West Valley City Journal | July 2023

FEDERAL DISASTER FUNDS TO HELP PAY FOR WEST LAKE STEM JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL REBUILD

By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

The replacement of West Lake STEM Junior High School in West Valley City has gotten a financial boost thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA has awarded nearly $17.1 million dollars to the Granite School District which will go toward the cost of rebuilding the school at 3400 S. 3450 West.

The funds were sent to the Utah Division of Emergency Management and

passed on to the school district as part of federal disaster aid following the March 2020 Magna earthquake.

The 5.7 quake caused significant damage to West Lake STEM Junior High, which opened in 1964. The decision was made to demolish and rebuild the aging campus rather than repair and renovate it. Had the school been repaired instead of being rebuilt, the FEMA funds would have

paid for the fixes, but instead will help finance the reconstruction which got underway in March 2022.

“There was a lot work between the school (district), their insurance company, FEMA, and the Division of Emergency Management over the last several years to identify what was damaged, what’s the best way to fix it, what’s the best funding options,” said Janna Wilkinson, resilience

bureau chief at the Division of Emergency Management.

“They did identify all the damages and made the decision that the school wasn’t repairable,” she added.

“It’s got some great upgrades,” said Kathy Holder, state hazard mitigation officer, of the coming West Lake version 2.0. They include more open areas for students

Continued page 17

The reconstruction of West Lake STEM Junior High School in West Valley City continues toward a scheduled completion by the start of school in August 2024. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

Public art installations along Jordan River reel in the attention of all passersby

Ayoung

Her dad rolls to a stop next to her, “Do you think there will be a splash?”

The fish are indeed jumping out of the ground at several trailheads along the Jordan River Parkway Trail, making a splash for all who encounter them. The installation of the 11 fish at the Riverview Trailhead at 1835 N. Redwood Road is one part of a public art installation called Jordan River Current, which includes a total of 25 steel-constructed, 8-foottall trout sculptures.

The artsy fish are intended as markers for “wayfinding” for folks paddling the river and are found at four different boat ramps spanning over 7 miles of the Jordan River Trail. “It’s easier to say, ‘if we get separated, pull out at the

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

girl jumps off her bike and trots over to an enormous metal fish. She squeals, “The fish are jumping out of the ground!”green fish,’ rather than trying to detail the look of one boat ramp from another,” said Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez, public art program manager at the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

The fish are intended to be a way to encourage recreational water use on the Jordan River. Plus they are engaging and interesting for walkers, joggers, cyclists and skaters that use the shared-use path paralleling the meandering, slow-running river.

The Jordan River Trail is a north-south system that connects a total of 45 miles through Salt Lake County. The trail further connects to neighboring counties, allowing for travel to Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake. It is a recreational asset located within 15 minutes of about half of Utah’s population.

Many city and county parks and golf courses are located along the parkway, along with numerous boat access ramps.

Currently, the fish are on display at the following places: Riverview Trailhead (1835 N. Redwood Road) contains 11 sculptures; Gadsby Trailhead (1223 W. North Temple) contains six sculptures; Fisher Mansion (1206 W. 200 South) contains three sculptures; and Glendale Park (1700 South and approximately 1100 West) contains five sculptures.

At this time there are no plans to install the “wayfinding” fish at other boat ramps but, “the hope is that other cities connected by the Jordan River Trail will commission their own public art,” said Olmedo-Gonzalez. “Continuation of the installation would be a great way to visually connect all the ramps along the river.”

Jordan River Current was created by Colette Hosmer, a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based artist who is celebrated for her large-scale outdoor sculptures and environmental installations. According to the Salt Lake City Arts Council, Hosmer is pleased to connect the natural environment of the Jordan River Trail system with all users of the trail.

Jou r nals

The West Valley Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout Cottonwood Heights.

For information about distribution please email hello@thecityjournals.com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent 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.

“I have placed a half-dozen, site-specific, large-scale environmental works across the world, created to exist with bodies of water,”

Hosmer said. “And now, Salt Lake has given me the rare opportunity to work with a major tributary—the historic Jordan River.” l

PUBLISHER

Bryan Scott | bryan.s@thecityjournals.com

EDITOR

Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com

ADVERTISING

Mieka Sawatzki | mieka.s@thecityjournals.com

Jason Corbridge | jason.c@thecityjournals.com

Ryan Casper | ryan.c@thecityjournals.com

Kayla Palmer | kayla.p@thecityjournals.com

Two kayakers enjoy the morning. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

Connect social media

CIRCULATION

Lydia

A biker ponders the Jordan River while standing next to the green fish wayfinding marker, affectionately named Decrayvion by fourth-grade students at Poplar Grove Elementary. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

The blue fish, affectionately named Bean Cheleen, marks the boat ramp at the yet-to-be-constructed Glendale Park at 1700 S. 1100 West. (Ella Joy Olsen/ City Journals)

Hunter High’s graduating classes of the early 1990’s to hold reunion

Step back to the early 1990s for a moment.

There was the music that topped the Billboard charts—Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men and Sir Mix-a-Lot. Overalls and scrunchies were in style for girls. George H.W. Bush made way for Bill Clinton in the White House. O.J. Simpson gained global notoriety. The TV sitcom “Saved by the Bell” captured the lives of a group of high school students. And people were becoming familiar with something called the internet.

It also marked the first few years of the existence of Hunter High School in West Valley City, which opened in 1990.

On Aug. 12, the graduating classes of 1991 through 1995 will hold their 30-year (or thereabouts for some) reunion.

The gathering dubbed “The First Five Years: The Classes That Started it All” is a chance for graduating Wolverines of that period to reconnect, reminisce and continue to forge friendships.

“Friends, football games, basketball games, going to Hardee’s after games,” recalled 1993 grad Brandy Daniels, one of the reunion organizers, of her high school experience.

“I remember high school being (about) friends,” she added. “Even in the summer, you woke up and it was ‘what are we doing today?’”

She maintains friendships with many of her classmates even today. “We’ve seen chil-

By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

dren and deaths, husbands and new wives, exwives and ex-husbands. Some of us have had more turmoil than others, but we’re still here.”

Another Hunter High graduate of 1993 is David Gatti. He hasn’t strayed far since then. He has been a school administrator in the Granite School district and today is its transportation director.

With Hunter High School being new, Gatti said it assembled a student body from kids who had previously or would have gone to other nearby schools. “You have all these kids walking around Hunter wearing Kearns jackets and Granger jackets. We quickly put all that behind us and we were just such a tight group. We loved each other,” he remembered.

Then there’s the advent of social media, something that was still about 10 or 15 years away when those early Wolverines were roaming the halls of the new Hunter High.

Gatti said that one of the positive changes among today’s students from those of his time is that contemporary high schoolers might be more connected after their commencement, thanks to Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. In his day, “you kind of knew you’re not going to see a lot of those people anymore” which made graduation a more emotional event. With social media, today’s graduates can know the details of their classmates' lives and whereabouts long after high school. “The

consequences of graduation are minimized in today’s world because of the connected nature of the world,” Gatti said.

Tally Burke earned her diploma in 1994. “I’m astonished that it’s been almost 30 years,” she said. She now has nieces currently attending and about to attend Hunter. “Hunter changed the landscape of West Valley so much. It was almost like the first thing” on the west side of the city, Burke said. “Then everything started happening around it,” she said, noting the residential and commercial development that took off in the 1990s and continues today.

The West Valley City native wasn’t sure what to think about the budding internet as she finished up at Hunter. “We sort of knew, they talked about it, it was like how is that possible? That’s now how things are going to be,” she said.

People can change a lot over three decades, but she hopes that doesn’t keep graduates from 1991 through 1995 from wanting to come to the reunion. “Some people are either scared to go see people after 30 years because of weight or whatever but hopefully we’ve gotten past that and we can come together and see people that we haven’t for a long time,” Burke said. “I’m very excited.”

Hunter High School’s 1991-95 class reunion will be held Aug. 12, 6 p.m. to midnight at Redemption Bar & Grill, 3517 W. Ma-

radona Drive in Herriman. Cost is $20 per person.

For more information: Tally Burke, taburke17@gmail.com or Brandy Daniels, bdaniels1975@gmail.com. l

Granite School Board approves $4-an-hour increase for Educational Support Professionals

Anunprecedented settlement agreement between the Granite Education Association and the Granite Education Support Professional Association will increase compensation for contract and hourly Educational Support Professionals in the district.

Bus drivers, custodians, paraprofessionals, nutrition services workers, and more will receive a $4-an-hour wage increase for the upcoming school year.

“We fully recognize that this employee group is critical in our ability to provide quality educational services for students and providing support to our licensed and administrative colleagues,” said Granite School District Chief of Staff Benjamin Horsley, in a media release.

With the onset of the pandemic, many ESP and hourly positions have been difficult to fill given competing compensations from the private sector and labor shortages in the local economy. District officials hope the increase will help retain and attract quality employees to Granite schools. Food services staffing had dozens of openings throughout the year and more than 30 custodial and

maintenance positions, and more than 50 aide positions, remain unfilled.

The settlement also includes no increases in health plan premium costs for benefited employees, to help keep more money in employees’ pockets.

The budget for the upcoming school year was adopted at this meeting and includes a proposal for a small tax increase to help pay for these increases. This will require the board to go through the process of truth in taxation with an additional public hearing in August. The proposed increase is anticipated to be $73 a year on an average home within the district.

“The board and administration take their fiscal responsibility very seriously with the full understanding of the potential impact on our taxpayers,” Horsley said.

“The district is committed to providing the highest quality of educational opportunities and with over 90% of our operations budget going toward personnel, providing competitive compensation in these hard to fill positions will help us achieve better quality educational outcomes for our students and families.” l

Tally Burke was one of the early graduates of Hunter High School, which opened in 1990. She was a member of the class of 1994. (Courtesy Tally Burke)

Bus drivers will among those receiving a $4-an-hour wage increase along with custodians, paraprofessionals, nutrition services workers and more. (File photo courtesy Granite School District)

West Valley house transformed as part of Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon

Thirty-six homes got a fresh makeover in June as part of the Zions Bank annual Paint-a-Thon.

One of those homes was in West Valley City for Brenda and Ernie Flynn. More than 100 volunteers— including local bank employees and their family members— transformed the West Valley home with a new yellow paint, white trim and red door. two-toned paint. Volunteers also painted the garage and freshened up the yard.

“Paint-a-Thon has become a cherished annual tradition as we help our neighbors spruce up their homes and yards,” said Zions employee and Paint-a-Thon team captain Tiffany King-Clark. “As Zions Bank marks its 150th anniversary this year, serving our communities remains central to who we are as a bank.”

Along with beautifying neighborhoods, the Paint-a-Thon project aims to help older adults, people with disabilities and veteran homeowners take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. Throughout the week, more than 2,200 volunteers are volunteering to clean, scrape and paint homes in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

In addition to painting, Zions employees provide yard cleanup, pruning, mowing, planting and minor repairs as needed by

homeowners. The cost for paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank. Dinner for West Valley City volunteers was donated by Chick-fil-A.

The average age of this year’s homeowner is 76, with an average yearly income of $31,600. Projects completed during the annual week-long event were selected with the assistance of nominations from the public, state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches. l

Emily Lewis joins Granger Medical Clinic after working in the Newborn ICU at the University of Utah. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, she has now settled in Salt Lake City with her husband. Emily went to Brigham Young University and received her Bachelor’s in Nursing in 2014. She began her nursing career at LDS Hospital in Inpatient Psychiatry. She then worked for several years in the Emergency Department and then spent some time working as a school nurse. This is where she learned her love for pediatrics. In order to gain more experience, she worked at the University of Utah Newborn ICU. She decided to further her career and attended graduate school at Westminster College. In May of 2022, she graduated with her Master’s in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner. With her diverse past medical experience, she is thrilled to become a Pediatric Primary Care Provider.

Zions Bank employees paint a West Valley City home during Zions Bank’s annual Paint-a-Thon. (Photo courtesy Zions Bank)

Volunteers paint the West Valley City home of Brenda and Ernie Flynn during Zions Bank’s annual Paint-aThon service project, which took place from June 12-16. (Photo courtesy Zions Bank)

Photo: Don Polo Photography

West Valley fifth and sixth graders experienced their dream careers at Imagine U Day

Students from Whittier Elementary, Hunter Elementary and Hillside Elementary in West Valley City took part in a pilot program with University of Utah Health and University Neighborhood on May 24. The fifth and sixth graders visited the university campus for Imagine U Day, a program that demonstrates a secondary education is obtainable when students follow their passions.

These West Valley elementary schools have a minority majority student population, with close to 47% of students identifying as Hispanic or Latino. During weeks before the event, students wrote essays on what they would like to be when they grow up.

Once on campus, they separated into groups to participate in activities including a mock trial at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, examining art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, a prototyping activity at the David Eccles School of Business, working in a medical simulation lab at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and interacting with University of Utah student-athletes

The multi-year initiative will facilitate engagement and build lasting partnerships with principals, parents and students at the community schools near the newly proposed U of U Health medical care campus in West Valley City. l

Students from West Valley visited the University of Utah’s athletics facilities, including soccer, basketball, strength and conditioning. They engaged in sports activities and interacted with University of Utah student-athletes.

West Valley fifth and sixth graders visited the University of Utah campus for Imagine U Day, a program that demonstrates that a secondary education is obtainable when students follow their passions.

Carr ying a legacy.

And a new name.

Jordan Valley Medical Center - West Valley is now Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley West. We're honoring our namesake and honored to care for our community. Find us at five Holy Cross Hospital locations and more than 45 clinics along the Wasatch Front.

Holy Cross Hospital

Jordan Valley West

Formerly Jordan Valley Medical Center - West Valley

O2 Utah promotes cleaner air through elections and policy

House Bill 220, constructed and proposed by environmental nonprofit O2 Utah, passed unanimously in both chambers and was signed into law on March 14 with sponsorship from Sen. Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Andrew Stoddard, developing legislation to begin reducing the unfettered dumping of toxic halogens into our airshed.

O2 Utah’s mission is to “clean our state’s air and eliminate our contributions to climate change through elections and policy,” according to their website.

“I thought we needed an organization that followed a three-step plan,” said David Garbett, the director and founder of O2 Utah. “Step one, getting involved in elections; two, building relationships with policymakers; and three, giving them policy.”

Once an attorney with public lands groups, Garbett’s legal focus centered on air quality. “I didn’t see anybody putting forward a plan that said follow these steps if we want to get clean air,” Garbett said. “Before was a lot of telling legislators to do better, but not telling them how to do better.” Thus, the genesis of O2 Utah.

“I think that campaigns are really where policy starts, it’s the best opportunity for us to start influencing decision makers and helping build relationships,” Garbett said.

Although a nonprofit, O2 Utah is also a 501(c)(4), an organization that can endorse candidates, campaign and make donations. The organization campaigned to support Cullimore and Stoddard during their reelection in 2022, communicating with voters that these two candidates were going to work toward solving air quality issues in Utah. A messaging experiment they ran during that time found that swing voters are 16% more likely to support a pro-air quality candidate.

With legal backgrounds, Garbett and his team of five others have the capacity to write legal proposals that actually have weight, translating science concepts into legislative language and programs. “It’s one thing to have science on paper, but that is not going to get policy itself.”

“It’s a part of our theory that we need to give legislators a roadmap to get clean air, and we call that road map Prosperity 2030,” Garbett said. This “northstar” of theirs aims to cut emissions by 50% along the Wasatch Front by 2030. Those emissions reduced from the three main local polluters they’ve identified: transportation, homes and buildings and industrial sources.

HB 220 is one section working toward Prosperity 2030, focusing solely on industrial sources like halogens released as byproducts, like bromine. The bill conclusively requires the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) to make a recommendation to the legislature on a state halogen emissions limit by the end of 2024. In the meantime, DAQ must set a tech-based standard for bromine and other halogen emissions, requiring companies to use certain tools to limit

By Genevieve Vahl | g.vahl@mycityjournals.com

emissions. DAQ must identify and quantify all industrial sources of halogens. And, halogen emissions must be controlled no later than 2026. This compromised bill quickly passed through the House and Senate floors before Gov. Spencer Cox signed it into law on March 14.

Bromine can be found on the periodic table in the only element group that can exist as solid, liquid and gas. “The main polluter here are particles, sometimes called soot particles, that are typically measured as PM2.5, particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller,” Garbett said. “These are really, really tiny particles that are damaging because if you breathe them in, they cause all kinds of problems.”

These particles come out of tailpipes, smokestacks, vents in homes and buildings. Anytime there is combustion. But that only accounts for 25 to 30% of the particles in the air during bad inversions. The majority of the particles come from chemical reactions that change gasses into these tiny particles. “Because we have that condition where the air is really still and there is sunlight at the top of that inversion, it causes chemical reactions that change gasses into tiny particles. That’s where bromine comes in,” Garbett said.

Combustion adds particulate matter, tiny soot particles, to the air. Combustion also produces gasses, which react in chemical reactions that change those gasses into more particulate matter in the air—a secondary formation. Creating a vicious cycle of reacting in those two ways, where bromine is a hypercharged producer of particulate matter.

“It’s a super reactant that when combining bromine during inversion with gasses that are already in the air, it makes a lot more particles form than you’d have otherwise.” But it’s not something the state nor the EPA have previously regulated.

US Magnesium is the main producer of magnesium in the country, located here because magnesium is extracted from salt deposits, also the only place bromine is found naturally. “It’s either the ocean or the Great Salt Lake,” Garbett said. So when processing these salts to extract magnesium, bromine is a byproduct. “Which they basically have been dumping into the airshed. Finding that it’s making our inversions anywhere from 10 to 25% worse,” Garbett said.

HB 220 evolved as it moved through the House and the Senate, with heavy opposition from industry. They got as far as amending the legislation to a “toothless study bill,” claiming they wanted more information before being sanctioned with limits and restrictions, taking a page from the “big tobacco playbook.” But thanks to the sponsors Cullimore and Stoddard, they amended the bill back to having teeth, successfully passing through the Senate. “Most of the coverage didn’t understand or appreciate that it went from a study to real action demanding bill because of the Senate,” Garbett said. Eventually garnering enough support, the bill passed unanimously in both chambers.

“The legislature took a great step,” Garbett said. “I want to commend them for that, it was a really big deal.”

Garbett and his team at O2 Utah are so adamant about improving the quality of air we breathe because of the capacity at which the poor air impacts our lives so negatively. “The best research says that we’re dying here in Utah two to five years earlier because of our bad air,” Garbett said, “and that has so many different health impacts and is a big drag on our economy.”

From employees calling out sick when the inversion is really bad, asthma flaring up

and needing medical attention, to people dying from heart attacks because the lungs have to work harder that ultimately puts more stress on the heart, the health impacts lead to economic impact, stunting the potential of this place. “Those sorts of impacts add up and it’s estimated to cost our economy, on a conservative estimate, about $2 billion annually.”

“Take US Magnesium for example, one cost of their product should be dealing with the pollution that makes people sick,” Garbett said. “They’re just offloading costs onto the public and that doesn’t get priced into the goods they’re producing.”

Developing science into direct legislative action to begin mitigating these negative impacts on our community in the Salt Lake Valley is exactly O2 Utah’s goals when passing important legislation like HB 220. “We can’t just have unfettered dumping of bromine into the air,” Garbett said.

Now the organization is going to continue following the path of their Prosperity 2030 goal, looking for any and all opportunities to do that.

“To see industry lose on an issue was really exciting. The people won here, clean air won. Thanks to hard work from legislators and sticking with that,” Garbett said. And the work of his small team working to improve the quality of life here in the Salt Lake Valley.

“The most important thing the public does is set priorities. The public doesn’t have to know the science, they don’t have to know the details,” Garbett said. “What they do know is that they hate our dirty air. That’s what should be conveyed to legislators, to help them understand this needs to be a higher priority.”

Clear blue skies up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the fall. (Genevieve Vahl/City Journals)

A view from the foothills overlooking the valley with a layer of inversion looming over. (Genevieve Vahl/ City Journals)

Comcast provides services for those who serve

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Deneiva Knight was 18 years old and only three days out of high school when she reported for basic training with the U.S. Army. Having enlisted during her junior year, she described herself as “fresh-faced and scrawny” with no concept of the struggles and difficulties she would face through the experience.

As her eight weeks of training commenced, she found herself without support of family and friends, learning to trust her body, mind and spirit. She created a lifelong credo that has carried her throughout her life.

“Whatever you do, do it with heart,” Knight said. “During trying times, I dig in and rely on my heart working alongside my blood, sweat and tears to reach any finish line.”

Knight served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1996-2001. Now the external affairs director for the Comcast Mountain West Region, doing work in media relations, government affairs and community impact, Knight is proud to work for a company that supports the military.

Comcast’s dedication to the military community started with its founder, Ralph Roberts, who served a four-year tour-of-duty with the U.S. Navy. Now, the global telecommunications company creates a supportive workplace environment for military employees and offers experiences and discounts for its military customers.

In a new partnership with the Utah Veteran Business Resource Center, Comcast will support several initiatives at the center, including the Startup Training Resources Inspiring Veteran Entrepreneurship program, a free entrepreneurship training program run through Syracuse University in Buffalo, New York.

Rick Brown, Utah VBRC program director, said the partnership with Comcast will bring attention to the STRIVE program and hopefully increase the number of veteran entrepreneurs who participate.

“It benefits us to get the word out to the veterans that their service pays for our services and that we're here to work with them to help start and build their businesses.”

Comcast will also provide essential technology to support hybrid classrooms from St. George to Logan. Working with the Utah VBRC, Comcast will create innovation hubs in central locations so veterans can meet together and learn about building a business. The partnership will also include the creation of a women-only veterans entrepreneurship STRIVE course.

“That's where Comcast’s support is going to come in,” said Becky Guertler, Utah VBRC program manager. “As support for our programs increases, we can reach more veterans and empower them to build lasting economic futures. With Comcast’s support, the Utah VBRC is better positioned to better serve our veterans

BE A MEDICAL HERO!

GILEAD

Treatment for COVID-19 for non-hospitalized people who have tested positive for and have symptoms of COVID. This is a 90-day study for ages 18-65. There are 10 visits total, 7 in person and 3 over the phone. You must also be willing to fill out a questionnaire from day 1 to day 29, and then for day 60 and 90.

CODAGENIX - CHILD RSV STUDY

This is a live vaccine for children ages 2-5 years old. This study is 8 months long, and there are 15 visits total. 10 of these are in-person visits and 5 are over the phone. 2 doses of nose drops are to be administered on day 1 and day 29. Only one child per household can participate, they must not be around children less than 6 months old, pregnant women or be in daycare. Must have been a fullterm birth of 36-42 weeks.

KAN-101-02 - CELIAC DISEASE

This study is for adults 18 - 70 years old who have a Celiac Disease diagnosis either by a positive Celiac serology or biopsy, and you must follow a gluten-free diet for 12 months. There are two parts to this study: Part A and Part B. What part you are assigned to will determine how long the study will be. Part A is 8 weeks with 4 weeks of screening, 7 days for treatment, 3 weeks of follow-up, and 3 IV doses. Part B is 58 weeks, 6 weeks of screening, 7 days for treatment, and 51 weeks of follow-up, also done in 3 IV doses.

and the minority groups within our veteran community.”

Shawn Kessler is the Comcast Mountain West Region’s technical operations director. He joined the U.S. Marine Corp and was hired by Comcast a few years later. During an 18-month-long deployment, Comcast covered the difference between Kessler’s military and Comcast pay, to ease financial stress.

Kessler said he wouldn’t trade his time in the military for anything outside of his family but wouldn’t want to go through boot camp again.

“The military gave me a sense of belonging and proved to myself that I could take on difficult things,” Kessler said. “Comcast’s support of the military is what made Comcast a career for me. While I was deployed, I made less on active duty than I did as a technician, and for over a year, Comcast paid me the difference. I never imagined that a company would do that.”

Since 2015, Comcast has hired more than 19,400 veterans, National Guard and reserve service members, and military spouses. It has donated more than $197 million to military community organizations and, in 2022, “Military Times” recognized Comcast NBCUniversal as the nation’s No. 1 telecommunications company for veterans.

This year, VETS Indexes recognized Comcast Cable as a 5-Star Employer in the 2023 VETS Indexes Employer Awards. The award is a testament to the company’s strong commitment to hiring, retaining, developing and supporting U.S. military veterans and their families. For more information about how Comcast supports veterans, visit corporate.comcast.com/impact/military.

“I am proud to work for Comcast,” Knight said, “a company that not only honors its veterans and military-serving employees but creates opportunities to support us at every angle through its benefits structure, career pathways and community impact initiatives.” l

Since 2015, Comcast has hired more than 19,400 veterans, including Deneiva Knight (left), external affairs director for the Comcast Mountain West Region, and Shawn Kessler, Comcast Mountain West Region’s technical operations director. (Photo courtesy of Comcast)

TheUtah Days of ’47 Rodeo has something to entertain the whole family for as little as $17, plus you have great views of the mountains and downtown Salt Lake City from the Days of ’47 Arena. Come early and experience the FREE Frontier Fun Zone area that will feature shopping and food, pony rides, petting zoo, mechanical bull rides, live music and much more. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. daily with the rodeo starting at 7:30 p.m. sharp.

The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo is one of Utah’s longest-standing traditions – celebrating Utah’s heritage since 1847. The rodeo, and other Days of ’47 events, commemorate the day – July 24, 1847 – when a determined company of Mormon pioneers real-

Let’s Ride Utah

ized their dreams upon entering the Great Salt Valley. The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo is a private, non-profit, volunteer, charitable organization. Our mission is to honor Utah’s pioneer heritage and educate Utah’s kids.

The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City takes pride in setting the Gold Standard in rodeo and in 2023 they will bring that standard to the ranks of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).

The 2023 event will payout an estimated $750,000 and will play an important role in determining Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifiers and eventual world champions. Not only will contestants have

a chance to walk away with a pocket full of cash, but they will get the opportunity to win a gold, silver or bronze medal, a staple at this rodeo since 2017, making it the only Gold Medal Rodeo in the world.

“We are excited to once again partner with the PRCA, WPRA and their members that dream of qualifying for the NFR in Las Vegas each year,” stated Dan Shaw, Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo President & CEO. “It is our hope we can make that dream come true for a number of contestants, while also bringing world class rodeo action to our fans here at the Days of ’47 Arena. July has always been a profitable month for rodeo athletes, and we are honored to now elevate that even more and put Utah on the map among

top paying ProRodeos.”

Beginning in 2023, the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo will be the largest paying professional rodeo in the State of Utah.

The 2023 Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo presented by Zions Bank, is slated for July 19-22, 24 and will take place at the state-of-the-art Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark (155 North, 1000 West), custom designed and built for rodeo. The venue—an outdoor arena located in the heart of Salt Lake City—features over 10,000 stadium-style seats.

For more information on the event and to buy your tickets visit www. utahdaysof47rodeo.com.

to gather in case of an emergency—like an earthquake.

Besides the FEMA money, the Granite School District’s insurance will cover about $37 million of the total price tag of $55 million to put up a new version of West Lake. “FEMA doesn’t replace insurance. It fills in the gaps,” Wilkinson said.

The Division of Emergency Management in the Utah Department of Public Safety is FEMA’s designated recipient agency for the state. Disaster funds awarded to Utah under a presidential declaration are channeled through the division to state

and local entities to provide assistance following natural and other types of disasters.

As of June, the new West Lake was about half way toward completion. It is scheduled to be done in time for the start of the school year in August 2024.

West Lake is in temporary quarters at Westbrook Elementary School in Taylorsville. That facility will close permanently after West Lake departs due to an earlier decision by the school board to shutter it because of declining enrollment. l

R.C. Landingham captured the 2022 Gold Medal in the bareback riding. Photos by Ric Andersen.

Continued from front page

WATCH YOUR RATE VANISHwith on-time payments

Auto loans that defy inflation

Market rates may be on the rise, but with an auto loan from Granite, no need to worry! You get rewarded just for making ontime payments. Yup, you read that right. Every 3 months that you make on-time payments, you earn a rate discount. No enrollment necessary, just pay on time and your rate keeps getting better. So, whether you’re going to work, taking a road trip, off-roading, or whatever fun you have planned, you can watch your rate vanish. Granite is always there... so you can make life happen.

Kindergarten Signing Day at Whittier STEAM Elementary

Just like high school athletes commit to the college of their choice, the 202324 kindergarten class at Whittier STEAM Elementary in West Valley City (3585 S. 6000 West) were invited to a Signing Day “press conference.”

The students pledged their desire

to become Whittier Falcons by signing a letter of intent, receiving swag from the school and Granite School District, meeting with the school’s kindergarten teachers and shaking hands with Granite Superintendent Rich Nye and Whittier Principal Jennifer Bodell. l

Incoming 2023-24 kindergartners were welcomed as Whittier Falcons during a Signing Day at Whittier STEAM Elementary. The students signed letters of intent and were welcomed by (front left) Granite Superintendent Rich Nye and (front right) Whittier Principal Jennifer Bodell. Kindergartners also met (from back left) Granite Board Member Kris Nguyen, Whittier kindergarten teachers Laura Atkinson and Madi McLane, and the Whittier school mascot, Flash. (Photos courtesy of Granite School District)

Utah Supreme Court project will give people access to free legal advice on housing issues

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Asevictions and landlord-tenant disputes increase, the Utah Supreme Court is stepping in with what it hopes will be a solution.

The Court’s Office of Legal Services Innovation, in partnership with Innovation 4 Justice, announced a groundbreaking project. The Housing Stability Legal Advocate Pilot Program will train and certify nonlawyers working within community-based organizations to help bridge the gap in access to justice for vulnerable populations.

“We have so many unrepresented tenants in our court system right now,” said Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen. “When an eviction case is filed, generally the landlord is almost always represented and the tenant is almost always not represented. We have a lot of lawyers offering pro bono services for those tenants. The number of tenants in the system is staggering.”

Social workers trained as HSLAs will be able to provide legal advice to tenants who are facing eviction or other housing instability issues. The program is designed for early intervention to keep tenants out of the court system. Housing advocates will also help people who have been evicted to find housing assistance, get the eviction off their credit report after seven years and explain the financial ramifications of eviction.

Many attorneys provide free legal advice and services for those struggling with housing instability and legal aid clinics are available for those who qualify, but the need still outweighs the availability of these services.

The HSLA Pilot Program will focus on four key areas: detect housing instability issues as people receive services at community-based organizations, provide legal advice before housing issues move into the court system, offer legal assistance for post-judgment procedures and give legal advice related to other state and federal assistance programs.

“The idea was to test different ways to deliver legal services to people who currently aren’t being served with a lawyer. We know

about 86% of families experience at least one legal issue a year and most of those never get any legal advice,” Hagen said. “This is difficult for clients who really need some type of help and really can’t afford to hire a lawyer to get the assistance they need.”

Several years ago, the Court authorized a Paralegal Practitioner License where paralegals could offer limited legal services involving debt, family and housing issues. The HSLA is another attempt to reach people who need legal assistance who might not have the financial means to hire an attorney.

Under the Utah constitution, the Court has exclusive authority to regulate the practice of law. Its responsibility is to decide who’s admitted to the practice of law, who can become lawyers, and to regulate those people to make sure they’re maintaining high ethical standards.

In 2020, the Court established a regulatory sandbox for nontraditional legal services providers. The sandbox allows individuals and entities to devise innovative practices that relax the rules around who can practice law, without creating undo harm.

“The sandbox is an experiment to see if perhaps our own rules are contributing to the access to justice gap in Utah. To see if the reason people are having a difficult time getting legal resources is because our rules are too restrictive,” Hagen said. “In the sandbox we are gathering a lot of data and we’re using that to determine what works and what doesn’t so we can make better policy decisions in the future.”

The HSLA program is about six months out, but then community-based organizations can begin the certification process to get authorized. Organizations that can certify include homeless and domestic violence shelters, faithbased programs or most programs that serve low-income individuals.

For more information, visit innovation4justice.org.

“We’re really hoping this can help people before they face a legal issue in court,” Hagen said. “The degree in which people are affected by housing problems can’t be overstated.” l

Larkin Mortuary is one of the most respected funeral homes in the Salt Lake Valley. Its pioneer founder, George William Larkin, arrived in Utah in 1863, having emigrated from Cambridge, England. He started the Larkin tradition of arranging funerals in 1885. Today, with six generations of history serving Utah families, four mortuaries, cremation facilities and two cemeteries, Larkin Mortuary remains locally owned and family managed.

Larkin’s vertically integrated services also provide a premier floral shop, monument, urn and vault manufacturing facilities, and beautiful memorial meeting and luncheon facilities. Multilingual staff honor and facilitate important traditions of many cultures.

The Utah Supreme Court will roll out the Housing Stability Legal Advocate Pilot Program to help tenants access free legal advice for housing instability issues like foreclosure and eviction. (Stock photo)

Signs of the times

Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

Travel the streets of West Valley City and you may notice that the city has a mixed identity when it comes to street name signs.

For years since West Valley City was incorporated in 1980, green signs with white lettering stood tall on corners to tell drivers and pedestrians where they were. Then about a decade ago, black signs with white characters and the city’s “Unity, Pride, Progress” logo began popping up. But they did not entirely replace the green signs, many of which still stand today. Often the black signs replaced their green predecessors that were damaged or whose readability and reflectivity had succumbed to time and weather over the years.

A few intersections around the city have lately sported slightly larger and bolder white signs with black lettering and the city logo. It’s expected that once the new design is approved by the city council—which is expected—the new black-on-white signs will replace all previous signs numbering several thousand at a cost West Valley City manager Wayne Pyle estimates at about $750,000.

The new signs will be made by a third-party company. “The only question becomes how fast will (the new signs) get deployed in replacing the whole city,” he added.

The look and size of street name signs are not entirely up to the creative liberties of cities and towns. The federal government has a big say in their appearance by way of the Department of Transportation’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (11th edition in case you’re wondering). It regulates the look, visibility, dimensions, placement and other engineering standards of a slew of different types of signs that help motorists navigate America’s streets, roads, and highways. The black background signs in West Valley City, however, do not meet some of those standards, including their visibility at night. “The new black lettering on the white background is compliant,” Pyle said.

“It’s not any kind of a ‘we have to do it right now’ sort of thing,” Pyle concluded. “It just would make the city look a whole lot better if it was uniform.” l

White street name signs with black letters and numbers will eventually replace the two previous styles on West Valley City street corners. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

Council pumps brakes on public comment restriction after community feedback

By Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com

Public comment will be welcomed at every West Valley City Council meeting, though that almost changed in early June after the council considered only allowing public comment during the first meeting of each month.

Typically every council meeting has a public comment portion—for up to 30 minutes—early on which allows residents to speak about whatever they like for five minutes. The council recently amended city code which limited that time to three minutes. Many cities around the valley allow public comment each week at three minutes per person.

In May, one resident who spoke continued to shout comments from the audience after sitting down, prompting him to be escorted out. As a result, the council looked for ways to prevent such action from happening again.

Initially, the council was to consider a change that would allow public comment only during the first meeting of the month with three minutes allotted to each person that wished to speak rather than the typical five minutes. But the notion received pushback from residents in the next meeting during the same public comment section that would be removed if this change was approved.

“I understand the need to keep the time brief,” resident Terri Mills told the council. “But I don’t like the idea of limiting it to once a month. People’s lives are busy and you restrict them so greatly on being able to be a part of this process if you don’t open up your meetings and allow more opportunity for the residents to be heard.”

Another resident, Karen Layton, said this change shouldn’t be made based on the actions of one individual referencing the First Amendment for their right to be heard.

“We have the opportunity to address our grievances to you, when you shut out the public, we don’t have a voice,” she said.

The council altered course choosing to allow public comment in each meeting, but stayed with the three minute time limit.

The public can also speak on certain items designated as “public hearings.” The council’s unanimous vote also limited those who speak during public hearings to five minutes total per person.

Other than those public hearings, the city isn’t actually legally required to have a public comment section of its meeting, but most cities still have it. As they should, one resident said.

“Consent of the governed is very important,” said Quinn Kotter. l

One resident speaks during a public hearing at a West Valley City Council meeting in 2017. (File photo City Journals)

Residents speak during a West Valley City Council meeting. (Screenshot)

Student-led campaign to bring golden spike to Utah gains speed

Theeffort to bring the golden spike that marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad in Utah back to the state has moved a little farther down the track.

By the end of May, fourth-grade students at the Granite School District’s Armstrong Academy in West Valley City had received more than 1,000 letters submitted online, by mail and email supporting the return to Utah of the golden spike along with the silver spike and the silver maul used to drive the spikes into the ground on May 10, 1869.

“The support we have received throughout the campaign from day one has been astounding,” said teacher David Pendleton, whose class launched the effort six weeks earlier. “It really struck a chord with people around the state and around the country. That’s something I didn’t expect.”

“I thought we were only going to get like a 100, maybe 200 (letters),” said fourth-grader Elias Vave.

Local broadcasters and a public relations firm hopped aboard the golden spike cause by donating air time and marketing expertise to help spread the word.

“They walked us through it step-by-step and let us know what we needed to do,” Pendleton said.

Pendleton said that while many of the

By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

messages were sent by Utahns, others came from throughout the West and as far away as New York thanks to some national media coverage. A couple from Spain even wrote a letter of support while they were visiting Utah.

Some examples of letters written included one from Tommy T. of Utah who wrote, “I’m proud of where I live. I’m proud of our history, our commitment to family and industry, and our hunger for progress. I would love to bring these treasures so I can share this history with my children. I sincerely hope you’ll send these to Utah on a long-term loan so we can embrace such a golden moment in our state’s history.”

From New York, Jayda-Jynx G. wrote: “I do believe this is an important, and very much valued artifact, and should be returned and displayed in the Museum of Utah, even if it is just a loan.”

Pendleton and his students announced the campaign dubbed “Spikes2Utah” back in midApril to seek the support of fellow students and the general public across Utah and beyond to convince the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California to return the golden spike and its companion artifacts to Utah. They have resided at the museum for decades, in part because Stanford University’s founder, industrialist Leland Stanford, was president of Central Pacific Railroad Company,

which built the western half of the transcontinental line from the Bay Area to Promontory Summit in Box Elder County. Union Pacific Railroad constructed the eastern portion.

If and when the Cantor Arts Center agrees to a temporary loan or permanently hands over the golden and silver spikes and maul, they will be displayed at a new Utah history muse-

um to be built as part of a larger multipurpose state building slated for completion in 2026 just north of the capitol. Tim Glenn is director of that under-construction museum. “We’ll submit a letter (to Cantor) citing that we’re interested in exhibiting the spikes,” he said. “There’s a formality in the museum world that we’ll follow.” l

Students at Armstrong Academy in West Valley City celebrate receiving more than 1,000 letters in support of returning the transcontinental railroad golden spike from California to Utah. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

House of Hope provides a home and hope for women in need

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

Attimes it can feel like the unhoused population is growing faster than housing can keep up, but the Salt Lake County Division of Behavioral Health Services works very diligently to provide a network of care focused on helping individuals and communities in need.

The division’s fiscal year 2024 plan was recently presented to the Salt Lake County Council, where the council considered current and future programming and housing.

“Housing is healthcare,” said Jeannie Edens, associate director at Behavioral Health Services. “In an evaluation comparing patients who were receiving the same treatment, we saw a decrease in recidivism in those [individuals] that were housed. But for those who were unhoused, we actually saw an increase in recidivism in our jails. We know how critical housing is to help these folks.”

There are scattered (and many) housing facilities located throughout the county, situated to minimize the impact on any one neighborhood, and several new facilities are coming online this year to help house vulnerable populations, populations comprised of individuals affected by mental health issues, substance abuse issues or a combination of the both.

One of the most recent additions to the stock of housing is the Amaryllis House, one location of House of Hope, a nonprofit which operates eight facilities, seven in SLC and one in Provo. Amaryllis is a sober-living recovery house for up to 14 women who’ve completed substance abuse treatment, and who need help transitioning back into productive society.

“It is named for the amaryllis flower which grows from a bulb containing everything needed to bloom. With just a little nurturing from people, this house serves women who are in a position to rebuild their lives,” said Lisa Heaton, executive director of House of Hope.

The mansion was built in 1898, and served as a private home for the Walter C. and Alice Lyne family (drugstore owners and wool brokers) and their descendants un-

Continued from front page

til 1941. It served as a boarding house for the First Step House program for men for two decades and an optometrist’s office before being abandoned in the late 1970s. In 1981, it was renovated into the Brigham Street Inn and then used as a facility of Ronald McDonald House Charities, providing housing for sick children and their families.

Within the refurbished historic walls of the Amaryllis, there are house rules, a curfew and wraparound services to help with the transition. The care utilizes compassion and peer-based support. Many of the women are employed, going about their daily business, simply calling Amaryllis their home.

Though the first few months of rent are prepaid to give each woman time to start working and saving money, eventually they will pay part of the rent, which will increase each month. Residents will likely live in the facility six months or more, and eventually, once licensing is secured, the Amaryllis will allow children up to age 8 to live with their

to gather in case of an emergency—like an earthquake.

Besides the FEMA money, the Granite School District’s insurance will cover about $37 million of the total price tag of $55 million to put up a new version of West Lake. “FEMA doesn’t replace insurance. It fills in the gaps,” Wilkinson said.

The Division of Emergency Management in the Utah Department of Public Safety is FEMA’s designated recipient agency for the state. Disaster funds awarded to Utah under a presidential declaration are channeled through the division to state and local

mothers in residence.

Founded in 1946 and formerly known as The Utah Alcoholism Foundation (UAF), House of Hope is the oldest provider of alcohol and chemical dependency treatment services in Utah providing a continuum of residential, day treatment, outpatient, and aftercare services throughout the state. House of Hope is just one of many residential sober-living providers located in the state, and the Amaryllis house, just one location.

“It is important to stratify [housing] across the system, rather in one center block, which can be hard to manage for the community,” said Seth Teague, performance and data analyst with Behavioral Health Services.

As such, there thousands of beds serving a variety of behavioral health patients statewide, which includes over 300 units of sober-living in Salt Lake County, units like those found at the Amaryllis. l

entities to provide assistance following natural and other types of disasters.

As of June, the new West Lake was about half way toward completion. It is scheduled to be done in time for the start of the school year in August 2024.

West Lake is in temporary quarters at Westbrook Elementary School in Taylorsville. That facility will close permanently after West Lake departs due to an earlier decision by the school board to shutter it because of declining enrollment. l

The latest House of Hope facility was inspired by, and named after, the amaryllis flower, which grows from a bulb that contains everything the flower needs to bloom. (Photo courtesy of House of Hope)

Make the farmers market your regular grocery outing

By Genevieve Vahl | g.vahl@mycityjournals.com

FARMERS MARKET CALENDAR

SUNDAY

Wheeler Sunday Market *

@ Wheeler Historic Farm, Murray

May 21 - Oct. 15 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

9th West Farmers Market

@ 1060 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City

June 13 - Oct. 10 | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

MONDAY

Herriman Farmers Market *

@ J. Lynn Crane Park, Herriman

June 5 - Oct. 9 | 5 - 9 p.m.

Springville Farmers Market *

@ Springville Civic Center, Springville

July 3 - Oct. 30

July - Sept., 5 - 9 p.m.

October, 5 - 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

West Jordan Community Market

@ Ron Wood Park North parking lot, West Jordan

Second Tuesday of each month, June 13 - Sept. 12

July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12 | 5 - 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

New Roots Redwood Farmers Market *

@ Redwood Farm, West Valley City

June 21 - Oct. 18 | 4:30 – 7 p.m.

Park City Farmers Market

@ Canyons Resort Lower Level parking lot

June 7 - Oct. 18 | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Orem Farmers Market *

@ Orem City Center Park, Orem

July 5 - Oct. 25

July - Sept., 5 - 9 p.m.

Oct. 5 - 8 p.m.

VA Medical Center Farmers Market

@ VA Medical Center, Building 8, Salt Lake City

Aug. 2 - Sept. 6 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

THURSDAY

Bountiful Farmers Market *

@ Bountiful Town Square, Bountiful

June 15 - Oct. 12 | 4 p.m. - dusk

West Valley Farmers Market *

@ Centennial Park, West Valley City

June 22 - Oct. 5 | 5 - 9 p.m.

Lindon Farmers Market *

@ Lindon City Center Park, Lindon

July 6 – Oct. 26

July - September, 5 - 9 p.m.

October, 5 - 8 p.m.

Liberty Park Farmers Market

@ Liberty Park, Salt Lake City

June 16 - Sept. 22 | 4 p.m. - dusk

FRIDAY

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Market at Murray Park *

@ Murray Park, Murray

July 28 - Oct. 28 | 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

SATURDAY

Downtown Farmers Market *

@ Pioneer Park, Salt Lake City

June 3 - Oct. 21 | 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunnyvale Farmers Market *

@ Sunnyvale Park, Salt Lake City

June 17 – Oct. 14 | 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Daybreak Farmers Market *

@ 11247 S. Kestrel Rise Road, South Jordan

June 10 - Oct. 14 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(Oct. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.)

Provo Farmers Market *

@ Pioneer Park, Provo

June 3 - Oct. 28 | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Farmers Market Ogden *

@ Union Station on Historic 25th Street, Ogden

May 27 - Sept. 9 | 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Market at Murray Park *

@ Murray Park, Murray

July 28 - Oct. 28 | 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Market at South Jordan *

@ 1600 Towne Center Drive, South Jordan

Aug. 5 - Oct. 14 | 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Midway Farmers Market

@ Midway Town Square, Midway

June - October | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Spanish Fork Farmers Market *

@ 775 W. Center St., Spanish Fork

Last Saturday in July - last Saturday in October 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Eagle Mountain Farmers Market *

@ Cory B. Wride Memorial Park, Eagle Mountain June 10 - Sept. | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Draper City’s Farmers Market *

@ Ballard Arena, Draper June 17 - Oct. 14 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

* Signify the markets or markets with vendors accepting SNAP EBT benefits

As summer is finally launching into full swing, so are the countless farmers markets providing farm fresh, local foods and goods to the Salt Lake Valley. They offer ways to support the local farmers, local economy and engage in practices much more sustainable than the industrial scale food system the country has become reliant on.

“Farming enables us to connect with the infinite ecological processes that keep us alive,” said Alexandra Parvaz, the farm co-manager of Keep It Real Vegetables out of Murray. “Farmers markets are just one out of many creative solutions to create a thriving and vibrant local food system.”

The weekly events begin to break down the degree of separation between the consumer and where their food comes from, creating

a space where consumers and producers can interact on a personal level, building community to support one another.

“As much as two-thirds of total revenue comes from the market,” said Jacob Meltzer, a farm hand at Keep It Real Vegetables. As their primary source of income, markets offer farmers an opportunity to make a living from their goods.

Yet our food system has come to place little value in those producing the very thing life is predicated on. “It is a very disheartening reality that farmers and people that grow food are not paid livable wages,” Parvaz said. “I think farmers markets illuminate the possibility for these conversations to be held so that as a community, we can push towards more just food systems. Ultimately reprioritizing

An assortment of cauliflower types and colors. (Genevieve Vahl/City Journals)

Beautiful bouquets of freshly cut flowers. (Genevieve Vahl/City Journals)

Carrot bundles in plethora. (Genevieve Vahl/City Journals)

Some fresh blackberries and eggs at a farm stand. (Genevieve Vahl/City Journals)

what we’re investing in.”

Like how SNAP EBT benefits have been incorporated into the structure of farmers markets, offering people of all income levels the access to fresh, local food. With a SNAP EBT Horizon card, you can exchange a desired amount of money on the card to tokens usable at the markets to purchase eligible items like fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, fish, poultry, breads, dairy, maple syrup, pickled goods, jam, honey, dressings, cider, seeds and nonhot foods. SNAP does not cover purchases of wine, beer, liquor, cigarettes, tobacco or any hot food to be eaten at the market. Double Up Food Bucks is an additional program that matches SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar up to $30 per market day at participating markets, meaning folks could get an additional $30 of free Utah-grown fruits and vegetables per market day with their SNAP EBT Horizon card.

“You can cash in your food stamps and it’s matched by a grant so even people who are low-income can get really high quality food,” said Tyler Montague, owner and operator of Keep it Real Vegetables. But what you don’t know you don’t know so, “it’s a matter of letting more people know about that,” Meltzer said.

While benefiting both the farmer and consumer, shopping at the farmers markets also benefits the earth in numerous ways. “It’s less miles for your food to travel than shopping in the grocery store,” Montague said. “The more you shop local, the less packaging, the less travel, the fresher the food, the less energy spent refrigerating and transporting it.”

“We’re all for better, more improved use of urban spaces to grow food,” Parvaz said. “Not only can we get more food to be accessible, but we can also address a lot of troubling social and environmental problems associated with food that isn’t grown locally and isn’t that accessible.” By avoiding things like industrial pesticides and fertilizers that create separation from a land ethic.

Although the food at the farmers market is arguably slightly more expensive, “the quality of the freshness is unmatched,” Montague said. “And there’s a lot of things at the farmers markets that you can’t get in stores. It’s part of a healthy food economy and it’s the best place to go grocery shopping.”

It gives these farmers faith when seeing people with their grocery totes, making their rounds, filling their bags as if they were shopping at the grocery store. “When you’re at the farmers market running errands with intent on filling up your fridge, that can really take it to the next level,” Meltzer said.

So the next time you are in need of a kitchen restock, consider shopping at one of the many farmers markets happening around the valley. Here is a list of the farmers markets happening, at least one each day of the week, to begin making the farmers market your grocery store. l

Primary Children’s Hospital celebrates first-ever two-time living organ donor

Two-year-old

Eva has shown her liver transplant scar to many grown-ups, but none were as special as the living donor who made history at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and saved Eva’s life.

Kate is the first person in Utah to become a two-organ living donor. The 37-year-old mother is among the 155 people nationwide who have donated both a kidney and part of their liver to save the lives of others.

After donating a kidney to a woman she met while working in the Washington, D.C., area, Kate then gave part of her liver to Eva, who at the time was a total stranger.

“I’m very happy that I did it,” Kate said after meeting Eva. “She’s super cute and silly, and exactly the way a 2-year-old should be.”

Living-donor liver transplants occur when a portion of a living person’s liver is removed and surgically placed into another person whose liver no longer works properly. After surgery, the donor’s liver regenerates to its regular size within about two months. In the recipient, the transplanted liver grows to fit his or her body and functions as a healthy liver.

“Living-donor liver transplants not only significantly increase the number of available organs for children waiting for a transplant, but they also reduce the waiting time for children who urgently require a liver transplant, saving their lives,” said Cecile Aguayo, pediatric transplant services director at Primary Children’s. “Moreover, the use of living donors also enables the transplant to be performed before the child’s condition deteriorates, resulting in better outcomes and quality of life post-transplant.”

Primary Children’s has been a national leader in living-donor liver transplants since 1997, when it became the first center in Utah to successfully perform the procedure. At that time, Primary Children’s was among few pediatric hospitals in the country that had saved a child through living-donor liver transplantation.

Since 1997, 42 living-donor liver transplants have taken place at the hospital which also has the largest liver and disease transplantation program in the Intermountain West and serves patients from all over the world. For information on becoming a living organ donor for a child, visit primarychildrens.org.

After donating a kidney in Washington, D.C., Kate moved to Utah where she contacted Primary Children’s and offered to donate part of her liver to help a child in need. Eva was the recipient. She had been treated for biliary atresia since she was two months old.

“It was nine months of waiting [for a matching liver donor],” said Eva’s mom, Alyssa Anderson. “Without intervention, her liver would have failed, and she would have died. Most kids with this disease years ago wouldn’t have even lived to see their first birthday.”

Around the time she turned 1, Eva received part of Kate’s liver. After a year of healing, Eva’s liver transplant team arranged for Eva and her parents to meet Kate at Primary Children’s.

“I was kind of star-struck,” Anderson said of meeting Kate. “I said, ‘You’re a real person, you’re normal, and you’re just like me.’ She’s a

mom, just like me.”

“It’s a wonderful experience to help someone, even in general. Like when you open the door for someone, they’re just really happy about it…and it makes your day to help,” Kate said. “So, imagine the opportunity to donate and

save someone’s life.”

Anderson said she hopes to follow Kate’s example someday and pay it forward to another family. “You don’t know how much it means to the people you’re saving.” l

Around the time of her first birthday, Eva received part of Kate’s liver. After a year of healing, Eva’s liver transplant team arranged for Eva and her parents to meet Kate at Primary Children’s Hospital. (Photos courtesy of Intermountain Health)

Pirates win region, upset in super regional

Photos by Travis Barton

Cyprus players celebrate a crucial run during a tight 7-6 victory over Taylorsville that would effectively seal the region championship. The Pirates went 21-6 on the year, including a whopping 17-1 in region, to take the Region 2 championship and earn the No. 2 seed for the 6A state tournament.

Freshman Eddie Gonzales pitched two clutch innings to help defeat the Taylorsville Warriors 7-6.

Pitcher Easton Seeley celebrates Cyprus’ win over Taylorsville.

Junior Cam’ron Rendon throws out the runner at first.

SLCC-bound Aidan McMullin tags out the runner at second.

Read, create and connect through county library summer reading program

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

Remember

those lazy days of summer?

When there was nothing to do but stretch out on the hammock with a good book and read? Well, summer is coming and the Salt Lake County Library System wants to encourage kids to stretch out with a good book, to keep those reading skills fresh throughout the summer. But summer is for more than reading. And this year the summer reading challenge encourages much more than that.

The program runs June 1 to July 31, and it isn’t just for kids. “Everyone can participate and everyone can win,” said Paula Burgon, Youth Services librarian at the West Jordan Library. “Adult, teen or child, everyone loves a reward. And the best reward is a book.”

The theme for this year is All Together Now and focuses on bringing families, friends and community together to read, create, learn, play and connect. It is a library sponsored reading program, so of course there are prizes for reading, but the program also encourages other types of activities which can be logged toward redeeming a reward. Participants can reach out to a new friend (connect), try a new game (play), paint a picture for a neighbor (create), eat a food they’ve never tried before (learn), or even write a nice note to the mail carrier (connect). Ultimately, it’s about creating unity and kindness in the local commu-

nity.

To get the party started there will be a Summer Reading Kickoff at three different branch libraries: Daybreak, West Jordan and the newest library in the system, the Granite Library. Look for food trucks, live music and crafts varying from branch to branch, such as making kindness rocks, blowing monster bubbles and beading bracelets. The kickoff will be on June 2, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Often parents will challenge their children to curl up with a good book by logging their own reading time, so the reading program creates connection within the whole family. And everyone who participates gets a prize: a new book of their choosing.

Kids (and parents) can pick up materials at any branch library starting now. Or participants can simply create an account and start recording their activities and reading online. However, the reading and activity log will eventually need to be returned in person to a branch library to redeem the prize. Finishers will also be entered into a drawing for passes to one of several local fun spots like the aquarium, zoo, fun centers and museums.

Historically, the program has been very popular. According to Laura Renshaw, manager at the Millcreek Library, “Last year, systemwide we had about 17,000 kids who fin-

WATER DAMAGE

ished and took home a free book. Plus there were 8,000 adults, 3,000 pre-readers and over 2,000 teens.”

The county library system consists of 18 branch libraries located from as far south as

Herriman, west to Magna and east to Millcreek. For more information, visit your local branch or visit online at www.slcolibrary.org/ summer-reading/srp. l

“

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! ”

—Anna D

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

—David C

the best way to restore

The colorful children’s section at the Millcreek Library is ready for early readers. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

TAP INTO A NEW POSSIBILITY

NeuroStar is like physical therapy for the brain. It uses magnetic pulses, similar in strength to MRI, to reignite dormant connections in the brain and give you control of your depression. With NeuroStar, you can live on your terms.

“I had taken 11 different medications without any relief… NeuroStar treatment has helped me bring my life back… with a happiness that I’ve never experienced before” ~TODD

“When you’re depressed you’re always fighting to live…to survive the next day. NeuroStar made such a difference…all of a sudden I felt empowered, I felt strong, I felt like I wasn’t a victim anymore.

AlthoughI don’t like crowds, parades or people, in general, when my husband suggested we attend the Pride Parade last month in Salt Lake, I painted a rainbow on my face, donned my “More Love” shirt and jumped in the car.

After a year of devastating anti-gay and anti-trans legislation across the country, we wanted to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community, even if that meant standing in a crowd of more than 50,000 parade attendees singing at the top of their lungs.

Because how do you fight hate? With a celebration of love.

The theme was “Queer Pride is Unapologetic” and that message rang throughout the parade. When the crowd saw the first rainbow banners a block away, it burst into applause and continued cheering for two hours. I sang out loud to every Lizzo anthem. I chanted until I lost my voice. I clapped until my shoulders hurt. I danced in ways that completely embarrassed my husband. I smiled until my face was sore.

Love was palpable. It brought me to tears more than once as I watched the support, kindness and joy being showered on this parade by thousands of people, of all ages, faiths, races and gender identities.

It was an event of unrestrained joy with enough sequins, bright colors, sky-high wigs, hella high heels and drag queens to

Take pride in love

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

bring a smile to RuPaul’s face. Couples were holding hands, hugging, kissing, smiling, dancing and lifting a big middle finger to oppression and hate.

It was great to see nearly 200 businesses and organizations put on their rainbow best to spread the love. Entries included Delta Airlines, Westminster University, Intermountain Health, the Cougar Pride Center and ABC4 Utah.

The Salt Lake City Public Library had a large group of participants, because librarians are on the front lines, defending free speech every day and fighting book bans with humor and flair.

I’ve never been to a better parade. I’ve never celebrated a better message. With suicide rates rising for LGBTQ+ youth, hate is not acceptable. Intolerance is not acceptable. The only thing that’s acceptable is inclusion, joy, kindness, grace and love.

After the parade, we walked through

the festival, talking with vendors, enjoying live music and eating tasty foods. We learned about drag queen bingo at a local church, chatted with a BYU student who wrote a book about coming out as gay and took pictures for lots of happy couples.

We watched people get tattoos, we bought new T-shirts, we smiled at strangers, we stood in line for lukewarm BBQ. We visited with friends. We saw bravery. We saw community. We saw free mom hugs. We saw compassion. We saw gay Darth Vader. We saw celebration. We saw dogs in tutus. We saw love.

Threats against the LGBTQ+ communi-

ty have quadrupled over the last few years, and organizers spent extra money for heightened security at the parade and festival. State leaders, churches, communities and individuals should be careful about comments, rules and legislation that contribute to these dangers. Be careful who you exclude, it could be someone you love.

For the LGBTQ+ community, continue living unapologetic. The world needs more dancing, more sequins, more hella high heels, more bright colors, more sky-high wigs, more connection, more dogs in tutus, more rainbow T-shirts and more love.