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Show A2 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008 - N E W S - Spanish Fork 280 North Main St. Spanish Fork, UT 84660 Lane Henderson Publisher Namon Bills Editor Dana Robinson . Assoc. Editor The Spanish Fork News is published each Wednesday for $37.50 per year in area and $41.50 out of area by J-Mart, 280 North Main St.. Spanish Pork Utah 84660. Email stories to editor@spforknews.com Email ads to ads@5p fo rkn irws. co m Call us at 794-4964 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Spanish Fork News 280 North Main St. Spanish Fork, Utah 84660 The entire content of this newspaper is Copyright© 2008 Spanish Fork News. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the editor or publisher. THE SPANISH FORK NEWS (USPS 024716) is published weekly for $37.50 per year by JMart Publishing, 280 North Main St., Spanish Fork, UT 84660. Periodicals Postage Paid at Spanish Fork, UT. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Spanish Fork News, 42 East 300 North, Spanish Fork, UT' 84660. DEADLINES Weddings, anniversaries, missionaries, 1st birthdays, articles, photos/,letter? to the editor Friday, 12 p.m. Display advertising and classified advertising Thursday, 12 p.m. ommunity ews Covering what matters most Remembering Honoring Spanish Fork and Salem's finest for the American Legion. I would go with them to funerals and VetNewsprint Musings erans Day assemblies. I admit that Namon Bills at the time I thought of it mostly as a good excuse to get out of school. I've heard Walt Stewart speak But over time I got to know the about his World War II experi- members of Post 68, many of whom ences many times. Stewart flew had served in WWII. It was a revelation to me to bombing raids over Germany in learn that the "greatest generahis B-24, "Utah Man." I can still tion" was made up of normal guys. remember his joke about how JoTheir greatness lay not in any gehann Strauss must have been color blind, because the "Blue Danube" netic predisposition to athleticism is about as blue as that wall over or genius — although many did there, pointing to the brown brick have those qualities. Instead, their wall of the Brockbank Elementa- greatness came through a conry cafeteria. But there's one thing scious choice in their response to I can't remember, and that's the the call to duty. These were boys thing Stewart said never to forget who had not sought honor or glory, — it's the name of one of his bud- but they loved their country and dies whose plane went down over when their country called, they Germany — a hero who never answered. And in answering, they came home. I should remember became men. In answering, they that name. We all should. And became great. there are others who should be reToo many of them are gone membered too. now. Great, normal guys like Loy According to conservative es- "Shady" Chappie who drove like timates. World War II veterans are a maniac through Goshen Canyon dying at a rate of 1,000 per day. one time when we were late for a The Spanish Fork/Salem area has funeral. (It's a long story.) Or Ray already lost many of our WWII Newman who always had a new vets. In an effort to better remem- — and usually corny — joke to tell ber those men and their sacrifices, every time you saw him. I know that our current unChristy Hardman will be writing a dertaking will be insignificant in new column, starting this week, entitled "Finest Hour". It will chron- comparison to the greatness of icle the stories and experiences so many Spanish Fork and Saof local WWII veterans and will lem veterans. We won't even be serve as a tribute to local members able to highlight all of the living of what Tom Brokaw called the WWII veterans from the area. But hopefully our small tribute will "greatest generation." This project has personal signifi- serve as a reminder of all those Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News cance for me. I played the trumpet who answered the call to duty. Because that's something worth in the high school band, and got inHONORED MEMORY: Richard Banks presents an American flag to Doris volved playing "Taps" as a bugler remembering. Burns at the funeral of her husband, Al, in February 2008. Letter to the Editor Alarmed by Omnibus bill On Thursday, May 29, 2008 a lawsuit was filed SB 61 - Financial and Economic Literacy Education challenging the constitutionality of SB2 titled SB 118 - Education Transportation Amendments "Minimum School Program Budget Amendments" While these bills are all about education in some which is a 43 page Omnibus bill introduced and way, very few of them have to do with the "Minimum passed by the legislature in the final two days of the School Program" which is the title of SB2. Our legislative session. I have chosen to be a plaintiff in state constitution was written with the sole purpose that lawsuit. of avoiding this type of shoddy and manipulative Legislative leaders are claiming that this lawsuit is legislating. Utahans deserve better. more about political campaigning than about the law. Because of the dominance of one party in our As a candidate for state legislature I strongly refute legislature there are no checks and no balance in that. I filed to run for state legislature because of the what they do and how they do it. That is why the 38 abuse of power that I witnessed with SB2. plaintiffs to this lawsuit have appealed to the courts. The legislative leadership claims that omnibus These plaintiffs are bi-partisan and include members bills have been passed before. Maybe so. But of the State School Board, current and former members this one changed the game by holding back bills of local school boards, current and past legislators, a (against their own rules) that had previously passed former chief clerk of the House of Representatives, with great support in order to pass other bills that among others. had already been defeated either on the floor or in "If I had to do it over again and we had more committee. time, I would avoid it. To have every issue stand Our Utah Constitution is clear: "Except general on its own in a separate bill is a good idea," said appropriation bills and bills for the codification and Senator Stephenson, the sponsor of this bill. They general revision of laws, no bill shall be passed had 45 days to address these bills and all of them containing more than one subject, which shall be were debated at some point in the process. Many clearly expressed in its title." were voted on. Here are the subject titles of 13 bills that were "There's a threat of litigation that would have introduced, debated on and sometimes voted on the courts define our single-subject rule. I have previously that were rolled into SB2: great concerns with that because it's a significant diminishment of legislative power to have the courts HB 67 - Extended Year for Special Educators determine that," said Speaker Curtis about the lawsuit. HB 200 - Early Childhood Learning and Evaluation HB 212 - State System of Public Education The key word here is "power." The Republican Amendments or Educator Salary legislature has too much of it and they don't want the Adjustments courts to reign them in. HB 266 - Accelerated Learning Program Revisions In passage of SB2 the legislature once again HB 270 - Utah Science Technology and Research demonstrated an attitude of "the end justifies the Initiative Centers means." (In 2007 they held important legislation HB 278 - Charter School Funding Amendments hostage in order to get the votes to pass the voucher HB 329 - High-ability Student Initiative Program bill.) I believe that integrity is critical, both personal HB 363 - Public Education-Arts Enhanced Learning integrity and integrity of the process. All citizens of Program or Beverley Taylor Sorenson Utah should be alarmed at what is happening to the integrity of the process in our state legislature. Elementary Arts Learning Program HB 419 - Public Textbook Evaluation Amendments HB 436 - English Language Learner Family Literacy Sincerely, Centers Program Debbie Swenson SB 35 - Differentiated Pay for Teachers Salem, UT Oh, those weeds! the trucks coming in and out of the feed yard loaded with good feed. We had a couple of fields get rained on, but Shirlene R. Ottesen for the most part it has been Your chuckle for the good. The forecast is that the week: A rural homeowner storms are going to fade out wrote to a mail order house and the temperatures are goas follows: "Please send me ing to warm up. For those of you who one of the gasoline engines you show on page 142 and if have lived in our valley and it's any good, I'll send you a are now away, I thought I check." In time he received would paint a mental picture the following reply: "Please for you. Today the sky is a send check. If it's any good, beautiful summer blue and filled with big, fluffy white we'll send the engine." The rain we've had the clouds, not the dark gray past few weeks has been ones that we've had now for great for our crops. The grain several weeks. Mt. Timpanois growing; the corn is up gos, Mt. Flonette, Mt. Loafer and showing in long, straight and Mt. Nebo still have snow rows and farmers are finally on the tops which makes for able to cut the first crop of a nice contrast against the hay. I think this is thefirstin blue sky. The fields in the several years that we have valley are now all green with been so close on our hay the hay, grain and com. What storage so it's good to see a picture! There and Back Again See WEEDS • A3 Madison's Avenue by "Big Al" and "Farruy" CBO0B tMngs L.LC Ab> Ota*. «id D m F n w Use a bigger ball, Dad." |