June 2026 | Vol. 26 Iss. 6
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Sandy
City budget
Tensions flare as 2027 budget passes first hurdle Page 10-11
School mergers pause
Decision was tabled for comprehensive study
factory seconds blowout! Page 14
65 and rolling across America on one wheel By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com While most people celebrate turning 65 with cake, Sandy resident Kent Griffiths is celebrating by riding an electric unicycle across America to raise scholarship money for Hillcrest High students.
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n May 2, Hillcrest High alumnus Kent Griffiths turned 65. The Sandy resident celebrated by starting an epic cross country journey — not as a motorist nor cyclist and not even on foot. He is riding from California to Virginia on an electric unicycle, one of the first people to do so. It wasn’t surprising to his former childhood neighbor, Craig Conder, who remembered watching him make 60 jumps skydiving for his 60th birthday. Both adventures help raise funds for Hillcrest High Alumni Association’s scholarship fund. “I was someone who squeaked by with bad grades, but I had my breaks,” said the 1979 graduate, who added those came from the U.S. Army and later, his employer. Griffiths’ daughter, he said, thrived at Hillcrest and now is studying medicine, but that raised the concern about those who need a hand-up, so he devoted both epic adventures to raising funds for scholarships. “I get to have this experience of a lifetime, but I also get to make it about somebody else. That’s the motivator for me,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where help comes from as long as it comes at the right time.” Less than one week after starting his trip, Griffiths reached the Utah border. While he carefully planned and tested his equipment, he misjudged one thing. “I severely underestimated the importance of lotion on my hands,” he Continued on page 6
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Hillcrest alumnus Kent Griffiths, seen on the electric unicycle, is on a cross-country fundraising adventure and had met fellow unicyclist Michael Temby during his first week. (Photo courtesy of Kent Griffiths)
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