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Show New Utah! (Lehl Free Press) r iiiiiiiii iiiiiiiii iiiiiiij 'iii'i'iiiiiiii jimjiij iiimiiiiiiiiiijiiiimiiii. Wednesday, August 15, 1998 - Page 2 Opinion Picture it Rebel without a cause ) nun niyniii 3 Canyon fee project a success The American Fork Department of Transportation and Utah County are working together to collect and disburse the funds. They have a long way to go. The Forest Service figures there is a maintenance backlog of $4 million in the canyon. But dwindling federal not making a dent in that backlog. The fee demonstration program has had a noticeable impact in its first year of operation. ThaVs Canyon-Alpin- e Demonstration Program is a government program that really Loop Fee works. A quick trip to Tibbie Fork, up the North Fork of the canyon, shows what can be done by federal agencies when local units are allowed to disburse the funds they collect in the federal lands those units administer. Work crews are busy rebuilding the parking area at Tibbie Fork, while new restrooms are visible at the various picnic sites along the North Fork road, and at Tibbie Fork as well. Other improvements are also visible. Not everyone was happy when a fee booth was erected at the mouth of American Fork Canyon and, after years of free access to "our canyon," area residents and others had to start paying $3 per carload to use the canyon's resources. But with almost 800,000 visitors a year, the canyon was suffering, and the fee fund-ingw- impressive. The program has yielded other benefits. Crime and vandalism in the canyon have dropped dramatically. And the increased presence of Forest Service personnel has been a major benefit for visitors to the canyon area. While the entrance fee has been added at the canyon entrance, the users fee for picnic and other sites has been dropped for all areas except overnight camping sites and Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Before this demonstration project was implemented, all the canyon fees were collected in a national fund and disbursed from a central location. The project enables the people who manage our public land to decide where those funds will be spent not people in Washington. The result has been most satisfying. If you want to see your local dollars at work, take a drive up American Fork Canyon. It will be worth the trip. demonstration program promised to provide some crucial funds to restore and preserve the canyon's resources. It's been a year since the booth opened and fee collection began, and about $420,000 has been collected. And all of it is being used to improve services in the local canyon. A partnership made up of the Uinta National Forest, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah It's a New Utah! day For the past two months, I've spent most of my evenings in a small Provo theater. Part of the time I was on stage, most of the time I was backstage, listening to the songs of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and helping out with the props. The play closed last night, releasing the members of the cast from bondage. While the play is over, I wanted to make an observation about the process of presenting this particular production. almost "Joseph" is musical theater everything in the show is musical. Almost all the lines are delivered through song. Since the theater is small, we didn't have an orchestra, but rather a recorded sound track was used to provide the accompaniment for the show. Each evening, at about 8:05, I stood backstage and listened for the opening notes of that first song sixteen counts and then the Narrator sang: "Some folks dream of the wonders they'll do before their time on the planet is through." And we were off. There was no moving backwards, no stopping, nc chance to catch a breath until the cast belted out, "Give me my colored coat, my amazing colored coat." Things seemed to move so fast, from one song to the next, from one dance to the next, from one comedy bit to the next. The progression was inevitable, unavoidable and compelling. If someone wasn't ready, or missed a cue, or forgot a lyric, or made a misstep during a dance, it didn't stop the music or slow the production. Things moved forward as best they could until that final curtain call and that last bow. This is a good example of art imitating life. There are steps we take at various points in our life that are like that the opening notes of an event pick us up and carry us along on that particular ride whether we want to go or not, whether we are ready or not. As a newspaper, or rather a group of newspapers, we are taking that kind of step today, as we introduce a name for whatever personal reasons, I was amused that meat could be the object of such ardent devotioa What about broccoli? I wonder what the "meat preserver" considers the photosynthesis process, and the growth that n broccoli plant from creates a just a little seed. Doesn't the harvesting of broccoli, cauliflower or any other growing vegetable just as effectively end its "life," just as the slaughterhouse does for a cow or a pig? If that logic follows, I suppose that some children would agree that broccoli, spinach and other vegetarian delights actually are murder, or at least attempted murder, if the children are forced to eat them. I guess that makes me a rebel without a cause, for while I always like a good discussion on a variety of subjects, I don't typically get involved in particular causes like some people. In some ways, I admire the activist type who is willing to make telephone calls, pass out petitions or organize rallies. But I am also concerned about the most zealous of zealots and some of the dauses to which they subscribe. Recently, for example, I have been hearing about the "Utahns for Choice," which I believe has a stance. Although I would personally never have an abortion, I have a hard time with the concept of someone else being denied the right to make their own choice in such a highly personal matter. (Actually, I don't think the issue will ever be resolved because of the number of people who do not view the issue as a moral decision.) full-blow- ed pro-aborti- , change and plans for two new editions, one for the Lone Peak area, and one for Lindon. We've been working on this for years, trying to find ways to meet the news needs of our growing population and still meet a budget as well. After a lot of careful thought and not a little planning, we introduce New Utah! with tiie hope that here we have found an answer that works. With this first edition of New Utah!, there is no turning back. In two weeks we will introduce our Lone Peak and d Lindon editions sections that will accompany the newspapers that have traditionally served these communities. We are also busily preparing our web site, and hope to have that up and running in a week or two. The difference between a theatrical production and real life, however, is that creating New Utah! will be largely an work with little improvisational rehearsal. For the last 43 performances of "Joseph," I knew every night where I would stand, how I would move, when I would enter the stage and when I would make an exit. Before we ever started, all of these things had been decided and carefully rehearsed many times. But our weekly newspaper is a continual creative exercise. Alter all, you can't rehearse the news, you can just watch is happen, photograph it and then report it. It's going to be a fun ride, and we hope to take you all with us. wrap-aroun- By Joel Campbell UPA Legislative Monitor Increasingly, Utah government officials are looking at ways to save money by privatizing services which have traditionally been provided by the government. Already there are at least 10 state boards and entiagencies that qualify as ties. Included on that list are the Utah State Fair Corp., School and Institutional Trust Lands, Worker's Compensation Fund of Utah, Utah State Retirement Office and Utah Housing Finance Agency and the embattled Utah Technology Finance Corp. There are dozens (possibly hundreds) of other services contracted out to private business by state and local government. Recently, a legislative committee has been studying possiDle contracts with private prison operators Hldjt Wxtt $X$5S (ISSN No. 8750-466(U.S.P.S. No. 309-50A I told our missionary son that he could use his musical talent as a door approach that could go something like this: "We're representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you have a piano, there's a very beautiful song I'd like to play for you." OR (when they're already in) "I see you have a piano; could I play something for you?" He then plays this wonderful arrangement. "That was beautiful. What is that song?" "It's called "I am a Child of God." You see, we believe that before we were born, we lived with our Father in Heaven..." Voila! A perfect introduction to the plan of salvation! At the time, I was thinking of an arrangement written by Marvin Goldstein. I also went to a class he gave at Education Week a couple of years ago. It was about the power and glory of music, particularly sacred music. He said the Lord has given him the ability to play almost anything he can hear and to arrange it anyway he likes. His story is rather remarkable. He is a convert from Florida and has only been a member of the church since 1985. Except for a brief hiatus when he was a young teen, he has played the piano since childhood. At age 15, he had to take a break from lessons and decide that piano was something he wanted to do. After that there was no stopping him. In 1978 he auditioned and was offered the job as pianist for "Three Dog Night." However, he doubted he could stay married by traveling with the group, even though he could make $3,000 a night. To his credit, he decided to put his family first. For the first few years, he and his wife were happy having no religion. Since his NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION But this group has used an unethical means to promote their amoral agenda. If what I read is correct, they have sent donation materials to people hinting that the recipient is the type of person that would have wanted to be on the mailing list. . Knowing the typical reaction of Utahns in this state to the topic itself, I think there are a number of people who will not read the literature in its entirety, but will see the word "abortion" and the statement about wanting to be on the list and assume that they really do want to be on the mailing list because they think it is a statement against abortion. Another fraudulent scam is the old "You have won a prize" trick, where some shameless promoter promises unsuspecting people that they have won some contest and merely need to provide a credit card or checking account number to claim it. There is no prize, only a surprise, if the person gives in and gives out the information and suddenly finds his or her funds depleted by a con artist. Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker, "They'll take my gun away when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers." Nothing like planning ahead, is there. While I am not against a person's right to bear arms, per se, I don't believe anyone needs to have automatic weapons, and I cannot tolerate the availability and prevalence of such weapons of destruction. "Guns don't kill people, people kill Published weekly by ..Tie.. ftewialiiews 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 Quasi-governme- day-toda- authority. However, such approaches ignore the reality of the Telephone Numbers Advertising News & people," you might plagiaristically argue, if you have seen that bumper sticker as well. I think that's another one of the problems afflicting us today. A few too many people have guns who should not have guns. Didn't we learn anything from the experience in Scotland? The sociopath who forever destroyed the innocence of youth for scores of children and their parents and friends had been suspect in other issues. He was previously denied a gun permit, but somehow later was able to purchase not just one hunting or protection type gun, but several automatic weapons. incidents come d Two other to mind with the gun issue. A father in Texas shot his own daughter when she frightened him by jumping out of a closet in which she was hiding. In the other instance, a visiting Japanese youth was shot by a man because he would not obey the American's order to "freeze" after knocking on the wrong door while the boy was trying to find the location of the party to which he had been invited. I shouldn't be surprised at the killing. Two decades ago, when I was in my first year of college, I remember hearing zealots touting some the evils of experimenting with drugs and threatening, even in the context of church meetings, that if their younger siblings ever tried drugs, they would kill them (and I don't mean with kindness). Unfortunately, the ones who threatened the loudest then are probably the same ones today who denounce as a murderous act. Collectively, we may not be able to win over the other side in a cause. What it boils down to is being able to make our own correct moral decisions from within ourselves. gun-relate- m Publisher Managing Editor City Editor Display Brett ...... .Marc Subscription price $24 Bezzant Advertising News Missionaries Haddock Russ Daly Weddings per year Community Periodicals Postage Paid at American Fork, Utah POSTMASTER: Nnd iddrtM chmgt to 59 WMt Mata. Arwricm Fork. Utah MOM . . . . . Letters to the Editor Obituaries .Tuesday, noon . . fulfilled. "I was in real estate," he said. At the class, he played some wonder- ful arrangements of hymns and other LDS music. "Because I Have Been Given Much" is a Baptist hymn. "I Need Thee Every Hour" is a favorite of all Christian religions. "How Great Thou Art" was made famous by Billy Graham. However, because it was also a favorite of Pres. Benson, it was included in the new LDS Hymnbook. Just before the greatest event in all of eternity, the record states simply, "And when they had sung an hymn..." (Matt. . 26:30) privatization movement currently sweeping federal and state governmental agencies: When a governmental agency delegates a public function to a private contractor, records created through the performance of a public duty that would have been subject to public disclosure can become private records solely by virtue of the contractor's status. Without legislative standards, the public risks being locked out of the privatized services. Without public awareness, public oversight of the operation of privatized governmental operations is inadequate. It is clear that public access often suffers once governmental operations are turned over to private enti-- , ties. Private enterprises serve managers, owners and shareholders, not taxpayers. According to fundamental democratic principles, governmental services conducted by private operators should be just as accountable as services provided by public agencies. The public and the press must be able to scrutinize the activities of private actors performing governmental services, just as the public and the press already scrutinize meetings and records under state sunshine laws. .Monday, 10 a.m. .Monday, 10 a.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. All letters must include the author's name and a telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letpunctuation, taste and length. Letters are welcome on any topic. (printed AND signed) .Monday. 5 p.m. ...Monday, 2 p.m. .Monday, 2 p m ,. .Monday, 2 p.m. Calendar ten to a tape by some Mormon that must have been on one of the Star Trek episodes, he said, "Klingon" (Cleon) Skousen. Years later, when Marvin got to meet Bro. Skousen, he said Brother Skousen wept to learn that his cassette tape had been instrumental in converting a Jew. His tape was about the second coming of Christ to Jerusalem. Marvin said he had been waiting for the first coming so he didn't understand the second coming. He was baptized in 1985. A short four years later, Marvin was invited to perform at the LDS area conference in Florida. Elder Marvin J. Ash-to-n was the presiding authority. Instead of speaking, Elder Ashton asked Marvin to take the time and perform again. Immediately afterwards, Elder Ashton told everyone he felt impressed to give Marvin a blessing right there and then. He pulled up a chair, laid his hands on Marvin's head and blessed him to spend the rest of his life sharing his musical gift and promised him that as long as he did so he would be prospered in all ways at all times. Marvin said he had no idea how that promise would be We welcome letters to the editor. Deadlines Classified Advertising Circulation Jewish Rabbi refused to even talk with them (because he married a Presbyterian), Marvin had pretty much written off his own Jewish faith. Eventually, his wife convinced him they were missing something so they investigated different religions. Marvin was totally unimpressed. However, one day his wife was invited by a friend to the IDS Institute. Marvin says she tricked him by telling him that he had to go with her because it was night and she didn't want to walk there alone. The Jacksonville, Florida institute director was Robert L. Millet, who, not long afterwards, became Dean of Religious Education at BYU. Marvin said he felt like Bro. Millet had his eyes on him the entire time. He taught how the prophecies of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in the New Testament. However, Marvin said it had no effect because he lacked one important ingredient intent. His wife was converted and joined the church. Marvin was happy with that, but he became everyone's missionary project the local Hebrew project. As he was visited by "thousands" of missionaries, he said he gained a testimony very quickly of how much those missionaries could eat! Many people gave him cassette talk tapes, saying they would change his life. He said he would cover the tab and record rock and roll music over them without ever listening to the message. Eventually, his wife said he had to really ask for himself. She made him lis In states where access hasn't been clearly defined there have been problems. In New Mexico and Texas, where the state has contracted with private prisons, there have been myriad of problems for the public and press getting basic information about prisoners, escapes and prisoner discipline. hi Utah, although GRAMA specifically says that "contracts" with private service providers are public, the law gets fuzzy after that. agencies and government contractors can argue other kinds of records outside of the initial contract, but are produced as a result of the service provided, are not covered by GRAMA. According to a study by Matthew D. Bunker, assistant professor, University of Alabama, and Charles N. Davis, assistant professor, Southern Methodist University, in determining whether private entities are subject to public records laws, courts have looked at a y variety of factors, including the government's control over the private entity, the entity's organizational structure, and the entity's decision-makin- g and are looking at other state services that could be spun off to private contractors. Examples from local government includes Logan City's recent contract with a private firm which will oversee parking meters and parking enforcement on city streets. For a time, Salt Lake City School District privatized its bus system, only to have the contract end prematurely in failure. Before lawmakers and public officials launch headlong into more agreements with private businesses to provide "governmental" services, they should think long and hard about how many strings related to oversight and access to information they cut before signing on the dotted line. Any basic agreement for privatizing services should include provisions that the private contractor be subject to the state's Government Record Access and Management Act and boards related to the service be subject to the state's Open Meetings Act. 0up member of ;..,;...,.;.n,!.!,.nJB The power and glory of sacred music Let sunshine in on privatized services l" .,....,.,..,.,, "MEAT is MURDER" read a bumper sticker I saw the other day. While I can appreciate a person's decision to refrain from the eating of meat t ters for clarity, HOW TO REACH US By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In 59 Person W. Main, American Fork Bv Fax 756-527- 4 By editornewutah.com |