Governor's statement on confirmation of Commissioner Lawrence C. Walters
The Utah Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. Lawrence C. Walters to the Utah State Tax Commission Wednesday. Walters will complete the unexpired term of Commissioner Robert Pero, who is retiring. He will take his oath of office on Nov. 1.
Gov. Herbert issued the following statement:
"Dr. Walters' wide breadth of experience and understanding of public policy will serve our Tax Commission well. As a respected authority on tax policy, he will play a valuable role in keeping our tax system operating smoothly."
Walters is an emeritus professor of Public Management and Policy at Brigham Young University and a recognized national property tax expert. He holds a doctorate in public policy analysis and management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University.
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O1ARTS - NEWSLETTER - OCT 2018 vol.2 – CONNECTING OVER 4,600 CREATIVES
This week’s Featured Creative is Molly Morin, associate professor of art and foundations coordinator at Weber State, and several-time exhibitor with O1ARTS. Her practice is a fascinating blend of math, art and science, and she is, by all accounts, a favorite among her students. We’re delighted by our relationship, and look forward to working with Molly again soon!
According to her website, Molly Morin is an artist and educator working at the intersection of digital and analog practices. She makes material representations of information through generative drawing, soft sculpture, and digital fabrication. She credits her start to a sculpture class in college, where initially she was a biology major. She says, “I learned quickly that art was the right way for me to think about how the world works, ask questions and participate in a bigger conversation.”
Hello again friends … as I write this, the monsoon has passed, and it’s a gorgeous, crisp, sunny day in the Wasatch.
We do want to remind you of our current exhibition up at #O1PLATFORMS: Kaleidoscope.
It features 8 different projects by various schools, community groups, and art collectives from the Ogden area, each of which interprets the butterfly theme a bit differently. Go check it out, as it comes down at the end of the month, and due to the season, is likely our last show there for this year.
Ogden Downtown Alliance to host monthly district association meetings similar to those of Historic 25th Street, The Junction and Washington Boulevard.
Nine Rails Creative District Association meetings act as a gathering space for informational updates, idea sharing, promotional opportunities and networking. At our first meeting in September, we gave an overall introduction to Nine Rails Creative District complete with an overview of the Nine Rails Creative District Master Plan.
At 57,000 square feet the iconic Monarch building is just one of several beautiful Ogden buildings that are being brought back to life. At the turn of the century Ogden was booming thanks to the railroad industry and lavish buildings marked the epicenter of business. Those buildings have sat empty for many years, but are now being renovated to mark a new epicenter, The Nine Rails District.
For The Monarch building the first phase of renovation, the exterior and shell of the building, has been completed. This includes the beautiful Monarch in Moda mural painted by Jane Kim. Jane’s coordinating mural at Weber State is also nearly finished.
The Banyan Collective visited The Argo House for Episode 6 of the Nine Rails Arts Podcast. We sat down with Union Creative Agency’s Jake McIntire and Industrial Art and Design’s James Argo to discuss their recently renovated “design colony” on 25th Street. We also spoke with Philadelphia-based BalletX, a premier contemporary ballet company which toured Ogden thanks to Ogden Symphony Ballet Association.
The Banyan Collective’s Nine Rails Arts Podcast explores what it means to be an Adventurous Creative in 2018. Through a partnership with arts non-profit, Ogden First, we will get to know Ogden’s new Nine Rails Creative District, as well as the district’s epicenter and future home to artisans, designers & creatives, the Monarch building.
Oct 18: Art + Action: Creative Inclusivity - Creativity as a Tool for Change
Oct 19-20: Thriller
Oct 27: Witchstock
Nov 2: Relative Truth
Nov 3: When Johnny Comes Marching Home - All Ages Concert
Nov 10: When Johnny Comes Marching Home - 21+ at Alleged
Nov 10: WSU Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert
Ogden First is a non-profit (501c3) corporation established to create and deliver artsprogramming, in all forms, in the context of adaptive reuse of historic or iconic spaces, tocreate vibrant venues where artists can create, learn, perform and exhibit, amplified by ourcity’s architectural legacy.
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DENVER—In response to today’s reporting by The Washington Post on a report from the Interior Department Inspector General into improper use of government vehicles by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his wife Lola, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jen Rokala:
“This report shows Secretary Zinke’s dogged determination to use his office for personal gain, even going so far as to tell Interior’s top lawyer to lie to the public to justify his wife’s travel. Taxpayers paid $25,000 to send a security detail along on a two-week romantic getaway. He booked a taxpayer-funded cruise to California’s Channel Islands, then claimed his friends and donors were ‘stakeholders’ so they could get a free ride. Secretary Zinke owes the American people an apology — and a refund.”
The report also quotes an ethics official who says Secretary Zinke told Acting Solicitor Daniel Jorjani to lie to reporters about his wife’s presence on official trips, falsely claiming she was an ombudsman for the department. Staff also raised concerns about how much time was being spent to justify Mrs. Zinke’s presence on official trips.
“We’re spending taxpayer dollars trying to figure out if she can be a volunteer so that he [Zinke] doesn’t have to pay [reimbursement for her riding in Government vehicles],” Interior ethics official Ed McDonnell said.
The OIG also determined that Zinke spent more than $13,000 in taxpayer money on challenge coins bearing his name and title.
The Center for Western Priorities today updated its ongoing count of investigations into Secretary Zinke, finding eighteen investigations by the Office of Inspector General and the Office of Special Counsel that have been opened or requested by members of Congress. With today’s report, nine of those investigations have been closed and at least five remain open, including the investigation into Secretary Zinke’s discussions with the chairman of Halliburton about a land deal in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.
Zinke’s investigation count now far exceeds his last four predecessors, who collectively were the subject of eleven OIG and OSC investigations. Earlier this week, the Trump administration moved to replace the Acting Interior Inspector General with a political appointee, despite Zinke being the subject of at least three open investigations at the OIG’s office. Late this afternoon, the Interior Department clumsily attempted to walk back the reassignment. Rokala added:
“During his confirmation hearing, Ryan Zinke promised ‘the most transparent Interior’ in his lifetime. Now we know he meant to say ‘the most transparently unethical.”
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. To speak with an expert on public lands, contact Aaron Weiss at 720-279-0019 or aaron@westernpriorities.org. Sign up for Look West to get daily public lands and energy news sent to your inbox.
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The Center for Western Priorities is a conservation policy and advocacy organization focused on land and energy issues across the American West.
