$30M BOND TO FUND TOWN CENTER PROJECT ON BALLOT
By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
Ttwoproposed bonds within the 2024 election are requiring voter input (one initiated by Salt Lake County, and one initiated by the city of Cottonwood Heights). Both bond-related votes will have a direct impact on Cottonwood Heights residents’ property taxes. This story overviews the City of Cottonwood Heights, Utah – Special Bond Election.
For the city’s General Obligation (GO) Community Redevelopment Bond, voters have the option on their 2024 ballot to vote either in favor (yes) for the issuance of the bonds or against (no) against the issuance of bonds. As mentioned in the companion article (within this City Journals edition) by Megan McKellar, if residents decide to vote in favor of the bond, property taxes will increase by a cost of $134.89 per year per property owner (around $11 per month).
This specific proposed bond involves a particular area within the city that is integral for maintaining the “character” of Cottonwood Heights (the project description even includes the language of “identity-building” elements…that will convey the Cottonwood Heights way of life). The $30-million GO Bond would help to fund the Heights (town-center) project.
This history of the Heights (town-center) project can be traced back to 2022 (as detailed in the companion article). For the purposes of this story, related to the GO bond specifically, let’s take it back just a few months to city council deliberations about the funding options for this project, which ultimately led to the decision to put the GO bond on the ballot.
Throughout the summer months, city staff and councilmembers were in conversations weighing the pros and cons of various funding options for this town-center project. June and July public meetings were filled with budgeting terminology as city leaders considered the options of continuing a debt-service, requesting a GO bond, land-leasing the area, or
taxes could help offset costs from specific developer(s).
At the time, Councilmember Suzanne Hyland (for District 2) liked the idea of outsourcing a land-lease to a property management company. However, she also liked the idea of letting the voters have a say in the funding source.
“I know residents in District 3 are excited but my district doesn’t seem to be,” said Hyland.
Councilmember Matthew Holton echoed “this hasn’t
been a topic of conversation for District 1. Let’s allow the voters to speak.”
During one of the specialized city council meetings over the summer, Finance Director Scott Jurges confirmed GO Bonds are generally the most inexpensive way to finance a city project.
Spreading kindness
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Improving the lives of
District meetings with related councilmembers to be coordinated in relation to The Heights GO Bond in October. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)
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Weight Loss Options: What You Need To Know About Diet, Prescription Medications & Surgery
By Catherine Beck, MD
Everywhere you turn lately, it seems the topic of weight loss is front and centerfrom billboards to TV to social media and more. And everyone seems to have an opinion on how to lose weight, with some offering weight loss services at a hefty price. So what is the best way to lose weight? How do you start? Is it worth the cost?
At CommonSpirit Holy Cross HospitalJordan Valley, the Comprehensive Medical and Surgical Weight loss program can answer your questions from a reliable, accredited, board certified provider.
Let’s tackle the first question - why you may want to lose weight or why it may be important for you to lose weight. Ultimately, it’s not just about appearances. There are multiple medical problems that improve or resolve with weight loss, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and sleep apnea, amongst others.
Weight loss also decreases your risk of multiple types of cancer, specifically breast and colon cancer. In addition, most patients just want to feel better, have more energy, and be able to spend quality time with their family, without the limitations their weight may place on them.
In general, there are typically three ways people lose weight: diet and exercise, medically supervised weight loss, and surgical weight loss.
1. Diet and exercise include any program someone does on their own, including Keto, Weight Watchers, Mediterranean diets, Jenny Craig or meal plans and programs. No specific diet has ever been proven to be more effective than another. In general, any diet and exercise plan will lead to about 5% excess body weight loss on average.
2. Medically supervised weight loss includes using prescription medications to lose weight. Most people immediately think of Wegovy and Zepbound, but there are a lot of medications that help people lose weight and work in different ways. It is incredibly important to know that only a well-trained provider can help patients use the optimal combination of medications to see maximum results with minimal side effects. Medically supervised weight loss should include not only a provider trained in weight loss, but also a dietitian, along with lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. These medications can help people lose up to 20% of their excess body weight if used correctly. Unfortunately, stopping the medication usually leads to weight regain and some patients have side effects that force them to stop the medication.
3. Surgical weight loss, or bariatric surgery, can help people lose 60-80%of their excess body weight and keep it off. Bariatric surgery
typically refers to a sleeve gastrectomy or a gastric bypass. All surgical weight loss should include working with a dietitian, a medical weight loss provider and a surgeon, along with lifestyle changes.
Choosing an accredited, comprehensive, bariatric and medical weight loss program, such as the one at Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley, gives patients access to a variety of approaches designed to help them meet their weight loss goals in a safe environment. Only at a comprehensive center, can patients learn what will work best for them and get treated by providers with a history of safe and successful weight loss. Most insurances cover bariatric surgery and the costs of seeing a provider and dietitian, even if they don’t cover the costs of the newer injectable medications. With us, patients don’t have to pay program fees and we bill everything possible through a patient’s insurance. We work with patients to find the most affordable solutions!
Thinking about weight loss options? Please give Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley a call to see if you have coverage and to make an appointment with one of our surgeons or medical weight loss providers at (801) 601-4423. We are here to compassionately care for you.
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Book Blitz expands students’ readers, forms bonds with classmates
This year, on the fourth- and fifth-grade Book Blitz Jr. list, there are a dozen books including “The Girl in the Lake” by India Hill Brown, “A Wolf Called Wander” by Rosanne Parry and “The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary” by Laura Shovan.
Third-graders can read “Wings of Olympus” by Kallie George, “The Puppets of Spelhorst” by Kate DiCamillo and “Who was Jim Thorpe?” by James Buckley Jr. among their selections.
Last spring, Canyon View Elementary fifth-grade student Liviana Ramirez had read all the books on Canyons School District’s Book Blitz Jr. list.
“I really like to read and there’s some good books on the list,” she said. “My team got all the way to second place at the district last year (being edged out by Sunrise Elementary), but I wasn’t there because I was too tired with my diabetes. I want to be a part of it this year.”
Liviana was able to achieve her goal and she and her team were on stage in the final round of Book Blitz Jr; they repeated their second-place finish in the competition that had 16 teams in the district’s rounds.
Bella Vista’s team, which placed third the year before, took the top honors.
Student Anna Armstrong was excited.
“I love exploring new books,” she said. “The books they choose are great. I read them all — six times.”
She wasn’t the only one, said Lauren Robinson, a fourthgrade teacher and Book Blitz Jr. coach of eight Bella Vista teams.
“Several students read the list multiple times,” she said. “They love reading as much as I do, and they love to support each other by being a team.”
In addition to Anna, the winning team included Carter Anderson, Camden Betenson, Eli McNamer and Sammy Merback.
Book Blitz Jr. is an annual program in Canyons School District elementary schools. About 800 students signed up to participate; students can read all the books individually or with a team from a list created by district librarians. Schools hold their own competitions prior to advancing to the district level.
At the district, the teams accumulate points by answering questions with the correct name of the book’s title and its author. The top two teams accumulating the most points over three rounds advance to the final round. Those teams received books and gift certificates to The Printed Garden bookstore in Sandy. Students who read all 12 books received T-shirts.
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
It went neck to neck in the final round of Book Blitz Jr. before Bella Vista pulled off the win over Canyon View Elementary’s team. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
District Library Media Specialist Gretchen Zaitzeff said the competition is open to all students.
“They don’t have to be tall and they don’t have to be fast to be a part of it,” she said. “Anybody can do it. We make sure the books are accessible.”
Zaitzeff said reading helps students’ learning.
“Besides brightening your mind, reading these books helps with your vocabulary and comprehension. If you read well and can comprehend what you’re reading, you can learn anything. Reading helps with our understanding, our empathy. It helps with perseverance; it helps with self-confidence,” she said.
It is supported by the Sandy Rotary, who presented a check to help the program this school year. PTA also supports the program with getting volunteers to run it in schools and supplying books, Zaitzeff said.
“We buy multiple copies for each school’s library and make the books available in eBook and audiobook form,” she said, adding they work with a public library on their availability of the list’s titles.
Zaitzeff said throughout the district, students are reading more than people realize. From Aug. 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024, 33,000 students checked out 1.24 million books, not including the digital library that features eBooks and audiobooks.
The list of books for the elementary and middle schools; competitions are created by librarians who read and review each book.
Brighton High librarian Marissa Merket, who was part of the Book Blitz middle school program when she was Indian Hills Middle School’s librarian, said the books are carefully selected.
“The lists are compiled with notable titles, a mix between entertainment and educational,” she said. “The titles are a reflection of our community because it’s picked by librarians in our community.”
Zaitzeff said they do take recommendations and have a criterion for selection.
“We look for different titles across genres, mostly new books that the students might not have discovered yet. This year, we have several Utah authors we highlighted,” she said.
At the Book Blitz middle school contest, Midvale Middle took the top honors, but it’s more than just winning.
Indian Hills librarian Trina McGowan said the Book Blitz programs unifies the school.
“I love that it creates a community of readers,” she said. “Kids are reading with their friends and they can discuss the books and they can meet. They’re discussing these books amongst themselves and they talk to me about them. It gives us a common ground. I love it challenges them to comprehend books by remembering what they read, not just reading them. I like the community that it creates, not just a school level, but also they know students in other schools are doing the same thing. They know there are readers everywhere.”
Glacier Hills student Peter Hall echoed McGowan.
“The best part is reading the books,” he said. “It’s cool to talk to your buddies about them.”
His mother, Kassidy, escorted Glacier Hill’s team to the district competition.
“Before Book Blitz, my son had a hard time finding something he liked to read; since joining, it’s given him good ideas from different genres,” she said. “Reading is important. It helps in everything in life no matter what he will go into if he can read and understand. I love seeing all these kids excited about reading and showing what they know in the moment.”l
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HEIGHTS
Candidates confirmed to attend October PTA community nights
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
This November, voters will not only elect a new president, but they will decide several local and state offices as well.
Utah Region 17 PTA is hosting two Meet the Candidate nights where all local candidates were invited to participate. There also will be discussion about proposed constitutional amendments that affect education.
The nights will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an hour-long discussion on the proposed amendments, with questions being taken. Then, at 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m., there will be the candidate portion of the night. The first Meet the Candidates night on Oct. 3 will be at Indian Hills Middle School, 1180 E. Sanders Road. A second night will be held Oct. 9 at Union Middle School, 615 E. 8000 South.
This falls in line with the PTA’s mission, said Rachael de Azevedo, the Region 17 advocacy chairwoman.
"The PTA is the largest advocacy group for public education in Utah,” she said. “Our mission statement is ‘To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.’ I hope that by hosting a ‘Meet the Candidate’ night we’ll encourage open dialogue between voters and candidates about the issues facing schools, families and neighborhoods. By
Continued from front page
As conversations turned more toward favoring placing the GO bond on the ballot as the primary funding source in early August, Councilmember Ellen Birrell voiced her concern over raising property taxes, especially while thinking about her constituents on fixed incomes. City Manager Jared Ferber reassured Birrell that Salt Lake County offers tax relief programs for residents who might find hardship in a voter-established tax increase.
By August, the preferred option of the GO bond solidified as formal conversations during public meetings became more frequent. By Aug. 6, the city council was in loose agreement that the GO bond should go to vote. The conversation remaining was deciding between a $25-million bond or a $30-million bond.
In preparation for these council conversations, Cottonwood Heights city staff members worked closely with Zions Bank accountants to create revenue projections, project cost estimates, and a breakdown of taxable/non-taxable costs. Zions Bank Representative Mark Andeson continued this work by attending the city council meetings and discussing some concerns with the councilmembers.
“Interest rates reductions are projected
creating a space of meaningful conversations, we hope to empower voters with the information they need to make informed decisions at the ballot and to understand the jobs of our representatives."
While the candidates had a date after press deadline to respond, amongst those who committed early to attending include candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House as well as for Utah governor, Utah attorney general, state senate, state house, state school board, Salt Lake County mayor and council, county assessor, county recorder, county surveyor and county treasurer and Canyons Board of Education.
Within Canyons Board of Education district 1 race, three candidates — Jackson Lewis, Rainer Lilbok and Kristine L. Millerberg — confirmed their attendance to Meet the Candidates Night.
District 1 is one of the fastest growing areas within the school district, serving about 8,000 students in Midvale and northern Sandy. The seat was unexpectedly vacated in February with the death of then school board vice president Mont Millerberg; and later, filled by his wife, Kristine L. Millerberg, a longtime teacher.
The candidates who sent in a RSVP by press deadline include Brian King (tentative) and Charlie Tautuaa, Utah governor; Carlton E. Bowen and Caroline Gleich,
for September and again, possibly, in November and December,” said Anderson.
Anderson and Gerber further detailed the differences between the two potential bonds. The tax-exempt rates were (at publication) 4% on a 20-year basis and 4.5% on a 30-year basis. In addition, the relationship between bond rates and treasury rates were in the mid-60% with Municipal Market Data (“MMD”) within the 65% of comparable treasury rates (again, as of publication).
“The bond would be used for open space areas, roadways, roadside areas throughout the project, as well as the land under all the buildings,” said Gerber. These tax-exempt areas are already within the primary control of the city.
Estimates of the entire Heights (town-center) project show a cost over $25 million (representing over $100 million in potential investment in the city). To over-simplify the conversation here, the city council had the choice between opting for a $25 million bond and needing to find additional funding later in the process or opting for a $30 million bond with the potential of not needing the full amount.
After weighing the options for the bond, the city council ultimately decided on the $30 million GO Bond option in late August, ensuring that bond issuance can be split into multiple bonds if/when necessary.
Voters can drop off ballots or mail them in to cast their choices in the elections this November. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
U.S. Senate; Glenn J. Wright, U.S. House 3; Derek Brown, Austin Hepworth, Michelle Quist, Utah attorney general; John Arthur and Molly L. Hart, district 7, state board of education; Amanda B. Bollinger, district 9, state board of education.
Also confirmed to attend are state sen-
Resolution 2024-55: Providing for a Special Bond Election on Nov. 5… a Proposition Regarding the Issuance of Not to Exceed $30 Million General Obligation Bonds for the Purpose of Acquiring and Improving Land…Providing Public Open Space and Amenities, Pedestrian Improvements, and Other Needed Infrastructure to Facilitate Economic Development, Community Events and Activities in and around Cottonwood Heights’ Proposed Town Center…and Related Matters was unanimously passed on Aug. 20 after being motioned by Councilmember Shawn Newell and seconded by Birrell.
“It’s time for the residents’ voices to be heard,” commented Holton before voting in favor.
There will be multiple Town Hall events held leading up to the vote. Mayor Mike Weichers will hold his Town Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at City Hall. Birrell will hold a Town Hall on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Town Halls will be held at Cottonwood Heights City Hall (2277 E. Bengal Blvd.).
ate district 15 candidates Scott Cuthbertson and Kathleen Ann Riebe and state house candidates Jessica Wignall, district 39; Travis Smith, district 42; Sara Rose Cimmers and Tracy Miller, district 45; and Cal Roberts, district 46; for state auditor Tina Cannon and Jeffrey Ostler; for state treasurer, Miles Pomeroy.
In the county races, Salt Lake County mayoral candidate Erin Rider has confirmed her attendance as did county council at-large C candidate Rachelle Morris, council 4 candidates Nolan Kruse, Roger A. Livingston and Ross I. Romero; and council 6 candidates Zach Robinson and Dea Theodore. For the county assessor, candidates confirmed to come are Joel Frost and Chris Starvos; for county recorder, candidate Rashelle Hobbs; for county surveyor, Bradley Park and Kent D. Setterberg; and for county treasurer, Phil Conder and Sheila Srivastava.
In addition to the Canyons School Board district 1 candidates, Barbara A. Gentry confirmed her attendance in the district 3 race.
While Region 17 PTA mirrors Canyons School District, de Azevedo said this nonpartisan event is a public service to better inform voters and the PTA and school district do not promote any candidates. l
City Attorney Shane Topham did remind councilmembers they cannot promote their opinions or encouragement one way or another, under Utah Code Section 20A11-1203 (the Election Code puts Political Activities of Public Entities (Part 12) under Campaign and Financial Reporting Requirements (Chapter 11).
“In private life, you can promote, but you can’t use your title,” emphasized Gerber. In other words, residents should not expect city councilmembers to share their opinions on whether they should or should not vote for the bond.
Still want more information?
Check out what Mayor Mike Weichers had to say about the Heights town center project and the related bond in the Cottonwood Heights City Newsletter: August 2024 Edition.
Check out what City Manager Jared Gerber had to say about the Heights town center project and the related bond in the Cottonwood Heights City Newsletter: September 2024 Edition.
(Cottonwood Heights City Newsletters can be found by visiting the city’s website (www.ch.utah.gov) and clicking through the “Community” tab and navigating to the “Connect” section.)
To learn more about Tax Relief through Salt Lake County visit their website at: www.saltlakecounty.gov/treasurer/tax-relief.
To learn more about The Heights: a town center, visit the project website at: www.chtowncenter.coml
Students attend 10th annual STEMfest
Photo by Julie Slama
A pair of girls who attend Terra Linda Elementary in West Jordan were excited maneuvering robots for their first time at a robotics booth overseen by Beehive Science & Technology Academy and Jordan High students at the 10th Utah STEMFest. They were among the thousands of Utah fifth-grade through 10th-grade students who came to explore the STEM world around them. Sponsored by Utah STEM Action Center, about 120 businesses, colleges and universities and nonprofits offered hands-on learning during the two-day event at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, where students discovered more about STEM fields from the natural world of animals and avalanches to the technical world learning about hydraulics and synthetic diamonds. A
OCHaRM event helps residents recycle hard-to-recycle items
By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
ver 4,016 pounds of recyclable material was diverted from Cottonwood Heights residents within three hours. Those thousands of pounds of material were collected by the Utah Recycling Alliance on June 8 and distributed to the appropriate vendors taking recyclable material.
On Sept. 10, Utah Recycling Alliance President Jill Fletcher and Rep. Robi Overson shared their finalized data from the CHaRM Recycling Event, which brought in this recyclable material, with the Cottonwood Heights City Council.
Councilmember Ellen Birrell attended the event and was astonished at how efficient the entire system was. She complimented the Utah Recycling Alliance leaders for an effective and successful event.
As per the acronym, the Utah Recycling Alliance puts on these events frequently throughout the Greater Salt Lake area to Collect Hard to Recycle Material or CHaRM. These events serve as opportunities for residents to bring in items that are technically recyclable but can’t go in the blue bins outside (which…make sure this newspaper ends up there, and not the black trash bin, after you’re done reading
“We want to provide a single-solution event,” said Fletcher. “Residents want to know they have an outlet for some of the recyclable material where they’re unsure to take it.”
When pulling up to Cottonwood Heights City Hall on June 8, residents were met by Utah Recycling Alliance workers as they drove through the parking lot. Attendees were then asked a few quick questions about what type of material they were there to recycle and directed to specific individuals or areas of the parking lot to divvy up that material. A total of 75 vehicles attended the event, with 24 being
“We are working with different recy -
Out of that previously mentioned 4,016 pounds of material, there were: 900 pounds of scrap metal, 740 pounds of tires, 600 pounds of mattresses, 766 pounds of electronics and 470 pounds of various materials. Additional recyclable materials collected from Cottonwood Heights residents included: plastic clam shells, cell phones, e-waste, ink and toner cartridges, oral care, plastic film, snowboards and ski
“We did a survey and…only about 15 people participated… but everybody was
These pop-up events help residents repurpose and recycle materials that would otherwise be landfilled. (Utah Recycling Alliance)
a 10 on what their experience was,” said Overson.
The follow-up survey also asked questions related to how participants heard about the event, if they would like to see the event held again in the future, and if participants were willing to donate.
“A lot of people were asking when we are coming back,” Fletcher said.
Out of the survey respondents, all were interested in attending another event in the future with the general majority opting for a once-per-year event. For an event next year, Overson requested for the city council to put an advertisement in the City’s Newsletter to boost participation.
The Utah Recycling Alliance typically puts on about four to six CHaRM events per year throughout the Greater Salt Lake area, depending on the current partnerships with municipalities.
“We have cities all over the valley who we are in conversation with,” Overson said.
For example, a CHaRM event was held at Utah’s Hogle Zoo in April, and one is currently being scheduled for the west side of Salt Lake early next year.
To stay up to date about acceptable recyclable material and scheduled CHaRM events, visit the Utah Recycling Alliance website at: www.utahrecyclingalliance. org/charm-events. l
CAPS program partners with local businesses to give students hands-on learning
Canyons Technical Education Center students in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies program typically look forward to the end of the semester.
Not because their course is over, but because they can showcase their project-based learning with local business and education leaders, said David Smith, CTEC’s business leadership and CAPS facilitator.
“The CAPS program is a nationally recognized program where students are immersed in a professional culture, solving real-world problems, creating a business or developing tools and materials that are needed by actual employers while earning credit,” he said. “CAPS shows how businesses and education can work together to provide individualized learning experiences while educating students in skills to fill high-demand jobs in the business world. It’s an innovative and collaborative approach to education.”
It comes about through partnerships with local businesses.
“Professionals partner and mentor our students and share with them the best practices and tools of the field. Students learn creative thinking and problem-solving while gaining real-world experience, which will give them an advantage when entering the field,” he said.
CTEC Principal Doug Hallenbeck said when students work directly with professionals, “it’s an important piece. Oftentimes, people say business partnerships and it can be looking for money, but not in this case. With this program, the key is time for mentoring — to have the industry professional work directly with the students on the projects is the key element.”
New to CTEC last year, students’ projects have included projects from the League of Women Voters to Larkin Mortuary
The 2024 election is officially on the horizon as General Election Day will occur on Nov. 5. Ballots for mailing will be sent to voters on Oct. 15. The last day to register to vote by mail will be Oct. 25. Mail-in ballots must be requested by Oct. 29. Voting for mailin and early voting will begin at the end of the month, on Oct. 28 and run through Nov. 1.
While the majority of the races and measures on the ballot are related to federal, state, county and school board campaigns and issues, there are two noteworthy line items related to local government for Cottonwood Heights residents. Both are bonds that would have a direct impact to Cottonwood Heights residents’ property taxes.
Salt Lake County, Utah – Local Special Bond Election: The Salt Lake County Council has voted to include a Public Safety Bond on the ballot in relation to mental healthcare in both modernizing the jail system and addressing chronic homelessness. If approved by voters, this bond would implement a $58.94 annual property tax increase for Salt Lake County households.
City of Cottonwood Heights, Utah – Special Bond Election: The Cottonwood Heights City Council has voted to include a Community Reinvestment Bond on the ballot in relation to the planning and construction of the Heights Town Center (redeveloping the old Hillside Plaza location at 2300 East and Fort Union Boulevard). If approved by voters, this bond would implement a $134.89 annual property tax increase for Cottonwood Heights households.
More information pertaining to both of these
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
or creating their own businesses. They’ve worked to develop their business skills on a variety of businesses from medical grade socks and athleticwear to custom leatherworks, trophies and car detailing.
“After hearing companies pitch their projects, often students work in small groups with a mentor. They’ll work on the project and gain experience while providing a service to the company,” he said. “We’ve provided services to other programs and they’ve used skills to start their own businesses.”
Canyons School District Director of Career and Technical Education Janet Goble appreciates the hands-on learning.
2024 voting/ballot overview
By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
bond measure can be found in the two accompanying stories within this edition of the City Journals through the “Mental healthcare integral to physical healthcare” story, “Mayor’s Town Center” story, and “$30M bond to fund town-center project on ballot” story.
For Cottonwood Heights residents, the primary voter drop box is located at Cottonwood Heights City Hall (2277 E. Bengal Blvd.). Additional drop box locations in neighboring cities within the vicinity include: Draper City Hall (1020 Pioneer Road), Sandy City Hall (10000 Centennial Pkwy.), Sandy Senior Center (9310 S. 1300 East), White City Water Improvement District Building in Sandy (999 E. Galena Drive), Holladay City Hall (4580 S. 2300 East), Murray City (5025 S. State St.), Midvale City Hall (7505 Holden St.), and Millcreek Common (1354 E. Chambers Ave.).
For more information about the candidates and issues on your specific ballot, visit: www.votesearch. utah.gov and submit your voter address.
For more information regarding elections through Salt Lake County, visit: www.saltlakecounty.gov/ clerk/elections/. l
“The premise behind this is that students are doing projects for actual industry people; it’s giving them business and entrepreneurial skills,” she said. “They also are developing innovative thinking and communication skills, developing latest marketing technologies and strategies while learning best practices for businesses.”
The program is open to 50 high school juniors and seniors each term.
“The program is beneficial for any student, certainly any in the technical education field,” Smith said. “I teach some business and marketing aspects in the first part of class so business classes as a prerequisite aren’t necessary. This gives students a chance to be empowered in their own education, to learn handson for a real business or develop their own and evaluate if this is the way of their future all while learning important skills that are valuable in any field.”
Future students also attend the showcase to learn more about the CAPS program, he added.
“They take that invitation to meet students who have done projects and ask me questions about projects. It’s an amazing opportunity where they can learn more about the program, meet mentors and business and educational leaders and start that networking piece of the program,” Smith said.
Hallenbeck said the student-led project learning model already has proven to be successful.
“We started the CAPS model with business leadership and hope to expand CAPS to other strands, which could be the building construction or 3D multimedia or whatever students can do along with their regular learning,” he said. “It’s a great learning model that’s beneficial to students.”l
Ballots may be deposited into County Drop Boxes until 8 p.m. on Election Day. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)
CTEC CAPS students explain their project to Principal Doug Hallenbeck and other education and business leaders at their spring showcase. (David Smith/CTEC)
Mental healthcare integral to physical healthcare
As noted in the Ballot Overview Story in this current edition of the City Journals, two proposed bonds within the 2024 election are requiring voter input (one initiated by Salt Lake County and one initiated by the City of Cottonwood Heights). Both bond-related votes will have a direct impact on Cottonwood Heights residents’ property taxes. This story overviews the Salt Lake County, Utah – Local Special Bond Election.
For the county’s Public Safety Bond, voters have the option on their 2024 ballot to vote either in favor (yes) for the issuance of the bonds or against (no) against the issuance of bonds.
Salt Lake County Councilmember Ann Granato and Salt Lake County Human Services Department Director Kelly Colopy visited the Cottonwood Heights City Council on Sept. 17 to overview the measure on the upcoming ballot pertaining to an issuance of a bond.
“We are going out for a bond for the DEA (Utah Drug Overdose) Task Force in expanding and improving community,” said Colopy.
The bond is intended to help address some of the social ramifications related to the current opioid crisis including jail reformation and chronic homelessness. Specific focuses and expenditures include intervention programs for those living with substance abuse and resources for those who may be housing unstable.
Conversations involving the opioid crisis in Utah, the DEA Utah Drug Overdose Task Force, and the proposed related bond commonly reference the uptick in popularity of
By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
fentanyl and the related overdose deaths.
“It makes more sense to pool everything and get it fixed,” said Granato. “We have been looking at issues with the jail for several years now.”
The confluence of overlapping, nationwide conversations several years ago made the State of Utah governance and Salt Lake County’s leaders realize the need for integrating mental healthcare with physical healthcare throughout the healthcare systems.
“It made a lot of sense with the drug abuse we were seeing,” Colopy said.
Realizing the way in which care was being approached needed to change, state and
county leaders began researching and discussing trauma-informed practices.
“If people need to be in jail, we want to make sure they have the opportunity to reform,” said Granato.
Partial monies from the bond would go toward providing job training, social opportunities, access to the internet and temporary housing for those attempting to re-enter society.
Some of these resources would be made available to those who may be housing unstable as well. In addition to transportation services as there has been more of an understanding that those within this community may have
a hard time getting to court, when needed.
“You cannot apply for a job or Medicaid unless you have an address,” Granato explained. She hopes to provide individuals trying to get necessary prescriptions with resources to be able to fill out required forms and documents.
Working with the Justice and Accountability Center, an additional intention for the monies from the bond would be to provide 280 beds for mental health treatment. Colopy and Granato noted the lack of a Behavioral Health Stabilization Unit.
Granato mentioned the County Council’s realization that the bond’s request is a lot of money to ask for but there are a lot of things on their table. They are hoping to help the over 150,000 individuals in the state of Utah needing the continuation of their mental healthcare and/or required prescriptions.
“This has all come together and we are now working together on one package,” she said.
In August, the Salt Lake County Council moved to accept Mayor Jenny Wilson’s recommendation to put a Public Safety Bond on the ballot in an 8-to-1 vote.
As noted in our “Transforming Justice: Salt Lake County to vote on $507 million Safety Bond this November” story in the previous edition of the City Journals, if approved by voters, the proposed bond would cost the average Salt Lake County household $58.94 per year or under $5 per month. l
At-home art event celebrates all things Halloween
Grab your spookiest pens! It’s time for Hallo-Ink!
Throughout the month of October, the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council will be hosting daily online drawing events.
Each October morning, individual drawing prompts will be posted to the Arts Council’s website and social media pages, along with a follow-along video tutorial. Artists are welcome to work alongside the video tutorial or loosely use the prompt as an interpretation for their Halloween-inspired drawings (or artists can do both!).
“Our hope is to create a community of people who are joining in the creative fun by sharing and cheering each other on virtually,” said Cottonwood Heights Culture Coordinator Kate Hoflich.
Some of the prompts might, could, include things like: magic potion, silly skeleton, friendly ghost, cute monster, pumpkin spice and rainy day rainbow.
All of the video tutorials and daily prompts were created by Smartest Artist Studio Educator Whitney Horrocks. Horrocks originally earned a bachelor’s of fine arts
By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
(with an emphasis in painting and drawing) before moving on to teaching art education for over 10 years in both public and private settings. Formerly an elementary and junior high school art educator, Horrocks now runs an art education studio out of Cottonwood Heights. Her work can be seen in various galleries throughout Salt Lake and Park City.
Artists are encouraged to post their work through the Hallow-Ink Facebook Event page or through Instagram by tagging #ChCityArts and #CHCityArtsInk.
Even artists who have social media gripes are encouraged to participate. Artists can view the daily prompts through the Cottonwood Heights City Arts website, detailed below.
“They can also view the daily tutorials on Facebook because they will be public posts that you don’t need a Facebook account to view,” Hoflich clarified.
If you like Hallo-Ink, you’ll love these other upcoming events from the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council:
Oct. 25 will be the day for the Monsters to Mash at the Cottonwood Heights Recre-
ation Center (7500 S. 2700 East). The Arts Council will have an activity table set up for attendees to come craft.
Dec. 6 will be the day the acapella group Eclipse 6 visits the city for a holiday concert “that is sure to be a delight for the entire family.” The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Butler Middle School (7530 S. 2700
East).
To learn more about the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council, visit their website at: www.cottonwoodheights.utah.gov/community/arts/arts-council
Or follow their social media pages on: Facebook at @CHArtsCouncil or Instagram at @CHCityArts l
“Opioid deaths in Utah have outpaced deaths caused by firearms, falls, motor vehicle crashes,” says Task Force Executive Team. (Utah Office of the Attorney General)
Participate by creating: Use the daily prompts or tutorials to design your artwork. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights Arts Council)
Butler Elementary’s Mining Town: Putting economic education into practice
This spring, Butler elementary fourth graders likely are excited about an event at the end of the school year.
They’ll take part in Mining Town, a favorite activity that will turn 10 years old at the school.
It’s a tradition where no two Mining Towns have looked alike, said fourth-grade teacher Parys Lightel who brought the event with her when she transferred from Sunrise Elementary.
“It goes along with our social studies,” she said. “We talk a lot about how Utah towns changed over time. What happened to these mining towns like Park City and Alta? They had to find a new way for their economy to survive, so they became ski towns. So, we let the kids decide if they want to keep the theme of older days as they did two years ago when the kids had a Pony Express mail service or if they want to do it a little more modern (last spring) when they had a taxi service and Uber. We let them decide based on their interests. It’s a time for them to be creative and it’s more fun when they can, because they’ve got great ideas.”
In May, some students created a ski resort as their business. Students tried the slopes on cardboard skis on white paper, which represented snow.
“It’s the first year we’ve had a ski resort,” she said.
Liesl Christensen took her business to heart, finding out several of her classmates were interested in origami. Using a book, she taught herself how to fold paper a dozen different ways to create a swan, rose, dog, dragon and others. Then, she priced them $10 a piece or two for $10 if they were smaller.
“I learned how to make them,” she said. “I learned a bit about owning a business, too.”
Next to a mini golf course, Griffin Brown set up his bowling alley business and lured his classmates to play.
“My friend and I ran it and it was pretty fun, and we had to get people there to try it,” he said.
Lightel said that is part of the students’ learning.
“We study about how the economy works and about modern-day economies. They learn about supply and demand and entrepreneurship. We include a lot of math skills as they count their money, as they fill out deposit slips for the bank, and they realize if they’re making money at their business. We talk about some of the things businesses pay for like rent, overhead, paying employees. So, when they go to the bank, they realize that they’ll earn a percent of what the business makes,” she said.
During Mining Town, each of the 100 students receives $40 to spend on services and businesses.
“Some kids spend it really fast and other kids take their time eating something while walking around so at the end, they’ll still have extra money and can put it in the bank. The goal is to learn more about the system than it is to save,” Lightel said.
Each year, there are groups of students who want to have beauty salons, so Lightel said
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
the teachers split up the groups.
“We had a hair salon and a nail salon. There was a makeup one, too,” she said.
Former principal Jeff Nalwalker annually has visited the salons; last spring, he got his nails painted. He also purchased a squishy toy.
“Mining Town helps kids understand how an economy works,” he said. “They learn about banking and about planning business.”
Annually, students brainstorm four business and service ideas and submit them along with a basic business plan to their teacher. The fourth-grade teachers then meet to discuss their choices.
“When they’re brainstorming, they say, ‘I can bring this’ or ‘this is something I can make.’ They have to list all the materials they need and how it will actually happen. We also have traditional roles where one group does the banking and another does the bakery, and another the general store and so on. Kids bring in donations so there’s plenty of food and drink and toys and candy and basic thing for everyone,” she said, adding it’s usually a French class in the dual immersion school that staffs the bakery so the French teacher can teach food and culture along with the students’ language skills.
One traditional — and favorite — role is jail keeper.
Magnolia Lindhardt was one of the jail keepers this past year.
“It’s pretty fun to surprise people and put them in jail,” she said, adding students pay to put another behind bars.
Lightel found herself incarcerated.
“They love getting to arrest their teachers,” she said. “I was one of the first people who got put in jail. I still don’t know what I did.”
Lightel said each year, Mining Town is the students’ favorite hands-on learning activity.
“I love how much the kids love it. I love it’s one of the main things they remember for years and years. It really makes an impact on them,” she said.
Nalwalker agrees: “It’s a well-loved tradition that’s been going on for a while and one the kids look forward to and remember.” l
Butler Elementary students make their purchase choices at the “Come ‘n Get it Stickers” at the fourthgrade Mining Town. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Mark Miller Subaru to host a pet adoption and costume party
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Bring a furry friend to Mark Miller Subaru South Towne (10920 S. State St.) on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. for a celebration of pets.
As part of the Subaru Loves Pets initiative, Mark Miller Subaru will partner with Salt Lake County Animal Services to host a Make A Dog’s Day pet adoption and party that includes a pet costume contest
(with a $500 grand prize), free microchipping, a pet photographer and vendors, food trucks and fun pet activities.
“All of the vendors are pet-focused,” said Teylor Crenshaw, Mark Miller Subaru community partnership and events manager. “There are local pet-treat companies, companies that make pet clothes or things that drive home the idea of making a dog’s
MAKE A DOGS DAY
day and prioritizing and giving love to our furry friends.”
Mark Miller Subaru will also donate up to $8,000 to Salt Lake County Animal Services to help further its goal of furthering the adoption, health and welfare of pets. The organization will also donate 300 dog toys and 20 new pet parent kits that include leashes, bags, travel bowls and more. For
more information, visit Markmillersubaru. com/make-a-dogs-day.
“It’s awesome to be a part of something that big, to give back to the community, especially with animals, where they can’t advocate for themselves,” Crenshaw said. “We want to make it an experience for the animals as well. It will be a good community day.” l
Presented by Mark Miller Subaru
Bring your pet or adopt a new one at the Mark Miller Subaru South Towne pet adoption party on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 10920 S. State St. (Photos courtesy of Mark Miller Subaru)
Mountview Park’s new mural connects art, nature and community
Mountview Park has been given new life with the addition of a vibrant mural, drawing attention to the park’s pollinator garden and showcasing local art. This project, spearheaded by the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council, was a collaboration between city committees, local artist Whitney Horrocks, and Draper Fabrication, a local business. Together, they transformed an old, faded wall into a colorful and meaningful centerpiece for the community.
The idea to revitalize the wall began when Laura Garcia, chair of the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council, visited the park: “I noticed that the wall that used to have tiles on it painted by elementary school kids was just completely faded,” Garcia recalled.
Garcia reached out to Ann Eatchel, Cottonwood Heights culture manager, to brainstorm ways to improve the wall.
As they discussed potential themes, Garcia learned about the pollinator garden located near the park, which had been installed by the Parks, Trails, and Open Spaces Committee. Thus the idea for a pollination motif was born.
The arts council enlisted the help of local artist Whitney Horrocks to design and execute the mural. Horrocks is the owner of The Smartest Artist, an art studio that offers classes for children and teens.
By Megan McKellar | m.mckellar@mycityjournals.com
“What was really fortuitous was that the wall is long, sort of like a comic, so it left so much opportunity for narrative without words,” Horrocks explained. “My goal was to have it be easily read, especially by children.”
Horrocks used a limited color palette to emphasize simplicity and cohesiveness, as well as a loose line quality to evoke a childlike feel and encourage young artists to embrace imperfection. “Reaching children was my biggest goal,” she said.
Horrocks worked with Jesse Draper from Draper Fabrication, who fixed the tiles, prepped the surface for paint and sealed it for durability. They also projected her design onto the wall, allowing Horrocks to focus on painting the bees and overseeing the project. Though Horrocks created the design, many hands were involved in completing the mural on time, especially given the challenging weather during the two-week process.
The arts council is working on additional art projects, such as the painting of several electrical boxes throughout the city.
“We tried to focus on bringing art into the community, into people's everyday activities,” Garcia said. “So they're going to the park anyway, and then just to have this little extra bonus of a beautiful art piece while they're doing their everyday activities, or driving through
that intersection and seeing the electrical boxes as they drive down a road that they normally drive on.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Mountview Park mural was held on Sept. 16, featuring remarks from Cottonwood Heights Mayor Mike Weichers and a brief presentation by the Wasatch Beekeepers Association.
IHorrocks views the pollinator theme as a metaphor for the community, where each person plays a role in working together, much like bees in an ecosystem.
“We support each other the way that the bees do,” Horrocks said, “to just make our community a beautiful, smooth, welcoming and happy place to be.” l
Mayor Weichers talks Town Center plan for Cottonwood Heights
n early 2022, shortly after taking office, Mayor Mike Weichers of Cottonwood Heights was informed of a developer's plan to rezone a 10-acre hillside property for high-density housing along 2300 East and Fort Union Boulevard, proposing 350 apartments with some retail. This sparked significant concern among residents. Following resistance from the community, the developer withdrew, but another quickly proposed a similar plan.
After a community meeting at the Cottonwood Heights City Hall organized by resident Randy Whitehead with over 300 attendees where residents voiced their concerns about a large apartment complex in that space, Weichers was prompted to explore alternative possibilities for the site.
The city’s General Plan had previously designated the site as a potential Town Center, inspiring a vision for a mixed-use development that would better serve the community. The city then purchased the property with a $13 million bond and a $1 million state grant, outbidding the $18 million tax assessment.
A citizen advisory committee made up of members from each city district was soon formed. They began to hold public meetings where the feedback from community members showed strong support for a development that would foster community identity. Residents expressed a strong desire for spaces that could host events like farmers markets, food truck gatherings, art fairs, green spaces and local businesses, helping to create a vibrant community hub for Cottonwood Heights.
The proposed plan for the “Heights” Town Center features housing, local restaurants, and retail spaces centered around public areas designed for regular community events. The vision emphasizes walkable, accessible spaces that show-
By Megan McKellar | m.mckellar@mycityjournals.com
A rendering of concept A for the “Heights” Town Center, a mixeduse project on 10 acres located on the corner of 2300 East and Fort Union Boulevard. (Photo credit Cottonwood Heights Town Center website)
case the area's mountain and sunset views.
To fund the project, Weichers chose to pursue a general obligation bond rather than a sales tax bond.
“It goes on the ballot and lets our community decide if they want it,” he explained.
The bond would increase taxes by about $11.42 per month (based on an average home value of $770,100) for the average term of the 30-year bond, but this approach lets the community decide rather than imposing a tax increase without their input.
Another of the city's key decisions was to retain ownership of the land and lease it to private developers. This would allow the city to generate long-term revenue through land leases, helping to fund future projects and offset future tax
increases.
A common concern raised has been if the city can find the right private partner. According to Weichers, there has been significant interest from many major developers within the state who are eager to participate in the project. Additionally, if the bond measure passes in November, but the city is unable to find a development partner who aligns with the vision for the project, the bond will not be issued. In that case, the property could potentially be sold to a private developer for a completely private project.
“We want our residents to know that we want them to be involved in this decision,” Weichers said. “And if it passes, to then feel like they can take ownership in what ends up happening — hopefully creating a place that creates a sense of identity to Cottonwood Heights and draws people from all over.”
Looking ahead, Weichers hopes to see the project break ground in 2025, with construction expected to take 18 to 24 months. He envisions a vibrant community space with features like an outdoor stage for performances and a winter ice skating rink.
“All of the things that would just help people come together and feel a sense of community as they do so, those really excite me,” Weichers said.
He encourages residents to learn about the project and actively engage in the decision-making process.
A town hall meeting with the mayor will be held Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall community room where community members can ask questions and learn more about the town center. l
Artist Whitney Horrocks stands in front of her mural titled “Pollinator Playground.” (Photo credit Kate Hoflich)
Brighton sports teams support National Day of Service
By Jerry S. Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com
Brighton sports teams have a history of giving back to the Cottonwood Heights community through meaningful service projects. The tradition is embraced by team captains who find and complete service — many times without being prompted by the team coaches.
“Not only are we able to help the community out, we build our team culture by working together,” said girls wrestling assistant coach Lydia Lewis. This year the Brighton football and wrestling teams took the opportunity to serve the community on the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
This year’s 9/11 Day of Service fell on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kent Thomas, a Cottonwood Heights resident, formed a committee early in the year to plan out three service projects that would benefit various communities and celebrate the 9/11 tradition of remembrance and service.
“This 9/11 National Day of Service tradition is so gratifying to me. We have so many people from different walks of life with different beliefs all united in serving the community. We live in a great city,” Thomas said.
Refugees within the city were beneficiaries of one of the projects that attracted 40 people who gathered on the Saturday morning to create quilts. “There are many urgent
Brighton High pantry each September for the new school year. This year’s food drive for Brighton students in need was an embarrassment of riches. “We are so grateful to
the day of service. “I think it’s great that we as a team can help others on and off the mat. It was a great experience and I’m glad I was able to help,” said girls wrestling team member Mei Mei Engebretsen.
It was the Brighton football team that came out in numbers to add strength to the community volunteers who chose to brave the morning sun and the dust and work on the xeriscape project at Bengal Boulevard and 2600 East.
“Bengal and 26th is now a garden spot highlighted by the newly installed art wraps and complemented by beautiful landscape art,” said Cottonwood Heights Arts Council chair Laura Garcia. The 130 community volunteers who came out to xeriscape and beautify all four corners of the city intersection not only paid homage to the local artist, Savannah Cottam, whose art wrap marks the area across from Cottonwood Cyclery but they also created a model for what sustainable xeriscaping looks like in the city. “The city was beautified, friendships were made, and a sense of community was felt while we worked together. What could be more beautiful than that? Let’s do it again!” exclaimed Randy Whitehead, who masterminded the Bengal Boulevard Beautification project.
Head coach for Brighton football Casey Sutera was
Bengal football players add strength to Bengal Boulevard beautification. (Jerry Christensen/City Journals)
HALLOWEEN SECTION
A publication covering local Halloween legends and activities for everyone around the Salt Lake Valley
6 terrifying haunted locations in Salt Lake County to visit this Halloween
By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com
When the air grows chilly and the veil between worlds thins during Halloween, Salt Lake County becomes a playground for the paranormal. This region, steeped in history and folklore, is home to some of Utah’s most spine-chilling locations where ghost sightings and eerie encounters are the norm. Whether you’re a thrill seeker or a believer in the supernatural, these terrifying places will give you goosebumps long after you’ve left. If you're looking for a truly terrifying Halloween experience, here are the scariest haunted spots in Salt Lake County.
Fear Factory
Located just outside downtown Salt Lake City, Fear Factory isn’t just a haunted attraction for thrill seekers—it’s a real-life haunted site. Once the Portland Cement Factory, this massive industrial facility was the scene of numerous gruesome deaths, including factory accidents where workers were crushed by machinery or fell into vats of cement. Today, the factory stands abandoned, except for the reported spirits of the workers who died there.
Visitors and staff at Fear Factory have reported hearing eerie whispers, seeing shadowy figures dart across the dilapidated buildings, and feeling an oppressive energy that seems to follow them. One of the most harrowing sightings is that of a disembodied hand, believed to belong to a worker who lost his life in a terrible accident. On Halloween, the site transforms into a commercial haunted house, but many say the real terror is the spirits that never left.
The Old Mill
Arguably the most infamous haunted location in Salt Lake County, the Old Mill sits abandoned in Cottonwood Heights, shrouded in mystery and fear. Built in the late 1800s, the mill was used to process
grain before a fire destroyed much of the building. While the mill has stood vacant for decades, it has gained a reputation as one of Utah’s most terrifying places.
Local legends claim that the Old Mill is haunted by the ghosts of workers who died in the fire, as well as by more sinister forces. Paranormal investigators have reported intense cold spots, phantom footsteps, and feelings of dread upon entering the property. The most terrifying accounts tell of shadowy figures watching from the upper floors, and some visitors claim to have been physically touched or shoved by unseen hands. Trespassing is illegal, but that hasn’t stopped urban explorers from visiting—many of whom leave in a hurry, spooked by the unsettling atmosphere.
The Shilo Inn
The Shilo Inn, now a Holiday Inn Express, is one of Salt Lake City's most tragic and haunted locations. In 1978, the hotel became the site of a horrific mass murder-suicide when a mother, who had become obsessed with religious doomsday beliefs, threw her seven children from the hotel’s balcony before leaping to her death. The tragedy shocked the community, and ever since, the hotel has been plagued by paranormal activity.
Guests have reported hearing the sound of children crying or laughing in the hallways, even when no children are staying there. Some have woken up to see ghostly children standing at the foot of their bed, only for the figures to disappear moments later. The hotel's staff also report eerie occurrences, such as flickering lights, doors opening and closing on their own, and sudden cold drafts. This real-life horror makes the former Shilo Inn one of the most unsettling locations in Salt Lake County and a place few would dare stay on Halloween night.
The Old Deseret Hospital
Located near the historic Avenues District in Salt Lake City, the Old Deseret Hospital opened its doors in 1882, catering mainly to women and children. While the hospital is long gone, many locals believe that the spirits of patients who died there still linger. Those who visit the area report hearing phantom cries, especially at night, and some have even seen the apparition of a nurse walking down where the hospital once stood.
Today, the location is a hotspot for ghost hunters who claim that the residual energy from the building still haunts the area. As the sun sets, the once-bustling neighborhood can take on a much more somber and eerie tone, making it the perfect place for a Halloween exploration.
The
Rio Grande Depot
A hub of history, The Rio Grande Depot in Salt Lake City was once a bustling train station. Now home to offices and a museum, it’s better known for the ghostly “Purple Lady,” a spectral figure seen wan-
dering the building. According to legend, the Purple Lady died on the train platform in the 1920s after a lover’s quarrel. Distraught, she either fell or was pushed in front of a train, her body mangled in the accident.
Since then, her ghost has been spotted by countless people, often appearing in her elegant purple dress, wandering the halls or standing at the end of the platform. Lights flicker mysteriously, and security guards working after hours have reported objects moving on their own and the feeling of being watched. The depot’s cavernous halls amplify every sound, making even the slightest noise unsettling. On Halloween night, the energy in the depot becomes even more intense, and many believe it’s the best time to catch a glimpse of the Purple Lady herself.
Asylum 49
Technically located just outside Salt Lake County in Tooele, Asylum 49
Continued on page 15
Which haunted house is the best in Utah?
By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com
When does “spooky season” really start? For most of the haunted attractions in Utah, the answer appears to be September.
But when the attractions open, how do you know where to go? Well, reviews have a lot to say when it comes to that. Here are the most highly rated haunted attractions in Utah.
Some attractions may not be included on this list if certain information—such as Google reviews, websites, or a 2024 schedule—was not available.
Castle of Chaos Haunted House and Escape Rooms, Midvale
Castle of Chaos Haunted House and Escape Rooms is a year-round attraction that has earned a 4.6-star rating from more than 2,600 Google reviews. The attraction has a 3.7-star rating from 110 reviews on Yelp.
The haunted house attraction is open Sept. 6 and will run most weekends for the remainder of September. In October, the haunted house will be open for most days except for the first three Wednesdays.
The haunted escape rooms have many different themes: Paranormal, “Nightmare Realm,” serial killer, asylum
and lockdown. Tickets for the escape rooms range from $27 to $30.
The haunted house starts at $20 for groups of one to six people.
Nightmare on 13th, Salt Lake City
Nightmare on 13th is a haunted house located in Salt Lake City and its website declares its “Utah’s No. 1 scariest haunted house,” and the attraction boasts a 4.5star rating from more than 2,000 Google reviews. On Yelp, the haunted house has a 4-star average from about 80 reviews.
Nightmare on 13th is scheduled to open Friday, Sept. 13 and will run on Fridays and Saturdays for the remainder of September. In October, the haunted house will be open most days except Sunday. The haunted house will also run the first two days of November.
Tickets can range from $25 to $76 depending on the days and times you choose to attend.
Fear Factory, Salt Lake City
Fear Factory in Salt Lake City is located at 666 W. 800 South, and says on its website that it's “one of the top Halloween attractions in the world.”
Based on more than 2,600 Google
reviews, it averages a 4.4-star rating from visitors. On Yelp, it averages a 3.3-star rating from just over 110 reviews.
Fear Factory is set to open Friday, Sept. 6 and will be open on weekends in September before opening Wednesday through Sunday for most of October. The haunted house will be open for “Lights Out Night” on the first two days of November.
Tickets for Fear Factory can range from about $30 to about $250 depending on which experiences and souvenirs you’re interested in.
Haunted Forest, American Fork
The Haunted Forest in American Fork averages about 4.2 stars from almost 1,300 Google reviews, and 2.8 stars from 33 Yelp reviews.
The attraction doesn’t have a set schedule available online for 2024, but has advertised its featured attractions for 2024: Leech Lagoon at Bone Creek and Alien Attack.
Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus, American Fork
The Strangling Bros. Haunted Circus in American Fork has earned a 4-star rating from more than 660 reviews on Google. On Yelp, it’s garnered a 2.8-star rating
from about 40 reviewers.
The haunted circus’s website said it was “voted the No. 1 scariest haunted house in Utah” but it also offers visitors the chance to walk through the forest without the scare actors.
The circus is expected to begin Friday, Sept. 13 and will continue on Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of the month. Starting Oct. 1, the attraction will be open most days except Sunday.
Tickets for the haunted attraction can range from $30 to $80 depending on whether you purchase general admission, fast pass or VIP tickets.
Other Haunted Options
While there are far more haunted attractions than those listed, the attractions listed about are what the public deems to be the best of the best. A few other attractions in Utah are listed below:
• Asylum 49, Tooele
• Field of Fear, West Haven
• Frightmares, (Lagoon Theme Park) Farmington
• Hidden Lake Haunts, Bountiful
• Night Stalkers Haunted Trail, West Jordan
Why we love to be scared: The psychology behind Halloween thrills
By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com
As the days grow shorter and the air crisper, a curious transformation takes place. Porches are adorned with jack-o'-lanterns, cobwebs, and eerie decorations, and people willingly seek out haunted houses, scary movies and tales of the macabre. The question arises: why do we love to be scared, especially around Halloween?
At the heart of this fascination is the adrenaline rush that accompanies fear. When faced with a frightening situation— whether it’s the jump-scare in a horror film or the ominous creak of a floorboard in a haunted house—our bodies react instinctively. The "fight or flight" response kicks in, releasing adrenaline and other stress hormones that heighten our senses and quicken our pulse. This surge of energy can be thrilling, especially when we know we are in no real danger. It’s the same reason people enjoy extreme sports or roller coasters; the controlled risk makes the experience exhilarating rather than terrifying.
Beyond the physical thrill, there’s a deeper psychological process at play: catharsis. Halloween, with its focus on the eerie and the supernatural, provides a socially acceptable outlet for exploring our
fears. In everyday life, we often suppress feelings of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Engaging with scary stories or participating in Halloween rituals allows us to confront these emotions head-on, in a safe and controlled environment. This confrontation can lead to a sense of release or relief, a psychological cleansing that leaves us feeling lighter and more at ease.
Another key aspect of why we enjoy being scared around Halloween is the social element. Fear, much like laughter, can be contagious. When we experience something frightening with others— whether it’s huddling together during a horror movie or navigating a haunted maze as a group—we create shared memories and bond over the mutual experience. The laughter and camaraderie that often follow a good scare are part of what makes these experiences enjoyable. They bring people closer, fostering a sense of connection and community.
The tradition of celebrating fear during Halloween has deep cultural roots. Originating from ancient Celtic festivals like Samhain, where people believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest, Halloween has long been asso-
ciated with the supernatural. Over time, these traditions evolved, blending with other cultural practices to create the Halloween we know today—a holiday where the scary, the strange, and the spooky are celebrated. Participating in these rituals, whether by donning a scary costume or telling ghost stories, is a way of connecting with these ancient traditions and honoring the past.
There’s also an element of curiosity
and exploration in our love of Halloween scares. The unknown, the mysterious, and the macabre have always fascinated humanity. Halloween provides a socially acceptable opportunity to delve into these darker aspects of life, to question what lies beyond the veil of our everyday existence. It’s a time to explore themes that are often taboo, such as death, the supernatural, and the afterlife, in a way that is both playful and profound.
Halloween offers a form of escapism. In a world filled with daily routines and responsibilities, the chance to immerse ourselves in a night of fantasy and fear is a welcome diversion. It allows us to step out of our ordinary lives and into a world where anything can happen—a world of ghosts, goblins and ghouls.
So, as you carve your pumpkin, don your costume, or settle in for a scary movie this Halloween, remember that the thrill of fear is not just a seasonal pastime. It’s a complex, multifaceted experience that taps into deep-seated psychological needs and cultural traditions, making it a beloved part of the Halloween season.
10 family-friendly Halloween activities this month
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Halloween is a spooky time for families to create lasting memories. From eerie displays to costume contests, many activities in Salt Lake County cater to all ages, ensuring everyone gets in on the festive spirit. These family-friendly, spine-tingling adventures will bring excitement to your Halloween celebrations while keeping the scares at a comfortable level.
BooLights, Hogle Zoo (2600 Sunnyside Ave., SLC)
Specific nights from Oct. 2-30, 6:309:30 p.m., $12.95-$18.95
This after-hours light display transforms Hogle Zoo into a bewitching destination. With entertainment and attractions like Dr. Frankenstein's Lab Show at the Wildlife Theatre, the event is the perfect way to celebrate the season. Costumes are allowed, but face-covering masks and any resemblance of weapons are prohibited. Check HogleZoo.org for dates.
Little Haunts, This is the Place Heritage Park (2601 Sunnyside Ave., SLC)
October 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $14.95-$18.95
Don your costumes and visit This is the Place for storytelling, trick-or-treating and take-home crafts. Learn about creepy bugs at the Creature Encounters and enjoy the petting corral, pony and train rides and more. Bring your own trick-or-treat bag. Tickets at ThisIsThePlace.org.
Riverton Halloween Bash, Riverton City Park (12600 S. 1452 West)
Monday, Oct. 14, 6-8 p.m., FREE
This annual Halloween tradition features age-appropriate games and activities for every family member. Snap holiday
pictures at the photo booth and enjoy the Scare Rodeo spook alley. Families are encouraged to wear costumes.
BOOtanical, Red Butte Garden (300 Wakara Way, SLC)
Oct. 17-30, Members $13, Public $16
BOOtanical Nights, 6-9 p.m. and BOOtanical Days, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Visit the magical world of Wonderland, where you can find hidden seeds and stop the Jabberwocky from transforming Wonderland forever. Join the adventure at RedButteGarden.org.
The Haunted Woods, Murray City Park (296 E. Murray Park Ave.)
Oct. 21-25, 5:30-9 p.m., $5
A family-friendly haunted attraction, the Haunted Woods offers a “Silly Trail” and a scarier “Spooky Trail” so everyone can have fun. All proceeds fund child abuse prevention programs. Tickets at MurrayHauntedWoods.com.
Monster Mash dance party, West Valley City Family Fitness Center (5415 W. 3100 South)
Friday, Oct. 25, 6-8 p.m., $5 per person, 50% off for members
The West Valley Halloween Dance Party is a fun time for the family with dancing, balloons and a costume contest. Pre-register by Wednesday, Oct. 23 at WVC-Ut.gov.
Halloween Fun Fest & Disability Resource Fair, Miller Conference Center (9750 S. 300 West, Sandy)
Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., FREE
This event features trick-or-treating, sensory activities and DJ Rebecca to
keep the music hopping. Caregivers can chat with experts and find resources. Costumes welcome!
Samhain Festival, Gallivan Center (239 S. Main Street, SLC)
Sunday, Oct. 27, Noon-7 p.m., $13$15
Experience Samhain, the festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Learn pagan traditions, enjoy live entertainment and food trucks, and activities for all ages.
Halloween Spooktacular, Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple, SLC)
Tuesday, Oct. 29, $8-$45 Wear a costume to this night of
hair-raising melodies featuring music from Halloween favorites. Watch and listen as members of the Utah Symphony bring monsters to life. Find tickets at UtahSymphony.org.
Día de los Muertos celebration (Millcreek Common, 1354 E. Chambers Ave., Millcreek)
Oct. 27-Nov. 2, FREE
Celebrate Día de los Muertos at Millcreek Common. Bring photos of loved ones for the community Ofrenda and enjoy the Halloween Party on Oct. 31 from 7-10 p.m. The big celebration is on Nov. 2, from 6-9 p.m., with the La Catrina parade, mariachi music, face painting, traditional treats and the movie “Coco.”
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deserves a mention for its terrifying proximity and haunted history. Once a hospital, this site is now a full-fledged haunted attraction. But while actors and special effects create a terrifying show, the real horror lies in the ghosts that are said to haunt the building.
Former patients of the hospital are believed to roam the halls, and many visitors have claimed to see shadow figures, hear ghostly voices, and feel sudden cold spots. Paranormal investigators have documented disembodied voices and even poltergeist activity in certain rooms. Unlike most haunted houses, Asylum 49 encourages interaction with both the living and
the dead, making it one of the most immersive and frightening haunted locations in Utah. If you're looking for an experience that blurs the line between entertainment and real paranormal encounters, this is the place to go.
Salt Lake County is filled with ghostly tales and terrifying haunted sites, each with its own dark history and eerie energy. From the real-life tragedy at the Shilo Inn to the haunted corridors of the Old Mill, these locations offer a chilling experience that will make for a Halloween night you won’t forget. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these haunted places are sure to give you a scare, leaving you wondering what might be lurking just out of sight.
Families have a variety of choices when choosing fun holiday activities in October. (Stock photo)
The Old Mill in Cottonwood Heights. (File photo City Journals)
Draper’s Kuwahara’s Pumpkin Patch and Thriller Park open for the season
By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
Kuwahara’s Pumpkin Patch and Thriller Park opened for the season on Sept. 20, giving thrill seekers more than a month to enjoy the park. Alex Kuwahara, the park’s owner, started the pumpkin patch when he was 12 years old at the original location now called Kuwahara Wholesale. It’s since grown into a pumpkin patch paradise with 25 to 30 different varieties of locally-grown pumpkins and pumpkin archways. He now runs the park along with his wife Sarah Kuwahara.
“That was a big expansion when we started to decorate our tunnels and do it all,” she said. “I mean, we always decorated them but when we made the switch to making it a real wow factor, that's definitely what puts us on the map in pumpkin patches.”
In 2016, the thriller part of the park was added and has been growing ever since.
“I would like the community to know just how much goes into this,” Sarah Kuwahara said. “We have lots of immersive attractions…[and] lots of employees here to make it awesome, so it really is a bang for your buck when you think about what
you're getting.”
Overall, the park employs about 120 people to make the experience as smooth and as fun for the crowds as possible.
More than 30 attractions draw crowds yearly, including the pumpkin patch, haunted house, Halloween Main Street, Once Upon a Time land, corn maze, Grand Bizarre, a magician and more. A crowning feature of the park is the shows and dance parties on the center stage, keeping the Halloween atmosphere alive with live entertainment ranging from fire dancers to musical performances.
Kuwahara said that park visitors can expect a reimagined pirate show to make a reappearance and the popular fire show to be back this season.
During the 2023 season, Kuwahara said more than 40,000 people visited the park and she expects even more this year.
Her advice for those experiencing the park for the first time or the 100th time is to come at night.
“At night, you really get to experience the lights and all the fun,” she said, with a big smile.
More information on park hours, pricing and events can be found online at www.kuwaharawholesale.com.
A mom takes a picture of her kids in Kuwahara’s Pumpkin Patch on opening night of the park, Sept. 20.
Known as a go-to fall picture destination, these teens came dressed for the occasion with crocheted pumpkin hats.
In the Grand Bizarre, vendors like Angie Broadbent (left) from Gemini Twins Art Studio and Photography, dress in their best ghoulish costumes to sell their wares.
Dracula was the first performance to don the stage during opening night of the park on Sept. 20. (Photos by Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Face painting artist, Terri Williams, shows her customer the first glimpse at her handiwork in the Grand Bizarre. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
The Once Upon a Time addition to the park gives kids (and parents) a chance to immerse themselves in the magic of the season. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Kuwahara’s is full of magical decorations to set the scene in each part of the park. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Parkgoers enter the park’s corn maze. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
To the left of the park entrance is an archway that leads to the big stage. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
This is a local family’s second year going to the park where carts allow for easy pumpkin towing when you’ve found the best pumpkin in the patch.
A brave little girl is held up by her mom while she rings the bell to the cheers of a park employee before she enters the haunted house. The entrance to the pumpkin patch where more than 25 varieties of pumpkins await.
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Drone operator training is revolutionizing road safety
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
Aspart of their investigations, Utah Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement officers may use drones as one of their tools to have measurable data to determine what exactly happened in an accident. They maintain it’s a cost-effective and safer way to resume the traffic flow.
“When we’re doing a scene, these drones are more accurate,” UHP trooper Devan Biggs said. “They’re able to communicate marks to the satellites to measure skid marks, for example, and we know it is within however many centimeters. That’s more accurate than me taking my yard stick or tape measure.”
The drones are not only more accurate, but they’re also more cost-effective to get traffic resumed sooner, said Douglas Spotted Eagle, director of client experiences with the Las Vegas-based The LiDAR Pros, a team that instructs trainers on drones and is part of the Sundance Media Group, a training and education organization for 30 years.
“It’s been determined that every time there’s a road closure in the heart of Las Vegas, it costs about $150,000 per minute per mile,” he said. “When there’s a crash on the freeway, people can’t get to work. People can’t make deliveries. Tours can’t make their destinations. A typical fatal crash in Salt Lake, can take three to four hours to investigate, sometimes more. Drones can save us hours with crash sites. Sometimes, it almost takes longer to change the drone battery than it does to set up the specific mission. I can fly it in five minutes from the time I get it out of the box to being able to help traffic get moving again.”
Drone use isn’t new to the world, but the technology is being used more commonly. They’re used for hospital deliveries; surveying; inspecting bridge, dam and cell towers; mapping; construction; aerial photography; preventing possible mudslides and more. Drone education is being taught in public schools and professionals have a FAA Part 107 pilot license.
“Utah is probably one of the top states in the country pushing drone programs,” Spotted Eagle said.
His colleague, Ben Goddard, agrees: “If you can imagine a way to use a drone, we can find a way to make it work. We’ve done about everything. Drones are a flexible and versatile tool in anybody’s tool bag.”
Recently, both drone pilots were part of a three-person team that was instructing Utah Department of Transportation trainers how to teach fellow troopers to operate drone programs during a five-day intensive course.
“It takes a lot of dedication to go through this course; there is both a practical and a written test that has to be passed to qualify and certify as a trainer,” Goddard said. “Everything we do is done under ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards. Everything is done safely, and if we see any anything that stands out to any of our instructor
examiners, we will stop the operation, as will the instructors.”
As part of their evaluation, the instructors taught volunteers ranging from high school students to retirees.
“We train new trainers so the state agencies, such as UDOT and the Utah Highway Patrol, and some of the municipalities, can be self-sufficient, so that they don’t have to hire outside pilots to come in. We are teaching them how to run and develop their training programs for drones,” he said, adding the trainings are offered quarterly.
In addition to course work, the seven trainers used Autel EVO II drones, a foldable pocket drone, to teach the volunteer students. Only one of their students had any experience with drones, years ago.
That volunteer student was retiree John Leonard, who started the drone program with UDOT’s incident management team. Now, there are about 28 certified pilots within the team and 55 overall with UDOT.
That’s where Goddard, who has his professional pilot’s license, started teaching in 2000.
“We’ve been able to use drones so much more with the new age of them about 10 or 12 years ago,” he said. “Right now, there’s a great need for pilots, so we are seeing an uptick in number of training classes. That uptick comes with development of new roadways and the growth Utah is seeing. The more we see the growth in Utah, the more need there is for qualified pilots to be able to help assist and save taxpayers money by flying drones to collect data ahead of events or during events.”
Utah Highway Patrol trooper Steve Crowe was under review to become a certified trainer and was giving feedback to a volunteer student.
“You listen well, and you move the con-
the highway that the drone will fly,” he said.
Goddard, who estimated the drones being used cost $1,800 to $2,100, said the drone can connect with 10 to 30 satellites at a time, which helps increase its accuracy.
Leonard said accuracy is important with Utah traffic as there are more vehicles on fewer interstates than other states.
“Literally taking an hour off of a crash investigation could be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the economy, or even millions if we’re doing a full freeway shutdown,” he said. “For example, if I-80 was closed in Parleys Canyon, trucks and the main traffic would be diverted either to Provo Canyon or to Ogden Canyon so you’re talking an hour out of direction for 50-60 miles. When that’s multiplied by tens of thousands of vehicles. It can be very substantive.”
Leonard said that was the mission behind starting the program, which several year ago, saw 18,000 reportable incidents that impacted traffic.
trols smoothly; it’s just a matter of repetition to remember what the sticks do,” he told her.
She had just flown the drone for the first time, from making sure the space outside of UDOT’s traffic operations center was clear to take off to maneuvering it forward, backward, side to side, higher and lower, and landing.
Crowe is part of the major crash investigation team. He will help oversee training for the other 40 drone operators within his department. There also are drones within the dive and SWAT teams.
“I got into the drones with crash investigation; it was something I’ve always been interested in,” he said. “I practice flying drones twice a month, just to keep up on things. I enjoy the teaching aspect of it. Teaching drones is a natural progression.”
Biggs also enjoys flying drones. As a pilot of five years, he appreciates the bigger picture it provides when they stitch together photos they have taken of a crash scene.
“I really like the end product, it helps to wrap your mind around the scene,” he said. “When we fly drones, we take pictures, and then a program interlays them all together into one big picture with a top-down view. It’s easier for me to process the scene and get the perspective from one big view than individual pictures.”
Biggs said the program can 3D print a crash scene to help troopers better illustrate a scene.
“It just gives us a lot more data and resources; it’s another process we can use to determine what happened,” he said.
Leonard said when drone are used, it’s on a defined mission.
“The operators plot their missions, and then the drone automatically flies it so that it gets the correct overlaps and everything. They will pull up the satellite and outline the area on
“The goal of the incident management team is to reduce the impacts of incidents that happen on Utah’s highways and by assisting and supplementing the investigating agency. With the foresight of the drone program, we realized we could expedite the clearance of the incident and restore traffic much earlier, which is a significant benefit to the traveling public and to Utah’s economy,” he said.
With colleague Boyd Frank, Leonard introduced the incident management team in Utah in 1994, laying the groundwork several years earlier. Originally funded with a Wasatch Front Regional Council grant under the Clean Air Act, it was a way to clear traffic effectively and reduce idling and emissions.
“We proved that reducing the duration of an incident improved air quality because there’s less idling, people can go through the incident area quicker and more efficiently. When IMT determined it was worthwhile to keep, it became funded through UDOT,” he said.
As a licensed professional traffic operations engineer, Leonard oversaw the incident management team twice before recently retiring. He was awarded the American Traffic Safety Services Association’s National Safety Award after helping write a section of the national manual on traffic control and management.
“Drones are one of the tools in the toolbox that the incident management team can use to reduce the duration of incidents that are happening,” Leonard said. “Because of that, it’s making Utah roads safer. By reducing the duration of the incident, there’s less exposure to the people responding to the crash or incidents, as well as the public that has to go through an incident zone — and hopefully, prevent a secondary crash, which oftentimes can be worse than the first crash.” l
Utah Highway Patrol troopers, overseen by The LiDAR Pros, teach volunteers how to fly a drone as part of their course to be flight instructors. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
New faces and key races to watch in Salt Lake County 2024 election
As the 2024 election season heats up, Salt Lake County finds itself on the brink of significant political change. With the retirement of long-serving officials like Jim Bradley, David Alvord, Ann Granato, Wayne Cushing and Reid Demman, the upcoming races will usher in a new era of leadership. In the spotlight is the high-stakes mayoral race, where incumbent Democrat Jenny Wilson faces a challenge from Republican Erin Rider. Alongside this, several key County Council districts and other county offices will see competitive battles as newcomers vie to shape the future of the county. Here's an overview of the pivotal races and the candidates aiming to steer Salt Lake County forward.
County Mayor Race
Jenny Wilson, the current mayor of Salt Lake County, is running for re-election. Wilson has been in office since 2019 and previously made history as the first woman elected to the County Council. According to her campaign page, she is a fifth-generation Utahn with experience in both the private sector and nonprofit organizations. Before becoming mayor, Wilson served on the council for 10 years.
Her opponent, Erin Rider, a Republican, comes from a background in law and business. Raised in Millcreek, Rider graduated from Brigham Young University with a business degree and later earned her JD/MBA from Georgetown University. She worked as a law clerk on the Senate Finance Committee under Sen. Orrin Hatch in Washington, D.C., and has been active in various community organizations, including Utah Women Run and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society.
County Council District Races
District 2 includes the towns of West Valley City, Kearns, West Jordan, South Jordan and Herriman. Both candidates in this race are new, as they seek to replace the retiring incumbent David Alvord.
Katie Olson, the Democratic candidate, indicates on her campaign webpage she holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a master’s degree in public administration. She currently works as an internal consultant for the city of South Jordan, where she collaborates with various city departments to evaluate their effectiveness.
Carlos Moreno, the Republican candidate, is a recent U.S. citizen and political asylee from Venezuela. He achieved U.S. citizenship in 2022 and works as a community outreach representative for a national energy management consulting company. Moreno also runs a small business with his wife in West Jordan.
District 4 encompasses Salt Lake City, Millcreek, Holladay, Murray and Cottonwood Heights. Current incumbent Ann Granto retires after this term.
This race features Democrat Ross Romero, a former Utah State Senator and House
By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
Member. Romero graduated from the University of Utah and earned a JD from the University of Michigan Law School. His career includes serving on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and being elected as a Democratic National Committee Committeeman in 2020. Romero has held numerous board positions, including with the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials and the Utah Hospital Association, and has been involved in initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Running against Romero is former Third Circuit Court Judge Roger Livingston, a Republican. Livingston previously served as a Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney and was a candidate for the Republican attorney general nomination in the 1980s. He also served in the Utah House of Representatives in the late 1970s.
Nolan Kruse is also running in District 4 under the Utah Forward Party. Kruse is a small business owner and the Co-Founder and CEO of Lunar Services, a company that provides building service solutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Utah.
District 6 includes the areas of Sandy, Midvale, Draper and Cottonwood Heights. Incumbent Republican Dea Theodore is seeking re-election. Theodore, who has represented District 6 since 2020, has a background in biology and experience in education administration and civic engagement. As noted on her website, she has been active on several boards, including the Unified Fire Authority (UFA) and SYLVESA, and has worked on legislative initiatives during her time in office; she is a Sandy resident.
Conder has a degree in mathematics with a minor in physics from the University of Utah. Conder has been the Chief Deputy Treasurer under Wayne Cushing.
For County Recorder, incumbent Democrat Rashelle Hobbs is seeking re-election. Hobbs has been involved in county operations for over a decade, starting her career in the Salt Lake County Clerk’s office. Hobbs has a bachelor's degree at the University of Utah and a master's degree in professional communication from Westminster College.
Challenging Theodore is Zach Robinson, the Democratic candidate who currently serves on the Sandy City Council. Robinson has a decade of experience as a firefighter and paramedic, and he works as an Operations Manager for virtual care at University of Utah Health.
At-Large and Other County Positions
In the at-large race for County Council, incumbent Republican Rachelle Morris and Democrat Natalie Pinkney are competing to replace longtime councilman Jim Bradley.
Natalie Pinkney currently serves on the South Salt Lake City Council and has an educational background in psychology and educational leadership from Marquette University and the University of Utah. Pinkney is also a small business owner and helped establish a Financial Empowerment Center in South Salt Lake.
Rachelle Morris, is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Information Systems. She has a career in private wealth management, having worked at both Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Morris is also a co-founder and partner at a Utah venture fund.
Treasurer, Recorder, Assessor and Surveyor Races
For the position of County Treasurer, the current officeholder, Wayne Cushing, is not seeking re-election.
Democrat Sheila Srivastava, seeks to replace Cushing. As indicated on her website, Srivastava has over 30 years of experience as a CPA.
The Republican candidate aiming to replace him is Phil Conder, who has been working in the Salt Lake County Treasurer’s office.
Challenging Hobbs is Republican Richard Snelgrove, who was defeated in 2022 for re-election to the Salt Lake County Council. Snelgrove has also served as district director for U.S. Congressman Merrill Cook and has been involved in international election observation for the U.S. State Department. He currently serves on the United Fire Authority board.
The Assessor race features Chris Stavros, the Republican incumbent. Stavros previously held several leadership roles in the Assessor’s office, including Chief Deputy Assessor.
Democrat Joel Frost is a residential appraiser in Salt Lake County since 2006. Frost has served in various capacities, including as President of the Utah Coalition of Appraisers and a board member of the Utah Association of Appraisers.
After 18 years, Reid Demman is stepping away from the position of County Surveyor. Two members from his office will compete to take his spot.
Democrat Kent Setterberg is running with a career spanning over 30 years in the Salt Lake County Surveyor’s office. Setterberg, a licensed Professional Land Surveyor, has a Geomatics degree in Land Surveying from Salt Lake Community College.
His opponent, Republican Bradley Park, is the current Chief Deputy Surveyor and has been in the Surveyor’s office since 2021. Park has 17 years of experience in surveying, including a leadership role at Dominion Energy, where he managed the company’s survey office.
Salt Lake County voters can get registration, candidate and ballot information at www. saltlakecounty.gov/clerk/elections/2024-general-election/. l
The Salt Lake County Council will see new faces as Jim Bradley, David Alvord and Ann Granato chose to retire from their offices. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)
Incumbent Democrat Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson will face a challenge from Republican Erin Rider. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)
Retiring Salt Lake County elected officers Jim Bradley, David Alvord, Ann Granato, Wayne Cushing and Reid Demman. (Photos courtesy of Salt Lake County)
s a sugar fiend, Halloween was a High Holy day in my childhood. Like a squirrel, I used the holiday to gather and hoard candy that would last me through the autumn months until Santa could fill my stocking with tooth-breaking peppermint discs.
On Halloween, my siblings and I would take pillowcases and trick-or-treat through the neighborhood. When the bags were full, we’d bring home our haul so Mom could scrutinize each piece. She’d look for razor blades poking out of apples, unwrapped candy laced with angel dust and Butterfinger bars that she confiscated as Halloween tax.
In sixth grade, I went trick-or-treating with a boy and we dressed as square dancers because Mr. Madson had taught us how to dance and it was an easy costume. The boy was more interested in trying to kiss me than in securing candy. So I told him we had no future and do-si-doed to the next house to see if they were handing out full-size candy bars.
The gathering of candy was just the beginning. After mom crime-proofed my loot, I’d sort it into categories: chocolate bars, Charms Blow-Pops, fruity Wacky Wafers, Pixy Stix, flavorless Smarties, wax bottles filled with questionable liquid, hard-as-rock orange taffy, Bazooka bubble gum and boring Tootsie Rolls. Then, I’d count each piece so I’d know if one of my bratty siblings took anything.
Once my bag-o-cavities was categorized and counted, I’d hide it under my pillow and sleep on it like Smaug protecting his treasure from the grubby hands of mortals. I sometimes woke up with a lollipop stuck to my face.
The real benefit of Halloween candy was having access to sweet treats at school. Sneaking candy to school was the tricky part. On Nov. 1, teachers knew we’d all have pockets full of candy and we wouldn’t be able to pay attention un-
Give Me Some Sugar
Peri Kinder Life and Laughter
til after Thanksgiving. But they attempted to confiscate any sugary substance, so I had to be strategic.
I’d pretend to look for something in my desk and shove a handful of Milk Duds in my mouth. Invariably, the teacher would call on me as soon as I had the candy stuffed in my cheeks like a chipmunk. Do you know how hard it is to talk with a mouthful of Milk Duds?
After school, I’d dash home to my pile of candy to recategorize and recount, and to punish anyone within screeching distance if one piece of Laffy Taffy was missing. Yes, I was a bit obsessive. I understand that now.
Halloween candy was also perfect for smuggling into Sunday school. If I could get it past my mom, I could snack all through the long Sunday services. At the time, dresses didn’t have pockets (those were hard times) so I had to resort to creative options.
My socks became repositories for candy contraband. I was too young to realize mothers notice when their child’s legs are suddenly shaped like Baby Ruth bars. Plus, the plastic candy wrappers strapped around my ankles made a crinkling and crackling noise as subtle as a bull in a china shop.
A week after Halloween, my candy stash had dwindled
significantly. I needed to cut back if it was going to last until Christmas but the Bottle Caps, the Sugar Babies, the Bit-oHoney and the Boston Baked Beans called to me like a siren on a rock.
Whether I battled the world’s loudest candy wrappers or faced the principal for participating in black market candy sales, Halloween remained my favorite holiday. I still squirrel away my favorite candies and I warn everyone to touch my cache at their peril.
