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Show Sports: Region wrestling results, A14 | Schools: MM Drill takes 4th at State, B8 Che SERVING SPANISH FORK Guardian of Your Community News entin el SALEM -MAPLETON •WOODLAND HILLS • ELK RIDGE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010 VOL 5 / NO. 5 SF internet 7th fastest in nation in Christene Choate STAFF WRITER The latest quarterly State of the Internet Report from Akamai reports Spanish Fork City as number seven out of the top 10 cities for the fastest average broadband speeds in the nation with an average connection of 18 MBps. Two other cities in Utah also made it on the top 10 list, with Sandy as number one in the nation and Logan coming in at number four. John Bowcut, Spanish Fork Cable's director was a little surprised at the outcome of the report, and stated that Spanish Fork uses "'an industrystandard technology that isn't any different to what other cable companies deploy. The main difference is our system was made to deliver very high speed internet and it also carries cable television signals, whereas most cable systems are engineered to be cable television systems that only overlay Internet service on." Overall Bowcut believes the low price of Spanish Fork Cable con- Judith Everett STAPF WRITER When Dr. Brandon Hall of Mapleton saw the news reports of the earthquake in Haiti, he turned to his eight-months pregnant wife and said, "I speak French and I could get the time off. Would you mind if I went down there to help?" She immediately told him to go and not worry about her. Hall volunteered to go with a group of about 20 other volunteers, doctors, nurses and humanitarian workers organized by the LDS Church, and arrived in the devastated country just over a week after the earthquake hit. They immediately set up a clinic. "We were seeing a lot of really horrible infections, burns, gangrene and fractures people had lived with for a whole week after the earthquake," he said. What struck Hall almost immediately was the incredible humility, gratitude and generosity of these people. He can't remember hearing one complaint out of the Haitians he treated. One of the Haitian translators didn't even know where her family was, but she said she wanted to help her country and would try to find her family later. Hall described the surgical conditions as "jungle medicine." They hung IV bags in trees and treated people on the streets. A young boy came up to the Courtesy photo HOW 'BOUT A LIFT? Dr. Brandon Hall shares a light moment with some children in Haiti. tributes to the number of residents that have high speed internet access. "The [Akamai] report doesn't directly address the pricing issue, but because our price is so low almost everyone in Spanish Fork can afford a high-speed connection, which increases the average speed of connection in Spanish Fork. Our low price has allowed over 60 percent of the residents of Spanish Fork to have access to a very high-speed internet connection while saving the residents over two million dollars last year if they had lived in a different city and paid the usual price of high speed internet and cable television." Bowcut said he and his team also work hard to make sure that everyone on the cable network has a working system. "I am not sure how newsworthy that ranking is, but we always do what we can to help the residents of Spanish Fork," said Bowcut. To find more information about Spanish Fork Cable and Internet, go to www^fcn. org or call 801-804-4503. hocanls rA doctors with his scalp torn apart. They didn't have any pain medication for him. "He sat there with kind of a smile on his face the whole time he was stitched up, no complaints," said Hall. While supplies were supposed to have come into Haiti days before, they hadn't been effectively dis- tributed yet, and there was still abundant need. Hall noticed his Haitian translator watching the doctors See HALL • A6 V SF City unveils new brand, logo Jen Allen Marilyn Atwood STAFF W R I T E R STAFF WRITER Church service was my brother's full time job. For 25 years, Michael F. Moody served as the chairman for the General Music Committee for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During that time he was instrumental in the printing of the 1985 hymnal, which was translated in over 20 different languages. As part of his job, he visited countries around the world to provide music training. One of those trips took him to Haiti. When Michael visited Haiti in 1998, he wrote home to his wife, **I love this place and its people; I did from the moment I arrived. ... They are humble and spiritual. They are hopeful and happy." As he attended churches there, he found the chapels were overcrowded and often without plumbing and Once all was said and done, Spanish Fork City had a new brand and North Star, community branding experts of Nashville, Tenn., had $105,000. With a federal grant of $5,000, the city spent the balance of $100,000 from the 2008 fiscal budget. A little more than a year later, North Star presented their findings to Spanish Fork city staffers and council. City councilmen and staffers are excited about the new change and insist that the $100,00 bought more than just a logo with the city's name. Instead, it bought a plan to bring our community closer together and to provide an identity to others of who we are. Describing the concept they developed, North Star said, "Drawing inspiration from the picturesque mountains that embrace the community. Marilyn Atwood / The Sentinel EXTRA SMILE: Marilyn Atwood is pictured with children at a Haitian orphanage during a visit to Haiti in 2002. electricity. They didn't have air conditioning and in that hot, humid climate it was quite an experience for him. Though the people lived in poverty, Sunday was a special day for them, and as they attended church, he observed, "They are unbelievably clean and neat. Today they are all dressed in white shirts, ties, and beautiful Sunday dresses. The women have their hair impeccably done. The men have their shoes shined." He felt a great love for the people and conveyed See ATWOOD • A7 this concept celebrates the rare blend of innovative thinking and intimate hometown personality that make Spanish Fork unique. From the soaring terrain and down-to-earth neighbors, to the progressive technology and smalltown spirit — you don't just live, work or play in Spanish Fork, you surround yourself with it. It uses images that highlight the people and community aspects of Spanish Fork as well as ones that show the advanced technology and business offerings; this concept speaks to multiple audiences on many levels. The common message? An invitation to surround yourself." In their findings. North Star was quick to bring up just how often people from around town mentioned the mountains. As such, the mountains now play a See BRAND • AS |