I was in my freshman year of high school when the pandemic hit. I was 15 and was struggling a lot with my mental health. I had just returned to public school after being homeschooled for five months as a result of a depressive and anxious state of mind. The pandemic brought a lot of human rights issues to the […]
My View
Whitney: ‘I want to make sure the world changes in every necessary way’
Graduates share how the pandemic affected their lives, high school careers
Groene reflects on how COVID lockdown impacted her education, life
Graduates share how the pandemic affected their lives, high school careersWhile we can hardly claim the fame of a socially distanced parade graduation, or an involuntary outdoor junior prom, the Class of 2023 holds some merit in the woeful sob story of lockdown and has a high school experience dominated by turmoil. While we escaped much of the horror of the pandemic, particularly the loss and intense restriction, we still […]
Rights and responsibilities
My7 ViewMy mother long ago taught me that if you can’t say something nice about somebody, don’t say anything at all. I suspect she was talking about a dinner guest who retrieved watermelon slices from the appetizer platter with her fingers instead of a toothpick rather than JFK, whom my father detested for no reason I could ever discern other than […]
Celebrate county Emergency Medical Services during EMS Week
My ViewIn 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. Grand County Emergency Medical Services has been at the ready to respond to our citizens’ emergencies since 1973, when Dennis Robson, Jim Phillips, Rick Robson, Dan Sykes, Charlie Squires, Preston Niesen, Dave Laughlin and Royal Holter purchased an […]
We have to do better at reducing waste, recycling
My ViewI go to Lions Park every day to maintain the eight bins I installed there a year ago in March on a volunteer basis. I have many other FreeCycle sites that I care for daily and as needed. The Lions Park bins are not for locals to use for home recycling. After I hand-sort the recycling by type and put […]
Democracy in an era of water scarcity
My ViewAfter college, I worked for an international non-governmental organization addressing negative economic, social and environmental impacts of large-scale water projects, such as dams and channelization schemes. We worked in collaboration with NGOs around the world. A huge challenge for local communities was, and remains, an inability to have a say in what happens to the water resources they depend on. […]
Sharing the sandbox
My ViewWe have, according to Moab Happenings’ event schedule, 50 or more events in the area throughout the year. An estimated 3 million tourists come to Moab every year. A common theme in the letters to the city/county/state, the local newspapers and the Salt Lake Tribune are concerns by residents of Grand and Northern San Juan counties that not only has […]
All power to us
In 2019 Moab, Castle Valley and Grand County entered into a grand bargain with Utah to become net zero in terms of fossil fueled generation of electricity by 2030. The city has always been ahead of the game in this regard, becoming the first city in the nation to become an EPA Green Power Community in 2004. It also was […]
No balance in proposed Balanced Rock Resort
My ViewOn March 9, the San Juan County Commission held a public hearing over a proposed tourist resort development for our neighborhood in south Spanish Valley called “Balanced Rock Resort.” A group of Spanish Valley residents, me included, attended the meeting to voice our opposition to the proposed resort. The developers claimed that this project will be a “community” for “residents” […]
Silent spring in Moab
My ViewMilitary-grade earplugs cannot stop the sound. It’s not OHVs. The city of Moab does not know where its utility lines are buried underground so a crew is being sent around to properties digging and drilling into the ground to find them. The drill looks like it could locate uranium in the Jurassic time period. Houses are practically on the verge […]