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Show T H E O N E T H A T R E A D Hie Spanish ¥ork News J L L O C A L L Y O W N E D A VOL. 4 / NO. 20 N D O P WEDNESDAY, E R A MAY T E20,D2009 50^ SPANISH FORK, UTAH Future of Barber Bros Namon Bills EDITOR Some changes are in the works for a long-standing Spanish Fork establishment — but exactly what those changes are remains to be seen. Fred Barber of Barber Brothers Motor Company in Spanish Fork received notice Thursday, May 14 that Chrysler would be terminating their relationship effective June 9, 2009. He then received notice on Friday, May 15 that GM would also be canceling their relationship with the dealership. Barber Bros, was one of almost 800 nationwide to get the axe from Chrysler, and among approximately 1,200 to hear the same from GM. B arber countered the argument that the decisions were based on performance, saying he had spoken with many dealers and there seemed to be "no rhyme or reason" as to which dealerships would close and which ones would remain open. Reports had some writing off the 24-year-old Spanish Fork business already, but Barber and other dealers aren't ready to throw in the towel quite yet. Barber said a group of attorneys representing the 800 on-the-bubble Chrysler dealerships has filed a motion in court in an effort to reverse, or at least revise, the bankrupt automaker's decisions. Since GM is not in bankruptcy, they plan to do what Barber called a "successful wind-down" to terminate relations with the notified dealerships by October 2010. Although GM has already decided which dealerships to put on the chopping block, they are allowSee FUTURE • A6 Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News SALUTE: Members of the honor guard participate in last year's Memorial Day observance. Memorial Day program set Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News SIGN OF WHICH TIMES? Will Barber Bros.' relationship with Chrysler and GM be a thing of the past or will it continue? The Spanish Fork Veteran's Council and American Legion Post 68 are looking forward to presenting their annual Memorial Day Programs for the Spanish Fork, Salem and Benjamin communities. All three programs will take place at the respective city cemeteries, with the Salem program taking place at 8 a.m. Benjamin will begin at 9 a.m., followed by Spanish Fork's presentation set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 25. Program directors, Steve Wilson and Thad Jensen have arranged for Lieutenant Timothy Clayson to be the keynote speaker at the Spanish Fork Cemetery. Lieutenant Clayson is a distinguished member of Spanish Fork's own C Battery, 145th Field Artillery unit, and recently returned from a one year tour of duty in Iraq. Both Salem and Benja- min programs are likewise planned and the public is invited to attend. The American Legion Post 68 honor guard, under the direction of Ladd Abbott and bugler Maren Christensen, will provide a full rifle salute. The public is invited to attend and enjoy this honored event, which is an appropriate way to kick off the Memorial Day holiday. The committee would like to thank all those who have given of their time to help provide support for this event, particularly, Richard Davis and his LDS Church Ward for their help in setting out over 1,300 white crosses, American flags and poppies at the Spanish Fork Cemetery, as well as Stephen Fish and his LDS singles ward for cleaning and polishing the Veterans' Memorial site. Miss Utah attends SF scholarship banquet Namon Bills STAFF WRITER The Spanish Fork Rotary Club and the Spanish Fork/Salem Chamber of Commerce held their annual scholarship banquet Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at the Chillon. Nineteen high school seniors received scholarships. Dinner was prepared by Chillon Chef Ron Spotten, and the guest speaker for the evening was Miss Utah 2008 Kayla Barclay. Rotarian Tracy Frandsen gave a financial report, explaining that, along with the rest of the economy, the scholarship endowment has been hurt, sinking below its $100,000 threshold. However, he said that silent auctions at both Spanish Fork and Salem Hills high schools, and the annual Rotary/Chamber golf tournament had been successful in raising the needed funds to award the 19 scholarships. Both Frandsen and Lana Hiskey gave special thanks to Bill Summers, who has served as chair of the golf tournament for a number of years. See BANQUET • A8 Jen Allen / Spanish Fork News VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Bryan Perry, pictured here with his wife, Tangi, was recently honored by the Utah County Sheriff's office as volunteer of the year. SCAT commander honored Jen Allen STAFF W R I T E R Spanish Fork's Bryan Perry was recently honored at an awards banquet held by the Utah County Sheriff's office. Perry works as the Commander for the SCAT team; a group of individuals whose responsibilities include arranging for communications to be available in remote locations within the county. This includes driving towers out to parts of the unforgiving terrain of Utah County so that radios and phones may be used to communicate between searchers and those who are leading the various search and rescue teams. Perry has worked for the county for a number of years. County Sheriff James O Tracey Jr. introduced those being honored and told a little about what they received their award for. Perry, along with a few others, received the Volunteer of the Year award at the ceremony, which was held Wednesday, May 13 at the Utah County Courthouse. Sheriff Tracey talked at the ceremony about the fatality rate for emergency responders and officers in the state of Utah, citing that there has been a 33 percent rise in the death toll since last year. To honor all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of Utah citizens as well as those across the nation, the county, along with many other counties, towns and states flew their flags at half mast on Friday, May 15. Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News CON BRIO: Miss Utah performs a piano solo during the Rotary/Chamber scholarship banquet. |