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Show THE PARK RECORD SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2001 ViewjxM ints. A-ll EDITORIAL Olympic welcome sign should remain as an artist's rendition It s unfortunate that Park City has decided decid-ed to drag out what should have been a doomed idea from the start. The Olympic welcome sign that Park City wants to build on its entry corridor should remain on the drawing draw-ing board where it now resides. Sign detractors have made compelling arguments against the addition and the Park City Council should scuttle the concept. The city is considering a large entryway sign that welcomes visitors and tells them that Park City is a player in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Public Affairs Director Myles Rademan says it is part of an ongoing effort to revamp the city's signs and a way to designate to visitors that they have arrived in Park City. But. as has been noted by opponents, the sign would be an unwelcome new feature to the city's entry corridor. And Park City simply sim-ply does not need the sign, even a sign in a different location, which was broached this week. First, Park City just dedicated a beautiful LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - Community support lacking Olympic Welcome Plaza in the Snow Creek Plaza, which is located just south of the proposed pro-posed welcome sign. The plaza is a tasteful greeting that tells of the city's role in the upcoming Olympics and commemorates past Winter Olympics. Secondly, Park City strives to protect its entryways. The Richards opens-space purchase pur-chase was a key to those efforts. A new sign so close to the property is unjust to the purchase. pur-chase. The Park Record is pleased that opponents have communicated these concerns to the City Council. The Citizens Open Space Advisory Committee, the Park City Planning Commission and the Park City Historical Society have all offered criticism. At least one City Councilor. Peg Bodell, saw that the proposal was a bad idea when it first appeared. The rest of the City Council should concur and end the debate about the sign by leaving it as an artist's rendition. 2V m ( KNOW YOU HAVE ANNOUNCED DEC,5,N JOHN KILBOURNP4flK RECORD Editor: On behalf of the Park City High School, I would like to say that I am extremely disappointed dis-appointed in the community and their support sup-port of the upcoming High School Winter Formal dance. One would expect, out of all of the hotels, events centers and restaurants, restau-rants, the PCHS Student Council would be able to find a location to hold this traditional tradi-tional senior formal ball, but that is far beyond the case. two large name hotels canceled our booking for no apparent reason. Then, last Sunday, Jan. 21, after booking The Canyons' Grand Summit Hotel, the events manager called to say that they were booking book-ing another party and that we would have to find another location for the dance. That was the last straw. I am disgusted that because High School students do not book rooms at a hotel or drink alcoholic beverages that an organization organiza-tion would choose another party over their own local high school. I am disgusted that because the Student Council cannot pav the large amounts of money that some companies can to rent out a facility that we are denied the opportunity to hold a formal dance away from our high school cafeteria. 1 am disgusted that because I am not an adult, I am treated like a child, and I am disgusted in the promises many organizations organiza-tions have broken. Many new and larger companies are moving into the Park City area, making promises to provide support and meet the local community needs before the global needs. But, as has been displayed, these companies only care about making money, and they never intended to help out the community at all. Never, in the four years that I have attended this high school, have I seen such a lack of community support, involvement and excitement. I do not know what to think about this community and society, and what it is coming to when the only high school in the town cannot find a location for their only senior formal dance of the year. I am truly disappointed in my home town. Rachel Klein Senior Class President A mother's plea for justice Editor: On Oct. 26, 2000, in Utah, a two-year-old boy was left alone in his father's truck while the father went hunting. The boy apparently awoke from his sleep, climbed out of his car seat and out of the truck. He was found six days later, dead from hypothermia. On April 2, 1999, my daughter, Eva Ann Nixon, was killed in Truckee, Placer County, Calif. She was above a .30 alcohol level and: a: Either left alone to die, b: Followed and, in an argument that may have pursued, fallen or slipped, c: Been followed and pushed off a cliff. The father in Utah has been charged with negligent homicide. My daughter's boyfriend was never interrogated and the district attorney said that while his actions were reprehensible, there was no cause for criminal indictment. I always said that had Eva been young and not drunk that there would have been criminal charges filed. The district attorney said that was not so. Those of you who knew and cared for Eva Ann Nixon, or those of you who just care about justice, I am asking you for your support and help. I have tried everything I know within reason to reach out for some justice for my daughter so that she is not just a throw-away. She was important to her parents, her grandparents, and to her six brothers. If you still care about her, write the Placer County District Attorney and let them know that this is an injustice and that Eva Ann deserves more than she has gotten got-ten at the hands of the justice system and her killer. Katherine Nixon Idaho Falls, Idaho GUEST EDITORIAL Planned Parenthood: Working to prevent teen pregnancy by KARRIE GALLOWAY, rresioenvwtu Planned Parenthood Assoc. of Utah Recently Salt Lake Tribune headlines announced: "Teen Births: Rate Lowest in 60 Years." Births to U.S. teens have fallen fall-en to their lowest rate in 60 years, according accord-ing to government agencies. Utah is experiencing expe-riencing the same downward trend. In Utah, births in the teenage population declined about four percent from 1998 to 1999 to a current rate of 41.8 births per 1.000 in the 15 to 19 age group. We are pleased and excited about these declines. Yet, these successes must be viewed in perspective. American teens continue to have about 750,000 pregnancies, pregnan-cies, 500.000 births and 250,000 abortions each year. The teenage birth rate in the United States remains the highest among industrialized nations and higher than rates found in more than 50 developing nations. In 1998, Utah teens, 15 to 19 years old, had 4,936 pregnancies, 4,385 births and 588 abortions - 658 of these teens have given birth one, two or three times before. There were 52 births to Utah teens 14 years of age or less. It is essential that we continue to increase our efforts to educate our teens about responsible respon-sible sexual behavior. This decline in teen births is a measurable measur-able outcome due largely to increased availability of information from Planned Parenthood concerning contraceptive options, condom use andor emergency contraception. Parenthood Association of Utah has been dedicated in our efforts to reach teens through radio and television televi-sion teen outreach -- in Spanish and English as well as in our increased print messages in publications that target the teen audience. Planned Parenthood is very pleased that our teenage population has received the contraception message. I'm writing to ask for continued financial finan-cial support of our teen programs. The dollars you and other Planned Parenthood friends contribute allow us to be aggressive in our presentation of radio, television, print and personal messages mes-sages to our Utah teenagers about responsible sexual behavior. Your dollars also enable us to continue to provide confidential con-fidential reproductive health services for teens, which allow them to delay too-early too-early child bearing and avoid life-threatening and fertility-threatening diseases such as HIVAIDS. We all know that the costs of teen pregnancy preg-nancy are enormous. According to the latest data available, in fiscal year 1996 the federal government spent approximately approxi-mately $38 billion a year to help support families that began with a birth to a teenager. At the same time, the government govern-ment invested only $1.38 million a year to prevent teenage pregnancy. In other words, we spend $300 per individual taxpayer tax-payer to cover the costs of teen pregnancy. pregnan-cy. Yet, we spend only $1 per taxpayer to prevent teen pregnancy. This does not make sense! The ratio of 1:300 provides us with a clear picture of how government spending spend-ing has "put the cart before the horse." The $38 billion that the United States government spent to support families begun by a birth to a teen was allocated to programs like Medicaid, AFDC, WIC and food stamps. These are all good and necessary programs to help families gain access to food, clothing, housing and medical care. However, it is abundantly clear that this country has not provided enough of our young people with the nec essary information, services and motiva tion to delay too-early childbearing. Census Bureau projections indicate that by the year 2005, 1.2 million more young people will live in the United States than live here now. It is clear that we will need to dedicate much higher levels lev-els of funding in the future for effective prevention just to sustain current teenage pregnancy rates. Statistics show that abstinence-only programs are ineffectual. Programs such as the recently proposed "Sexless Sex Ed," HB 210, that prohibit information about using contraception to prevent teenage pregnancy and other sexually sex-ually transmitted diseases, including HIV, do not work. There is absolutely no evidence evi-dence that censoring or withholding vital information about contraception can reduce teenage pregnancy. Governor Leavitt, because of extreme pressure from Planned Parenthood supporters, vetoed HB 210. But, in doing so, he ordered the state school board to make rule changes that would ensure teachers stay strictly within the boundaries of the state's already restrictive sex-education law. On Oct. 5, 2000, the Utah State Board of Education approved new wording in Utah's human sexuality curriculum to place even more emphasis on abstinence and marital fidelity. The changes include identifying premarital abstinence and marital fidelity as the only means of preventing pre-venting sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. A new state rule for parental permission permis-sion requires parents and teachers to jump through more hoops to discuss numan sexuality, wnicn is detmed as encompassing sexual abstinence, reproduction, repro-duction, physiology, pregnancy, marriage, childbirth, parenthood, contraception, HIVAIDS and other sexually transmitted transmit-ted diseases. These "technical changes" coupled with the existing state law makes it even more difficult for teachers to truly meet the educational needs of our teens. Think of a teen you know. Maybe someone close to your family. What if, through the decisions she made, she found herself pregnant? Or, she contracted contract-ed a sexually-transmitted infection that permanently impaired her fertility or endangered her life. How would that affect her future? And what about her family's life? And her plans - or her dreams? This does not have to happen! At Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, we deliver high quality, medically accurate information about sex, birth control, abstinence and sexuality to our Utah teenagers. Our educational program pro-gram supports abstinence and gives sexually sexu-ally active teens the information they need to make responsible decisions about sex and to delay pregnancy until they are ready. Planned Parenthood is the confidential confi-dential source teens can trust for all the facts about their reproductive health. Your contribution today makes Planned Parenthood Association of Utah's teen outreach, education and medical services program possible. Our teens must have access to the information they need to protect themselves! Please support the efforts of Planned Parenthood. The opinions expressed in our guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the Park Record. The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat-Noaker Staff writers Bruce Lewis Jay Hamburger Jennifer McKenna Vanessa Conabee Sterling Clifford Karri Dell Hays Tim Sullivan Contributing writers Tom Clyde Rick Brough Teri Orr Gary Weiss ' " Jay Meehan Editor's assistant Courtney Herzinger Office accountant Christiana Komma Classified advertising Ian McNeil Wendy Dunn Reception Parti Christensen Circulation manager Cathy Vanderweghe Advertising director Valerie Deming Advertising sales Betsy Shotwell Smith Gayle Seaman Inkarna Thomas Anne Cummings Wendy Haliiday Leslie Schag Shanelle Russell Tito Trujillo Editorial production Kat James Photographer Stephen Zusy Production director Amy Hobbs Production Matt Gordon Kristi Masters Yvonne Ruth Scott Aste Trish Graham Rory Lewis Kristin Thomas Michael Ascani Distribution Karen Yetter John Kilbourn Cimlenls of the The Park Record are copyright O 201)1, Diversified Suburban Newspapers. All rights reserved. So portion max he 'cprodticed in any form without written consent of the managing editor or publisher. The Park Record (USPS 378-73(1) (ISSN 0745-9483) 0745-9483) is published twice weeklv by DiuimIi.-'I Suburban Newspapers. 1670 Bonanza Dr.. Park City. Utah. Periodicals Postage paid at Park Citv. Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Park Record. Box 3688. Park City. Utah 84060. Entered as second class matter. Mav 25. 1977 at the post office in Park City. Utah 84060. under the Act of March 3. 1897. Subscription rates are $32 inside Summit County. $60 outside Summit Counr. I uh Subscriptions are tramfcrrablc $5 t inivlliition lee Phone (435) 649-9014 or fax (435) 649-4942. Published every Wednesday and Saturday. For the record PHOTOS BY STEPHEN ZUSY Asked at the Music Cafe in the Elks Building and at the Sundance ticket office What are the best and worst films you have seen at the Sundance Film Festival? 3 r Margot ZeU Toronto, Ontario 'Best, 'Southern Comfort,' one of the documentaries and 'MacArthur Park.' Worst, 'Lost and Delirious.' Joseph Cordery Park City "Best, 'Memento.' Worst or least favorite, 'MacArthur Park' because of the subject matter." Reed McCoHn Los Angeles, Calif. "Best, 'Enigma.' Worst, the documentaries, documen-taries, because they lacked a point of view and The Business of Strangers."' a Roger Merril Idaho Falls, Idaho Susan Snead Park City "Best, "The Believer.' Caveman's Valentine.'" "Best, 'Memento,' it was stylish and inventive. Worst, 'Middle Passage,' it was simply poor filmmaking." |