Calling all Witches, Zombies and Monsters Alike
Witchstock Festival to take over Historic 25th Street and Ogden Amphitheater
October 26th – Ogden, Utah. Ogden’s highly anticipated Witchstock Festival, a seasonal favorite bringing together witches, zombies and monsters, returns to the Ogden Amphitheater on Saturday, October 26 for a lively night of celebratory activities from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Witchstock Festival features three events; Witches Tea, Zombie Crawl and Monster Bash, offering something everyone can enjoy.
Witchstock kicks off at 4 p.m. with Witches Tea, held at the Ogden Amphitheater and hosted by the Jr. Junior League of Ogden girls ages 10 to 16. Witches Tea serves as the Jr. Junior League of Ogden’s primary fundraiser, using the proceeds from ticket sales to support their yearly projects and activities. This year, Witches Tea will have live entertainment by various performers and catering by Union Grill. Witches Tea features three contests; Best Witch Cackle, Best Witches Hat and Best Overall Dressed Witch. Every year, Witches Tea tickets sell quickly and this year they sold out three weeks in advance with 300 tickets sold!
“I love the costumes!” says Clairesse Miljour, Chair of the Jr. Junior League program, “Everyone puts in so much effort and I love that Witches Tea has become a tradition for so many families.”
Directly following Witches Tea at 6 p.m., join us in the Ogden Amphitheater for vendors, food, roaming performances, local art and more before creeping your way down Historic 25th Street with the Zombie Crawl. This year, the Zombie Crawl is bigger and better than ever, bringing together more than 5,000 zombies of all ages wearing their most gruesome, creative costumes.
The Zombie Crawl will begin to gather in the Ogden Municipal Park at 6 p.m. with the crawl starting at 7 p.m. Those participating in the Zombie Crawl are encouraged to bring a donation of either a new, or gently worn, coat or a canned food item. Coat donations will directly benefit Youth Futures, a local shelter and supportive services hub for runaway, homeless, unaccompanied and at-risk youth ages 12 to 17. Canned food donations will be given to The Lantern House, a local nonprofit aimed at transitioning residents from shelter to housing, encouraging a sense of independence, self-sufficiency and self-confidence.
Zombies, witches and monsters alike will limp their way west down Historic 25th Street towards Ogden Union Station and back to the Ogden Amphitheater. It all leads up to the Monster Bash dance party at 8 p.m., where witches, zombies and all other characters dance the night away. Enjoy delicious bites, beer and wine while DJ Johnny B spins some spooky beats to match the season.
Please note that while Zombie Crawl and Monster Bash are free and open to the public, Witches Tea is a ticketed event.
For event information follow @OgdenDowntown on Facebook and Instagram.
Witchstock Festival
Saturday, October 26th
4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Ogden Amphitheater
***
Witchstock Festival is produced and managed by the Ogden Downtown Alliance.
About Ogden Downtown Alliance
Awarded Best of State in Community Development, the Ogden Downtown Alliance is a 501(c)(3) committed to increasing economic vitality and community vibrancy throughout Ogden’s Central Business District. We support local commerce through placemaking, destination marketing, focused community programming and events. We create and promote a dynamic epicenter for arts, entertainment, and cultural experiences in Ogden’s downtown.
===================
USDA Declares United States Free from Plum Pox Virus
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 17, 2019 - At a ceremony today, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach declared the United States free of plum pox virus. Under Secretary Ibach signed a proclamation marking this historic announcement.
“Today, our 20-year fight against plum pox disease is officially over,” Under Secretary Ibach said. “Working with our partners, we’ve eliminated this disease and protected the United States’ $6.3 billion stone fruit industry.”
Plum pox is a serious disease impacting stone fruit such as plums, almonds, and peaches. No other countries where plum pox disease is known to occur have successfully eradicated the disease. Plum pox does not kill infected trees outright; it causes severe yield losses and greatly reduces the marketability of stone fruit. The virus spreads over short distances by aphids and over long distances via the movement of infected nursery stock or by grafting infected buds onto healthy trees.
The disease was first detected in Pennsylvania in 1999. It was found in Michigan and New York in 2006. From the beginning, the plum pox virus eradication program was a cooperative effort among USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural Research Service, departments of agriculture in impacted states, the Tuscarora Nation, industry, academia, growers, and homeowners. The program included collecting and testing plant samples, removing diseased and suspect trees, using plum pox virus-tolerant plants, and temporarily banning the planting of susceptible stone fruit varieties.
APHIS and its cooperators eradicated the disease from Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2009 and western New York in 2012. By the end of 2018, they completed three consecutive years of stone fruit field surveys in eastern New York—the last remaining quarantined area in the United States—with no further detections, putting eradication in reach.
To ensure the United States remains free of plum pox virus, APHIS has put in place a strong safeguarding program that includes ongoing monitoring for the disease in stone fruit producing states, science-based import regulations to prevent the disease’s reentry via imported nursery stock and propagative material, and continued cooperation with Canada to help prevent plum pox virus incursions from that country.
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: 17th October 2019
Smart Homes most discussed vulnerable IoT tech among leading cybersecurity influencers in H1 2019, reveals GlobalData
‘Smart Homes’ has emerged as the most mentioned vulnerable Internet of Things (IoT) technology among the world’s leading cybersecurity influencers on Twitter during the first half (H1) of 2019, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s research reveals that the global IoT technology market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% to reach US$318bn in 2023.
Prashant Saxena, Influencer Expert at GlobalData, says: “As the phenomenal growth of the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices by both consumers and enterprises continue to increase, so too does the potential security threats.”
Against this back drop, an analysis of GlobalData’s Cybersecurity Influencer Platform, which tracks more than 300 global cybersecurity experts and their discussions pertaining to emerging trends, pain areas, new fields of innovation and other popular areas on Twitter, revealed ‘Smart Homes’ as most vulnerable technology under IoT during H1 of 2019 with more than 1,500 Twitter mentions.
Among all the Smart Home discussions tracked by the Cybersecurity Influencer Platform, the number of mentions on Smart TVs was highest, followed by Security cameras and Kids toys.
In terms of the number of mentions, Smart Homes was followed by Smart cities (1,200+), Wearables (650+), Gas Station systems (550) and Smart Grids (300).
Saxena concludes: “Security must be ingrained at the time of manufacturing of the IoT device before the hardware is imposed into the system. This may reduce the quantity of possible misses in security settings.”
AFCU Tips on How to Avoid Being Haunted By Credit Card Debt
Riverdale, UT – Oct 15, 2019 – Ghosts and ghouls may not be the only thing haunting this Halloween. Poor financial decisions, including credit card debt, may also be rising from the grave. Utahns have an average credit card balance of $5,961 and during the upcoming holiday season will rack up an average of $1,054 in additional debt.
“It’s easy to become buried by credit card debt and the thought of clawing your way out can be paralyzing for many,” said America First Credit Union vice president of credit, Susan Chadwick. “One of the best things you can do to take the first step in getting rid of debt is to have a mindset change. Focus on the positive reasons you want to get out of debt whether it’s to be less stressed, improve your credit score so you’re able to buy a new home or car, or achieve financial freedom.”
While there is no one best practice for banishing credit card debt, these pay-down tips and strategies can help cast away debt:
To learn more financial tips, watch AFCU’s video series, FUNDamentals, at americafirst.com/learn. Topics include good versus bad spending, loan basics and demystifying mortgages.
###
ABOUT AMERICA FIRST CREDIT UNION
Proudly celebrating 80 years of servicing members and a long-standing history, America First has become one of the largest, most stable and most progressive credit unions in the country, and has remained a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative financial institution. Today, America First has 128 locations, and is the 9th largest credit union in assets in the United States with over $11.5 billion, and the sixth largest credit union in membership in America with more than 1,062,000 members.
========================
Press Release
USDA Invests $2.85 Million in Rural Broadband for Tennessee Families
(Halls, TN, Oct. 18, 2019) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $2,856,167 in high-speed broadband infrastructure to create or improve e-Connectivity for 347 rural households in Tennessee. This is the first of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“Our core mission at USDA is to increase rural prosperity through boosting economic opportunity in rural America,” Secretary Perdue said. “We know that rural communities need robust, modern infrastructure to thrive, and that includes having access to broadband e-Connectivity. Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is proud to partner with rural communities to deploy this critical infrastructure, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Tennessee’s Forked Deer Electric Cooperative will use a ReConnect Program grant to deploy a fiber to the home (FTTH) broadband network capable of simultaneous transmission rates of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or greater. The funded service areas include 347 households and one critical community facility spread over approximately 435 square miles. The project will facilitate more access to services and information for area residents, and it will improve the overall quality of life for people in these communities.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
====================
Office of Outdoor Recreation Hosts Annual Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit
Roots & Routes: Preserving Our Past and Forging Our Future
SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 18, 2019) — The Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit will be held at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George, Utah, on Oct. 22-24, 2019. The theme of the 6th annual Summit is Roots & Routes: Preserving Our Past and Forging Our Future.
The Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit is an annual gathering of recreation professionals and leaders from around the state and country. The goal of the Summit is to bridge the gap between economic development, policy, planning, health, education and industry through education, collaboration and a shared vision for the future of recreation opportunities in Utah.
“There’s a reason this is the most successful summit of its type in the country. It’s because of the iconic landscapes and incredible recreation amenities in Utah, all supported by the country’s best land managers, communities and outdoor industry professionals,” says Tom Adams, director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, the first office of its kind in the U.S.
A highlight of the Summit will be celebrating 100 years of Zion National Park with Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh, Kevin Lewis from Greater Zion and the Zion Forever Project (ZFP). ZFP will also launch a special showing of a new video. There will also be a presentation highlighting the proposal for an East Zion visitor center being planned as a public-private partnership to and enhance the visitor experience.
At the three-day Summit, attendees can participate in one of five educational tracks discussing important outdoor recreation issues and engage with local industry thought leaders, stakeholders and land managers who play essential roles in Utah’s outdoor recreation community.
Participants can network with industry professionals while participating in activities such as road or mountain biking, an OHV ride, kayaking at Sand Hollow State Park, and the annual Outdoor Summit Awards which showcase organizations that positively contribute to outdoor recreation in Utah.
The Summit also provides opportunities for attendees to give back to local recreation areas through service projects. Participants will be able to help with a trail cleanup with support from the Bureau of Land Management and Red Rock Bicycle Co. as well as refurbishing bicycles for children with support from the St. George Bicycle Collective.
Attendees will hear from different keynote speakers, including David Vela, acting director at the National Park Service, Michiko Martin, director of recreation at the U.S. Forest Service and Mike and Lilliana Libecki from National Geographic. There will also be an official signing of the outdoor confluence accords in conjunction with the National Governor’s Association (NGA). At least five new states plan on signing the agreement.
Additionally, the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation (OOR) is welcoming the NGA’s Outdoor Recreation Learning Network Annual Meeting to Utah. The office will welcome every state director in outdoor recreation from 20 states. This meeting will be the first time all of the offices have gathered under NGA to highlight the growth of outdoor recreation throughout the country.
For additional information about the Summit, and to register, visit utahoutdoorsummit.com.
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. 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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 18, 2019
Bipartisan Letter Urges Leadership to Have Full Senate Consider ARTICLE ONE Act
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of 15 senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Thursday, requesting that the “Assuring the Robust, Thorough, and Informed, Congressional Leadership is Exercised Over National Emergencies Act” (ARTICLE ONE Act) be considered by the full Senate as soon as possible.
“The ARTICLE ONE Act’s proposition is simple but fundamental: Congress cannot continue to cede its powers to another branch, regardless of who is President or which party holds a majority,” the senators wrote in the letter. “The ARTICLE ONE Act is a small, nonpartisan step toward re-establishing the appropriate checks and balances between the Congress and the Executive that results in a federal government that is truly accountable to the people.”
U.S. Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Tom Udall (D-NM), Rob Portman (R-OH), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Johnny Isakson (R-OK), and Tom Carper (D-DE) all signed the letter.
A full version of the letter can be found here.
==============
WEEK 5: ANGER & OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE
Why Is My Child So Angry and Defiant?!
Forty percent of children with ADHD also develop oppositional defiance — including chronic aggression, frequent outbursts, and a tendency to argue, ignore requests, and annoy. Begin to understand your defiant child here »
What Does ODD Look Like?
An oppositional child doesn't take rules seriously, and a simple reminder (i.e., "Pick up your socks") may trigger a meltdown or aggression. More signs »
How to Treat ODD
Oppositional defiance is treated with individual and family behavioral therapy. Sample strategies and recommended programs »
ADVERTISEMENT
Parenting an Explosive Child
Most parents instinctively try to impose their will on a defiant child — but this doesn’t work. Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., offers a proactive approach that does »
"My Son Can’t Help It."
"When my child defies my requests and calls me names, I want to yell back — but I try to let the storm pass because I know he cannot control his reactions."
ANGER AND ODD Q&A
Q: "My son has shown some defiant, even violent, behavior at school. He complains that he's bored. Could that be why he acts up?" See the answer »
Q: "What can we expect from the ‘oppositional’ component as our son enters his 20s? His teen years were tough all around...." See the answer »
More on anger and oppositional defiance...
+ More Than Just Naughty: Dealing with ODD in Children
+ Webinar Replay: "The ADHD-ODD Connection"
+ Back From the Brink: Two Families’ Stories of Oppositional Defiant Disorder
+ Book Review: The Anger Volcano
+ Self-Test: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in Children
+ Video: 8 Discipline Rules: Oppositional Defiant Disorder Strategies
