OCR Text |
Show Page Two - The Pyramid - January 3, 1996 A look back at 1995 M M ENTARY Continued from page Merrill Ogden & Calvin Hobbes odds & ends NEW HAPPY YEAR! 1996 is here and Sanpeters are going to make it the best year ever. How do I know that? I have no tangible evidence, its just a feeling in my arthritic knee. (I learned most everything I know at my mothers knee; or was it some other old joint.) Im ready to have a Christmas tree burn. Its a hot chocolate, doughnut, nighttime dance around the fire. Its a ritualistic pagan tradition from my youth. I dont hear about people doing Christmas tree burns much anymore. Maybe its against the law. You need a permit to burn the dang thing. I understand that times change. Its sad that the bulk of the changes in our lives come in the category of more regulation and restriction. Everything that we used to do which was fun is gradually becoming against the law or against regulations or church policy or something. Time was when a person could roll down the Manti Temple hill ad nauseam, (literally). If caught doing that now, youll be reminded that such behavior is not now allowed due to concerns relating to injury liability and appropriateness. I remember picnicking with my family several times as a kid on tables provided east of the temple. No more. Sadly, a few people cant be trusted and security becomes a greater . concern. On the bright side in a rare example of deregulation, the speed limit setting authority on our highways has been returned to the states. I have thought it so ridiculous to have to slow to 55 MPH on portions of the interstate. I have doubts that it will happen, but Id like MPH through Sanpete County. Maybe Ill go to Montana this summer. Id like to get on some lonely stretch of highway and open up the old Pontiac and do some burying of the needle on the speedometer-legal- ly. (Remind me sometime to tell you about the Sanpete girl who claimed that she could not have been excessively speeding down the highway, "I couldnt have been going that fast. My car only " goes 85 miles per hour. "How do you figure?" she was asked. "My speedometer only goes to 85, she replied in all sincerity.) (Dont remind me to tell you that story. I just did.) Other items of note as Sanpete kicks off the new year: Ryan Anderson is surrendering the county auditor post this month to accept a management position with Zions Bank. I believe Ryan just has this need to be handling money all the time or something. Hes done a good job and will be missqd. The Republicans are now in a dither. They have to go through the process of recommending names to the county commission for naming a replacement. Speaking of money. It seemed just a little fishy that attorneys Doug Neeley and Paul Frischknecht; and county auditor, Ryan Anderson were winners of cash door prizes at lunthe county Christmas cheon. Organizer, Reed Hatch, county recorder, pleads innocent. HAPPY BIRTHDAY UTAH! Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of statehood, as I gather from the incessant ads from the old guys on T.V. So raise a glass of your beverage of choice and salute Utah. A n out of state friend sarcastically told me once that Utah was a good place to be "from. It is that, but its also a great place to be. ...Merrill Brayden J. Sterner, son of Warren and Zaan Sterner, Wales, will celebrate his first birthday Jan. 4, 1996. Grandparents are Marlin and Gwen Steadman, Wales; and Jerry and Dawn Sternef, Spring City. are Florence Phelps, Pleasant Grove; Boyd and Hazel Hunt, Green River, UT; and A1 and Edith Sorensen, Green River, WY. Great-grandparen- ts Great-grandparen- ts , Sanpete's Leading Newspaper THE pyRRmiD ) Dalton Shane Johnson, son of Brandon and Jenny Johnson, Spring City, celebrated his first birthday Dec. 28, 1995. Grandparents are Boyd and Shauna Johnson, Mt. Pleasant; and Rick and Suelyn Allan, Spring are City. Nina Johnson, Mt. Pleasant; Don and Phyllis Larsen, Chester; Madge Allan, Nephi; and Thurlin Thompson, Spring City. Published Weekly at Mt. Pleasant Utah, 84647 49 West Main Street Telephone: 462-213- 4 Great-grandparen- ts FAX: 462-24- 59 Publisher Craig Conover Managing Editor Associate Editor Penny Hamilton Shirley Christensen Cheryl Brewer Staff Writer Deanna Pate Staff Writer SUBSCRIPTION RATES (In Advance) $18 per copy peryear-50- ( $21 per year outside Sanpete County CORRESPONDENTS Manti, Bruce Jennings 835-382- 4 835-519- 1 283-474- 7 436-857- 0 Moroni, Barbara Gordon 436-876- 0 Fairview, Deanna Pate 427-379- 5 445-342- 2 Jill Cragun Mathel Anderson Ftn. Green, Jessie Oldroyd Snow College Dean O'Driscoll Reporter, Ray Truitt 445-332- Photographer, Hollee Anderson 462-3- 1 6 31 POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Pyramid, 49 West Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647. Second class postage paid at Mt. Pleas- ant, UT and additional EPHRAIM-- - Winners of city home lighting contest winners are Don and Chris Johnson, most creative; Gerhard and Melodie Bolli, true spirit; Scott and Barbara Callister, best use; Gary and Patty Peterson, most lights. Stan and Ruby Black won the overall best award. Winners will receive a $75 credit on their electric bill. Ephraim City Youth Council sponsored the event. Christy Stevens was the judge. Snow College to host EPHRAI- M- A growth summit sponsored by Six County Association of Governments will be held in the Snow College Crane Theater, 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 10. Snow College President Gerald Day will be the moderator. Panel participants will include Senator Leonard Blackham, Representatives Mike Styler and Brad Johnson. City and county governments are responsible for addressing the effects of growth. Local jurisdictions provide streets, police and fire protection, parks and open space to accommodate growing population and places of employment. Each participant will prepare a short statement regarding growth concerns. Questions will be taken from the audience as well as call-in- s from broadcast listeners on KMTIKMXU, Manti; KNAK, Delta; and KSVC-KKWRichfield. Advance questions may be submitted to Cliff Birrell, Ephraim City Building, or Doug Barton, KMTI, Manti. Z, White Oak Mining, an underground coal mine located near Scofield Utah has employment opportunities for Mining Technicians. Experk ence in coal mining is not required. Base pay1 is $10 to $15 per hour depending upon skills. Pre employment testing will be January 10 & 11, 1996 at the Helper, Utah Civic Auditorium. Sessions will be at 1 1 :00 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. each day. The January 1 1 , 2:30 session will be for Spanish speaking people. The first 90 applicants will be admitted to each session. ' Questions should be directed to the Employee Relations department at (801)637-920- 0. UP&L Closures year. Cache County, where I live, took over $2.25 million from businesses here locally. Business property tax is 100 percent of assessed value, while residential property tax has been reduced to 45 percent of assessed value. Where is fairness? By collusion, the farmers in the Utah Legislature sponsored a bill, which was passed, excluding farmers from paying personal property tax on farm machinery and equipment. Every one of them have turned a deaf ear to all other businessmen and businesswomen in the state. have written two letters concerning the unfair, egregious, and in my opinion, unconstitutional, personal property tax imposed by the State of Utah only on business in the state. Other states also impose the discriminatory tax on business. It is my understanding that New Jersey and Iowa are in the process of rescinding this tax on business. Common sense dictates that any tax on tools of production, creation of venture capital, new business, and new jobs is counterproductive. Such a tax prohibits growth; helps to bankrupt thousands of businesses'; destroys thousands of jobs; eliminates goods and services; and reduces tax base locally and nationally. I sent two letters separately to the 75 members of the Utah State I received three Legislature. replies to my first letter and none to my second letter. From the 29 state senators, I received two replies to my first letter and none to my second letter. The general of these five replies was that "I didnt like to pay taxes". Which is true, especially, discriminatory taxes. Utah plundered $186,000,000 from business in the state last I asked Steven Bodily, one of our local state representatives, who is a farmer, why, after excluding farmers from personal property tax, they did not give any consideration to other business people in the state. He laughed and replied, "Well, we got ours excluded, you worry about your own. This seems to be the attitude of the entire Utah legislature and governor. Last year the state had a $200 million surplus, and this year over $300 million. How can they justify this unfair and discriminatory personal property tax levied against our business people? Darwin W. Larsen Logan, UT SPECIALtheNOTICE for iaumioflfo f ssimiac? tiufibV ) We think the Sanpete Valley Community deserves its own health plan at affordable rates. Thats why your local doctors and the Sanpete Valley Hospital have created a health plan just for you! SelectMed for the Sanpete Valley Community MtlvUIliilt il-- i m iiiiutnuiM MiiiHi' ! M iu -- Hunt 111- - tv '!! Af fordable rates Flexibility a choice of 6 plans and 5 deductible levels benefit options such as $10 office visits, prescription drug card, full maternity benefits Preventative benef ist such as physicals, well-chil- d visits and immunizations. Local Providers: Robert Armstrong, MD Kim Batreman, MD Bruce Burnham, MD LeMar Cook, DPM T. Randy Hansen, MD JanJonson,PA Darrel Olsen, MD Gene Speakman, MD Access to Sanpete Valley Hosiptal Finally, a health plan developed just for the Sanpete Valley Community! IHC 4 or Utah Power and Light an- -' nounced 13 payment offices would close in early 1996, including Moroni and Gunnison offices. Each office had two employees affected. Officials assured customers that service by mail, phone, electronic transfers and other ways would take care of needs. I ,ni -- mailing offices. door-to-do- Dear Editor: MINING POSITIONS Wales, Chester The Spring City Old School Foundation pushed hard for a $60,000 budget from the citys general fund allotment, but were voted down after a rigorous effort in opposition. The foundation was allotted some general fund budget monies, but not as much as members had hoped. Those supporting restoration of the old school were disappointed and expressed disappointment that their intent had been misrepresented to local residents. The groups still plans to organize for school renovation, but say it will be more difficult. Taxing businesses is unfair MantiEphraim Angela Rasmusson Geographic. Old School Foundation Youth Pioneer Pageant Jason O. Allred, son of Thomas O. and Dora M. Allred of Mt. Pleasant, has been called to serve an LDS mission to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will speak in church at 10:50 a.m. on Sunday, January 7, 1996 in the Mt. Pleasant 1st Ward. His grandmother is Iris Irving of Spring City. He enters the MTC on January 10, 1996. Manti High SchoolEptiraim ge The Sanpete Youth Pioneer Pageant, sponsored by the Sanpete Valley Health Care Foundation, written and produced by Merrill Osmond, was performed in the North Sanpete High School football arena to nearly full houses for each of three nights in July. The event was organized to help raise funds for the foundation, and succeeded in clearing about $8,000 for its efforts. It growth summit The swallows may come back to Capistrano on March 19, but four days earlier is officially Buzzard Day in Hinkley, Ohio to mark the annual return of those birds. (USPS365-580- A replica of the Columbian mammoth found near Huntington 1988 excavaReservoir during tion work, was purchased by the Fairview Museum and built in a newly constructed 60 by 80 annex. The mammoth was estimated to be 65 years old and suffering from arthritis when it died stuck in a peat bog. It was soon covered completely by flood waters. Because its remains were protected by the airtight environment, the bones never fossilized. Other items found at the site helped to time date the skeleton. The Museum Annex was constructed through CIB funds, public donations, an Eccles Foundation grant and a $400,000 general obligation bond. It was dedicated July 22, 1995. Lighting winners announced Jade Bruton, daughter of Chuck and Chantele Bruton, Payson, celebrated her first birthday Dec. 25, 1995. Grandparents are Steve and Shirley Beck, Payson, and the late Tom and Juanita Bruton. are Grant and Anna Seely, Mt. Pleasant. involved numerous area youth as well as many from outside the Sanpete area. The parade caught national attention as a two-papicture of a pig being pulled down State Street appeared in National NHS students protest Nearly 800 North Sanpete High School students exercised their constitutional right to peacefully assemble in protesting the firing of a favorite teacher, Tony White. The walkout was organized by students the evening prior when the school board took its action, and students spent several hours after the protest making their viewpoints heard to district and high school officials. Students spent the next few days writing letters to local mein dia, petitions circulating Whites behalf and venting frustrations at what they described as too many unanswered questions. In particular, they wanted to know why Whites contract was not renewed. They have yet to receive an answer. Columbian mammoth to see Highway 89 go to 60 New Year 1 Snow also lost Coach Mike "Chico" Canales, the offensive line coordinator and quarterback coach, to University of Pacific where he accepted employment as quarterback coach. Tidwell was replaced by Coach Keith Uperesa, who recently took the Badgers to the Real Dairy Bowl and brought home a win. IHC Health Plans A Serrice of lattmountain Health Out tv |