Utah has recently been the subject of very strong storms, including several tornados. The Better Business Bureau of Utah urges consumers to watch out for scams involving cleanup efforts, tree or limb removal, fence, roof and home repairs.
Storm chasers often go door-to-door after storms offering to do cleanup or repair work. In some cases, a homeowner may pay for a small amount of work to be done, only to be told after the fact that more work was completed and they now owe an exorbitant amount of money to the shady contractor. Other times the workers will collect money saying they will return to start the work and never show up.
Before hiring a business, worker or contractor, the BBB recommends the following:
Contact your insurance company about policy coverage and find out what you need to do to file a claim, if necessary. Keep copies of any receipts for emergency repairs to see if you can be reimbursed.
Check out workers who show up at your door offering unsolicited help. This includes companies offering to make temporary roof repairs and/or removal of fallen trees and branches. Check licensing with the Utah Department of Commerce.
Don’t make a decision when you are still reeling from the damage. Don’t be pressured into making a decision quickly. Take time to make an informed decision checking out the business and determining what work is necessary and covered by insurance.
Before you sign a contract, check out the business. Don’t just accept the first bid, ask for competitive bids. Check out all businesses with BBB at bbb.org. Use our search feature or live chat to find what you need. Search the Internet for information on the businesses and verify where the business is located. BBB has a list of already vetted businesses in our Accredited Business Directory at bbb.org. Or, call us at 801-892-6009.
Read the contract carefully. Make sure all promises are in writing, a completion date is included and that the contract has specifics (such as the type of siding or shingles). BBB advises to not pay more than 30% upfront. Pay with a credit card if possible, which offers you more protection if the work is not completed as specified.
For more tips you can trust, visit bbb.org/utah and for the latest, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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LAST CHANCE FOR PRE-SEASON DEALS
PRE-SEASON RATES END 9/27
ON SEASON PASSES AND FAMILY PACKAGING DEALS
The first snow of the season has officially landed! We hope everyone else out there is just as stoked as we are. Only a matter of weeks now before we'll be hitting the slopes!
THE BRIGHTON SPORTS DESK WILL EXTEND ITS HOURS THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (9/24 + 9/25) FROM 10am - 4pm.
Head to the sports desk this weekend to buy your season pass, print a season pass you purchased online, buy Go Cards or roll over Go Cards from last season.
Season Passes will still be available for sale after 9/27 at regular rates. Family Packaging deals will not be available for purchase after 9/27. Go Cards and 5 Pack Discount Cards and Big Cottonwood Season Passes will be available for sale until November 1, 2016. 5 Day Go Cards and 5 Pack Discount Cards (Day or Night) from the 2015 - 2016 season must be rolled over by 10/1/2016 or value of unused days will expire.
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Putting Cutting Edge Education Policy into Practice in Utah
New ExcelinEd policy paper explores Utah's path to Competency-Based Education
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd) released “Policy, Pilots and the Path to Competency-Based Education: A Tale of Three States.” This comprehensive policy paper outlines how and why Idaho, Utah and Florida launched competency-based education (CBE) pilot programs. Building the foundation for personalized learning, CBE is an innovative education model where students advance to higher levels of learning when they demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills regardless of time, place or pace.
Right now in Utah, schools are applying for grants to pilot a competency-based education program, where teachers and principals will have the opportunity to better customize their students' education, empowering them to plan, implement and scale their own approaches at the local level.
“The competency-based education model is the very definition of a cutting edge movement that promises to reshape the way we approach education for this and future generations of students. We have long had the desire to personalize education for each child, and competency-based education creates a foundation schools can build upon to meet students where they are.” said Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “By shifting the focus to the demonstration of mastery, learning becomes the constant and time the variable. Idaho, Utah and Florida have taken this bold step for its students and families to customize and transform education for the 21st Century.”
“A competency-based education program is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It empowers innovative educators to implement locally-driven approaches that ensures their students master content before moving forward,” said Karla Phillips, Competency-Based Education Policy Director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “Utah has authorized pilot programs that will allow educators to be creative and design classes, schedules and staffing configurations that best meet their students’ individual needs.”
"A Tale of Three States" highlights how and why state pilot programs provide a reasonable and actionable first step for state policymakers seeking to advance competency-based education. In telling the stories of three states with the same goal, but travelling different paths, this report seeks to inspire other states. Also included are recommendations for gaining authorization for competency-based pilots as well as communication strategies to support these efforts.
Visit ExcelinEd.org/CBE, for more information and to read the brief or full paper.
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In a new study, SmartAsset has determined the best places in America to work in manufacturing, and the Ogden-Clearfield area takes the ninth spot!
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, over the 2009-2014 period the number of manufacturing jobs in the Ogden metro area grew 48% while average incomes for manufacturing workers grew 33%. One of the largest automotive safety equipment manufacturers, Autoliv, is headquartered in Ogden.
Details on the study, including full methodology and rankings, can be found here: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-places-to-work-in-manufacturing.
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Scheduled Breach of the Union Pacific Railroad Causeway Postponed
DNR Officials Concerned about Impact Breach will have to Great Salt Lake’s Ecosystem, Waterfowl and State’s Search and Rescue Capabilities
Salt Lake City (Sept. 23, 2016) – The scheduled breach of the new bridge opening on the Union Pacific Railroad causeway that crosses the Great Salt Lake will be postponed until December. The decision comes after natural resource experts from the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Union Pacific Railroad to delay the project.
With the postponement, which would restore water flow between the lake’s north and south arms, state biologists and water experts will continue to assess whether it’s in the lake’s best interest to further delay the breach.
“We are committed to maintaining a healthy Great Salt Lake. We know this delay is an inconvenience for Union Pacific and are appreciative of their leadership for supporting this effort,” said Brian Cottam, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “Postponing the breach allows impacts to be minimized and is in the best interest of the lake’s ecology. With drought conditions and low lake levels persisting, the delay helps protect the lake’s ecosystem and wildlife. The decision also allows the state to maintain its ability to respond to search and rescue calls if necessary.”
While originally scheduled for early October, breaching the causeway will allow the south arm to drop further in elevation by about one foot; which is the level that would exist if the culverts remained opened and flow through the causeway had been maintained consistently.
As a result, biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources believe the salinity of the south arm will increase when it's mixes with the north arm, which has a higher level of salinity. Increasing the salinity of the south arm could exacerbate the lake's ecosystem, hurting migrating birds and brine shrimp.
Juvenile brine shrimp are most susceptible to rapid change in salinity. Its population could significantly decrease with fewer juveniles transitioning to adulthood, which leads to fewer cysts being produced. Such a situation would harm the brine shrimp population and its harvest.
Adult brine shrimp also serve as the sole food source for the fall staging population of four to five million eared grebes. Over half of the entire eared grebes population winters at the Great Salt Lake. A depleted food supply could jeopardize their migration, along with the largest inland wintering population of common goldeneye. The goldeneye may have less available food as lake levels drop and expose microbialites with their brine fly larvae.
Lower south arm level could also harm the Division of Parks and Recreation’s ability to respond to search and rescue calls. Fall is an especially busy time of year when the lake is used by fisherman harvesting brine shrimp and waterfowl hunters.
“Breaching the causeway at this point in time would hurt our ability to launch rescue efforts, “said State Parks Director Fred Hayes. “ Public safety is our top priority. Not only is fall a busy season for lake industry and hunters, but the lake is also directly under the flight path of many commercial airliners and privately owned aircraft. We need to be prepared to respond if there is an emergency.”
Rescue One, the only rescue vessel currently able to launch on the lake, would likely be trapped in the Great Salt Lake Marina within a few weeks of the breach due to shallow water. Promontory Marina, a privately leased marina operated by the Brine Shrimp Co-op, would be the only area on the lake capable of launching search and rescue. However, launching from Promontory would delay rescue efforts by at least two hours.
The breach of the new Union Pacific Railroad causeway on the Great Salt Lake is being undertaken by Union Pacific to meet permit requirements imposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DEQ. The decision to delay comes in light of historic low lake levels that have put the lake’s aquatic resources at risk. For more information about the Union Pacific railroad causeway and construction of its new 180-foot bridge and adjustable earthen control berm, visit http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/causeway-6-14-2016.
