OCR Text |
Show Page A- 7- She (Ttntfa-3ithfpmb- Thursday, November 7, 2002 mt SITLA says thanks for all the help Letters to the Editor Humane Society a great asset to Moab To ... the Editor: I would like to offer a great big "Thank You to the Moab Valley Humane Society for all the wonderful things they do to help the lost, unwanted, and discarded animals who very fortunately find themselves in the care of the Societys very capable hands. I am sure that a majority of the residents of Moab and vicinity are aw are of the services the Humane Society provides to our commu1 nity, but would like to call attention to one in particular, program Twice a year, the Moab Valley Humane Society sponsors a Dog Obedience Class. My dog and I were very fortunate to be able to particicourse. 1 say fortunate, bepate in this cause the classes are quite limited. The instruction was invaluable, and the lessons learned by the handler can be used for a lifetime. 1 am very aware of the many different pro grams and organizations who badly need the communitys support and 1 encourage all residents to include these groups in their chanty, I do wish to state that without the communitys support, programs such as the dog obedience classes would not be available in our community, and if we could just think of the Moab Valley Humane Society more often, perhaps the society would be in a position to offer more of these classes, I should add that the fee for this course was very nominal. A bargain at twice the price! Tb all the volunteers w ho spend so many hours saving and finding homes for these wonderful animals, Im sure that the only reward they need is the love these lucky cats and dogs give back to their rescuers. Lois Cooper Moab Community has a right to be proud of its children To the editor: substitute just finished a long-terassignment at the Helen M, Knight (HMK) I have School.. Some observations: - the community has a right to be proud of its children. Grand County has many wonderful, healthy, happy and talented kids. I count my days among them as some of my favorite times; - HMK is loaded with talented adults in all positions and they are well led by Principal Margaret Hopkin. There are many wonderful things happening at the school above and beyond what is merely expected and required. Staff at all levels are very professional and seem to care deeply about children I felt priviledged to work in their company and received many kindnesses. I thank the district for the opportunity given me, and thank the staff and students for their indulgences and for holding me so gently. Sincerely, John Graham Cheers for Toys for Kids Motorcycle Run Dear Editor: I would like to thank the Dead Horse Motorcycle Club for carrying on with the Tbys for Kids Motorcycle Run. When I started the event last year, it took a lot of leg work and phone calls to make it all happen. Special Thanks to Penny Tanner, Lauren Davis, and Saina for their hard work to make it even better this year. I have been following the and Clubs events via The Times-Independen- World-clas- s . . . am proud of all the have accomplished to date. Tb all the club members, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Your charitable deeds will not go unnoticed. As you ride through life may the sun always shine upon you and the wind always be at your back. Sincerely, Darin Hawk Bothell WA 98011 t, lected up to the recycling center - more than once! We encourage other events organizers to follow the excellent example set by the Canyonlands Film Society. The more we incorporate recycling into our society, the better things will be for all of us. If other event organizers would like to offer recycling at their next function, or, if you want information about setting up recycling at your home or business, contact Canyonlands Community Recycling. We will be happy to assist you! Sincerely, Sara Melnicoff, Board Member Canyonlands Community Recycling County Clerk had a sleepless night DEAR CITIZENS OF GRAND COUNTY, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the decision to remove a candidates name from the ballot. On September 23, 2002 I mailed a letter to each local candidate listed on the Grand County Ballot reminding them of their responsibility concerning their financial report and the due date. I specifically stated the reports were due in my office by October 29, 2002 no later than five (5) p.m. At about 4:45 that afternoon, all reports from the candidates were in w ith the exception of Clara Davenport - candidate for Grand County Treasurer. I called her home and got the answering machine - so left a message on her phone. I waited at my office until six p.m. hoping to hear from her. Clara called me around seven at my home that evening and asked if she could bring the report over. I told her to go ahead and bring it to me and I would check with legal counsel the next morning to see what I could do. My hours of sleep that night were very few! In checking with our Deputy County Attorney, Scott Barrett, as well as the Lt. Governors office, I was advised that any candidate for County Elective Office who has failed to timely file the report has been disqualified as a candidate and shall be removed . . . . . from the ballot. Based on this advice, I called Clara and advised her of the action. I then called the Times Independent to advise them of the situation. Believe me, this was a very very difficult situation. I cant think of any issue I have been faced with in my 16 years in office that I have had to deal with that was more difficult or heartbreaking. All the candidates in this election have worked very hard on their campaign. On Monday, the day before the election I received notification this issue had been filed before Judge Anderson for a ruling on the law. About 4:00 p.m. that afternoon I received an order from the Seventh District Court signed by Judge Anderson that Clara Davenports name remain on the ballot. The name was restored to all the in all the voting precincts in time for the opening of the Election Polls by 7:00 p.m. November 5, 2002. I truly regret that this issue came before me and I had to make the decision to remove the name in the first place. I sincerely hope the citizens of Grand County understand that the issue was strictly a legal issue and I felt, based on legal council, I did what the law required. Thank you. voto-mati- cs Fran Townsend, Grand County Clerk Letters to the editor policy The Times-Independe- nt does not necessari- ly endorse the opinions published in letters to the editor and guest editorials. The T- welcomes opinions from its readers concerning -l any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah. Letters should be to the point and must include the writers name, address and telephone number. Letters may not be used to replace advertisements, or to list and thank sponsors or participants to a particular event. Letters to the editor wiH be not be accepted from any candidate who has fied for political COPY office or from anyone writing in support of a file? candidate. Anythjng unsigned, erf a libelous na ture, or containing defamatory statements will no be considered for publication. AH tetters must tx typed or legibly written, and be 400 words or less Letters are subject to editing. Mail to letter t: me Editor, P.O. Box 129, Moab, Utah, 64532 Deadline is Monday, 5 p.m. Letters may also t to editor G moabhmes.com. Tht sent via Times Independent may not accept tetters fror persons who write more frequently than one? every four weeks. e-m-aii -- In particular Dave Warner to thank would like Trust Lands Road and the Grand County Department for their time and equipment, and Mr. Burt De Lambert of Vernal for providing the landing strip needed for the planes. We appreciate their hard work and assistance. Sincerely, Stephen Boyden Director, State of Utah School and Institutional their leaders was gratifying. Trust Lands Administration The response of these communities and Castle Valley Comments by Ron Drake Former Castle Valley residents Don and Shirley Glines, currently of Mt. Pleasant, UT received their mission call for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last Thursday. They are to report to the mission training center in Provo January 20 in preparation for their mission to the Adelaide, Australia Mission. Their area is in the central portion of the country along the coast known as the Great Alaskan Bight. They have been filling out mounds of paperwork for their passports, visas, shots and medical exams but the easy part is the language they will be using English. Don stated that he didnt want to learn another language on their application papers but the application also said be prepared to walk ten to twelve miles a day. Forget that," he said, "I couldnt walk that far on my first mission, which was in Western Canada over 40 years ago. Were excited about going, he said, but we were kind of shocked at first, it's a long way away. They will be gone for 18 months. Don and Shirley are members of the Mt. Pleasant Third Ward and serve as a ward mission couple there. Work on the town lot and eventual community hall is just creeping along according the Karen Nelson of the town council. The soil study is ready as Boon as the soil engineer and the backhoe can schedule a time together and the paper work is on the surveyors desk awaiting his schedule to complete the land survey. A few details need to be ironed out between the town and fire department for the placement of their substation on the lot near the town building. Several months ago, the fire department received a $90,000 grant to construct a substation on the town property. The building was to be a pregarage engineered metal building with three doors at one end and a man door at one side with several windows. The pitched building also featured an expensive stucco-lik- e exterior siding to be more esthetically friendly. But since the building was to 12-fo- film festival, WITH recycling! Dear Sam & Adrien, I am writing to applaud the board of directors of the Canyonlands Film Society. Not film festionly did they put on a world-clas- s val, they also had the forethought to incorporate recycling into it. During films shown at Star Hall and the MARC, film buffs were able to purchase drinks in recyclable containers. Festival organizers made sure that there were bins at each site to collect the empties. Festival-goer- s were very happy to see these containers and made many positive comments about them. In the midst of a very busy three days, dedicated (and overworked!) festival volunteers made time to take the items they col Dear Editor: We would like to publicly express our gratitude for the generous contributions of Grand and Uintah Counties and their citizens in assisting the State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration in its recent aerial project of 18,000 acres of trust lands that were critical for soil stabilization. This summers fire burned more than 40,000 acres of land managed by Trust Lands in the Book Cliffs. . . . Times-Independe- be located so close to the town hall, council members wanted the fire house to be more compatible with their building. The architects came up with a design that featured a shed roof and an exterior of rusted corrugated siding. The cost of the redesigned building came back substantially lower than the original bid by nearly $20,000. Karen also cautions residents to drive a little slower during their commutes. We have a large number of deer in the valley, she said and in some areas they can get trapped between tall fences that line both sides of the roads. She said there have also been some young men driving way too fast on their motorcycles. Dates to be aware of for the next few weeks include the monthly potluck dinner at the LDS Church this Tuesday, November 12 beginning at 6:30 p.m. There is always a good array of good food and fine company during the evening. They usually last only about an hour and a half before they break up and go home. The fire department also meets that night for their twice monthly training meeting. They begin at 7 p.m. The planning and zoning commission meets on Wednesday, the 13th at the church. They begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 is the date set for the annual general meeting of the property owners association? They will elect new officers and have an update on the trust lands among other things. Twenty years ago this past week, work was progressing on the Pace Hill Road project under construction by Canyonlands Contracting. The road was realigned but most of the work was done at the crest of the hill where it was widened and lowered eight feet. They found mostly solid rock at the top and did a lot of blasting, which caused a lot of pewer outages in the valley. The road was closed most of the day except for a period every hour when the road was cleared and traffic was allowed to pass through. about the They said most people were good-nature- d delay. Guest Editorial nt Grand schools are making progress but help from parents is needed incumbent Kaaron by school board member, who ran unopposed Jorgen, for Many thanks to The the space! Im running unopposed, so instead of talking about me, I'll update you on what's happening right now in our schools. This year the Superintendent has the strongest administration team. School principals have launched a massive reading initiative so that 90 of our third graders will read at or above grade level within the next 5 years (our boards new goal) and students will continue to progress accordingly, at or above grade level, through the 12th grade. At least two teachers in each school have been trained as trainers in the newest reading and comprehension strategies, and this year they are teaching their fellow teachers those skills. At Red Rock, teacher teams are examining reading patterns not just within each grade level, but in each classroom, and with each student. Tests for reading progress are being desegregated to look for patterns within patterns. Running reading records" are created to assess each 3 students progress at least once every trimester. Brand new reading series are in use, and instructional maps" are being plotted, with timelines, in order to reach Core goals and ensure consistency from one grade level to the next. At HMK, in tandem with its new reading series, this year each 4th and 5th grade teacher got to select an additional 60 books for each classroom beyond the reading series itself, and a hefty 600 lbs. of new books poured into the school this fall. Teachers regularly attend reading every other Monday. For those students who are not reading at grade level, Title helps them learn Reciprocal Teaching Strategies (summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and prediction). The Great Leaps Program, for all students, now has 40 parent helpers doing supplemental reading in the classrooms for fluency and comprehension. At GCHS and GCMS, teachers are enthused and highly motivated this year with their new principals, and a great paradigm shift is occurring teachers will be teaching not only their given subject, but reading and comprehension in tandem with it, along with skills for living such as reading with an eye towards intent and action: (e g. What are you reading FOR?) As Tom Brown states, when his teachers are asked What do you teach?" their answer is I teach kids! Im the Board liaison to PPS, Parents for Public Schools, which recently initiated the Volunteer Readers Program in the schools and is working to create a Reading Foundation. The 90 reading goal needs these committed parents, communityagency volunteers, and YOU. We interrupt this broadcast for an important message: Parents, read to your children 20 minutes every night from birth onward. Teach them YOU MUST READ, TO SUCCEED. Remember Times-Independe- K-- I that goal date, you who have They will read at grade level by the end of third grade, and we can't do it without you starting the prothree-year-old- s. cess right now!! 800 words goes fast. Other recent accomplishments wont be able to elaborate on here Community-involveStrategic Planning, with its ongoing Steering and Action Teams (curriculum, instruction, facilities, life skills, community liaison, technology); School safety (including a new updated discipline policy, student education in safety issues, annual teacher training, emergency situation evacuation plans, classroom door locks at GCHS and GCMS for protection in lockdowns) Youth garden, gifted programs, peer mentoring, diversitymulticultural awareness, community service programs Ongoing upgradingreplacing computer technology in all student labs, plus technology teaching-tools training for teachers to use in the classI d room. Upgrading of physical facilities annually (classroomsrestroomsplay areasfieldsurfaces at both elementaries, major renovation, high school grounds, football stadium, track, baseballsoftballsoccer fieldstennis courts) Now, onto our needs from my birds-ey- e view Continue with major improvements in students reading and writing capabilities Address the needs of middle of the road" students who might get overlooked. Update our ongoingly as the bar is raised with the Federal No Child Left Behind Act and State accountability requirements. Explore building a new vocational facility to meet our voc needs Expand our technology in the classroom to keep up with 21 st century demands and changes stuAddress the needs of dents and provide outreach to help their parents participate in their childrens education; ditto and their parents. Work with students who might bully others; train all kids in life skills. Continue community partnershipsvolunteers! Move over Uncle Sam Aunt Kaaron Wants YOU!) How can you help? Simple. Do what you heatingair-condition-in- g limited-Englis- h can teach animal behavior via my parrot, or sing songs relating to a teachers curriculum with my old guitar, or reach students and teach them to mentor other students by helping me teach drug'alcohol prevention programs, then YOU can certainly find some piece of your self and your heart to give to our schools. Thanks for your forthcoming gifts of time and for your ongoing support. Together we can do ft ail. at-ri- sk at-ri- sk |