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January 2020 | Vol. 20 Iss. 01

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PAINTING THE GREATS:

ARTIST FINDS A CAREER BY FOLLOWING HER PASSION By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

aniela Lopez woke up one morning to her phone ringing. The call was from Houston, Texas and like most people, she let it go to voicemail. “I Googled the number, and it was the Toyota Center,” Lopez said. “I freaked out.” The call was from Tad Brown, CEO of the Houston Rockets. He wanted to commission a portrait of Yao Ming, the nationally-recognized basketball star, to be presented at his jersey retirement ceremony. Lopez had 48 hours to complete the painting. Lopez wasn’t a professional artist at the time. That would come later. This was 2016 and Lopez had recently had some time off from her job as a makeup artist. “I had finished my Christmas commissions and wondered what I should do next,” Lopez said. “I wanted to do something that was exciting to me, that I could get hyped about. My family said what if you paint our team, on a giant scale? We’ll probably be the only ones excited about this.” Lopez is huge fan of professional basketball, and her whole family cheers on the Houston Rockets together. She had a few large canvases ready to go and started painting portraits of Rockets players one by one. After posting just three paintings on Instagram, she got the call from Brown. “I never could have imagined anything happening like that,” Lopez said. In the months leading up to that life-changing commission, Lopez was questioning her purpose. “I would go through the motions of waking up extra early to catch the TRAX to work downtown, determined to save money and commute this way to further invest my paychecks into my art supplies, rather than gas and parking. Pulling an eight-hour shift on my feet, riding home tired, giving myself a little pep talk as I stared out the train window.” Lopez would then get home and paint through the night. “Through those long fall and winter months, I kept seeing the numbers 11:11,” said Lopez. “Literally everywhere. Receipts, clocks, train stubs, every time I glanced at my phone. It started to freak me out. I have a lot of spiritual friends who reassured me that this was good. That this meant confirmation from the universe that I was doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” When the time came, Lopez was able to shut out everything else and complete the Yao Ming portrait in time. He stood next to it as his jersey was retired during the halftime of a Houston Rockets home game on February 3, 2017. The team flew Lopez and her mom to Houston to watch the game in person.

Local Postal Customer ECRWSS Scan Here: Interactive online edition with more photos.

Daniela Lopez poses between portraits she painted of LeBron James and Michael Jordan. (Photo courtesy Daniela Lopez)

“Through that chaotic week of zero sleep to pull off that insane project, it hadn’t even dawned on me that 11 was his jersey number,” Lopez said. Then she entered the arena where red T-shirts with the number 11 were draped over each seat. “I instantly crumbled,” Lopez said. “It felt surreal.”

ROOKIE LEAGUE

Lopez grew up in Midvale and participated in the Boys & Girls Club and Head Start. “I remember doing a lot of crafts and art at Head Start,” Lopez said. “My mom says that’s where it all started.” She continued to draw while a student at Midvale Elementary School. “I always drew faces. Sometimes Disney characters. But always someone’s face,” said Lopez. “I had one adamant teacher in the third grade who planted the seed. She noticed that I was drawing in the corners of my homework and entered me in art contests.” That teacher, Leticia Thomas, remembers Lopez as a very quiet, friendly and smart student. “Daniela always talked about being an artist when she grew up,” said Thomas, who is now a dual language immersion teacher specialist at the Jordan School District. “I am so overwhelmed with joy and cried with happiness

upon reading all her accomplishments,” Thomas said. “I always remind my students that I truly believe each and every one of them had the potential to be successful and that success may look different to different people. I am always there rooting for you from the sidelines, silently cheering you on even if it’s a decade from now.” Lopez moved to West Jordan with her family after sixth grade and graduated from Copper Hills High School. She went on to study fashion design in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. She then used her eye for color and beauty to create art on faces as a freelance makeup artist for Chanel. “I love studying people’s faces,” Lopez said. “Studying their pores, the reflections, the warm light and shadows.” Lopez had continued to draw portraits, but switched from pencil to paintbrush in 2010. “Best day of my life,” said Lopez in an Instagram post.

GOING PRO

Lopez recently posted images of two of her paintings of James Harden, one from 2015 and one from 2017. The evolution of her technique is striking. The earlier image is artistic and skillfully captures the athlete’s likeness. But the later image is in a whole different category. Each hair, each bead of Continued page 8

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Midvale — 10 years ago, 10 years ahead By Erin Dixon | erin@mycityjournals.com

“

There’s hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in Midvale right now, not just the city [government].” “We were a small part of that, UDOT and Canyon School District and there’s a lot going on in the private sector,” Chris Butte, economic development director of Midvale City said. In the past 10 years, that money has gone to and will continue to go to Bingham Junction, Jordan Bluffs, roads and every single public school. “It was a three-year funding process that enabled us to identify almost all of the major roads in Midvale and take a three-year process to redo those. We have the two major projects of I-15 southbound and northbound,” Butte said. “And a lot of other people are coming in and doing construction too, like Verizon. It’s not just the city,” said Laura Magness, public information officer for Midvale. Bingham Junction and Jordan Bluffs have transformed 7% of city land from bare and unstable to vibrant and active. The two neighboring projects provide business and housing for the city, which in turn provides tax income to the city and residences for the growing population. Many cities are criticized for letting developers build high-density housing simply to make money at the expense of quality of life of the residents. Sophia Hawes-Tingey, a Midvale resident active in local and state politics said, “We don’t need a bunch of apartments. Eventually, we may get to the point where we need a bunch of these high rises…. All you need to do is double 3% of the density of the city year over year.” “You work to make sure the developers make sure there’s a place for everyone to live. That’s Midvale: that everyone has a chance.”

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On the flip side, Butte maintains that continuing what used to be the typical development in Utah, single-family suburban sprawl, is more harmful for the current economy. “If we just did moratorium, single-family detached only, we could lay off half our staff, triple our property taxes, and when you triple property taxes that could have two effects. Land values are going up or you get flight. And if you get flight it doesn’t take long before you’re Detroit, non-paying doomsday,” Butte said. It isn’t just Utah and Salt Lake County that are seeing growth and urbanization. “Most of the development across the country is multifamily. And a lot of that’s attributed to just sheer economics and life choices. You have people with means or creative people moving back to the city and abandoning …sprawl,” Butte said. “What facilitated... sprawl initially, was after the wars we had the GI bill. You could get a FHA loan, 5% down and go buy your white picket fence. A lot of that was tied to the social media at the time.” While the growth is not unique to the valley, the changes that residents are only going to multiply. “The Wasatch Front, as of two years ago, had a 40-year housing shortage which meant we had more families than we had houses,” Butte said. “The economy is evolving. We’re not forcing the growth, we’re just trying to do it intelligently so we have a mix, a balance, so we can increase quality of life.” Magness further explained that in some cases, the city doesn’t get to choose what goes on a piece of property. “If zoning allows to build an apartment, many times our hands are tied legally because it’s their private property. The face of Midvale is changing. But so is the rest of the state.”

“ …[T]hings are market driven. The city doesn’t have complete control, we have some influence,” Magness said. Midvale planners intend to create a stable lifestyle that keeps costs down and is healthier for the environment, as well as accommodate the natural growth. “What we’re hoping for …if [Jordan Bluffs] comes together correctly with the high-density adjacent to linear parks, where you also have six-story office buildings then we can set up an environment where people can live, work, and play all in the same community. We have that going on at Bingham Junction, we have a lot of those employees in the residential units walking to work.” “If they’re walking to work...that’s a win for Midvale, that’s a win for them, the state of Utah, a win for clean air. “That’s urban geography 101, the more urban you get the less car ownership you have. It’s painful to own a car in New York City,” Butte said.

COUNCIL’S INFLUENCE

In November, the City Council reviewed an update for the general development plan for the city. The plan outlined a preference for “modernized parking” and many council members were vocally against that wording. “We have people that live in Bingham Junction that complain about parking all of the time. I don’t know what ‘modernized parking’ looks like but we can’t go lower,” Councilmember Bryant Brown said. Resident Hawes-Tingey agreed with council. “By saying ‘we have transit you don’t need parking,’ it doesn’t work. We’re changing culturally but we’re not changing that fast. And UTA is working on solving the problem but until it doesn’t cost more to ride public transit than it does to drive an electric vehicle or hybrid you’re going to run into

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those issues,” Hawes-Tingey said. In reply to this type of concern, Butte said, “People often turn those two-car garages into storage. When we review projects, you have a two-car garage that should be four parking spaces.” When cars are on the street there is something to be stolen. “If your car is in the garage and the door is closed, there’s nothing to break into. That affects police calls, taxes, all that intertwines,” Butte said. One practice can have a domino effect that is not always obvious. Higher police calls requires more officers, which requires more taxes to pay for those officers.

MIDVALE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT

Midvale public schools are in the Canyons School District. Canyons became a district in 2009. Since then, the district has bonded twice for school improvements in Midvale. In a few years, every school in the city will either have been refurbished or constructed new. “We were able to rebuild Midvale Elementary School ... Midvale Middle School and we have now started work on a new Hillcrest High, Midvalley Elementary and in the coming two years we’ll start work on the new Union Middle School. The other schools in the Midvale area have received new front offices and daylighting projects,” said Jeff Haney, Canyons District representative. Residents are often concerned about the growth of residences and how that impacts the schools. Butte said in response to this concern, “It’s not a huge impact in the schools, because you have a different demographic. The group that’s really emerging is bright young professionals, they don’t have kids yet.” School expansion is dependent on decisions made by the district, not the city.

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SEPT 2011

SEPT 2019

Each image is the same location on 7200 South from Sept. 2011 to June 2019. Bingham Junction filled in previously unusable land. (Images Google Maps)

“We have a long-range planning committee, have members of the board of education, the superintendent and several members of his staff and they ... look at the incurrent enrollment of the schools, the capacity of the schools and also take into consideration where the growth is. They also factor in the building permits and the plans of the cities,” Haney said.

DEMOGRAPHICS OF MIDVALE

“Bright young professionals” as referred to by Butte, is a group of people categorized by ESRI, a geographic information system company. ESRI compiles data that will show the spending habits, income and family situation of a population. That data can then be used to predict needs of residents based on their financial wants and abilities, as well as their trajectory. Bright young professionals is one of the three largest economic groups in Midvale. An ESRI report on this group reads, “Approximately 57% of the households rent; 43% own their homes. Household type is primarily couples, married (or unmarried)....” For Midvale, this means that the population is growing, but many new move-ins do not have children and have some money to burn. “It’s a minimum impact on [schools] because you have a different demographic. You have a lot of ‘bright young professionals’ that don’t have kids yet. They’re actually really good because they frequent business establishments,” Butte said. The other two major groups in Midvale that are directing the type of growth in the city are “young and restless” and “parks and recreation.” Young and restless is a group that has less relationship commitments, are finishing college programs or have just graduated from higher education. “Almost one in five residents move each year. More than half of all householders are under the age of 35, the majority living alone or in shared non-family dwellings. Young and restless consumers are diverse, favoring densely populated neighborhoods in large metropolitan areas,” the ESRI report stated. The third most common group in Midvale — parks and recreation — is the oldest of the three groups and are mainly stable households with older children or are empty nesters.

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“These practical suburbanites have achieved the dream of home ownership. Their homes are older and townhomes and duplexes are not uncommon. Many of these families are two-income married couples approaching retirement age; they are comfortable in their jobs and their homes, budget wisely, but do not plan on retiring anytime soon or moving.” “Neighborhoods are well established, as are the amenities and programs that supported their now independent children through school and college. The appeal of these kid-friendly neighborhoods is now attracting a new generation of young couples,” the ESRI report said. These three groups are what drives the development in the city, and large businesses that cater toward these groups are most likely to be interested in investing in Midvale.

THE FUTURE OF MIDVALE

“The biggest transformation in [the next] 10 years that you will see is obviously Jordan Bluffs and Fort Union. We have a project that’s starting in about 60 days that’s taking basically three- story class C office buildings, they’ll be demolished by February if not before. And what will be created there will be six/seven-story multi-use (buildings). Most of it will be residential and some retail on the corner,” Butte said. Many cities in the valley are creating central urban hubs. The Sugar House area, north of I-80, is an example of the changes that Midvale will see. “[T]hink about [Sugar House] 30 years ago. The difference between Fort Union and Sugar House is Fort Union has better infrastructure, more elaborate, wider streets. Union Park is six lanes. And then you have Fort Union Boulevard that already has 72 buses going up it every day. And you’ve got a transportation hub that will probably be created in that area too,” Butte said. One of the economic benefits for Midvale City is that major roads connect directly with Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. This makes Midvale an ideal destination for ski tourists. “Then you’ve got the ski buses. They’re increasing them from last year an additional 18%. You have four ski areas all part of our grand ski area that have increased lift capacity but haven’t added one parking stall,” Butte said. l

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Cultural traditions, theater, goats: Midvale 2019 Capturing a whole year in a few photos is next to impossible. But the following snapshots will attempt to do just that as we look back at 2019 in Midvale. To read the stories along with these photos, visit midvalejournal.com.

Luke Summers has had great experiences with the youth theater program. He had the lead role in Copperview Rec Center’s spring production of “Peter Pan, Jr.” (Photo courtesy of Amy Bennion)

Three-year-old Coy Hughes paints a wall during the Comcast Cares service day at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club on April 27. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

Yuliya Petukhova, a student in the University of Utah’s dental program, organized a free clinic at Midvale CBC that provided care for 28 children. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

Page 6 | January 2020

Hillcrest High student body president Kate Timmerman says, “We support everyone and are proud to be Huskies.” Hillcrest High students, dressed to the theme of neon out, pack the “dawg pound” Sept. 6 to cheer their Huskies. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hillcrest High School drill performs in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade. (Photo courtesy Kevin McCormick/GroupPhotos.com)

Clara Avellaneda, a volunteer dental hygienist, examines a toddler’s teeth at the Midvale CBC Dental Clinic. (Photo courtesy Midvale CBC)

Unified Police Department Detective Gerry Wayne is the new face of code enforcement investigation with a mantra: compliance by conversation. (Photo Midvale City)

Canyons Board of Education and administration shake hands with Apex Volunteer of the Year Baraa Arkawazi, who spent 1,100 hours helping at East Midvale Elementary. (Photo courtesy of Canyons School District)

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At Copperview Elementary School, families from Canyons School District’s four Title I schools could select donated items collected by two Boy Scouts and a Draper church. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Jordan Lake uses the internet to play “Prodigy,” an online math skills game. More than 4,000 households in Midvale are eligible for low-cost internet through Comcast’s Internet Essentials program. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

Khaleesi Rogers was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that was found in both legs and was set to start chemotherapy earlier this year. A neighbor set up a fundraiser to help the family pay for the medical bills. (Photo courtesy Flavia Souza)

Hundreds of families in the community gathered around Midvale Elementary to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at the Battle of Puebla, with music and dances performed by fifth graders. With multicolored ponchos, the boys performed a traditional dance about a rooster fight, which is performed at Mexican celebrations and festivals. The girls, dressed in bright festive dresses, performed a mestizo dance, originated in both Indian and Spanish culture. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Many people stop by to feed Candice Yocum’s goats and even contribute Christmas trees for the goat’s diet. Midvale City passed an ordinance March 5 to allow pygmy goats in the city. (Photo courtesy Candace Yocum)

Copperview second graders perform a dance from India as part of the school’s annual Living Traditions celebration. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hillcrest is golden in its first season of unified basketball. With a final score of 11-10 over the Bingham High Miners at the March 16 game, the Huskies won the state tournament. The tournament not only consisted of the two high school teams, but also teams from three colleges and Granite School District’s Hartvigsen School, a school serving special needs students from kindergarten through high school. In February, the Huskies won gold at the area tournament. (Photo courtesy Julie Cluff/Hillcrest High)

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January 2020 | Page 7

Continued from front page sweat looks authentic. Lopez captures the intensity of Harden’s eyes with her paintbrush. “When I was in Houston for the playoffs that year, the team invited me in to watch their morning shoot around and we chatted about the piece,” Lopez said. “James was really excited about it. It would end up going to his mom as a Mother’s Day gift.” Since most of her subjects are professional basketball players, it’s virtually impossible for Lopez to paint from life. So she uses reference photos. “I like to use little-known photos,” Lopez said. “I find two or three favorites and take details from each one so the painting is not an exact copy of any photo. The finished art uses different details to make it unique.” She signs her childhood nickname, Yella, on each finished work. Lopez also paints portraits of celebrities and musicians. She uses acrylic paint, which is surprising to most people. “There’s a misconception about (acrylics),” she said. “I find the paint easier to blend and layer when it’s fast-drying.” She likes to spend a month or two to complete each painting, which adds up to around 300 hours of painting. “People don’t realize how big they are until they see a picture of me next to them,” Lopez said. Her largest canvas has been nearly 4 feet tall, and most are around that size. The massive scale is needed to fit the incredible amount of detail. A common response to social media posts of her paintings is, “I thought that was a photo!” Her realistic style

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resembles photographs, but also reveals an artistry that a camera can’t create. “If working on a commission, I like to research as much as I can about my subjects and find a connection,” she said. “If I’m going to spend weeks with a face I need to feel something. In turn, the goal for me is when you see one of my paintings in person, you too will be able to feel something.” Some of Lopez’s art is available for sale on her website, www.iamyella.com. Prints cost as little as $55 while original paintings can command upward of $10,000. Her work has been displayed in New York City and Miami Beach, Florida. A permanent display of her work can be seen at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Lopez took the leap to leave her job and do art full time in 2017, but still freelances as a makeup artist. “It’s so much fun,” Lopez said. “I would not change how things are.”

TEAM PLAYER

Lopez says her parents and grandmother are her biggest inspiration. “Through them I’ve learned strength and dedication,” Lopez said. She continues to live in West Jordan and maintain ties to Midvale. Each year Lopez helps organize the Cinco de Mayo celebration at Midvale City Park that was founded by her grandparents more than 30 years ago. Lopez didn’t enjoy the festivities as much as a kid because she got lost in the chaos. “But as we grew older, it was cool to see how much our family has invested to keep it going,” Lopez said.

Lopez said. “So supportive, down to earth. He invites me to their suite when the Rockets are in town to play the Jazz.” Brown recently commissioned Lopez to paint a portrait of his daughter and her fiancé that stood at the entrance to their wedding ceremony. Lopez frequently paints commissions for families that have ties to professional sports teams and a Jazz player recently commissioned a portrait of himself as a surprise Christmas present for his mom. “These projects have become so special and I’m so grateful I get to be a part of these special life moments,” Lopez said. “But mainly, I am inspired by people. People defying the odds and doing extraordinary things. The everyday people around us. Sitting across from someone and watching as their face lights up as they talk about the things they’re passionate about.” Bright and early on Dec. 11 (note the significance of the date), Lopez received another phone call that will change her life. She was offered an exclusive job as the resident painter at Louis Vuitton’s busiest store in North America. She will be one of fourteen artists in the world hired to represent the international luxury handbag company. Lopez will move to Las Vegas in January to tackle this latest opportunity. KEEPING HER EYE ON THE BALL “It’s been a long journey,” Lopez said. Three years after that phone call from “I’m lucky. Life happens and it teaches you Texas, Lopez has over 6,000 followers on In- everything in its own time.” l stagram and thinks of Brown like part of her extended family. “He’s my biggest support,”

“I do whatever they need help with, especially social media.” She has kept in touch with childhood friends from Midvale Elementary. “They come to Cinco de Mayo and it’s like a big reunion every year,” Lopez said. While Lopez is the visual artist of the family, her siblings are all musicians. Older brother Jesus Lopez and younger brother Alejandro Lopez both play drums and percussion. Jesus is a professional musician while Alejandro recently started a career in banking. Their sister, Sonia Lopez, is a successful singer and composer who goes by the nickname “Sonialoxo.” “My kids have all worked very hard to reach their goals and are truly amazing adults,” said Lopez’s mother, Dolores Pahl. “I was a very, very young teenage mother at 14 and knew I had to work extra hard if I wanted to be successful and provide for my kids.” Pahl attended night school and worked at her parent’s restaurant in Midvale until she was old enough to live on her own. “My kids were equally determined to succeed,” Pahl said. “Each one is unique in their own way, yet they are all very compassionate and always willing to help others and give back when they can.”

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nless you’re one of the few anomalies in the 4. Move to a safe location. Most insurworld, we’ve all been in an accident. We’ve ance companies recommend relocating experienced that sickening feeling when your the vehicle to the sidewalk or shoulder car makes unwanted contact with another vehiof the road as soon as possible after the cle. We’re frustrated and disheartened. accident. If the damage to the car is minor, While we may want to crawl into a hole, we this should be relatively easy. But if there can’t. There are things to do and we’ve given you are major injuries or questions about the six to be aware of (in no particular order). safety of the car, leave it where it is, even if 1. Have an emergency kit in your car. its blocking traffic. While this step comes before the accident 5. Increase your visibility. Turn on your occurs, it’s essential to be prepared. Whathazard lights and set out your attention ever you kit entails, make sure it has a firstitems from the emergency kit—flares, oraid kit, flashlight, reflective triangles and a ange cones, reflective triangles, etc. One small (and simple) camera in case there’s accident should not lead to another. Take been damage to your phone. We’re typiprecaution to ensure other drivers on the cally frustrated or frazzled after an acciroad remain safe. dent and not inclined to rational thinking. 6. Exchange insurance information. Being prepared limits the possibility of This is imperative. If you are to file a claim forgetfulness. on your car, you will need the other driv2. Take a deep breath. Accidents are trauer’s information. Most likely, after an acmatic experiences. Taking a breath will cident you are feeling jumpy or stressed. shift focus from what just happened to It means when you try to write down their what needs to be done next. information your handwriting will look 3. Get a status check on everyone in the like ancient hieroglyphics and, unless you car. Check with each passenger to see if are a cryptographer, will be unable to read they are OK. Have someone call 911 imit later. We live in the 21st century, take a mediately if someone is injured or unrephoto of their information and take phosponsive. tos of the damage done to both cars.

Page 8 | January 2020

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LarkinMortuary.com January 2020 | Page 9

Recess before lunch or lunch before recess? That is the question By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com

prucewood second grader Mary-Ann Whitaker loves playing on the monkey bars and since the school switched its recess to before lunch this year, she’s happier to get out to them sooner. “I like recess before lunch because when we play, we get hungrier,” she said. “Before, a lot of food got wasted that people spent time cooking for us and that wasn’t right.” Her mother, Karla-Ann, supports the school’s switch from the traditional lunch before recess. “It makes sense,” she said. “Kids get their energy out, sit down and are able to concentrate on eating. Plus, they calm down during lunch and my kids’ teachers say they’re more focused when its learning time.” Sprucewood Elementary in Sandy is one of several schools who have made the move to recess before lunch. Across the Salt Lake valley, recesses and lunches vary with some schools having reversed it years prior, some that switched have returned to the traditional lunch before recess, and some schools are content with how it is working at their school with lunch first. Before Sprucewood made the decision to switch, Principal Lori Reynolds said there were discussions with her staff, the School Community Council, PTA, Building Leadership Team and the Sandy-Draper parents of students who attend her school. She also had experience with recess first when she was at East Sandy Elementary. “Our kids are eating more, drinking 40% more milk and calming down from their adrenaline high at recess in the lunchroom before they head into the classroom,” Reynolds said. “Many of them already have talked to their friends at recess, so now they’re actually eating and we’re wasting less food. Before, we had trays and trays of uneaten food

as they wanted to get outside to play.” At Sprucewood, the lunch period begins outside for 17 minutes before the doors open for 20 minutes to eat. “Recess first has eliminated so many conflicts,” recess aide Chris Carlson said. “The students have enough time to play and get an appetite. At first, I was worried there was not enough time to eat, but we adjusted it.” Sprucewood recess aides line students up according to their lunch choice outside before entering the school building. The lunch options are announced, color-coded and each line leader is given a Popsicle stick of that color so once they are in the cafeteria, the staff knows which meals to serve. Sprucewood Nutrition Manager Angela Floyd said that now students who have been “amped up on the playground, come in hungry, adjust to their inside voices, and don’t have to rush through their food. They come in to eat, which will help them learn.” She sees them not only drinking milk, but eating more fruits and vegetables. The students have a countdown clock, so they know how much time is left before class time and teachers return from their contracted lunch time to pick up the students. In addition, classrooms can earn the “golden spatula” award by using indoor voices, staying seated, raising their hands to dump their trays, cleaning their tables and lining up quickly and quietly, Floyd said. According to the National Food Service Management Institute, “when students go to recess before lunch, they do not rush through lunch and tend to eat a more well-balanced meal including more foods containing vitamins, such as milk, vegetables and fruit.” In a 2014 study published in Preventative Medicine, researchers investigated how

recess-first impacts what students eat during their school meals. Seven elementary schools in Orem participated in the study that showed school children consume 54% more fruits and vegetables at lunch if they eat after recess. In the report, Cornell Behavioral Economist and Co-Founder of the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement, David Just said, “Recess is often held after lunch so children hurry to ‘finish’ so that they can go play. This results in wasted fruits and vegetables. However, we found that if recess is held before lunch, students come to lunch with healthy appetites and less urgency and are more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables. While not every school has the flexibility to offer recess before lunch, those that do have a great opportunity to improve the health and well-being of their students.”

WHY DON’T MORE MAKE THE SWITCH?

SCHOOLS

Sometimes “re-inventing the wheel” can seem like an insurmountable task and oftentimes, traditions can be deeply-rooted, said Daybreak Elementary Assistant Principal Todd Theobold. While the South Jordan school is on the traditional lunch schedule, he supports recess first, having had 15 years previous experience with recess first at both Majestic and Willow Canyon elementaries in Jordan and Canyons school districts, respectively. “There’s a growing trend toward recess first, but others feel strongly about holding onto the tradition of lunch first,” he said. “I prefer recess first as it engages kids in activities, friendship, they learn rules of the games on the playground and have a set amount of time to eat so it’s much calmer and significantly less food waste. We include time to clean up and to transition back to academic time. When it is lunch first, kids come back all sweaty and hot to the classroom and nobody can really calm down quickly from that.” However, he said that Daybreak’s lunchtime schedule is working. It allows students 18 minutes of the 40 minutes to eat first. “You’ll never make everybody happy; it’s just their preferences. Some people don’t like change, but kids are adaptive,” he said. Some of the concerns for implementing recess-first center around scheduling and logistics of the school building, staff supervision and handwashing.

SCHEDULING AND LOGISTICS

Sprucewood second-grader Mary-Ann Whitaker supports her school’s decision to have recess first so food the cafeteria staff makes doesn’t get wasted. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Page 10 | January 2020

While that recess-first model works well for Sprucewood, Sarah Hodson, executive director of Get Healthy Utah said each school may have to tweak its schedules to best fit their community. “There are real benefits to recess-first,” she said. “Students aren’t stuck in a lunchroom, hurrying out to play. They are more settled down when it’s classroom time since

they’ve already adjusted from coming inside. They’re more active outside so they’re coming in hungrier. But changing schedules can be a barrier and principals will need to re-evaluate how to use staff outside and in the lunchroom, and even staggering recess and lunch times to make it work.” She said much of the logistics may be around the lunchroom size so lunch time may need to accommodate more than one grade. “Schools need to get through the kinks, and some schools keep tweaking it for a full year before they get it running smoothly,” she said. “But this gives them more opportunity to fully play, fully eat and they learn better in the classroom.” Get Healthy Utah has sample lunch and recess schedules as well as tips on adapting recess first, including to communicate with all the staff, parents and students about the change and to “be flexible and willing to try different things.” Academy Park Principal Pauline Longberg agrees that logistics and the location of the lunchroom can be major factors in the success of transitioning from traditional lunch to recess first. For six years, she was principal at Beehive Elementary in Magna, where lunch came first and everything ran smoothly. The past five, she has been at the West Valley elementary where the previous principal changed it to recess first. “Each has its pros and cons, but for some schools, logistically, it would be difficult and too cumbersome to line students up at the playground if it is on one side of the school, like Beehive, to then get to the cafeteria on the other,” she said. “It currently works here (at Academy Park) as the cafeteria is right by the playground and we have an advantage with Playworks (structured recess program) at our school, helping students in a pro-active recess program, and helping transition into the lunchroom.” Longberg said it wasn’t easy adaption and involved changing things along the way. “We had to figure out the systems to make sure our structure works for us,” she said. That includes as students enter the lunchroom, they go through the cafeteria line and sit at tables in that order. They also are excused to leave in that order, which allows those who enter the cafeteria last to have the same amount of time to eat as those who enter first. Those who bring their lunch from home can immediately grab it out of a bin brought from their classroom, so they may get a few more minutes to eat than their peers, Longberg said. East Midvale Principal Matt Nelson has kept to the traditional timetable. “Logistically, it works with our schedule,” he said. “The students are in the cafeteria for 15 minutes before they raise their

Midvale City Journal

hands to be excused. We looked at recess first, but this works for our school. It would be a huge system to change to put together times to eat, play and have instruction. We’d have to add more transition time.” Ridgecrest Principal Julie Winfree said her Cottonwood Heights students eat and socialize before raising their hands to go to recess. “If you start with recess, when do you bring them in?” she said. “Kids need different amounts of times to eat and younger kids are typically slower eaters.” Jordan Ridge teacher Kim Sanders said her South Jordan school had many discussions about the order before keeping with the traditional schedule. “We wait for 10 minutes after they’re in the lunchroom before we turn the (paper) eagle around to allow them to go outside,” she said. “We want kids to have time to eat their lunch and digest it before they go outside to play.” However, Twin Peaks secretary Susan Seals says that playing first at her Murray elementary has resulted in less “side aches and tummies hurting” than the traditional lunch order. Murray School District spokeswoman D Wright said lunch and recess schedules vary from school to school, with determinations made for a variety of reasons, including scheduling of the lunchroom and playgrounds. Longview Elementary Principal Becky Teo said she has kept with the schedule of her predecessor – a combination of both orders. Some of her students eat first, then play while others play first, then eat. Her transitions allow 120 to 160 students in the Murray lunchroom at a given time and fourth- through sixth-graders rotating to help with lunch service. “It’s partly because of the size of our school and the number of kids in a given time who can sit in our lunchroom,” Teo said. “Our younger friends eat better with recess first, but our older grades know enough to eat a good lunch.” While the decisions are made at each Canyons School District school, health/PE/ Playworks specialist Allie Teller, who is a “big fan of recess first,” helps administrators who want to convert from the traditional method. She has models they can follow and consults regularly with schools to help problem-solve logistics. “We know factors weigh into the decision from the lunchroom size and location to the staff support and it really can look different from school to school. Lunch first has more wiggle room for students to go through the lunch line, but kids eat more when they play first,” Teller said.

STAFF SUPERVISION

Longberg said her staff supports Academy Park’s recess before lunch. “We’re very fortunate that our staff wants to be here to help students and so we have different people assigned to help in the

MidvaleJournal.com

lunchroom for that part of the day to help the younger students through the line and to make sure lunchtime is eating time,” she said. Theobold said at his previous schools, he had a lunch crew dedicated to those two hours to set up, monitor and clean up the cafeteria as well as address students’ concerns. Copperview Elementary Principal Jeri Rigby said her Midvale school remains on the traditional schedule for numerous reasons, one being that she can’t get students through the cafeteria line and seated without more personnel. That also was her experience when she was an assistant principal at Midvale Elementary. “We didn’t have more personnel to bring in, administrators were already there helping, and we couldn’t ask teachers because they have their 30-minute uninterrupted contracted lunch time,” she said. “We also didn’t find that students were significantly eating better.” She said the traditional lunch worked better logistically at the school and “the supervision of students in the lunchroom and playground were better.” Even the transition to have teachers bring students in from recess, they found to be smoother “as expectations were clear with this routine,” she said. Crescent Elementary in Sandy tested recess first this past fall before switching it back. Amongst the reasons for the traditional routine, Principal Camie Montague said, “We changed back because it took double the resources to bring kids in from recess and manage the lunchroom.”

she said. “We changed back because behaviors were escalated, once kids were done eating there was nowhere for them to go and nothing to do; and as fall started to approach, I became more aware of students that do not have proper attire for being outside for the winter. All students had to go to recess with the new way, changing back allow students to remain inside as long as they are quietly talking to friends and seated.” She also said that her school “actually lost instructional time due to lining up and clean-up time of all kids in a grade level being excused to clean up at the same time.” Get Healthy Utah’s Hodson said with adjusting to recess first, many schools find a need to discuss rules and expectations in student behavior. “Students will need to learn what the behavior expectations are so the transitions work smoothly,” she said, adding that changing to recess before lunch will impact most every school employee so communication with everyone is important. Canyons’ Teller said that “having intentional transitions and understanding of expectations can help a lot. They can help mitigate the craziness and decrease their excitement from the playground into focusing on lunch and study.” Playworks-Utah program director Ashley Engeler said her organization supports recess first, with intentional transitions to calming students as they enter the cafeteria and from there to the classroom.

As a Playworks coach previously at two schools, Engeler said she would often try to calm students in line with “three deep volcano breaths” before entering the lunchroom. “With recess first, it’s less chaotic, less food waste, behaviors go down and students are more highly engaged when they return to their classrooms,” she said. “If they don’t (have recess first), students throw away more food, are apt to get in angrier moods, resulting in more behavioral problems, and they trickle to transition into the classroom.” Woodstock Elementary in Murray has recess first. Woodstock Principal Brenda Byrnes cites students are able to get their energy out so they come in hungrier and then when they return to the classroom, they are calmer. “We teach them about self-regulation so they know how much time they have to play outside, but also how they manage their time to eat their proteins and drink milk in the cafeteria,” she said. “It has become a smoother transition for us and a lot less waste.” Granite School District Director of Children Nutrition Dana Adams said that recess before lunch “has always been tossed around.” “At the central kitchen, we haven’t seen an increase (of food consumption with recess before lunch) that we can track,” she said. “It’s a decision for our principals and our communities to decide which works best for them.” l

HANDWASHING

According to Action for Healthy Kids, “Handwashing is important for food safety and students should wash hands before eating, especially during cold and flu season.” Making sure students washed their hands after recess before lunch was a concern of Crescent Elementary teacher Cindy Carling. At Sprucewood, they address that issue. After students enter the building, and before they reach the cafeteria, students are given a squirt of hand sanitizer. Some school administrators acknowledge it is an added expense and there may be school district guidelines about which brands of sanitizers they can use so even if hand sanitizer is donated, they may not be able to use it. Other schools have solved this issue by routing their students through restrooms to get to the lunchroom or have set up a wash station in the cafeteria itself.

OTHER CONCERNS

Montague said Crescent had goals in mind when they tested recess first. “We changed our lunch at the beginning of the year, with a focus on de-escalating behaviors so that students weren’t bringing playground drama into the classroom, (they had) longer time to eat and (we were able to handle) discipline from the playground during lunchroom time instead of class time,”

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Bear Lake

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

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Business Spotlights are a service offered to our advertisers to help them inform our readers about their businesses. For information on scheduling a Spotlight, please call us at 801-254-5974 or email us at ryan.casper@thecityjournals.com

id you know the Salt Lake Valley is close to the Caribbean? The Caribbean of the Rockies, that is. Bear Lake, located along the Utah/Idaho border, has earned that nickname for the water’s unique turquoise color. The color comes from how the human eye perceives the refraction from limestone deposits that are suspended in the lake. Bear Lake, and the surrounding landscape, is a scenic year-round vacation destination. With over 109 square miles of the lake to explore, not to mention the surrounding scenery, people come from all over the

world to experience the Bear Lake Valley. When the lake is frozen over and there’s snow on the ground, the Bear Lake area becomes a winter wonderland. Visitors can experience this wonderland while riding a snowmobile across the 350 miles of trails or exploring the area on snowshoes. Alternatively, the Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, located 10 miles west of Garden City (one of the cities located on the west side of lake), is a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders. During the winter months, there’s frequently fresh powder for downhill and cross-country skiers. Not a skier? There are tubing and sledding options too. The Bear Lake Valley is a renowned fishing destination throughout the year. Fishermen (and women) are sure to have some excellent catches, whether from drilling a hole in the ice or wading through running water. Catches measuring as big as 30 pounds are not unheard of from Bear Lake. Out of 13 species of fish, four can only be found in the Bear Lake Valley: the Bonneville cisco, Bonneville whitefish, Bear Lake whitefish, and the Bear Lake sculpin. In addition, the Bonneville cutthroat trout, Utah

sucker, redside shiner, speckled dace, and Utah chub are specific to Utah waters. Wildlife throughout the Valley contains just as much variety as the fish species. When exploring the Valley, visitors might catch a glimpse of a moose, elk, mule deer, muskrat, otter, coyote, cougar, wolf, weasel, fox or wild turkey. Don’t worry birdwatchers, wild turkeys aren’t the only wings. Thousands of birds pass through the 18,000 acres of marshland and grassland each year. When searching for birds, it’s best to visit the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge on the north side of the lake. Through binocular scopes, visitors might see some white pelicans, white-faced ibises, herons, egrets, grebes, tundra swans, osprey, burrowing owls, long-billed curlews, peregrine falcons and black throated gray warblers. As the lake begins to thaw, and the weather warms, the Bear Lake Valley erupts with life and color. In addition to the arrival of new mammals and birds, there’s plenty of vegetation blooming including: grasses and forbs, perennial grasses, perennial forbs and trees.

During summer, Bear Lake offers landlocked residents a place to experience the beach. Of course, there’s always sunbathing and swimming, but visitors may also enjoy boating, watersports, horseback riding, biking and hiking. In addition to beach activities, visitors might want to explore the Bear Lake Valley through the ATV, four-wheeler, and dirt bike trails. Visitors are welcome to bring their own equipment or rent for the numerous shops surrounding the lake. Throughout the year, camping is a given throughout the Bear Lake Valley. There are over 500 campground sites with differentiating levels of camping experience. For the true nomads, there are areas for staking tents. For those road trippers, there are RV hookups. And for those who can’t get away from indoor plumbing, there are glamping areas available. No matter the season, there’s always something to do, in the Bear Lake Valley. Find out more at bearlake.org or call 435-946-2197 or email visitors@bearlake. org

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In The Middle of Everything City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

The Heart of the Matter

MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/Human Resources Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling City Museum Midvale Senior Center SL County Animal Services Midvale Precinct UPD Police Dispatch Unified Fire Authority Fire Dispatch Communications

801-567-7200 801-567-7200 801-255-4234 801-567-7250 801-567-7228 801-567-7211 801-567-7235 801-363-9995 801-569-8040 385-468-3350 385-468-7387 385-468-9350 801-743-7000 801-743-7200 801-840-4000 801-567-7230

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR Robert Hale Email: Rhale@midvale.com

801-567-7204

CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Quinn Sperry Email: qsperry@midvale.com District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvale.com District 3 - Paul Hunt Email: phunt@midvale.com District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvale.com District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvale.com

WHO TO CALL FOR… Water Bills Ordering A New Trash Can Reserving the Bowery Permits GRAMA requests Court Paying For Traffic School Business Licensing Property Questions Cemetery Water Line Breaks Planning and Zoning Code Enforcement Building inspections Graffiti

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As a youngster, I thought that there will be some “magic” in a year numbered “2020!” Didn’t all kids visit the ophthalmologist, or the elementary school nurse, and have the famous “E Ǝ E Ǝ E Ǝ” eye acuity tests? If we were blessed with good eyesight or corrective lenses, we would hear the examiner say, “Very good, you have 2020 vision!” I think it positively affected our parents more than ourselves to hear those promising words. I’ve always taken “2020” to mean having a clear vision or understanding of that which can otherwise become a fog of complex or confusing circumstances. Parents provide guidance and become the “corrective lenses” for their children (no matter how old the children may be). Enlightening teachers are the “corrective lenses” for every student in their classroom as they lift the dark canopy of the Unknown to open the student eyes to whole new realms of possibilities. Books furnish the “corrective lenses” of the authors in the past because they propound to have walked the same path as the reader and that shared vision of past, present and the future offers enlightenment to the reader. Great statesmen, philosophers, prophets and scientists have been able to “see” beyond their immediate worlds to help others make less mistakes and instead make quicker advances along paths we attempt by faith. The Year 2020 is a Decennial Year in which the United States of America conducts an every-ten-year census of all inhabitants within its borders. Few things will have a longer impact on our mutual futures than the ﬁve minutes we each spend online or with an enumerator from the US Census Bureau completing this census in the next three or four months. Each tiny baby, the most aged person and every human between, will generate an estimated $1,870 in return, if counted. That may seem small per person but multiplied by our current estimated City population and it amounts to a sizeable sum of nearly $40 million per year in tax funds. This will return to us from taxes we will each have paid into the U.S. Treasury. We will receive important funds in our City through various avenues

Winter Parking Ordinance Updated Midvale City would like to remind residents about parking regulations to ensure plowing operations run safely, smoothly and efﬁciently throughout the community. In December, the City Council voted to revise the Winter Parking Ordinance to tie parking regulations to snow events, rather than time of day, as the purpose of the policy is to facilitate safe and effective snow removal. The revised policy now states “It is an infraction for any vehicle to be parked on city streets where one inch of snow has accumulated. The parking prohibition shall remain in effect for 24 hours after snow has ceased to fall, or until such time as the snow has been removed from the street.” Residents should be mindful of the weather and make arrangements to park off the streets when snow is forecasted.

JANUARY 2020 CITY NEWSLETTER By Mayor Robert Hale

including social services, roads, schools, senior services, homeless shelter, police and fire department grants, and hospitals. We can look around and see many funding streams which already benefit us and society generally. It is important beyond measure that each of us who reside in Midvale complete the 2020 United States Census. More on this to come. I want to take some of your reading time to express to you how grateful we are to the Canyons School District, Unified Fire Authority and Unified Police Department for their superb command of the situations we recently experienced in two of our secondary schools, Union Middle School and Hillcrest High School. With Union Middle School, it was suppressing a fire started by faulty equipment in a classroom and halting what could have been a disastrous situation that would have shut down the school for a long, long period. As it was, accommodations were made to reopen the school building a little at a time as it became reusable after smoke and fire damage were removed. The Hillcrest High School incident was of a different nature but could have been even more devastating. I have watched the 35-second video taken by a contractor that showed the threat escaping 500 gallons of butane gas posed on that Wednesday morning in early December with over two thousand students and uncounted workmen, faculty and staff on campus. Fortunately, correct decisions were made on the spot by contractors, faculty, Unified Fire and Unified Police to allay potential explosive circumstances, evacuate every person out of harm’s way, clear the danger and reconvene school the next day with not a single injury or lost school day or workday. Let us make the Year 2020 a safe and exceptional year in our lives and the lives of our fellow citizens, social and educational agencies, and commercial enterprises, a year when we “see” and live life by being wise and helpful to others. Let’s take advantage of our experienced friends and family members, leaders and wise women and men. We will thus avoid some of the repetitious pitfalls that repeatedly afflict the health of members of our society, and instead take firm sure steps into this new wonderous decade.

In The Middle of Everything

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Recycling Changes – The Big 3 There has been a change in recycling globally. China, the world’s largest buyer of recycling materials, has recently changed its policy to only accept non-contaminated materials. This has forced businesses in the recycling industry to be more strict about what they will accept. Recycling contamination occurs when well-intentioned people mix non-recyclables in their bins, which can ultimately contaminate an entire batch of would-be recyclables. Contamination’s include food waste and liquids and non-recyclable plastic, like grocery bags and zip-top bags. Residents’ recycling bins are transported to the local MRF (materials recovery facility) to be sorted. Unfortunately, due to contamination, more than 52% of these materials are then sent to the landﬁll instead of being recycled. Not only is this not good for the environment, it increases costs. Instead of paying $16 per ton, the City pays $50 per ton. In order to ensure that the materials in your recycling bin are actually getting recycled, rather than ending up in the landﬁll, the items that you used to be able to recycle in your recycle bins are no longer accepted. The only items that you can now place in a Midvale City recycle bin are “the Big 3”.

“THE BIG 3” 1. Corrugated Cardboard – This includes any size material consisting of a ﬂuted corrugated sheet, like shipping boxes and packing boxes. Flatten all boxes and remove packaging items such as Styrofoam, peanuts, bubble wrap, and plastic liners. Do not put paperboard (cereal boxes, shoe boxes), newsprint or junk mail into the bin. 2. Plastic bottles and jugs with a neck– This includes water bottles and milk gallon containers. Rinse out any residue and put the cap back on. All other plastic material is considered trash. Ignore the numbers as they don’t indicate if something is recyclable. Do not put any other plastic items in the bin. 3. Metal food and beverage cans - This includes all food and beverage cans made from aluminum or steel. Rinse out any residue. Do not put any other type of metal in the bin.

What items are no longer accepted in your recycle bin? Plastic or paper bags, paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, cereal boxes, wax paper, clear or Styrofoam boxes, or electronics. Where to take items that you can’t place in your recycle bin To better serve the residents of Midvale City, there are local recycle drop off locations for glass and paper ONLY (see below). Visit Salt Lake County’s website slco.org/recycle/hard-to-recycle-items/ to ﬁnd out where to take additional items that can’t be recycled in your curbside bin. Glass drop off recycling bin Midvale City Park – 7720 S. Chapel St. (325 West) In the SE corner of the parking lot. Paper drop off recycling bin Green Fiber offers paper recycling bins that are located at the following locations in Midvale: Copperview Elementary

8449 S Monroe Street

Midvalley Elementary

217 E 7800 S

St. James Church

7486 Union Park Aven

Accepted items include: • cereal boxes

• junk mail

• magazines

• brown paper bags

• ofﬁce paper

• construction paper

• newspaper

• cardboard

Please help us keep the area clean. Do not place items outside of paper bin. REMINDERS Don’t bag your recycling items in a plastic bag. A plastic bag of any kind can ruin equipment at the recycling plant. Please keep all plastic bags out of the bin! Don’t overﬁll your recycle bin. If your bin is overﬁlled and the lid is open, your items may become wet from snow or rain. The load may be considered contaminated, so please ensure that your lid is securely closed.

INVITATION TO Midvale Residents to Participate in the Midvale Community Council By Steve Hirchak, Chair We invite all that are interested in serving the community in a volunteer capacity to join us on January 8, 2020 at 6:15 p.m. at the Midvale City Hall. The purpose of the Community Council is to promote the public good and the welfare of the Midvale community by: • Disseminating information and providing support for activities that beneﬁt the community. • Initiating, organizing, and providing support for activities that beneﬁt the community. • Facilitating communication between the City or other agencies and the community. Please like our page to stay up to date on our activities: www.facebook.com/MidvaleCommunityCouncil

COMING SOON! Midvale Connect–Citizen Engagement Platform Keep an eye out for Midvale City’s new “Midvale Connect” citizen engagement platform that will be launched later this month. Midvale Connect will help the city hear from residents more frequently about an array of topics. The new Midvale Connect platform connects the City’s existing methods of gathering feedback and allows for expanding these capabilities. Examples of engagement activities Midvale Connect supports include (but are not limited to): in-person interactions at public meetings or community events, online surveys/discussion forums, social media outreach, text messaging and email communication, geo-targeting, language translation, and

long-term Citizen Relationship Management (CRM). At Midvale City, we understand that public engagement is not a transactional process with a deﬁned beginning and end-date. Engaging the public involves thoughtful outreach and a recognition of the time and energy offered by residents through responsiveness and re-engagement. This recognition builds the trust that is critical to our democracy. The Midvale Connect platform is designed to facilitate engagement and support the process of building trust through this holistic approach. Visit www.MidvaleCity.org/MidvaleConnect to learn more.

JANUARY 2020 CITY NEWSLETTER WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Midvale Arts Council Audition Notice

The Midvale Arts Council will be holding auditions for Shakespeare’s: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We are looking for men and women to ﬁll the roles of this beloved classic (all roles are open for auditioners). Auditions will be held at the Midvale Performing Arts Center 695 W Center Street (7720 South), Midvale, UT on January 14, 2020 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.; no appointment necessary. Callbacks to be held at the same location on January 15 starting at 6:30 p.m., by invitation only. Come prepared with a memorized 60 second classical monologue (dramatic or comedic – Shakespearean preferred, but not required). Please also bring your conﬂicts between January 14 and March 14, 2020. A headshot and theater resume are encouraged, but not required. Directed by Candice Jorgensen and Co-Produced by Melody Chapman & Stephanie Johnson. A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs March 6-7, 9, 12-14, 2020. Performances to be held at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. matinees on both Saturdays at the Midvale Performing Arts Center. Cast read through to be held Saturday, January 18, 2020. Visit www.midvalearts.com for the audition packet & character descriptions (coming soon). Email productions@midvalearts. com with any questions.

I-15 Northbound UDOT Project

Officer of the Month – November 2019 K9 Otto

Midvale’s newest member, K9 Otto, was acquired in September 2019 and assigned to Officer Matthew Harper as his handler. K9 Otto and Officer Harper immediately began the arduous task of becoming certified in the detection of narcotics and the behavioral training required to make the K9 program successful. After several months of hard work and effort, K9 Otto successfully passed his trials in November 2019 and is now a fully certified Narcotics Detection K9. We commend Otto and his handler, Officer Harper for their efforts and look forward to their addition to the Midvale Precinct. K9 Otto and his handler will also be available to assist other UPD Precincts and police agencies throughout the Salt Lake Valley and will a force multiplier in our communities.

Officer of the Month – October 2019 Detective Chelsea Winslow Detective Winslow joined the Midvale Precinct Street Crimes Unit approximately one year ago. Since that time, she has proven that she is an integral part of the unit, conducting numerous investigations that have yielded seizures of illegally possessed ﬁrearms, stolen vehicle recoveries, search warrant executions, nuisance home closures, fugitive arrests, and substantial amounts of illegal narcotics conﬁscated before they reached the streets. Two recent cases which she investigated, yielded the seizure of 3.5 ounces of cocaine, one pound of heroin, and over one pound of methamphetamine. In addition to the distributable amounts of illegal drugs, Detective Winslow also seized $5,300 in cash proceeds from narcotic sales. These seizures and arrests undoubtedly interrupted the criminal network in Midvale City and the Salt Lake County area. Detective Winslow is self-motivated and driven in the continuous pursuit of these offenders engaged in behavior that is harmful to the quality of life we all need and expect. She portrays all the positive qualities of a detective that is entrusted with this type of investigative assignment. She should be commended and recognized for her tenacity and dedication to the profession of law enforcement and public service.

Unishippers Celebrates Merger with Worldwide Express The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is improving northbound I-15 in Salt Lake County by adding a new general purpose lane from Bangerter Highway to 9400 South and a three-lane collector-distributor (CD) system from 9400 South to I-215. This project will improve mobility, reduce congestion and enhance safety on northbound I-15. Construction began summer 2019 and will continue through late 2020. If you have questions or would like to sign up for email updates, please contact a project representative at 801-747-9950 or i15northbound@utah.gov. For more information about the project, visit udot. utah.gov/i15northbound.

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Hunt joined employees as they celebrated the merger between Unishippers and Worldwide Express. Located in Bingham Junction, the third-party logistics provider staff’s employees in sales, customer service, operations support and billing. Many of these employees live in Bingham Junction and enjoy working so close to home.

In The Middle of Everything

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

New Year, New Pet: What to Do

Then if your pet gets lost, any animal shelter or veterinarian can scan that animal for a microchip. They will then be able to call the phone number listed on the microchip to make the owner aware they have their animal. Microchipping is one of the best ways to get an animal back to their owner.

Did you get a pet this holiday season? Here’s some recommendations from Salt Lake County Animal Services on what to do with that new pet.

3. LICENSE: By Utah state law, pet owners must license a pet by the time they are ﬁve months of age or within 30 days of moving into an area or acquiring the pet.

1. VACCINATE: Make sure they are up to date on vaccinations. Pet illnesses and diseases are preventable if you vaccinate your pet. Low cost vaccinations are available at our location. 2. MICROCHIP: Get your new pet microchipped for FREE at Salt Lake County Animal Services. Once your pet is microchipped all you must do is register your information with the microchip company.

At Salt Lake County Animal Services, we can help you with these services. LOCATED at 511 W 3900 S, SLC 84123. OPEN 10 AM – 6 PM, Mon-Sat. Questions? Visit AdoptUtahPets.org or email animal@slco.org.

PROJECT EMPATHY

Fire Safety

during Winter Storms

Winter storms can happen almost anywhere. They can cause us problems. Know what to do before, during and after a storm. This will help keep you and your family safe from a winter fire.

Ten-year-old Chase Hansen presented information about “Project Empathy” to the Mayor and City Council in December. He explained, with such enthusiasm, that he and his father John are on a mission to help the homeless. Their approach is simple “sit down person-to-person and listen without judgment and with only curiosity.” This human connection makes such a strong impact! It allows them to discover the needs of homeless individuals, lift their spirits and discover their passions and dreams. As a community we can “develop meaningful relationships that are authentic, develop trust and move forward together.” Chase’s passion, dedication, and pure love really impressed the Mayor and Council Members. He encourages us all to want to make a difference. To learn more or get involved visit their Facebook page @Kid Labs or www.KidLabs.org.

•

Test all smoke alarms. Do this at least once a month. This way you will know they are working. Install carbon monoxide alarms in your home. Test the alarms.

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Plan two ways out of the home in case of an emergency. Clear driveway and front walk of ice and snow. This will provide easy access to your home.

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Make sure your house number can be seen from the street. If you need help, firefighters will be able to find you.

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Be ready in case the power goes out. Have flashlights on hand. Also have battery-powered lighting and fresh batteries. Never use candles.

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Stay aware of winter weather. Listen to the television or radio for updates. Watch for bulletins online.

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Check on neighbors. Check on others who may need help.

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Generators should be used outdoors. Keep them away from windows and doors. Do not run a generator inside your garage, even if the door is open.

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Stay away from downed wires. Report any downed wires to authorities.

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Be ready if the heat stops working. Use extra layers of clothes and blankets to stay warm. If you use an emergency heat source, keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away.

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Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room. Turn them off when you go to bed. NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION The leading information and knowledge resource on fire, electrical and related hazards

nfpa.org/education ©NFPA 2017

important

reminder

There are more home fires in winter than in any other season. Half of all home heating fires happen in December, January and February. As you stay cozy and warm this winter season, be fire smart!

Fact

Nearly half of all space heater fires involve electric space heaters.

City Journals presents:

A publication covering winter indoor and outdoor recreational activities in and around the Salt Lake Valley area.

Local runner turns childhood illness into fitness motivation By Jess Nielsen Beach | j.beach@mycityjournals.com You see them every time you drive down the street: runners, of all shapes and sizes, pounding the pavement in snow or shine. For Jill Wilkins, a West Valley resident, you’re more likely to see her at a more elevated level.

Rather than let her illness defeat her, she used it as a way to better herself. “I always loved the strength of runners. You’ll be driving and see people running in bad weather and think, ‘wow, good for you!’ I wanted to be the strong one, beWilkins, 39, grew to love trail running cause I’ve always been the sick one.” Although the fitness guru now has after a prolonged childhood illness. “I was really sick my whole life,” Wilkins years of training under her belt, it didn’t said. “I missed four years of school. I had come easy. Her first 5K was with her uncle, to have daily nutritional IVs and I was very who was nearing his fifties. Her only goal was to not let him beat her—which he did, unhealthy. I was always ‘the sick one.’”

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sooner than she expected. “We started running and an eighth of a mile in, not even a half mile, my uncle takes off,” Wilkins said. “There’s nothing more humbling than seeing your older uncle take off and there’s nothing you can do about it.” After finishing that race, Wilkins was determined to get better. She began to train and love the workout, and she wasn’t about to pay for a sitter. “It’s so simplistic.” Wilkins said, explaining her routine as a mom who loves to run. “You don’t need a babysitter for the gym, you’re not stuck in a room with sweaty, smelly people not knowing what to do and being intimidated. You just put one foot in front of the other.” Once her love of exercise was cemented, Wilkins began to explore the nearby mountains. “I’ve always loved hiking and running, and then I found trail running, which just combines it all.” In addition to the scenic views and fresh air, Wilkins is grateful for the easier toll trail running takes. Rather than the flat, monotonous pavement on roads and sidewalks, the dirt and snow serve as a cushion to not wear down as much. “I like the mountain running because it’s very hard to do, but it’s much easier on your body. It’s less impact. There’s also trail variances, there’s rocks, roots, ups, downs; you’re using all the parts of your legs and all different tendons.” If you’re looking to start trail running, or running in general, don’t be scared. According to Wilkins, there is one important factor if you decide to embrace the great outdoors, even in the snow. “Running is not for everybody, but hiking is for almost everybody. You can get enjoyment out of it and you don’t have to do hard hikes. It’s putting one foot in front of the other. If you have to take a breather, do it. Get yourself out and enjoy the moun-

Wilkins surfs down the mountain during the Brighton Cirque series race. (Photo courtesy Jill Wilkins)

tains. We are so lucky. There are so many people who pay to travel here and experience our trails, and they’re right here.” As for fellow moms with young children, she adds, “Most people think it’s complicated to get kids out, but it’s really not. It’s no different than going sledding or seeing the lights at Temple Square. Warm clothes, snacks if they’re hungry, and hand warmers.” If you’re ready to get out there, Wilkins recommends checking online for avalanche dangers as well as consulting the app, All Trails. “All Trails will filter hikes, show the distance, elevation gain, etc. That way you can see oh, this will be an easy trail verses something more challenging.” Wilkins said. “If you have a pair of hiking boots, you’re fine. Just pick a trail that doesn’t have a lot of steepness. I like trekking poles, they’re great for balance. In the snow, you might be a little off, so pull out your poles and get going.” For more fitness inspiration and photos of Utah’s most stunning views, you can follow Wilkins’ Instagram page: jillrwilkins.

January 2020 | Page 17

Winter sports for the non-skier: Wasatch Front offers plenty of alternatives for outdoor fun By Joshua Wood | joshw@mycityjournals.com

Sledding takes off when there is fresh snow. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)

Sledding offers winter fun for kids of all ages. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)

Kids ready to take off after a storm. (Joshua Wood/ City Journals)

The ski season got off to a solid start in Utah with a late November storm piling over 3 feet at many resorts as they opened. That should come as great news for skiers, but what about Utah’s non-skiers? Do they wait until spring and summer for warm weather outdoor activities?

from $13 to around $25 per day. Many of the shops that sell and rent ski gear also rent snowshoes. From REI or your local ski shop, it is relatively easy to get a pair of snowshoes and poles and try it out. “Snowshoes are good,” said Alan Greenberg at Cottonwood Cyclery in Cottonwood Heights. “They’re low cost, it’s fun, it’s something to do outside. You don’t have to wait in line, the trails are free.” While the number of snowshoe rentals is fairly low from his experience, Dailey said he rents snowshoes to couples looking for something different to do on a date, or to older customers seeking low-impact snow sports. “It still gets you in the mountains, you still get to see cool stuff, and you’re not fighting the crowds,” Dailey said. “In the summer, you have all those hiking trails available. In the winter there are way less crowds.”

While that certainly is an option, there are a lot of other things Utah’s outdoors offer. From hitting the trails on snowshoes or darting downhill on a sled at the neighborhood park, getting outside this winter is easy thanks to the Wasatch Front’s accessible outdoor wonders.

Getting outdoors on a (snow)shoestring budget

Snowshoeing presents a low impact and relatively low-cost alternative to skiing. People can enjoy the crisp, clean air of the mountains at a fraction of the cost of skiing. Snowshoes help people access nearby trails without the same crowds they might encounter during summer. It is increasing in popularity, too. According to statistics, 3.7 million people snowshoed in the United States in 2017, up from 2.4 million in 2007. “It’s a great alternative,” said Mike Dailey at the Wasatch Powder House in Holladay. “I’ll send people to Millcreek Canyon because you don’t have all the ski traffic. There are a lot of trails up there. You can also go to the quarry in Little Cottonwood.” Snowshoe rentals in the area range

Page 18 | January 2020

Winter sports can be about more than snow

Ice skating presents a timeless way to enjoy winter sports. From the indoor rink at the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center to the Olympic Oval in Kearns or outdoor rinks when they can be found, skating helps bring people together. Greenberg of Cottonwood Cyclery is passionate about skating and has visions of expanding access to ice skating in Cottonwood Heights. “It’s easy in the summer to make excuses to go outside and do something, but in the winter, it’s really hard,” Greenberg said. “My son plays hockey and

Locals flock to parks with steep hills after a snowstorm. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)

goes to Hillcrest. If there’s an outdoor rink, he would skate there. He might meet some Brighton kids. Something like that brings a community together. That’s important.” With sparks flying as he sharpened a customer’s skate in his shop, Greenberg talked about his vision for an outdoor ice skating rink as the centerpiece of a winter haven in Cottonwood Heights. Put it near a sledding hill, add food trucks and outdoor concerts, and the whole community could take part in winter sports right in town. “Any ice sport is a hidden sport,” Greenberg said. “It’s tucked away in a rink. You really have to seek it out. You’re never going to stumble upon it. In the Midwest and the Northeast, where they have that stuff, you have communities that run into each other, and it’s out there. Who knows how many kids would see a rink and say, ‘Mom I want to play hockey or I want to figure skate.’” For those who do skate, Cottonwood Cyclery sells, repairs, and sharpens skates for hundreds of people in the area. “I’d love to have an opportunity down here, right in the middle, where people driving by look and say, let’s buy a couple of cheap hockey sticks and we’ll go dink around on the ice,” Greenberg said.

very popular among the mountain biking community,” said Sydney Ricketts of Trek Bicycle in Cottonwood Heights. “There’s definitely a large mountain biking community in Salt Lake. Fat biking is popular among mountain bikers because not many people do it so you don’t get the crowds like the ski resorts do in winter.” The large, wide tires on a fat bike are great for riding over loose terrain like snow. They tend to require a larger frame, particularly the fork, than most mountain bikes can accommodate. Fat bike enthusiasts find uses for them year round. “Some people are all about the fat biking,” Ricketts said. “They can definitely be a year-round bike. The traction, and the tires since they are so big, you can run them at a lower PSI. Since they’re so high volume they can act like suspension, if you will.” In the summer, fat bikes are popular for bikepacking, which is essentially backpacking by bike. The fat tires are great for rough trails and work as well in desert sand as on the winter snow. Fat biking also offers a winter alternative to skiing when the snow might not be so great. One limitation of winter fat biking is finding suitable trails. “Trails need to be maintained,” Greenberg said. “You can’t just fat bike on loose snow.” A big, fat winter spin on summer sports Not to worry. One way to find good The ice and snow don’t have to put off traditionally summer sports completely. trails for fat biking is to piggyback on anOne alternative that enthusiasts in the area other winter sport. “I see a lot of people enjoy is fat biking. “Fat biking is definitely biking on snowmobiling trails like in the

Midvale City Journal

Seven years without a cold? By Priscilla Schnarr

Another traditional summer activity that can be enjoyed in winter is fishing. Utah offers several good ice fishing spots less than an hour from the Salt Lake valley. (Photo courtesy Van Hoover)

Uintas,” Dailey said. “Mirror Lake Highway, Soapstone Road, they groom them. You have a road to ride on.”

Traditional winter fun right in town

Classic winter activities never go out of style. Go to a park like Mountview Park in Cottonwood Heights or Aspen Meadows Park in Sandy after a snowstorm, and you will find plenty of people sledding the steepest hills. Sledding is a low-cost activity that families can enjoy close to home. “We’re here just to have fun with the family,” Monica Smith said as she watched her kids race down the hill at Aspen Meadows Park. “We’ll try to ski half a dozen times this year, but we probably sled more.” People of all ages dart down snowy hills each winter, but sledding definitely seems to be about kids. It is a way for families to make the most of newly fallen snow and get outside during the winter months. “I don’t ski; this is it,” said Levi Ortega. “It’s all about my kids. There’s no skiing or snowboarding for me. We just sled.” Inexpensive sleds of various designs, from plastic or foam to inflatable tubes,

are widely available in stores. More elaborate sleds are also an option. “A wooden toboggan? I can get them,” Greenberg of Cottonwood Cyclery said. “Think what a killer Christmas gift that would be. It would be really cool to have.”

A fun icebreaker

Another traditional summer activity that can be enjoyed in winter is fishing. Utah offers several good ice fishing spots less than an hour from the Salt Lake valley. “Rockport (State Park) is a great place,” said Karson Ranck of Fish Tech in Holladay. “It has some nice perch and rainbow trout. And it’s just 30 minutes away. There’s Jordanelle (State Park), and Strawberry (Reservoir) is really popular.” The main obstacle to ice fishing, aside from getting over the idea of sitting in the cold for hours waiting for a bite, is getting through the ice. To do the job, people can opt for an old-fashioned manual auger or a powered one to drill a hole for their lines. Manual augers run around $70 at Fish Tech, while powered augers can cost $600. Ice fishing is another way to enjoy recreation areas without the crowds. There are multiple online resources to check on temperatures and ice conditions before venturing out. Making sure the ice is suitably thick for fishing is, of course, a key safety measure. It is also a good idea to research specific locations on the lake before drilling holes. Since finding a place to fish takes a lot more work when you have to auger a hole, it helps to make a plan of action ahead of time.

The tip of the iceberg

Other winter sport activities that can be enjoyed include curling, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and more. There are also opportunities to put a winter spin on more traditionally warm weather activities like running and various team sports. Utah is renowned for its winter recreation, but there is much more to do on the Greatest Snowshoes offer a low-cost way to explore nearby Snow on Earth than just skiing. trails in winter. (Photo courtesy of John Dehlin)

MidvaleJournal.com

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More and more people are saying they just don’t get colds anymore. They are using a new device made of pure copper, which scientists say kills cold and flu viruses. Doug Cornell invented the device in 2012. “I haven’t had a single cold since then,” he says. People were skeptical but New research: Copper stops colds if used early. EPA and university studies Businesswoman Rosaleen says when demonstrate repeatedly that viruses and bacteria die almost instantly when people are sick around her she uses CopperZap morning and night. “It saved me touched by copper. That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyp- last holidays,” she said. “The kids had tians used copper to purify water and colds going around, but not me.” Some users say it also helps with heal wounds. They didn’t know about sinuses. Attorney Donna Blight had a viruses and bacteria, but now we do. Scientists say the high conductance 2-day sinus headache. When her Copperof copper disrupts the electrical balance Zap arrived, she tried it. “I am shocked!” in a microbe cell and destroys the cell in she said. “My head cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.” seconds. Some users say copper stops nightSo some hospitals tried copper touch surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. time stuffiness if used before bed. One This cut the spread of MRSA and other man said, “Best sleep I’ve had in years.” Copper can also stop flu if used earillnesses by over half, and saved lives. Colds start after cold viruses get in ly and for several days. Lab technicians your nose, so the vast body of research placed 25 million live flu viruses on a gave Cornell an idea. When he next CopperZap. No viruses were found alive felt a cold about to start, he fashioned a soon after. Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the teams smooth copper probe and rubbed it genconfirming the discovery. He placed miltly in his nose for 60 seconds. “It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold lions of disease germs on copper. “They never got going.” It worked again every started to die literally as soon as they touched the surface,” he said. time. The handle is curved and finely texHe asked relatives and friends to try it. They said it worked for them, too, so tured to improve contact. It kills germs he patented CopperZap™ and put it on picked up on fingers and hands to protect you and your family. the market. Copper even kills deadly germs that Now tens of thousands of people have tried it. Nearly 100% of feedback have become resistant to antibiotics. If said the copper stops colds if used within you are near sick people, a moment of 3 hours after the first sign. Even up to 2 handling it may keep serious infection days, if they still get the cold it is milder away. The EPA says copper still works even than usual and they feel better. Pat McAllister, age 70, received one when tarnished. It kills hundreds of diffor Christmas and called it “one of the ferent disease germs so it can prevent sebest presents ever. This little jewel real- rious or even fatal illness. CopperZap is made in America of ly works.” Now thousands of users have pure copper. It has a 90-day full money simply stopped getting colds. People often use CopperZap preven- back guarantee. It is $69.95. Get $10 off each CopperZap with tively. Frequent flier Karen Gauci used to get colds after crowded flights. Though code UTCJ9. Go to www.CopperZap.com or call skeptical, she tried it several times a day on travel days for 2 months. “Sixteen toll-free 1-888-411-6114. Buy once, use forever. flights and not a sniffle!” she exclaimed. advertorial

January 2020 | Page 19

Do you have what it takes to be a professional hockey ref? By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com Did you hear about the professional hockey game where not one fight broke out? If you did, please let Jim McKenna know, because he probably would have loved to referee that game. Hockey, after all, is the only sport with a penalty box (a temporary detention cell) and requires its referees to match the toughness of its competitors. McKenna, while dodging hockey pucks and punches during the night, works during the day in the information technology world as an I.T. solution manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a profession he has had for the last 20 years. On top of all of that, he serves in the bishopric of his Murray congregation. “I started officiating when I was 24. I was married and going to school and needed a way to make some extra money,” McKenna said. “I was always hard on the refs when I played, always thought they did a poor job. One of them told me to give it a try if I thought I could do better.” The Skyline High graduate grew up playing hockey; he started at age 6. When the ice rink was not available, he and his brothers played street hockey. After graduating from the University of Utah, he continued playing hockey in recreation leagues and decided he could, indeed, do a better

job than other referees could. “I learned very quickly; it is a lot harder than it looks. But, I loved being involved, and it was a great way to make extra money. Later on, I kept doing it because I loved working in high-level games. I have also come to meet and get to know a lot of great people,” McKenna said. To be a professional hockey referee, you go through a process similar to the players. First, you are selected to work in developmental leagues and junior leagues, such as the USHL or NAHL. Referees are then hired to work minor professional hockey, such as the East Coast Hockey League and American Hockey League; then the National Hockey League hires the top refs of those leagues. McKenna officiates many of the Utah Grizzlies games and minor league teams in Idaho. According to McKenna, “I was older when I started working, and so I never had the desire to move my wife to the Midwest or back East to work hockey games. Most of the refs spend several years traveling around working games to get a shot at the pro level. I was happy and lucky enough to get to work here in Utah.” McKenna typically draws the linesman assignment, meaning his primary responsibility is watching for violations involving the

center line and the blue line, and infractions including icing and offsides, after which the linesman conduct face-offs. McKenna is also expected to break up scuffles, fistfights and other altercations that occur during the game. His day job of working with computers and, if you will, his weekend job (working as a leader in his LDS ward) are, without question, vastly different. “Dealing with players, no matter what the level of play—college, pro, or youth— you always have to be the adult and be in control, you can’t let your emotions get to you. I have found my faith and perspective helps me do that. “Yes, hockey is probably one of the most colorful sports, language-wise. I have found that the older I get, the less I care about what I am being called or what the fans, coaches or players yell. I have found if I can find the humor in all the craziness, it helps.” McKenna calls working the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics Games the highlight of his career. He called many pre-Olympic matches and assisted the international referees with all the games. “I worked as a linesman during the 2002 Paralympic Games. I lined the bronze medal game between Sweden and Cana-

Professional hockey referee Jim McKenna, in stripes, clears out of the way after conducting a face-off. (Photo courtesy Jim McKenna)

da. That was a blast. I got to know a number of officials from other countries, and we had a great time during that week,” McKenna said. “I also got to watch every Olympic game, including the gold medal game between the USA and Canada, which was probably the best sports experience I have had.”

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City Journal

Mountain America helps families find the purrfect fit

By Cassie Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com

ver 160 homeless animals were able to go home for the holidays thanks to the Humane Society of Utah and Mountain America Credit Union channeling their inner Santa spirit while hosting their annual Fall in Love adoption event. On Nov. 23, visitors to the Humane Society could adopt a four-legged family member for free since Mountain America was paying for all adoption fees. “Our hearts are full knowing that so many pets are sleeping in their new loving homes tonight thanks to our Fall in Love event sponsored by Mountain America,” said Humane Society of Utah Director of Marketing and Communications Deann Shepherd. “We are beyond thrilled that so many people came to adopt a new friend and family member. It takes support from our community to save these pets’ lives, and this event has truly allowed us to change their world.” Potential pet owners began arriving around 7 a.m. to get a spot in one of the many lines – depending on what type of animal they wanted to adopt. There were dog, cat, hamster and rabbit lines. When regular adoption hours began at 10 a.m. Humane Society staff members took a specific number of visitors through the kennels at a time. This allowed for visitors to spend some time with the animals to ensure compatibility. When visitors had clicked with their new furry family member, Humane Society staff members discussed the responsibilities associated with adopting an animal. After the adoptions were finalized, humans could take photos with their pets at a photo booth. Almost all of the animals at the Humane Society were adopted during the event. “The available space allows the Humane Society of Utah to save hundreds more homeless pets by accepting additional owner-surrendered animals and animals from overcrowded shelters,” said Mountain America Assistant Vice President of Public Relations Brittani Forbush. Over 140 pets were adopted with the first Fall in Love adoption event, which occurred over Thanksgiving weekend in 2018. At the time, the Humane Society was trying to target the Black Friday crowds with the slogan “don’t shop, go adopt.” In 2019, they expressed a wish to get animals home before the holidays, so the event was moved to the weekend before Thanksgiving. “Mountain America is pleased to have helped so many pets find homes ahead of the holiday season,” said Mountain America Credit Union Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Sharon Cook. “We appreciate the overwhelming support from the community and look forward to continuing to save lives through our Pet of the Week program.”

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801-816-0505 61 W. 13490 S, Suite 200 Draper, Utah 84121 Falling in love was the hope for the adoption event on Nov. 23. (Photo courtesy Brittani Forbush)

Every Friday, a pet from the Humane Society is featured on the Pet of the Week segment on Fox 13 News and associated social media channels. If a viewer believes that the featured dog, hamster, cat or rabbit is right for them, Mountain America will pay for the adoption fees. This segment helps create awareness and shape perception for the Humane Society. They not only have dogs and cats, but puppies and kittens, rabbits, hamsters and even birds. In addition, the segment helps create “awareness for dogs that might have a hard time getting adopted,” Forbush said. Mountain America recognizes the roles animals play in human lives, especially as many members and employees have important four-legged family members. Their “love for pets combined with the company’s philosophy of giving back has been a driver in the credit union’s partnership with the Humane Society of Utah,” Forbush said. Continuing the theme, Mountain America supports the Humane Educators Reaching Out (H.E.R.O.) summer camp. The eightweek camp teaches first graders through sixth graders “about the cost and responsibility of owning a pet,” Forbush said. Mountain America and the Humane Society will continue to have the Pet of the Week and will host another Fall in Love event next year. Stay tuned to Mountain America Credit Union’s social media channels (@mountainamericacu) and the Humane Society’s social media channels (@utahhumane) to find out more. l

January 2020 | Page 21

5 New Year’s Habits You Should Keep

t’s the new year, a time where many people promise themselves, this year they will turn over a new leaf and bust their bad habits for good. For those that have accomplished this mission, good for you. For me, however a new year’s resolution is more of a holiday tradition of making, and then breaking, an already empty promise to myself. I have found that if I really want to change a behavior, I need to turn the old habit into a new one. I try to make my new habits fun, challenge myself, compete with someone else and reward myself at the end. In truth, I have most success doing this when it isn’t New Year’s. But, in keeping with the holiday and my mission to inspire others to save money here are five habits we penny pinchers use on a daily basis to keep a few more dollars in our pocket. 1. We prepare food from scratch. Preparing meals ahead, freezing extras and avoiding eating out will really stack up to extra savings. Not to mention the added health benefit. If you find you are eating out too often or most of your meals are prepackaged, just making this one change can add up to big bucks. 2. We shop second hand first. We make it a habit to check thrift stores, Restore and consignment stores before buying new. If we don’t find what we’re looking for we often choose to wait plus,

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there’s the added benefit of keeping things from the landfills. 3. We fix it before we replace them. When something breaks, we don’t throw it away immediately. We assess and research whether the item can be repaired to extend its lifespan. We are also inclined to do it ourselves as opposed to hiring things out. 4. We give our kids less stuff. Frugal kids don’t have a lot of toys. We as parents expect our kids to learn to be creative with less. We pass on buying the trendy clothing for our kids and teach them at an early age to earn, manage and respect their own money. 5. We take advantage of community events. Utah has an amazing amount of

family activities that are free. Did you know there are free days for the Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, there are free movies in the park and so much more. Visit Coupons4Utah.com every Wednesday for a list of frugal family activities. The list of things that a frugal person does on a day to day basis to save a few dollars is endless and varies greatly from person to person. But, in general I think that living a frugal lifestyle can make for a simpler lifestyle too. We tend to turn saving money into a game instead of paying attention to every detail we challenge ourselves to reach our financial goals faster and reaching a goal like paying off the house, paying cash for a car, or taking a dream vacation, makes for a Happy New Year.

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nless you’ve been living in the Gobi Desert, hiding from the toxic political atmosphere, you’re well aware that Bravo will air the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” in 2020. As if 2020 wasn’t going to be terrible enough. If you’re not familiar with the intellectual and thought-provoking series, executive producer Andy Cohen flies to town in his invisible helicopter, rounds up glamourous white women, tells them to act like idiots, then throws a diamond necklace into a swimming pool to watch them jump in wearing slinky evening gowns. It started in 2006 with “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and then spread like the plague through New York, Atlanta, Beverly Hills and other unsuspecting cities. In any given episode, you can expect nanny drama, coiffed eyebrows, white woman problems, plastic surgery cleavage, mean gossip, pouty lips, cats, jewelry for cats, catty behavior and lots of big hair. Buy why Utah? Well, the series tends to be overwhelmingly white, so I guess Utah makes sense. And I’ve heard that some women in Utah live glamourous lives in upper-class communities. That rules me out. My glamourous life consists of digging through laundry for a pair of matching socks. What I want to see is “The REAL Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” Episode #1: Judy is late for church. She’s

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Bo and drinking sparkling cider. Instead of all these genuine Salt Lake City scenarios, the new show will feature your basic Housewives’ dilemmas. Boo. Here’s Stefon from Saturday Night Live to explain what we’ll see during the show (because I miss him and want him to return to SNL so much). “If you’re watching ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ you can expect hysteria at the highest levels. There will be screeching, low cut gowns, pygmy goats directing traffic, Aquanet toothpaste, a jewelry heist, several cans of Pillsbury pizza crust, a lusty affair with a diesel mechanic, Spam, cabana boys with cowboy hats, Golden Retrievers wearing red pumps and a gala at Salt Lake’s newest club, Spork.” Actually, that might actually make 2020 bearable.

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