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Show Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 Page 2 World&NatiOn Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Mormon farmers grow barley for beer OarifyCorrect The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo might seem like an unlikely person to be pushing a bill to cut federal taxes on small beer-makers: A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, he abstains from alcohol. But Crapo's effort, with senators from Oregon, Massachusetts and Maine, illustrates the deep bond between Idaho Mormons and the beer industry. Mormon farmers raise barley for Budweiser and Negra Modelo beers, and last year, Mormons in the Idaho Legislature helped kill a plan to raise beer and wine taxes to fund drug treatment, fearing it could hurt farmers. Crapo touted the tax cut for brewers during a recent appearance at the Portneuf Valley Brewing Co. in Pocatello and said his position is simple: He won't impose his own religious beliefs on others, especially when it could affect a growing industry. "The (Idaho) wine industry is growing, too," he told The Associated Press. "I'll probably get asked to help the wine growers out. And I probably will." Most Idaho barley is grown in the southeastern part of the state, where more than 70 percent of the population belongs to the Mormon, or LDS, church. Church founder Joseph Smith offered this reve- Nat'/Briefs Sect leader Jeffs fights extradition to Texas SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs on Tuesday refused to sign a waiver that would have allowed his extradition to Texas, where he faces bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault charges over alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch. Dressed in a dark grey suit, Jeffs attended the short hearing in a West Jordan courtroom where he refused a waiver of extradition from Utah. It was his second refusal; Jeffs also refused in June, when Texas authorities brought a similar warrant to the Utah State Prison, where he is incarcerated. Both the Utah and Texas governors have signed extradition warrants, setting up a legal mechanism for Jeffs' transfer. — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran said Thursday it will free Sarah Shourd, one of three Americans jailed for more than 13 months, as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The imprisonment of the Americans has deepened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, a relationship already strained over Washington's suspicions that Tehran is trying to manufacture nuclear weapons — something Iran denies. Bak Sahraei, the second counselor of Iran's UN mission, sent an e-mail confirming the release of Shourd, following up an earlier text message from the Culture Ministry telling reporters them to come to a Tehran hotel on Saturday morning to witness the LONDON (AP) — John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study. Kris McCarty and colleagues at Northumbria University and the University of Gottingen in Germany asked 19 men aged 18 to 35 who were not professional dancers to dance in a laboratory for one minute to a basic drum rhythm. They filmed the men's movements with a dozen cameras, and then turned those movements into computer-generated avatars so the study could focus on moves, not appearances. release. The site is the same one where the three were allowed the only meeting with their mothers since they were detained in July 2009. Iran claims they illegally crossed the border from Iraq's northern Kurdish region and had threatened to put the three on trial for spying. Their families say they were hiking in the largely peaceful region of Iraq and that if they crossed the border, it was accidental. "Offering congratulations on Eid alFitr," the ministry text message said, referring to the feast that marks the end of Ramadan. "The release of one of the detained Americans will be Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Estaghlal hotel." WASHINGTON (AP) — Traffic deaths have plummeted across the United States to levels not seen in more than a half century, spurred by technology, more safety-conscious drivers and tougher enforcement of drunken driving laws. The Transportation Department said Thursday that traffic deaths fell 9.7 percent in 2009 to 33,808, the lowest number since 1950. In 2008, an estimated 37,423 people died on the highways. Government and auto safety experts attributed the improvement to more people buckling up, side air bags and anti-rollover technology in more vehicles and a focus in many states on curbing drinking and driving. Economic conditions were also a factor. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the new data "a landmark achievement for public health and safety" but cautioned that too many people are killed on the road each year. "While we've Top 10 Signs Your Governor is Losing It — Sept. 8, 2010 10. Closes every speech with "Glee" style song and dance. 9. Giggles uncontrollably when saying the word "Gubernatorial." 8. Still hiding in crawl space waiting for hurricane Earl. 7. Puts on wig — pretends to be his wife. 6. Still wearing white after Labor Day — Hel-l000?!! 5. Describes leadership style as a mix of Jefferson, Churchill and Blagojevich. 4. Get him on the phone and he barks like a dog. 3. At least once a week, wakes up naked on roof of the Capitol Building. 2. Makes no secret of the fact she entered politics to meet Justin Bieber. 1. She resigned from running Alaska to work for Fox News. come a long way," he said, "we have a long distance yet to travel." Forty-one states, the federal enclave of Washington and Puerto Rico saw reductions in highway fatalities, led by Florida with 422 fewer deaths and Texas, down 405. The rate of deaths per 100 million miles (160 million kilometers) traveled also dropped to a record low. It fell to 1.13 deaths per 100 million miles in 2009, compared with 1.26 the year before. Year-to-year declines in highway deaths have occurred in previous economic downturns, when fewer people are out on the road. Traffic deaths decreased in the early 1980s and early 1990s when difficult economic conditions led many drivers to cut back on discretionary travel. Last year's reduction in fatalities came even as the estimated number of miles traveled by motorists in 2009 increased 0.2 percent over 2008 levels. im) CP kV "0 A ": 13 Crt I■1 0 13 1 9:,r. ....., 111 3 {AI s wit r_. 1111111 11111 the Muslim world during the fasting month of Ramadan. Iran's official IRNA news agency said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already pardoned a group of prisoners for Eid al-Fitr. The report gave no number of the freed inmates and did not say whether they also included the American. Shourd, 31, had told her mother she has serious medical problems. Nora Shourd, said her daughter told her in a telephone call in August that prison officials have denied her requests for medical treatment. The mother said they talked about her daughter's medical problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells, and her solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin prison. TAWNY HAYNES, THE WIDOW of slain Montana Highway Trooper Michael Haynes, with her two children, Taryn, 5, left and Elias. 2, right, at their home in Kalispell, Mont. Drinking and driving was legal until 2003, when it was changed only under heavy federal duress, and there was no specified speed limit on major highways. But spurred by the high-profile death last year of a highway patrolman at the hands of an intoxicated driver, Montana's Old West drinking and driving culture is in retreat. AP photo , -= Lo _1 A on —. 0 r•-• y; 14 c 1•:. . e-i i-n V*41 t ; Ln 43 .7. ... 0 , ba C " E o L) v; .1 25 ci.) 7 c = a • • ' • >■ . co) "CI to0 A Scan this into your phone for a list of the great deals! Show us an image of this Smartcode on your phone for additional savings! 3 ‘b 111114 . • ,-, V. The gesture could be a calculated move by Iran to soften international criticism of its judiciary. Iran has faced a growing storm of protest over a stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery that has been temporarily suspended. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has in the past proposed swapping the three for Iranians he says are jailed in the U.S., raising fears that the Americans are being held as bargaining chips. There was no word on the fate of the other two Americans, Josh Fattal, 28, and Shane Bauer, 28, to whom she got engaged to while they were in prison. Releasing prisoners and showing clemency is a common practice in U.S. highway deaths fall to lowest level since 1950 LateNiteHumor O U.S. SEN. MIKE CRAPO, R-IDAHO, talks to a group of brewers, farmers and concerned citizens Aug. 28 about the new tax relief bill for the brewing community in Pocatello, Idaho. Crapo is flanked by Penny Pink, owner of the Portneuf Brewery. AP photo regulations to limit overconsumption, reduce impaired driving and work to eliminate underage drinking." In Utah, the Mormon heartland to Idaho's south, policymakers also appear to be softening. Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Mormon, and the Legislature normalized liquor laws last year, breaking up a 40-year-old system in which private clubs were one of the few places patrons could buy hard liquor. Even so, Idaho's Mormon barley farmers acknowledge an ambiguity in what they grow. "I've often wondered about the correctness of doing it," said Scott Brown, president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association and a Mormon who grows barley on 5,000 acres near Soda Springs. "But somebody is going to grow it, whether members of the LDS church do." Idaho is the No. 2 barley growing state behind North Dakota, and three-fourths of the nearly 50 million bushels produced by its farmers last year went to malters — and beer. Crapo's bill would cut the federal excise tax on brewers' first 60,000 barrels of beer in half to $3.50, saving brewers up to $210,000 a year. While Idaho has just 17 craft breweries, signs of its beer industry are impossible to overlook. Iran to ee American or holiday clemency Study: Flamboyant male dancing attracts women 61 a 0 lation in 1833, "Strong spirits are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies," and members have practiced abstinence since. But the church, which declined to comment for this story, doesn't demand everybody quit drinking. While teaching members to avoid alcohol, it urges public policies that establish "reasonable c\X $1 441.1. .. . . . |