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Show A2 Vernal Express Wednesday, January 1, Opinion end Commentary 2003 New years resolutions With a new year, comes many well intentioned resolves to do bet-te- t. include weight, a better the bar Many such resolutions petting out ol' debt, losing eseuising more and finding job, With these resolutions is laised higher to keep us improving. I remember my last year resolutionsTry something new. So I took the sport ot snowboarding. Well, up actually that was my resolution from two years ago, but my first season of snowboarding was so disastrous that I had to repeat it this year Actually everyone I talked to alxnrt snowboarding said that it was much easier than skiing and at one time in another life I wax pretty good at skiing No one ever said snowboarding hurt so much. My fust tread long fall onto packed snow convinced me that I needed lessons or I wouldnt he able to survive the learning curve. With a couple ot lessons under nty belt, the fall still hint just as much but at least I was going faster when I crashed, Eventually I could go the entire day without falling when get ting off the ski lift. It has been a tough resolution to keep, but I think this resolution I eventually got completed. Lose weight. Unlike snowboarding where I fed my desires for speed and danger, this resolution required depredation and denial. Such things as candy, bread, chips and soda went off my to consume list and on went meat, cheese, nuts and eggs. Tfiis was a particularly hard resolution to keep, because I love to eat. Since I have to cat to live, I always made sure that the things I eat were things I enjoy without any concern about what they are doing to tny health and well being. Well after three months of being on a popular high fat low carb diet, I lost 20 pounds. So mission accomplished, right? Wrong. Unlike other resolutions, 1 didnt realize that this one would be around for a lifetime. After reaching ideal weight" I fell off the my wagon and began consuming all sort of good stuff. To some degree the weight has come back, but just the thought of having to go back onto the diet has helped me curb PUBLIC FORUM my intake At other resolutions been as successful: 1 have not Catch a woild record fish. Climb Kings Peak. Write a book. Become a good gardener. I guess these ones will have to be accomplished next year so that only leaves a couple of slots open for new resolutions next year. So before my wife Tills those slots with building a new entertainment center cabinet, donate more blood or cleaning out the garage, I have decided on two new resolutions for 2003: Become a better community citizen. Dont take my sell too serious. These resolutions are vague enough that I could smile at myself in the mirror every morning and recite the Pledge of Allegiance a few more times a week, and 1 would accomplish them. Hopefully they will involve a little more work because would hate to go back on WELL.. I'LL BET BY THE TIME THE NEW YEAR ROLLS -- y OUT DRIVE ANY INI CAN of you DRUNKEN SOTS 1 that diet. One Womans Point of View LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Wolves in Utah What is your opinion? The Express welcomes ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of let- reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages) letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the wnters full name, signature, phone number and address. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed in the forum. Letters may at be mailed, faxed at 789 8690 or through editor vernal com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. All letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not the opinion of the Express Editor. nec-essanl- y Caring people lVat Editor, This year on Christmas live, as in many years past, a group of caring individuals have provided a Christmas Eve meal for those who may otherwise spend Chnstmas live alone without a hot meal. This organization known as Helping Hands" have provided a wonderful soviet that tills the need for a meal delivered to the homebound elderly of our community. The Christmas Eve meal has been prepared, served and delivered to rrtany people in our community. Many of the meals are delivered to individuals who also receive meals from our Meals on Wheels program. Each year when our dedicated employees have a half day off on (Tiristmas live, it has not been possible to prepare and dchvei a meal to homebound seniors. The sacrifice of time and resources from those who willingly donate to this cause cannot be thanked enough. They truly are practicing the spirit of Christmas JOAN J AM-.Sdirector Uintah County Aging Services Search and Rescue I editor, would like to publicly express my sincere thanks to the many volunteers of the Uintah County Search and lX-a- i 1 Rescue. On of I went to get a Christmas tree with three lc. children when made a not wise decision 11 I very on which road to take home and got stuck quite a ways son away from anywhere or anyone. My 21 year-old was able to hike out a ways to get a signal on our cell phone and call for help, while I stayed in the vehicle with my four and five year old. The volunteers of the Search and Rescue willingly left the warmth of their homes, (it was dark by the time we called) and sacrificed their time, and in some cases from w hat 1 hear, a Christmas party, to help someone in need. Saying thank you seems so inadequate when compared to what was done but 1 do want to say thanks 1 again and hope they and their families all had a very and that they may have the best of Christmas Merry New Years. my -- HILLARY JEN NT. Vernal Exp (ISSN 0892-1091- ) Richard Harrington Jana Ayoock Jody Smuln Publisher Editor and Feature Witter .. Public Notices . ,. Advertising Advertising Circulation $ Classified Ads nd Layout Advertising Tasha J Robinson FAX Phone 435-78Website www vernal com edHorXvemal com DEADLINES News Oisplsv Advertising .. Classified Advedtslng Pubkc Notices recently released report from Utah State University, concerning wolves in Utah, all kinds of issues have been stirred up involving Utah ranchers and fanners, friends of the wolves, scientific folks, politicos, hunters, etcetera. Wolves in Utah: An Analysis of Potential Impacts and Recommendations for Management," theorizes that LHah could he home to lip to 700 wolves. The areas most habitable for the creatures seem to he Bear River Range, the Uintas and the BookdifTs, with over 3ft.0(X) square kilometers of potential wolf habitat in this state. Well now, what difference could that possibly make here? Since wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Eorest, in 1995, wolf sightings in LHah have been ignored by wildlife biologists in northern Utah. A young male was captured and returned to Wyoming a few weeks ago. That incident was not considered verifiable along with other sightings in Cache Valley and In a Morgan. It took a wolf Killing a sheep in Cache Valley to get wildlife officialdom to admit theyre here. The claim is, wolves, numbering around 20(1, will not significantly affect deer and elk populations' for hunters in Utah. Listening to the old timers talk about what hunting used to be, in say, the Bookchffs, do we need any negative impact on deer or elk populations? As herding patterns change, the claim is, grazing habits of deer and elk will save the aspens and riparian areas. So would drought relief and better management of forests. More wolves means less coyotes. Trade one predator for another? This also improves chances for cougar, hear, foxes and raptors, as they feed off carcasses. Would it improve tourism? That is also the claim. Apparently a wolf visitor center could generate three million a year in tourism dollars. At least, that is the claim in North Carolina and Yellowstone. What are the other economic factors in those areas? Now here is a good one. What about farmers and ranchers? Other states claim the impact on livestock slaughter hy wolves is minimal. Experts estimate losses amounting to 2 cows a year, 116 calves a year and about 385 sheep. That is only about $39,000 a year in losses. Ranchers and farmers, is that minimal to you? Other states compensate ranchers for losses due to wolves. Your tax dollars in action. Campaigning to create this fund, in the amount of $100,000 in Utah, has already begun. If you want to see wolves, watch the Discovery channel. That is why video cameras were invented. W'ant to know who is leading the fight to keep wolves out of Utah? LHah Earm Bureau. Their contention is the state can not sustain wolves and therefore does not like them or want them here. On the flip side, Ed Bangs, head of the U.S. Eish and Wildlife Services W'olf Recovery Program said, The wolf is so symbolic. People go nutty over them and always have." There may be a simpler solution. The State of LHah and potentially impacted counties, like LHntah, Daggett. Cache, Rich, Weber, Grand. Emery. Carbon, W'asatch, Summit and Duchesne could adopt ordinances against the introduction, accidental or purposeful. of wolves, period. Note: Must common sense be so uncommon? Upbeat Resolutions are they really real? Nancy Bostick-Ebbe- rt Eor jears, 1 have made a conscious choice not to make any New Year's resolutions: 1 resolved not to resole. This particular resolution was based on the premise that most of us make resolutions out of desperation andor to appease loved ones who want us to do something we either cant or dont want to do. In other words, we make resolutions that arent really real. Because, get real, how many resolutions are ever kept? One of the first 1 ever made was at the age pf ten or eleven when 1 decided 1 would quit cussing. Having grown up as the youngest in a rather large family (13 kids) most of which were boys, 1 was very innovative in the way I could string cuss words together. When 1 look back on the first time 1 was sent to the principals office at the age of seven for swearing, 1 have to admit that the names 1 called the prissy kid who had stolen the marbles 1 won fair and square, were pretty impressive. And because they very radical swear words for those days and fairly radical for these. 1 cannot share them with you in this column. Needless to say, through the years ! have really, really tried to quit swearing. It just hasn't taken because seriously, my heck, you bad, bad donkey!!1." just didn't cut New-Year- Monday 12 noon Monday 5pm Monday 5pm Monday Spin Envirocare Inc. in Clive has been receiving shipments of contaminated soil from Cotter Corporation, a uranium processing company in Canon City. CO. for several months following a decision by the Colorado Dept, of Health and Environment to reject the companys bid for cleaning up a Superfund site in New Jersey. The $70 million transportation and disposal contract with the Army Corps of Engineers comprised the low bid for the storage of up to 470,000 tons of radioactive soil. When the Cotter plan became public, a citizens group began pressuring the state which resulted in the creation by the Colorado legislature of a public hearing process. This process will allow a dissemination of information to the public regarding nuclear waste shipments and related issues and will ensure public involvement in the same. If the company is unable to persuade Colorado officials to allow disposal at the Canon City site, the New Jersey waste will continue to be received in LHah without a rebidding of the contract. t it when our be in the spirit of offering financial After the Year of the Donkey and the excesses that it entailed, I redoubled my efforts not to cuss in front of elderlv ladies, children or parrots. But here is the caveat: 1 cuss less now as per one resolution hut since he is not around to chase, I dont exercise enough! So, where will it all end? Then there are the noble resolutions about fat. The older 1 get, the more 1 hate this particular category of resolution. Fat, fat, fat. It is only natural that the extra lardage we gain throughout the holiday season be at the forefront of our consciousness. But how fair is this? Making a resolution about weight is akin to blasphemy this close to the double-fudg- e frenzy we have barely made it through in one piece. I think the belter resolution would support to our local merchants lots of new clothes during the many January clearance sales. Doesnt this actually make more sense? 1 mean, this way you can enjoy the goodies, extend the spirit of the Christmas season and you can help make your community economically stronger, right? Most people make a big deal out of making an official New Year's Resolution because they know that nobody will expect them to keep it. And consequently, the most popular resolutions are absolute b.s.. (Oh conic on, what do you think it means???) Being b.s., these dont count! When one considers the myriad of resolutions that have been made through the years, there are only a few worth considering and these should never be said out loud and should be made only in the heart. They include: Loving more and fighting less. Finding the courage to tell the truth even if it costs you money. Standing up for unpopular issues that are important to you and the future of your children. Respecting other people's right to their opinion even when it conflicts with your own. Nurturing the seeds of idealism in yourself and in others. Believing then proving that one person can make a difference. Happy New Tears. cute" miniature donlearned bow to open the gate to key the main road then made a game of chasing the rest of the cloven-hoofe- d creatures through it several times a week. No, it was much, much more satisfying to yell things about his doubtful parentage while chasing him and all the other escapees hack into the pasture. And then, when at last he was leaving our place forever, 1 was able to whisper in his large fuzzy ear something to the effect that he was not cute and that he would doubtless rot in H. E. Double-Toothpick!- !! Report claims removing property taxes for water could save millions The Utah Rivers Council has released a study concludcities surthat most western ing do use not veyed property taxes to finance water supply instead placing the cost of wateT delivery in water rates. This allows communities to defer or eliminate capital spending for new watCT projects. Two legislative committees met last month the State Capitol to continue study tax subsidies for water. Phasing out property taxes not only save w ater, it would save hundreds of millions in tax 10-pa- Radioactive waste Do you know your detoured Published every Wednesday tor $24 per year tn shopping area and $16 per year out of shopping area within stale and $39 per year out ol state within USX by the Vernal Express Publishing Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue. Vernal. Utah 84078 Periodicals postage paid at Vernal, Utah 84078 POSTMASTER Send address changes to VERNAL EXPRESS, PO Box 1000, Vernal Utah 84078 Jack R Wall's Steven R Wal'ls Virginia Hsrdngton fi Patrick Bosfirk by Deb Cross dollars by avoiding unnecessary infrastructure spending, said Zach Erankel, executive director of the LHah Rivers Council. The report found that property taxes subsidize water rates thus encouraging the overuse of w ater. If these taxes were removed, water use would decrease and LHah could defer or eliminate the need for new capital projects, saving taxpayers millions ovct time. These property taxes force homeowners to pay for the waste of large water users. It's time to follow-thpeoples wishes and place the cost of water in our rates like other Western cities so can save water and money, said Erica Thoen, e w-- e research coordinator for LHah Rivers Council. The nonprofit spent a year surveying 54 metropolitan water suppliers to determine how water is financed in Western cities and examining more than 80 bond ratings to determine if property tax collections led to more competitive bond ratings. Little or no improvement could be found in bond ratings as a result of collecting property taxes, contrary to the claims made by water districts collecting property taxes in Utah. To receive a copy of the report contact the LTtah Rivers Council at 801 486-477- 6. icommunity? Seven people, several of them children, correctly identified last weeks location as the Morgan Baker Memorial Express that annually adorns Christensens during the holidays. Your observant neighbors are Brandon Gross, Tavna Osiek, Alison Shipton, Frank Anncri. Camille Johnson, Chad Ryle and Dalton Wienant. This week the Vernal Express is asking its readers to identify the location of this stuffed and mounted cougar. Take a close look at the photo and if you think yon recognize it please give us a call at If you are correct we will list your name among those who know their community and surrounding area 789-351- 1. a Identify the location of this stuffed and mounted cougar to prove you know your community well. |