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Show American Foirk (CMzemi nn r,C U More LOCAL news than any other source! For home delivery call 756-7669 or see our web site at www.newutah.com Vol. 21, No. 51 Wednesday, December 22, 1999 50 cents a single copy Realignment proposals will shake up local schools By Beky Beaton Sports Editor I Well, it's that time again. ; No, not Christmas it's time ;for the realignment circus to begin. If it seems like we just I went through it, your memory I isn't faulty. This process, once timed like leap years or the Olympics (i.e., for every four 'years), has now seen a couple of two-year cycles. The Board of Trustees of the "Utah High School Activities 'Association decided to rethink 'the last four-year alignment two years ago because of the 1-15 I highway reconstruction project. I So far this time, the only thing the Board has agreed on is they won't do that again that is, once the decision is made this 'time, it won't be revisited in two years, barring a "major event' like an earthquake or something. Evan Excell, executive director ; of the UHSAA, is careful to point out that the realignment process is just beginning, despite the publication pub-lication of the Board's initial pro-'posal pro-'posal a couple of weeks ago. "Right now, we are in the 'input-taking stage," he said. I"When the Board meets on Jan. ; 13, they will look at all the pro-;posals pro-;posals that have been made and come up with an initial recom-'mendation. recom-'mendation. "A series of public hearings ;will follow. After those, if the Board makes any changes, more hearings may be held before the final decision is made," Excell said. The final plan is expected to be ready by June and will not take effect until the 2001-2002 school year, allowing individual institutions plenty of time to adjust their schedules. There are certain to be profound pro-found changes for Utah County schools. For an examination of the proposals and issues already raised for this realignment cycle, seepage 13. f-1 I rr nr' i ' on PirtJi V, Photo by Marc Haddock Wise men kneel before the Baby Jesus in the live Nativity recreated at the Lone Peak IDS Seminary last week a scene that was recreated throughout the world. Here at New Utah! we would like to thank all of our readers for a great 1999, and wish to exend to all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS Mayor will review suggestions for building By Barbara Christiansen City Editor American Fork's building needs committee plans to make a recommendation to Mayor Ted Barratt next week, and the public is invited to attend. The group will meet Thursday, Dec. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 31 N. Church Street. The committee's recommendations, recommen-dations, included in a report to be presented to the city, outline a phased approach to meet the city's needs for space. First step is to conduct an architectural and structural study to determine the useful life of the existing public safety building and the former Harrington School, the report says.. The study would deter- See BUILDING on page 3 City calls for third bids on weights By Barbara Christiansen City Editor A hoped-for expansion of the weight room at American Fork's Fitness Center has been put on hold - again. The city has decided it is in its best interests to reject all bids for new equipment, and seek new ones. That was also the determination determi-nation several weeks ago, when all the bids came in over the price that was anticipated. Under the new circumstances, circum-stances, however, all bids were below the estimated cost. An apparent misunderstanding on the part of one of the bidders, however, caused the city to decide it was best to go back and seek a third round of bids. Summit Fitness had the apparent low bid of $24,388, while Upper Limit bid $25,380. See WEIGHTS on page 3 Tell us what you think Cougar Sports Magazine included free with your New Utah! subscription All New Utah! subscribers will receive a complimentary copy of Cougar Sports Magazine included as a supplement in this week's newspaper. The magazine has been popular with BYU alumni all over the country for several years. However, in an effort to extend and consolidate its circulation locally, Cougar Sports Magazine is testing reader response as a supplement to New Utah! Please let us know what you think. If you would like to continue con-tinue to receive Cougar Sports Magazine each month, included includ-ed at no extra charge with your regular eic Utah! subscription, subscrip-tion, please send us your response via e-mail to Publisher Brett Bezzant: brettnewutah.com; or call 756-7669; FAX 756-5274; or drop us a note: P.O. Box 7, American Fork, Utah 84003. You may also respond directly to Cougar Sports Magazine via e-mail to: victorcougarsportsmag.com; or call 224-2582; FAX 224-2223; or mail: 860 S. Orem Blvd., Ste 206, Orem, UT 84058. Their web site is www.cougarsportsmag.com. In your response, please include your name, address and phone number. As a thank you, Cougar Sports Magazine and the Community Club will send you the Victors' Club Card, which offers hundreds of dollars in savings in travel, long distance, dis-tance, and other community services. Newspaper office to close for holiday Newspaper offices will be closed this Thursday, Dec. 23, starting at noon, and all day Friday, Dec. 24, for the Christmas holiday. Deadlines for next week's newspaper remain the same: news, Monday at noon; display advertising and public notices, Monday at 5 p.m.; Obituaries, Tuesday at 11 a.m.; Classified Advertising, Tuesday at noon. I iwif) rJ Sill Photo by Cindy Burton ' Stuctenti at th American Hsritago School In Pleasant Grove line up to past teddy bears along in (Ire brigade fashion, giving each bear a hug before passing it along to the next chRd. Teddy Bear Brigade sends hundreds of pre-hugged bears to homeless shelter By Cindy Burton Some ceremonies are solemn, some joyful, but the American Heritage Toddy Bear Brigade is touchingly sweet. A line of children meanders from the school's front door to an open van. One by one, brand new teddy bears are passed from student to student, pausing only long enough for a squeeze before the bear is handed to the next child. Slowly the teddy bears make their way through the hugging procession to the awaiting van. These bears are destined for the homeless shelter's clinic in Ogden. The clinic, run entirely by volunteers, has two special rules. Laurie Updike, the inspiration behind the Teddy Bear Brigade, disclosed dis-closed the two rules. "Everybody (who entered the clinic) clin-ic) got a hug, because sometimes homeless people never get a hug," said Updike about rule number one. Rule number two is that every child who enters the clinic will get a teddy bear. 'Something that the children chil-dren could keep hugging that would remind them that someone in Ogden loves them," Updike shared. The clinic has been able to secure adequate medical supplies, but keeping keep-ing up with the teddy bear demand has been more difficult. That is where Updike stepped in. "That's something I can do," she recanted to the American Heritage students in an assembly. Updike collected col-lected 24 bears the first year, and 50 the second year. "On the third year, American Heritage School decided to join the project and they gathered hundreds of teddy bears," Updike said. That third year they were able to supply more bears than the clinic needed in a year. This year they hope to do the same. But it wasn't enough just to collect the teddy bears, and that is where the Teddy Bear Brigade ceremony comes in. . By having each student hug the teddy bear, they are priming that bear with love enough to spill over to their new owner. "Give all the teddy bears a hug, hug these bears as they go by," explained Updike to the students. "So that all of the teddy bears are pre-hugged." pre-hugged." Bears of all colors and sizes bobble along the line of students, pausing for a squeeze, then move on to the next child. Some children are serious and some silly, but the intent is the same for each, to give to a homeless child an extra measure of love and compassion. com-passion. "When you give these teddy bears you are capturing the true spirit of Christmas," Updike told the students. R COPY |