OCR Text |
Show Page The Ogden Valley news Volume XVIII Issue X November 1, 2010 Utah’s Economy has Completed its Transition WSU’s Men’s Basketball Team Once Again Voted Big Sky Conference Regular-Season Champion to Modest Economic Growth Mode According to the Autumn 2010 issue of Zions Bank’s Insight Economic News of Utah and the Nation released today, Utah’s lengthy transition to modest economic growth mode is complete after the most severe recession since the Great Depression. Better days are ahead, said Jeff Thredgold, economic consultant to Zions Bank and author of Insight. Utah is well positioned to return to solid economic growth in coming years. The state’s mix of affordable living, a mild climate, outstanding recreational opportunities, top quality colleges and universities, viable transportation systems, a strong business sector, and solid work ethic ranks with any in the nation. Utah employers added roughly 19,000 net new jobs during the most recent 12-month period, a growth pace of 1.6%. Current growth would rank among the top handful of states. By comparison, similar data as recently as August 2009 indicated a loss of more than 70,000 jobs in the prior 12-month period. The quarterly Insight publication features updates on current and projected economic and financial developments for the state of Utah, ORDINANCE cont. from page 1 dation that these words be omitted.” Clarke, concludes, “Existing internally lit signs should be grandfathered until such time as they are replaced. In all cases, the night sky lighting ordinance should be respected. Certainly the rural identity of the Valley will be promoted by this requested change.” Other sign concerns include the use of “A type” moveable signs, use of trucks or trailers that are, essentially, moveable signs, and PHOTOGRAPHER cont. from page 1 the nation and the global economy. The report also examines inflation. Highlights from the report include: Utah’s unemployment rate has averaged 7.2% during 2010-to-date. This level is nearly twice the 3.7% average during 2008 and twoand-a-half times the 2.9% average in 20062007. The unemployment rate could stay uncomfortably high in coming months as better job availability draws more people back into the labor force. The latest Utah-cost-of-doing-business estimate of Moody’s Economy.com was 90% of the U.S. average. Similar costs for Salt Lake City and Provo-Orem were 87% and 83%, respectively. Utah has benefited from investment decisions by such high-profile California-based names as Adobe, eBay, Oracle, Twitter, and Electronic Arts to invest in new facilities across the Wasatch Front. Such decisions will bring thousands of new jobs to Utah. Zions Bank is Utah’s oldest financial institution and is the only local bank with a statewide distribution of branches, operating 106 full-service branches throughout Utah. Additional information is available at <www. zionsbank.com> permission of off-site commercial signs, all of which need to be addressed and dealt with. The Ogden Valley GEM Committee is a citizens’ committee that provides assistance to the Weber County Commissioners and staff in an effort to help Ogden Valley develop as an attractive, useful, and desirable place to live and recreate. For more information, or to submit comments, please content to Stephen Clarke at <sdclarke@oValley.net> the Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure, the Aspen Institute’s Visual Arts & Design public. The first will be November 16 at 7:00 p.m. Award, the first-ever International League at Pleasant Valley Library (5568 of Conservation Photographers S. Adams Ave., South Ogden). League Award, and the North The second will be November 18 American Nature Photography at noon in the Shepherd Union Association’s “Outstanding Ballroom B on WSU’s Ogden Photographer of the Year.” campus. The final presentation The author of seven books, will be November 20 at 9:00 a.m. Balog’s most recent publication at the Ogden Nature Center (966 is “Extreme Ice Now: Vanishing W. 12th St., Ogden), where he will Glaciers and Changing Climate: speak about photographing nature. A Progress Report,” released by An exhibit of his photographs National Geographic Books in from the Extreme Ice Survey will be March 2009. on display in WSU’s Shepherd Union For more information on his Bridge Gallery November 1-30. visit, call the office of the Dean For nearly 30 years, Balog has of the Lindquist College of Arts broken new ground in the art of & Humanities at 801-626-6424 or photographing nature. He is the visit <cah.weber.edu/> James Balog recipient of a 2010 Heinz Award. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for Past awards include: Leica Medal of Excellence, more news about Weber State University. Two-time defending Big Sky Conference regular-season champion Weber State is once again the favorite in the men’s basketball preseason polls. The 2010-2011 media and coaches’ polls were released Wednesday, October 20 by the league office. Randy Rahe’s Weber State Wildcats received six of the nine first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and 61 total points. The Wildcats earned 21 of the 28 first-place votes in the media poll and 238 points. Weber State finished 13-3 in conference during the 2009-2010 season, and have compiled a 28-4 Big Sky record over the past two seasons. The coaches and media both picked Weber State No. 1 last season. Weber State returns reigning league MVP Damian Lillard, a junior guard from Oakland, California. Lillard averaged a league-high 19.9 points per game, shot .853 percent from the freethrow line and .393 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats also return starting forward Kyle Bullinger, center Trevor Morris, forward Darin Mahoney and guard Lindsey Hughey. The media and coaches selected eight of the nine teams in the same slot. The only difference was at the No. 2 position. The media selected Northern Colorado second, while Northern Arizona drew the No. 2 slot from the coaches. Northern Colorado earned two first-place votes from the media and 197 total points. Northern Arizona garnered one first-place vote from the coaches and 56 total points. Northern Colorado was tabbed fourth by the coaches, while NAU was picked fourth by the media, earning one first-place vote. Northern Colorado, led by first-year coach B.J. Hill, won a school-record 25 games in 2009-2010, finishing second in the regular-season standings. The Bears return three starters, including senior guard Devon Beitzel. The 6foot-1, 180-pounder from Lafayette, Colorado was a second team all-conference selection last season, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting .444 percent from 3-point range. Beitzel missed the Bears’ final seven games with an injury. Northern Arizona, led by 12th-year head coach Mike Adras, finished 14-14 in 2009-2010, falling to The University of Montana in the Big Sky quarterfinals. The Lumberjacks return four starters, including senior All-Conference guard Cameron Jones, who averaged 19.3 points per game. The Lumberjacks return nine letterwinners, including senior forward Shane Johannsen. Montana, which upset top-seeded Weber State in the Big Sky Championship game, was selected third in both polls. The Grizzlies received four first-place votes from the media and 196 total points. Two coaches selected Montana first. Montana returns senior center Brian Qvale, who scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament loss to New Mexico. Montana must replace AllConference guard Anthony Johnson, the team’s leading scorer each of the past two seasons. Montana State was tabbed fifth in both polls, followed by Eastern Washington, Portland State, Idaho State and Sacramento State. Portland State will not be eligible for the NCAA post-season in 2010-2011 due to a low APR score during the measured span of 20052009. The NCAA gave PSU a one-year restriction this past spring, preventing the Vikings from having a shot at the NCAA or NIT. Because of the penalty, Portland State is not eligible for the 2011 Big Sky Championship. The top six teams from the Big Sky will qualify for the league championship, which begins with quarterfinals on Saturday, March 5. The semifinals are Tuesday, March 8 with the championship on Wednesday, March 9. The semifinals and championship will be played at the site of the regular-season champion. U.S. Forest Service Grants More Than $8 Million toMore States in the Intermountain Region than $8 million in managers to address forest health challenges. recently awarded federal funds have been distributed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Intermountain Region to help states sustain urban and rural forests, and to protect communities from wildfires, insects, diseases, and invasive plants. “State Foresters have begun distributing these funds to help keep communities safe while making forests more resilient from diseases, insects, and invasive species,” stated Intermountain Regional Forester Harv Forsgren. “Many funds are targeted for firefighter training and equipment. The balance of the funds will be available to landowners and state resource This annual funding is critical especially when so many of our private landowners and states are experiencing tough budgetary times.” Within the Intermountain Region, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands received more than $5 million in grants. The Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry program facilitates the funding process. Grant recipients typically use the federal funding for tree planting operations, fuel thinning, firefighting efforts and overall forest management issues. “We are grateful for the resources available to work on State and private lands in Utah. Our interest is in protecting communities U.S. FOREST cont. on page 13 |