Monday October 4 2021 Update

Greetings from Portland!   The International City/County Management Association conference is a great opportunity for me each year to learn and to reconnect with my colleagues from around the country.  I thought I would highlight this week in the update some of the classes I attended.  Yesterday I was able to listen to Carmen Best, former Seattle police chief, talk about leading through crisis.  Seattle was very hard hit by the police and social justice protests last summer, which led to her leaving Seattle PD under fire.  She talked a lot about developing employee and community trust and how navigating crisis is easier when we rely on our relationships and our core values.  She reiterated the maxim that I have always liked about leaders needing to get the right people in our organizations and making sure that we have them in the right roles.

You may have also read that there was an announcement yesterday that the Provo Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be reconstructed starting in 2023 after the Church's new Orem Temple is completed.  We have heard rumors about this for years so the announcement wasn't a big surprise.  We don't know anything official yet about the project, but it will be interesting to see how it develops and what the Church hopes to do with this iconic and unique structure in Provo.

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS

Acting Up: Beauty and the Beast I October 4 7:00 pm

Hocus Pocus Outdoor Movie I October 4 8:00 pm

Learn It: Inking for Inktober I October 5 2021 7:00 pm

Recipe Swap I October 6 7:00 pm

TRIBUTE presented by Utah Metropolitan Ballet: Art and Heart I October 8 - 9

Lark and Spur Excellence Concert I October 11 7:30 pm

Conversaciones/Conversations I October 12 7:00 pm

Paranormal Percussion I October 15-16

Superhero Academy I October 16 11:00 am

Covey Tapestry of Dance I October 19 7:30 pm

Swing 4 Cancer Benefit Concert I October 23 4:00 pm

Catapult I October 26 7:30pm

Ammon and Liahona Olayan I October 27 7:30pm

YOUR VOICE

Our weekly employee highlight section has been great! Please keep them coming with all of your fun hobbies and exciting news in the section on the right with pics uploaded below! We love hearing and seeing all about them!

UPLOAD PICTURES HERE!

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• This Year's MacArthur 'Genius Grants' were announced (though they're technically called "MacArthur fellows"). Here's the full winner list and a little about their work.
• Have you been wondering why Disney is closing its stores all around the US? Well they have revealed their plans, with several locations remaining open and new plans for their future.
• For a bit of fun random news, check out the 18 times that 'The Simpsons' accurately predicted the future.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

HOT-BUTTON ITEMS IN PROVO

You may have heard that Mayor Kaufusi was elected as second vice-president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns last week.  ULCT is the association of cities in the state that provides training, lobbying efforts and other services to its member cities.  The Mayor has been on the Board of Directors for the last two years, and is now in line to be president two years from now for a year.  She will be a powerful influence for good on this organization as she helps bring cities together to tackle tough issues like housing, policing and other key policies that are being worked on at the state level.  I have been involved with ULCT for more than 30 years in Utah, and recognize all that she will be able to bring to the organization!  

FUN STUFF

This week while I am attending my conference, I thought I would share some of my favorite music from the iconic Provo music scene of groups or individual musicians that have hit the big time with their roots in Provo.

Violinist Lindsey Sterling is one of my favorite artists.  While she grew up in Arizona, she attended college at BYU and lived in Provo.  She made it big on America's Got Talent in 2010 and became a sensation.  She plays violin with amazing talent and has a gift and flair for performing.  This little music video was released a few months ago and is worth your few moments to appreciate her musical talent and her performance presence.  And, she was one of the many musicians who called Provo home for the early part of her career.

Provo has been blessed with an amazing music scene, and Lindsey is one who has done great things.  We are proud to have "welcomed her home" for a formative period of her career.  

Wayne