In the absence of any blockbuster Ogden City stories from the northern Utah print media this morning, we'll shine the spotlight on these selected bits and pieces, which nevertheless may provide fodder for further reader discussion:
1) Ace Reporter Schwebke reports that the city council will consider taking action against three "sexually oriented" Ogden businesses (strip clubs), in an apparent effort to enhance our city's new "Provo-style" family friendly image:
• Zoning changes could force businesses to relocateA new Utah law provides that a municipality may enact by ordinance an amortization schedule for the termination of nonconforming uses over a "reasonable period of time." This statute, which was enacted by our purported "pro property rights" GOP legislature during the 2009 session, abrogates former law of long-standing in America, wherein preexisting non-conforming uses have been traditionally "grandfathered," during the entire duration of their operation. In our opinion, this new legislation, which would allow government bureaucrats to arbitrarily "amortize" the "value" private property rights, invites a constitutional law challenge if ever there were one. Maybe it's just us... but we do believe we smell an expensive potential lawsuit blooming on the horizon. Hopefully the city council will be very, very careful as they examine this issue.
2) The Standard-Examiner again seems to be horribly out of touch with current developments this morning, with the publication of this letter which criticizes the three council candidates who declined Boss Godfrey's imperial summons to appear for Boss Godfrey's botched Channel 17 sham debates:
• Debate no-shows set atmosphere for more divisionThe Standard-Examiner editors are well aware that all council candidates have now gotten together and planned a legitimate debate with a venue and ground rules which are agreeable to all council candidates. We thus don't understand at all why the Std-Ed editors allow the Godfrey Ticket letter machine to keep flogging this now dead horse.
3) Rachel Trotter reports this morning, a short seven weeks after signing away the bulk of its multi-million dollar Junction tax increment until the year 2026, that the Ogden City School District is even now shuffling slim resources to meet an "unexpected" increase in elementary school class enrollment:
• Ogden City School District considers its optionsMercilessly, this morning's story dwells on the manner in which the school district intends to "make do" with the resources it already owns; and there is no hint, express or implied, suggesting that the school district will be asking for more taxpayer money any time soon. This is fine with us of course. Frankly, we don't want to hear any whining about funding shortages from the geniuses at the Ogden School District until around the year 2026.
That's it for now, O Gentle Ones.
Pick up on any of the above topics, or start up a new discussion all your own.
