Western Moving Trends guide
Here is direct access to the guide: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/whos-moving-to-the-west.html#utah
=============================
Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos continue to attack protections for students
Federal Commission on School Safety includes recommendations that would harm students
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos created the Federal Commission on School Safety that was supposed to address gun violence in our schools and recommend actions schools should take to keep our students safe. Instead, their commission announced today that it recommends stripping students’ of civil rights protections, which seek to prevent racial disparities in student discipline. Although the report does not endorse the DeVos idea that teachers should be forced to carry firearms in school, it does recommend pressuring educators to possess dangerous firearms in our schools.
The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Lily Eskelsen García:
“Instead of the Federal Commission on School Safety taking its charge seriously — addressing gun laws in this country and putting supports in place for students after the horrors of Parkland, Marshall County, Santa Fe and the countless other school shootings that have occurred this year — Betsy DeVos and the commission are doing the exact opposite. The recommendations do little to make students safer in our nation’s public schools. They are dishonoring the memory of the students and educators who have lost their lives.
“More to the point, today’s announcement is further proof that we cannot count on Betsy DeVos to protect students’ civil rights. Her decision to rescind critical federal guidance meant to address racial disparities in school discipline undermines the safety and dignity of students and educators in our public schools.
“Schools should continue to advance responsible and fair discipline policies and practices because they are best for students, the learning environment and meet legal obligations to address discrimination. Educators, schools and school districts must continue to enforce anti-discrimination laws. Period.”
“Betsy DeVos’ U.S. Department of Education is using the commission to pursue her agenda to dismantle students’ civil rights protections — an agenda that affects our most vulnerable students the hardest. We do not need the appearance of safety; we need real solutions that create safe schools and address the underlying root of school violence. We need strategies to create positive, supportive learning environments and prevention efforts that end the hardening and over-policing of our public schools.
“The commission’s recommendations were decided in a vacuum without any real input from the real education experts — America’s teachers and school personnel working in public schools. We do not need more guns in schools. Students deserve real solutions that will keep them safe — that is what our students have asked of us. It is shameful that the Trump Administration is using the real risk of gun violence in our schools to strip vulnerable students of their civil rights, while doing nothing to keep all our students safe.”
Follow on Twitter at @NEAmedia and @Lily_NEA
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org.
========================
Winter tends to be a very foodie time of year; we've just had Thanksgiving, with all the turkey excesses, and Christmas is just around the corner. All across the nation, families are filling up the freezer, stocking up the fridges, and getting in supplies for the next food-focused gathering. But what happens to everything we buy? Are we as good as we could be about using everything up? Or are we guilty of food waste?
Klein Kitchen & Bath, a remodel and design firm, wanted to find out just how wasteful we Americans are, and surveyed 3,200 of us to find out how much we threw away this past year…
The first discovery was that households in Utah waste $854 worth of food annually, or in other words, over one-fifth - 21% - of their food each month – because it's gone past its expiration date*.
Broken down by state, the survey found that South Carolinians are the most wasteful, who get rid of $1,304.68 worth of food every year. The least-wasteful state is West Virginia, who’s residents only throw away $404.90 worth of their annual groceries.
To find out how each state compares, check our interactive infographic map: https://kleinkitchenandbath.com/2018/12/10/guilty-of-food-waste/ (click on ‘embed’ to host)
So why are we being so wasteful? It seems that the misunderstanding of food labelling might be a huge factor. The survey found that nearly half of respondents (48.9%) won't eat food that's marked as past its sell-by date – but perhaps that's because they are misinformed about what the sell-by date actually means – it is the last date by which it must be sold in a store; however, after that, it's still good to eat (even if it's past what's marked as the use-by date).
Again, the label – use-by date – caused confusion: only one-quarter knew that it signifies the last date for use of the product at its peak quality. Nearly a third (30.4%) believed that it was the last date the product was edible, almost a quarter (22%) thought it meant that it was the last date the food product could be displayed and sold in a store, and finally, 21% thought it meant the date that the product would be at its best flavor and quality - when, in fact, this is the 'best-by' date (interestingly, while these guides are in place, they don't actually say that this is the last date a product can be eaten by - that part is up to you, the consumer. You can eat something beyond the guidelines, but just give it a check over, or a 'sniff test' first before eating).
Over half (51.1%) of people believe that best before dates on fruits and vegetables should be scrapped altogether because they say it's easy to tell if something has gone off just by touching it. The survey also found that the foods Americans would be most likely throw away are dairy products (46.6%); followed by meat (22.3%); fish (19.2%); bread (5.1%) and vegetables (8.5%).
Klein Kitchen & Bath have provided advice below on how you can be more resourceful with your food, and so hopefully will be able to throw less away in the future:
“It seems we need to educate ourselves a little better on what we can eat and when,' says Eric Klein from Klein Bath & Kitchen. “Just being familiar with the difference between, say, sell-by dates and use-by dates can help us be less wasteful.”
*data calculated by using the amount spent annually by each American household (figure taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), and asking households how much food they throw away at the end of every month (%).
==========================
Maverik, Inc. hosts grand opening event to celebrate new store in Eden, UT
Local media is invited to all-access tours of upgraded store and meet-and-greets with members of the Maverik executive team
Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop — is opening a new store in Eden, UT. To celebrate and spread the news, the company is hosting an open house complete with free samples, special discounts, a chance to win prizes and more. Maverik invites community members and the local media to tour the new store and meet members of Maverik’s executive team.
What: Maverik Open House Celebration (Eden, UT)
When: Thursday, December 20, 2018
Open House: 3 p.m.–7 p.m.
Where: Maverik—Adventure’s First Stop #598
5100 E 2500 N
Eden, UT 84310
About Maverik
Maverik was founded by Reuel Call in Afton, Wyoming, in 1928, and has grown to over 300 stores in 11 states to become the largest independent fuel marketer in the Intermountain West. Maverik currently employs 3,700 adventure guides and has aggressive growth plans, including expansion into the Las Vegas, Denver and Spokane markets. As Adventure’s First Stop, Maverik lives up to its brand promise to be the first place to go to get ready for adventure.