HITS&MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele
MISS: Lumps of Coal
Maybe our Republican overlords missed it, but Russia is using oil and gas as a weapon in its war to take Ukraine. Nations around the world are struggling to move quickly into the alternative energy market, but it will take time. Economics aside, fossil fuels are the No. 1 culprit in climate change, which is shrinking the Great Salt Lake, polluting the air and risking the health and welfare of every citizen. And now, The Salt Lake Tribune points out the dismal truth of Utah’s dependence on coal and its role in the state’s unrelenting drought. Sixty-one percent of the state’s energy generation comes from coal, and natural gas makes up 24%— all this while Rocky Mountain Power is flooding its two coal plants with 26 million gallons of water a day (9.4 billion gallons a year). That’s not nothing. But our politicians love coal so much that it doesn’t matter. Let this sink it: the lives of their constituents do not matter.
8 | MAY 5, 2022
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MISS: Scold Diggers
2021
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Best Boutique
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Best Thrift/Consignment for 5 years
UTAH’S BEST NEW & SECONDHAND FESTIVAL STORE!
HIT: Primary Colors
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NEW BIGGER SECOND LOCATION COMING SOON AT 855 S STATE STREET!
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Keeping SLC weird since 2014
There was an interesting story in The New Yorker about the Michigan state Senate race, where candidates are trolling the voters with more of the mean-spirited and paranoid tripe that proliferated after 2016. It’s all about staying in—or getting into—office. In Michigan, the narrative focuses on children and how “the left” is trying to sexualize them or blame them for the country’s troubled past. Here in Utah, we have only to look at candidates like Trevor Lee, the Davis County state House candidate who won the GOP convention over incumbent Rep. Steve Handy, R-Layton, by calling the governor a “RINO” and maybe transgender at that, a Salt Lake Tribune report says. Then there’s Sen. Mike Lee, who along with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, wants to make an issue of service members being drummed out for not vaccinating— even though it’s less than 1% of the total workforce. Vaccine and transgender delusions are the latest election fodder.
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The June 28 primary election is coming up, and this time, everyone’s watching. Many Democrats aren’t Democrats anymore, and Republicans of all stripes have a stake in who wins. So it was good news that the Utah Debate Commission has already scheduled five debates in anticipation. Sen. Mike Lee will use his constitutional oratory to stomp on Becky Edwards and Ally Isom, and it should be something to watch. The John Curtis and Chris Herrod debate will be just as critical, and the Chris Stewart and Erin Rider race … well, because of partisan gerrymandering—meh. For sure, all eyes will be on Lee, who has been revered and reviled over his hundreds of text messages about overturning the 2020 election. The Washington Post worried out loud about the “kid glove” treatment of Lee. Will the media ask him the tough questions? You can watch debates from 2020 on the commission’s website for a hint of what’s to come.
CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Affordable Housing
Do you know what “adaptive reuse” means? It’s an important concept in the post-pandemic world where we face a troubling shortage of housing. “The pandemic economy has created an unprecedented opportunity to address historic housing supply shortages through adaptive reuse of existing structures into affordable housing,” say organizers of Adaptive Reuse in Post-Pandemic Development. Commercial, retail, hotel and office space could be converted to new housing, but much depends on government policies and a willingness to move forward. “Panelists will discuss the roles of local government, developers, financial institutions and others to facilitate these conversions, including building codes and zoning requirements, partnerships, creative financing solutions and the politics of making it all come together.” Virtual, Thursday, May 5, 11:30 a.m., free. https://bit.ly/3vTN3wy
Where There’s Smoke
Forty-one percent of home fire deaths occur in properties without smoke alarms, and the risk of dying is 55% lower if you have an alarm. The Red Cross knows this and aims to install free smoke alarms in homes without them during Sound the Alarm. This national event plans to install 50,000 free smoke alarms in 50 at-risk communities. You will be trained on how to install and maintain the alarms at the West Jordan event and others. While some 75% of homes with reported fires had smoke alarms, the rest were mainly in at-risk communities where death by fire was likely. At the Rose Park event, volunteers are needed to place door-hangers and get sign-ups before a May 21 event. LDS Ward House, 7511 S. 2700 West, West Jordan, Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m.; Rose Park Neighborhood Center, 754 N. 800 West, noon, https://rdcrss.org/3xZxfuT
Lessons From Ben Franklin
Sure, Ben Franklin was a scoundrel, but he was also a visionary and a leader in civic action. “Join PBS Utah and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab for a screening and discussion about how Benjamin Franklin was an example of civic engagement and leadership, and learn from local student reporters about how civic leaders in Utah are paving the way for the new generation of movers and shakers.” Ken Burns’ Benjamin Franklin Screening & Discussion will demonstrate how history can repeat itself successfully. Politics does not have to be toxic and partisan in a collaborative world. Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 E. 400 South, Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3vQteGG
Unlikely Environmentalist
Here’s a chance to hear adventurer and conservationist Rick Ridgeway as he talks about the five years he spent living in tents during 26 expeditions to the most remote regions of the world. Ridgeway will be speaking about his book Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map at this stop on his Life Lived Wild Book Tour, a special presentation co-hosted by the Utah Sierra Club. Patagonia, 2292 Highland Drive, Tuesday, May 10, 6:30 p.m. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3s1EoHq
