. Everyone that watches can’t help but be affected in a positive way.”

At the regional tournament, Brighton student-athletes split up on three teams, based on ability. Each team placed, taking first, third and fourth in their divisions.

Canyons Education Foundation Officer Denise Haycock helped at the regional tournament and appreciated the partnerships between Jordan and Canyons foundations and the support of sponsors, including Scheels in providing equipment for the unified athletes.

In Utah, involvement in unified high school basketball has skyrocketed. This year, there were the most teams in its history competing to play at state—73 teams competed for 32 state seeds, said Courtnie Worthen, Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools manager.

At the March 8 state unified basketball tournament, there was plenty of smiles and cheers as Brighton High took sixth place in its division. Administrators from several school districts and educational foundations joined Gov. Spencer Cox and the First Lady to support the competition, which was held at Weber State University.

Abby Cox said she was proud of everyone in the gym.

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“Utah as a state—we are part of the inclusion revolution,” she told them.

Unified sports engages students with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports teams, leading to not only sports skills development and competition, but also inclusion and friendship, Worthen said.

“Unified sports provides social inclusion opportunities for all teammates to build friendships on and off the court,” she said. “The teammates challenge each other to improve their skills and fitness and at the same time, increase positive attitudes and establish

friendships and provide a model of inclusion for the entire school community.”

Unified sports, Worthen said, is included in the Unified Champion Schools model, where a unified team is supported by the entire school and there is inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

“With schools that embrace the Unified Champion Schools model, they create communities where all students feel welcome and are included in all school activities and opportunities. Students feel socially and emotionally secure, they’re more engaged in the school and feel supported, and are respected,” she said. “It changes school climates.”l

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Brighton’s freshman Sam Jensen warms up at the state unified basketball tournament. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

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Brighton student-athletes honored for their academics

By Jerry S. Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com

The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) released its honor roll of senior students excelling in academics while also participating in a varsity sport. This high honor is given to less than 1% of all high school students participating in UHSAA sports and activities.

Once again Brighton High has produced more than its fair share of Academic All-State winners. This reflects Brighton's commitment to academic rigor and well as athletic excellence. The fall 2023 sports season produced four more student-athlete scholars: Brinley Newitt from the competitive cheer team (a newly UHSAA sanctioned sport); Mercedes Cole from the girls swimming team; Noah Martinez from the boys wrestling team; and Lillian Watson from the girls wrestling team.

The nomination process for Academic All-State students is found at UHSAA.org.

Each sport and activity season, the UHSAA opens nominations through RegisterMyAthlete. Parents/students will enter their RegisterMyAthlete account and click on the Academic All-

BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL WINTER ACADEMIC ALL-STATE STUDENTS

State tab to enter their unweighted cumulative high school GPA, ACT/SAT score, and submit the nomination form. Schools will confirm the student-athlete

is a varsity contributor, confirm the GPA and ACT/SAT score, verify the student is a senior, and upload a current transcript prior to submitting the nomination to the

Utahns demonstrate attention span disruption with cell phone usage

It was 2007 when Apple released the iPhone as the first “smartphone.” Since then, consumers have become increasingly attached to their devices, to the point of distraction. Research shows looking at phones gives users a dopamine boost, creating a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction, but at what cost?

In a study conducted by North Star Inbound, for the gaming platform Solitaire Bliss, smartphone users across 38 states submitted information about their cell phone usage. The study showed 41% of Utah residents frequently use their phones while watching TV, 49% of Utahns admit to looking down at their phones as they cross a street and 59% of Utah residents bring their phones to use while on the toilet.

“This study looked at a few ways being distracted by our phones can impact our lives,” said Melissa Stephenson, North Star Inbound media relations associate. “With 49% of Utah residents admitting to looking down at their phones at least a couple times while crossing a street, a personal safety issue is raised.”

While men are most guilty of looking at their phones while crossing the street, women reach for their phones while watching TV more often than men. Nearly one-third of Utah residents only last a few minutes before their mind wanders and they reach for their phone,

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

and 45% of Utahns talk to others on their phones while working on a separate task.

Habitual cell phone use has been connected with decreased attention spans. According to the study, it’s not surprising that the Gen Z population, who have grown up with smartphones, has the shortest attention span compared to millennials, Gen X and baby boomers.

The Child Mind Institute found an increase in phone use led to a decrease in connection. As attention spans decrease, effective learning is diminished. This includes the ability to retain information, pay attention to details and create cognitive flexibility, which is a brain’s ability to change and adapt.

“As our study points out areas where attention spans aren’t thriving, we can look at research done by George Washington University for recommendations on improving attention spans,” Stephenson said. “They listed meditation, practicing attentive listening, reading, practicing muscle relaxation techniques, mindful walking, reducing distractions and making time for mental breaks.”

Experts recommend putting phones in a different room where it won’t be visible and easily accessible. Sometimes, just the sight of a phone is a trigger to pick it up and use it. Placing a phone in a drawer at work is a

good way to keep from getting distracted on the job. Users can also set time limits on specific platforms or download apps to track cell phone usage.

The North Star Inbound study showed 76% of those surveyed are distracted by their phones at work and 62% give up when trying something new or difficult. For more on the

deadline. l

study, visit Solitairebliss.com/blog.

“Utah residents ranked the fourth worst at being on their phones while talking to loved ones, raising the issue of not being present in those situations,” Stephenson said. “Being present in moments of our lives has been proven to help with stress management and regulating our moods.”l

UHSAA by the specified

Winter sports season 2023. (Photo Brighton High)

Brinley NEWITT Competitive Cheer

Mercedes COLE Girls Swimming

Noah MARTINEZ Boys Wrestling

Lillian WATSON Girls Wrestling

A study conducted by North Star Inbound showed 49% of Utahns admit to looking down at their phones as they cross a street. (Stock photo)

Know Your Lemons highlights 12 symptoms of breast cancer to educate women and their doctors

Women have been taught to check for lumps when screening for breast cancer, but what most people don’t know is there are 12 symptoms that could be an indicator of breast cancer.

Utah resident Corrine Ellsworth-Beaumont, MFA, Ph.D., has made it her mission to educate women and girls to help them be informed when it comes to breast health. She created the nonprofit Know Your Lemons to help save lives and educate women around the world.

“People don’t know how to have the conversation,” she said. “We don’t talk about breasts and no one’s really challenged that. As we’re implementing the program in schools, we talk about every part of the body except breasts and there’s this implicit message that there’s nothing to know.”

Ellsworth-Beaumont said everyone should graduate from high school knowing the 12 signs of breast cancer that include skin sores, orange-peel skin, a sunken nipple or a dimple in the breast.

When a close friend died from breast cancer, Ellsworth-Beaumont was working as a professor in a business school in London. After her friend’s death, she left her job and put all her efforts into the Know Your Lemons nonprofit. She was stunned at the lack of information about breast health, even in the medical community.

Her goal is to educate women in a way to help them get familiar with their own breasts. That includes understanding breast anatomy like milk ducts and lymph nodes and what a cancerous lump feels like. It’s often hard, like a lemon seed, and doesn’t move.

“We don’t talk about breast anatomy or how breasts change during menstrual cycles,” Ellsworth-Beaumont said. “When we’re told to self-exam and feel for a lump, we’re given no information about anatomy, we don’t understand about breast cycles, you don’t know what that lump feels like.”

She worries misinformation about breast

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@davisjournal.com

screening will discourage women from scheduling mammograms and doing self-exams. Social media propagates the myth that mammograms are dangerous when the screening actually saves lives. Unfortunately, Utah has one of the lowest screen rates in the country, ranked 50 out of 52 (including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico).

The Know Your Lemons main image details the 12 signs of breast cancer, displayed on lemons. She wants to get the poster and postcards in as many doctors’ offices, schools and women’s health centers as possible.

Because the image is universally understood across languages and cultures, Ellsworth-Beaumont has partnered with health care systems around the world to bring the information to nearly 60 countries. She often has to explain that talking about breast health is not the same as sex education, or that high school girls are not too young for the information.

“Breasts are not sexual organs. Breasts reproduce nothing but we have linked those two things so concretely that people don’t think breast health is different from sexual health,” she said.

She’s heard numerous stories from women who saw the lemon images and recognized their own breast cancer symptoms. Young women, especially, have a hard time convincing their doctors to screen for cancer, thinking they’re not old enough for breast cancer. The image empowers women to be their own advocates and not back down.

The Know Your Lemons app is a breast health and period tracker but unlike other period tracking apps, this one doesn’t collect data. The app was funded by donations and grants and was named the best women’s health app in the world from The Webby Awards. For more information, visit KnowYourLemons.org.

The foundation is also raising money to fund a $300,000 mammogram machine in the Bahamas by raffling a trip to the Bahamas. Visit the website for more information.

“It’s humbling to know I can help some-

one change their story,” said Ellsworth-Beaumont. “I don’t think it sinks most of the time, but once in a while I get a moment where I pause and reflect on what’s happening and

that keeps me going. So many women have reached out saying the poster or the app helped them recognize the symptoms.”l

This life-saving image, created by Utah resident and Know Your Lemons founder/CEO Corrine Ellsworth-Beaumont, has educated women around the world and saved countless lives from breast cancer (Photo courtesy of Know Your Lemons)

Arts Council event brings sweethearts and friends together for a paint night

The Cottonwood Heights Arts Council hosted Sweetheart Paint Night on the last Friday in February at city hall. Abstract expressionist artist Whitney Horrocks guided the crowd with a light tutorial and helpful tips on painting with acrylics.

Ciara Powers, vice chair of the Arts Council said, “Whitney Horrocks is really good at teaching technique.”

Horrocks earned her bachelor’s in art with an emphasis in drawing and painting from the University of Utah. She was the featured artist this past January at the Cottonwood Heights City Hall and currently resides in Salt Lake City. Horrocks owns and teaches art at The Smartest Artist, an art education studio located in Cottonwood Heights.

The medium was acrylic and a scenic mountain image was on display for the entire group to paint. Horrocks could be heard over the speakers inspiring the artists to express their creative talents onto the canvas through the paint brush.

Powers said that everyone was painting the same image yet “a lot of the paintings look very unique because everyone paints the same image differently.”

The Arts Council chair Laura Garcia said, “If you were a couple attending then

By Jolene Croasmun | j.croasmun@mycityjournals.com

you could paint your image and have them like a diptych.” A diptych is where two panels together create a singular art piece. “The final paintings could be hung next to each other, where the mountains would appear to go together.”

Reina Forsythe and Rich Clark were a couple out for the night. “This is the first time to do one of these events. We haven’t been out without the kids in a very long time,” Forsythe said.

When asked how the evening was going Forsythe said, “It is very fun and is something different for a date night.”

“I am the one that went rogue with my painting. The one that goes off script. My mountains turned into who knows what?” Clark said, describing his painting as “very abstract.”

The couple, both smiling, said they’d do one of these events again.

Brooke Eatchel enjoyed painting with her friend Lindsay. “I have never been to a painting night before but it is so very fun to experience new things,” Eatchel said.

Eatchel had no formal art lessons and said she “taught herself.” She added, “I would do this again, and it's really exciting.” Regarding the instructor, she said, “I would recommend taking art classes from

cider in plastic champagne glasses.

Cultural Manager Ann Eatchel said, “We had 60 people sign up and we sold out but we did have a few no shows.”

This is the second paint night that the Arts Council has hosted and both were successful. The Arts Council is looking to add additional members. “There are six people on the Arts Council of Cottonwood Heights and we’re still recruiting,” Eatchel said.

Residents interested in getting involved with the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council can apply at www.cottonwoodheights.utah. gov/community/arts/arts-council. l

Arts Council Vice Chair Ciara Powers with Chair Laura Garcia hosting the Paint Night at Cottonwood Heights City Hall. (Jolene Croasmun/City

Couples came out to paint for Sweetheart Paint Night at Cottonwood Heights City Hall at the end of February. (Jolene Croasmun/City Journals)

Intermountain Health performed a record-breaking number of organ transplants in 2022

Kristine Fogarty didn’t even hesitate. When she learned her friend and coworker Carrie Riggs needed a life-saving liver transplant, Fogarty went online to register as a living organ donor. No one in Riggs’ family could donate, but Fogarty’s bloodwork came back as a potential match.

“I told her, if you need someone to match you, I’ll do this because it’s important and it will save your life,” she said.

Fogarty was one of only 13 living liver donation transplants performed at Intermountain Health during 2022, a year when the facility performed a record-breaking 300 adult transplants, thanks to the generosity of organ donors, their families and a team of transplant caregivers.

The Intermountain Transplant Program performed a total of 104 liver, 159 kidney, 29 heart, and eight kidney/pancreas adult transplants last year, the fourth consecutive record-breaking year for the program.

“Living donors are incredible people,” said Diane Alonso, MD, transplant surgeon and former medical director of Intermountain Health’s abdominal transplant program. “They are often undergoing major surgery to give new life to their aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, neighbors—and sometimes to someone they don’t even know. They truly are giving the gift of life and we do our best to be great stewards of that gift.”

The uptick in transplants is due to generous donors, an increase in donor organ availability and advancements in technology and medicine. Liver transplants at Intermountain Health exceed the national average because they are able to match a wider range of donor organs to recipients.

Live transplantation saw the largest increase, with 32 living kidney transplants and 13 living liver transplants.

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

“Intermountain has created the environment and provided us the necessary tools and medical team to be successful,” said Jean Botha, MD, transplant surgeon and medical director of Intermountain Health’s abdominal transplant program. “I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to be working side-by-side with these caregivers who are changing lives in our communities.”

Within a couple of months, Fogarty passed all the screening tests and was approved to be a living liver donor for Riggs. The transplant was performed in October 2022 and both women are doing well. Riggs said she doesn’t know how to adequately thank Fogarty for saving her life.

“I thought I had to wait for someone to die and that scared me,” Riggs said. “Kristine was my lifeline. She saved my life. We are now closer than ever.”

The success of Intermountain’s transplant program, which serves patients throughout the nation, is the result of caregiver teams across the Intermountain system and community partners working together. The addition of an Intermountain Life Flight long-range medical jet in 2022 enhances organ transplantation by retrieving donor organs from across the United States.

Intermountain also launched a new platform called iReferral with InVita Healthcare Technologies and DonorConnect, the organ procurement agency for the Intermountain West. iReferral streamlines the organ donor referral process and automates the identification of potential donors.

To learn more about organ donation or register to become an organ donor, go to intermountainhealthcare.org/donatelife.

Fogarty said although her experience was scary, she’d do it again if she could. She challenges others to look into becoming a living donor to give another person the opportunity to live.

“Do it. Save a life. Get this feeling of purpose in life that you helped be part of a miracle. There are so many people out there waiting,” she said. “Living donors are very rare. There were only 13 living donors for livers last year. There’s more people dying than 13. That’s why that number needs to change.”

Kristine Fogarty (left) donated a portion of her liver to her friend and coworker Carrie Riggs as part of Intermountain Health’s living organ donation program. Intermountain Health performed a record-breaking 300 adult transplants in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Kristine Fogarty)

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Holladay opts to slow play new surveillance technology

TheHolladay City Council decided to pump the breaks on the implementation of new surveillance technology known as Flock camera systems, the latest trend in law enforcement used to track motor vehicles.

The cameras create detailed “vehicle fingerprints” which can be referenced against a wider surveillance network when searching for “hot listed” cars, according to UPD Precinct Chief Justin Hoyal, who asked the council to consider adopting the new technology in March.

Holladay representatives, however, opted to slow play the decision, following the lead of Councilmember Paul Fotheringham, District 3, who expressed strong reservations and dug in to demand that practical and ethical questions be answered before the body green lights surveillance.

“I have basic concerns about expanding this perpetual surveillance as a policy matter. It may be a great tool for criminal investigation, but it comes at a cost,” Fotheringham said.

Fotheringham’s hesitancy echoes concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argues that Flock represents a dangerous creep toward the “creation of a centralized mass surveillance system of Orwellian scope,” according to Jay Stanley, who authored 2022 research intensive white paper on the topic.

Because Flock captured information is fed to a centralized databased controlled by the private company, the ACLU argues, the potential for abuse is significant—a possibility that is complicated further by the growing use of Flock systems by private enterprises like homeowner association and other neighborhood groups.

Communities can put “virtual gates” around their neighborhoods, while officers can track cars—and by extension, people— outside their own jurisdictions, which has troubling implications for privacy, according to Jay Stanley.

Councilmember Fotheringham offered hypothetical scenarios to jog the discussion in Holladay.

“Despite the fact that it could be a great crime solving tool, it could also be abused to track stuff like, ‘Where was my girlfriend and was she going someplace I don’t want her to go,’” he said.

“I have confidence that UPD at our precinct would use this tool with discipline, but it’s also the sort of tool that can be abused.”

Holladay residents have tested the waters with public-private surveillance since 2021 with UPD’s inauguration of the “Safe Cam” program, which enabled households and businesses to register private surveillance cameras with a UPD data base and provide footage on a voluntary basis—a program most residents found agreeable.

By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com

However, Flock represents a larger— and more centralized—system, which raises concerns for privacy advocates, like Paul Fotheringham, whose public comments in March addressed common themes in technology enhanced enforcement.

“I have concerns about how the decisions will be made about where to place it. For instance, if you put it near the Highland Circle communities because it’s sort of low income and there’s a presumption of likely shenanigans there, we could be criticized for that,” Fotheringham said.

“On the other hand, what if you place them into the Walker Lane district. Does that mean the taxpayers are all paying for this sort of additional security apparatus for the rich community? There’s all kinds of questions that deserve longer discussion.”

Chief Justin Hoyal said he had in mind eight cameras to be implemented at four strategic locations in the city that were not mentioned by name.

In addition to concerns about the centralization and private administration of camera information, there are questions about scale.

Flock’s goal is to expand to “every city in the United States,” according to Flock

CEO Garrett Langley.

That worries privacy advocates—like the ACLU, who says “if the company is able to spread as widely and densely as it hopes, law enforcement will gain the ability to know the detailed movements of virtually any vehicle for as far into the past as that data is held. That would create enormous risks of privacy violations and other abuses and would have significant legal implications as well.”

Councilmember Dan Gibbons, a former judge, asked about legal implications that could impact the City of Holladay.

“I wonder if the data is kept and if it’s subject to a GRAMA request? Or could it be subpoenaed in a civil case?” Gibbons said. “I’m not sure where I fall on it, but I think it’s definitely worth looking into” getting Flock cameras.

The company reports that it only keeps data for 30 days, but there are no laws that require them to honor that policy; nor are there regulations on how they may monetize that data for other purposes, according to Jay Stanley of the ACLU.

Hoyal, while not able to answer all of the council’s questions, is a proponent of the technology and says it makes the work

of law enforcement easier, particularly as it applies to stolen vehicles.

“We’ve had several success stories in our precincts. Midvale is recovering occupied stolen cars almost daily,” referring to Holladay’s sister city that’s adopted the technology.

Mayor Robert Dahle said similar questions were asked with the introduction of police officer body cams, and similar to the way that a system of best practices and policy was ironed out for body cams he believes it will be with Flock cameras as well.

“It sounds like we need to be more educated on this and have some of these broader discussions before we commit to actually put them into the city. Not only where they’re going to go, but just debate the other issues,” Dahle said.

Paul Fotheringham, whose impassioned position sets a high standard of rigor for the city’s future discussions, implored the council to keep a big picture in mind.

“Granted, solving stolen car cases is important, but I think we need to consider the larger societal costs…before we rush head long,” Fotheringham said. l

The Holladay City Council decided to pump the breaks on the implementation of new surveillance technology known as Flock camera systems, the latest trend in law enforcement used to track motor vehicles. (City Journals)

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Pearls With Purpose breaks generational poverty in developing countries

When Wendy Bird’s husband suggested she make jewelry to sell at farmers markets, she had no idea it would turn into a global foundation that provides training, mentorship and income for hundreds of women.

Back in 2001, Bird was a stay-at-home mom with five children, looking for a project that would help rediscover her identity which had gotten lost in all the laundry and daily chores. Jewelry making seemed the perfect fit. As a certified gemologist, Bird loves pearls for the way they mimic humanity.

“I love that they’re formed because of an irritant within the lining tissue of the oyster,” she said. “The oyster can’t spew it out, it can’t do anything but secrete a soothing nacre. It can only hug the irritant and that transforms it into this lustrous gemstone. To me, that’s a perfect example of what humanity needs.”

The Riverton resident sent out a request looking to import quality pearls for jewelry making and got a response from a woman in the Philippines. The woman said if Bird imported jewelry pieces, instead of loose pearls, she would change lives.

Bird jumped on the idea and created information to make necklaces, earrings and bracelets. She emailed the docs to the Philippines and a group of women began making jewelry. Bird would import it back to the States and sell it, giving the women 64% of the profits.

Pearls With Purpose had begun. The social impact organization provides microenterprise training for women in poverty, or women rescued from sex trafficking or abuse, in the Philippines, Kenya, Peru, Dominican Republic, India and Cambodia.

For four years, everything was done through long-distance correspondence; she had never traveled internationally. But then a representative from another nonprofit invited Bird overseas to meet the women working with her.

“I landed and saw for the first time ever, these humble circumstances that the individuals live in and the struggle it was to get to the internet cafe and the cost associated with being able to print out the documents,” she said. “Everything was 10 times worse than what they’d conveyed because I put this American spin on it.”

The obstacles her jewelry makers faced hadn’t registered, even though she had trained more than 70 women at that point. Invited to stay in the home of one of the women, she was shocked at the level of poverty.

“In my head I thought I’m going to stay in a bedroom with my own toilet. No. They showed me this piece of plywood they put on the dirt floor they’d covered with a sheet that had been shipped over in a shipment that I had sent, and it happened to be one of my kid’s sheets,” Bird said. “There was no electricity. I was told to shower under this tree, and it’s mostly private. I realized these people needed more from me than I had been giving.”

That trip changed her mindset. She applied for 501(c) (3) status and started doing in-person trainings to adapt her program to their needs. She trained women in an abandoned school, she helped women living in the jungle and in villages ruled by a king. She adapted to cultural differences and language barriers and learned each woman dealt with their own difficulties.

In a leper colony in India, Bird trained 183 women on a dirt floor in a community center. As untouchables, the women couldn’t sit on chairs because their low caste status meant they couldn't sit higher than anyone else in the village. After months, Bird got permission for the women to sit on mats.

“We’re dealing with individuals who for their entire life

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

had been told you will never go to school, you will never be counted as human, you will never have a job. You will just sit on the sidelines of life and watch it unfold,” she said. “If you’re a woman and you’ve been told a very specific stigma your entire life and all of a sudden you hear that it could be different from what you’ve always known, wouldn’t you show up?”

An orphanage in Cambodia reached out to Bird, asking her to bring Pearls With Purpose to their location, training teens from 15-17 in jewelry making so they would have a skill when they left the orphanage at age 18. Often, those 18-yearolds turned to sex work or drugs, but with a skill to fall back on, they could create a different life.

“A year after that training, we got the first email that [a young man] was going to a university in Australia and because of this program he has the $5,500 to attend this university,” Bird said. “So all of a sudden you can see that it’s working.”

In the Dominican Republic and Kenya, Bird worked with children rescued from sex trafficking through Operation Underground Railroad. She taught them to polish, design and wire-wrap gemstones to allow them to create an income.

Along with jewelry tools, Pearls With Purpose also purchases sewing machines, computers and other items women can use to better their lives. Bird teaches them to meet with wholesalers and negotiate prices.

Right before COVID hit, Bird met with some women in the Philippines. They were talking with her but she couldn’t remember their names. She asked what training session they’d completed.

“One of them said, ‘You didn’t train me. You trained my mom. Because of you, I went to college. My mom put me in school. She had enough money.’ Another said, ‘Hi, I’m Janet’s daughter and this is my baby and I married a good man because I went to this university because you trained my mom.’

“It was this generational break in poverty,” Bird said. “I just started bawling. It was so unexpected. You sit there and listen to these younger adults and you know because you landed on that plane in 2005, they were the ones running around barefoot in their little tank tops and shorts…and here they are dressed so properly you don’t even recognize them and they’re saying, you trained my mom and my life is different now.”

Pearls With Purpose endured through COVID on fumes and held a fundraiser in February to rebuild its accounts. The community can help by purchasing jewelry and books at Pearlswithpurpose.org, donating cash or frequent flier miles, and by spreading awareness on Facebook and Instagram.

Bird’s husband, David, is her biggest cheerleader. As travel opens back up in developing countries, he wants her to get back to doing what she does best: teaching women to build self-reliance and self-worth.

“For years, she has given keynote speeches and had the opportunity to sell the jewelry that these women make,” he said. “My wife is amazing and has dedicated her life to helping hundreds of women in several different developing countries.” l

Riverton resident Wendy Bird (left) created the Pearls With Purpose Foundation to provide jewelry-making training for women in developing countries. The women can create an income while building self-reliance. (Photo courtesy of Pearls With Purpose)

Through Pearls With Purpose, women in developing countries gain self-reliance, self-worth and an income that provides opportunities, education and growth. (Photo courtesy of Pearls With Purpose)

First, robots came for assembly line workers. Then they came for agricultural and warehouse jobs. Then a cyborg assassin time-traveled from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor. What will artificial intelligence target next?

If you ask our publisher, journalism is on the robotic chopping block. He recently sat down with our editorial team and told us we’d better get our act together or AI will certainly replace us within five years.

It’s the plot of every sci-fi movie. “Let’s merge robotic efficiency and human connection to create a utopian workplace.” But then, the robots download a virus and turn into killing machines. It doesn’t end well for humanity.

But let’s back up a bit. When encyclopedias were created in the 1700s, people were astonished to have so much information at their fingertips. What’s an encyclopedia you ask? Thanks for asking, young whippersnapper.

Encyclopedias are books bound in fake leather that weigh the equivalent of a baby hippo. They were like printed versions of Wikipedia that became outdated as soon as they were purchased. They were used for footstools and sometimes for murder weapons.

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Rage Against the Machine

came chatbots, or virtual assistants, like Siri, who learned to answer our stupid questions with a bit of sass.

Now, journalists are encouraged to use AI to produce copy. ChatGPT launched in November and millions of people have tried it out, creating everything from poetry to fake news. It’s like a Google search on steroids.

In fact, it’s so good at creating fake news, that the CNET media website published stories for months before the articles were discovered to be riddled with errors, misinformation and plagiarized material. Oops.

Following my publisher’s orders, I typed a few questions into ChatGPT and immediately ran into a virtual brick wall.

“How many people are living on Earth?” I asked. ChatGPT replied 7.9 billion but added its data ended in September 2021. I guess anyone born after that date doesn’t count.

by emotionless robots like Tucker Carlson?

Sometimes, the “journalism” churned out by AI is racist, offensive and inappropriate because, and here’s the issue, humans create code for these bots. Fallible, stupid humans who unintentionally create programming that mimics their own limiting beliefs.

In These Times writer Hamilton Nolan said, “Journalism is the product of a human mind. If something did not come from a human mind, it is not journalism.”

He said journalism requires accountability. The writer should be able to explain the origins and sources of any story. Can AI do that? Will robots request interviews from other robots? When questioned, will AI fall to pieces like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey after being given contradictory orders: lie to the crew but be completely truthful. Pretty much like anything on Twitter.

They were also used for rampant plagiarism. Teachers often received essays copied straight from Encyclopedia Britannica.

As technology advanced, plagiarism got easier with the ability to copy-andpaste from any website; more efficient and much harder to detect. Then along

I asked it to tell me a joke. ChatGPT explained it didn’t have a sense of humor or emotions and didn’t understand jokes. So it could be a Utah legislator.

So, will AI adapt to create personality, voice, humor and journalistic ethics or will future generations get used to reading pedantic and pretentious articles written

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