SALT LAKE CITY — One in five Utah children doesn’t live in a family with married parents, and the Utah Marriage Commission is working to improve that.
The commission, spearheaded by former Gov. Mike Leavitt and former Utah first lady Jackie Leavitt in 1998, continues to grow as it expands upon its vision to support and strengthen healthy marriages in the state.
At the commission’s 25th anniversary celebration at the Capitol on Wednesday, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said free resources offered by the Utah Marriage Commission are instrumental for understanding marriage.
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“I used to be discouraged when I would hear people talk about their marriages and that they never had an argument with their spouse. I decided that’s bull crap,” she said. “It’s not a failure to have disagreements. It’s not a failure to go through rough patches. It’s not a failure to have heartache. It’s not a failure to have financial troubles. It’s part of life and it’s part of marriage.”
The commission’s website, currently hosted by Utah State University, provides free webinars, assessments, online courses and a podcast to help married couples through every walk — from newly engaged to decades of marriage, happy and thriving to considering divorce.
“What I love the most about the Utah Marriage Commission is its free resources for all Utahns, wherever you may be … I’ve noticed with my own children, they are much more willing and eager to have support, help, counseling and resources, (more) than was ever available over the last number of decades,” said Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-Salt Lake City.
Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt said the purpose of the commission became evident when it began, because in its beginning, he was frequently questioned on why the state would have interest in private relationships.
“I became a bit of an expert over time — as anyone who works in state government does — of what happens when families fail, and who it is that ultimately does society’s work attempting to make up the difference between a healthy family and an unhealthy situation: It is often the state,” Mike Leavitt said.
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The former governor said he has seen statistics that show the predictability of a child ending up in a juvenile court system, and the factors that contribute most to that likelihood are in what happens at home.
“When the state licenses a marriage, it’s a connection between the two private parties who are joining in that marriage, but it’s also very much about the obligation that the state, the people collectively, are in fact taking on to do our best to make up for circumstances that are not working,” he said.
Past and present legislators gathered at the Utah State Capitol Wednesday to celebrate the Utah Marriage Commission’s 25th anniversary. (Photo: Kaigan Bigler, KSL.com)
Ballard said the success of families is what personal success is based on, which pulls in the 20% of children who don’t live in families bound by marriage — they need the commission as a state entity and the commission needs to be supported by legislators in order to continue providing support to families in need of help.
One of the top predictors of state economic performance is the share of married parents in the state, Ballard said. She also claimed marital quality is the No. 1 predictor for adult happiness.
“A good marriage is not a matter of luck,” she said. “Good preparation, ongoing learning and growth is a working strategy to build and sustain a healthy and strong marriage that benefits children, adults and all of our communities. The goal of this commission has always been to provide Utahns with high quality educational resources to help them navigate this wonderful learning and growing process that we call marriage.”
While Utah has one of the highest marriage rates in the nation, Ballard said the success of those marriages hinges on the help the commission provides, as Utah’s divorce rates have started to decline.
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The Utah Marriage Commission is hosting a free event in February for families to attend workshops and strengthen relationships. More information about the event and the commission, can be found online.
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Kaigan Mears Bigler is a general assignment news reporter for KSL.com.
OLJATO, Utah – A Colorado man wanted for the murder of a minor on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation was arrested Tuesday, according to the Navajo Police Department.
In a Facebook post from the NPD, Jeremiah Hight, 23, of the Ute Mountain Tribe was taken into federal custody after police had been looking for him in the Oljato area since Saturday.
Hight was a suspect in the murder of a minor during a shooting on the Ute Mountain Reservation in Towaoc, CO., according to the NPD.
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The post said that a federal arrest warrant for murder was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigations-Durango Office.
Police said the investigation was joined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, NPD K-9 Unit, and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations-Kayenta District.
A man rescued his brother from a “large avalanche” he triggered while the pair were snowmobiling in Utah on Wednesday, authorities said.
The brothers were in the Franklin Basin area of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest when one of them triggered the avalanche while “side-hilling in a bowl beneath a cliff band in Steep Hollow,” an initial accident report from the Utah Avalanche Center read.
He saw the slope “ripple below and around him” and was able to escape by riding off the north flank of the avalanche, according to the report.
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But his brother, who was farther down the slope standing next to his sled, was swept up by the avalanche, carried about 150 yards by the heavy snow and fully buried, the avalanche center said.
Using a transceiver, the man was able to locate his brother underneath the snow, seeing only “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out,” the report said.
The buried brother was dug out and sustained minor injuries, according to the avalanche center. The two were able to ride back to safety.
The Utah Avalanche Center warned that similar avalanche conditions will be common in the area and are expected to rise across the mountains in North Utah and Southeast Idaho ahead of the weekend.
SALT LAKE CITY — According to forecasters, several parts of Utah will receive snow Thursday morning and evening.
On Wednesday, the Utah Department of Transportation issued a road weather alert, warning drivers of slick roads caused by a storm that will arrive in two different waves.
UDOT said the first wave should arrive along the Wasatch Front after 8 to 9 a.m. and will move southward across the state until around noon. By 10 to 11 a.m., most roads are expected to be wet.
“This wave of snow only lasts for a few hours before dissipating around noon or shortly after for many routes,” UDOT stated on its weather alert.
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Road Weather Alert: Two rounds of snow expected on Thursday. The 1st comes 8/9am thru noon & the 2nd 4/5pm thru midnight. Both of which bring minor valley road snow & a few inches to the mtns. For more information visit: https://t.co/QrWh3RKePZ……@UtahTrucking#UTWX#UTSNOWpic.twitter.com/NatnzofugZ
UDOT said an inch or two of snow could be seen in Davis and Weber counties due to cold captures temperatures in the morning.
The Wasatch Back and mountain routes are expected to receive a few inches of snow through noon, with some heavy road snow over the upper Cottonwoods, Logan Summit, Sardine Summit, and Daniels Summit, according to UDOT.
Travelers in central Utah should prepare for a light layer of snow, with an inch or two predicted in the mountains.
Second wave of snow in Utah
According to UDOT, there will be a lull in snow early to mid-Thursday afternoon. But there should be another wave of snow from 4 to 6 p.m.
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“With temperatures a bit warmer at this point, the Wasatch Front will likely see more of a rain/snow mix,” UDOT said. “However, some showers may be briefly heavy for short periods of time and be enough to slush up the roads late afternoon/evening with bench routes seeing the higher concern.”
UDOT predicted the Wasatch Back and northern mountain routes to receive another couple of inches during the second wave.
The storm is expected to end around 9 p.m. for the Wasatch Front and valleys, while the mountains will continue to receive snow until about midnight.
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