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December 30, 2022 | Vol. 3 Iss. 51
Happy New Year ringing in 2023
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WEST DAVIS CORRIDOR. Commissioner Lorene Miner Kamalu looks forward to three major highways projected to be completed in 2023.
Photo by Roger V. Tuttle
Where did the practice of making New Year’s resolutions begin?
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com
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t is said that the ancient Babylonians were the first people to make resolutions some 4,000 years ago, according to History.com. The new year didn’t begin in January, instead it was in mid-March when crops were planted. The Babylonians held , a massive 12-day religious festival where they crowned a new king and declared their loyalty to the reigning king. They made promises to the gods to return any objects they had borrowed and pay their debts. This could be considered the origin of New Year’s resolutions. Although the practice of making resolutions has its roots in religion, today those are mostly a secular practice. Most people make resolutions only to themselves instead of to the gods and usually focus on self-improvement. According to History.com recent research shows while 45 percent of Americans say they make resolutions, only 8 percent are successful. As the clock strikes midnight Dec. 31 a new chapter will begin and more resolutions will be made. Here are a few thoughts about 2023 from county and city leaders and the community.
DAVIS SCHOOL DISTRICT
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want to leave my office and spend more time in our schools this year. Schools are magical places, and there are so many fantastic administrators, teachers and students out there. I specifically remember a day when I was in a classroom and watched a reading tutor teach a child how to read. The student actually began to recognize words as I sat there. And the teacher pointed that out to the student, called her by name and declared, You can read!” The smile and confidence the student had on her face was absolutely incredible. She couldn’t contain it. It was a moment I’ll never forget. So many great things occur in our schools every day, and every time I’m in a school witnessing what’s going on there, it just makes my day that much better. I want to be that continual witness and share those stories with others. — Chris Williams, Director of Communications DSD
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hope that in the year 2023, our students, teachers, and staff members in the Davis School District will work together to make the district a safe place and a place of acceptance and respect for everyone.
Drought in the West is necessitating a lot of policy effort. Also, we don't want to lose the Great Salt Lake. We must all become conservation minded with our own properties and behaviors. • Some of the construction of THREE MAJOR HIGHWAYS through our great county will complete in 2023 and some will become more visible. We are the smallest square miles of all 29 Utah counties and the third largest population. Therefore, we are the most urban county in Utah. • Which leads to the last prediction: Davis County is a desirable place to live and our own children and grandchildren need housing. Cities want to keep their voice in planning and zoning; supply is not keeping up with demand; the diverse array of housing has ALWAYS been important and is becoming critical and even a constraint in the economy. Local governments participate in the annual State legislative session and 2023 promises to be a big one. Davis County has few unincorporated areas left and since the early 2000s, the 15 cities have had annexation plans for these areas. The 28 miles left of County maintained roads will continue to become part of cities bit by bit. And then there’s the thought I had for myself last weekend to lessen my intake of sugar = A possible resolution. (I don’t do sodas but chocolate covered raisins and homemade goodies tempt a hungry belly.) HAPPY 2023 EVERYONE! Thanks for being a lot of very good people! Reach out any time. — Commissioner Lorene Miner Kamalu
— School Board President John Robison
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
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irst and foremost I hope to make the lives of Davis School District families and employees better. I hope to build on the incredible academic legacy of Davis School District. My goal is to ensure that all of our students and employees understand their own strengths, and their own value, and to help them to achieve at the highest possible level. — Dan Linford, Ed.D. Superintendent Davis School District
predict: • Several Davis County elected officials will be sworn into office Tuesday Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. at 61 South Main Street in Farmington, the county seat and administration building. Counties are local government, like cities. It’s important to be involved in local government which impacts us more than state and federal levels. • The ongoing 2023 winter may help us take some of the edge off drought. When we have rain before the hard freeze in the mountains (like 2021 and 2022,) it helps the runoff, which helps the reservoirs. • However, watch for continuing efforts to be smarter with our water resource. Twenty years of drought is not easily erased, and Utah has the second lowest precipitation in the nation, behind Arizona, even during normal years.
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ime keeps on marching can’t believe it’s 2023 already. Some exciting things in the County that should be completed in 2023 is the new agricultural heritage center located at USU Kaysville Botanical Center it will be the location Please see RESOLUTIONS: pg. 2