Gov. Herbert Statement on New Zealand Shooting
SALT LAKE CITY (March 15, 2019) – Gov. Gary R. Herbert has issued the following statement in the wake of the shooting at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand:
I was heartbroken to hear of the hateful and vile attack on innocent worshippers in New Zealand. I am sickened when I think of it. In addition to the horror of these murders, I am disgusted by the shooter’s white supremacist ideology.
We do not tolerate hatred in our communities. During this time of pain and mourning, I hope all Utahns will reach out in love to our Muslim neighbors. Let’s extend a comforting hand to those who may be feeling vulnerable and afraid.
The State of Utah has a proud heritage of welcoming people of all creeds and backgrounds. During this time of mourning, our Department of Public Safety and Refugee Services Office are offering focused support to members of our Muslim community as we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the freedom and safety of all Utahns.
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Dr. Brian E. Shiozawa to Provide Morning Keynote Remarks at Utah Technology Innovation Summit in April
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Dr. Brian E. Shiozawa, regional director of intergovernmental and external affairs for Region 8 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will give the keynote remarks during the morning session of the Utah Technology Innovation Summit on Apr. 1 at the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) announced today.
"We are honored to hear from Dr. Shiozawa at the Utah Technology Innovation Summit,” said Barbara Araneo, Ph.D., acting executive director of USTAR. “He will provide a critical perspective to how innovation is shaping health care at a regional and federal level.”
Dr. Shiozawa, an emergency physician from Utah, was appointed as Regional Director in Region 8 by the President in December 2017. In his role, Dr. Shiozawa leads the Denver-based office of Health and Human Services, ensuring the Department maintains close contact with state, local, and tribal partners and addresses the needs of communities and individuals in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Prior to his appointment to his current position, Dr. Shiozawa served as a two-term member of the Utah Legislature, representing District 8 in the Utah Senate from 2013 to 2017. During his time as a state senator, Dr. Shiozawa sponsored and passed over 50 bills covering a range of health care related issues, including opioid overdose, assault and technology. He served on Governor Gary R. Herbert's Task Force on Health Care Reform, Chairman of the Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Committee, Social Services Appropriations, and on the Health and Human Services Committee. Dr. Shiozawa is a Past President of the Utah Medical Association. He also served on the Board of Trustees for St. Mark’s Hospital, was President of Emergency Physicians Group, and President of the Utah Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
During the Summit, innovators, decision makers, thought leaders, investors and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to discuss best practices to catalyze innovation in government and business. Breakout sessions will explore topics such as building Utah's future through genomics, addressing Utah's air quality challenges through technological innovation and international opportunities for Utah’s deep technology companies.
The 2019 Utah Technology Innovation Summit will culminate in a lunchtime plenary session with an afternoon keynote address from the Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, who served as the governor of Utah, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The lunchtime plenary will also include the presentation of the Governor’s Medals for Science and Technology. Now in their 32nd year, the Governor’s Medals for Science and Technology are the highest civilian award bestowed by the State to Utah to residents who have provided distinguished service or made significant contributions in scientific and technological fields.
Registration information and schedule can be found at UTAHINNOVATIONSUMMIT.ORG.
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About USTAR
The Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) is Utah's technology-based economic development agency. USTAR serves as a catalyst to develop ideas and research into marketable products and successful companies by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in the non-IT science and deep technology clusters. USTAR facilitates the diversification of the state’s tech economy, increases private follow-on investment, and ensures more companies successfully launch and survive the initial technology development and incubation stages, creating a rich innovation ecosystem that grows the state’s economy, tax revenue, and workforce.
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Drops Debut Track
"Voices"
Featuring Jess Coppens
March 15, 2019 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Prblm Chld., the brand-new project from musician Fil Thorpe-Evans, has officially dropped his debut track for eager fans today. "Voices" is full of experimental instrumentation and syncopated percussion featuring pop centric vocals from Jess Coppens that can electrify listeners out of their normal day-to-day routine.
On the debut of this project, Evans shares "Prblm Chld to me is simply my opportunity to release music that I enjoy without regard to consequence. Music that doesn't need approval from anybody else. It's my chance to be as experimental as I can while creating what I want, when I want. I've been waiting for this for a very long time and can't wait to share more music soon." With no expectations, no restriction, and a fusion of EDM production with pop driven toplines, Prblm Chld has jumped into the 2019 musical landscape head first. Fans can listen to "Voices" now here.
Originally born in London, Fil Thorpe-Evans spent his teenage and early twenties as a founding member of Pop-Punk powerhouse band Neck Deep. The band toured around the world and garnered incredible success including a Top 5 album in the US and UK, but ultimately wasn't the path for Fil.
After leaving the band in mid 2018 Fil had moved to Los Angeles and had been working as a writer/producer on multiple projects, but wanted an outlet to express his own quickly changing musical taste. "2 years ago, I didn't even really know this music existed. My whole life was consumed by the alternative scene/pop world but then I discovered one song by one artist by accident and it completely opened my mind to a new style of music. Very quickly it wasn't enough to just listen to this music, I needed to learn how to create it."
The aim was to create music for himself that needed no approval and had no boundaries, to draw inspiration from his favorite artists. He fell down the rabbit hole within this genre very quickly and taught himself how to produce beats, mix and cut vocals and fully create these songs on his own.
With influences from artists like Louis the Child, Droeleo, Mura Masa and San Holo, PRBLM CHLD is set to dive into this new wave of EDM music with pop-synth vibes that are experimental, fun and free.
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Photo Credit: Elliot Ingham
For more information on Prblm Chld, please visit:
https://www.instagram.com/filisthorpe/
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I’m writing to highlight the release for the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Home Equity Line of Credit Satisfaction Study.
As you can read at the link, new home equity line of credit (HELOC) originations have been steadily declining as a perfect storm of rising interest rates, new tax laws. and growing competition from alternative lenders has crimped traditional HELOC growth. In fact, HELOC customers are more likely than ever to shop for alternative sources of funding and HELOC providers are falling short on digital offerings.
More specifically:
--Alternative lenders pose bigger threat: Two-thirds of new HELOC customers who obtained their line of credit within the past two years considered alternative products when shopping for their HELOC, a figure that is up from 41% just a few years ago. Likewise, younger HELOC customers (under 40 years old) are far more likely to consider alternative products. On average, these customers consider 2.5 different loan products, including personal loans, credit cards and cash advances.
--HELOC providers missing the mark on digital: Despite rising use and satisfaction with digital channels in virtually every other aspect of retail banking, satisfaction is lowest among HELOC customers who gather information entirely online (819 on a 1,000-point scale) vs. those who gather information in person or via phone only (836) and those who used both online and in-person channels (864).
--Concerns about interest rates, overextending debt drive shopping behavior: Customers concerned about opening a HELOC are significantly more likely to consider HELOC alternatives. The most common concerns among those who shop for alternatives are variable interest rates, overextending debt and higher payment after draw period.
--Long-term HELOC customers less engaged than new customers: Existing HELOC customers who have had their line of credit for more than two years are notably less satisfied with their lender than are new customers. Longer-term customers also have lower levels of product understanding and awareness of offerings. Satisfaction increases the more engaged the HELOC customer is with their lender.
The U.S. Home Equity Line of Credit Satisfaction Study, now in its second year, measures overall customer satisfaction with the HELOC process and explores the key variables that influence customer choice, satisfaction and loyalty based on six factors: offerings and terms; application/approval process; closing; interaction with the lender; billing and payment; and post-closing and usage.
Regions Bank ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 869, followed by Huntington National Bank (860) and BB&T (846).
Full rankings can be found at the link above.
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UTAH SHEEP & LAMB LOSSES – 2018
Utah sheep and lamb producers lost 51,000 animals to weather, predators, disease and other causes during 2018, representing a total value of $8.84 million, according to a survey conducted by USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mountain Regional Field Office. This study was undertaken at the request of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food who also provided funding. The total number of sheep and lambs lost was 10,000 head more than last year and the total value of inventory lost was 30 percent more than a year ago. The January 1, 2018 inventory was 275,000 head. The lamb crop for 2018 was 235,000 head. Lambs lost before docking during 2018 was 20,000 head. Sheep and lamb deaths for 2018 amounted to 9.6 percent of the 2018 sheep and lamb supply (inventory plus lamb crop plus lambs lost before docking).
The number of sheep and lambs lost to all predators totaled 33,700 head, up 6,400 head from last year. Lamb losses by all predators amounted to 28,200 head, up 27 percent from last year. The number of sheep lost to all predators totaled 5,500 head, up 400 head from a year ago. Predators caused an estimated $5.78 million in losses in 2018, up 29 percent from the previous year. Losses due to predators amounted to 6.7 percent of the 2018 sheep and lamb supply and 66.1 percent of all sheep and lamb deaths. Coyotes remained the largest predator for both sheep and lambs. Coyotes accounted for 60 percent of the predator caused losses and 40 percent of all death losses in the state. The value of losses attributed to coyotes was $3.48 million.
The total value of non-predatory losses was $3.06 million in 2018, compared with $2.30 million in 2017. Non-predatory losses accounted for 34 percent of all losses. The largest non-predatory cause of losses was due to weather conditions at 5,600 head. Sheep lost to non-predatory factors totaled 4,500 head, up 15 percent from 2017. Non-predatory lamb losses came in at 12,800 head, 3,000 head more than a year ago.
Lambs lost to all unknown causes totaled 4,100 head, compared with 3,100 head last year. Unknown causes claimed 600 sheep, unchanged from last year.
The sheep and lamb survey utilized multi-frame sampling procedures. The survey involved drawing a random sample from a list of livestock producers maintained by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Utah Field Office. In addition, sheep producers living in a selected sample of area segments were interviewed. This procedure assures complete coverage of sheep producers by accounting for ranchers/farmers who may not be on the list.
Sheep and lamb loss estimates published by the USDA include sheep losses for the entire year, but include only those lamb losses that occur after docking. This special report also includes an estimate of lambs lost before docking.
