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Show Free Press - Wednesday, April 29, 1998 - Page 2 Opinion Busting neighborhood crime Anyone who doesn't think times have changed in north Utah County just needs to read the police blotter in one of our communities for a typical week. There you'll find ever increasing incidents of the kind of crime that was unthinkable 20 or 3Q years ago. Auto burglaries, home burglarthese ies, petty theft, break-in- s are some of the leading criminal acts that plague our hometowns. And action by area residents can go a long way towards cutting down on these types of crimes. Programs like Neighborhood Watch, where local citizens take responsibility for their community's well being, are aimed at stopping just this type of petty thievery. By bonding residents of our communities together, Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates nd feeds upon. It also creates a bond between our neighborhoods and our local police officers to stop crime dead in its tracks. What it all comes down to is people looking out for their neighbors. Most of our communities have neighborhoods where the program is organized and operating, with regular citizen patrols on the lookout for suspicious activities: someone looking into windows and parked cars; unusual noises; property being taken out of nouses where no one is at home or businesses that are closed; cars, vans or trucks moving slowly with no a call to the police, who respond to the scene to take appropriate measures. But it does cultivate awareness, techniques and tools to assist each resident in making his or her community a safer place to live. There are many things people can do to help themselves: Install an audible alarm system in your home. Lock all your doors. Lock the car doors every time you get out, even in the garage. Lock your garage doors. Lock your front and back doors and your windows. Install dead bolts in your home. Lock your shed. Much of the auto and home burglary now being experienced in the area could be eliminated if people would simply keep theirs doors shut and locked. Have your house number prominently displayed and distinctly written on the house and curb so that emergency vehicles can find it easily. Put bicycles away and lock them up. Make your home look occupied when you are away. Be observant. Notice if someone is poking around a neighbor's home or car. Don't let anyone in your home if you don't know them. Ask to see the license of sales people. Get to know your police, and don't be afraid to call if you see something suspicious. North Utah County neighbors, working together, can make major apparent destination or without steps towards slowing down our lights; anyone being forced into a growing crime rate. The more who vehicle; a stranger sitting in a car join in the effort, the better. or stopping to talk to a child; and For more information on forming abandoned cars. a Neighborhood Watch program in These are not vigilantes. Any your neighborhood, call your local evidence of possible crime prompts police department. For lunch today, may we recommend the Lehi blend group. As I type the information into the computer, I wonder what the foods are like, particularly those with colorful names. I think the seniors can get an armchair tour of the world just through some of these names. For example, their vegetable side dishes include California blend, Oregon blend, Scandinavian blend and. Italian blend. I can understand how Scandinavian blend might be a little exotic, with some sort of specialty vegetable grown only in the cold, wintry weather of the Nordic countries. Or perhaps someone who didn't know their geography threw in some Brussels sprouts. And, of course, Italian blend would feature the traditional added tomatoes. But how can Oregon and California, neighboring states, have so many different vegetables that they have their own trademark vegetable blends? What does it take to qualify for inclusion in food? Do the vegetables have to be grown in a certain area to be named a blend from that locale? Would a Lehi blend or a Utah blend feature beets prominently, with potatoes performing the same function in an Idaho blend? If Veal Parmesan features cheese from Parma, Italy, does Veal Wisconsin have cheese from America's Dairyland? Somehow the European version seems like it might be a little tastier, but then, I've never been to Wisconsin. Dutch apple pie and Boston Cream Cake are two of the many dessert choices for the seniors. Someone ought . to continue that theme and make other tasty treats from other areas of the world. My wife, for example, makes a Texas sheet cake, and I've heard of Black Forest Cake, as well. But if they can do it with the vegetable blends, they certainly ought to be able to serve Kansas fritters or Connecticut cherry pie and get away with it. "Better Than Sex Cake" or "Death by Chocolate" Cake would probably be the only ones that shouldn't be allowed. Several years ago, when members of our family would gather at our home to participate in a bonding activity, otherwise known as Canasta, we would enjoy some sort of snack during the process. Everyone seemed to take their unassigned turn bringing cookies, licorice, chips or popcorn to the games week after week. One time, my good wife made brownies, using a brand called Martha White. I don't know who Martha White is or was, or where we purchased the box, but I can tell you that they were horrid brownies. we all did. And the joke stayed in the family, with members being cautious" about brownies from that point on, always asking before taking one, "Are these Martha White's?" When I was a child, our trips to California to the home of my paternal relatives usually included a stop in Sparks, Nevada, and specifically to the Golden Nugget, where I was tempted by the name of one of their menu items. A few weeks ago, we discussed the possibility of making that trip again a new trip for my children, a return to the land of my forefathers for me and I thought of going to the Golden Nugget and once again consuming this treat. Despite its name, an Awful Awful is one of the most delicious hamburgers on e can ever eat. I only hope they still have them when we decide to make our westward trek. In Japan, one of my favorite meals was okonomiyaki, a crepe and cabbage mixture topped with a special sauce. How appropriate that its name, roughly translated, means "favorite fried thing." I am also intrigued by the desserts known as Baked Alaska and fried ice cream, but I have not tried those yet. As long as they are not the Martha White brand, I hope to try them both someday. door-to-do- or What I meant, instead of what I said According to a trusted source, last week's column sounded like an endorsement of Utah County Sheriff candidate Richard Mack. This is not what I intended, but Sharon tells me that's how it read. And she is usually right. So let me make things perfectly clear. I think the best candidate for Utah County Sheriff is the current Utah County Sheriff; David R. Bateman. I don't know if the delegates to the Utah FarentHre thekev I have been on the fringes of the drug war for over 25 years, and the one constant has been the fact that parents are the key to solving the problem and keeping kids off drugs. It starts with the bonding of parr ent and child, and the development of trust. This is best done by talking and touching, and spending time together; being a good role model by not indulging in the "legal" drugs alcohol and tobacco. Kids consider it hypocritical for Dad to chew them out about smoking a joint while he is sipping on a beer. Knowing where your kids are and who their friends are is critical. Youngsters running with those on drugs are nine times as likely to become involved in drugs themselves. In this day and time, it's particularly important because some substances are almost instantly addictive. According to Dr. Forest Tennant, this can happen with one snort of cocaine, and in the upscale neighborhood in which I live we've had a dozen teen heroin deaths over the past year. It's been pointed out that all it takes is one drink, one joint, one hit of chiva (the cap- - You've seen television characters bite into some sort of food and, finding it distasteful, they leave their teeth sunk into the bite? Well, that's what Each month I receive a listing of the lunch menus for the senior citizens g sulized pill mix implicated in several deaths) and n the youngster becomes a heroin-sleepin- full-blow- addict. Vigilance is the key, and when your child spends the night with someone else, check to make certain that is where he or she is. This shows genuine love, concern and interest in your child, and if he or she is headed down a wrong path, you will discover it far more quickly and be able to intercede. I recognize that "your child" would "never" lie to you or get involved in drugs, but as the old cliche goes, "It's better to be safe than sorry." These guidelines will reduce your chances of being sorry and give you lots to smile about. "Hope is an adventure, a going forward, a confident search for rewarding life." Karl Menninger County Republican Convention will see "' things this way, but I hope they do. J;" One of the chief reasons is that Sheriff Bateman,who lives in Alpine, constitutes North Utah County's sole representation among Utah County elected officials, who are heavily weighted towards Orem and Provo. He has foreseen with efficiency and foresight the move into a fine new county jail which is breaking new ground on several levels. Our main contact around here with the Sheriff's Department is during search and rescue operations, and they usually perform admirably. But there's more to it than that. Over his two terms of office, Bateman has been a capable administrator of the county's law enforcement unit. He's not flashy, nor is he a gifted politician, but you don't need a politician leading your law enforcement units, you need a good cop. Don't get me wrong. While there are some offices in the county building that probably should be filled by appointment rather than election, there is a strong argument to be made for electing the County Sheriff It amazes me, for example, that we will be voting for a County Surveyor in November, even though only one person is running. This office, which is highly technical and requires a person with strong engineering skills, should be appointed. That would be in the public's best interest. Fortunately, Utah County has a county surveyor in ClydeNaylor who has the expertise to carry out his post well. A similar argument can be made about some other elected county offices, such as Recorder, Treasurer and Assessor. I find it ironic that we elect long-ter- m our County Treasurer, since the political process, as a rule, provides no checks and balances other than the voters to make certain we don't elect a scoundrel to oversee the public's funds. Take a look at the man who occupies the highest elected post in our nation and you'll get my drift. This is not to say that Leonard Ellis, the current County Treasurer, is a scoundrel. Far from it. Mr. Ellis has done a fine job in his position for years. But is an election the best way to fill this position? On the other hand, it makes sense to elect our County Sheriff, just as we elect the County ClerkAuditor and our County Attorney. These offices should be particularly responsive to the public. Especially the sheriff And there is no way to make a government employee more responsive to the public than to require him or her to seek the voters' approval every two or four years. It is of particular importance to make the people who wear guns and enforce laws ultimately responsible to the people who pay their salaries. Some of our local communities' law enforcement problems might be resolved a lot differently if our police chiefs were selected by election, rather than appointment. On the other hand, see the statement about scoundrels a few paragraphs back. What I wanted to do with last week's column was point out that Richard Mack is running on issues more appropriate to elected posts other than County Sheriff Mack focuses a lot of attention on interpreting the law. Thaf s a job for lawmakers and judges, not law enforcers. I don't think his ultraconservative ideas make for good or good myself Still, Mack has certainly inspired the devotion of the ultraconservative voters in Utah County. He is one of a host of very conservative candidates who are running for various county posts this year. If they all win, we are in for a very long four years. Delegates to the Utah County Republican Convention, coming up soon, will make some very important decisions, but none is more important than this. Along with Bateman and Mack, Republican Douglas Whitney is running for sheriff Whitney has strong support from the law enforcement community. The delegates will narrow this field of three candidates down to two. If they give one candidate 60 percent of their support, they will eliminate two of the three contenders. Sheriff Bateman faces a tough battle. Mack has the far right; Whitney has the sheriff's deputies. And Utah County voters tend to give most candidates only about two terms before they decide it's time for a change, whether its needed or not. But I think it would be a shame to turn out Bateman, who has proven himself to be a capable administrator and a fine law enforcement officer. I hope that makes things clear. , law-maki- Reader's Forum the city openness and green space. By encouraging the developing of neighborhoods consisting of a wide variety of home and Editor: Now is an exciting time to be a resident of lot sizes, varying designs and layouts, they will Lehi. The city has an opportunity to become a be able to cater to a diverse community that is great showplace in the State of Utah. Rich in his- well balanced. By insuring that future developtorical significance, it is a city to be preserved. ment does not occur faster than the city's infraOur city planners and council members have a structure and taxpayers can bear, they can help great opportunity to guide the city in a positive foster a liveable and pleasant community. direction. It is their vision and foresight that will Currently, a significant imbalance exits in help mold Lehi into a diversified and unique favor of starter home developments in Lehi. It community; one that affords opportunities to a will take quick action to reverse the trend. Few areas are still available for larger lots and variety of people and interests. properties. Our city leaders have City officials have the power to create an ranchette-styl- e to those areas. They surely the means in of is preserve the reminiscent that atmosphere city times past. Architectural standards like those realize the implications of the deciused at Albertsons (reflective of the Lehi Roller sions made today; that the city cannot continue Mills) should be encouraged and applauded. to be built in a piecemeal fashion with growth With the use of winding trails, parks and the being determined by application for developpreservation of agricultural areas, they can give ments and without regard to a master plan. A Lehi we can be proud of long-ter- m Published weekly by (ISSN No. 8750-466(U.S.P.S. No. 309-50A member of jewtahjews dNjroup ntUTGMtMVSV inrm ntM NATK5NAI NEWSPAPEH ASSOCIATION 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 i Circulation Managing EdHor City Editor 9 3 Brett Bezzant Marc Haddock RussDaly Subscription price $24 per year Periodicals Postage Paid at American Fork, Utah POSTMASTER: tend iddrtM chtngt to M Hah, Amrfcin Fork, Utah M003 Wt Vote for widlife Editor: Ours, like many families, have enjoyed hunting and viewing all kinds of wildlife in Utah and spent many days doing just that. Last night, I spent a few hours in a meeting learning of the threat that all of us who enjoy Classified Advertising .. News Tuesday, noon .Monday, 5 p.m. Monday, 2 p.m. Missionaries Monday, 2 p.m. Weddings Monday, 2 p.m. Display Advertising ... Community Calendar . .Monday, 10 a.m. Letters to the Editor . . .Monday, 10 a.m. Obituaries wildlife are going to have to deal with if we don't do something to protect our great heritage that we now enjoy in Utah. We all have a chance in November to provide this protection. It will be on the election ballot as "SJR 10." If this passes it will keep wildlife management in the hands of professional biologists and other people who genuinely care about all kinds of wildlife, not one or two specific animals that animal activities claim they want to protect. It will provide for a higher vote requirement for wildlife initiatives to pass. If we look at other states and see what these activities have taken away from true nature lovers, you will see the need to get involved. Remember to vote Nov. 3 and to support SJR 10 and vote "YES" for professional wildlife man- agement. We welcome letters to the editor. Deadlines Telephone Numbers Advertising News Publish are already feeling the effects of growth every time we can't get through Main Street. Every time taxes increase, every time our children come home from extended day school without the books they need to study, I am confident that if a thoughtful and well conceived plan for growth is followed, and that if our city leaders can make decisions based upon the long' range good of the community, Lehi can set a standard to be proud of. Angela N. Richardson We .Tuesday, 11 a.m. (printed AND signed) and ters for clarity, punctuation, Greg White Lehi letters must include the author's name number. We reserve the right to edit lettaste and length. Letters are welcome on any topic. All a telephone HOW TO REACH US By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork. UT 84003 In Person 59 W. Main, American Fork By Fax 756-527- 4 By newtahaol.com POOR COPY |