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Show American Fork Citizen - Thursday. March 1 8. 2004 - Page 2 Opinion " ' """''''''"""'"'"" Voters can have impact in local precinct caucuses Party caucus meetings on Tuesday present the last significant sig-nificant opportunity for most Utah voters to have an impact on the names they will see on their ballots in November. Republicans and Democrats Democ-rats will meet separately to elect party officials for local voting precincts, as well as delegates to each party's county and 6tate conventions. Far from the ceremonial positions they appear to be, parly delegates actually control, con-trol, to a large extent, which candidates will be allowed to run for the various offices they seek. In each county convention, candidates will be selected for March madness hits home Hi. My name is Joe and I'm a brackaholic. Which isn't a bad thing usually. usu-ally. For 1 1 months of the year, I can function normally (well, OK - normal for me). But every March my addiction kicks in and I'm out of control. Some call it March Madness, but I call it brackaholism. Brackaholism is an addiction to filling out the NCAA men's basketball tournament brackets that you see floating around every March. It is especially prevalent among those of us whose teams never do very well. You don't see much brackaholism in North Carolina or Kentucky, for example. exam-ple. Folks there are too busy being fans to worry about bracketing. But where 1 live brackaholism bracka-holism is rampant. The theory is: if you can't be good, at least you can be right. And since my team is good enough to be in the tournament but not good enough to beat Middle South A&M State - or anyone else in the tournament, for that matter - it becomes even more important to be right about it. Somehow the sting of losing in the first round - again - is lessened when you can hold up your bracket and say, "See? I knew we would lose." While 1 have dabbled in bracketology for years, 1 became seriously addicted about five years ago. A friend of mine - well call him Mark (because that's his real name and 1 hope he sees it in print and knows what he has done to me ) - invited me to sign up for a computer bracketing competition. Up until that point I had always clipped one bracket out of the newspaper and filled it out - for fun. But somehow inputting a computerized bracket and Bending Bend-ing it out into cyberspace to be matched against other bracke-teers bracke-teers all around the world changed everything for me. It became seriouB. It became important. It became . . . addictive. addic-tive. 1 studied and plotted and prepared pre-pared for my itelections. I filled out five different brackets before I finally settled on the one to be submitted to the competition. com-petition. If I was going to put my picks out there for the world to Bee, I needed to do everything I could to make sure I waB RIGHT. county offices and seats of the Utah legislature which are open for election this year. In the state convention, candidates candi-dates will be chosen to run for governor and other statewide offices. Although individual voters do not have a voice at the conventions, they can have an influence by electing delegates dele-gates whose opinions most closely reflect their own. A list of caucus locations and other pertinent information informa-tion may be found in the news section of this newspaper. newspa-per. We encourage all registered regis-tered voters to turn out and participate in this most basic expression of the democratic process. wJIsij) JL I The first day of the tournament tourna-ment I was nervous - but not for my team. For the first time in my life I wanted them to lose. No, that's not quite right - I NEEDED them to lose. In making my computer com-puter bracket 1 had gone against my heart and predicted that my team would go out in the first round, and I'm ashamed to admit that I was actually relieved wheu they did. And they weren't the only losers los-ers 1 predicted correctly that first day. In fact, I was right on every single game - including a couple of stunning upsets. By the end of the day I was in an addictive stupor, brought on by a heady mix of adrenaline and ego. When I arrived at work (yes, that's right - many brackaholics actually allow their sickness to creep into the workplace) there was an e-mail waiting for me from the dot-com running the computerized brackets indicating indicat-ing that I was one out of only 11 submitters to pick all of the opening day games correctly. One out of 11! That was like being a bracketing ail-American, wasnt it? Not only was I right, but I was among the most right people peo-ple in America! 1 was hooked. Never mind that I got clobbered the second day of the tournament. For one brief shining moment I was right - and 1 bad an e-mail from a computer service to prove it. Ever since then I've tried to recapture the -magic of lightness, light-ness, and I've come close a couple cou-ple of times. Last year 1 was doing pretty well up until the Final Four. My 13-year-old daughter was the only one in the family to pick Syracuse as the eventual winner. She Baid she picked SjTacuse because ehe thought it Bounded "cool" and because they had a player named Carmello, which is also the name of her favorite candy bar. I scoffed at ber rea-Boning rea-Boning last year, but as my brackaholiBm starts getting the best of me this March .... I don know. St. Joe's Bounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Residents should earnestly I love my job. I get to know a little bit about a lot of tbingB. I get to see the background back-ground behind why and how things happen. Occasionally that is not enjoyable, enjoy-able, but a great percentage of the time it is extremely interesting. This week I had the opportunity opportuni-ty to visit a rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest" which will be put on by the American Amer-ican Fork Arts Council the next two weekends. And I was quite amazed. I have been involved in theater groups several times during my years. As a reporter, I have gone to a lot of similar rehearsals to take pictures of the cast members to publicize their productions. In the course of those photo sessions, ses-sions, I have seen a number of stages of panic. Directors wring their hands, cast members forget their lines (or they haven't learned them yet), or Bet design- ALPINE The Alpine City Youth Council recently held a food drive to collect items lor the Utah Food Bank.. During Dur-ing the Saturday morning drive, they were able to collect 1200 pounds of food to benefit those in need. The Youth Council will next be working to obtain backpacks and school supplies to be donated to homeless or less-fortunate children. ALPINE Alpine City will hold Family Focus Days on April 23 and 24. The two-day event will include guest speakers who will discuss better parenting and family dynamics that can benefit any family. There will also be an essay contest for school-aged school-aged children held as part of this event. Entry forms for the essay contest can be picked up at the Alpine City Offices, 20 Main Street in Alpine. CEDAR HILLS A free gardening workshop will be offered at 7 p.m. on March 23 at the Cedar Hills City Office on 3925 W. Cedar Hills Dr. Judy Arnold, an Advanced Master Gardener, will teach residents how to make the clay soil found in Cedar Hills into soil fit for flowers, vegetables, trees, and lawns. Space is limited, and those who wish to attend should call Jennifer at 785-9668 to reserve a seat. CEDAR HILLS Resident Brian Carroll asked the City Council March 2 if speed bumps could be placed on Harvey Blvd., or a stop sign placed at 4600 West and Harvey Blvd. Carroll said, "People go 30 to 50 miles an hour through there, and it's a residential neighborhood." Mayor Brad Sears directed city staff to look at possible traffic-calming devices for that area. EAGLE MOUNTAIN Mark Madsen declared his candidacy candi-dacy tor the Utah State Senate District Dis-trict 13 seat being vacated by Senator Sen-ator Bill Wright. Madsen is in his third year of a 4-year term as a City Council member in Eagle Mountain and is campaigning for the Republican Republi-can ticket and as of March 8, is the only candidate for trie office as of March 10. If needed, the primary election for Madsen and other contenders con-tenders will be in May. EAGLE MOUNTAIN Eagle Mountain is reviewing bids for its Information Systems Contract. Con-tract. According to City Administrator Administra-tor Chris Hillman, specifications for the upcoming contract are far more complicated than the soon to expire agreement. "Our server is outdated and many of our computers are old and overworked," he told the coun-cil. coun-cil. "Furthermore, we will be moving mov-ing into permanent buildings and will need expertise on how to customize cus-tomize the information system to suit Eagle Mountain's needs." FAIRFIELD The Camp Floyd'Stagecoach Inn State Park will host an open house on Saturday March 20 from 1 0 a.m. to 2 p.m. to introduce new museum ere are madly dashing about trying try-ing to figure how to portray the Bcenery or how to make things work right. Calling it a madhouse would be kind, in some circumstances. Somehow the miracle usually happens and almost every production produc-tion I have attended has come together. I don't know how they always seem to do it, but it works. At "The Importance of Being Earnest," I was amazed. Yes, there were still items to be completed. Work was going on in the background back-ground to get things ready, there was choreography being polished for those doing the scene changes. Yet behind it all there was a exhibits. A highlight of the new additions is a computer virtual reality reali-ty program by Panacom Productions Produc-tions of Salt Lake City. Visitors can get a virtual bird's eye view and explore Camp Floyd as it was in 1859. Camp Floyd is located in Fairfield, 22 miles southwest of Lehi on Highway 73. For more information call 801-768-8932. HIGHLAND The next phase of the Highland Hills development on 11800 North will be going from a 2.5 home per acre density with open space to one acre lots. However, developer Bill Souvall asked the Highland City Planning Commission on March 9 to allow him to reconfigure some of the open space from the original plan to make better connections between the two plats. 'There will be no loss of open space and perhaps per-haps even more added but we need to put it in a different location," he said. Concerns were raised about a triple-sided lot in the concept plan. The project will come in for preliminary prelimi-nary approval with plans revised according to the discussion. HIGHLAND Dave Fairbanks, nearby resident to the proposed Jiffy Lube and car wash slated to be built east of the Kountry Komers Chevron voiced his concern about the fence to be built between his property and the new businesses. The fence on the north is eight feet two inches. S want mine to be just as high. I never wanted this to come next to me in the first place," he said. Chair Steve Draper explained a six-foot fence had already been approved, "However "How-ever the elevation of the fence between you and the Jiffy Lube will be the same elevation as the one in the rear There was some confusion confu-sion about the relative elevation of both Fairbanks property and the property on the north. LEHI The Lehi Poiice Department cars have a fresh, new took with new decals and striping with Lehi High School Pioneer colors - purple, silver sil-ver and blackThe department has had the same decal for 1 0 years on its vehicles and the administration decided to use the $12,000 that I d been set aside for another cstr, spending $5,000 for the new design and application. Looking older then the cars really were because of the peeling decals on the exterior of the vehicle, many of the cars were just two years old. Wow everyone thinks they're brand new cars," LPD patrol officer Damon iFaught said. LEHI The Lehi City Public Library will host James Dashner, financial analyst, ana-lyst, as its guest speaker tonight at 7 at the library, 920 U. Center Street. Author of "A Door in the Woods" and the sequel "A Gift of lice, Dashner's goal in life is to break the stereotypical profile Of an accountant, showing that they are creative and some ven Shave personality. per-sonality. LEHI try to see play sense of polish. It was still nearly two weeks to the opening night and there was a feeling that an actual production would really take place. It's unusual When actors use accents, as they do in this show, it can create problems for those in the audience. audi-ence. There seems to be a fine line between putting on the accent and putting too much into it - so much that it becomes virtually non-understandable. The audience audi-ence suffers. The play is in conjunction with a dinner and I see good things coming from that, also. I've never had any food at the Northampton House that has been disappointing. It's been a while since the American Fork Arts Council has put together such a production. This one promises that it will be appealing to the community. I'm looking forward to seeing it It's been worth the wait An Inter-Faith Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus is planned for March 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lehi East Stake Center on the corner cor-ner of 900 North and 1200 East There will be an ongoing special activity room for children, an indoor music program that will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel and indoor exhibits. Visitors are asked to bring donations of food and hygiene items for tne Utah Food and Care Coalition in Utah Valley. There is no admission charge. LEHI Richard Rozier, senior vice president pres-ident to Traverse Mountain Development, Devel-opment, confirmed Cabela's, the sporting goods mogul, is in negotiations negotia-tions to possibly build a 175,000 square-foot complex in north Lehi. He said they should know whether or not Cabela's is a go by the first of April. There are a couple of issues with the state that still need to go through," he said about the process. These things take longer than you would think." LINDON Mayor Larry Ellertson proclaimed March 'as Child Safe Month on March 2 in connection with the gun lock project. Culiimore said Project Child Safe had scheduled 5,000 gun locks to be distributed in the two cities in April, but the recent homicide and suicides have hastened has-tened their arrival. UNDON The RDA approved a Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz dealership for Larry H. Miller, the company's first, north of Lexus of Lindon. Miller has not presented a site plan yet. Planning director Kevin Smith said there is room for another dealership next to the Mercedes Mer-cedes site, a fourth one west of Lexus of Lindon and he's heard rumors someone may put in a dealership deal-ership across the street, north of Home Depot. PLEASANT GROVE At the March 2 City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously unani-mously to reestablish the southern border of Pleasant Grove to allow the Highlands at Bald Mountain subdivision to be built. The adjustment adjust-ment sends hatf-a-road's span iinto Lindon city limits, along with a alQ-f alQ-f oot easement and a chunk of land that extends north from 1000 South to the forestry !land. lira She Suture, 1 000 South will be joined to burdock bur-dock Drive in Lindon to create an arterial road connecting the Swo cities. SARATOGA SPRINGS The Saratoga Springs City Council Coun-cil approved the Stillwater Property located at 2800 South and Redwood Red-wood Road at ithe Feb, 24 City Council meeting. The process beginning the project started in late 2002,, when the plan was Sirst proposed, pro-posed, however; ihe city's original approval .had expired. The total project would have .approximately 237 single family tots and 144 condominiums, con-dominiums, unless they cant pbys-lically pbys-lically Jit that amount cn the property, proper-ty, for a total of 381 Hots. 4 |