FIRST NIGHT FEST JAZZ BEAT 76ERS Revelers gear up for New Year’s B-1 At U., Texas gets the boot C-1 Ghe Salt LakeGribune Utah’s Independent Voice Since 1871 ‘Volume 263 Number ©2001, The Salt Lake Tribune 143 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 SUNDAY, DECEMBER30, 2001 Telephone numbers listed on A-2 Events Ripped the Comfy Quilt That Once Was Utah | ws tiais 0510stories 2001 BY REBECCA WALSH And Utahns’attempts to use the 2002 Winter Games to shake their own inferi- THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ority complex were overshadowed by the In manyways,the clock stopped — and started — on Sept.11. Thefirst year ofthe 21st century was nearing an end — only a few months of 2001 remained. Butnowitis hard to remember anything that happened before the mass of concrete and steel — and so many lives — vaporized on that seemingly benign early fall morning. President Bushstill was trying to ease out from under the mantle awkwardly placed on him by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Congress was fighting — again — about tapping the Social Security Trust Fund. Recession — real or imagined — was debated ontalk shows. sorts of “only in Utah”stories thatreinforce unwanted stereotypes and draw national Essay AN EssAY and international mocking: porn czar Paula Houston’sefforts to explain herjob to Penthouse and Playboy, a West Point mother’s complaints about a neighbor gardeningin a bikini, the legal maneuveringsof the Olympic bribery trial and self-promoting polygamist Tom Green's fight to stay in a mobile home park with his five wives and 30 children. So importantthen, so silly now. the nextyear, let alone the next century. Butthere are hints: newspapers firing writers forcriticizing Bush, advertisers boycotting late-night comedian’s show because ofhis “unpatriotic” statements, war in Afghanistan, plots to bomb American mosques, withdrawal from the Anti- Here are the Top 10 newsstories of 2001 as voted by editors of Utah’s six daily newspapers, news.directors of television andradio stations and The Associated Press: 1, The Wasatch Frontgirdsfor the Olympics. 2. U.S. Judge David Sam tosses the Olympic bribery case againstbid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson. 3. Utah reacts to Sept.11 terror attacks. | 4, Polygamist Tom Green is convicted of bigamy. 5. Legislature redrawsthe state’s political boundaries. 6. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals voids most of Ballistic Missile treaty, talk of military tribunals. In someways,it seems the clock has turned back in a waveofjingoism and Utah’s liquoradvertising rules. 7. Recession creeps into Utah. super-patriotism. Already, terrorism has changed forever the psycheof generations of Americans. jail sentence in his toddler son’s death. Weare angry. Weare afraid.It is a wartime sentiment Generation X and Generation Y,even some baby boomers, could not Four months is not long enough to knowhowtheterrorist attacks will shape 8. Paula Houston becomesnation’s first porn czar. 9. Paul Waymentkills himself after receiving a 30-day See UTAH,Page A-8 10. BYU's almost-perfect season ends with a non-con- ference drubbing andnoinvitation to a top bowl game. More2001 reviews, looks ahead: A-8-12, C-3, D-1, E-1 The Salt LakeTribune KWANZAA FUN 2001 Utahn of the Year -MITT ROMNEY N othing captivated Utah more in 2001 than preparations for the Winter Olympics. Like or loathe the thought, the nervously awaited 2002 Games commence in little more than five weeks. The impactof this run-up permeates Utah: from the interstates andlightrail (whoseorigins and completions were predicated on a 2002 world welcome) to questioned deals for land andfederal dollars; from commercial promotions to miragelike business expectations; from oversubscribed volunteer recruitmentto the scuttling of an embarrassing bribery trial. Eventhe Sept. 11 trauma most manifests itself here in anxiety over security during those 17 days in February and assuaging that angst. Arising from the moral and financial ashes ofthe bid fiasco then progressing toan ¥ adequately planned,staffed, marketed and— jy weare assured — secured and funded Olympics. in three quick years is an impressive accomplishment, even to those unmoved by the Olympic Spirit. Moving through ‘scandal’s stench, economic -uncertainty and terrorism’s pall, Utah has opened and braced. ae the world. Lake Organizing _ Conttice President Mitt Romneyis the person most responsiblefor the comeback and impact, even if the latter is not as yet fully known. For better or the face ofthe 2002 Games. And because of that Olympic impact on the state, Willard Mitt Romneybecomes The Salt Lake Tribune’s 2001 Utahn ofthe Year. With indefatigable energy, a consummate politician’s instinct, articulation, organizational skills, ties to the power structure, the surface wholesomeness of an Eagle Scout and the looks of a Ken Doll, Romney combined charm,talent, fast talk and impregnable optimism in herdingus to the portals of the biggest eventsince the arrival of the Saints 154 years ago. Perhaps the strangest surprise is that he accomplished this without kissing up to the International Olympics Committee. Indeed, he ended the royal treatmenttraditionally lavished on the spoiled brats of this intellectually corrupt organization. Under the world’s hostile glare, sulking IOC leaders accepted his less patrician Games.In reality, he systematically was lowering everyone’s expectations for the event. The RomneyRoute wasneither smooth norscenic. It was a track that was fast, furious and,attimes, fulsome andfatuous.Its wake,for the most part, is noticeable. Someofit, though,is subtle andlurking in wait for a giddy but exhausted post-Games Utah. Draconian enforcement of Olympic trademark protection WEATHER Chance ofsnow. _A-13 comingtogrips with the reality that only a few will profit from the Games. Cookiecutter appointments,predictability, expediency, smiles and glad handing often substituted for diversity, class, creativity and depth. Romney’s 1998 pledge of openness, it turned out, camewith fine-print caveats and, periodically, was ignored outright. Shortcomings and complaints notwithstanding, the Romney strategy andstyle appears to have worked. One of Romney’s rare high-profile stumbles was an early misgauging of Utah’s sensitivity to cultural and religious nuances. Whenhearrived, the picture was bleak. SLOC had not signed anew sponsorin 14 months; morale was low. Some wondered aloudif Salt Lake City ought to throw in the towel. Following a path blazed by predecessors, Romney appealed to Utah’s most powerful player, the LDS Church,for assistance, mainly volunteers and land. But he continued to lean on its largesse, prompting criticism from some quarters that he had joined the church to SLOC’s hip. Churchleaders also were uneasy over the scope of requests and growing perceptions, and soon scaled back their grants. Members of Utah's minority cultures, all the while, had becomeincreasingly anxious and the news media more vocal about a celebration they felt was being tempered by the dominantculture. Such dissonance began to resolveitself earlier this year with Romney’s corny, albeit symbolic, pre-emptive clinking of champagneflutes and orangejuice glasses in a public toast to accommodating cultural diversity. Ethnic rumblings, unfortunately, remain. The accepted $1.9 billion price tag, to be underwritten by recruited sponsorships, TV rights, ticket sales and federal, state and local contributions, may be Mount Olympus bypast standards,butit is also $140 million less than the original business plan. Weather, transportation and attendance are continuing question marks, but no unknownsloom greater than Olympic security and whetherrevenues will cover expenses. Romney sought from a post-9-11 Congress extra security dollars, although, in fairness, such a requestliterally was easier done than said in those reactionary days, and now he has a quarterofa billion dollars to make the Games safe. A balanced bottomline, on the other hand,is only an oral assurance atthis point. If the state gets its $100 million share of the revenues as promised, Romneywill be a sung hero and his future political cachet daunting. If the Games don’t break even and taxpayers are left holding an Olympicbag,hewill find himself in amuchdifferentspotlight. Butto his credit, so far remains so good. US. Ski Team Looking to Break Out THE ARTS ; 5 Lookingbackat the year BYSHEINBERG in music, theater, film andvisual art. D-l THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ‘ created ill will within a business sector only now The members of the U.S. Ski Team wantto pass along a hearty season’s greetings, best wishes and plenty ofcheer.In an effort to fire up the hometown crowd for February, they also wantto send outthis short, heartfelt message for one andall: “We don't suck anymore!” The men’s technical team coined the phrase as its unofficial motto this summer and it seems the entire U.S. squad then set out to prove it right. Six weeks into this competition season and only five weeks away from the Winter Olympics, the U.S. team has collected seven World Cup podium finishes, Four of them (including two victories) came courtesy ofBode Miller,24, and the other three came from the speedy female trio of Caroline Lalive, 22, Kirsten Clark,24, and Kristina Kozmick,26. Miller's wins were the first since '83 for the men's technical squad, Beyond the promising perform- 4 r yf ‘ances of Miller, Lalive and Clark,14 of their teammates have earned World Cuppoints this season. Suddenly things may be changing in a sport where Americans, aside from a handful of excep—____________ tions, have traditionally beenscoffed at like a jar of Cheez Whiz nextto a plate of Camembert. Snowmakers on course Results like these beg the B-1 question: Whydid they ever at Snowbasin suck atall? “We're a sport that is played 90 percent or more outside of our home country,” says Tom Kelly, U.S. Ski Team spokesman. “We've had to adapt to [the European circuit] gentNeE in many ways.” Away games area part ofevery sport, but for U.S, ski racers, “away” is not just a bus ride to an miliar stadium.It is a trip to another continent — See U.S. SKI TEAM, Page A-14 A headtie is fashioned for Loresha Leggettata Kwanzaa celebration Saturday at the Utah-Museum of Fine Arts. Workshops at the event. included dance, music andgift-making. Story, B-1. India Rejects Call for Talks Pakistan warnsofescalation; Bushpleadsforsides’ restraint BY NIRMALA GEORGE ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DELHI, India — India said Saturday it would continueto mass tens of thousands of troops atits border until Pakistan cracks down onIslamic militants, rejecting a Pakistani call for the two na- tions’leaders to meetto try to defuse thecrisis. Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said his government woulddoits best to avert war, but Pakistan warned that:the tensions at)" the border — where WAR ON TERRORISM eaees fire FB)investigates 150 groups, and trigger aYalk people with alleged terror ties A-6 fledged conflict be- Terrorist worked for Osama bin tween the nuclear- Laden andthe Green Berets A-7 armed nations. nee In a phone conversation Saturday, President Bush urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to “take additional strong and decisive measures to eliminate the extremists who seek to harm India, undermine Pakistan, provoke a war betweenIndia and Pakistan, and destabilize the international coalition against terrorism,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Bush also spoke with Vajpayee and said the United Statesis “determined to cooperate with India in the fight againstterrorism,” McClellan said. Bush urged both leaders to workto reduce tensions. Pakistani police say they have arrested atleast 30 militants since the Dec. 13 attack by gunmen on India’s Parliament that sparked the currentcrisis See INDIA, Page A-16