South Salt Lake Journal | October 2022

By Jesse M. Gonzalez | j.gonzalez@mycityjournals.com

Libraries have always played a role in benefitting commu nities with resources, knowledge and personal develop ment. Residents are able to use the quiet space to indulge in reading and to browse for and borrow books, movies, maga zines and CDs. A library’s place in society is truly invaluable and a recent event in South Salt Lake proved this even more so.

On Aug. 19, staff at the Granite Library, 3331 S. 500 East, distributed over 400 pairs of shoes, as well as books, for children from low-income families.

The Salt Lake County library had partnered with Oper ation Warm, a nonprofit organization, to make the donations happen. In return, they were met with hundreds of families thankful for the opportunity.

In South Salt Lake, roughly one in 10 children are from families who fall just below the poverty line, and something as common yet necessary as a pair of shoes can go a long way for a child.

“There’s a chance for them to come in and get a free pair of shoes to help out with school starting, and then they can also come and pick up a book as well. Since we’re a library we always love to connect them to other resources that they may not know about, get them a library card if they need one,” said Sara Neal, the marketing and communications manager at Salt Lake City County Library.

It was the first time Operation Warm has had an event at the Granite branch though five others have transpired over The Granite Library staff helps a family pick out new shoes for the children. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

An investment in arts programs brings recognition to SSL

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

South Salt Lake’s investment in the arts is bringing attention to the community through projects like Mural Fest, utility box art and Craftoberfest, which marks its fourth anniversary Saturday, Oct. 8.

The event celebrates the area’s creative vibe with an afternoon full of live music, food trucks, art booths, a Barrel & Keg art auction and craft beers and cocktails from SSL businesses.

“We started Craftoberfest because we’ve had a lot of breweries and distilleries that have moved into this neighborhood so we thought why don’t we do something like an Oktoberfest,” said Lesly Allen, SSL Arts Council executive arts director. “Anybody that’s doing anything cool is part of this. It’s not just a beer festival but an event to cele brate all of our creative businesses.”

The event will be held from 1-6 p.m. on Oakland Ave. (2460 South) between Main

Street and West Temple.

As the city continues to grow its art community, the SSL Arts Council wants to bring creative opportunities to more resi dents. For seven years, the council has pro vided art classes for older adults, bringing in artists to teach different mediums every month. From oil painting to mosaic tile to watercolors, older adults enjoyed classes un til COVID shuttered the senior centers.

“We stopped holding in-person classes and started doing take-home packets so se niors had an art project to do at home,” Allen said. “The evening classes switched to an online platform and we even did a few class es outdoors in the park.”

In-person art classes are now back and the program has expanded to include all adults. The Creative Arts for Life program was established with additional funding the council received to bring classes to more SSL

residents, and they partner with organizations like Bad Dog Arts to help run the program.

Located at the Community Opportunity Center (2530 S. 500 East), the Creative Arts for Life classes bring exposure to alternative types of visual arts like fiber, tile and chalk. Each course description is posted online at sslarts.org/classes and with a limit of 25 at tendees, the class usually fills up. Art classes are free to SSL residents and $40 for non residents.

September’s classes included the Japa nese marbling process called Suminagashi, creating Guatemalan worry dolls and Eu ropean paper quilling. By learning art tech niques from different countries, Allen hopes participants learn to create connections with diverse cultures.

“Our mission is we want to unite our community through art,” Allen said. “It’s mainly about providing our residents with

opportunities to engage in the arts, whether they’re creating art for themselves or wit nessing art being created.”

Along with rejuvenating neighbor hoods, Allen said an investment in the arts creates pride in the area, brings a feeling of community to residents and allows opportu nities for healthy social engagement for peo ple of all ages.

“Social engagement is a huge part of the arts program,” she said. “It gives them the experience of creating art as they age and they can enjoy the benefits that contribute to mental health.” l

SOUTH SALT LAKE TEAM

The South Salt Lake City Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout South Salr Lake.

For information about distribution please email brad.c@thecityjournals.com or call our offices.

Rack locations are also available on our website.

The views and opinions expressed in display ad vertisements do not necessarily reflect or repre sent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.

© 2019 Loyal Perch Media, Inc.

Bryan Scott | bryan.s@thecityjournals.com

EDITOR

Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Ryan Casper | ryan.c@thecityjournals.com 801-254-5974

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Mieka Sawatzki | mieka.s@thecityjournals.com

Jason Corbridge | jason.c@thecityjournals.com

CIRCULATION COORDINATOR

Brad Casper | brad.c@thecityjournals.com 801-254-5974

Rack locations are also available on our website.

EDITORIAL & AD DESIGN

Ty Gorton

Amanda Luker

Stacy Bronson Anna Pro

SOUTH JORDAN CITY JOURNAL 9500 South 500 West, Suite 205 Sandy, UT 84070

PHONE: 801-254-5974

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to inform and entertain our community while promoting a strong local economy via relevant content presented across a synergetic network of print and digital media.

PUBLISHER

Designed, Published, & Distributed by

Adults in South Salt Lake participate in the city’s Creative Arts for Life program by learning different art techniques, practicing with a variety of art mediums. (Courtesy of Bad Dog Arts)

Shades Art Market brings out the unique side of the community

By Jesse M. Gonzalez | j.gonzalez@mycityjournals.com

South Salt Lake’s local art community continues to stay vibrant with the help of Shades Brewing, 154 W. Utopia Ave. On Sept. 11, multiple artists took to the backyard of Shades to showcase and sell their creations at Shades Art Market.

The market started small with only a few people trickling in but traffic eventually picked up.

“Shades is a popular place, and the brew ing community is pretty tight-knit, so getting my art in that community is important, and getting my name into one brewery could get my name into other breweries. The communi ty could be very helpful for me,” said Steph anie Harper, a local artist who makes her pieces from recycled aluminum cans creating mosaics of U.S. state maps, landscapes and silhouettes of famous people, all with the use of aluminum cans on canvas.

“It’s something to put my energy into, something that I can show. It’s more internal for me; I’m not trying to state something. It’s something I enjoy doing. I’m trying to do something a bit different. I would like to not work in corporate America and do something that’s more creative and not so ‘desk job,’” said Harper, whose day job consists of moni toring credit card activity for corporate busi nesses.

“It’s been good, but it doesn’t fill your soul,” Harper said. “I started doing art may be 10 years ago or so. It wasn’t something I did when I was younger; I just started doing it later in life—and really started doing it after I got divorced, and I was like, ‘What do I like to do?’ I kind of had to reinvent myself. I tried some new things and here I am.”

Harper set out to mold herself into what she wanted to become, and did, with a little help from colleagues who would drop alumi num cans into a box in her work office so that she could hone her skills in making aluminum mosaics.

One of the first booths visitors saw at the art market was that of artist Lilly Beaman and her pieces, ranging from abstract paintings to psychedelic, acrylic wood art.

“People get to come, get a beer and walk around and see stuff and I think that kind of interaction is valuable,” Beaman said. “Since Covid, people have had less to do, and so since a lot of art shows are outside venues, it’s easier for people to be able to do those, and it’s safer. Also, I think Covid elevated the amount of art shows, and markets in general, because it’s something for people to do when things were still closed down. I started doing art shows during Covid.”

Beaman has always been an artist, as she started drawing at an early age. She took up painting during her first year of college in 2017, falling in love with the art form and continuing to hone her skills as a versatile and eclectic artist.

“I have a very weird brain, and it’s a very

good outlet to let those weird things come out onto a canvas. I always say that creativity is my strong suit. I love doing art,” Beaman said. “It takes your mind off everything and you get to live your passion when doing it.”

Beaman said she appreciates the free dom art brings to her life.

“No one can tell me what I’m allowed to put on that paper. When writing a research paper, you have to make it very specific, and I like doing that stuff too, but this is a way to al low your brain to show you and other people what’s stuck up inside there, so putting weird stuff on a paper is freeing,” she said. “I just do it for me.”

Outside of the art world, Beaman has an other passion: working with therapy animals. She has an animal science degree and would eventually like to own a service animal busi ness that could help people struggling with disabilities.

“I would love to be my own boss, wheth er that’s through my degree and I get to own my own service animal business or if it’s through art. Either way, if I can be my own boss that would be fantastic,” Beaman said.

After participating in over a dozen art shows, Beaman still loves the presence of them. “It’s fun to meet people, and I’m a very sociable person,” Beaman said. “I have a good time!” l

Lilly Beaman expresses a positive mood behind her art pieces. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

The early hours of Shades Art Market behind Shades Brewing. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

Stephanie Harper greets oncoming guests at Shades Art Market, introducing her recycled aluminum mosaics. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

Cottonwood music students tour Southern Utah for this year’s motivation

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

It wasn’t a music tour jammed packed with performances and competitions.

Last spring, Cottonwood High’s choir and instrumentalists packed their bags for Southern Utah, leaving their instruments be hind.

“We did clinics with professors at three colleges which was a very unusual tour for us,” instrumental teacher Amber Tuckness said. “We did not perform anywhere. We just were doing clinics because it was in May, at the end of the school year.”

The four-day tour, partially financed by GearUp, allowed students to learn about per forming arts departments at Utah colleges. In addition to attending a jazz, instrumental and choral workshops, the 90 students got to see “Mary Poppins” at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins as well as explore the red rocks of Southern Utah in several state and national parks.

“We had decided not to go to Califor nia for tour because of COVID; they hadn’t really decided the protocol,” Tuckness said. “These workshops were really good. Every director was so different, and they learned about working together as an ensemble, lis tening and knowing your part and role in the ensemble and creating music together. There were broad topics because, we weren't going to be playing that music again, but it will definitely move over to this year.”

Choir director Cecil Sullivan said that one of the directors focused on articulation; another focused on vocal technique and an other on the emotion.

“It was all very different from each di rector,” he said. “It was fascinating.”

Sullivan said that the directors all lis tened to them and focused on what they thought the groups needed.

Students also had a sound lesson at Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks where Tuckness played an alpenhorn.

Sullivan said it was “fascinating because it echoed really well in Zion because it’s a

harder sandstone and it didn't echo at all in Bryce because it’s a softer, younger sand stone.

They even learned from seeing perform ing art professionals at the dress rehearsal of “Mary Poppins.”

“It was a performance with profession als and a live orchestra, and they had actu ally canceled the night before because of some technical issues,” Tuckness said. “So, the night we went they stopped the show and fixed some things because it is a very tech nical show. It was really good for the kids to see that even professionals have problems and struggles and need to fix things.”

She said the concepts they learned from the tour are being applied this year.

“The lessons that were learned are real ly important and our students who were on the tour are being good leaders and show ing good musicianship through what they learned. Quite a few of them carried what they learned from the clinics into this sum mer with Granite Youth Symphony perfor mances,” Tuckness said.

The directors hope it will help with school performances. The choir’s fall con cert is set for Oct. 25 while the band will per form their annual Halloween concert with the theme of “Villains” on Oct. 27. Tickets are available online.

Weeks later, the concert choir will com bine with other school choirs in Granite School District to perform a free Veterans’ Day concert Nov. 11 at the Salt Lake Taber nacle. December concerts also are planned.

In February, after the school musical “The Little Mermaid” that many students will participate in, the music students will go on a tour that will combine both a workshop at a southern Utah college as well as partic ipate in a recording clinic in Disneyland be fore ending the school year with their spring concerts. l

Sarah comes from a fam spent the last 15+ years w g and community leader. She knows that Utah teachers deserve better than what they're getting. Sarah will work for better pay, smaller classes, and sanity on the school board.

TRUST OUR TEACHERS INNOVATE & COLLABORATE FOCUS ON LEARNING

ELECT AN EDUCATOR

VOTE SARAH REALE ON NOV. 8 FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR SCHOOLS!

VOTEREALE.COM

Cottonwood High instrumental teacher Amber Tuckness played an alpenhorn at both Bryce Can yon and Zion national parks so students could measure the difference in sound. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood High music department)

New volleyball coach Hatch could change the program forever

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Under a third coach in three years, the kids who comprise the Cottonwood High volleyball team will again start from square one. Yeah, yeah; the Cottonwood ath letic director has heard this all before.

But, when your new head coach is well known in the sport and knows how to win, life will eventually get easier, according to Cottonwood Athletic Director Greg South wick, the person who hired Michaela Hatch as the Colts new head coach.

“Our numbers are up from last year but this team is awfully inexperienced,” South wick said back in August. “But our hope and thought is that she’ll do a great job here, for years to come.”

Southwick basically said the same thing last year; he knows this. If you’re counting at home, that’s eight—EIGHT—Colts head volleyball coaches in 10 years. The last coach left to “focus more on her family,” which is the exact same thing the last four coaches at Cottonwood did.

But, the new coach Hatch was pret ty good in high school as Michaela Shuler, leading her team all the way to the state championship game, where they lost. Then she starred at Boston University.

After moving to Utah a few years ago after having had distinguished collegiate and pro careers on the USA Volleyball Open Nationals circuit and, after having estab lished a career as a scientist in pharmaceu tical development where she paid her entire way through school, Hatch started coaching club ball at Radiate in Holladay—to mid dle-schoolers.

“When you have a good club that’s a feeder…that is creating a pipeline between there and your high school it makes every thing a little easier in the long run,” added Southwick who is also the school’s golf coach.

Southwick heard what he needed: Hatch got the position, ran a few summer practic es but then came the bad news: several of last year’s starters, who would have been seniors, decided to play on the Colts soccer team.

A difficult predicament

“Nothing against the soccer team and what they’re trying to accomplish,” South wick said back in August, but that “really put (Hatch) in a difficult predicament.”

Southwick felt that though he’d not spo ken to these girls it was his estimation they were worn out. “They’ve had three coaches up to their senior year,” he said and added the kids’ decisions were “nothing reflective on the new coach.” And, they’d played some youth soccer.

Living in a fast-paced world, where things come instantly, sometimes kids don’t respond as well (at first) to the kind of coach ing Hatch provides. “She’s kind of an oldschool coach and is demanding,” said South

wick, who knew a change needed to be made when he made the hire, and is pleased with the surge of kids in the volleyball program. “I mean, we have 32 kids in four teams— we haven’t had that here at Cottonwood in a very long time.”

Hatch must know what she’s doing as well to bring in so many kids in such a short time frame. While at Radiate she accepted a position as a coach at Utah AAU and then at Olympus High as an assistant coach. And now, she’s at Cottonwood. And though it’s been kind of rough at first with all of the defections to the soccer team, Southwick will play, to borrow a golfing term, the long game.

“We know we’ve got a brand new var sity team with little to no experience,” said Southwick Sept. 21. “But we do know how to build a program in other sports.” South wick mentioned swimming as one that worked really well under a similar model.

“As far as volleyball is concerned, from where they started to where they’re end ing…” Southwick trailed off for a moment, then refocused his thoughts. “It’s night and day. We’re already having success on the freshmen and sophomore teams—in just a few games.”

Fast facts

In part to as many as five defections to the soccer team, the coach Hatch only re turned three seniors (Mia Peterson, Amelia Vainuku, Kasanita Pututau) to this Cotton wood volleyball squad. Her other returning varsity players would all be underclassmen, added Southwick.

“So they’ve gotten off to a bit of a rough start,” said the career coach and educator back in August, “but I think they’ll be OK.”

Sometimes when that happens and life hands you some lemons, you still have to make lemonade out of it. That’s what Hatch is doing for a Colts team who is actually suiting up three freshmen, two sophomores and four juniors—along with the aforemen tioned seniors. They have 12 total players on the varsity roster—compared to 18 last year.

Suffice it to say that as of Sept. 21 Cot tonwood (0-6) have not won a game—nor a set this year. That’s not to say the Colts hav en’t come close; at East they lost the first set, 24-26 before falling in straight sets.

As a team, however, the Colts’ set point production hardly drops from the first set to the third (12, 11.5, 10.5), so as Southwick in dicated, the team is indeed battling hard not just for themselves—but for their new head coach with nine games left to play.

A junior, a freshman and another junior lead the Colts in digs per set (Zoey Wonna cott, Saris Lopez, Haley Ngu)—while the senior captain Erickson leads the team in blocks.

Oh, almost forgot—that freshman Lo pez leads the Colts in aces with 0.7. If she

works hard enough she’ll average one per set. Ask yourself the last time a freshman led a varsity team in aces. It’s never happened in the history of Cottonwood High School volleyball.

Ask yourself why this new head coach and her team only ranks five spots lower than last year’s in the entire state and, actually ranks one spot higher in Class 5A through just six games played.

Let’s kill this section filled with facts with one about kills: Claire Curtis, who is a sophomore, is tied for the team lead with a senior with two. With a senior.

Final recruiting pitch

Ask yourself why you wouldn’t help but root for this Cottonwood team and a coach whose “coaching style focuses on empowering athletes to find their motivation and simplifying the game to strong technical habits.”

That quote, by the way, comes from Hatch’s club volleyball coach’s bio, but not from her. That was written by those who know her, and have watched her do her mag ic on both the Utah AAU level and the club level at Radiate.

It’s as simple as Hatch telling complete strangers on a Utah Facebook volleyball group seven months ago “feedback is avail able—if you want it,” then having nine peo ple who know her in the comments below telling you she can indeed coach even if she can come off “abrasive at times.”

Know this: it will be business as usual

when the Colts do win that first game and, when they make it two or three or maybe even more. It’s because they worked hard enough. It may not come this year, admitted Southwick. But it will come sooner rather than later, he believes.

The others who left the team will know they should’ve listened to someone who sin glehandedly wouldn’t have quit on her team, not even in the state championship game when she had nothing left to give but gave it her all anyhow, and probably…just a guess here…sacrificed some skin and blood for this sport.

But there’s no secret what happened here at Cottonwood; what is happening. Can you make your practices harder than games? Can you get your teammates to buy into what you’re trying to sell even when they don’t want to hear it? That hard work through dedication, and inspiration through perspiration will eventually turn those digs into sets and those blocks into kills.

You can see plain as day in the numbers that this young and brave Cottonwood team is putting up that they’re ready to change how people view this volleyball program not just now—but well into this decade and beyond. According to the Southwick, that’s because it’s now led by someone in Hatch who has an unbridled passion for scraping up her elbows and knees.

“They have a coach in place that loves volleyball,” he said. “And her goal is to get them to love it as much as she does.” l

New Cottonwood High School head coach Michaela Hatch. (Photo courtesy Radiate Volleyball)

Cottonwood theatre season to open with Broadway revue, melodrama this fall

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

This month, Cottonwood High students will step on their stage not to perform a fall musical, but rather to open their theatre season with a Broadway revue and melodrama.

The production, which will be at 7 p.m., Oct. 3-7, will begin with an old-fashioned melodrama that will be performed in the school’s black box theatre as Act I, followed by the Broadway re vue for Act II in the auditorium, 5715 S. 1300 East. Tickets, which are $8 and include both shows, are available at cwoodtheatre.com.

The melodrama, “You Can’t Stamp Out Love,” was selected for its concept.

“The oldest type of theater harkens back to those vaudeville days of classic heroes and classic villains, and love and mischief,” theatre director Adam Wilkins said. “What’s great about it is it just pushes up the level so our villains are extra villainous, our heroes are extra heroic. The love, it takes place in a hotel where there are so much fun quirky characters roaming around, and the set is going to be fun. It’s full of love and joy, and it’s just a good way to start the year.”

While he expects about 20 students to perform the melodra ma, the Broadway revue will attract more students.

“We’ll be able to cast a lot of our kids in these two shows, which is wonderful, as it will give more students opportunities to perform,” Wilkins said.

The melodrama will be directed by the improv team captains and seniors Trinity Medina and Conrad Carter.

“They really know what it takes to make comedy great come dy,” Wilkins said. “They’re able to work with people and are really good at getting the cast to become better. So, we’re really excited.”

The Broadway revue is called, “How to Make a Musical” and the storyline is about a group of friends deciding to write their own musical. It was created by drama coach Madison Howell.

“She incorporates a variety of singers that perform different songs from different genres that are threaded by a simple story. The songs just stand out in this show; there are some classical songs all the way up to modern musicals,” Wilkins said.

Show pieces come from “Sound of Music,” “Something Rot ten,” “Once,” West Side Story,” “A Chorus Line,” “Cats” and oth er musicals.

Following these shows, students will create a spooky expe rience for Halloween-goers with their annual Haunted Hallway from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 21. Scary or not-so-scary tours will be $5 or food donations for the school’s pantry.

In January, students will attend workshops at the Utah Theater Association’s conference at Utah Valley University.

At the same time, at least 65 student-actors plus the pit or chestra and tech crew will be in rehearsals for “The Little Mer maid,” which they will perform at 7 p.m., Feb. 1-4, 2023 in their auditorium. There also will be a noon matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $10.

“I’m loving getting shows based on literature. It's a lot deeper than people give it credit for. I’m always about stories being the heart of what I do. I love the story of the little mermaid, of some body who doesn't belong, of somebody who feels like she’s an outsider, who doesn't quite know where they belong, and then, that she’s willing to trade everything just to be a part of that world. I think that this is a telling story, which I love,” he said, admitting that he and Howell also are Disney fans. “And let's be honest, the music is amazing. The music itself is beautiful, fun, lively, diverse, has a wide range of different music styles. Yeah, it was an easy sell for me because I just love it so much.”

Wilkins expects the set to be memorable.

“I’m hoping to create is the two different worlds for the Little Mermaid, the sea and the land through the setting, lighting and perspective. I want to make them so different because I want to

show she is searching for something different and that’s got to be important. My ultimate goal is to truly create an immersive underthe-sea environment and use all the space,” he said.

Amber Tuckness, who directs the pit orchestra, is excited for the musical to be performed in February.

“We are getting a new sound system at our school and it should be working by then, so it will really help our performanc es,” she said.

Following the musical, the Colts will put on William Shake speare’s “King Lear” in March. Those dates are yet to be an nounced.

At the same time, they will be readying to perform their oneact play called “The Trench” at region and state competitions. The play, which was inspired by a true story, is about a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War I.

“It’s about a man’s story coming from despair to redemption, not only through acting, but through puppetry, lights and music. It’s incredible,” Wilkins said, adding that they will have a commu nity performance in the spring of their competition pieces as well.

The year will conclude with “The Drowsy Chaperone” in May.

“‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ is a perfect message for theater-go ers, for the many people who love musical theater, knowing the story, and understanding, it truly is what keeps him going. Our main character’s love of theater and art is his salvation. Art, the atre, music — it’s powerful knowing what art can do,” Wilkins said.

Intermixed in the shows will be performances from the 16-member improv team. The next show will be Nov. 18 and tick ets for the black box theater performances will be $5. l

Cottonwood High senior Quenton Schroader practices for the school’s upcom ing Broadway revue. (Amber Tuckness/Cottonwood High)

Cottonwood girls soccer records first two-win season since 2020

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Following a winless season last year had to have been hard for the Colts girls soc cer team.

But to their credit they kept at it and, over the month of August began a transfor mation.

Before long Cottonwood (2-11) was gelling. A season opening 9-1 blowout loss on their home field to Bonneville two weeks later became to a 3-0 setback to Tooele in their region opener Aug. 17.

The next game resulted in a 2-2 penal ty kick shootout loss to Payson in the Colts’ Region 7 first away game.

You could see, however, that the team was beginning to gel. Although the Colts had a lot asked of themselves in the next four re gion contests (0-8, 0-7, 0-5 and 0-5) against the top four teams in Region 7, all of the new players who had been playing other sports and had never tried soccer in high school be fore this season were beginning to figure out how to play with the other teammates who had been playing club soccer their entire lives.

Goalkeeper Kya Budge who had fo cused primarily on volleyball and basketball prior to this year, was improving.

Then on Sept. 12 at Tooele, the game the Colts had been working toward all sea

son actually came to fruition. Like all of the Colts games this season, the result didn’t come easy.

Cottonwood got on the scoreboard first through Kylie Nichols blast into the net, but Tooele answered right back. That sent the game into overtime and, the senior Nichols, who up to that point had never scored a sin gle goal for this Colts team, got her second.

The sideline went into pandemonium and, for the second time this year, the Colts soccer program did the unthinkable by win ning a game away from home in region play.

This was the first for the girls team, made all the more sweet by so many new players who were not only learning to love the game, they were learning how to love each other.

After the happiest bus ride home along

the shores of the Great Salt Lake and past the Kennecott Garfield Smelter Stack and two school days later, the team reassem bled back on the lawn of Cottonwood High between the softball diamond and baseball field, in the little nook of natural grass they call home.

Between the two goal posts they kicked off on Sept. 14 before a nice-sized crowd for a midweek home game and a throng of students anxious to see what all the hubbub was about.

They lost interest last year, but this year is different, it seems. The Colts girls were up for the big occasion but a tad nervous in the first half. Passes were a bit off, fouls aplenty. But after a talking-to at the halftime whistle to half of a team that had never played high school soccer and the other half that had, the Colts came out and dominated in a 2-0 win over Payson.

Junior Ciel Budge also scored her first goal as a Colts soccer player, marking the second time in as many games that a Cot tonwood girls soccer newcomer had scored. Freshman phenom Sophi Berets, who has definitely played soccer before this year and for a nationally ranked club team, added one as well to give her two on the season. And, Kya Budge even got her first shutout in goal.

With two Region 7 games left to play in the Colts’ 2022-23 season it’s unknown whether or not they’ll qualify automatical ly for the 5A state tournament or will need to play themselves into it. They currently sit in a tie for fifth with Payson at 2-8, and are one-half game ahead of Tooele who still has three league games remaining. We’ll have a complete season recap in next month’s South Salt Lake Journal.

In other soccer news, the Bingham High girls soccer team helped participate in the Central Park Community Center’s refugee soccer camp.

On Sept. 24, the team and coaches trav eled to South Salt Lake for a specific pur pose. They had been collecting gently used soccer equipment (cleats, shin guards, socks and select clothing) at Miners home games to hand out to area refugee youth at Central Park Community Center for a service proj ect.

From 10 a.m. to noon that Saturday the kids, ranging from ages 5 to 14, got a few donated items each and made friends. They were also able to kick the ball around with the Miners players and coaches and enjoyed a fun afternoon. For more on how you can help these kids, contact the Refugee Soccer program at: refugeesoccer.org. l

Re-Elect

Connie Burgess

Granite School District Board Precinct

Ensuring that your child’s education is the district’s #1 priority.

Paid for by Connie Burgess for Granite School Board

Nature’s Virus Killer

Copper can stop a virus before it starts

By Priscilla Schnarr www.copperzap.com

Scientists have discovered a natural way to kill germs fast.

Now thousands of people are using it against viruses and bacteria that cause illness.

Colds and many other illnesses start when viruses get in your nose and multiply. If you don’t stop them early, they spread and cause misery.

Hundreds of studies confirm copper kills viruses and bacteria almost instantly just by touch.

That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians used copper to purify water and heal wounds. They didn’t know about viruses and bacteria, but now we do.

“The antimicrobial activity of copper is well established.”

National Institutes of Health.

Scientists say copper’s high conductance disrupts the electrical balance in a microbe cell and destroys it in seconds.

CopperZap® and put it on the market.

Soon hundreds of people had tried it. 99% said copper worked if they used it right away at the first sign of bad germs, like a tickle in the nose or a scratchy throat.

Users Say:

“It works! I love it!”

“I can’t believe how good my nose feels.”

“Is it supposed to work that fast?”

“One of the best presents ever.”

“Sixteen airline flights, not a sniffle!”

“Cold sores gone!”

“It saved me last holidays.

The kids all got sick, but not me.”

The EPA recommended hospitals use copper for touch surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the spread of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, and saved lives.

“I am shocked! My sinus cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.”

“Best sleep I’ve had in years!”

The strong scientific evidence gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. He made a smooth copper probe with a tip to fit in the bottom of the nostril, where viruses collect.

When he felt a tickle in his nose like a cold about to start, he rubbed the copper gently in his nose for 60 seconds.

“It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold never happened. I used to get 2-3 bad colds every year. Now I use my device whenever I feel a sign I am about to get sick.”

He hasn’t had a cold in 10 years.

After his first success with it, he asked relatives and friends to try it. They all said it worked, so he patented

League of Women Voters dedicated to educating, registering voters

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Many voters have paged through a booklet of candidates and chances are, it came from the League of Women Voters. Perhaps a great number of voters also signed up to vote with the help of one of the League’s volunteers.

“The League of Women Voters has been around for more than 100 years; we came into being around women's suffrage when the founders of the League of Wom en Voters fought hard to get women the right to vote,” said Shauna Bona, Salt Lake County’s chapter president. “We take the rights and the need of all people to vote very seriously. Our biggest issue is access to the vote. We want to educate voters, reg ister voters and motivate voters. Our mis sion is really about empowering voters and defending democracy.”

al opinions on it. Sometimes the study is a consensus study, when we're really trying to come up with a position. We're cautious and we're careful. We really want to make sure that we're not making rash positions, but have our positions based on study,” she said.

While more than 300 local members gather annually, smaller groups study the issues monthly. “We also have our com mittees, such as the voting committee, and those committees might meet weekly be cause we have so much work we do. We work to register voters; they go out to ed ucate voters. In the past, we have taught high schoolers about the importance of voters and register them; we have gone to naturalization ceremonies and helped them register as new citizens,” Bona said.

As thousands more tried it, some found other things they could use it against, including: Colds, flu, new viruses and variants, sinus trouble, cold sores, canker sores, strep throat, nighttime stuffiness, morning congestion, nasal drip, skin infections, thrush, warts, styes, and ringworm.

The handle is curved and textured to increase contact.

Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched.

Scientists placed millions of viruses on copper. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it,” said Dr. Bill Keevil.

Tarnish does not reduce how well copper works, EPA tests showed.

CopperZap is made in America with pure copper. 90-day full money back guarantee. Price $79.95.

Get $10 off each CopperZap with code UTCJ19

See www.CopperZap.com or call tollfree 1-888-411-6114.

Buy once, use forever.

Statements are not intended as product health claims and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not claimed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

advertorial

While those early suffragists paved the way for women today to vote, Bona said that their mission isn’t over.

“We look at issues and study them, and it can be a local study or a state study or a national study. Then we lay the informa tion out for our members, and we discuss it in small groups until we reach consensus on the issues, if this is a good issue for us to support. We do have positions around having a clean, healthy environment to live in and to raise children and definitely we think women should be in the Constitution with the Equal Rights Amendment. When we do take a stance, we really work hard to help educate the public and our lawmak ers in hopes of really doing things that are right by the people,” Bona said.

She also pointed out that while their main message is to empower voters to make a better democracy, the League isn’t restricted to women members.

“We’ve had men in the League for decades. In fact, we were going to change our name to not be the League of Wom en Voters, but the problem was that if we would have let go of the name of League of Women Voters, that we would have lost our history,” Bona said. “We have mem bers of every sexual orientation, of every background. What’s important is that we have this history to our nonpartisan com mitment of voting rights.”

Among the issues the local chapter has reviewed are voting by mail, health care, census and immigration.

“Our members hold an annual meet ing, and they say, for example, ‘Hey, we think that we should study abortion.’ So, we did a study recently about abortion laws and it wasn't taking a stand particular ly, but it was a study just to understand the abortion laws in Utah. Sometimes those studies are to educate our members and then, they come up with their own person

Currently, they’re updating Vote411 (vote411.org), a personalized voting web site, which after entering a residential ad dress, voters can explore their candidates’ information, learn about upcoming elec tions and how to register and find out poll ing locations. The site covers local, state and national election information.

For example, currently the website states that voters need to be registered by Oct. 28 for the next general election on Nov. 8.

“We have groups of people, men and women, all over the country, including here in Salt Lake, formulating questions for our candidates for every race and ev ery election,” she said. “It’s one of the only places that candidates can answer these questions. We do not edit what they write. It’s completely nonpartisan. There's no ‘gotcha’ questions. Every candidate has the opportunity in their own words to an swer questions. You can pick a question and put the candidates’ views side by side to compare their answers. They can put in YouTube videos so it’s educating voters and it’s completely fair to the candidates. It’s really just to inform the voters.”

The League of Women Voters also sponsors debates or candidate forums “so that voters can hear from the candidates,” Bona added.

As part of League, some members called Observer Corps attend local city meetings.

“Our goal is that we have a League of Women Voters observer at every city council meeting, at the racial equity and policing commission meeting and at the planning meetings just to hear what's go ing on and to take notes and report back to our members what is happening because local government is incredibly important,” she said. “Oftentimes, people are busy in their lives and things get overlooked so our

New research: Copper kills viruses in seconds.

Observer Corps is doing that work for us. We’ve done a lot of great things like find ing out ranked choice voting and about the gravel pit in the canyon and letting people know when the council was going to be discussing issues and encouraging people to contact their council members. Our Ob server Corps believes in transparency and accessible government, so we go and find out what they’re doing and report back so our members can follow their own con science and reach out to their leaders and let them know what they think.”

Many issues are shared on their web site and in their weekly email briefings.

Education is an issue “what our mem bers are passionate about,” Bona said.

“We cover every single school board race and make sure that we’ve researched it and have good questions to ask the candi date. We cover the school board races and make sure all citizens are educated about the issues, particularly in K-12 education in Utah. There are serious issues related to inclusion, issues related to all kinds of things in education. We’re focusing on ed ucating to make sure people know who the different candidates are on the local school boards, what’s motivating them, why they’re running and what their intentions are. That is incredibly important right now. We’re not saying, vote for this candidate or that candidate. We believe in empow ering voters. We ask questions. We have

candidates answer those questions, and the voters read those and how they decide who is the best to represent them and their options. It doesn’t matter to us how they vote. It’s not our business. We just want them to be educated and to vote.”

She said voting is critical.

“Our entire system is predicated on an educated populace exercising the right to vote. We pick our leaders, our leaders don’t pick the voters, and the better educated and inspired and energized our voting and voting populace is, the better a country our demo cratic republic will be,” she said.

Lori Jones, a former longtime educator, said educated voting is critical to elections, including the local school board.

“Voters need to review candidates’ platforms, then they can make educated de cisions about who wants to support schools and make them better,” she said.

While her longtime passion has been education, Jones, who recently joined the League of Women Voters, said she has con cerns about redistricting and environmental issues, both of which Bona said are hot top ics right now.

“I joined the League because I read that they filed a lawsuit against the legislature about gerrymandering of the congressional districts, which I was furious about, and I’m also really interested in trying to do things to make sure that the Great Salt Lake doesn’t die because that would be a huge disaster for our children. I’m an advocate for children and a lot of people blow off the Great Salt Lake because they don’t realize everything that it does. I just thought, ‘OK, I don’t have a right to complain unless I volunteer’ so I’m taking a look to learn more about these is sues,” she said.

After attending a couple meetings, Jones plans to get more involved.

“I like how the League gets people in volved in nonpartisan politics and how they also take an active role in what’s going on in the state. The great thing about it is you don’t have to run for office to have to see if you can have an impact on something and you can get involved in as little or as much as you want. They’ve got a climate group that’s looking at problems with water in Utah. They have a legislative group that goes to the legislative sessions to find out what they’re doing, and they have an observer group who are trained to be an observer at city meetings and report back what’s going on,” she said.

Bona’s involvement with the League started after the 2016 election.

“I wanted to get involved with educat ing voters and helping voters understand the importance of going to the ballot in an informed way,” she said. “I saw what the League was doing and that they were em powering voters and registering people to vote, not asking them how they were going to vote, but just making sure that they were informed citizens who did vote. To me, that felt like a way of making the world a better place.” l

Salt Lake League of Women Voter Services Director Helen Moser registers a new citizen at a naturaliza tion ceremony Aug. 25 at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Photo courtesy of Peter Densmore/National Park Service)

Norma Wills, the natural resources director for the League of Women Voters of Utah, volunteered at the recent Salt Lake festival at 9th and 9th to register voters. (Shauna Bona/League of Women Voters)

Margie McCloy, a Salt Lake League of Women Vot ers member and volunteer, talks to the community about the League and the importance of voting. (Shauna Bona/League of Women Voters)

The man behind Mr. Rice: Chinatown’s new fusion restaurant

By Jesse M. Gonzalez | j.gonzalez@mycityjournals.com

Nestled

into South Salt Lake’s Chinatown Supermarket, 3390 State St., is a new restaurant that opened in September: an Asian fusion eatery called Mr. Rice. With a “now open” sign and a tall man waiting be hind the counter for more customers to ar rive, the establishment has an atmospheric sense of eagerness, of a kitchen, after hard work and dedication, now waiting to leave its mark in the restaurant business.

Mr. Rice has a gentle pitch that most restaurants are without, treating the food more like a gift than a commodity, as the prices are fair, and the meals are presented as something that could be bestowed to a close friend.

The man behind the counter, Jaehan Park, had the intention of opening a business with just that kind of approach. Born in Ko rea, where he had dreams of living and be coming a success in the United States, Park has lived in Utah for 20 years, thriving in the meat industry, selling beef and pork both do mestically and internationally while also lay ing out the blueprint to run his own business.

Park’s first business, Mr. Shabu, opened up three years ago and is continuing to be a success as a popular restaurant at The Gate way in downtown Salt Lake City. With the accomplishment of Mr. Shabu, Park decided to invest in another similar project: Mr. Rice, expanding his knack for producing high quality edible nourishment.

“I wanted to give a gift to the custom ers,” Park said. “We have a lot of foot traf fic in here (Chinatown Supermarket) and I wanted to do a restaurant in which I can put more preparation in the food and packaging supplies to delight the customer.”

Still invested in the meat industry, Park sells beef and pork to Korea, Japan and oth

er Asian countries. He began the restaurant business to build more rapport with the peo ple of Utah. “I wanted to have customers pamper themselves, treat themselves at the end of the day, like going to the grocery store to pick up food, and feel good about it,” Park said.

With Mr. Rice being Park’s second restaurant, he knew more what to expect to properly run a successful eatery and to pre pare for the unexpected pitfalls that could arise from outside factors.

“With Mr. Shabu, right after we opened, we had the Covid situation and so we were struggling with that situation so much but we survived. We had a lot of help from the government, from the state, and also the cus tomers,” Park said.

After the pandemic, Park returned with more drive and focus to get his restaurant business endeavors to come alive and flour ish.

“At first, I started this business for my own interest. The restaurant business is re ally tough physically and emotionally and we’re not well treated in the industry. I want to produce more opportunity for my team mates and we want to spread more happi ness with food for other people,” Park said. “We’re learning.”

So far, Mr. Rice gets roughly 70 to 80 customers a day while Mr. Shabu gets ap proximately 500 customers a day.

“We’re not just only selling food, we’re selling time and we’re selling memories,” Park said.

Park views the small things as a source of satisfaction in his job.

As customers leave Mr. Rice with bags in their hands, Park said, “Customers smile, and I feel good.” l

The Mr. Rice sign greets supermarket custom ers above the entrance. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

Jaehan Park (left) helps customers at the counter decide what would be best for dinner. (Jesse M. Gonzalez/City Journals)

from front page

the past few years at different county library locations. The next Operation Warm event will be in November—Warm Coats for Win ter—and will also take place at the Granite branch.

Operation Warm has been around for 23 years and continues to thrive, supporting millions of children through donations, sup plying high-quality coats and shoes to not only libraries, but foster care agencies and homeless shelters as well.

“I think we all know that for a lot of families, things are a little tight, especially with school starting and getting all of the supplies. So anytime we can help ease that burden is great. We had a wonderful line when we started this morning. We’ve been happy that we’re able to fulfill that,” Neal said. “We usually focus on different neigh borhoods and do that at different branches, so this one is primarily for South Salt Lake but anybody can come on down this morning if they needed to.”

Operation Warm had also designed the shoe for the event, only making different siz es and colors. The same will go for Warm

Coats for Winter—the same coat will be spe cifically designed for efficient functionality though sets will be made based on color and size.

The fight against poverty can be doing something as simple as giving away shoes and coats for those in need, especially during the colder seasons.

“Also, here in Salt Lake, we have a lot of refugee communities, because this is a place where there is a lot of services for them, where they often settle, so to be able to connect them as well has been really great for us,” Neal said.

Aside from the state of Utah, Opera tion Warm provides service and supplies to other libraries around the country and even in Canada.

“They go to organizations in the com munity who want to be part of this, so the li brary is not purchasing the shoes,” said Matt McLain, the associate director for Commu nity Engagement at the Salt Lake County Library.

“They’ll probably call me back in the middle of next year and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to do another one. What’s the next library?’” McLain said. l

“

I am running for the State School Board in District 5. I want to improve the academic focus of our schools, simplify teacher workloads, and enhance transparency for parents. I am mother of four children who have all attended Murray Schools. I’ve been involved in their education for over 20 years and volunteered in many capacities. I would love your vote! ”

www.votelaurel.org vote4laurel@gmail.com

Laurel Fetzer

Paid for by Committee to elect Laurel Fetzer

A child greets Salt Lake County Library employee Matt McLain, middle, after picking up a new pair of shoes for school.

o C tober 2022 | Page S13 outh S alt l ake J ournal . C om A mother and her children look through pairs of shoes to find the best fit.

USA Wheelchair Football League to highlight amazing athletes

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Move United is the largest grassroots adaptive sports pro gram in the world. Based in Maryland, the nonprofit part nered with the National Football League and the Bob Woodruff Foundation to create the USA Wheelchair Football League, the first-of-its-kind league for adults with disabilities.

Working with Salt Lake County, the league will host a wheelchair football tournament Oct. 22-23 at the Salt Palace Convention Center (100 S. West Temple St.) with nine teams, 20 games and dozens of athletes. Games will be held on three fields from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Admission is free.

“We use adaptive sports to push what’s possible for peo ple with disabilities and show all the ways that people with dis abilities can integrate into society, just like everyone else,” said Karalyn Stott, Move United senior program manager. “We’re excited to be coming to Salt Lake to spotlight all of our athletes and highlight the amazing things they’re able to do on the foot ball field.”

Salt Lake County adaptive recreation manager Taylor Smith has been an official with the league since they announced the program in May 2020. As the only female official, she’s worked at tournaments in Tampa and Chicago, and is excited to help bring the USA Wheelchair Football League to Utah.

“The NFL and the Bob Woodruff Foundation donated funds to make this program start happening for those veterans who wanted to stay competitive and continue doing things they love, even after they were injured,” Smith said. “[Being an of ficial] is stressful but it’s really fun and amazing. These guys try so hard and they really want to be there. You can’t ask for anything more of people who just want to play.”

Many athletes participating in the tournament are military

veterans, excited to participate in a team sport. This event high lights the athleticism of the sport which is competitive and fastpaced.

“So many of them lost that team feeling when they were injured overseas so they’re excited to feel that brotherhood and family again,” Stott said. “Others played the sport as a kid and got injured and now get to get back to a sport that they didn’t think they’d be able to play again.”

The wheelchair football tournament is one of the ways Salt Lake County is bringing adaptive sport programs to the state. Other adaptive recreation opportunities offered through the county attract people from all over Utah, and even Idaho and Wyoming, to take part in the athletic events.

With the popularity of pickleball, the county just an nounced an adaptive pickleball program that will run from Oct. 29-Nov. 19 at the Copperview Recreation Center (8446 Harri son St.) in Midvale.

The six-week program includes 90 minutes of instruc tional-based practice along with scrimmages and matches. For more information, visit slco.org/adaptive.

“This will be a new sport that we’re bringing in,” Smith said. “We haven’t done adaptive or wheelchair pickleball in the past. It will be our first one and we’re really excited about it because most of the population have really gotten involved in pickleball and we want to bring it that to the adaptive world.”

Salt Lake County has offered its para programs for 20 years and Smith said no one else in county recreation is offer ing adaptive programs, although several private companies do wheelchair sports.

The county has two groups, one for intellectual disabili

ties and one for physical disabilities because sports are played differently based on the population. Adaptive sports are open to all ages, but most wheelchair programs are geared to ages 5-15.

“It’s available for anyone who is open to playing, we’ll bring them in with open arms,” Smith said. “I think sports is valuable to anyone in the world. You learn communication skills, learn how to calm yourself down, you’re learning how to work hard and persevere through challenges in your life, so I think sports are vital in how you’re dealing with everyday sit uations.” l

Members of the USA Wheelchair Football League will compete at the Salt Palace Convention Center Oct. 22-23. (Photos courtesy of Move United)

October 2022

Cherie Wood, Mayor

801-464-6757

mayor@sslc.gov

South Salt Lake City Council Members

LeAnne Huff, District 1 801-440-8510 lhuff@sslc.gov

Corey Thomas, District 2 801-755-8015 cthomas@sslc.gov

Sharla Bynum, District 3 801-803-4127 sbynum@sslc.gov

Portia Mila, District 4 801-792-0912 pmila@sslc.gov

L. Shane Siwik, District 5 801-548-7953 ssiwik@sslc.gov

Natalie Pinkney, At-Large 385-775-4980 npinkney@sslc.gov

Clarissa Williams, At-Large 505-879-2457 cwilliams@sslc.gov

City Offices

8 am to 5

801-483-6000

East Morris Ave SSL, UT 84115

801-483-6024

801-483-6005

801-483-6063

801-464-6712

801-483-6043

Court 801-483-6072

Police Admin 801-412-3606

801-483-6057

Works 801-483-6045

801-412-3217

Billing 801-483-6074

801-840-4000

The recent establishment of the Public Safety Service Special Revenue Fund and the merging of all the city’s Public Safety departments under one budgetary item has increased the community’s curiosity about these departments and their services. As part of my continuing commitment to improving transparency in government, I want to take this opportunity to raise awareness about the breadth of services our Public Safety departments provide. This month I’m highlighting the South Salt Lake Fire Department.

When we hear a fire truck’s siren, our first instinct is to look for smoke. The majority of calls that come into the department are not fire related. Firefighters respond to various emergencies, including car accidents, hazardous material spills and releases, specialty rescues, flooding, and lift assistance for people who cannot get up independently. Of those calls, the majority, about

65%, are medical emergencies. Because all of our firefighters have some degree of EMT training, and many are licensed paramedics, the fire department is often the first to respond to medical and trauma-related calls.

In addition to their emergency response services, our Fire Department is very active in the community, educating South Salt Lake residents about emergency preparedness and providing assistance at community events throughout the year.

At this critical juncture for maintaining essential public safety services, I’m proud of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of our Fire Department and other people as part of the Public Safety Team who provide essential services and programs for our community.

I encourage everyone to learn more about our public safety departments and what they do every day to keep our neighborhoods and City safe and resilient. To learn more about the South Salt Lake Fire Department, keep up with the action on Facebook or Instagram @sslfd.

Mayor Cherie Wood

Public Meetings

For more info: www.sslc.gov

City Council

Wed, Oct 12, 7 p.m.

Wed, Oct 26, 7 p.m.

Planning Commission

Thurs, Oct 6, 7 p.m.

Thurs, Oct 20, 7 p.m.

Civilian Review Board

Mon, Oct 3, 6:30 p.m.

CITY COUNCIL CORNER Fall Brings to SSL, Craftoberfest 2022

Corey Thomas, District 2

The month of October brings one of my favorite city events, a celebration of downtown South Salt Lake’s creative community in the heart of the Creative Industries Zone. Organized by the SSL Arts Council, Craftoberfest is an allages and free event for the public and will take place on Saturday, October 8th, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The location is just north of Bonwood Bowl and close to the water tower, as the event area is between Main Street and West Temple, along Oakland Avenue.

With live music scheduled, the popular television show ‘The Voice’ fans may be excited to know that both musical artists, Jordan Matthew Young and Michelle Moonshine will be

performing. Over 50+ art vendors will be selling their beautiful often handmade merchandise. And come hungry and thirsty, as you can select to purchase food from several local food trucks or buy SSL local craft beer and cocktails from our 8 breweries and distilleries. Craftoberfest also includes displaying several barrels and kegs that were painted by commissioned artists, and a few will be available to purchase via silent auction during the event.

For those who love the Fall, you don’t have to go far to enjoy this amazing outdoor city celebration. Hope to see you all there!

Note: Opinions expressed here may not be representative of all Members of the City Council.

Election 2022 Let Your Voice be Heard!

To be eligible to vote in the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, you must be either registered online 11 days prior or register at an early voting location or a polling station on Election Day. Register online or learn more at: vote.utah.gov

Let’s Celebrate SSL! The 4th annual Craftoberfest will be held Saturday, Sat October 8 in downtown South Salt Lake.

Streetlight Out?

Keep our neighborhoods lit! Email connect@sslc.gov with the location.

To expedite the request, include the pole # listed on the yellow plate.

SAVE the DATE

FALL 2022 Citywide Cleanup Program

Curbside pickup for approved items that are boxed, bundled or bagged.

Collection begins Nov. 7. See postcard or sslc.gov for details.

South Salt Lake City Council Action Report Summary

Date

8/24/22

8/24/22

9/14/22

9/14/22

Public Hearing on petition to amend current zones on the SSL Zoning Map

Ordinance to amend Section 17.01.010 of the SSL Municipal Code

Resolution approving an Interlocal agreement with Salt Lake County for transportation funds.

Resolution authorizing SSLPD to appropriate property in its possession

Ariel Andrus Sworn in as New City Recorder

Congrats, to Ariel Andrus, our new City Recorder for South Salt Lake. Sworn in by SSL Justice Court Judge Ryan Richards on September 1, 2022, our city couldn’t be in better and more capable hands.

As the City Recorder, most Wednesday evenings are fully dedicated to essential city business meetings, and Ariel plays a very important role. The City Recorders’ responsibilities include keeping records for all City Council, Planning Commission, and RDA meetings, GRAMA requests, elections, special event requests, and purchasing.

Public input on a petition to the City Council to amend currently zoned Professional Office to Commercial Neighborhood on the SSL Zoning Map.

Amending certain definitions of the City of SSL Land Use and Development Code.

Resolution approving interlocal cooperation agreement with Salt Lake County providing for the transfer of county transportation funds for a certain transportation project within Salt Lake County.

Resolution authorizing the SSLPD to appropriate bicycles in its possession to a public interest use.

Moved to unfinished business for 9/14/22 Further action needed

Moved to unfinished business for 9/14/22

Further action needed

Approved No further action needed

Approved No further action needed

Public Safety

Welcoming Two New Victim Advocates

Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape

Message from SSLFD Chief Terry Addison

Fire prevention month seeks to raise awareness about fire safety and home safety to ensure your home and family are prepared in the case of an emergency. This year’s theme is “Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape” promoting potentially life-saving messages that can mean the difference between life and death in a fire. Today’s homes burn faster and hotter than they used to, minimizing the amount of time to escape safely from your home. You may have as little as two minutes to escape from the time your smoke alarm sounds. Developing a home escape plan with all household members and practicing it regularly ensures that everyone knows what to do when the smoke alarm sounds and uses that time wisely.

CREATE A HOME ESCAPE PLAN

• Make sure your home escape plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.

• Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible.

• Make sure all doors and windows open easily.

• Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home. Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household.

INSTALL AND TEST SMOKE ALARMS

• Smoke alarms should be installed in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home.

• Smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.

• If battery operated, change your batteries when you change your clocks for daylight saving time—when you spring forward or fall back.

Community Meetings

Join us for a community conversation.

Coffee with a Cop

Oct 5, 9-10 a.m.

In-Person

Délice Bakery & Café 2747 S State Street

Business Watch

Businesses are encouraged to participate.

Oct 6, 5 p.m.

In-Person Legacy RV 3711 State Street

Virtual Meetings

Visit: www.sslc.gov for link

Neighborhood Watch

Residents & businesses are encouraged to participate.

Oct 6, 7 p.m.

Men’s Resource Center Neighborhood Meeting

A conversation about homelessness in our community.

Oct 19, 4 p.m.

South Salt Lake Victim Services is a team of four committed to the work of victim advocacy and providing support to those who need it. With over 45 years of combined experience in victim and child advocacy, our team is prepared to provide guidance, resources, and referrals particular to your needs.

The team is very conscious of the unique dynamics of our South Salt Lake community. We are fortunate to have a full-time Spanish-speaking advocate, with team members specifically versed in mental health, domestic violence, protective orders, and housing resources. To help better serve our community, let me introduce two of our newest Victim Advocate team members.

Andrea is originally from Boise, Idaho. She received her education from Utah Valley University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Before starting as a victim advocate, she worked as a case manager at a Behavioral Health and Addiction Recovery Agency. When she is not working, she enjoys being in nature, playing and listening to music, and reading.

Yesenia was born and raised in the small town of Fillmore, Utah. She is a Snow College Alumni and received her Bachelor of Social Work from Weber State University. She has experience working at a domestic violence shelter, a behavioral treatment facility for teen boys, and skills counseling. She is fluent in Spanish and English and passionate about working with minority populations. Yesenia enjoys spending time with her two dogs, playing Just Dance, mountain biking with her husband, and binging a good show when she’s not working.

Text a Tip to SSLPD

You can now send anonymous text and web tips to the SSLPD.

To send an anonymous text tip:

1. Text your tip to 274-637 (CRIMES).

2. Start your text message with the keyword: SSLPD

3. Within a minute, you will receive a text message with your alias. This confirms that your text message was received. The alias identifier is used by the officer to communicate with you, through text, regarding the tip you submitted.

4. Remember, the officer does not know your identity or location.

Message from SSLPD Chief Jack Carruth

Community Happenings

CELEBRATE SSL : Downtown & Water Tower Neighborhoods

History — Central Pointe

The S-Line opened in December 2013, fifty years after the last streetcar tracks were removed from city streets. The plan had been in the works for many years, after the opening of the north-south TRAX line in 1999 and the planning of both the Parley’s Trail and a future transit line. These rail lines converge at Central Pointe Station, the only place in the valley where every light rail line stops.

Transit-oriented development was a bigger driver behind South Salt Lake’s push to create a downtown. With a focus on walkability, car-free living, and mixed-use development, the city adopted a downtown zone around this transit hub and centered on a large piece of property it acquired for redevelopment. Formerly Burton Lumber, it now houses WinCo, a townhome project, and an upcoming mixed-use project south of Central Pointe Place.

The Water Tower District is a neighborhood undergoing an unexpected revival. Longtime anchors Bonwood Bowl and Horton Water Tank grab your first glance. Taking a second look, people find new housing, and schools Woodrow Wilson Elementary and Granite Technical Institute. Small shops on West Temple and Main offer items out of the mainstream and are finding good company with Level Crossing Brewing. There are several streets of quaint historic homes that have long held on as the city expanded, and are now enjoying a new sense of community and places to walk and bike.

Craftoberfest

In the fall months, Craftoberfest is a celebration of South Salt Lake’s creative community in the heart of the Creative Industries Zone. Annually, artists, business owners and community members gather to hear live music, eat delicious food, sample new brews and engage with creatives. Craftoberfest also features custom barrels and kegs hand-painted by local artists in collaboration with community breweries and distilleries.

BOUNDARIES:

Downtown is easy to define - it is the northeast quadrant of the “spaghetti bowl” - from the corner of State Street and 2100 South to the corner of I-80 and I-15. The Water Tower neighborhood is just south of I-80, down to 2700 S, west of State Street. The Creative Industries Zone (aka the Zone) overlaps both as small business and nightlife destinations dot West Temple and adjacent streets.

City Council Districts — 1, LeAnne Huff, 2, Corey Thomas

HOUSING MAKEUP

Landmarks/Parks/Green Spaces: Central Pointe TRAX station, Bonwood Bowl, Fire Station 41, Granite School District HQ, Woodrow Wilson Elementary

Transit-Oriented Development in Downtown SSL

The demand for new housing continues, and here are some of the most recent Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) developments in South Salt Lake. In its planning, the Downtown allows high-density and vertical development, due to its proximity to many forms of public transit, including biking, walking, UTA bus lines, S-Line streetcars, and TRAX stations.

The Creative Industries Zone

The identity of THE ZONE is a creative synergy of entrepreneurs and artists. Located between 2100 South and Mill Creek (3000 S) along West Temple between State Street and TRAX - is a supportive and welcoming community stimulating local economic growth through creative, small businesses such as music, drink, dance, art, print, design, and craft industries that produce and sell hand-made products for local enjoyment.

7 Going on 8 Distilleries & Breweries: Level Crossing Brewing, Grid City Beer Works, Dented Brick Distillery, Sugar House Distillery, Beehive Distilling, SaltFire Brewing, Shades Brewing, and Apex Brewing. Explore them all next time you visit downtown.

Parallel - 2354 S State Street

The Billboard - 2360 S Main Street, new address: 1 Burton Avenue.

Utopia Apartments - 123 W Utopia

Community Happenings

Youth Basketball

4 years old – 6th grade

PK/K – 1st/2nd grades – T/TH evenings from 6-7 pm or 7-8 pm

3rd/4th grades – M/W evenings from 6-7 pm or 7-8 pm

5th/6th grades – M/W evenings from 6-7 pm or 7-8 pm

BEGINS Week of Nov. 7th/ ENDS Week of December 20th

PK/K-1st/2nd grades, Central Park Community Center (2797 S. 200 E.)

3rd/4th grades, Columbus Community Center (2531 S. 400 E.)

5th/6th grades, Granite Park Jr. High (3030 S. 200 E.)

$25 for 1st child, $20 for 2nd child, $15 for 3rd child

Additional $5 SSL non-resident fee. Scholarships are available to those who qualify. ($10 with free/reduced lunch letter at the time of registration)

Deadline: October 24 (Space is Limited!) Register at sslc.gov or call 801-412-3217

October Beautiful Yard Award

Congrats Steve and Eli!

New Arts Council Program Coordinator

John Boyack, originally from Seattle, has been running, biking, and hiking the Wasatch Front since 2001. Earning BAs in both English and Political Science, as well as an MPA from the University of Utah, he has a storied career in nonprofit administration, education, and small government. Residing up the road in Millcreek with his daughter, Hattie, he is delighted to join as the new program coordinator for the South Salt Lake Arts Council. Along with helping with Arts events like Mural and Craftoberfest, his work will encompass the Creative Arts for Life program as well as expanding art classes and events at the Co-Op and Historic Scott School.

Conserving water by removing turfgrass and adding above-ground garden beds is one of the many reasons this home was given the Beautiful Yard for October.

Spooky House Award is Back! Being that it’s Halloween season, please share any home with hauntingly boo-tiful charm. To do so, contact SSL Neighborhoods. 801-464-6757, connect@sslc.gov

Keeping Our Promise Celebrating 10 Years

The work of Promise South Salt Lake began in 2008 in response to the murder of a young girl, Hser Ner Moo, in a housing complex that served a large resettlement of refugee families. This tragic event rallied the community to push for additional programs and services, and through the leadership of Mayor Cherie Wood and partnerships with the South Salt Lake Police Department, United Way of Salt Lake, Granite School District, and the City’s recreation department, we launched our first afterschool program and community center, named after Hser Ner Moo.

When Mayor Cherie Wood took office in 2009 she worked with the Promise team to research models of other successful communities and develop the 3 Promises which represent our highest hopes for the community. From there we continued to see a need in the community and through donations, grants, and expanded partnerships began programming at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Granite Park Junior High, and Central Park Community Center, and Historic Scott School over the next three years.

After seeing great outcomes from our programs and wanting to stay true to our Promises, we knew the only way to have population level change was to be accessible to everyone through a City-wide system. With the support of Mayor Wood and the City Council we became an official City department in 2012.

Now, throughout the 10 years of our work being institutionalized as a City department, Promise South Salt Lake has grown to become a holistic, community-wide initiative comprised of 14 programs in 12 locations across our small City and we continue to be dedicated to Keeping Our Promise!

Comcast and the USDB Foundation partner to help unique students

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Serving more than 5,000 students statewide, the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind and USDB’s Educational Support Services provide education and ac cessibility technology that make a real difference in a child’s life.

Comcast, the largest home internet service provider in the country, has provided grant funding to the USDB Ed ucation Foundation so these unique students can have the technological needs vital for their education and growth.

Assistive devices and digital learning provide sight and sound that connect children to the world and improve their overall communication. Use of these assistive devic es gives students a higher chance of success as a confident and independent adult.

“Comcast has been a really great community partner this year,” said Amy Zaharis, USDB Education Founda tion executive director. “They gave us funds that support the students with assisted technology. There’s a lot of awesome technology our students can use that helps them, and they need a lot of different things, and those things are expensive.”

While the state provides funding to cover the basics for the campuses and programs at USDB, sometimes families need help procuring hearing aids, glasses, white canes, magnification devices, unique technology and other assistive devices. With Comcast’s donation to the program, several deaf and hard of hearing students, and children who are blind and visually impaired can get the resources they need.

It is imperative that students have technology and

assistive devices to help bridge the gap caused by their hearing or vision loss.

“If you can believe it or not, hearing aids are not cov ered by insurance,” Zaharis said. “We do assist families with children who are hard of hearing. Hearing aids are really expensive and we help some kids with purchasing those.”

The national grant from Comcast supports digital lit eracy training to help students with the technology. Stu dents who are blind can learn how to access apps and soft ware, plus have access to smart glasses equipped with an HD camera to magnify a computer screen or classroom.

The USDB provides overhead and administrative re sources for the foundation which allows 100% of dona tions to go directly to students.

There are campuses in Salt Lake City, Ogden and Springville, and a classroom in St. George. In addition to the campuses, education for the majority of these unique Utah students is offered by USDB teachers who travel to schools across the state through outreach programs.

“Everyone deserves to have the same advantages and many of the children the foundation supports might not be able to,” said Ioana Platon, Comcast community impact specialist. “They might not be as likely to pursue educa tional or career pursuits they don’t think they can do. With our grant, we help provide tech and assistive devices used to bridge the gap.”

Comcast is focused on accessibility and providing the highest possible experiences for all of its customers. This grant will help students learn how to use the different

technologies and help them live better lives.

For more information about the USDB Foundation, visit www.usdbfoundation.org.

“We love to have community partners and Comcast has been such a great community partner for us this year,” Zaharis said. “It’s great to have community support, just to help our kids with the extra needs they have. We wel come Utah businesses and individuals alike to make dona tions to the foundation.” l

WATER DAMAGE

“ The technician was prompt, worked quickly, and was very professional. They provided outstanding same day service.

“ Robert and Mark were great! We had pipes burst at night and they were right there to help us get the water shut off and to help us get all the water out and dried. They were both professional, communication was great and they were thorough.I would recommend them to anyone!

www.restoration1.com/salt-lake-city

The easiest way to restore your home... the best way to restore your life.

Students at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind receive assistive devices and training through a Comcast community grant. (Courtesy of Todd Keith)

Double, double toil and trouble for witches of yesteryear

By Annabelle Larsen | a.larsen@mycityjournals.com

What’s a witch? Throughout human history, the defini tion has changed. Witches have been defined as peo ple casting spells or calling upon spirits for help, or to bring about change. Many witches were seen as pagans doing the devil’s work. Others were known as simple natural healers and called wise women. Mostly, this choice of profession or life was simply misunderstood and societal fear took over. The prosecution of witches took hold in Europe during the mid-1400s when many people confessed, often under torture, to a variety of witch-like behaviors. Within the next century witch hunts were common, and most of the accused were executed by burning at the stake or hanging. Women, who were single, widowed, and those who lived on the margins of society, were the usual targets. Between the years 1500-1660 there were about 80,000 suspected witches that were put to death in Europe; 80% of them were women. Germany had the highest witchcraft execution rate while Ireland had the lowest.

What started this witch hunt and the witch hysteria that followed was in part caused by the publication of a book “Malleus Maleficarum,” which was written by a German Catholic clergyman in 1486. The book usually translates as “The Hammer of Witches,” and was essentially a guide on how to identify, hunt and interrogate witches. The book labeled witchcraft as heresy, and became the authority for Protestants and Catholics at the time trying to flush out witches living among them.

Although the witch hunt was far larger in Europe than it was in the Americas, most Americans are familiar with the Salem Witch Trials more so than what happened in Eu

rope. The New World, at the time, had fallen under many hardships and trials including a war between the French and British, a smallpox epidemic, and the ongoing fear of attacks from Native American tribes. The tense atmosphere was ripe for finding scapegoats, and these tensions are one of the reasons historians suspect led to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-93 in Massachusetts.

The witch trials initially began when 9-year-old Eliza beth Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams began suffer ing from fits, body contortions, uncontrollable screaming, and odd behavior. As more young women began to exhibit symptoms, hysteria ensued. Three women were accused of witchcraft as an explanation to this problem. The three women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba In dian, an enslaved woman owned by Parris's father. Tituba eventually confessed to being a witch, but she then began accusing others of using black magic on June 10, 1692. Bridget Bishop became the first accused witch to be put to death during the Salem Witch Trials. Between 1626 and 1730 there were around 150 people who were accused of witchcraft and 18 were put to death. While women were the main victims, there were six men who were also convicted and executed during this time.

Massachusetts wasn't the only state in the Thirteen Colonies to be obsessed with witches and witch hunting; it also spread throughout the rest of the colonies, but it was most prevalent here. Historians speculate that much of the hysteria and the reasons for the fits, body contortions, and uncontrollable screaming first displayed by the two girls could possibly be from a poisonous fungus, found in the

An artist’s rendition of the trial of a suspected witch. (Courtesy of History.com)

eastern U.S., that causes spasms and delusions.

So as people go about this year’s Halloween season and make-believe (or real) witches are safely out and about, it’s interesting to remember a time when this wasn’t so. l

Millcreek residents divided on hosting overflow homeless shelter

By Sara Milano | s.milano@mycityjournals.com

On Sept. 15, Millcreek residents and policymakers gathered at the defunct Calvin S. Smith Library, 810 E. 3300 South, to discuss the temporary overflow homeless shelter that will be located there for 200 days this winter. City officials plan to accom modate about 100 individuals experiencing homelessness in the space each night as the weather grows colder and sleeping outside becomes less viable. Mayor Jeff Silvestrini was unequivocal in his support for the over flow shelter, saying “in my view, it’s a moral imperative.”

Local residents who oppose the facili ty, however, were equally unyielding. “For the people who live on these two streets, it’s already a train wreck…we are in a high-risk situation for direct disruption of our lives and the police will only be there to clean up the mess after it happens,” a man who lives nearby told the crowd. Local business own er Trae Eller added, “We just found out two weeks ago. Let me tell you that we’re going to drop a bomb by your house in two weeks with no preparation time, no explanation… we’d be insane if we weren’t worried.”

The Utah State Legislature required each city in Salt Lake County to propose a location for the shelter. Many other proposed locations were not viable due to lack of re

sources or opposition from property owners. None of the other potential sites had an open floor plan, running water, and heating and cooling. In the end, Silvestrini explained, “The Calvin Smith Library was the only choice.” The facility was selected on Sept. 1, after which city officials hurried to make a plan for its operation and schedule a public hearing for residents. The state also allocated funds to help operate the facility, so the shel ter will be at no expense to taxpayers.

Millcreek Councilmember Thom De Sirant, who represents District 2 where the shelter will be located, reiterated the may or’s emphasis on moral obligations to the community, saying, “We have to take care of our neighbors, whether that’s the people that live in this neighborhood or the people who don’t have a house to live in.” Residents who oppose the overflow shelter chafed at the characterization that they lacked empathy toward people experiencing homelessness. Trae Eller, who owns a nearby barbeque restaurant, said, “First of all, stop acting like none of us care. We care about the homeless people, that’s insane and it’s insulting. We’re not you. We don’t live a distance away to be safe so stop it. It’s unfair you’re demonizing us because we’re concerned.”

To assuage safety concerns from local

residents, Millcreek plans to hire two addi tional police officers to patrol the building and the surrounding area. People who opt to sleep at the shelter will be bussed in from a homeless resource center at 7 p.m. each night and bussed out at 7 a.m. the next morn ing. They will be searched for weapons or drug paraphernalia upon arriving at the shel ter, and their bags and personal belongings will be stowed away from them while they are sleeping. There will be plumbed trailers outside and people will be supervised when they need to use them. There will not be food served at the facility.

Millcreek resident Andrew Gruber spoke in support of the shelter, imploring the public to “think about the experience of be ing bussed into a place at 7 o’clock at night, having to sleep here not in your home, and having police cars all around you. And then you get bussed back out at 7 a.m. It sounds awful.” He reminded the public that “no one gets sent here involuntarily, they have to ask for help, they have to say, ‘Please give me a place to stay that’s not on the street.’”

While he was speaking, one woman interjected, yelling, “They don’t say please, they expect it. And they’re high anyways.” This comment was met with several boos from the crowd as she rushed out the door. Gruber continued: “I am proud to live in a community like Millcreek that is compas sionate and doing our part.”

One of the most compelling public comments was given by Erin Vistnes, a Millcreek resident who lives one block away from the library. She works as a case man ager at the Fourth Street Clinic in downtown Salt Lake City. She explained that “last year

there was not an overflow shelter avail able for any of my patients until…the end of January. So my job at the clinic…was to tell people every single night that they had to sleep outside. I’m 24 years old. That is a devastating responsibility for me and my fellow case workers to take on. So when I saw the news article yesterday that Millcreek and my neighborhood was taking on the re sponsibility of hosting the shelter, the relief I felt…was unbelievable.”

Vistnes became visibly emotional at this point, saying, “Last year, we also hosted our annual vigil for folks who passed away in Salt Lake City who were homeless, we had to memorialize 117 people. In 2019, it was 75. And the jump in those numbers has to be due in part to the fact that there was not an overflow shelter.”

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall called the overflow shelter “a historic plan,” mostly because surrounding areas have not taken on the onus of hosting people expe riencing homelessness in the past. Histor ically, Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake have borne the responsibility of sheltering unhoused people.

Mayor Silvestrini and Salt Lake Coun ty Councilmember and Deputy Chief of the Millcreek Precinct of the Unified Police De partment Steve DeBry are hopeful that the shelter will help alleviate the presence of homelessness in Millcreek, as well as pre vent injury and death from sleeping outside. In spite of mixed views from Millcreek res idents, the homeless overflow shelter at the Calvin S. Smith Library will open to home less adults each night beginning Oct. 15 until April 30. l

Residents gather in the now defunct Calvin Smith Library for a public hearing about the temporary homeless shelter opening there. (Sara Milano/City Journals)

Cottonwood sophomore golfer Henry Faulk is fast becoming one to watch in Region 7

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Faster than you can say, “jumping Jehoshaphat,”

Cottonwood sophomore Henry Faulk is rocketing up the leaderboard for the Colts boys golf team. According to his head coach Greg Southwick, that’s because he’s putting the time in to become a good golfer.

“He spends a lot of time practicing and playing with us,” Southwick said. “But the other half comes from the work he’s doing at Cottonwood.”

The Cottonwood that Southwick is talking about is the Cottonwood Country Club, where Faulk works closely with Bradley Richard (pronounced Ree-shard) who is the head golf pro there.

Right before this edition went to print, Faulk had the best round of any he’s had this year, a 72 at the River Oaks Golf Course in Sandy on Sept. 1.

That shot Faulk up the Region 7 leaderboard to sec ond place overall, but who knows how high he would have soared were it not for a sprained ankle he suffered after the match at River Oaks at an unrelated Jr. PGA tournament.

There has been a steady improvement in Faulk’s game, said Southwick. The sophomore sat in fourth place in Region 7 through four matches played. That round of 72 and a third place 75 at a very difficult and often-windswept course at

Tooele’s Oquirrh Hills, however, have put Faulk into a great position going into the final round of region play.

For Southwick, he’s seen enough to declare that Faulk will be ready to go now that the ankle has fully healed.

“He hit the ball well in practice,” said the Cottonwood coach who also has another Colt in the top five in Region 7 play: freshman Tommy Yates.

The other thing that’s been driving Faulk to be better every week is the competition within his own team, because not far down from Faulk on the Region 7 leaderboard sits his teammate Yates, in fifth place overall.

“Tommy is getting the feel for the game, which is new to him,” said Southwick of his freshman phenom. “He has that passion for it and he’s also got a swing coach who’s helping him learn as well.”

Yates too has shot up the Region 7 leaderboard. The freshman sat in ninth in the region standings after that Aug. 16 match at Oquirrh Hills—one at which Yates didn’t place inside the top 10.

But an eighth place 75 at Murray Parkway on the Colts’ home course combined with a fifth place 73 on an awfully tough course at River Oaks ringed with bunkers and traps have pushed Yates into medal contention in Region 7 as well.

The best news of all, added Southwick, is that both Faulk and Yates are shoo-ins for the 5A state tournament in individual play.

“They’ll go to state and will play individually for sure,” he said. “The problem is, we may have just shot our team score out of contention.”

Erratic play as a team has contributed to the Colts stand ing pat in a difficult region. Cottonwood currently stands third overall out of seven schools, with a stroke average of 314.4—just .4 behind second-place Tooele. To give you an idea on how tough this 5A region is, Cottonwood’s team score would rank above any school in Class 6A Region 2, and half the schools in 6A Region 3.

That said, it’s that stroke average that determines which of the top 16 teams in Class 5A make it, according to South wick, and so the Colts may find themselves on the outside looking in. At any rate, they’ll give it their best shot here in the last region qualifier in the last week of September.

“We’re not gonna take first—that will go to Cedar Hills,” Southwick said. “If I had to guess we’ll probably end up third in the region which makes us doubtful for a team spot. We just never really got everyone playing well at the same time.” l

Election officials address claims of mail-in voter fraud

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Following widespread allegations of voter fraud after the 2020 presidential election, Salt Lake County election officials want res idents to know the mail-in-ballot system is safe and secure.

During a voting rights discussion, host ed by the League of Women Voters, panelists addressed voting concerns and invited the public to be involved with the process.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Sw ensen has been administering county elec tions for 32 years. She said her office is dedi cated to ensuring elections are run efficiently and smoothly, and that every eligible vote is counted.

“I’m so glad we have a vote-by-mail system in Salt Lake and the State of Utah,” she said. “It has been a wonderful system. It’s served the voters so well.”

Since 2016, all elections in Utah have been conducted by mail, with ballot drop-off boxes and Election Day voting booths avail able as alternate options. During the 2020 presidential election, Salt Lake County had a 90.1% voter turnout, with 498,000 residents voting by mail, 100,000 more active regis tered voters than the 2016 election.

Residents were encouraged to vote by mail in 2020 because of COVID, but mis information spread that the voting system had been compromised. Swensen said alle gations of voter fraud in the county are abso lutely not true.

“We heard people could print ballots in their living room, foreign countries could

print ballots and insert them into our sys tem, but they would never make it through our system,” she said. “Every single ballot that is sent to a voter is correlated to a record of an active registered voter with a unique nine-digit number.”

During the last legislative session, Rep. Phil Lyman (R-Blanding) tried to pass a bill that would dismantle the state’s mail-in vot ing process, claiming the system was vul nerable to fraud. The bill failed but election officials are worried a similar proposal will come up again.

“It is a secure system, we have total confidence in it,” Swensen said. “It is dis heartening to me to hear all this rhetoric about the vote-by-mail system not being safe and secure. I really believe that it’s an attempt to suppress voter turnout.”

She invites voters to attend tours of bal lot centers to witness the transparent and se cure process, and to address misinformation and false claims.

“We love to conduct tours and we have done so many tours, I can’t even count them all. Everyone walks away feeling very con fident. They are impressed after they come to see it in person,” Swensen said. “It’s best when processing ballots so you can actually see what’s happening when it’s being done.”

Deputy Director of Elections for the State of Utah Shelly Jackson said election officials are constantly culling lists to make sure voter information is accurate and up-todate. Several security elements are in place

to stop voter fraud, including signature verification and unique voter IDs on every ballot.

Ballots are not mailed to every person in the state, only voters who are actively registered receive a mailin ballot. For information about the election process, visit slco.org/clerk/ elections.

“I love that people are now paying attention to elections,” Jackson said. “I love that people are wanting to come see our logic and accuracy tests. When I worked at the county we would beg people to come, we would beg city re corders to come, we’d beg friends and family to come. I don’t think I ever had any one come.”

Nathaniel Brown, 24th Navajo Nation council person, and Nikila Venugopal, di rector of campaigns for the ACLU of Utah, expressed concerns that bills like Lyman’s proposal would disenfranchise thousands of voters.

In 1962, Utah was the last state in the country to give Native Americans voting rights. Brown said members of the Navajo Nation still face obstacles to voting, includ ing remoteness and language barriers. Doing away with the mail-in ballot system would further restrict voting access to this popula tion.

“I think we need to remove the classism mentality and think about who we are at the soul level,” Brown said.

Venugopal said sometimes the voteby-mail system isn’t feasible, like for voters with disabilities who need to sign a ballot when their signature could change over time. She said the ACLU is working to create greater access for voters with disabilities and works with the disability law center to make continued changes to the process. She’s also keeping an eye out for legislation that could suppress the vote throughout the state, like Lyman’s bill in February 2022.

“Claims of voter fraud are rooted in trying to stoke fear, and our elections are in fact secure. But maybe there are areas of improvement,” Venugopal said. “This bill essentially would have gutted our vote-bymail system and really caused a disenfran chisement crisis in our state if it had passed.” l

Utah’s mail-in voting system has been in place since 2016, and Salt Lake County’s election officials say the process is secure and accessible. (Stock photo)

Cottonwood football wins first game of the season thanks to big plays over rival

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

The Cottonwood Colts were all business from the opening kick—that they were supposed to have kicked to Murray in their game on Sept. 16.

“Their kids on film turn and run be fore the ball is kicked,” said Cottonwood head coach Casey Miller, who told his soc cer-style kicker to squib the football across the turf and past the onrushing Murray player on Homecoming Night.

“We thought we could get it and we did,” Miller said.

That ball squirted past one Murray play er, went the obligatory 10 yards it had to go, and then a Colt fell onto the onside kick for the first big play of many in a 41-28 win for

Cottonwood.

Cottonwood (1-5) wrapped up this first win on the season when senior Nick Bean intercepted a Murray pass at the Murray 20, one he ran back for a touchdown with 1:47 to play in the third quarter.

The Colts clomped ahead for good in that third quarter, getting three consecutive long gainers on the ground that all led to first downs.

The dominance Cottonwood displayed on the ground led to junior Jaxon Martinez third rushing touchdown of three on the evening, extending the lead to 35-22 after a missed PAT. Murray had answered back cutting the Colts lead to 29-22 with 5:29 in the third.

Quarterback Brock Simpson helps lead the Colts to a touchdown on their opening drive against Murray. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

Cottonwood celebrated its homecoming game with a 41-28 win over crosstown rival Murray. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

In addition to Martinez’ huge evening (nine carries for 36 yards rushing, three TD), there were several other players who stepped up big time for Cottonwood, including senior quarterback Brock Simpson.

In the first quarter of a 0-0 ballgame, Simpson started showing that poise under pressure that he has been developing under the tutelage of coach Miller, who was him self a quarterback in high school and in col lege.

Simpson has had a solid season statwise (1,078 yards passing, 7 TD, 6 INT). Over the past three games he’s shown marked improvement in each, going from a seesaw 21 for 35 completion night on 245 yards but only one TD pass in one game on Aug. 26 (a 7-16 L to Providence Hall) to two TD passes and 194 yards passing in a 45-17 Sept. 2 loss to Northridge—to three TD pass es and 278 yards in a close loss (39-36, OT) against Stansbury on Sept. 9.

On this warm September night on the Colts first drive of the game, Simpson stood in the pocket scanning the Murray defense for a moment. He then fired a bullet into the hands of junior Kaelen Gray across the mid dle for a Cottonwood first down early in the first quarter. A false start on Murray pushed the Colts ahead five more yards.

From the Murray 14 Simpson called his own number on a designed read option for four more yards [he had 3 carries for 30 yards rushing].

Then Jaxon Martinez blasted through the Murray defense for a 10-yard touchdown run. It was all set up in Miller’s view, how ever, by Simpson’s ability to make the right play call.

Case in point: Earlier in the season Simpson struggled making the right play calls in several games, but the Colts weren’t done with just six here. They lined up for a 2-point conversion instead of a PAT, and Martinez’ big No. 20 frame at a stout 190 pounds rumbled over Murray tacklers and through to daylight.

With seven minutes left in the first quar ter of this big rivalry game, the Colts had taken an 8-0 lead and, it was the first time all season that they had led by as many as

eight points. Murray answered back tying the game at 8-8 with 5:26 to play in the first— then tried a squib kick that the Colts failed to pounce on.

After the Colts stood up Murray on three consecutive run plays they got burned on a 41-yard TD pass on a fourth down and what seemed like was forever to go, with 2:41 left in the first.

Down 15-8 after a point-after try was converted by Murray senior Lauren Fetzer, one of only a handful of females currently participating in Utah high school football. The Colts needed something big to go their way.

They got it when another sustained scor ing drive led to Martinez bursting through the Murray defense with 11:22 to go in the first half, tying the game at 15-15 with the PAT after the 8-yard TD scamper. Then the Colts went up 22-15 when Simpson hurled a pass up into the unseasonably humid air to ward the junior Roman Caywood in the right corner of the Murray end zone for an 11-yard score.

But rivalry games tend to be frenetic, hard-hitting slugfests with lots of tricks and this one wasn’t any different.

Murray tried an onside kick to start the second half, but was whistled for being off side. Then it squibbed a kick hoping for a Colts fumble but instead had multiple play ers whistled for infractions. That gave the Colts the ball at the Murray 44. From there they softened the Murray defense with three straight runs from Martinez and a first-down from the Murray 34. Then Simpson reeled back three steps and threw the ball so high you couldn’t see it from the camera.

When it landed, Caywood had outleapt two Murray defenders in the end zone and snagged the ball out of midair for a 34-yard touchdown reception for Cottonwood.

That’s how magical this night went for the Colts, who hoisted the senior Simpson upon their shoulders in celebration, well af ter the homecoming king and queen had been crowned for 2022-23.

It was something they’ll all remember for a lifetime. l

Unique Flooring

S TYL E S YOU W O N’T F IND AN Y WHE R E E L SE !

Find the flooring you’re looking for. Floor Coverings International® carries a full assortment of flooring. Discover the durability, beauty, and wide variety of flooring styles. No matter what you are looking for, we have options that will fit the purpose of the room, your lifestyle and price-point.

Roman Caywood made some key catches, including a touchdown off a fade to the corner to close the half. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

T here are lots of people in this world who scare me, like toddlers, Christian nationalists and the barista who always compliments my shirt, even when I’m wearing a blood-stained hoodie.

But dentists! Dentists are a higher level of fear. I'm sure they get tired of being compared to the sadistic den tist in “Little Shop of Horrors” but if the tooth fits…

My dentophobia is rooted in an experience when I was 5 where many of the details are still slumbering in my subconscious, waiting to burst when I’m least expecting it. The only thing I remember was the dentist was not my friend.

Peri Kinder

Life and Laughter

I start ed dreading my annual checkup.

Mom would write our dentist’s name on the bathroom mirror in red lipstick, so she’d remember to schedule the appointment. But every time she wrote it, I’d take a wet washcloth and wipe it off. I’m sure she never noticed the smeared lipstick or the dripping-wet mirror.

Now that I’m older, I should be braver, right? I should be grateful I don’t have a medieval dentist who also works as the village butcher, barber and blacksmith. I’m lucky I’m not Tom Hanks in “Castaway” when he uses an ice skate to knock out his abscessed molar. Modern dentistry

It’s like pulling teeth

is a privilege.

My rational mind knows all those things, but I’ve never left a dentist’s office thinking, “Hmmm. That wasn’t too bad.”

I recently had my first root canal, which didn’t ease my fears. At all. I was upfront with the endodontist and told him I didn’t like him very much.

“I understand,” he said.

“No, really. I loathe you,” I said.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

We went from there. He offered me nitrous oxide be cause if I’m going to be root-canaled, I’d rather be float ing somewhere near Venus. After I was nice and drifty, he told me I’d feel a little pinch as he numbed my mouth. Then he proceeded to nail my face to the chair while the nurse handed him a Black & Decker drill. He laughed ma niacally, donned a hockey mask ala Jason Voorhees and started excavating my back teeth.

At least, that’s how I remember it.

After the root canal, I had to make an appointment with my dentist to put a crown on my tooth. I called the receptionist who said I could schedule time on Sept. 12 at 2:30 a.m. or wait until June 2023. Typical.

I don’t know why I’m still terrified of all things den tal. The smell of a dentist’s office makes my stomach roll. The sound of a drill makes my jaw clench, which makes it really hard to work on my teeth. When it was time for my crown appointment, I sat in my car for a good 15 minutes, giving myself a pep talk.

“You’ve got this,” I said. “You’re a big girl.”

“Nope. I’m going to Starbucks,” I responded. “No, you’re not. You’re going to act like an adult

and walk in that office.”

I stuck my tongue out at myself and went to get my crown. Not a cool crown like a Dutch sapphire tiara but a porcelain crown that I’m afraid to chew with. I’m pretty sure my dentist has a hook for a hand and he proceeded to stab my gums repeatedly, probably just for the fun of it. And then it was over. For now.

I’d rather face a zillion zombies, a multitude of mum mies, a van full of vampires or a ton of toddlers before seeing the dentist again. He’s the scariest monster I know.