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Show A-18 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, October 26-29, 2019 The Park Record Meetings and agendas More dogs on Main TO PUBLISH YOUR PUBLIC NOTICES AND AGENDAS, PLEASE EMAIL CLASSIFIEDS@PARKRECORD.COM Local Highway changes WEILENMANN SCHOOL OF DISCOVERY Board Meeting The Weilenmann School of Discovery will hold a meeting of its Board of Directors on Tuesday, October 29, at 5:30pm Address is 4199 Kilby Road, Park City. The public is welcome. Most states decline to give feds driver’s license info ACLU urges them not to comply with bureau request MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — An effort by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect state driver’s license records as part of President Donald Trump’s order to gather citizenship information has been a bust so far. As of Wednesday, the vast majority of state motor vehicle agencies had not agreed to share their records with the bureau, according to an Associated Press survey of the 50 states. The effort over the past couple of months has alarmed civil rights groups, which see it as part of a backdoor move by the Trump administration to reduce the political power of minorities. In August, the bureau began requesting five years’ worth of driver’s license records, promising the information would be kept confidential. The effort began after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump’s administration plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, and the president instead ordered citizenship data compiled through federal and state administrative records. At least 13 states have refused to share the driver’s license data, 17 are still deciding what to do, and 17 haven’t yet received a request, according to the AP survey. Three states didn’t respond to multiple AP queries. Republican and Democratic states alike have said no, citing privacy concerns and prohibitions in state law. “Philosophically, we believe the information in the database doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to the people who it pertains to,” Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said. “It’s not ours to give away.” Two of the biggest states, California and New York, haven’t received requests yet. Three more of the top five most populous states — Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania — are deciding how to respond. Census Bureau officials had no immediate comment. Many states got calls or emails similar to one from a Census Bureau official asking an Arkansas Driver Services official if she had time to discuss the bureau’s “new and exciting project.” Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Arkansas agency, said: “We are currently working to determine whether the requested information is eligible for release.” Utah officials turned down the request because state law says personal data can be shared only for public safety reasons, said Marissa Cote, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety in the Republican-leaning state. Democratic-leaning Nevada also declined. “We value our residents’ privacy and hesitate to release records in bulk,” said Kevin Malone, a spokesman for the motor vehicle agency. States that haven’t decided how to respond said they were researching the legal and privacy implications. In issuing driver’s licenses, most states require documents such as a birth certificate that would reflect citizenship or require that recipients be either citizens or in the U.S. legally. The American Civil Liberties Union has urged states to turn the Census Bureau down. The ACLU and other civil rights groups say the requests are part of an overall strategy by the Trump administration to encourage states to use counts of citizens only, as opposed to total population, when redrawing state and local electoral districts. Such a move could make districts older, whiter and more Republican. “This endeavor appears to be part of a scheme motivated by an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose to dilute the political power of communities of color,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. The Census Bureau said in its requests that the driver’s license records would be used, in part, to help build a statistical model for calculating the number of citizens and noncitizens in the U.S. Even though the president’s order requires collecting the citizenship information, Census Bureau officials are concerned that it could hinder efforts to get people to participate in the 2020 census. The bureau’s own research showed adding a citizenship question to the 2020 questionnaire would have reduced participation, making for a less accurate count. Civil rights groups say driver’s license records do a poor job of showing if a person is a citizen. They point to what happened earlier this year when Texas’ election chief gave prosecutors a list of 95,000 potential noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls. The list was drawn up with the help of motor vehicle records. But it turned out that many of those people had become citizens before casting their ballots. The battle over whether citizen-only counts can be used for congressional reapportionment or redistricting at the state and local levels is being waged in federal courtrooms in Alabama and Maryland. It has been longstanding practice in the U.S. to include immigrants living in the country illegally in census counts, which are also used to allocate billions of dollars in federal spending. Ex-Olympic official held Russian expat has criticized Putin over 2014 Games ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI — A former Russian Olympic Committee official who claimed his office was poisoned after being criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin over preparations for the 2014 Winter Games has been arrested in Florida for an alleged immigration violation. Real estate developer Akhmed Bilalov, 48, had fled his country after facing abuse of office charges in connection to his work as chairman of a state company that was building ski resorts in southern Russia. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Tammy Spicer announced Wednesday that Bilalov was arrested at his condo in Sunny Isles Beach on Tuesday. He was taken to the Krome detention facility in Miami to face deportation and remained in custody Wednesday. The agency’s statement says Bilalov had arrived in the United States for a temporary stay on May 2, 2016, but “failed to depart in accordance with the terms of his admission.” The Miami Herald first reported the story and said Bilalov had been living in Florida with his wife and newborn in an upscale suburb of Miami Beach, nicknamed “Little Moscow” for its number of Russian emigres. ICE’s records don’t list defense attorneys, and it wasn’t immediately clear who may be representing the real estate tycoon. Bilalov was a rising star in Russian business and sports circles until his sudden downfall in February 2013, when Putin publicly disgraced him for delays and cost overruns during his tenure overseeing a ski jump complex being built for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Soon after, Bilalov resigned as a vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee. Two months later, Russian prosecutors opened a criminal case against him in connection with alleged misuse of funds intended for developing tourism resorts and overclaiming expenses for a visit to the 2012 Olympics in London. Russian state news agencies reported Wednesday that the case against Bilalov remained open and that he was on a wanted list. Facing up to four years in prison if convicted, Bilalov left Russia for Germany, where he alleged that doctors found elevated levels of mercury in his blood. In comments to the Russian news agency Interfax, Bilalov claimed his Moscow office had been contaminated. Before his downfall, Bilalov also led the Russian Golf Federation and had a seat on the International Olympic Committee’s marketing commission in 2011 and 2012. letters to the editor Straighten up Editor: If I were a South Summit student just busted for vaping on a school bus, suspended from playing football for the remainder of the season, humiliated by family and friends, not to mention written about in The Park Record — while right next to the article a bunch of adults on Main Street in Park City were pictured doing shots of whiskey just to prove to another town that we can outdrink them — I’d be a little more than confused. I’d be pissed. I don’t condone kids vaping, nor am I above having a shot of whiskey, but think about it: 1,310 of us showing up on Main Street to get buzzed while we tell our youth to straighten up. Stephen Leonard Jordanelle Ed will be asset on the Council Editor: We support Ed Parigian for City Council. We need a truly “Locals” advocate on Council and Ed will provide that representation. We have known Ed for more than five years, worked with him on several community projects, and can affirm that he is passionate and committed to doing what is right for Parkites. He had a vision for Library Field. His vision was that it should just be left as a “field of grass” for the public to enjoy. No houses, no structures, no pathways ... just a field. In the face of considerable pushback and significant obstacles Ed volunteered hundreds of hours and worked passionately to make that vision a reality for our community. As a semi-retired By Tom Clyde business professional Ed has the time and energy for the significant demands of City Council. Ed has a truly locals-first vision for our community and will be an asset on our Council. Please vote for Ed. Sandy and Hope Melville Old Town Becca brings connection Editor: Recently I was part of a group at a fireside chat with Becca Gerber. The quality that stood out during the questioning was Becca’s connection to the citizens of Park City and listening for understanding. Rather than fire off answers to the many questions, Please see Letters, A-19 I was out with some friends the other day and the conversation turned to the sudden change in the speed limit on S.R. 224 by the McPolin Barn. UDOT and the Highway Patrol said they made the change because of the increasing number of accidents involving wildlife in that area. The animals won’t use the crosswalk. Some of the group thought it was ridiculous to lower the speed limit for that short stretch. Others thought a nighttime reduction would be appropriate, because during daylight hours, even with the coffee cup in one hand and the phone in the other, people ought to be able to see an elk standing in the middle of the road. Everybody had an idea and a suggestion on how to do it better. I don’t drive S.R. 224 very often, and was puzzled by the whole conversation. You mean there are actual speed limits on S.R. 224? Who knew? It’s not quite the free-fire zone that exists on I-80 after crossing the summit, but if there are speed limits on S.R. 224, it’s news to me. My friends explained that the speed limit along there changes several times at completely arbitrary points between Park City and Kimball Junction. It defies a lifetime of experience. I always thought it was either “go like hell” or “panic stop” in those rare cases where somebody in front of you actually stops for a red light. Nobody pays $100,000 for an Audi to drive slow and stop for lights. So I’m doubtful that reducing the posted (but ignored) speed limit there will make a difference in traffic safety. And heaven help some innocent who is actually driving 45 mph when they get run over from behind by an Escalade doing 80 mph on the way to the airport. In other highway news, the Mayor announced to the City Council that there had been a major breakthrough in discussions with UDOT over the improvements to S.R. 248. UDOT proposed widening it to 4 lanes all the way into town. That seemed like a good idea, but UDOT can never just widen something to 4 lanes. By the time they were through with stacking lanes, turn lanes, breakdown lanes wide enough to park a jet on, and so on, it was a really big honking road surface. Four lanes on steroids. It could happen tomorrow, but for some reason, will be delayed until 2021. I smell another consulting contract.” Nobody liked it, not even people like me who spend way too much time stalled in the traffic there. The UDOT plan was going to cost $62.8 million, a figure that seems impossible to explain, but that was their cost estimate. Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess, I suppose. There were a lot of reasons not to like it, but there are 62.8 million reasons right there. Anyway, after months of discussions with UDOT, the Mayor announced that the new plan is to – drum roll – REPAINT THE LANE MARKINGS ON THE EXISTING ROAD TO CREATE 2 WESTBOUND LANES the whole way in. For a possible $3 million add on, they might be able to widen the pavement in a place or two and paint a second outbound lane, though the outbound traffic doesn’t back up quite as bad because the speed limits increase as you leave town. UDOT is scheduled to re-pave the existing road in the summer of 2021, and thought they could repaint the lines as part of that project. The Mayor said, “it’s a timely and inexpensive project.” No kidding. It’s so simple even I could have thought of that. Oh, wait, I did think of that. I’ve been recommending it for at least 10 years. I’m sure that between UDOT and Park City, they will find a way to complicate it, but it seems like something they could finish before lunch for about $1,000 in paint. It could happen tomorrow, but for some reason, will be delayed until 2021. I smell another consulting contract. While the second lane would certainly move more traffic, the City wants that extra lane to be a bus-only lane. The idea is that we will all park our cars in the imaginary parking lot, and then a thousand of us will pile on to the same bus to make the final penetration into town. Maybe they can paint a parking lot and a fleet of buses while they’re at it. During the Olympics, parkand-ride worked perfectly at all hours of the day and deep into the night. Of course there were a couple of hundred buses in the temporary fleet, and endless Olympic cash behind them. Even if they are super cool, whiz-bang electric buses, there are limits to how long daily commuters will stand in the cold waiting for one. But the idea that they will restripe the existing pavement to make another lane, in two years, instead of spending $62 million, is progress. Timely? Well, not so much. Tom Clyde practiced law in Park City for many years. He lives on a working ranch in Woodland and has been writing this column since 1986. sunday in the Park By Teri Orr Wait wait ... do tell By the time Thursday night ended I felt years younger and like I’d had the best upper-body workout imaginable. From the time I hopped in a friend’s car — and we four women headed to Salt Lake City with highly-coveted tickets to the 1,000th episode of NPR’s “Wait Wait ... Don’t Tell Me” — we never stopped laughing. Three of us have been friends and worked together on numerous public projects over the years. We are all veterans of the nonprofits wars. We rarely have schedules in sync enough to socialize much anymore. The fourth woman is new to our community and of a like mind with a quick wit. We are all voracious readers and watchers of movies — mainstream and alternative. We were four women with about 16 conversations taking place at once. I had meant to get tickets to “Wait Wait” but life interfered and I wait waited too long. I am, occupationally, spoiled when it comes to having good seats in a theater to see a live performance. And those sold quickly. ... So I let it go. One of the young women in my office had scored tickets and had been talking for weeks about going and I was excited for her. She comes from a family of journalists and the news quiz program is a common language we enjoy. On Thursday morning my staff member said she was trying to find another ticket so I could join her group. I said I needed to stay home and catch up on some work. And then at noon my lunch companion said — “Wanna join a few of us and go see ‘Wait Wait’? We just ended up with an extra ticket.” And now I knew the universe had a plan. I was gonna laugh whether I felt like it or not. The ride from Park City to Salt Lake City was filled with fast-witted conversation about politics — more local than national. There was much laughter. We arrived early enough to grab a quick meal. Walking to the restaurant, we rounded a corner and ran into former Park City Mayor Jack Thomas with his wife Margarethe. We had hugs and laughs. At the tiny restaurant we talked books and movies, the state of entertainment and, well, the state of our state. My friend had purchased fabulous seats in row C — dead cen- ter. I don’t know how many years I have been spending my weekends listening to “Wait Wait.” Snowy Sundays and sunny Saturdays. I love “playing along” with the “news for nerds” quizzes. I had no idea I would be laughing so hard my shoulders would shake. I know this because my entire upper body had a workout. I rolled forward in my seat with laughter. We would squeal and hoot and boo and hiss and I finally realized this was really modern day melodrama. The quick wittedness of the car and the dinner conversations turned out to be just the pre-game warm-up for the show. I know I would be lost without ‘my’ public radio. My connections to smart people outside The Curtain some weeks only happen when the radio is on.” Putting faces to faceless radio voices is always a bit shocking — the men were shorter and balder than I had imagined — the women had different colored hair than I thought. It was that old cliche — they had faces made for radio... But everyone was so damn quick witted and wicked smart. The audience — where we sitting — was filled with Park City folks from Steve and Val Chin to Steve and Julie Joyce and Peter and Debra Cole. But I know there were dozens more. To hear Bill Curtis do all those underwriting spots — they aren’t called advertisements in the nonprofit world — was perfect. When he talked about Subaru — first in fully professional terms — and ended it by saying it was “one hot bitchin’ ride” I felt smug. I have been driving Subarus since the ’70s. And then, of course, there was that weighted tagline “THIS is NPR” they played with — as if we had thought NPR was all stiff and musela-like we were reminded — this too was public radio — at it wittiest. If you miss the show this weekend — Curtis, the announcer, welcomes the crowd by saying “U-Tah? Me ... Bill.” Give it a minute. If you’re not a news geek, you would be lost with the show. And this week some of the news was made to order for the Utah broadcast — including the reveal — the Deep-Throated Twitter handle of Mitt Romney is Pierre Delecto. They have a great time with that. The very first live show they ever did was in Salt Lake City — 10 years ago at Westminster College. It had been the brainchild of a former intern reporter for this paper and a reporter for KPCW and a graduate of Stanford and now the fundraiser for the Natural History Museum, Chris Eisenberg, yes, son of Franci. Because — the universe somehow has the strangest threads that tie Parkites to most everything — in less than seven degrees of Kevin Bacon or separation or whatever silly games you like to play to make your mind stretch. I know I would be lost without “my” public radio. My connections to smart people outside The Curtain some weeks only happen when the radio is on. I learn about world events from the BBC. But locally it is the dual existence of KUER based in Salt Lake City and KPCW based right here in Swede Alley. KPCW is undergoing a critically needed expansion right now. Their fundraising campaign is just starting and they need around $2.5 million. If being connected to real journalism — in broadcast form — matters to you — help them continue to bring us not only the crucial stories in a small town but also great programming and news from beyond our borders that can help us laugh. Smart laughs — localized this week — happen with this edition of “Wait Wait ... Don’t Tell Me” on our own local NPR affiliate — KPCW — you can catch the show on Saturday or, like I often do, hear the replay, on Sundays in the Park... Teri Orr is a former editor of The Park Record. She is the director of the Park City Institute, which provides programming for the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts. |