Rep. Paul Ray to Hold Press Conference on E-Cigarette Health Emergency
What:
Rep. Paul Ray will be holding a press conference to discuss a potential ban on the sale of e-cigarette products in the state of Utah. Laboratory testing revealed that e-liquid sold in the Salt Lake County area contained illicit drugs, and those findings will also be addressed. Samples were purchased from the shelves of Salt Lake County vape shops, where 84% of the products purchased tested positive for opioids and other illegal drugs. Brian Besser, DEA District Agent in Charge for Utah, will also be in attendance to answer questions and discuss black market sales.
Who:
Representative Paul Ray, House District 13
Brian Besser, DEA District Agent in Charge for Utah
Where:
Utah State Capitol – Rotunda (stairs on the House side)
350 State St., Salt Lake City, UT 84111
When:
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 4:00 PM
===========================
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tony Young
GOED Media Relations Manager
tonyyoung@utah.gov | 801-538-8722
Talent Ready Utah and Partners Announce the Expansion of the Utah Aerospace Pathways Program in Tooele
SALT LAKE CITY (Sept. 11, 2019) — Talent Ready Utah, in partnership with Tooele County School District, Tooele Technical College, and the aerospace industry today announced the expansion of the Utah Aerospace Pathways (UAP) program in Tooele. The program has been in place since 2016, and this expansion is important for the aerospace industry in Utah, as 31 students are currently enrolled in the program this fall.
“The Utah Aerospace Pathways program is a U.S. best practice initiative for workforce development,” said Val Hale, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We’re pleased to partner with Tooele County School District and Tooele Tech College to provide this program to students in the area, and to support our aerospace industry partners.”
UAP provides Utah students the opportunity to graduate high school with a certificate in aerospace manufacturing and begin an aerospace manufacturing career. Students engage in externships with participating aerospace companies where students engage in a hands-on externship with industry experts. This unique collaboration between education and industry not only educates students but helps fill the talent shortage in the aerospace industry.
“The UAP program will be a great addition to Tooele Technical College, as we recently added a new composites lab to the institution,” said Paul Hacking, president of Tooele Technical College. “The skills students will learn in this program, along with the other pathway courses available at Tooele County School District (TCSD), will provide them with incredible opportunities in an industry that has seen significant growth in the state of Utah. We are excited to be a part of this collaborative effort with our friends at Tooele County School District, Talent Ready Utah, and valued aerospace industry partners.”
The success of the program stems from the strong support of industry representatives who have helped write curriculum, provide work-based learning experiences, and offer a guaranteed interview for all students who earn the aerospace manufacturing certification. Participating industry partners include Albany Engineered Composites, Boeing, Hexcel, Hill Airforce Base, Janicki Industries, Kihomac, MSC Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, and Parker Aerospace.
“We are thrilled to support this expansion to Tooele County and thank the education partners that provide training for these students,” said Michael Gitto, senior human resources business partner at Boeing Salt Lake. “It is an incredibly exciting time to join the aerospace industry, which is poised for growth in commercial, defense, and space exploration, requiring new skills and providing unique career opportunities. The UAP program has been a great support to our industry, as we collaborate to strengthen Utah’s talent pipeline in the aerospace industry.”
The Utah Aerospace Pathways program is an excellent opportunity for high school students to explore secondary education and a career. Students take a manufacturing principles course at the Community Learning Center and then complete a composites course at Tooele Technical College. Students are then placed with an aerospace industry partner where they learn about the industry and future careers.
“This is a perfect example of what collaboration between K-12, secondary education and industry can do to help students prepare for the future,” said Scott Rogers, superintendent of Tooele County School District. “We thank our industry partners and Talent Ready Utah for their support in expanding this offering to our students in Tooele County School District.”
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Under the direction of Gov. Gary R. Herbert, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment, and drives increased tourism and film production in Utah. Talent Ready Utah, an initiative managed by GOED, develops industry and education partnerships to help build Utah’s workforce. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.
==================
3 Ways You Can Benefit By Giving
Your Smartphone A Rest
America is saturated in smartphones. A Pew Research Center survey reported 81% of Americans own the versatile — and some say, addictive — mobile device.
With the smartphone’s capabilities for internet access, social media interaction, running all kinds of apps, and texting, its screen has become the nation’s preoccupation — while face-to-face human conversation seems more of a second option.
“Everywhere you go, so many people are looking into their phone, not at each other,” says Johnny Welsh (www.johnnywelsh.com), author of Paper Maps, No Apps: An Unplugged Travel Adventure. “Will smartphones and social media be the biggest distractors of interpersonal communications in our lifetime?”
Welsh wanted to ensure that didn’t happen in his life, so he and his girlfriend embarked on a 16-day western U.S. road trip devoid of smartphones and electronic devices. A bartender for 25 years, Welsh had grown tired of seeing the social element of a crowded bar — lively conversation — often missing when people were glued to their phones.
Learning to live without the devices – or at least doing so for a couple weeks while vacationing — is a healthy reboot everyone should try, Welsh says. Reflecting on his unplugged road trip, Welsh shares what he gained from travelling without information-age technology — and how he thinks people can benefit by giving their phones a rest:
Enjoy real conversation. Welsh means meaningful conversation with strangers as well as with friends and loved ones. On their trip, he and his girlfriend enjoyed meeting people and they got to know each other better as well. It led to their engagement. “The art of one-on-one communication is getting lost,” he says. “But without phones to distract us, our communication between us was more fulfilling. I imagine this can be a challenge for many couples who are accustomed to being apart even while in the same room — because one or both are on their phones.”
Keep your head up, see and feel more. Simple observation of nature’s beauty was enhanced on Welsh’s trip. ”We felt a heightened sense of focus throughout our trip,” Welsh says. “We were free to absorb all that was around us without distraction. In the pre-internet days, kids on vacation looked out the window of cars with a sense of wonder. Every day was a new discovery. Unplugging today gives you that same sense of fresh discovery and in-the-moment living we were all intended to have.”
Re-learn how to relax. A vacation is supposed to be about relaxing. Welsh was reminded of that without his smartphone. “We recognized the reason we take vacations is to get away — and that means getting all the way away,” Welsh says. “Turn it off. Unplug. Be totally in the present. Too many people spend vacations and days off still consumed by social media, which can either add stress or steal the present time from you.”
“You’re robbing yourself of the full experience of a road trip if you don’t unplug,” Welsh says. “The same is true in life; you’re not getting nearly the most out of it if you stay glued to a screen and miss many of the moments and people around you.”
About Johnny Welsh
Johnny Welsh (www.johnnywelsh.com) is the author of Paper Maps, No Apps: An Unplugged Travel Adventure. His first book, Weedgalized in Colorado, about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, won two awards from Readers’ Favorite. A professional bartender in Frisco, Col., for 20 years, he has a B.A. in Italian language, literature and culture from Syracuse University.
