Salt Lake Tribune:10th Circuit Court Upholds Same-sex Marriage - Updated

Next stop, The U.S. Supreme Court, as the forces of Utah oppression stubbornly remain on the wrong side of history

As a followup to our earlier writeups, here's yesterday's blockbuster Story from the Salt Lake Tribune:

"A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that states outlawing same-sex marriage are in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
By upholding a Utah judge’s decision, a three-member panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver became the first appeals court in the nation to rule on the issue, setting a historic precedent that voter-approved bans on same-sex marriage violate the Fourteenth Amendment rights of same-sex couples to equal protection and due process."

• 10th Circuit Court upholds same-sex marriage

"But the court immediately stayed the implementation of its decision, pending an anticipated appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Utah attorney general’s office said Wednesday it will initiate that appeal."

Here's the full text Court of Appeals decision, for those who'd like to go direct to the source, and digest the court's reasoning:

• Kitchen v. Herbert

Next stop, The U.S. Supreme court, we guess, as the reactionary forces of Utah oppression dig in their heels, and stubbornly remain on the wrong side of history.

Update 6/27/14 8:30 a.m.:  Surprise of surprises:

• Opponents of same-sex marriage vow to continue fight to Supreme Court

Big Meeting Tonight: Ogden-Weber State University Transit Project Study Open House - Updated

Tonight's meeting provides an ideal chance for Ogden lumpenitizens to finally and forcefully throw in your own 2¢.

As a followup to Friday's Ogden Streetcar topical heads-up, here's a dunning reminder of this evening's special community event, whereby all Ogden residents are invited to "join UTA representatives, project partners and local officials at an open house to kick off the Ogden-Weber State University Transit Project Study":

Click to Enlarge Image

Ogden Streetcar fanciers have been craving an Ogden Streetcar System since as far back as 2005.

Tonight's meeting provides an ideal chance for Ogden lumpenitizens to finally and forcefully throw in your own 2¢.

We thus urge all streetcar proponents to mark your calenders and be in attendance.

Update 6/27/14 9:00 a.m.:  Better late than never, the Standard-Examiner provides a post meeting report concerningWednesday's UTA Open House:

• Major Ogden transit project taking shape

"By the end of this year, Ogden should have a pretty good idea of what the future of transit will look like in the city," the SE's Mitch Shaw reports.

2014 Weber County Primary Election Final Results

The 5,718 lumpencitizens who took the time to vote today have spoken

Here you have it Weber County Forum political wonks. With 100% of Weber County precincts reporting, the final results of today's Weber County Primary Election have been tallied by Ricky Hatch's County Clerk's Office.  The 5,718 lumpencitizens who took the time to vote today have spoken.

The stage is now set for the 2014 General Election, in which Republican nominee Justin Fawson will square off on November 4, 2014 against candidates of the other Utah political parties for the House Legislative 7, and  Leeann Kilts will effortlessly cruise into her boss's job, since she faces no opponents in the General Election. Weber School Board candidates Brent W. Richardson and John W. Bradley will face off as General Election opponents, of course.

Breaking: Utah's DABC Uninimously Approves Snowbird "licker sales" for the 2014 Oktoberfest - Updated

When the smoke clears, "All's well that ends well," we guess, as the old folk saying goes.

Via the ever-politically savvy Eric Etherington;

Nice job James Dabakis! After Jim took the DABC to task, they've now unanimously approved the Oktoberfest liquor license.

Shoulda been a "no brainer," we believe.

Weird that this had to be spearheaded by a Demcratic State Senator, don'tcha think, rather than the typical GOP legislative nitwit, who feigns promoting "economic growth?"

When the smoke clears, "All's well that ends well," we guess.

A Weber County Forum Tip of the Hat to Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis, for raising a ruckus, and nailing down this "deal."

Update 6/24/12 11:35 p.m.:  Better late than never, the Salt Lake Trib has the story:

• Utah board OKs Snowbird’s Oktoberfest liquor permit

Big Doin's in Weber County Tomorrow; 2014 Weber County Primary Election - Updated

And what do we constantly do at Weber County Forum?  Answer:  Prove the Standard-Examiner wrong, of course. 

Good news this afternoon for Weber County lumpencitizens, as we prepare clear the first hurdle of the 2014 Elections season, all day tomorrow, between 7am and 8pm. The ever-exciting Weber County primaries will be held all day tomorrow, featuring a Weber County Primary which no self-respecting GOP registered voter, or crossover voter, will want to miss. For those lumpencitizens who don't want to miss all the exciting action, we've been googling all morning; and here's what's in store:

• Weber County 2014 Primary Election Roster

Here are the high points wethinks:

1) Incumbent professional career surveyor and certified County Recorder Ernest Rowley is squaring of with his "uppity" office underling Leeann Kilts, who can apparenty barely read a map. Well give the nod in this race to Mr. Rowley on this one however, although we'll compliment Ms. Kilts, in support of whom, the always misguided Matthew "Boss" Godfrey, Ogden City's #1 contrarian indicator, has a lawn sign in his yard, on her behalf.

Call us old-fashioned. We're recommending Rowley in this race, due to our stubborn insistence that our County Surveyor ought to be a REAL surveyor.

2) Over in the House Leg. 7 race, we have two GOP candidates with all the right crackpot GOP credentials: "Both Dan Deuel, 40. and Justin Fawson, 38, favor limited government, love their country,  limited government, hold concealed carry permitsand are devoted members of the National Rifle Association."  Seriously; we are not making this up.

In this race, of course, your blogmeister will be voting "none of the above."

3) And in the Weber County School Board District 3 race, it'll be a real crap-shoot, inasmuch as none of the candidates in this race have an iota of campaign info up on the internet, aside from their financial disclosure statements.

Good luck, Weber County Lumpencitizens, as the Standard-Examiner predicts that nobody(almost) will show up for tomorrow's voting.

And what do we constantly do at Weber County Forum?  Answer:  We consistently prove the Standard-Examiner wrong, of course.

Added bonus: Find your polling place:

• Utah Voter Information Website

Update 6/24/14 8:00 a.m.: The Standard chimes in with this morning editorial, urging GOP affiliated voters to go to the polls and vote:

• Our View: A final race to the polls

Do your civic duty, folks!

And the Standard reports on this recent House Legislative 7 dustup, which adds a modicum of excitement to today's Primary:

• Candidate's campaign sites questioned

Overpaid Bureaucrats of The Utah Transit Authority Hold a Community Open House

Good news for Ogden Streetcar fanciers!

The insipid and highly overpaid bureaucrats of The Utah Transit Authority will hold a community open house from 5 to 7 p.m. June 25 at Ogden High School, 2828 Harrison Blvd. UTA spokesman Remi Barron said the meeting will serve as a “public kickoff” for a plan that aims to shuttle people between downtown Ogden and Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital. Formal public comments will be collected at the open house and integrated into the study.

• $845K Ogden Transit Project study hearing set

Mark your calenders. peeps!

Beer Likely at Oktoberfest After Utah Lawmakers Rip Brouhaha

Sodden question: "Are major legislative changes in store for Utah's state-run liquor monopoly?"

Following up on our discouraging earlier WCF articles on the topic, we're delighted to shine the spotlight on the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News stories linked below, reporting that it appears that higher-alcohol beer, wine and spirits likely will flow" at this year's Snowbird Resort Oktoberfest, in the aftermath of yesterday's legislative committee hearing:

• Beer likely at Oktoberfest after Utah lawmakers rip brouhaha
• Utah lawmakers take no action on alcohol permit rule

"If it's not in statute, how did it get there? DABC has been essentially writing law, in conflict or not exactly with what the law says," House Representaive Becky Lockhart asked, referring to the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's recent "reinterpretation" of single event liquor permit rules.

And check out this humdinger of a comment from conservative GOP Senator Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, who said lawmakers should re-examine the state's control of liquor sales:

"We need to look at the issue of having the state as the sole purveyor of spirits in the state," Madsen said. "When the government seeks to socially engineer, we run into problems like this and there are all kinds of unintended consequences."

Sodden question: "Are major legislative changes in store for Utah's state-run liquor monopoly?"

We won't hold our breath; but will however remark however that it's encouraging to observe some of Utah's most conservative legislators actively reining in Utah's renegade DABC bureaucrats.

Breaking: Suit Seeks to Block Utah Newspaper Deal, Argues It Dooms The Tribune

Pop up some Orville Redenbachers and pull up your La-Z-Boys, folks

Fascinating development in the Deseret News/Salt Lake Tribune brouhaha, as the Trib's Tony Semerad reports that a local entity identifed as Citizens for Two Voices, composed of  "[e]x-Trib employees, [a] key lawmaker and top advertiser" has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court seeking injunctive and declaratory relief to "immediately halt financial dealings between the paper and its main rival, the LDS Church-owned Deseret News":

Read up, folks:

• Suit seeks to block Utah newspaper deal, argues it dooms The Tribune

Here's the online complaint, for those legal eagles who'd like to read up:

• Lawsuit over control of the Salt Lake Tribune

Pop up some Orville Redenbachers and  pull up your La-Z-Boys, O Gentle
Ones. This one's going to be interesting to watch.

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Last-in-Nation Spending on Students Fell Even Further

Reality Check: Utah used to spend roughly double on public education

Via Eric Ethington

Utah: Dead-Ass Last

Utah! The "best managed state," where the absolutely critical emergency situation of neighborhood schools keeps getting worse.
Every time I talk to a Republican legislator about this, they all say the same thing: "We spend 2/3 Of our budget on education, so of course we care!" Here's the problem, that's nothing but PR spin. Education is 2/3 Of Utah's budget because the GOP leadership keeps cutting taxes for businesses. Do plenty of businesses love Utah for that? You bet. But the cost is our kids. Utah used to spend roughly double on public education, it was only a few decades ago, when Democrats held more seats in state government. But as soon as the GOP gained a super majority, public education immediately went on the chopping block, as these conservatives keep pushing for things they can make money on (like online course software and charter schools):

• Utah’s last-in-nation spending on students fell even further

When are the people of Utah going to realize that Republicans like Senators Stephenson and Osmond, or Reps like Lockhart and Dee, are lying when they say "education is a priority?"

Similar Views: GOP House District 7 Crackpot Candidate Roundup

As a further remember, peeps, you can always go to your regular polling places to vote in the primary election on  Tuesday, June 24

Click to Enlarge Image

As a followup to our June 6, 2014 writeup, in which we shined the spotlight on the "most interesting" Weber County Recorder/Surveyor GOP primary race, we're delighted to discover this morning's Standard-Examiner story, via Googling, whereby ever-diligent SE reporter Cathy McKitrick allows us to shift the pre-primary focus to the Utah House District 7 race, wherein GOP candidate Dan Deuel is "dueling it out" with fellow political newcomer Justin Fawson.

• Similar views: GOP House District 7 candidates

"Both Dan Deuel, 40. and Justin Fawson, 38, favor limited government, love their country,  limited government, hold concealed carry permits and are devoted members of the National Rifle Association. But by the June 24 primary, voters must decide between the two," SE reporter McKitrick informs us.

Looks like both these fellas have all the "right" credentials for a Weber County GOP Primary nomination, don'tcha think?

Remember this folks:

Early voting in Weber County is available between 1 and 5 p.m. June 16-20 at one of six designated locations: Marriott-Slaterville City Hall at 1570 W. 400 North in Marriott-Slaterville; North Ogden City Offices at 505 E. 2600 North in North Ogden; Ogden Valley Branch Library at 131 S. 7400 East in Huntsville; Roy Municipal Building at 5051 S. 1900 West in Roy; South Ogden Municipal Building at 3950 S. Adams Ave, in South Ogden; and the Weber Center at 2380 Washington Blvd. in Ogden.

And as a further remember, peeps, you can always go to your regular polling places to vote in the primary election on Tuesday, June 24.

Weber County GOP primaries... What a "friggin" joke...

Comments, anyone? Eh, Ferris?

Standard-Examiner: City Eyes $5M West Ogden Land Buy

A heartyWeber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to the Ogden City Council and Mayor Mike, for aggressively tackling the long-neglected blight problem on Ogden's West Side.

Via Standard-Examiner reporter Mitch Shaw:

The "post-apocalyptic" part of Ogden is getting a face lift. Here's the lede:

OGDEN — Though the original iteration of the concept sat dormant for 25 years, a project to develop a large portion of West Ogden is now gaining some major momentum.
Ogden City wants to purchase $5.9 million worth of land on just over 50 acres surrounding the vacant Ogden Exchange Building near the old stockyards in West Ogden. The five individual properties are sought by the city so they can begin a redevelopment project being called the Ogden Business Exchange.
The city is working with an undisclosed developer to build a light-manufacturing, industrial and business park in the area, which city officials say will spearhead growth in an area of Ogden that has been void of any major business activity for years.
The project is included in an economic development project area called the Trackline Economic Development Plan, which was adopted last year by the city council to assist with financing the OBE park.

Read Mr. Shaw's encouraging full story here:

• City eyes $5M West Ogden land buy

A hearty Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to the Ogden City Council and Mayor Mike, for aggressively tackling the long-neglected blight problem on Ogden's West Side.

Standard-Examiner: Weber County Fumbles $250K for Housing - Updated

"Too bad that the big bucks being spent without voter approval on the gun range couldn't be used for projects like this," one Standard-Examiner commenter wryly remarks.

Oops. The Standard's Cathy McKitrick reports that our Weber County commission let a quarter million in State housing dollars slip through their fingers last month, due to a simple calendering blunder.  Here's the lead, folks:

OGDEN — A series of unfortunate missteps recently cost Weber County $250,000 in state funding that would have provided down-payment and rental assistance to low and moderate income households. In hindsight, the county’s three commissioners expressed frustration, disappointment and regret that it had not played out differently.
“It’s devastating for Weber County,” said Andi Watkins, Weber Housing Authority’s executive director, noting that for some clients, the aid “made the difference of getting a home.”

Read the full story, O Gentle Ones, revealing a scenario worthy of the Keystone Cops:

• Weber County fumbles $250K for housing

Ms. McKitrick spells out the immediate repercussions of this unfortunate slip-up.

This would have been Weber’s fourth year to offer $5,000 in down-payment assistance to cash-strapped individuals seeking to purchase homes.
The agency made 40 such loans this past year, Watkins said. If the homeowner occupies the property for five years, $4,000 is gifted and the homebuyer pays back $1,000 to help perpetuate the program.
This was Weber’s first year applying for rental assistance dollars. The $30,000 — to be used as a temporary boost for families in crisis — would have helped fill the void left when Catholic Community Services shut down its rental assistance program, Watkins said.

Commission apologies excuses abound:

“Unfortunately, I was not made aware of any time-sensitive issues for inclusion on our agenda on May 13th, or of any time sensitive dates regarding this issue,” Commission Chairman Kerry Gibson told the Standard-Examiner by email.
Gibson had been out of town May 13, attending a personnel management conference as part of his commission duties.
“I am deeply saddened that this situation has caused this funding to be diverted from its intended and important purpose,” Gibson said. “The commission will take appropriate action to make certain that this does not happen in the future.”

"Too bad that the big bucks being spent without voter approval on the gun range couldn't be used for projects like this," one Standard-Examiner commenter wryly remarks, hinting, wethink, that the Commission's current priorities have not recently been exactly in proper order (shall we say).

Update 6/11/14 4:30 p.m.: The Standard-Examiner chimes in with its own critical editorial this afternoon."It’s inexcusable that Weber County public officials missed a deadline to receive $250,000 in state funding to provide down payment and rental help for low- to moderate income county residents," the SE Editorial Board intones:

• Our View: Weber blows housing aid

Standard-Examiner: Video Intensifies Weber Recorder/Surveyor Campaign

Mere words are insufficient of course, to express your blogmeister's considerable delight, as the 2014 General Election season gets fully underway

Via Ricky Hatch's Weber County Elections Office:

We are now 3 weeks away from the Primary, 6/24/14. In-office reg. deadline is 6/9/14. Early-Voting starts 6/10/14.

Check out the primary elections sample ballot,via the Clerk/Auditor's election website , where three June 24 primary races loom:

While there hasn't been much pre-primary drama in either the GOP District 7 House of Representative or non-partisan District 3 Weber County School Board races, there's a true battle royal brewing in the County Recorder/Surveyor contest, where incumbent Ernest Rowley squares off  against the "plucky"intra-party challenger Leann Kilts:

We'll link Cathy McKitrick's May 30, 2014 Standard-Examiner story to set the stage:

• Video intensifies Weber Recorder/Surveyor campaign

And for our eager WCF readers' convenience and enlightenment, here's Mr. Rowley's five-minute campaign video, mentioned, (but inexplicably not linked), in the above SE story:

• Can you Lose Your Property at a Tax Sale?

As an added bonus, we'll helpfully provide each candidate's online campaign sites, so our WCF political wonks can get a better idea of what these two Weber County Recorder/Surveyor candidates are all about. Check 'em out:

Ernest Rowley

• Re-Elect Ernest D. Rowley, PLS, CFedS - Blog
• Ernest D Rowley Weber County Recorder/Surveyor - Facebook

Leann Kilts

• Leann Kilts - Blog
• Leann Kilts for Weber County Recorder/Surveyor - Facebook

Mere words are insufficient of course, to express your blogmeister's considerable delight, as the 2014 General Election season gets fully underway.

Don't let the cat get your tongues, O Gentle Ones.

Breaking: Investigators Search Homes of Former Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff - Updated

Hopefully County prosecutors Sim Gill and Troy Rawlings are being extra fastidious, and are merely tying up any possible "loose ends."

Salt Lake Tribune photo

Encouraging news this morning conceerning the John Swallow scandal from Northern Utah's dueling big-city newspapers, as both the Trib and the D-News report that "Federal and state agents served warrants Monday on the Sandy houses of former Attorney General John Swallow and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff":

• Agents search homes of Swallow, Shurtleff
• Investigators search homes of former attorneys general John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff

For those of us sitting on the edges of our seats these past eighteen months awaiting the filing of actual criminal charges these matters, and wondering about the timeliness of these seemingly belated warrant service procedures, we'll just offer this:

Hopefully County prosecutors Sim Gill and Troy Rawlings are being extra fastidious, and are merely tying up any possible "loose ends."

Update 6/4/14 7:00 a.m.:  In the aftermath of Monday's warrant service, Mr. Shurtleff is raising "holy hell":

• Shurtleff blasts agents’ ‘Dirty Harry’ tactics
• Agents used 'Dirty Harry' tactics and traumatized family, Mark Shurtleff says

"There are certain things that you have to do when you go into an area that is unfamiliar to you" "This is what every citizen out there is subjected to when it comes down." "He [Shurtleff] has a pretty good idea of what's involved here," responds Salt Lake County prosecutor Sim Gill.

Turnabout's a bitch, ainnit?

Don't let the cat get your tongues, O Gentle Ones.