Story Archive for 06/17/2010
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West Scofield Prescribed Burn
Published on June 17, 2010 at 10:57AM
(Manti) Forest Service Officials are planning to start a prescribed burn Friday in the Fish Creek Drainage area west of Scofield. The burn is the final stage of an eight year project that will have treated over fourteen-thousand acres. Fire crews will use helicopters to ignite the fire at the north end of Bean Ridge. The burn is intended to cover about six hundred acres. Roads and trails in the area will be closed to the public during the burn. Smoke and flames may be visible from north Skyline Drive, Highways 6 and 96, and others areas for the next few weeks. The burn is intended to reduce the fuel load in the area to reduce the threat of a catastrophic fire.
RMP, ARC team up on energy assistance
Published on June 17, 2010 at 10:49AM
(SALT LAKE CITY) – Rocky Mountain Power is teaming up with the American Red Cross to encourage Utahns to help income-qualifying households with their energy bills this month. RMP Spokesperson Margaret Oler says the “Lend-A-Hand” program provides donations for June electric bills. Oler said the partnership with ARC has been very successful over the years with about $400,000 contributed to provide energy assistance to 1,660 households throughout the state. Donations to “Lend-A-Hand” can be made through envelopes included in the June, February and November RMP bills or by calling the American Red Cross.
Sanpete Power Outage
Published on June 17, 2010 at 10:47AM
Updated on June 17, 2010 at 04:56PM
(Ephraim) Portions of Sanpete County were without power for several hours yesterday afternoon. Nearly one thousand customers in the Ephraim, Ft. Green and Sanpitch areas lost power around 3:00 PM Wednesday. According to power officials, the cause was a downed transmission line. Crews were able to restore power just after 6:00pm. The Sanpete area has experienced several prolonged power outages so far this year, mainly caused by high winds and other extreme weather.
SUU hosts Senate candidates for debate
Published on June 17, 2010 at 07:30AM
(CEDAR CITY) – Utah candidates running for the U.S. Senate headed to Southern Utah University in Cedar City Wednesday night in a debate to combat all-time low-voter turnout rates in Utah. Republican candidates Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee, along with Democrat Sam Granato, answered questions from an audience at SUU in the only senatorial debate in the region. The Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service sponsored the debate that covered topics from federal land to nuclear waste storage. KUTV talk show host Rod Decker, who moderated the debate, started off the event with the hot topic of immigration. Both Bridgewater and Lee stressed the removal of what they call incentives and rewards for illegal immigration, with no compromise for amnesty but Granato said the U.S. can’t send all illegals home and wants compromise with the work force. Leavitt Center Executive Director Doug Larson said SUU sponsored the debate to expose southern Utah voters to the political process and improve civic participation in the community.
A Paradigm Shift in the Rockies?
Published on June 17, 2010 at 12:21AM
Later this afternoon, the University of Utah’s Board of Regents will meet and determine whether or not the Utes should accept the Pac-10’s invitation to join what has long been lauded as the conference of champions.
Obviously, the Utes have much to gain from the increased exposure and recruiting options that would be theirs. While Brigham Young has not had any overtures from big conference brethren in the region at this point, things are getting increasingly tenuous among the fanbases of Utah’s two most famed universities.
Naturally, this is about stupid politics as obviously, atheist Cal-Berkeley rejects all potential conference newcomers with religious affiliations (this explains Brigham Young’s spurning). Even storied collegiate programs such as Notre Dame, Boston College, Baylor,and Marquette would be rejected by Berkeley because such institutions have the audacity to profess Christ (heavy sarcasm intended)
Since the UofU is not affiliated with any religious bodies and their academics are exemplary, they are a natural fit for the Pac-10.
Meanwhile, the Utes, who fortuitously will benefit from USC being mired in NCAA probation and a mediocre football landscape across the board, should be instantaneous title contenders.
The best part is that Utah politicians, such as Senator Orrin Hatch (Senator, you’re a trusted Facebook friend, so please eschew the performance tax) and Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, will continue to fight against the BCS even as the state’s flagship institution has been accepted into its ranks somewhat.
As for the Cougars, it sucks to be you, but politics and collegiate bureaucracy are both topics I hate that have caused this breach in a tradition that has gone on for decades.
Just so everyone knows, whenever you hear the term “tradition” bantered about in conversations appertaining to college football, it is simply hogwash and completely bereft of meaning.
The Big 10, a conference which has always considered itself to be composed of the staunchest traditionalists in Division I athletics will do whatever it takes to make more money, especially if it means blowing off the traditions they so endearingly claim matter to them.
If there is one good thing about these supposed superconferences continuing to percolate, it’s that inevitably they will lead to playoffs.
That, of course, is my ultimate design.
In closing, Brigham Young, Texas Christian and Mountain West Conference newcomer, Boise State, all have the onus to remain BCS busters insomuch that the MWC should reach the point where the greedy and classless fiends who run Division I intercollegiate athletics have no choice but to relent and make things fair for them.
After all, is it any wonder that oppression increases in the world when we teach our collegians that the only thing that matters is that if money’s out there for the taking, you can jam whoever you want to get it? That’s something to think about.