Taylorsville Journal | January 2023

n 2019 the Utah High School Activities Association introduced the rating percentage index, a statistical system to compare and rank teams. The index establishes seeding for their state tournaments.

The purpose of the switch is to have the best teams meet in the final rounds of the playoffs.

“On balance, the RPI system is better than the old system,” Copper Hills Athletic Director Ben Morley said. “It has its flaws, and people will complain, but as long as everyone understands it was never meant to be a ranking system but rather a seeding system. It is working well in my opinion.”

Some people do not agree.

“More of your score (RPI) is out of your control than in it,” former Cottonwood head football coach Casey Miller said. “Region play by definition balances out. Your strength of schedule literally boils down to non-league games. Region games should matter. It makes me laugh, people in Utah thought the BCS screwed over Utah every year, they hated it. What have we done but created a BCS for high school. The irony makes me laugh.”

By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

The rating is created by a formula from the team’s winning percentage, its opponent’s winning percentage and its opponent’s-opponent winning percentage. A less complicated series than it sounds. It takes into account the team’s wins and losses and its opponent’s strength of schedule. The system is similar to what the NCAA men’s basketball committee has used to seed its basketball tournament since 1981.

This season Corner Canyon’s football team had a score of .7395, the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Taylorsville was the 26th seed with a .3008.

“For the most part, RPI doesn’t make a big difference to me,” Hunter boys soccer coach Brett Solberg said. “I am a big fan of the new playoff format. I like that more teams get a chance to participate in the playoffs.”

In the former system, only the top four teams in each region qualified for the final tournament.

Herriman’s boys soccer team finished fifth in Region 4 last spring with only

Jalen Vigil pitched at Taylorsville in 2019, the last year of the old system used by the UHSAA. (Photo courtesy of Tim Peck photography)

PROVENTION CELIAC DISEASE STUDY

This study is for adults 18 - 70 years, they must have a diagnosis of celiac disease. This study involves the use of a drug called PRV-015. PRV-015 is an antibody designed to block an immune system protein called interleukin 15 (IL-15). IL-15 is made in the small intestine and is one trigger that causes intestinal inflammation followed by death of the intestinal cells. In people with celiac disease, this immune response can be caused by eating gluten, in previous studies, PRV-015 has been shown to reduce inflammation in the intestine and improve the symptoms of celiac disease when used together with GFD (gluten-free diet).

GSK HPV EVE STUDY

This is a study for females 16- 26, The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that commonly affects the skin and the soft tissues (mucous membranes) around the genital area. These infections are common in both men and women and are often transmitted through sexual intercourse or another skin-to-skin contact. Symptoms vary from rashes to warts in the hands, feet, face, and genital area. Some types of cancer, such as cervical cancer are linked to HPV infections. There are more than 100 variants, this study is looking at an investigational vaccine called HPV9, the main purpose of the study is to see whether the study vaccine is safe when given to women aged between 16 and 26 years, in a 3-dose vaccination scheme. In addition to this, the study will look at how safe the study vaccine is compared with an approved (already available for use) HPV vaccine called GARDASIL 9.

This study is for adults 18 and older, who haven’t already received a flu vaccine this year, This study aims to see if a new type of influenza vaccine, called quadrivalent influenza modRNA vaccine (qIRV), is well tolerated and can help the body produce antibodies that may help fight influenza. Hemagglutinin (HA) is a protein that is made by the influenza virus that is important in how the virus works. The influenza virus can mutate the form of HA it makes, which means each year different strains of the influenza virus, making different forms of HA, become widespread worldwide. Each year surveillance is conducted to predict what influenza strains are likely to be most common that year, and vaccines are then tailored to combat these.

Eighteen months in, the Taylorsville Police Department continues to evolve and impress

By Carl Fauver | c.fauver@mycityjournals.com

Last July 1, the Taylorsville Police Department reached it’s one-year mark, serving and protecting the city’s 60,000 residents. As of our new year (Jan. 1), it’s 18 months old.

Some residents may not realize this is the second time Taylorsville has had its own stand-alone law enforcement agency. After trying it the first time, elected officials decided it was more prudent to join with the Unified Police Department.

Somewhere in there, the old saying comes to mind: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

In other words, had this second iteration of the Taylorsville Police Department not worked out, the current crop of elected officials would have faced a lot of questions and “I told you sos.”

“There are always a few problems and concerns when you take on something as challenging as starting a police department from scratch,” Mayor Kristie Overson said. “But we felt it was the right move – and I am still convinced it was.”

Of course, the obvious question is, what’s different this time compared to the first time the city created its own police department? The mayor isn’t sure – but she has her theories.

“We now have a (city) council that is very pro-Taylorsville Police,” she explained. “Times change, people change, public officials change, attitudes change. We weren’t certain it would turn out for the best; but we were confident.”

Here then are a few of the key moves the Taylorsville Police Department made in 2022 to continue its successful evolution.

Citizen Advisory Committee

Four men and one woman – all longtime Taylorsville residents – were tabbed by

Overson last spring to serve on the city’s new Community Advisory Board. After undergoing several weeks of training, Dan Armstrong, Randy Freestone, John Lefavor, Dean Paynter and Lynette Wendel were all tasked with reviewing uses of force, high-speed chases and internal allegations of police misconduct.

“Choosing the committee members was a difficult decision because we had many very qualified members of our community apply,” the mayor said at the time. “Finalists interviewed with myself and a small panel of others. Then the final decisions were mine. I chose the best of the best; and I’m excited for this advisory board to get together.”

Others on the interview panel included Police Chief Brady Cottam, city Chief Fi-

nancial Officer (and Assistant City Manager) Scott Harrington and others.

City and police officials long had the goal of seeing the Taylorsville Community Advisory Board up and fully functional by the one-year anniversary of the department’s creation last July. They met that goal, thanks in large part to the training they received, coordinated by Sgt. Jake Hill.

As the TVPD sergeant over internal affairs, Hill is the official liaison between his department and the CAB. His duty with the board began with their training, and has since evolved to him gathering and presenting the appropriate case files to the five members each month for review.

“We trained board members on our use-

of-force policies and procedures,” Hill said. “I also took them to our driving range to teach them and demonstrate our vehicle pursuit policies. I have been very impressed with the group. They come from all walks of life. I think they appreciate the trust the mayor has put in them. It seems like they all want to do a good job. They don’t rush through their case reviews. They have respect and pride in wanting to do a good job.”

During their monthly meetings, CAB members review case specifics for every TVPD incident in which a gun or taser is fired, a baton is used or pepper spray is deployed. Their charge is also to review cases involving high-speed vehicle pursuits or whenever a police dog makes contact with a suspect.

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As part of their active community outreach effort, Taylorsville Police Department’s K-9 unit often demonstrates the dogs’ award-winning skills at elementary schools and elsewhere. (facebook.com/taylorsvillepd)

Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam describes his job as “challenging, but rewarding.” (facebook. com/taylorsvillepd)

Additionally, they will scrutinize allegations of officer misconduct.

Former eight-year Taylorsville City Councilman Dan Armstrong was pleased with how his CAB’s first case review meeting went last August.

“The cases we reviewed were all pretty benign, no shootings; the worst was the use of pepper spray,” Armstrong said. “Our officers are really good – real pros. They do so much extensive training. They know when to quit (vehicle) chases. They can call out a police helicopter very quickly if they need to. The first meeting was a very good learning experience for all of us. Our officers are very impressive. I’d hate to be a criminal.”

The lone female on the 5-member CAB – City Planning Commission member Lynette Wendel – also felt well prepared for that first case review meeting.

“Sgt. Hill did such a fabulous job preparing us – and preparing the cases for our review,” she said. “He made sure we had all the information we needed. It was very well organized. It was clear the police department is taking this (board and its duties) very seriously.”

SWAT partnership with WVC

“It was always our plan to enter into a SWAT partnership with another agency from the beginning,” Cottam said last fall. “We had discussions with a number of different police agencies. This is actually coming together a little later than I had anticipated. But, in the end, it felt like partnering with West Valley City was the best fit. I’m glad we were able to reach this agreement.”

A mobile command post…armored vehicles… two types of drones – for flying outside or inside buildings… and lots of other hitech law enforcement equipment are all now available to protect Taylorsville residents.

“This partnership is beneficial for both (cities),” West Valley City SWAT Team Commander Lt. Robert Brinton said. “We were having some manpower struggles on our team – losing officers – and we knew this would provide us with some new, experienced people. All of the Taylorsville personnel have previous SWAT experience from several different agencies. I think it will work well.”

Indeed, the six officers Taylorsville has placed on the team have previous SWAT experience with: Salt Lake, Sandy, West Valley, Cottonwood Heights, Unified Police and even Dallas, Texas. There’s also decades of military experience among the Taylorsville personnel, representing the Army, Navy and Marines.

Leading the TVPD group is SWAT Sgt. Jeff Smith, who is in his eleventh year of law enforcement – most of that with West Valley City. He was among the original hires Taylorsville made in forming their new agency.

“Sgt. Smith is one of our young, bright stars,” Cottam said. “He has plenty of SWAT experience and will be a good leader for the team.”

Soon after the TVPD SWAT personnel

were identified, they joined with their West Valley City counterparts for a busy week of training in late September.

“We trained for 55 hours over four days,” Smith said. “We were at a training facility in West Valley, a gun range in Tooele County and even in some vacant houses. It was very intensive. Our team will continue to train with West Valley SWAT team members for ten-hour days, every other week.”

Of course, all that training will take these officers from their regular TVPD duties twice a month, meaning there will be overall manpower cost increases. Additionally, outfitting the six Taylorsville team members with special safety equipment and weaponry cost the agency about $70,000.

“I am OK with the expenditure for our SWAT team gear because that equipment lasts pretty well,” Cottam said. “We estimate the annual personnel cost for the team will be about $25,000. At this point, I don’t believe we will need to request additional funding (from the Taylorsville City Council, specifically for the SWAT team). But it will take some time to further evaluate that. The big thing is – West Valley already has the expensive equipment like an armored vehicle. Our startup costs would be at least four times as much if we were starting our own SWAT team without a partner.”

Community outreach

City and police officials are also convinced a part of their success with the community has come through a variety of public outreach events. Last spring, as the agency approached its one-year operational anniversary, it hosted a “Meet the Taylorsville Police Department Open House” at city hall. Later in the year, TVPD participated in the annual “Night Out Against Crime,” coordinated by the city’s Public Safety Committee.

And, perhaps most impressive, the TVPD K-9 unit has gone to elementary schools and other locations to demonstrate their award-winning police dogs.

Before the agency even reached that oneyear anniversary, the TVPD K-9 unit placed first in a competition conducted by the Utah Peace Officers Association. The victory came for the dogs’ efforts in search and rescue, de-

tecting narcotics and explosives, overall agility and technical skill.

“We are especially proud of these honors, considering our K-9 unit has only been operating for just shy of a year now,” Cottam said at the time. “The dedication of our K-9 unit is exceptional, and these honors point to that good work.”

Overson added, “A huge congrats to the TVPD K-9 team. Clearly, (Cowboy, Koda and Turbo) and their handlers work well together and have formed strong bonds.”

By first developing such a strong K-9 unit, and then sharing those skills through community demonstrations, officials believe TVPD is strengthening its bond with Taylorsville residents.

“Our police department is still new, still settling in and there’s always a fly in the ointment somewhere,” Overson concluded. “But our chief and his deputies are working hard and doing a great job. There have not been any cost overruns; but we are constantly reviewing (officer) wages, because keeping good people is very competitive. We are doing what we need to do for our residents.”

That’s the report card, 18 months in. Oneand-a-half-year-old children are barely walking – that’s why we call them “toddlers.” But in the case of the 18 month old, award-winning Taylorsville Police Department, it’s fully up and running, winning awards and gaining speed. l

This 5-member Citizen Advisory Board has now been reviewing Taylorsville PD use-of-force incidents for several months. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

City officials say Taylorsville citizens have told them they take great pride in seeing the city’s name on their law enforcement vehicles. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

The Taylorsville Police K-9 unit drew a large audience at last summer’s Night Out Against Crime, hosted by the city’s Public Safety Committee. (Janice Fields)

Taylorsville 2022

Taylorsville Global Information Systems Planner Karyn Kerdolff and her husband Brian recently made their way to Africa, and to the top of one of the tallest mountains in the world. (Courtesy Karyn Kerdolff)

A student logs experiences during an Adventure program trip as part of Entheos Academy’s character-building enrichment. (Photo courtesy of Entheos Academy)

Carly Donahue, center, is all smiles on May 13 when she was officially named GSD Teacher of the Year. (Granite School District)

Kearns junior Ryan Talo parades the turnover hammer up the sidelines after an interception. (Photo courtesy of Kearns Historian)

More than 250 dogs attended the fifth annual Doggy Paddle Day at Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center. (Courtesy of KOPFC.)

The Cougars well-balanced scoring prowess helped them to a 19-4 record (10-2 in region) last season for coach Dan Cosby’s team.

Emily Rojo Mendoza, a student at Kearns High School, was one of the first recipients of the Governor ’s Spirit of Service Awards. She received the honor for her work tutoring students, helping at food banks, serving as the president of the My Kearns Evidence 2 Success Youth Council, and raising thousands of dollars for local food pantries and the homeless youth resource center. (Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office.)

world by giving away vegetables,” Evan said. “We grew a lot of vegetables in our garden and gave vegetables to neighbors.”

Several of the children dressed in patriotic outfits for the neighborhood parade on July 4.

Taylorsville

High grad Caitlin Heckenliable appeared on the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge” baking competition show last fall. (Courtesy of Caitlin Heckenliable)

Taylorsville High School graduate Aija Moore has been playing and teaching violin for years, while also maintaining a perfect grade point average. She graduated from the University of Utah this year with three different degrees. (Courtesy Aija Moore)

Mother and daughter scholars Luz and Elizabeth Gamarra immigrated to Utah from Peru 17 years ago. Salt Lake Community College faculty member Luz Gamarra was recently named Utah “Woman of the Year” by USA Today newspaper. (Courtesy Luz Gamarra)

City Council Vice Chair Meredith Harker may have gotten more than she bargained for when she assisted with a Taylorsville Police K9 Unit demonstration at her elementary school. (facebook.com/ taylorsvillepd)

Kearns High School played host to the Marshall Gates Foundation World Series Aug. 2-5. It brought some of the top college baseball players to the area for competitive baseball games. (Photo courtesy of Dave Reeder)

Evan Crockett, an 8-year-old student at Fox Hills Elementary in Taylorsville, won a national award of excellence for his entry in the PTA’s Reflections contest. His entry, selected from thousands of submissions, was a polymer clay wagon full of vegetables, representing acts of kindness. “I can change the

Crystal Mirci receives the highest points award and the TD Williamson Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair (Photo courtesy of Granite School District)

Former West Lake principal Tyler Howe celebrates with community at the school groundbreaking. (Photo courtesy of Granite School District)

Here in Utah, our infrastructure is equipped to handle the rapid onset of winter conditions with relative ease. However, when should safety take precedence over school attendance, and how can school weather protocol keep families and students safe? This year, Granite School District has outlined its own protocols and procedures.

In a statement on its website, the district made it clear that keeping schools open is a top priority. “First and foremost, please know that Granite School District aims to keep schools open whenever possible. Snowstorms are a reality in the Salt Lake Valley, and though winter weather may present challenges, school closures or delays are rare.”

Furthermore, the district takes efforts through social media postings, text messaging, and other platforms to keep students updated on any closures. The district does its part to keep students apprised, however, it is best to assume that schools will remain open even during storms and other disruptive weather.

The district works hard to maintain a tight and functioning bus schedule that ensures students arrive at school on time. However, weather can cause unexpected delays, which is why the district relies on the mobile application, “Here Comes the Bus.” The app, available on Google Play and the App Store, provides information regarding the whereabouts of your bus, including its real-time location. The application also provides scheduled and actual arrival times for both home and school routes and sends out push and email notifications when a bus is near.

Signing up for the application is simple, and Granite School District provides step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting on its website for those who are interested in utilizing the app. The application is both free and user-friendly, making it easy for students to navigate.

While schools aim to operate during snowstorms both major and minor, there are always exceptions and other factors to consider. Ultimately, it should be up to parents to determine if conditions are safe.

“We trust parents to make the ulti -

By Lizzie Walje | l.walje@mycityjournals.com

mate call when it comes to their child’s safety. Not all streets are plowed at the same time, and snow totals may differ from region to region. If you do not think it is safe to send or take your kids to school during inclement weather, please keep them home. School officials will be lenient regarding tardiness and absences during winter weather,” the district stated on social media.

The district works to prepare for any inclement weather in the forecast and is equipped to utilize virtual learning in the event of a school closure. Thankfully, in recent years, virtual learning has become a viable alternative in the event that in-person learning needs to be temporarily halted.

The district also acknowledges that its desire to stay open isn’t just for academic purposes. “Like any public service, people count on schools to remain open, and there are many services we provide beyond education,” the memo says and then goes on to state that students rely on schools staying open for multiple reasons. First and foremost, many working parents and families do not have the luxury of drastically shifting their schedules, and often have to risk leaving their children unsupervised or missing work.

Another reason why Granite District Schools aim to stay open? Food security. More than half of the district’s students rely on their neighborhood school for breakfast and lunch. Students may risk not having their nutritional needs met in the event of closures. Finally, schools often provide a warm and safe environment for students in the cooler months.

As previously mentioned, the district will aim to be lenient during major storms and extreme weather. Especially considering that many Granite School District institutions are located on or by major roadways and highways that are often impacted the most by delays. The district also aims to mitigate automobile congestion by limiting emergency late starts. These late starts are often the culprit of an increased vehicle pileup.

Unless you receive notice from the district, and/or your child’s specific

school it is best to assume that classes will be in session. To learn more about opting in on push notifications and other helpful alerts, the district has outlined how to do so on its website. Assuming it’s routinely updated, social media is also a good place

to check for any emergency information. Above all else, prioritize your own safety and use discretion when navigating the roads. Even smaller-scale storms and weather can prove disastrous if not carefully navigated. l

Snow is cleared off the walkway in 2019 at Oakcrest Elementary. (File photo courtesy Tod Cracroft)

by Granite School District are designed

help students navigate the challenges of inclement weather. (Courtesy of Granite School District)

Former White House photographer chronicles, shares inside the presidency

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

When former White House photographer Pete Souza was in fourth grade, he taped a photo from the New Bedford Standard Times on his closet door.

It was soon after the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into the presidency with Jacqueline Kennedy by his side aboard a plane that would fly to Washington, D.C.

“For whatever reason, I was transfixed by the images that came out,” Souza recently told a standing-room only auditorium at Salt Lake Community College’s Grand Theatre. “There was something about the still image that even as an 8 year old, I was struck by enough so that I taped these pictures to my closet door. I know that the photograph taken by Army Capt. Cecil Stoughton, one of the two military photographers assigned to the Kennedy White House, became probably the most famous official White House photograph ever.”

Little did he know then that he found his future career. It took Souza enrolling in a photography class during his junior year at Boston University to realize “it’s what I wanted to do. It was magic to me.”

Souza, who photographed Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama during their presidencies, began his career shooting for the Hutchinson, Kansas newspaper. He moved on to the Chicago Sun Times, where amongst his assignments, he was to photograph the campaign of Harold Washington, who in 1983, became the first Black mayor of Chicago.

That same year, Souza received a call from a former photo director at the Kansas City Star, where he was turned down for a job. She invited him to join the White House photography staff during the Reagan era.

“One of the things I used to tell my (Ohio University) students was, ‘don’t ever piss anybody off professionally because you never know how they’re going to help you some day,’” he said. “Being an official White House photographer was an amazing experience. Documenting the presidency for history, in a lot of situations, I was the only photographer in the room.”

He recalled covering Reagan when he greeted wounded Marines in 1983 after a terrorist attack in Beirut; watching the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, all four summits with Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev; the Iran-Contra scandal; at the hospital following his wife Nancy’s breast cancer surgery; and even, joining him on vacation.

“He and Nancy would go to Camp David every weekend and ride horses and here he is helping her from a horse,” Souza said as an image projected on a screen behind him. “The idea is that you’re making photographs, not for the next day’s newspaper, but for the National Archives. Every single picture that I made during both during the Reagan administration and the Obama administration are now at the

National Archives.”

Souza not only took the photos of the serious moments of the commander in chief, but also, the lighter ones.

“I’m trying to humanize them as much as possible. This is Reagan at a hotel in Los Angeles,” he said referring to another image. “I walked into the hotel room where he was staying, and he was folding a piece of White House stationery into the shape of paper airplane. He looked up at me and he’s, like, ‘I’ll be right with you.’”

Then, Reagan flew his official White House stationery paper airplane off the hotel deck.

After Reagan left the White House, Souza freelanced for several publications, including National Geographic. Then, as a national photographer for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was among the first photojournalists to cover the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks; he did so by joining the local Northern Alliance soldiers and crossed the Hindu Kush mountains by horseback in 3 feet of snow. Also, while at the Tribune, Souza was part of the team who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for explanatory reporting on the troubled air traffic system.

In 2004, Souza served as the official photographer at Reagan’s funeral. It was during the flight from Washington, D.C. to Reagan’s final resting place in Simi Valley, California that he realized then he had never seen any pictures of JFK’s casket being flown from Dallas to Washington, D.C.

“Cecil made the decision not to be on the plane with JFK, but to take this film to a lab there in Dallas, get it processed, and get that picture sent out to the world. I can’t imagine trying to make that decision because my instinct would have been you got to be with the President on that plane. Cecil probably chose the right thing to do, but I don’t know that I would have been able to make that decision,” Souza said.

That same year, while working for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was documenting newly elected U.S. Sen. Obama. He recalled Obama’s first D.C. office in the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, with no windows or anything on the walls.

“People already were talking about that someday he might be a national candidate and I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be a great contrast photo if he ever makes it.’ The thing that struck me so much about that first day was that I’ve just met the guy, and I’m in his personal space, photographing as he’s having lunch,” he said, pointing out in his photograph that Obama’s young daughter Sasha was eyeing part of the uneaten sandwich. “It’s as if I’m not even there. He’s just more about his businesses. I’m about my business. For a photojournalist, that’s the kind of stuff that you want, right? Somebody who’s just going to do their thing while you’re doing it.”

Souza went on to become the chief official White House photographer.

“I was able to say to him, ‘Look to do this job the right way, I need unfettered access’ and he agreed. My goal was to create the best photographic archive of a president that had ever been done,” he said.

Souza captured moments, which now the world can see on his Instagram posts.

He has moments that highlight the passing of the Affordable Care Act to same-sex marriage, from the president receiving the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama singing “Amazing Grace” as an eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in 2015 in a Charleston church shooting. He also shared photographs of Obama touring the 9/11 Memorial Museum while under construction and visiting the firehouse where 18 firefighters died during the twin towers’ collapse.

Souza snapped historic moments.

He photographed Obama visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in South Africa; reflecting at Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial as the first Black president; sitting on the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man; and joining in the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Souza’s lens not only saw the occasions that marked Obama’s presidency, but also personal times, when Obama and his wife have a quiet moment in a freight elevator or intertwin-

ing their hands on a boat rail in the Gulf Coast. His photographs show the president playing in the snow with his daughters, intensely coaching daughter Sasha’s basketball team or getting zapped by a 3-year-old boy dressed for Halloween as Spider-Man—all which audience members chuckled at as stories were shared.

“I would use quiet cameras, usually one with a wide-angle lens and another one with a short telephoto lens. I had a knack for being unobtrusive. President Obama, in his memoir, says I had an ability to remain invisible. I don’t think I was invisible, but I think I was able to blend in so much so that I became part of the presidency. I could go right behind him and show things from his perspective and do it in a way not to disturb anybody,” he said.

Perhaps the first of two of the most emotional photos, Souza said, is when Obama and all the national security team were gathered inside a small room within the Situation Room complex in May 2011. Souza took a spot opposite of the officials who were watching a screen that showed Special Forces on the ground raiding the Pakistan compound of Osama Bin Laden, who claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“You’ve essentially got all the most important people in the executive branch of our government all jammed into this room and there’s nothing they can do. They are powerless in this moment because it’s totally up to

After his presentation, former White House chief photographer Pete Souza signed his books for students and the community at Salt Lake Community College. (Photo shared with City Journals)

those Special Forces guys on the ground. You can imagine the tension and anxiety,” he said, recalling that Obama quietly took a place in the corner. “As soon as they had Bin Laden, and the helicopters lifted off from the compound in Pakistan, everybody started filtering through. The reaction was very subtle. There was no high fives, no cheering.”

A second poignant photo Souza shared was when Obama gave a hug to the Wheeler family who just lost their 6-year-old son Ben during the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

“The worst day (of Obama’s presidency) happened five weeks after he was reelected. That morning, John Brennan, his homeland security adviser, came upstairs saying there were reports of a shooting at a school in Connecticut,” Souza said, looking at a photo he snapped at the time of the president “reacting as a parent.”

Before Obama spoke to the nation in the press briefing room, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It was the first time Souza had ever seen him do that.

“I think he was worried he was going to lose his composure. Later that afternoon when he went up to residence, Malia had just come home from school. He latched on to her and wouldn’t let her go,” he said to a noticeable collective sob in the audience.

As Souza looks back, and shares his first-hand account through books he published, talking and having his photographs been displayed globally, and being featured in the 2020 documentary, “The Way I See It,” he knows his experiences are making an impact on others as it did himself.

“I realize how lucky I’ve been when I look back and see how much I’ve been able to witness, especially considering I did get a D in U.S. history,” Souza said, adding that history lessons when he was in school lacked stories and pictures. “There were some days where photographing at the White House was like watching paint dry. But when things were happening, there’s

no other place I’d rather be than documenting things as history is unfolding. That was a great honor and privilege to be there.”

During his visit, he also met with SLCC students where he gave the advice to “go out and make pictures every day because that’s how you’re going to get better.” Souza said that because he had been a photojournalist prior to the White House, he was able to “anticipate and recognize moments—and that’s experience more than anything.”

SLCC Humanities Associate Professor Claire Adams said students came to know Souza as a storyteller as well as a photographer.

“His conversation was really informal and came from the storytelling angle as well as the more technical questions from our photography students,” she said, adding that each student received an autographed copy of either his No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” or his recently released book, “The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency.” “It’s apparent that it’s the dignity of the office that he cares about, not politics. He highlights it through his eyes and through his literal lens.”

Adams said that her Honors 2100 Intellectual Traditions class had watched portions of the documentary preceding his visit and was reviewing his presentation.

“The theme of that class is storytelling specifically. Pete Souza is a really good resource to use in terms of artifacts that we look at in the humanities, such as literature, photographs, art, music. His photographs are definitely something I’ll continue to use in classes,” she said, adding that students and the community took advantage of seeing his “Obama: Intimate Portraits” display at SLCC’s George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Art Gallery.

SLCC Provost for Academic Affairs Clifton Sanders also was drawn into Souza’s photography and storytelling.

“He was captivating,” Sanders said. “The way that he was able to chronicle history through the photographs and give a

little bit of information that no one would know other than him being there in those moments. The pictures are very compelling, but the stories really give depth to the pictures. I just got a sense that he was the person for that time in history. He’s really down to earth. There are no airs about him. What you see is really what he’s like. I can really appreciate that the way he documented and is sharing the history for us all to gain insight and witness it through him.”

The annual Tanner Forum on Social Ethics, funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Co., has hosted about 20 speakers from journalists to scientists “to encourage the community to learn more about the world and encourage us to think more critically about issues,” Sanders said. l

Pete Souza, former White House chief photographer, shared the story behind the photo of President Barack Obama and his family joining Sen. John Lewis and others at the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

three region wins. Prior to 2019, they would not have qualified to participate in the playoffs. Instead, they were the 18th seed; defeating Westlake, Corner Canyon, West, Farmington and Davis for an incredible underdog story to a state championship.

“I love a good underdog story and this new playoff bracket allows for that,” Solberg said.

In 6A football, 24 of the 26 teams qualified for the tournament. The glamour of making the tournament seems to be reduced.

“Going to the state tournament is a big deal for some of our schools,” Cyprus boys head basketball coach Tre Smith said. “Getting a higher ranking is something your program can strive for and have goals to achieve for the year.”

In its current format, the team’s region placement means nothing.

Some say exclusively using strength of schedule gives an advantage to better regions. Teams in the top regions benefit from playing each other in the regular season. Similar to a Facebook algorithm, their scores are elevated. In football, Region 2 has been labeled a lower tier and its top team (West) finished ninth in the final poll. Whereas Region 4 had three of the tournament’s top five teams.

“If you are going to make regions unimportant, just eliminate them and let the coaches schedule who they want,” Miller said. “I am an assistant at a school that did not make the playoff last year. I am telling our head coach to schedule the worst teams he can find in the preseason. We win and as the season continues, they keep losing. We get a small boost and end up 5-5. It doesn’t do us any favors to play good schools and lose.”

Scheduling can influence where your team finishes in the seeding process.

Hunter High School’s football team finished this season with a .3409 score. If they changed out the game against West Jordan and replaced it with a Corner Canyon game, despite an extreme chance of a loss to the Chargers, their score would have improved by almost one point. They would have moved up one seed in the state tournament.

Winning more often is the best way to raise your score, but a loss to a top team can also provide a boost.

“For Hunter, is losing to Corner Canyon by 100 better for their program or playing a close one against West Jordan? Winning games is better for your program than losing them. If you are a good team you will need to beat a Corner Canyon team at some point,” Miller said.

Some teams have changed who they schedule to help them get a better RPI score.

“Teams definitely have to be more strategic in the way they schedule, but I don’t think there is one best way to do it,” Morley said. “It is about striking a balance between putting together a schedule that allows you to both win games and do it against the best competition possible.”

Copper Hills girls soccer team has steadily dropped in placement. In 2019 their preseason games were wins, but schedules changed and they began playing tougher opponents. The losses added up and their score dropped.

“It definitely changed my approach to scheduling,” Smith said. His Cyprus basketball team was scheduled to play Pleasant Grove, Bingham and Corner Canyon in this year’s preseason. “Playing against better teams helps our program down the road in the big dance.”

“We should just eliminate the regions,” Miller said. “If I want to schedule weak teams and go 9-1, that is fine. My teams will end up as a five seed, it doesn’t

matter.”

Miller would like to see the UHSAA discuss the program with its coaches.

“There has never been any coach’s input. I still think even with the seeding we end up with three Region 4 teams and an occasional Bingham or Farmington. It just causes complaining about seeding still,” Miller said.

Some coaches would like an unbiased human element to be introduced.

“Those that keep track of high school athletics should have some kind of say,” Smith said.

In the past, the preseason games were an opportunity for coaches to try new players or positioning to see how it would work in region games. Now those games count more than the region games, it’s an up or down statistic for your RPI score.

“In soccer, because of RPI we cannot end in a tie,” Solberg said. “Some of our games have ended in long double overtimes or penalty kicks. With multiple

games a week, that gives more opportunities to have an injury.”

The UHSAA announces its final RPI rankings in each sport after the final regular season games have been played. Its Facebook and Twitter pages unveil the final rankings and state tournament pairings are revealed. In the future, it could turn into an unveiling party or a YouTube-style release show. Strangely, they hide the numbers for two weeks before the final seedings are shared.

“Why do they do that, they have never said,” Miller said.

The final rankings can be big news for the players and teams.

“Yes, absolutely yes, our players, coaches, parents, fans, school administration and everyone else is paying attention to the RPI rankings,” Morley said. “It has added a new interest and intrigue to high school athletics.” l

Cyprus guard Quetin Meza has helped his team ascend near the top of the UHSAA ratings. (Photo courtesy of Dave Sanderson)

The RPI has taken it on the shoulder just like this Copper Hill baseball player. It can leave a bruise but gets its team on base. (Photo courtesy of Dave Reeder)

Copper Hills basketball player McCoy Langston averaged 13 points per game last season and his team finished ranked sixth by the UHSAA. (Photo courtesy of Dave Reeder)

Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field Until now Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough . . . a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

“What my wife especially loves is it gives her back feelings of safety and independence which has given a real boost to her confidence and happiness! Thank You!”

–Kent C., California

The first thing you’ll notice about the Zinger is its unique look. It doesn’t look like a scooter. Its sleek, lightweight yet durable frame is made with aircraft grade aluminum so it weighs only 47.2 lbs. It features onetouch folding and unfolding – when folded it can be wheeled around like a suitcase and fits easily into a

backseat or trunk. Then, there are the steering levers. They enable the Zinger to move forward, backward, turn on a dime and even pull right up to a table or desk. With its compact yet powerful motor it can go up to 6 miles an hour and its rechargeable battery can go up to 8 miles on a single charge. With its low center of gravity and inflatable tires it can handle rugged terrain and is virtually tip-proof. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life

Why take our word for it? Call

Wreaths Across America Project Places 255 Wreaths at City Cemetery

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The end of 2022 brought new memories and friendships, a bevy of laughter and fun and a hope for traditions to keep in the coming year. Without a doubt, it was a December I will never forget.

We kicked off the holiday season first with our inaugural Tree Lighting Ceremony, which drew more than 150 people to City Hall on a wintery night that dusted the city with snow. It was a wonderful event that we hope to make an annual tradition. With a countdown, the tree in front of City Hall was lit in bright white and the Centennial Plaza stage and pavilion were aglow in holiday red and green.

We had such a great time listening to the beautiful music from the Taylorsville High School Madrigals, while sipping hot chocolate and munching cookies. (You can read more about this event on Page 6 of this section).

Then, Santa came to town with our annual Saturday with Santa at the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center. Again, the event was perfect. We enjoyed the children’s choirs and games, the crafts and treats and, of course, the visit with St. Nick who put us all in the holiday spirit.

We also decked the halls again for our annual holiday Open House where we gathered with community members at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center. The gathering brought boxloads of donations to the Warrior Wellness Center helping students at Taylorsville High.

A new holiday event this year was our Wreaths Across America Day that was organized in coordination with the local nonprofit Honor365 and national nonpro t Wreaths Across America. What a moving and memorable day it was, and truly the highlight of the holiday season. Our Youth Council chose this initiative as their holiday service project, and I am so glad they did. Thanks to the generosity of so many, the youth gathered sponsorships of 440 wreaths — well beyond their goal of the 255 wreaths that were laid as part of the day at each veteran’s grave at the Taylorsville City Cemetery. The extra sponsorships will allow us to participate next December, too.

Inspiring ceremonies were held Dec. 17 at City Hall and the cemetery, and we are so grateful for all who made this day possible — particularly the Youth Council, Honor365, Wreaths Across America, the Taylorsville High JROTC and our police o cers and re ghters. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for a month that I will cherish throughout this new year.

–Mayor Kristie S. Overson

The City of Taylorsville and Taylorsville Youth Council took part in National Wreaths Across America Day for the rst time this past month. The nationwide initiative honors veterans across the country, coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 3,400 additional locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

Those ceremonies are held each December on National Wreaths Across America Day. In Taylorsville, there were two parts to the ceremony on Dec. 17. The rst part at City Council Chambers started promptly at 10 a.m. to coincide with the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. (A livestream recording of that program can be found online at www.taylorsvilleut.gov).

The second portion of the ceremony took place outdoors at the Taylorsville City Cemetery, where wreaths were laid on all 255 veterans' graves there. In addition to assistance from the Taylorsville Youth Council, the Taylorsville High School JROTC and the local nonpro t Honor365, community members helped lay the wreaths.

Mayor Kristie S. Overson

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EVENTS JANUARY 2023

Jan. 2 – All day

New Year’s Day observed. City o ces are closed for the holiday, reopening Jan. 3.

Jan. 4 & 18 – 6:30 p.m.

City Council Meeting @ City Hall and online. Watch a livestream of the meeting on the city’s website, www.taylorsvilleut.gov

Jan. 10 – 7 p.m. & Jan. 24 – 6 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting @ City Hall.

Jan. 16 – All day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day. City Hall is closed in observance.

Jan. 17 – All day Opening Day of the Legislature @ State Capitol.

Jan. 30 – 7 to 9 p.m.

Tryouts for “An Evening of Fascinating Rhythm” @ City Hall. Come prepared with 16 bars of your favorite Gershwin song. See ad on Page 7.

UPCOMING: Feb. 24 & 25

“An Evening of Fascinating Rhythm,” featuring music from the Gershwin brothers. @ Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, Studio 5400 Theater.

Find our calendar of events every month on the city’s website, where you can also submit your own events for possible publication. Go to www.taylorsvilleut.gov

Also, a standing event every Thursday, from 2 to 4 p.m., at City Hall is the “Mayor is In.” During this time, Mayor Kristie Overson has open o ce hours to meet with residents about any issue on their minds. Drop by and meet with the Mayor. All are welcome.

COUNCIL CORNER

By Council Member Ernest Burgess

Wreaths Ceremony Brought Beautiful Tribute to Our Veterans

As a City Council, we were truly honored to be able to participate for the rst time in the national Wreaths Across America Day this past month. We were touched by the moving tribute to our veterans, both in ceremonies at City Hall and then at the Taylorsville City Cemetery where 255 wreaths were laid at each of their graves.

Ninzel Rasmuson, founder and executive director of the Utah nonpro t Honor365, which was instrumental in helping the city and our Youth Council coordinate this event on Dec. 17, encapsulated my own feelings so well. She noted, “The history of our nation and those who serve can be summed up in a short and simple, yet tting phrase: They are ordinary people who by virtue of their service and sacri ce are extraordinary.”

We are grateful to Rasmuson and her organization, as well as the national nonprofit Wreaths Across America, the Taylorsville High School JROTC, our own Youth Council and Taylorsville police officers, re ghters and cemetery sta for making this day one we will always remember. Rasmuson was among those speaking at the City Hall portion of the ceremony. With her permission, I wanted to share a poem she included in her speech:

The Dash Poem, by Linda Ellis I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on the tombstone From the beginning...to the end

He noted that rst came the date of birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time That they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them Know what that little line is worth

For it matters not, how much we own, The cars...the house...the cash. What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.

If we could just slow down enough To consider what's true and real And always try to understand The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect And more often wear a smile, Remembering this special dash Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read With your life's actions to rehash... Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent YOUR dash?

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The Taylorsville Youth Council chose the Wreaths Across America initiative as its holiday service project this year, and it set a goal to gather sponsorship from the community of 255 wreaths — enough to lay on each veteran’s grave at the Taylorsville City Cemetery. The youth ended up well surpassing that goal, ultimately securing sponsorship of 440 wreaths in Taylorsville City’s rst year participating in the program. The extras will be carried over to December 2023, meaning only 70 wreaths will need to be sponsored to lay at each veteran's grave next year, too.

“We were so honored to participate and thank all those who sponsored a remembrance wreath,” said Mayor Kristie Overson. “Through their generosity, we surpassed our goal and were able to place wreaths for every veteran as we had hoped. The ceremony, including the laying of the wreaths and saying each veteran’s name, was meaningful and moving and most de nitely the highlight of the holidays.”

The remembrance wreaths are hand-crafted of all-American balsam and hand-tied with a red velvet bow in Columbia Falls, Maine, and then sent to participating locations. The wreaths arrived at the Taylorsville City Cemetery by semi-truck a few days before the ceremony.

“It is our responsibility as citizens to remember the nation's brave fallen men and women — whether they died on foreign lands in the heat of battle or after a lifetime in the uniform for our Armed Forces,” Rasmuson said. “Never forget the men and women who know all too much the cost of our freedom, for their service to this country is the greatest gift of all.”

I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment that I will carry with me throughout this new year. From all of us on the City Council, may 2023 bring you love and laughter, peace and friendship. Happy New Year!

LEFT TO RIGHT: Bob Knudsen (District 5), Curt Cochran (District 2), Anna Barbieri, Chair (District 3), Meredith Harker, Vice Chair (District 4) and Ernest Burgess (District 1)

Taylorsville Operation Leads to 10 Arrests, Recovery of Merchandise

A multi-agency operation targeting retail thefts at stores in the Taylorsville area has led to the arrests of two California women suspected of stealing and engaging in fraudulent activity across several states.

Before they were arrested in Taylorsville, Darrian Deajurrey Williams, 29, of San Leandro, Calif., and Aubrianna Thompkins, 27, of Tracy, Calif., were recently jailed in Carson City, Nev., on multiple counts of alleged grand larceny, commercial burglary, conspiracy to obtain money using stolen credit cards and other offenses. They also match the description of two suspects wanted out of Rock Springs, Wyo., for wallet theft. The two were likely out on bail from Nevada before they were arrested in Taylorsville on suspicion of retail theft and drug possession, and Williams’ 2016 Mercedes-Benz with temporary tags was impounded.

a federal detainer. During one arrest following a retail theft, a suspect who was on parole ed o cers on foot, but he was stopped without incident a short distance away.

In addition to the Mercedes-Benz, one other car was impounded during the operation. In total, more than $1,000 in merchandise was recovered and returned to the stores.

“One of the goals of the operation was to develop information on where the stolen property goes after the theft and how, and what the thieves do with the property,” said Det. Jensen. “Information was gathered by detectives who will be conducting follow-up in hopes of developing more information on other criminals and organized groups.”

When Det. Jensen expressed his thanks to one of the store loss prevention employees for helping with the operation, the employee responded in a text, stating: “Are you kidding me? THANK YOU GUYS! All my associates were glued to the windows yesterday! Y’all gave a lot of our associates the biggest boost! And helped put con dence back in us, as LP (loss prevention). For that, I can’t thank you enough."

In addition to the supporting law enforcement agencies and participating stores, TVPD also expresses great appreciation to the Taylorsville Chick- l-A, which donated sandwiches for o cers and loss prevention employees working the operation.

TVPD EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to O cer List, our TVPD Employee of the Month. O cer List has served in law enforcement for more than 24 years. He has worked for both West Jordan and Taylorsville police departments.

O cer List has held various positions throughout his career, including patrol, motorcycle/tra c o cer, middle and high school resource o cer, child abuse investigator, commercial vehicle inspector, fatal traffic accident investigator, public information o cer, public tra c school instructor, police motorcycle operator instructor, police emergency vehicle operation instructor, citizen’s academy instructor and eld training o cer.

The two were among 10 people arrested in a coordinated police operation over two days, on Dec. 7 and 8.

The women indicated to Taylorsville o cers that they were returning to California from Iowa. The women’s alleged MO involves distracting victims while shopping and stealing their wallets, to then quickly commit fraud by using the victims’ credit cards. The two attempted to steal victims’ wallets several times in Taylorsville but were unsuccessful.

The retail theft operation that led to their arrests was conducted in conjunction with the Utah Attorney General’s O ce CASE unit (Crimes Against Statewide Economy). Taylorsville Property Crimes Det. Jensen, who is assigned to the Attorney General's O ce, organized the operation, also teaming up with o cers from Sandy, West Jordan and the United States Department of Homeland Security, as well as store personnel and security from Target, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Sierra and Home Depot. Additionally, Amazon and eBay provided analysts in support.

The operation, involving two, four-hour shifts each day, resulted in the 10 arrests for theft-related crimes, drug o enses and outstanding warrants. With the assistance of Homeland Security, one person wanted for an aggravated re-entry was booked on

Officer List’s main responsibility with TVPD is working as a patrol ocer, in which he responds to any type of police call for service that can be imagined. Additionally, he is often assigned as a shift lead. The responsibilities of a shift lead are to supervise other o cers and monitor police calls for service when a sergeant is not available. O cer List has served in this capacity multiple times. It is for this reason that O cer Smith nominated O cer List as our most recent Employee of the Month. O cer Smith described Ocer List as “professional and approachable,” “knowledgeable,” and one who is “always willing to jump in anywhere he can.”

O cer List is described as “always having a positive demeanor that is contagious to those around him, which creates a positive working environment.” Additionally, Ofcer List was nominated for his role of being one of TVPD’s drone operators. TVPD has located and apprehended multiple suspects through the utilization of these drones.

In his free time, O cer List enjoys camping, riding dirt and street motorcycles, boating and spending time with his family. Thank you, O cer List, for your service and dedication to law enforcement and for choosing to be a part of Team Taylorsville!

Check this space each month for news about the Taylorsville Police Department (TVPD) and their valuable service to our community.

Students’ Artwork

Every year, the police department’s holiday card contest seems to grow, and this year was no exception. More than 150 drawings were submitted by Taylorsville fth-graders, which made selecting the winner di cult.

“The drawings are truly impressive,” said Mayor Kristie Overson. “We thank all the students who participated and also want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the teachers for helping to shape the future of these wonderful children.”

The artwork came from students throughout Granite School District's Taylorsville elementary schools, and the winning drawing was used as TVPD’s o cial holiday card. It will be announced at a City Council meeting this month and then shared in next month’s Taylorsville Newsletter.

Accompanying this article are a few of the outstanding drawings TVPD received. View more of them on TVPD’s Facebook page, @TVPDUtah. Mayor Overson and Police Chief Brady Cottam plan to take the contest winner out to lunch this next month in recognition.

It has become increasingly important for rst responders and other service providers to be able to locate addresses quickly and e ciently.

Requirements for properly identifying a building are outlined in city ordinance 2.49.060, “Display of Property Identi cation Numbers.” The city’s Code Enforcement personnel said it is a good reminder, as they have been seeing many homes with no address numbers lately.

When considering how best to display the address on your home or property, consider viewing its placement from the middle of the roadway before permanently a xing numbers. Often the address appears readable while standing next to the structure, but it may become obscured from the roadway due to its orientation.

CITY ORDINANCE SPECIFIES:

• Addresses must be a minimum size of 4 inches for residential properties, 6 inches for commercial property.

• Address placement should be made in a conspicuous location and include contrasting characters to enable the reader.

• Avoiding all obstructions, including plants, trees, garbage containers, vehicles and/or points where snow accumulates.

• Multiple locations, including a mailbox, front porch and house, are acceptable. However, your mailbox alone is not su cient as it generally limits size and visibility due to direction of travel.

Please contact Taylorsville’s Code Enforcement Department if you have any questions, 801-963-5400 ext. 5.

City of Taylorsville

City Hopes to Make Tree Lighting Ceremony an Annual Tradition

More than 150 people turned out for Taylorsville’s inaugural Tree Lighting Ceremony, which city leaders hope will become an annual holiday tradition.

“Our rst-ever tree lighting, it was a party,” Mayor Overson said at a recent City Council meeting. “It was incredible, and it exceeded our expectations. We’ll be doing this every year.”

She noted how the falling snow at the tree-lighting event added to the beauty of Centennial Plaza, and she thanked all the residents who stopped by to see its wonder and splendor during the holidays. “The music provided by the Taylorsville High Madrigals, several of whom are Youth Council members, entertained us with their festive songs,” she said. “The cookies and hot chocolate were perfect. It was awesome.”

In addition to the white lights on the tree, City Hall was decked out with permanent lights that were red and green during the holidays but can be changed for various events throughout the year. City o cials envision ipping on the outdoor, decorative lights in di erent colors for other events in the coming months.

The evergreen tree that stood out front for the holidays will be transplanted to a city park.

Kringle Comes to Town for Saturday with Santa Event

Santa visited Taylorsville over the holidays and found everyone on his Nice List. The annual Saturday with Santa event held at the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Museum marked its 17th anniversary this past month with plenty of fun for all, including children's crafts and games, choir performances and tasty treats.

“We had such a great time and want to especially thank the Taylorsville Historic Preservation Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee for sponsoring another fantastic event,” said Mayor Kristie Overson. “It is such a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.”

If you didn’t catch it, be sure to see last month’s Heritage Remembrances column in December’s Taylorsville Newsletter for a sampling of pictures from previous Saturday with Santa events. “It has become a holiday tradition that we look forward to each year,” Mayor Overson said. “We can’t wait to get together again next season.”

Kris

Taylorsville Bennion Heritage REMEMBRANCES

Don’t Miss These Library Events

The Taylorsville Library has planned several programs during the month of January. You’ll want to mark your calendar for these events:

WALKING BOOK CLUB

Thursdays in January, 10 a.m. Walk and discuss “A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende. The Walking Book Club is great for readers interested in a weekly walk session and book discussion. The group reads one book over the course of three weeks, discussing it in segments. It meets Thursdays from 10-11:15 a.m. Take a 30-minute walk along the paths behind the library and then participate in a 30-minute book discussion. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle. Strollers are welcome.

“A Long Petal of the Sea” reading schedule: Jan. 5: Part One Jan. 12: Part Two Jan. 19: Part Three

VIRTUAL LECTURE | The Human Body: An Owner's Manual for Occupants

Monday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m.

Register at: thecountylibrary.org/LectureSeries Add years to your life and life to your years! Learn how to eat to live, turn exercise into a fountain of youth and make sleep your superpower.

MUSIC & MOVEMENT

Tuesdays in January, 10:30 a.m., starting Jan. 10 Can you “head, shoulders, knees and toes” with the best? Enjoy this music, movement and fun for little ones and their grownups.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME

Wednesdays in January, 10:30 a.m., starting Jan. 11 This activity o ers interactive early learning story-time for preschoolers and their caring adult(s) with talking, singing, reading, writing and play.

The Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Museum has a history book on the shelves called “Faces, Footprints, and Shadows,” written by Grant Bennion Powell, who grew up in Taylorsville.

His mother braided the oval rug in the kitchen of the museum, and Powell donated it to us. To our recollection, he hasn’t been featured before so we will start the new year of 2023 with a walk back in Taylorsville time.

Powell invites us on a journey as he delves into his family history, tracing his roots to the mid-1700s. Sharing stories of his ancestors’ trials and triumphs, we learn how the same work ethic, commitment and ambition that sustained these pioneers helped form the man Powell became.

Along the way, he shares his thoughts on family, commitment and the in uences of his church. We read brutal tales of World War II and Korea, sharing in his challenges and ultimate success as he transforms from the lowliest clerk at the Federal Reserve to president of his own international consulting business. He tells of his one true love, Beverly, the life they so richly shared and the family he valued.

Would we all be as dedicated to write our own histories and leave such a detailed tale of our lives in Taylorsville. Visit the museum, 1488 W. 4800 South, to read Powell’s history (and many others) for yourself. It won’t disappoint!

PUPPET PLAYERS: LITTLE RED AND BIG BAD Monday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m. This puppet story features a poor hungry wolf only trying to get a square meal. Little Red isn’t much help because her basket is lled up with junk food. What’s a hungry wolf to do?

VIRTUAL LECTURE | A Glimpse of India Through the Art of Durga Ekambaram Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. Register at: thecountylibrary.org/LectureSeries Learn about the diverse culture, history and traditions of India through the art and perspective of artist Durga Ekambaram.

LIBRARY CLOSURES: Monday, Jan. 2: New Year's Day (observed) Monday, Jan. 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

ANNUAL COLLECTION DAY

JANUARY UPDATES

Curbside Christmas Tree Collection

Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District will be collecting Christmas trees this month. For collection, ll out a Curbside Tree Pickup Request Form on their website (www.wasatchfrontwaste. org), or call the WFWRD office at 385-468-6325. Place your undecorated trees on your curb and they will be collected the day after your regular collection day during the month of January. If drivers don’t grab your tree one week, they will be back the following week. Please call the WFWRD o ce, or chat with them online for additional information. Please remove all snow o the tree.

• Trees with decorations, lights, tree stands or ocking cannot be accepted.

• Do not place the tree in your garbage, recycling or green waste can.

• If the tree is over 8 feet tall, please cut it into smaller sections.

• Arti cial trees cannot be accepted.

Waste in the Winter

As we all dig out of the snow, it would help WFWRD drivers if residents could move waste and recycling cans from behind snowbanks on collection day. Please also remember to clear the snow o the top of your lids.

As the winter months continue, the possibility of bad weather could affect the district’s ability to provide timely service to your neighborhood. Their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages are the best way for residents and customers to nd out if there could be a delay in service due to weather or tra c complications. Please follow WFWRD on social media to stay apprised of these issues and also to receive waste and recycling tips and updates.

WFWRD Recycling

Visit the WFWRD website to check out all the amazing recycling guides to help you learn what goes in the can! From paper to plastic to cardboard, the district is working hard to find new opportunities to accept more materials and make sure they are being recycled in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Make sure to take the time to familiarize yourself with items that are currently recyclable by checking out the guides on their website (www. wasatchfrontwaste.org), or by following them on social media. Scan the QR code for quick access to these links. By reducing contamination, WFWRD can continue to keep costs low for all of our residents. Remember, when in doubt, throw it out.

Ready for Spring? Take These Classes at the Conservation Garden

The Conservation Garden Park is offering free classes to inspire, educate and empower residents to create and enjoy waterwise landscapes. Located on 10 acres in West Jordan, the Garden Park is easily accessible from all Wasatch Front communities.

The Garden began with six examples of waterwise landscaping in a mock residential setting. It has since expanded to include interactive exhibits for educating the public on waterwise design, planting and irrigation — becoming one of Utah’s premier water conservation teaching and demonstration gardens.

Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District, as a member agency of Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, encourages customers to explore this valuable resource. Sign up for classes by going online to conservationgardenpark.org.

If you have any questions, please contact Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District by calling 801-968-9081 or visiting www.tbid.org. Follow TBID on Facebook and Twitter.

2022 Economic Trends Carry Over into New Year

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

The last year brought both economic highs and lows, from soaring inflation to the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded in the Beehive State. For better and worse, we’ll see some of these economic currents carry over into 2023:

Recession fears linger. Recession fears loomed in most of 2022 as the Federal Reserve ramped up interest rates, consumer sentiment plunged, and the Gross Domestic Product contracted during the first half of the year. While the U.S. economy avoided a recession last year, thanks in part to robust consumer spending, the threat of recession persists. For one, the Treasury yield curve inverted, meaning that investors are willing to pay higher interest rates on short-term bonds than longer-term ones. Historically, this has been a warning signal that a recession could be on the way.

The labor market shines. The labor market was the star of the 2022 economy. As of August, all jobs lost in the pandemic were recovered. The unemployment rate is back down to 3.7% nationally, nearly as low as the pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 3.5%. Utah’s unemployment is nearly the lowest in the nation, measured at 2.2% in November. Yet, businesses are still struggling to find workers amid the Great Resignation

and shifting demographics. The labor force participation rate showed little net change in 2022, and the lack of available workers will carry into 2023.

Consumer sentiment remains historically low. Utahns and Americans expressed discontent in the economy in 2022. In the middle of last year, consumer sentiment fell to the lowest point recorded in the 70-year history of the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumer Sentiment. The Kem C. Gardner Institute’s much newer Utah-specific index also sank to a new low last summer. While attitudes about the economy have improved slightly, ongoing inflation continues to erode consumer confidence. Consumer sentiment matters because attitudes about the economy drive behaviors like spending and investing, often acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Global shocks roil markets. The economy has yet to fully emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain snarls and recent protests in China continue to disrupt markets and strangle growth, while the war with Russia and Ukraine further hindered pandemic recovery. These global distortions make understanding the economy difficult and bring ongoing uncertainty in 2023.

Historic interest rate hikes. The Federal Reserve boosted its benchmark interest rate, the federal funds rate, from zero to between 4.25% and 4.5% in 2022 — the highest rate in 15 years. The Fed has said it plans to continue tightening credit to tame inflation, with more rate hikes expected in 2023. Although the amount of expected rate increases will be dramatically lower than in 2022, the Fed is expected to maintain higher rates for a longer period.

Inflation persists. Inflation was one of the biggest economic stories of 2022, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022 — a lifetime high for people under 40. In the Mountain region, prices grew even faster, hitting double digits earlier this year. While inflation has slowed to 7.1% nationally and 8.3% in our region, it’s still being pressured by hot wage inflation and remains well above the Fed’s target rate of 2%. We’ll likely see more price cooling in 2023, but it will take some time to get inflation down to historical levels.

Overall, 2023 is expected to be a year of economic moderation. Inflation will slow as higher interest rates cool economic conditions. We’re already starting to see signs of price moderation in areas like construction, motor fuel and used cars. While we haven’t seen this yet, the labor market should begin

to soften as employers cut back on expansion plans in the next year. This process may be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of resetting an economy that has gone through many shocks over the past few years.

Robert Spendlove is senior economist for Zions Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.Al

Budget approved with investments in mental health, deferred maintenance and open space

December wrapped up the Salt Lake County annual budget process and there is great news for residents! The approved budget includes investments in open space funding, expanded mental health resources, and trails and active transportation projects.

My constituents have trusted me to judiciously use funds to perform essential functions for the community. I consider this one of my greatest responsibilities and I have committed to carefully scrutinize every dollar spent by the government. I used these principles to cast my vote for the 2023 budget.

This year the council allocated $2.5 million to fund a temporary mental health receiving center at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) beginning in April 2023. The Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center, which is being built in South Salt Lake, is scheduled to be finished in Fall 2024. Mental health receiving centers allow law enforcement officers to bring those having a mental health crisis to a safe place where professional help is available. The County is designated as the mental health authority by the state and operates the jail, so this project is a good fit. I believe this investment will not only improve mental health outcomes but will save taxpayer dol-

Aimee Winder Newton

Salt Lake County Councilwoman| District 3

lars in the long run.

The County Council also approved $85 million in funding for county deferred maintenance. Some of these projects have been put off for more than a decade and I believe it is fiscally prudent to invest dollars that will improve the efficiency and sustainability of county facilities.

The 2023 budget also included a property tax increase for the Salt Lake County libraries. The library fund is separate from the Salt Lake County line item on your taxes because Murray and Salt Lake City have their own library services and do not participate in the County library. This means we can’t use other Salt Lake County funds for the library. The library has not raised taxes in 10 years and in that time inflation has become a big factor in their budget. This increase

will cost the average household about $2.50 a month. Before I was willing to vote for a tax increase, I spent hours with library staff diving into their budget to ensure that your tax dollars are used appropriately.

Every vote I cast as a county council member comes after thoughtful consider-

ation of how it will impact the county overall, as well the constituents whom I represent in this role. I believe that it makes sense to invest in programs that will save taxpayer funds down the road, and ensure we provide good service and keep our facilities well maintained. l

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Top - of-t he-l i ne i n st a l lat ion a nd ser v ic e, a l l i ncluded at on Now

Centennial Plaza a huge hit on Saturday nights last summer, now moving to Fridays in 2023

By Carl Fauver | c.fauver@mycityjournals.com

It’s been well documented in these pages over the past several years, Salt Lake County and Taylorsville City combined to spend nearly $50 million to transform all those long-vacant acres south of city hall.

If you’ve followed the news, you know the county spent the vast majority of that total on construction of the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center.

Certainly the new state-of-the-art MVPAC is proving versatile. For starters, the Taylorsville Arts Council has made use of it for a number of performances. Last fall, the council also hosted its annual art show there for the first time ever.

MVPAC has also been used to host at least one large professional conference – a purpose for the venue that was never really discussed during its four years of construction.

In short, if you’ve been inside, you know the new arts center is spectacular.

However, having said all that, an argument can be made that, what impacted Taylorsville residents in 2022 even more than the multi-million-dollar MVPAC was what lies outside the facility – namely, lush, inviting grass.

“Starry Nights @ the Plaza was such a great success,” Mayor Kristie Overson said. “We had good turnouts at most of the events. The food trucks were back. The plaza art displays drew lots of people. It was just a wonderful experience to have everything turn out so well.”

Some like to call it the new Taylorsville “front yard,” while others say it’s the city’s “living room.” But technically, all that grass outside the performing arts center is “Centennial Plaza.” The plaza’s “crown jewel” is the $750,000 outdoor amphitheater that serves as a focal point for all the open space. Also, scattered throughout the area for most of last year were six sculptures. Those proved so popular, when it came time to rotate the old pieces out (last August), the city created more places for art.

“Last year when we introduced our Plaza +ART program we had six statues on display,” Overson told the Centennial Plaza audience at the time. “But this year we are more than doubling that number, to 14 statues. We’ve created eight new pedestals and display spaces for this second Plaza +ART season.”

All six of the artists who provided sculptures for display in Centennial Plaza during year one provided new pieces for the current year. They include: Taylorsville resident Dan Toone, his son Josh Toone (Hyrum), Deveren Farley of Lindon, Gary Lee Price out of Arizona, Provo’s Ben Hammond and Doug Adams of Malad, Idaho.

Meantime, the eight artists making their sculpting debuts in the Centennial Plaza collection this year include four from here in the Salt Lake Valley – Nate Brimhall, Dana Kug-

lin, Rick Prazen and Jeannine Young – along with four more who hail from further away: Myles Howell (Logan), Nate Johansen (Provo), Jason Millward (Logan) and Jim Moore (Wenatchee, Washington).

“This is actually my third different sculpture in Centennial Plaza because my first one last year got broken and I had to replace it with a second piece,” said local sculptor Dan Toone. “This is such a beautiful place to display art. I have been happy to talk this (Plaza +ART program) up with other artists. The city is talking about creating even more places to display art next year – maybe growing it to 20 sculptures. That would be wonderful.”

Prior to their pieces being unveiled that evening, the artists were treated to a “thank you” dinner inside the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center.

“Having all the artists together to talk about their pieces was just wonderful,” Overson said. “The food was great – and the artists were so appreciative. Really, the whole evening was just an amazing experience.”

The art unveiling – on the final Saturday night before Labor Day weekend last year – marked the close of the Starry Nights @ the Plaza season. Activities began with a big launch party in mid-May and ran for more than three months. The only night the city skipped was closing night of Taylorsville Dayzz (June 25).

Following the official close of the Starry Nights season, Centennial Plaza hosted a couple of other events through the fall – or, at least it was supposed to. It turned out Mother Nature was not a fan of the scheduled Halloween candy giveaway on Oct. 22. A heavy downpour forced that event inside city hall. Then, after Thanksgiving, the plaza hosted a holiday tree lighting ceremony.

All in all, a very busy first full year for Centennial Plaza activities – but, with much more to come in year two.

Most of the legwork for the first Starry Nights @ the Plaza fell in the lap of Overson’s Executive Assistant Jen Andrus. She’s the one who coordinated groups like the city’s Public Safety Committee and organizers of the Children’s Entrepreneur Market to give them nights to host their community activities. And she is also the person who convinced musical groups to perform for no pay because it was not in the year one budget.

“It was a lot of work; but I love the space and it was fun to see people enjoying themselves,” Andrus said. “Besides, event planning is something I did and loved for years before moving to Utah. It was nice to be doing it again.”

Before moving to Utah six years ago, Andrus grew up and lived in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania – essentially a suburb of the state capitol, Harrisburg. Years ago, she planned a variety of community events while working

for the Pennsylvania state senate.

Last year’s Starry Nights @ the Plaza included five free movie nights, something Andrus hopes to grow to six in 2023. The series also featured live music almost every week –something she promises will be a part of every week this year.

“Jen is amazing,” Overson added. “Besides coordinating all the events, she also discovered some potential grant funding to help cover costs for Starry Nights (in 2023). I believe it was her first time to write a grant request – and she got the money.”

Andrus secured $22,700 from the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. While not a huge amount, she says

the grant will help fund everything from rights to show movies publicly (at $415 per) to possibly installing more pedestals for additional art. Oh, and bands will be paid in year two.

“I’m not sure what the going rate is for music performances – but I know it’s more than nothing,” Andrus quipped. “We’ll figure out a fair price to pay performers this season.”

Andrus expects the Public Safety Committee’s Night Out Against Crime to return to a Starry Nights evening this summer, along with the Children’s Entrepreneur Market. Other groups are expected to seek out exposure during the high-profile nights as well.

Andrus and her committee are also expected to discuss experimenting with a craft

Mountain Star AirLife helicopter landed in front of the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center last summer during one of several events that drew hundreds of people to Centennial Plaza. (Janice Fields)

Organizers of the Children’s Entrepreneurial Market say their event at Centennial Plaza was a hit last summer, and they are anxious to return in 2023. (childrensentrepreneurmarket.com)

or farmers’ market during a few of the Starry Nights.

“After the children’s market, I had several adults approach me about having a similar night where they could sell homemade items,” Andrus said. “We haven’t discussed it much yet; but we will before the new season arrives.”

The biggest change coming in 2023 is a move from Saturday nights to Friday evenings. Andrus says there are several reasons for the change.

“After our season, we met with the food truck people and they told us Friday nights are their most successful evenings,” Andrus said. “We also had a number of people tell us last year they would have come (to a Starry Nights @ the Plaza event) if it had been on Friday night – but they were leaving town on Saturday. So, we decided to make the change. Many of our (city hall) employees have also told me if it was on Friday evening they would buy meals at the food trucks to take home to their families. We’ll see how the change goes this summer.”

Besides all the organized activities city officials have hosted on Centennial Plaza, Overson says the new football field-sized patch of grass and its surrounding sidewalks and picnic tables are proving to be a draw even at much quieter times.

“As I am sitting here talking to you (on the phone, on a weekday afternoon) I am looking out my window at the plaza,” Overson said. “There’s nothing going on – no activities. But I see a woman pushing a baby in a stroller. I see a couple of kids riding through on bikes. I see things like this quite a bit – people discovering and enjoying the space – just what we hoped would happen.”

The mayor closed by saying it’s fun to be in her position now that Centennial Plaza is a reality. But she credits its existence to Taylorsville elected officials who were in place long

before she became active in city government.

“Centennial Plaza is a tribute to all those (previous elected officials) who hung in there – who refused to sell off that land when there were many offers to buy it,” Overson concluded. “I appreciate everyone keeping the vision. They dreamed of something good in this space – and now that dream has come true.” l

Last summer’s “Starry Nights @ the Plaza” musical acts performed without receiving pay. But this coming year, state grant funding will allow musicians to earn a little money. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

The popular food trucks will return to Taylorsville Centennial Plaza next summer, but on Friday nights instead of Saturdays. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

From the people who brought you Syncrete, nepotistic construction contracts and the ThrU Turn fiasco intersection, comes a mind-boggling project guaranteed to be unnecessary and over budget: the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola.

The Utah Department of Transportation isn’t known for its rational, effective projects. It spent years studying the LCC traffic situation before making the wrong decision, but at least they didn’t go with the Little Cottonwood zeppelin.

Color me unimpressed with UDOT. Take 5400 South. Please. I travel this road every day and I know UDOT doesn’t understand east-west travel. Going from my home in Kearns to the I-15 interchange in Murray includes nearly 20 stoplights along that 7-mile stretch and I usually hit every. single. one.

There was a legend that if you drove exactly 42.3 mph, under the light of a full moon, you could travel 5400 South without stopping at one red light. Not true.

I blame my road rage on UDOT.

So, let’s talk about the gondola. With UDOT approving the nearly $600 million project, it must have overwhelming support. Nope. Local mayors, residents, environmental groups, Bigfoot and county leaders don’t want this to happen. A majority of the tens

of thousands of public comments are against the gondola.

Just a hair short of sketchy, Snowbird quietly bought land that could (will) be used for the gondola station at the base of Little Cottonwood. When the time comes, Snowbird will sell or donate (ha-ha) that land to the state.

Hikers, fishermen, sightseers and climbers don’t want the gondola. They don’t want to ride the entire length of the gondola system if their destination isn’t a ski resort. I guess UDOT could add a base-jumping experience if you want to parachute out of the gondola halfway up the canyon. But it will probably have an extra fee.

Measuring 8 miles, it will be the longest gondola system in the world and includes nearly two dozen towers, averaging 185 feet high. That’s about 17 stories. UDOT said the towers will be placed up the canyon by helicopters, like they’ll gently rest on the forest

floor where tree roots will wind around the base to hold them down, becoming part of the natural landscape.

No. Each tower will have a huge concrete base, requiring boulders and trees to be demolished. Not only that, but construction could disrupt animal migration patterns, pollute the watershed and highlight UDOT’s decision-making legacy.

UDOT explored options like rideshare programs, electric buses and road tolls that are less invasive, especially when trying to solve a traffic problem that only happens a few days a year. But those alternatives aren’t expensive and ridiculous, so that was a “no” vote from UDOT.

When you factor inflation, the project’s cost will be about $72 gajillion, paid for with “mystery funding” which we all know usually means “taxpayer dollars” in some fash-

ion. Even if you’ve never skied a day in your life, your tax dollars will probably help pay for a system designed by ski resorts, for ski resorts.

We’ve riddled this country with aging infrastructure. Obsolete railways, cables, steel and wiring lie unused and rusting. When the gondola becomes outdated, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be stuck with the awful towers standing forever in the sacred space of Little Cottonwood.

UDOT’s track record is abysmal. I remember when it spent $700,000 to remove the stupid ThrU Turn on 5400 South. UDOT said the intersection wasn’t a mistake, just unnecessary.

That could be UDOT’s tagline: Building unnecessary mistakes. l

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter