| CITYWEEKLY.NET |
| NEWS | A&E | DINING | CINEMA | MUSIC |
| CITY WEEKLY |
8 | JULY 29, 2021
HITS&MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele
MISS: This is the Way
The Utah Way. Well, that was a fun and yet unsatisfying read. The Salt Lake Tribune made a valiant effort to define what “the Utah way” means to all those politicians who like to use it—often and with impunity. The word most often used was “collaboration,” not to be outdone by “inclusiveness.” Yeah, to read this article, one would think Utah is a collaborative haven in which everyone respects everyone else’s views, and we somehow come to that elusive consensus that results in a happy public outcome. The story came close a few times to hearing what people really think. “At its worst, it’s a sound bite used to explain away policy decisions without the real work of reaching consensus,” said Jean Hill of the Catholic Diocese. If you want to hear what it really means, Gov. Spencer Cox gave us a clue when he indicated that the Biden administration should pretty much let Utah do what we want with public lands. In other words, it’s the Utah way or the highway.
HIT: Thirst Traps
At least the Utah Rivers Council realizes that Utah is in a drought—and it’s not a fleeting phenomenon. They and 10 other Colorado River Basin organizations are seeking a federal investigation into the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and how they’re spending $800 million to promote water conservation. In a nutshell, it’s about corruption, conflict of interest and the curious case of conservationdenial. If you don’t know what the Central Utah Water Conservancy District is, you may know of the Lake Powell Pipeline, which hopes to send water south from the Colorado River. The district, of course, says everything is on the up-and-up, that lobbyist and former legislator Christine Finlinson isn’t benefitting her business interests despite ties to the district. She, however, is ready to sue the Utah Rivers Council for its accusations, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Finlinson has said that conservation would be too expensive to implement. But there is a human cost to depleting water supplies.
MISS: Fanning Flames
The Deseret News wins City Weekly’s absurdity award for defending itself against the preposterous. Yup, Hal Boyd, executive editor of Deseret national, penned this piece of, well, satire? “Opinion: No, the Deseret News doesn’t have a ‘leftist agenda’.” Really. Boyd apparently is paying too much attention to someone who’s been paying too much attention to social media. It was a “colleague” (who shall remain nameless). Boyd disputes the claim that “we somehow use The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the publication’s owner—as a Trojan horse ‘front’ to surreptitiously push this ‘leftist agenda.’” After much googling, we found posts (long posts) on Quora arguing over whether the Deseret News is or isn’t leftist. And now Boyd himself has given voice and publicity to that fake news.
CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Meet Westside Candidates
The west side of Salt Lake City is about to change, and it’s not because of gerrymandering. The two city councilmen who represented Districts 1 and 2 left their positions, making it anyone’s game in November. The Westpointe and Jordan Meadows community councils are hosting a Night Out Community Celebration and Family Parade that will include a “political patio.” There you can meet the two candidates for James Rogers’ District 1 seat—Blake Perez and Victoria Petro-Eschler. Stay a while to hear them field questions from the public, facilitated by the League of Women Voters. This will be the first election in which ranked choice voting will be used. Find out what that means and how it has eliminated the need for a primary election. The Night Out will kick off with a parade and will have a COVID vaccine clinic along with food, music and fun. Westpointe Park, 1920 Colonel Road, Tuesday, Aug. 3, free. https://bit.ly/3zEFESn
Downtown Provo Gets Plan
Not all cities south of Salt Lake are filled with strip malls and food courts. In 2015, Provo’s Downtown Master Plan envisioned the city center and surrounding areas as encompassing “five planning districts; each district [having] unique characteristics that separate one from another.” But that was 2015. Do you think it was successful? At the Downtown Plan Open House, you’ll hear what staff has been doing and how they are revising the plan for the future. That future will include a huge population bump which will inevitably change the city. Provo City wants to learn from your personal experiences. “Big things are happening downtown, and we want to hear your thoughts!” Virtual, Thursday, July 29, 6 or 8 p.m. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3eOFaRk
Environmental Justice Explained
“What’s possible when we put economic, racial and social justice at the core of what we advocate for?” Those are questions that will be probed at Intersections: Environmental Justice from the nonprofit Earthjustice.org. “We’re a nonprofit in the business of building a better future. Our law yers are rewriting our planet’s future— one lawsuit at a time.” That should intrigue you as the West deals with an unprecedented drought, fires and pollution. You’ll hear from Senior Vice President of Programs Sam Sankar and others in the movement that includes 160 law yers who represent their clients free of charge. Their motto is “every day we fight,” and as climate change becomes reality, fighting is what matters. Virtual, Thursday, July 29, 12 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/36WS9fI
Practice Safety
With fires, floods and pestilence, it’s probably a good idea to be prepared, as those formerly known as Boy Scouts would say. Safety Protocols: Basic Emergency Practices Lecture Series will help you understand good safety protocols during emergency situations. You may learn about what to do when a family member gets food poisoning or how to secure your home and family in an emergency. Virtual, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 9 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3iEkDjz
