Show A4 Sanpete Wednesday December 22 2004 Valley Edition Messenger-Gunniso- n LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RULES: with the must be in good taste and submitted Sanpete Messenger invites letters to the editor from our readers Letters withhold name hometown and phone number The telephone number wS not be published Occasionally we the author’s name from publication so long as the author reveals his or her name to the newspaper Letters are limited to themselves to an 500 words We wit ptAAsh a maximum of one letter per person every four weeks We ask that writers issue or aspect of an issue that they have not addressed before We reserve the ncit to edit letters for space grammar of the newspaper or its staff danty and taste Opinions in the letters to the editor section do not refled the opinions The author’s By Generosity sets stage for was a week before Christmas and I was feeling discouraged I was in Salt Lake City attending a Utah Press Association board meeting Most of the people there had been in the newspaper business a lot longer than I They had socialized with each other in the past and had “old times” to talk about The board meeting doubled as a Christmas party Most people brought spouses I was there alone Everyone was nice enough Still I felt a little left out I left the board meeting and called my associate editor Sean Hales to find out how Christmas ad sales were shaping up Time had run out he said and he hadn't been able to follow up with all his contacts But now he needed to move on to putting out the next week’s extra big Christmas paper I had at least six errands to do My first stop was at my bank Money’s been tight at the Messenger lately I’ve been taking as little as possible out of the business I had been terribly busy and hadn't been keeping close tabs on my account I went inside and requested a printout Sure enough I’d bounced a check and incurred charge Luckily I had a checkbook with me for an savings account I deposited $250 That brought my savings withdrawals to $ CKK) in about six weeks It was money I’d been saving for a vacation I called Jacque Marsh She’s in charge of our company finances But she does much more She’s my confidant in running the business and offers her sagely motherly advice to me and everyone at the office Suddenly Jacquc said “Oh my heck!” (her favorite expression) Someone was hauling gifts into the office for the Sub for Santa drive the newspaper had helped sponsor “Sean John” Jacque yelled to two of our staffers “Come and help this Suzanne Dean a Merry Christmas Likes Classy It lady” “You should see this” she told me 1Y c)OT ever it was delivered to only half of the residents of Axtell Even some of our paid subscribers in Axtell didn’t pet their paper that week That was bad enotiph but then the next week the Axtell papers which should be in subscribers’ mailboxes on Wednesday w'ere not delivered until Thursday My assignment was to find out w by these problems occurred — and to try' to fix them When our new spaper is mailed to all residents in a prescribed area the post office lows the paper to be sent without address labels Postmasters and carriers automatically distribute newspapers to each post office box or home About half of the residents of Axtell subscribe to the Messenger On regular weeks the mail carrier has one bundle of papers to deliver there But because the Nov 24 paper was going to the whole town the Centerfield Post Office which is responsible for deliveries to Axtell received two bundles of Messengers But the carrier didn’t know that So he only When he got to the pu keJ up one bundle Axtell Post Office and found that the papers he just put them in each were not addressed you by running your name and of- fense in the local newspaper under the arrest report (even though you have not had a trial you are still very much guilty in their mind) Then they come up w ith policies about what they will and won’t ly name is Grant Petersen am the one that paid for my speeding ticket with a bucket full of pennies I did it simply because I have seen too much harassment by the and Sub for Santa donations overflow tainer at Messenger office con- over the phone Manti City had loaned us a big rolling garbage bin as our receptacle The bin was full and gifts were flowing across the floor beside the bin Among them were four handmade quilts Jacque started to cry “Think of the kids who didn’t think they were getting anything who are going to get these toys” she gushed “Think of the parents who didn’t think their kids were getting anything” Lindsay Kogianes our administrative assistant and the person who had done all the work for our Sub for Santa drive including rounding up the garbage bins was crying And crying “Call Pastor Boge” I directed Pastor David Boge of First Presbyterian Church in Mt Pleasant has been of Sanpete Sub for Santa this year Later people told me the gifts from the anonymous family who had walked into our building that Friday had completely filled his SUV When I got back to the office John Hales Sean's brother and our star reporter told me the donation was “the kind of thing Jesus would have done” In the midst of my discouragement the description of the commotion as the anonymous family shared with people they’ll never meet made my day — and my Christmas Thank you to that family Thank you to everyone in Sanpete County who has reached out in love to someone else this season And Merry Christmas to all county including county inspectors who have delayed building projects because of minute details and county commissioners who have red tagged houses (which to me is except when it comes to payment I disagree with all of this I believe that under the constitution and the laws of the land that you stealing) And then there are the courts! The reason that the courts will not accept pennies as payment is because they believe that you are guilty until proven innocent They feel that once you are pulled over for any reason you are virtually under arrest and that the fine you must pay is basically your bail This is why the courts can embarrass are innocent until proven guilty When the police pull you over you are innocent When you are scheduled to appear in court you are nocent- Until the judge can persuade the jury to find you guilty you are still innocent! I never in a million years expected this whole penny issue to be so big and make Sanpete County officials look like international crew at Classy La Vara Mitchell 2 delivery people have been asked to make sure that all newspaper bundles are well marked with the city name delivered to every post office on Tuesday night and placed inside the post office area w'here building or in an assigned they can be easily found early the next morning Our community post offices work diligently to make sure that our newspaper goes out on time to every subscriber We appreciate their efforts and pledge to do all we can to make their work to enter and leave on 100 North These residents have asked the city for a road on 100 South for several years There have been promises but nothing in writing Now the city says we must wait for a developer to bring in more housing and then the city will make them put in a road from 100 South and 400 East up to 800 East Still not in writing The situation as is is a safety hazard The concern is that if w e had any kind of disaster how would we exit all these families? Concerning a recent editorial comment I agree that Ephraim City should be planning for future growth including more roads but extending 600 East Northward will put more traffic in that area and not relies e present congestion It will also run right into a new home currently being built There are at present 9 homes east of 400 East and 100 North with over 300 people living there and future homes and development is still available All 300 of these people need as items that sell for $1000 will be marked down to $996 Since Sanpete County public servants purchase things with pennies every day have been thinking that if this issue goes to state or federal trial I will subpoena every member of the county to testify on my behalf and stand as my witness We will see Grant L Petersen Manti Right now the bottom line is there’s only one way in and one way out for 300 plus individuals! Who would be responsible for any injuries the city or a future developer? Julie Whipple Ephraim Narcotics ftnonymm meetings In Sanpete Mon: 7 Kimberly E Beck Jason Okerlund 76 East Center Gunnison MD PC FNP UT Accepting new patients Most insurances accepted Accepting Select Med We will be open daring the holidays pm ML Pleasant MATR Treatment Center 265 N State Tues: 7 pm Snow College Greenwood Student Center upstairs Fri: 7 pm Manti 450 S 600 W meetings are open to one who wishes to attend For more information on call or any- N A A Christmas Message 0 By the next day the Centerfield Post Office had discovered the second bundle However a substitute was delivering the mail to Axtell that day He didn’t know where the regular delivery person left off So he put the newspapers in the same boxes that had received them the day before The week after that crazy the Messenger’s ow n delivery person left the bundle of new spapers bound for Axtell in a dark comer of the Centerfield Post Office shed The mail carrier couldn’t find them when he went out early Wednesday morning So the papers did not reach subscribers until Thursday My job is not only to discover why problems happen but also to resolve them if I can Here is what we did: From now on when we send out “sample” copies of the paper (about four times a year) we will apply individual address labels for each resident (including nonsubscribers) in all towns where the post office requests labels Also our fools It is somewhat surreal I know that every county official (I should say public servant-o- r servant of the public) uses pennies in every day life thanks to the “odd price sale” The odd price sale is where stores mark down the price of their merchandise by a few cenLs so that it will sell better Such Disagree with extending 6th East in Ephraim my ll Sometimes my job requires me to play detective The Nov 24 edition of the Sanpete Messenger was a “sample" copy that was sent to all residents in mosi towns in the county how- dial: you are truly missing some of the good things in life Thank you Doug and the Protesting fine and court system with pennies Delivery problems in Axtell cleared up Editor’s Note: Periodicaliy Messenger ombudswoman Karen Buchanan will write a column describing her reader advocacy work and actions the newspaper has taken to address concerns expressed by readers 1027 radio To anyone who has not as yet started listening to the classy radio station 955 or 1027 on you from the Gunnison Utah Stake As we read of the scriptural accounts of the birth of the Savior we learn of those that received an angelic message of the birth of the Savior and of those that recognized the sign of His birth the star in the east Each of these groups of people the shepherds and the wise men came to see and to worship Him Many who were there were not concerned or were too busy to see and recognize the signs of the birth of the Christ Child There is plenty of hustle and bustle during this time of year as wre strive to finish all those items on our Christmas list It is important that each of us as individuals and as families make sure we take the time to remember and act on why we celebrate Christmas As we go through the Christmas season may each of us recognize the reality of His birth His ministry and His atoning sacrifice and resurrection He showed us and gave us the way back to Him !3 A May we recognize His gifts of love and peace May we come worshiping Him bringing our gifts of service for “inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me” God be thanked for the gift of His Son We testify of His birth and of His atonement and resurrection He lives We pray that as we go through this Christmas season that we will each remember w hy wre celebrate Christmas that wre will seek him and bring our gifts to Him We wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year! P easier box as far as they would go POOR |