Show 12 H JULY 21 1991 SUNDAY DESERET NEWS Better have a good excuse to get out of a parking ticket By Ply Evensen another why people shouldn't have to pay On a typical day a handful of peop!e sit patiently on a wooden bench waiting their the time they go home each Wade Robinson and Glen Grant have collected a library of excuses Robinson and Grant are hearing officers for Salt Lake City People who receive parking tickets and feel they've been wronged have to win tile approval of either Robinson or Grant before getting the treket dismissed or reduced Both men work four-hou- r shifts featuring one reason aster By day tv44444':s4 ¼fln'"fl 34 'v "Last Friday I had one I had never had before" Robinson said "A man in his 20s came in and said he couldn't put money in the meter because someone had tied a dog to the meter and the dog bared his teeth whenever he came near it" They hear some excuses re 14005'4 Vivo Dey to Mi33Z:MZXZYMWi:i:ES: 1 1 LAIL LAKE - t: xxv0000 FIN l'A RI( NZ'ZZA IP 'NZ Welcome to Quail Lake RV Park in Hurricane Utah gateway to the National Parks You can go in any direction and see the best that nature and mankind has to offer We invite you to make Quail Lake RV Park your headquarters 10 minutes from St George on the Virgin River Fishing heated pool & spa recreation Facilities include restrooms for & showers phone laundry etc Full hook-u- p 3 Exit 16 Hurricane Take only $1090 per night miles east on highway 9 k''''k qi:i: k ‘' City-Count- VAN (1 : turn CAk I' ulcer" Robinson said one woman screamed and ranted for several minutes — then she smiled thanked him for letting her vent her feelings and paid the ticket Both men said one class of people always get their tickets dismissed — tourists They want people to leave Salt Lake City with a good feeling But Grant said he tries to make sure people really are tourists "It's something you feel by the way they talk to you" he said adding that he asks for a hotel or rental car receipt and asks a few questions y All those kids along with the large number of traditional families in Utah mean that "family shows do better here than a lot of other places" Manookin said "Several years ago when ABC was having lots of problems lo- TV Continued from H7 Z' VN daytime hours when cartoons on 1k'kik zo NiiVtAg "The first thing I try to do is calm them down" Grant said "I tell them they're going to get an ulcer and you don't want an Z: :b"k 9960 635 (801) iks: n peatedly such as "I didn't get the ticket" or "Someone stole it" But Robinson and Grant both retired police officers listen patiently to the excuses and try to judge the authenticity of each one Often they reduce the amount people have to pay or they give people extra time to come up with the money "You might say I'm the bottom rung of the judicial system" Grant said "I try to do the best I can by listening to the stories" Robinson and Grant are two of about 2800 city employees many of whom work where they do the Building 451 S State Like most of the employees they deal with the public — a public that often delights in reminding them that taxes pay their §a time Boats KSTU-C- h 13 pull in big audiences and during prime time when shows aimed at the youngsters do extremely well "We get a bigger number because we have more children" said Christy Elswood KSTU's cally (KTVX) was doing well because the ABC lineup had family-oriente- d sitcoms" said Maria Smith-Moor- e station manager at KUTV-C- h 2 On her own station "The Cosby Show" was more popular during program director 0 vinapLaccisinc GAS SPECIALTIES STORE OVER 23 YEARS EXPERIENCE 25' 370 HP 48 MPH -a Big Cuddy - '''' rv - 190 Sierra Classic — - 404 2' !4421 190 Sierra Classic Available in IO or Outboard YOU'VE GOTTA BUY A SEASWIRL BOAT QUALITY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES CLOSEOUT ON 1990 & 1991 1992 ORDER IN PRICES GOING ON NOW! nEti'DfirnkA244 1200 W Orem Utah FIREPLACES ' GAS INSERTS & i lik Vit tv 14 ' RASMUSSEN GAS LOGS T 10 Igu SUNGLO GAS PATIO HEATERS WOOD BURNING STOVES & INSERTS (Z FINANCING Accessories & Parts Fireplace Screens Gas Logs Moore said "It was outperforming all the highly ethnic highly black areas" More recently the animated sitcom "The Sirnpsons" — which appeals strongly to youngsters — has been equaling or beating "Cosby" in the ratings wars (Nationally "Cosby"s is a clear winner in the battle) One difference Utahns see (although many don't appreciate) is the quality of the local television newscasts A look at other television markets Salt Lake City's size reveals much less in the way of quality and production The Utah stations compete favorably with much larger markets And the tone of Utah newscasts is somewhat different from many markets across the nation "I find that our newscasts on all three stations are not as sensational or as exploitative as they are in most areas of the country" said Moore Fireplace Grates Built-i- Fireplaces Glass Screens n Venting Materials 4868452 973 EAST 2100 SOUTH (IN SUGARHOUSE) g During the blOuNT6111 A VAILABLE Barbeque its heyday here than anywhere else "One of the real surprises came during its third year when we had the largest share of any market in the country with 'Cosby" sweeps months when viewing levels are measured in every area many local newscasts resort to highly visible but sometimes al PELLET STOVES & INSERTS S nIRWIF s- wimis- MAJESTIC GAS & WOOD FIREPLACES mi NORDIC Marine & RV Sales and Service N FIREPLACES L DUCANE GAS GRILLS -- 944 DIRECT VENT GAS Cuddy 8 up to 370 HP The second man's story was identical to the first's "I felt like two cents" Robinson said adding he tried unsuccessfully to find the first rnan and refund his money news-gatherin- GAS & WOOD FIREPLACES - Iv TO LtlielA 208 Spyder Sport V-V-6 3 HEAT-N-GL- "1111 r- 4 4rvr - 7 : 01 elevator" here" Manookin said rpw kaki 4 220 Sable Cuddy 22' 260 HP "I reduced the ticket for him giving him the benefit of the doubt" he said "Then a while later another man walked in and said 'You're not going to believe this but I was stuck in an "I don't think there's any question that local news is very strong -------- - 230 Cordova Cuddy But the task of judging someone's honesty isn't easy and sometimes the hearing officer rnfikes the Wrong decision Robinson remembers the day a man in a business suit told him he couldn't put more money in the parking meter because he was stuck in an elevator Robinson didn't believe Chimney Brushes Wood Baskets Log Lighters Gas Grills questionable reporting "In other markets it's violence or sex or exploitation" Moore said "Boy are we tame here" Overall there's just not a whole lot to distinguish the Utah television market from others across the country "As a market we tend to be rather conservative" Manookin said "But it isn't that much different than a conservative area in the South or the Midwest "And really there isn't that much difference at all" |