I hope you had a great weekend. We were pretty busy with some painting at home, getting early crops planted in the garden - two varieties of peas - and running around taking care of parents and grandkids. But we enjoyed the good weather on Friday and Saturday being outside, and being able to enjoy a warm fire in the family room on Sunday. And, as luck would have it, I got to enjoy three March Madness games - which busted my bracket. Who ever heard of Saint Peter's University before now? And they are in the Sweet 16! And, our hometown BYU Cougars are rocking the NIT so far.
UPCOMING CITY EVENTS
As You Like It I March 21 7:00 pm
Learn It: How to Podcast I March 22 7:00 pm
AuthorLink with Jennifer Jenkins: A Necessary Madness I March 23 7:00 pm
How to Structure Your Novel: Writing Workshop with William Maz I March 24 7:00 pm
Wasatch Ballet Conservatory: The Classics I March 25
BYU Noteworthy I March 26 7:30 pm
Lifehouse Performing Arts Academy presents: Earth Bound I March 30 - March 31
Ukulele for Teens I March 31 7:00 pm
Bee Gees Gold: The Tribute I April 1 7:30 pm
Teen Volunteer Board I April 7 6:30 pm
An Evening of Music with the CAN-AM Trio I April 4 7:00 pm
Steel Magnolias I May 5 - May 28
NEWS YOU CAN USE
- Today is World Down Syndrome Day!
- The ranking of the world's happiest countries was released. Spoiler alert: we weren't in the top 5, but we weren't too bad!
- Texas wildfires prompted hundreds of evacuations. Multiple wildfires burned through at least 70 square miles of land in Eastland County, Texas, where about 18,000 people live. About 475 homes in the town of Gorman and a nursing home in the town of Rising Star were evacuated.
- The war in Ukraine is shaping a lot of trends, particularly in the U.S. The global increase in the number of Duolingo users who are studying Ukrainian is 485%. Most of the spike came from those in the US, the company said. President Zelensky's outfits are also inspiring a new trend in fashion.
- Kenya’s great lakes are flooding, in a devastating and environmental disaster that is displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
- A third teen was charged in a deadly Salt Lake City shooting at high school graduation party. A twenty year old was shot and killed, and four others were seriously wounded.
- Utah's Supreme Court is slated to decide if cell phone passcodes are protected under the fifth amendment.
PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA
HOT-BUTTON ITEMS IN PROVO
It has probably been a while since we talked about the prospect of another Utah Winter Olympics and how Provo fits into that. I wasn't working for the City during the 2002 Games; I was a department head in Ogden City, and the city's Olympic coordination role was assigned to my department. So we were super deep in the process, and actually Provo was a "competitor" for being the women's ice hockey venue for those games. When the decision was made to have women's hockey at the Peaks Ice Arena and therefore curling at the Ogden Ice Sheet, many in the Ogden area were sorely disappointed. I was chatting with a northern Utah member of the organizing committee, and he reminded me that Ogden should just embrace curling as a perfect "blue collar town sport." He reminded me that while many Olympic ahtletes were conditioning and stressing after qualifying events, the curlers were out partying with the locals. He even suggested we commission a public art project to have two enormous curling brooms span Harrison Boulevard like an archway to welcome visitors to Ogden.
Well, I have since learned that despite their appearance, those who compete in curling are very disciplined and not the big party animals unless they win. But, nonetheless, it is a reminder that a host community gets to see the best the brightest of each winter sports event.
So, there is a committee that is involved in preparing the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back communities for another Winter Olympics bid - right now focused on either 2030 or 2034. Mayor Kaufusi sits on that committee as a venue city representative. Salt Lake City is a darling of the International Olympic Committee because we have supported the venues that were built for the 2002 Games, and maintained our reputation as a winter sports mecca. If you watched the Beijing games a couple of months ago, you may remember how many elite athletes live here or train here. The current plan is for Provo to once again host hockey competition at the Peaks Ice Arena whenever the Games are here next. Our Parks and Recreation staff has been working diligently on a plan to upgrade the Peaks to accommodate modern international hockey competition standards, and we have been working with the bid committee, the County and the State to identify funding sources. We expect to be figuring all of this out soon, as the venues will need to be in place about 2.5 years ahead of the Games.
Most observers think 2034 is more likely for a Utah bid, given that the 2028 Summer Games are going to Los Angeles, and it would be unlikely to have back-to-back games in North America. The 2032 Summer Games are in Australia, so 2034 would not be a problem coming to Salt Lake City.
So, stay tuned as decisions are made, funding is identified and we get a lot more serious about another Winter Games in Utah.
FUN STUFF
Don't we all love those videos where something totally unexpected happens. Well - this is one of those. It is a good reminder to not ride on a zipline if you don't know what's ahead of you!
Thanks again for all you do. We appreciate your commitment to excellence and to serving our residents.
Wayne
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