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Show Page The Ogden Valley news Volume XVII Issue XXI April 15, 010 The Ogden Valley news Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 801-745- 688 Fax: 801-745-006 Cell: 801-791-4387 E-Mail: slfrancis@digis.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 801-745- 879 Fax: 801-745- 879 E-Mail: crwendell@digis.net crwendell@msn.com Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists or letters to the editor are not necessarily the opinions of the owners and staff of The Ogden Valley news. guidelines for Letters to the Editor Letters should be 300 words or less. Letters must be signed and the address of the writer submitted. The Ogden Valley news reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The Ogden V alley n ews will print local birth, wedding, obituary, anniversary and missionary farewell & homecoming and Eagle Scout announcements free of charge. We invite residents to send their announcements to: The Ogden Valley news PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 If you would like your submitted items returned, please send a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. The Ogden Valley news , while respecting all property received, will take no responsibility for lost or misplaced items. Please remember to keep a copy for yourself. Invitation for Articles The staff of The Ogden Valley news welcomes the submission of articles by our readership. We invite you to submit local historical accounts or biographies, articles pertaining to contemporary issues, and/or other material that may be of interest to our readers. We also invite you to submit to the paper, or notify the staff of local events. Awards that have been earned by the reader, family members, neighbors or friends are also sought. While the staff of The Ogden Valley news invites the submittal of information and articles, we reserve the right to select which material will be considered for publication. All material, to be considered, must be submitted with the full name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the material. The Ogden Valley news’ liability on account of errors in, or omissions of, advertising shall in no event exceed the amount of charges for the advertising omitted or the space occupied by the error. The Ogden Valley news does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any product or service advertised in this newspaper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Ogden Valley news hereby disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The Ogden Valley news is not responsible for any claims or representations made in advertisements in this newspaper. The Ogden Valley news has the sole authority to edit and locate any classified advertisement as deemed appropriate. It also reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Note: The contents of The Ogden Valley News are copyrighted. To protect this publication and its contributors from unlawful copying, written permission is required before any individual or company engages in the reproduction or distribution of its contents, by any means, without first obtaining written permission from the owners of this publication. The deadline for the OVN May 1 issue is April 15. Letters to the Editor Ogden Valley Beekeepers If you are an avid beekeeper, or just someone interested in learning about honey bees, please join a new group being formed that is dedicated to raising honey bees in Ogden Valley and the surrounding areas. This new group will mainly be an online discussion group, but, in the future, may include hands-on demonstrations and guest speakers. If you would like to join, please email OVbees@gmail.com with your name, or call 745-2344. School Building Was the Heart of Huntsville What has the Weber County School Board done to our town? As a citizen of Huntsville for 57 years, I feel like the heart of our town has been torn out because of the destruction of our Valley Elementary School building. When we moved here in 1953, this town really had a lot of community spirit and a lot had to do with the school building. Besides the normal functions, there were dances sometimes in the evening when whole families would attend and participate. Also, there were productions, weddings, and ball games. One of our special princi- pals, Carl DeYoung, allowed a formal dance to be held, with formal dresses and boutonnieres. Only people who live in a small town could appreciate what a big deal that was. Our four children were educated in that building under the tutelage of superb teachers. Registration for school was held there. When our church building burned to the ground, church services were held there until a new building was built. Town meetings were held there because at the time, our town hall was too small to house large crowds. We live across from the town park and, oh, how I miss seeing the children walking to school. I just feel like the town feels dead without this activity. Add to this the fact that Huntsville had the first free public school in the state of Utah. I wonder, also, how the teachers and employees of the new school building feel about the new surroundings. How do the children like their new school? Erma Wilson, Huntsville Delinquent Property Taxpayers Impact All Regarding the March 25 news story that ran in the Standard-Examiner, “Delinquent property taxes adding to Morgan’s woes,” this is not unique to Morgan County. Two years ago, an examination of the Weber County web site on delinquent property taxes indicated that there was about $14 million in delinquent property taxes due in Weber County. It is important to understand that 98-plus percent of Utah property owners pay their property taxes on time. These taxpayers are making up the difference for these tax scofflaws. Imagine what it would mean if Weber County was able to collect just one third of the delinquent property taxes owed every year ($4.5 million). As the Morgan example in the StandardExaminer shows, three large landowners owe 73.8 percent of the delinquent property taxes due in Morgan County. Most of the delinquent money in Weber County is owed by large landowners and large corporations. When this information was brought to the attention of the Weber commissioners, their response was, ‘’These companies usually pay up within two or three years, so it is no big deal.” What was not addressed is that these tax scofflaws seldom clear their delinquent tax status as they continue to carry a revolving two to three years of delinquent taxes in the county. This means they are continuously carrying a large, delinquent tax bill at the expense of the other taxpayers. Another Weber Commission response about the problem was, “Any enforcement will only affect little old grandmas.” The facts indicate that this incorrect. Weber County has a competent tax review committee responsible for reviewing all tax hardship cases. This committee should continue so individual home owners who have payment issues can have a fair review and hearing. In the last legislative session, the Utah Legislature passed a bill to increase the penalty on delinquent taxes only half of 1 percent. This, in effect, is no meaningful increase at all. During these times of reduced tax revenue, cuts in education, early jail releases, and job layoffs, why can’t our local government strive to collect money that is already owed and delinquent to ease the burden on the rest of the taxpayers? Larry Zini, Huntsville American Legion Thank Community The American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion would like to thank all those who donated both their time and money to our Boys and Girls State Scholarship Program. With the deadline fast approaching, we found ourselves in a position where we were short on the funding necessary to allow our local girls and boys the opportunity to participate this year. The word was spread, calls were made, and once again the people of the Valley stepped up and made it happen. There will be nine girls attending Girls State in Cedar City, as well as few local Boys attending Boys State. Once again, our thanks and gratitude to the following contributors: Gage Froerer, David and Julie Messerly, Cory Thompson owner of Wasatch Paving, Frank S. Warner of Warner Law Firm, Max and Suzanne Ferre, John and Cindy Purcell, Clay Poulter, Mike and Traci Wixon, Jim Poulter, Donald and Dawn Kelley, and Pam Owens. We would also like to thank the Huntsville Town Council, Mayor Jim Truett, Richard Sorenson, Larry Zini, Rex and Mary Fuller, and Kari Melendy for their work on this great program. If you are Boys or Girls State Alumni from any previous year, and were sponsored by any American Legion Post, not just Post 129, please contact us at 801-745-3802. We are interested in getting some history put together to let others know the benefits of this amazing opportunity. High school boys and girls, if you are interested in the college credit and the community service that this program provides, please contact your school counselor and make them aware of your interest for the upcoming year. You may also contact the post for more information. Thank you for your support, American Legion Auxiliary & Sons of the American Legion Post #129, Huntsville Correction The article titled “American Dream Comes True--Authentic German restaurant prepares to open in Eden” that ran in The Ogden Valley news’ April 1, 2010 issue was written by Kelly McAfee Richards. |