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Show Page Two - The Springville Herald - July 13, 1994 EDITORIAL It shows on the faces "The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie," This is a quote from Agnes DeMille in the New York Times. If this is true, what a delight it is to attend the 1994 World Folkfest and get to know these beautiful visitors to our community. There are three more performances for this year's Folkfest, and so far audiences have thrilled at the variety of dances, exciting music and spectacular costumes. But it is the bodies, the faces of the people that impress. . Many of the faces of the performers and musicians this year are young. They are faces filled with hope, eager faces that are excited to visit America and appreciate all of the things they have found here. What a wonderful opportunity it is for us to have this festival in our city. The performers have traveled far and in most cases it has cost them a great deal of money to come. We can show them how much we appreciate their visit by attending the World Folkfest performances and by telling them thank you for coming. We can also get to know these faces better by talking to them if , we see them on the street or in our neighborhoods or at the festival. The faces on the stage at the festival effect the faces in the audience too. Children can be seen dancing on the grass during the performance. Those in the audience clap and smile and voice their approval during the dances. The Folkfest is a happy time. It shows on the faces. AARP's Widowed Service program comes to Utah Although is is well entrenched nationwide, the American Association of Retired , Persons (AARP) Widowed Service program (WSP) is a fairly recent innovation in Utah and is just' now gaining momentum in the state. Under the guiding hands of a vivaciaous, energetic volunteer named Shirley Rossa, the program, which offers aid, direction and consolation to . newly widowed women of any age, is in the process of organization throughout the major cities of the state. The Roosevelt-Duchesne Roosevelt-Duchesne area has an established program and another is currently being formed m the Salt Lake City area. Utah has also been selected as one of five states to initiate a new "Rural Area" WPS. program.' - . "Until you have been through it, you just don't understand how a widow feels. But, once you have been there yourself you can really empathize with those who have just lot their companions." says Rossa. She tells us the program uses those who have been through all the trauma of widowhood themselves, and who have learned the ways of survival, to call on newly widowed persons and offer help. This help can come in many forms. In some cases, just an occasional telephone call to let them know someone cares will suffice. In others, there may be a heed for help 'with a check book or insurance forms. There might also be aid for the children in a bereaved home. A lot of the time the need is for someone with a sympathetic ear who listens well and gives the needed emotional support to help heal the wounds. Mostly, it is a case of being there. Understanding and being willing to do whatever is needed to help the widowed person through a very difficult time. In addition the the AARP assistance given, the WPS volunteers seek co-sponsors to support the program. Many organizations have responded. Usually with "in kind" help such (USPS 513-060) Published Weekly by Art City Publishing Co., Inc. 161 South Main Street Springville, Utah 84663 Publisher.... . Martin W. Conover Editor Patricia Conover Second Class Postage Paid in Springville, UT 84663 Postmaster send change of address notice to: The Springville Herald, 161 S. Main, Springville UT 84663 Subscriptions in Advance per year $18.00 Out of County Subscriptions per year $21.00 Per Copy $0.50. Delivered by carrier, per month $1,80 Member Utah Press Association as furnishing a room to train new recruits in or furnishing a mailing service or telephone services. The new rural program will seek at least one such sponsor for each rural district. The WPS volunteers are carefully chosen and well trained personel. Once they have been selected, a trainer from the AARP national level comes to meet with them and give explicit instructions in how they are to .assist new widows. The recruits must be widowed themselves and must have been widowed for one year or more. Most of them find their work highly rewarding and find that living the AARP motto of "Giving Service Withour Being Served" brings a fulfillment to their lives that helps fill the void of being widowed themselves. . They become very attached to the ' people they work with and often establish lifetime relationships. In the past all WPS units have been established in larger city centers. With the inception of the new Rural WPS program the more remote areas will also be served. The plan calls for the identification of various rural areas throughout the state where the plan may be implimented. Up to 30 volunteers will be selected and the volunteers from 10 rural areas will be called to a central location and a national level trainer will meet with them for three days to give them the training they- need. The AARP will pay all expenses incurred in the training process. As soon as one region is organized and running the process will continue in another until the entire state is covered. All contacts with the new widows are strictly confidential and there are no fees attached. Anyone interested in volunteering for the WPS programs for their areas shouls contact Shirley Rossa. 1600 Arlington Drive, Salt Lake City, Ut. 801-596-9511. A poet begins in delight and ends in wisdom. Robert Frost Sales tax exemptions By Howard Stephenson Utah's sales tax exemption review process has turned into a monster. Last year Governor Mike Leavitt vetoed SB 199 after the Taxpayers Asociation helped convince him that the statewide property tax hike it required was unwise. In a special session, he obtained passage of SB 1 , which called for modifying the state's ongoing sales tax exemption review process to create a pool of money to help rapidly growing school districts cope with their building needs. But the governor warned that there should be no pressure to remove legitimate exemptions because the pool could also be suported through growing state revenues or, as a final alternative, through property taxes. The goal was to generate nearly $125 million in ongoing money from the four-year review. In the first year of review it appeared the process wasn't going to produce the expected $5 million in repealed exemptions, so the governor applied subtle presuure on the Tax Review Commission and the legislature to go back to the table and find the money. And boy, did we come up with money: $1.1 million in taxes on coin-operated laundries, car washes and video games, $1.35 million "on pollution control equipment, a half-million dollars on taxi cab and commercial bus fares, nearly a third of a million on shipping containers and pallets, and another third of a million in higher vending machine sales taxes. After adding $1.6 million in oil well work over credit reductions to money from the repeal of these exemptions, the $5 million goal was met. But the legislature didn't stop there. Since we were ori a roll, we also decided to tax admission fees including public golf courses and swimming pools, raising $3.3 million. A new tax on building materials for government construction projects was also . enacted to raise $7.7 million a year. All told, the repealed exemptions in the first year amounted to about $16 million in higher taxes; more than the three year goal of $14.6 million. When it was pointed out during the June meeting of the Interim Revenue and Taxation Committee that the revenue commitment had been met in the fist year, committee co-chair Rep. Byron Harward argued that the $23 million tax cut from repealing the 18 cent "temporary" flood sales tax put us back in the hole again. Using that logic, this year's $230 million surlus should have averted the need to repeal any sales tax exemptions. "This appetite for more money is well-illustrated by comments from one of the consultants hired to assist in the review process. Dr. Larry Walters called for repeal of the exemption for agricultural machinery and sprays, stating that since manufacturers and other businesses don't receive similar exemptions, agriculture shouldn't. Walters had ealier testified that it's not good economic policy to tax business inputs. He was asked why he contradicted this policy in calling for the repeal of tax exemptions for agricultural inputs. While acknowledging that the disparity between agriculture, Walters explained he was hired to help produce more money, not less. The exemptions on admission fees and building materials were both repealed without the benefit of public hearings through the Tax Review Commission's exemption reveiw process, yet a proposal to exand the manufacturing exemption was killed by the Governor with the argument that it hadn't received the Tax Review Commission's scrutiny. Apparently, the rule is " that if an exemption bill reduces taxes, intense examination must be provided. But if a bill increases taxes, close scrutiny and public debate is not essential. In hindsight, it's clear that some of the first year's sales tax exemption repeals were unwise, and in the public eye, were the result of policy makers who had a thirst for more money despite state coffers bursting with the largest surpluses in state history. But one of the most embarrassing moments for me was when I learned that Jordan School District (which I represent as a. state senator) will be receiving only $34 million this year in school building aid from this new pool to assist with its $115 million building program. COMMENT Please help Editor: Many people in Georgia have been left with nothing due to ravaging floods. Though they live far away, we can help lots osf individuals and families. We want to fill a truck to send to Georgia as quickly as possible. We need any clean, servicable items that someone can use such as: Household items-blankets. Springville Police report The Springville Police Department had 223 calls last week, with 46 of them being animal related. Christian Carter, 1010 S. 400 East,- 49, Springville, had charges filed against him on two counts of forgery. Richard . Drummond, 557 E. 900 South, Springville, was picked up on a warrant from Salt Lake County. Dustin Henderson, 225 W. 700 South, Springville, was picked up on a couple of warrants. Korey Spencer, 199 E. 400 North, Springville was also picked up on a warrant. Aaron Huff, 14 N- 1050 East, Springville, has charges pending against him for suppling alcohol to a minor. Tisha Huff, 14 N. 1050 East, Springville, was cited and released for illegal consumption of alcohol. Brandon Lee, 850 N. Main, 33, Springville, was charged with assault stemming from a disagreement with neighbors children. Robert 0. Johnson, 850 N. Main, 38, Springville, has charges pending against him stemming from a domestic dispute. Dusty Mott, 393 E. Center, Springville, was arrested for assault in regards to a domestic dispute. Casey Sanders, 853 S. State, Provo, was cited for aiding 1 a curfew violation. Ryan Walker, 299 E. 200 North, Springville, was cited for illegal consumption of alcohol. Four juveniles were charged this week, two for curfew violation, one for a weapons offense and one on a warrant after police were called for a noise disturbance. There were several incidents' of vandalism this week. A garden was trampled; another garden had onions taken from it; a red Ford truck was seen spinning its tires on the new baseball field; a car had the paint scratched; and kids were seen throwing plums at several cars. Thefts included a dayplanner, .22 pistol, case of beer, CD player from a car, hood ornaments, four bikes, tools from a truck, a battery out of a trailer and gas from a service station. Other police involvement included a bicyclist who was hit and received minor contusions, and two incidents of a man exposing himself to two sets of young females. The Utah County Sheriffs department reported a fatal accident which occured at 11:30 p.m. Monday night. 15-year-old Jonathan Nackos of Springville, was killed when the car he was riding in rolled about 14 of a mile from Hobble Creek Golf Course. Nacos -was partially ejected from the car while it rolled. The driver was uninjured and released at the scene of the accident. The Mapleton. police department had 57 calls last week with 10 of them animal related. The first transatlantic airline passenger service began in 1939. The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of profound truth may well be another profound truth. Niels Bohr Even worse, because one of the repealed exemptions requires government agencies to pay sales taxes on building materials, Jordan will pay nearly $1.5 million in new sales taxes this year-twice what it will receive in building aid. It's time we chilled-out on this lust, to increase revenues by repealing exemptions and begin a thoughtful process of tax policy which will : ensure continued economic prosperity. Georgia flood victims quilts, towels, pots and pans, baking items, 'eating utensils, tools, scissors, thread, pins and needles, pens, peixils, etc. Clothing-Please mark the size. Non-perishable food stuff-candy', stuff-candy', boxed and canned items. Cleaning equipment-everything. Personalitems-NEW-deodorant, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors,' combs brushes, etc. Spirits say Citizens: This past weekend the' Springville Spirits Girls Softball Teams hosted the Art City Classic Fast Pitch Tournament. Twenty-four Twenty-four teams from all over the state participated in this two-day event. Over 70 games were played by girls ages 14-18 years of age. The Spirits 16 and under team took the consolation championship while the Spirits 18 Legislature studies property taxes and highway funding Two important legislative task forces have begun their interim study of Utah's property tax system and funding needs for Utah's highway system. The Property Tax Task Force was formed to explore ways to mitigate the impact of irregularities in the current property tax system. The task force will study the process of appraising property, property tax exemptions and the certified rate claculation under Truth-in-Taxation. Many legislators have also expressed a desire to explore alternatives to the property tax or ways to , reduce government dependence on this source of revenue. Recently, Michigan lowered its property taxes for schools and replaces the money with an New real estate contract benefits buyer and seller On January 1, 1994, real estate agents in Utah were required re-quired to use a new standard real estate purchase contract form, the REPC, approved by the State of Utah. According to Mansell & Associates, Asso-ciates, Utah's largest independent residential real estate brokerage, the new "real estate purchase agreement," or earnest money agreement, includes major revisions revi-sions to the standard agreement used since 1983 and offers additional addi-tional protection to consumers. The advantages to both a buyer and a seller are as follows: The loan application process is more clearly defined and has a date by which it must be completed. complet-ed. There is an effective date by which the buyer must be "approved "ap-proved by" for any relevant financing. The house must appraise for the offering price or higher. The closing date is firm and any extensions must be negotiated and agreed, upon in writing. Upon acceptance, the seller, at the seller's expense, agrees to furnish the buyer with a title commitment by an agreed upon date, and a written. seller disclosure disclo-sure as to the true condition of the of the property and the condition condi-tion of all its functioning systems. sys-tems. Buyer still pays for loan-related expenses (appraisal, credit report, etc.) Buyer still deposits earnest money; however, seller pledges an equal amount should the seller default. Buyer has the right to an inspection to determine if the property is in the condition stated in the written disclosure, and a "walk-through" inspection prior to closing to be certain that included in-cluded items are still with the property. ; , PAGE "Items may be delivered to the following addresses, boxed or in plastic bags. . Trucking date will be August 15. June Barrus 33 N. 700 East Springville Taylor Reynolds 35 S. 600 East Springville thank you and under team took fourth in their division. - The Spirits would like to express their deep appreciation to all those that helped with the tournament: scorekeepers, concession workers, clean-up crews and a special thanks to Allan Curtis for all his help with the fields. Thanks Springville City! . Karl Jensen Suzette Nelson' increase in the sales tax. This does not appear to be an option in Utah with sales tax and income tax rates already among the highest in the U.S. The Highway Funding Task Force will examine the long-term needs of the state and determine how they are to be funded. The task force will recommend to the legislature what, if any motor fuel tax increase is necessary, the degree to which highways should be funded through sales and property taxes, the appropriate split between local and state funding and whether the exemption for clean fuels and the government exemption should be reduced or eliminated. The task force will also try to determine whether the Utah Department of Transportation is efficient in the use of highway dollars. Seller warrants the home will be "broom clean" and free of debris. Seller warranties are, more inclusive and better defined. The contract gives the buyer and seller the option of mediation vs. lawsuit over disputes that arise. Disposition of earnest money, should the contract "fall apart" prior to closing, is pre-agreed to in most possible scenarios. Faxes may be used for delivery deliv-ery of an original offer or acceptance. accep-tance. "The new form also pulls the fine print onto the front of the earnest money agreement and requires that all provisions and conditions be dealt with up front," ' says Brad Mortenson, manager of Mansell & Associates' Associ-ates' Springville office, 555 S, State Street. Utah is one of only a few states that approves contracts between buyers and sellers, and Mortenson said the new form is a huge step toward eliminating many of the problems that have arisen since the form was first instituted in 1983. , You can't think and hit at the same" time. Yogi Berra The first medical school in, what is now the United States was established at the College of Philadelphia (now a part of the University- of Pennsylvania), in 1765. . The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them. . Robert Frost - ' Commercial motion-picture film was first manufactured in 1885. |