Utah
Utah mom says foster care helped, while she battled addiction
SALT LAKE CITY — Hanna, whose last name we won’t use to protect her and her young sons, said she was driving to church six years ago with her now ex-husband when a police officer pulled them over.
“My children weren’t strapped in, and they were within reach of (drug) paraphernalia,” Hanna said. “That’s the truth, and they were removed.”
Her boys, Jace and Jagger, are now 6- and 12-years-old. They were taken to The Christmas Box House. Hanna was taken to jail. She and the boys’ father had both undergone medical procedures and what started as prescription medications for the pain, turned into addition to illegal drugs.
The boys ended up in foster care. Jagger was just 3-years-old at the time. But he remembers it well and said what made the biggest difference for him was being able to stay with his older brother.
When the boys were placed with their first foster family, they said they felt safe. They even did fun stuff, like Lagoon and water parks. And while they were staying with that foster family, their mom had a tough realization.
“Around the six-month mark, at one of my visits, the caseworker said, ‘You’ve done nothing to change, you’ve done nothing to improve this, we’re going to have a team meeting in court and I’m going to recommend adoption,’” Hanna said. “That’s when it hit me, that’s when I started making some changes.”
Attending AA meetings
Hanna started attending AA meetings and utilizing resources the state offered her. It was around that time she met Tracey Allred.
Allred now works for Utah Foster Care, but at the time was fostering other children.
“It was an instant connection,” Hanna said about meeting Allred.
“I am so grateful to the foster system,” Hanna said. “I can’t say it enough that there are people that are willing to open their homes to children who have been through the wringer.” (KSL TV)
Allred wasn’t caring for Jayce and Jagger, but opened her heart to all three. The relationship was a win-win. Allred said for the first time since she had started fostering children, she put herself in Hanna’s shoes.
“She taught me through our friendship, empathy,” Allred said. “I’ve never been able to put myself in that side of foster care.”
While Allred gained a new perspective, Hanna gained a strong female, role model for the first time in her life.
“My relationship with Tracey, having somebody who, like I said, who answers to phone, who shows up to family events and can sort of, mentor me through motherhood was really beautiful,” Hanna said. “It was really empowering. It made me feel like I can do this.”
Gov. Cox calling on Utahns to open hearts, homes in response to need for foster families
Taking care of her boys
And she did. And while she was putting in the work, her boys said their foster families were taking good care of them.
“They made really good dinners,” Jayce said to KSL TV.
And they enjoyed evenings just hanging out. But most importantly, they were together.
“Lets just say, two parts yin and yang, one whole,” the boys told KSL.
Hanna said there are many misconceptions about parent who get addicted to drugs, like they don’t love their children, or if they wanted to stop using drugs, they could. She said addiction was stronger than her. But, now nearly three years sober, with her boys now living with her, she is thankful.
“I am so grateful to the foster system,” Hanna said. “I can’t say it enough that there are people that are willing to open their homes to children who have been through the wringer.”
Allred and her family have now fostered eight children. She believes there are many Utah families who could successfully foster children who need care.
“If you have room in your heart and in your home, and you’re a safe, good person, you can do this,” Allred said.
For Hanna and her boys, they are their mom’s biggest fans and recognize how hard she’s worked to get the family back together.
“We are really proud of her,” Jayce and Jagger said to KSL.
Allred knows not everyone can get licensed for foster care, but she says there are many other ways to help. If you would like more information, go to utahfostercare.org.
Utah
‘It means building hope’: USU brings independence to refugee group through chicken coop project
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Refugee communities in Utah are being supplied with farm-fresh eggs and poultry thanks to a collaborative effort between Utah State University and Utah Refugee Goats.
According to Utah Refugee Goats (URG), their goat and poultry farm supplies refugee communities with reliable, affordable and culturally familiar sources of meat. Thanks to Utah State University (USU) agriculture students, it’s getting some ‘egg’stra attention.
Over the last 10 weeks, Brad Borges, a Ph.D candidate for career and technical education, has been taking a hands-on approach with his students to construct a new chicken coop with the support of a mobile construction lab and a $20,000 grant.
According to URG President Abdikadir Hussein, the coop is equipped with fully enclosed roofs and will increase their flock by 40%, meaning faster growth for the Salt Lake City-based farm. As a refugee, though, Hussein said it means even more.
“It means resiliency. It means independence. It means building hope. Hopelessness is something that is killing the most refugees inside,” he expressed. “I came as a refugee, and hope is the last everything that ever came to mind.”
“We feel like even the birds are happy, like they want to get into there,” he added.
From the student perspective, being able to build a project that will be used to generate money for refugee groups was incredibly engaging and inspirational, according to Borges. The sentiment is shared by Joseph Okoh, extension assistant professor of small acreage livestock.
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” Okoh said. One, we are getting the coop for the refugee group, these students are going to learn from the construction of the coop, and not only that, everybody is going to be happy to be part of this community to be able to develop a better coop for better production.”
To learn more about issues facing refugees in Utah and how to support them, visit Utah Refugee Goats’ website.
Via 313 is launching a brand new pizza in Utah and it’s four flavors in one!
The DLX 313 is a large, four-flavor pizza is double cut into 16 slices, making it perfect for groups, sharing or first-timers looking to taste it all.
It includes:
- The Detroiter with smoked pepperoni under the cheese and natural casing pepperoni on top
- The Ambassador Bridge loaded with pepperoni, sausage, fresh garlic, oregano and house-made ricotta
- The Cadillac featuring prosciutto, gorgonzola, parmesan, fig preserves and balsamic glaze
- The Bobo Brazil brings the heat with hot calabrese, sausage, red pepper flakes and Mike’s Hot Honey
Alongside the DLX 313, Via 313 is also featuring a full summer LTO lineup through Aug. 2, including the new Elote Pizza, Meat & Cheese Boards, Banana Pudding and seasonal cocktails.
You can learn more at via313.com or by visiting them at 6163 S. State Street in Murray.
BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Kevin O’Leary, an investor in the proposed 40,000- acre Stratos data center campus in Box Elder County, accused two Utah groups opposing the project of being funded by the Chinese government.
O’Leary made the accusation on Fox News, targeting Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies.
“Who would want us to stop building our electrical grid? Who would want to stop us from having compute capacity to develop AI? Which adversary would want that? There’s only one. It’s China.” O’Leary said.
WATCH: More than 2,300 protest filings challenge water application for Box Elder County data center
More than 2,300 protest filings challenge water application for Box Elder County data center
In a social media exchange, Gabi Finlayson of Elevate Strategies pushed back on the claim.
“If we were Chinese operatives, we would be the worst operatives in the entire world. Someone alert Beijing that the payment portal to Jackie and I’s Amex bills is somehow broken,” Finlayson said.
Elizabeth Hutchings of Alliance for a Better Utah also denied the accusation.
When asked by FOX 13 News Anchor Bob Evans if Alliance for a Better Utah is funded by the Chinese government, Hutchings said, “No. I, would probably get paid a lot more if I was. I would hope if I were doing some foreign international espionage, but no, we are not. We’re funded by a lot of grassroots donors, and a lot of people from around Utah that believe in what we do, and that’s as simple as that.” Hutchings said.
In the social media exchange Finlayson and colleague Jackie Morgan responded directly to O’Leary.
“You know, it’s not every day you get called out by first and last name on Fox News by a Canadian billionaire trying to ruin my state, but here we are. Kevin, are you OK? But after sitting with this for a moment, we decided to take it as a compliment because first of all, how are these men scared of us? Have you met us?” Finlayson said.
O’Leary responded by doubling down on his call for financial transparency.
“What are we — talking about? I want a forensic auditor who’s funding their platforms. Who is it? So these are proxies for the Chinese government is my argument. And if they’re not, because I want them to be able to defend their name to Gabby, come out, come out wherever you are.” O’Leary said.
Responding to O’Leary’s transparency argument, Finlayson and Morgan said, “We’re just saying we should maybe look into people that stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars off this project and let’s be so for real and so clear, that is not us. It is not us.” Finlayson said.
O’Leary continued to press the issue.
“And they should thank me for this promotion I’m giving them right now. And let’s shine the light of transparency on what you’re doing because they’re also going after the leadership in Utah itself, these two cells.” O’Leary said.
Morgan responded directly.
“Well, Kevin, you say that like it’s a scandal, and it’s not because we are damn proud of the fact that we will continue to be shining a light on the corruption and insanity that is going on in this state, not just with this project, but with many others.” Morgan said.
Alliance for a Better Utah responded online to O’Leary’s claims by posting a video on Facebook asking for donations, with Chinese-sounding music playing underneath.
O’Leary says he is putting his forensic accountants to work to determine who is funding opposition to the data center in Utah. He says the center is necessary to stay ahead of China in artificial intelligence development.
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