No Cookies For The Poor; Gold And Marble For The Faithful?

Many religions lose that emphasis which is a basic tenet of the book they claim to be the foundation of their faith(s)

By: Ray

With all the hoopla in the media regarding the reopening of the Ogden LDS temple, I find a story in today’s Standard Examiner particularly incongruous. In the hard-copy edition article entitled, “Ogden temple tour tent will break with tradition” a spokeswomen states, “No cookies will be served in the hospitality tent, as they have been in past temple open houses,” and “The money will be better spent for wells in Africa or wheelchairs for Russia.”

• No cookies in tent for Ogden temple open house

While I can’t argue with that statement, I can wonder if the same logic wouldn’t fit for the tens of millions of dollars spent on over the top remodeling of a house of worship vs. spending it on the poor, downtrodden, or sick. It seems as if many religions lose that emphasis which is a basic tenet of the book they claim to be the foundation of their faith(s).

Salt Lake Tribune: Is A Fee For Solar Energy Users A 'SunTax' Or Fair Play? - Updated

Our take? Executives of America's multi-billion dollar electrical utilities will soon be making major changes to their business plans

There's a fascinating story in yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune, reporting on a technological battle which is likely to be brewing before the Utah Public Utility Commission this year.  Here's the tantalizing lede:

Angled to the southeast, Stan Holmes’ home above the state Capitol has a great view of City Creek Canyon but a less optimal position for solar panels — they generate most of their electricity in the morning, not during afternoon surges in demand.
But his new 378-kilowatt system still produces more power than his family can use much of the year, and sends the surplus into the grid to power the neighbors’ lights, kitchens and air conditioners.
The photovoltaic array greatly reduces their utility bills, but "that’s not what drove us," said Holmes, a retired high school history teacher. "The idea was to do everything we could to reduce our carbon footprint."
The Holmes family is among 2,700 Rocky Mountain Power customers who "net meter" — earning credit for the excess power they produce — and this number is growing rapidly as the cost of solar installations drops. Now the utility wants to charge such customers $4.65 a month to help cover the grid’s fixed costs, those associated with transmission and distribution of electricity through a vast network of wires, transformers and substations.

Check out the full Brian Maffly story here, which frames the looming debate, as individual Utah solar panel advocates square off against the Rocky Mountain Power behemoth:

• Is a fee for solar energy users a 'sun tax' or fair play? 

By way of background, we'll link this timely Business Insider story, which doesn't paint a rosy picture for existing,(mainly tradtional)  fossil fuels-based electrical power industry:

• Barclays Has The Best Explanation Yet Of How Solar Will Destroy America's Electric Utilities

Our take? Executives of America's multi-billion dollar electrical utilities will soon be making major changes to their business model, particularly in view of the rapidly declining costs of rooftop solar arrays.

For our own part, we can see Rocky Mountain Power's point. Why shouldn't individual home owners such as Mr Holmes, folks who are selling home-produced electical power to RMP, make at least a "token" ($60/year annual) contribution to the upkeep of RMP's existing electrical grid infrastructure upkeep?.  On the other side of the coin, why should our PUC place any economic disincentaive at all to the broad adoption of solar power generation technology, a technology which is (in our never humble opinion) the "wave of the future."

In that connection we'll also link this handy online petition, for those Gentle Readers who are (unlike your blogmeister), Not Sitting On the Fence:

• CHAIRMAN ALLEN: NO TAX ON ROOFTOP SOLAR IN UTAH

Added bonus: A tantalizing new broad alternative to mere rooftop solar panels.  This is a new technology which is "coming up":



Nope, WCF lumpencitizens, the solar electricity revolution isn't limited to rooftop solar panels.

Update 7/30/14 8:00 a.m.:  The Trib carries this robust Brian Maffly morning story, reporting on the action at yesterday's PUC hearing, where "[a]bout 200 residents [gathered] outside the Salt Lake City headquarters of the Utah Public Service Commission before pouring into the Heber Wells building to address the three-member panel that regulates utilities," in protest of RMC's proposed "sun tax":.

• Commission hears debate over solar power fee

Well? Comments anyone? Ferris?

Standard-Examiner: Lessons Gained From Stewart Shooting Review

Ultimately, the buck stops with Weber County voters

As a followup to our Thursday, July 17 writeup, wherein we shined the spotlight on the recently released " Ogden Police Department internal shooting review report summary," The Standard's Ben Lockhart jumps aboard the bandwagon with this robust Sunday morning story, again putting the disastrous 1/4/12 blunders of local police agencies into sharp focus :

• Lessons gained from Stewart shooting review

However belatedly, it's entirely fitting that this story would be splashed all over the SE front page this morning, we believe. Ultimately, the buck stops with Weber County voters, dunnit?

A Weber County Tip O' The Hat to Ben Lockhart, for providing this thoroughly well-researched report.

Sodden Question: Despite the headline, did anybody in authority truly learn any real lessons from this fiasco?

Pioneer Day 2014 Songfest Special

The anthem of the Mormon pioneers, in the spirit of Pioneer Day

In the spirit of Pioneer Day, we'll embed this visually dramatized version of "Come, Come, Ye Saints" (originally "All is Well"), sometimes considered to be the anthem of the Mormon pioneers.



This hymn was written by William Clayton on April 15, 1846, as his Mormon pioneer caravan rested at Locust Creek, Iowa, over 100 miles west of its origin city of Nauvoo, Illinois.

This song has special meaning for your blogmeister and his family, folks, inasmuch as just prior to writing the lyrics, Clayton had received word that his wife, Diantha Farr Clayton, the sister of your blogmeister's great-great grandfather, Lorin Farr, had given birth to a healthy boy in Nauvoo, about which event Clayton stated in his journal that he "...composed a new song—'All is well.' I feel to thank my heavenly father for my boy and pray that he will spare and preserve his life and that of his mother and so order it so that we may soon meet again."

As an added bonus, we'll reprise another version of this stirring and uplifting hymn, performed by Texas gee-tar virtuoso Mark Patrick Abernathy. This version's our personal favorite; and frankly, we can't get enough of it:



Here are the lyrics, for those musically-inclined readers who might be compelled to sing (or strum ) along.

(And yes, long-time WCF readers with functioning memories, this is something of a re-run).

So which rendition do you prefer, O Gentle Ones?

You be the judge.

And have a safe and sane holiday, folks, whether you're celebrating this day as traditional Pioneer Day, or the more recently trendy Pie N' Beer Day.

Standard-Examiner Editorial: Our View: Put Limits On [Utah] Campaign Cash

Howbout you? ...are you "on the bus" with this, WCF Peeps?

Top-notch editorial in Sunday's edition of our WCF home town newspaper, (the Standard-Examiner.)

Here's the lede, WCF political wonks:

Honestly, is there any argument left against Utah setting limits on campaign donations?
Or, are we once again going to deal with the same pusillanimous arguments by our pols that Utah does not need campaign cash limits, that the idea that big dollars would influence our vote is insulting, and that everything is properly disclosed, ad nauseam, and so on?
After the several-years spectacle of the attorney general’s office being receptive to those with the biggest cash pockets, such enabling rhetoric is enough to make one clutch an air sick bag.

And here's the full editorial for your perusal:

• Our View: Put limits on campaign cash

More summary argument from the Standard-Examiner:

Utah is one of only four states that basically have no limits on money that can be stuffed in pols’ pockets for use in campaigns. Also, in the matter of disclosure, Utah falls behind most of the other states. This is a dysfunction that should have been corrected a long time ago. But it wasn’t. Pols, enjoying the access and cash of deep-pocket donors, have instead passed mostly meaningless “baby-step” reforms.
The embarrassing and sickening saga of Shurtleff and Swallow must change the mind set and break down the objections. It’s time to limit campaign cash.

Weber County Forum will be seriously (perhaps feverishly) on this bandwagon during the 2015 Legislative session, concerning the campaign finance reforms which the SE Editorial Board proposes.

Howbout you?

Are you "on the bus" with this, WCF Peeps?

Exhibit "A" for Utah Campaign Finance Reform:

Swallow/Shurtleff Booking Photos

Don't let the cat get your tongues.

Salt Lake Tribune: Police Detail What Went Wrong in Fatal Shootout With Matthew David Stewart - Updated

Internal review says officers made mistakes before and during the fatal drug raid on Matthew David Stewart’s home.

As a followup our earlier reporting on the January 4, 2012 Matthew Stewart matter, we'll direct our readers' attention to this morning's Salt Lake Tribune story, focusing on "[a] summary of the Ogden Police Department’s internal shooting review report, released this week as part of a Salt Lake Tribune open-records request, showing that many policy violations..."  contributed to the carnage which occurred on that fateful night in 2012.

Notably, The Trib has expended substantial effort in prying this information loose. "The Tribune requested internal police reviews in May 2013, shortly after Matthew David Stewart, who was charged with shooting the officers, committed suicide at the Weber County jail and his criminal case was closed. The police department denied the request, citing privacy issues.
The Tribune appealed the decision to Ogden’s records review board — which also denied the request.
In February of this year, The Tribune filed a lawsuit in 2nd District Court seeking the report.
The release of the report — actually an eight-page summary of the internal reviews— was the result of out-of-court negotiations between the two parties after the lawsuit was filed," according to this story's sidebar note.

Read up, folks.  This story of massive across-the board police incompetence is a real doozy -- a major screwup which ultimately cost two human lives:

• Police detail what went wrong in fatal shootout with Matthew David Stewart

Here's the scathing full summary, for those readers who'd like to go to the direct source material:

• Ogden Shooting Review Summary

We'd label it a "comedy of errors," folks, but frankly, this story ain't the least bit funny.

Among "the policy changes [that] have helped remedy issues of conflicting policies between police agencies that serve on the strike force, and also helped make officers safer."  And in that connection, and the wake of this horribly botched police raid, we'll make note of this:

It [has now become] a requirement that all officers must wear "full entry gear" when entering a home during search warrant service, and that supervisors must do a gear check before entry.

Seems that the "macho" cops of Ogden haven't even learned even the first lesson from this fiasco, No?

Which lesson ought to be.... you don't place human lives in danger to bust a so-called "low-level marijuana guy"  in the first place.

Bonus Question: Isn't it about time for the Utah legislature to weigh in on this? Seems major Utah legislation limiting these door-busting home invasions to situations where human life is already at risk would be good start.

Update 7/18/14 8:00 a.m.: Police reform advocate Radley Balko is now all over this story; and he's pulling no punches at all:

• Internal documents show that Utah police did little investigation before fatal drug raid

"One might suggest that the fact that Stewart was a “low-level marijuana guy” would be a good reason to leave the battering ram at the police station. Had they done a little more investigating, they might have learned that Stewart worked at Walmart. Perhaps they could have sent a couple uniformed cops to arrest him at his job. Better yet, a little more investigation might have revealed the fact that Stewart wasn’t selling or distributing his pot to anyone — that it was for his own personal use — and concluded that it would be best to just leave him alone. God forbid. [Sadly,] [t]hat isn’t how [Ogden Police Chief] Ashment sees it."

Breaking: Swallow, Shurtleff Taken Into Custody - Updated

Needless to say, we'll update this page as the story develops

Via KSL News. This, folks is the news that all WCF political wonks have been ever-so-eagerly awaiting:

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff were arrested and taken into custody Tuesday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill confirmed.

The FBI planned a 9 a.m. news conference in regards to the state arrest warrants issued Tuesday morning. The arrests come after search warrants were served at both men's homes in June.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Here's the story link, folks:

• Swallow, Shurtleff taken into custody

Needless to say, we'll update this page as the story develops.

Update 7/15/14 9:42 a.m.:  The Tribune carries a very robust post- news conference story on this topic, which, among other things, details the nature of the multiple felony and misdemeanor charges so far lodged against Shurtleff and Swallow. The Trib's Robert Gehrke is doing a yeoman's job keeping this story regularly updated, btw:

• Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff arrested, face 23 charges - Updated

Update 7/16/14 8:30 a.m.:  This story is grabbing national attention, of course. Here's yesterday's New York Times writeup, for example:

• Two Former Attorneys General in Utah Are Charged With Corruption

Via Utah Policy, here's the aftermath:

• Shurtleff holds a news conference accusing Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill of conducting a political witch hunt [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
• Here's video of Shurtleff's arrest [KUTV].
• Utah political leaders react to the arrests [Tribune, Daily Herald].
• There may be more arrests tied to the Swallow/Shurtleff scandal [Tribune].
• The Department of Justice is getting a black eye for ending their probe into Swallow and Shurtleff [Tribune].
• Where does the Swallow/Shurtleff scandal rank among Utah's history of political wrongdoing? [Tribune]

Update 7/16/14 9:44 a.m.: With considerable delight, we'll highlight this poignant Paul Rolly piece, dripping with Utah politico-cultural irony:

• Rolly: As ex-AG is booked, his Dem foe rises to Mormon temple leader

Update 7/17/14 10:00 a.m.:  Added bonus... This morning's Bagley cartoon:

Salt Lake Tribune: Texts Reveal Raw Tensions Between Shurtleff, Former Aide

Torgeson: "pissed about the damn stupid things John [Swallow] did"

Thanks to yesterday's story from intrepid Salt Lake Tribune journalist Robert Gherke, check out these amazing internal email messages, recently revealed, concerning our Utah Attorney General's Office, which was obviously in the proceess of "melting down" even during the years of the Mark Shurltleff Utah Attorney General Administration, long prior to the even more didastrous John Swallow administration, a situation which  one savvy social media correspondent descibes thusly:

"It's so special when power-mad Utah politicos/alleged criminals text back and forth like snippy lovers. Dontcha think?"

Here's Mr. Gehrke's lede:

This story and accompanying graphics contain unedited text messages with sometimes-offensive language.
In a frank, pointed exchange last year, Mark Shurtleff’s former top deputy scolded his ex-boss in a series of heated text messages for his "stupid" actions that cast the entire Utah attorney general’s office in a bad light.
"I have spent the last 4 months listening to people shred our offices and [sic] integrity. It has been hell," Kirk Torgensen, Shurtleff’s former top deputy, wrote to the former attorney general in April 2013 as the scandal engulfed the office. "I am pissed about that and the damn stupid things John [Swallow] did. … Shit John made 24 grand on the side and hardly came to work for an entire year."

The sporadic and spirited text exchanges span eight months, during which time Torgensen rails against his former boss for exercising poor judgment and Shurtleff acknowledges making serious mistakes in not taking Torgensen’s advice.

Read the full Trib story here:

• Texts reveal raw tensions between Shurtleff, former aide

Good catch, Mr,. Gehrke, we say. Enightening, to say the least.

Read up, folks.

Kearns-Tribune, Deseret News Ask Judge to Toss Antitrust Lawsuit

Our take?  This patently frivolous lawsuit will be "dumped" before the end of the month

Following up on our earlier story on this topic, we learn this morning from The Standard-Examiner, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News that "[t]he Deseret News’ top managers and The Salt Lake Tribune’s corporate owners are asking a federal judge to reject claims that a new business arrangement between Utah’s two largest newspapers violates the law and should be undone. U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups has scheduled a July 21 hearing on the lawsuit, filed last month by a nonprofit group called Citizens for Two Voices (also known as the Utah Newspaper Project)":

• Newspapers ask to dismiss lawsuit over agreement
• Deseret News, Tribune bosses urge judge to toss lawsuit
• Kearns-Tribune, Deseret News ask judge to toss antitrust lawsuit

The appellant newspaper owners "argue that the Utah Newspaper Project lacks proper legal standing to pursue the case, primarily because its members haven’t shown how they are injured by the JOA changes, beyond "hypothetical" and "conjectural" allegations of how they or others in Utah might suffer from losing The Tribune’s editorial voice if the paper shut down," according the the above-linked Trib story, among other things.

"Claims that the new JOA is ultimately intended to put The Tribune out of business are baseless, [appellants] have [affimatively] contended, saying there are no plans to shut down the paper — 'not this week, this month, this year, or ever'"

Our take? This patently frivolous (but well-meaning) lawsuit will be "dumped" before the end of the month.

Comments, anyone?

Official Results for the 2014 Midterm Primary Election

Snoose, You Lose

Via Ricky Hatch's Weber County Election Office:

"Official Results for the 2014 Midterm Primary Election were approved by Weber County Commissioners. See them here":

• GEMS ELECTION SUMMARY REPORT

Election turnout: 6.27%

Gulp!

Looking at the bright side, we guess, those 5,980 voters who did get off their ass and cast their primary ballots in Weber County got lotsa bang for the buck, no?

Church Now Saying 700,000 Will Come for Ogden Temple Opening - Sensible Old Bus Routes Suddenly Restored?

A permanent change, or just merely a temporarary fix?

By: Blackrulon

I notice that during the Ogden LDS temple open house UTA has made the decision to resume bus service on lower 25th street.

• Church now saying 700,000 will come for Ogden Temple opening

Will this be a permanent change to the UTA route or just merely a temporary change during the open house schedule? It is interesting to wonder why all of the problems city leaders, 25th business owners and UTA executives noted when they cancelled the prior UTA bus service on that route are no longer valid.

Comments, anyone?

Ogden 4th Of July "Celebration" -- The Aftermath

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -- Albert Einstein

Via a couple of our social media friends, following last night's insane Ogden fireworks frenzy:

"Isn't one central celebration enough? Does the whole town have to sound like a War Zone for hours on end? Share if you think we should do something about this. Our pets and wild animals deserve more from us—they are terrified!":



Sodden Question: "Is this really necessary, Ogden, Utah?"

Having trouble breathing this morning, Ogden City Lumpencitizens? Here's why:

Click to Enlarge Image

"Weber County particulate levels over the last 5 days. 55 is "unhealthy", 155 is "very unhealthy", and 250 is "hazardous". However, those ratings are officially based on the 24-hour average (the blue curve), which is now just above 100 (and will remain there until tonight). Live data is here":

• Weber County—Trend Charts

Take note of the troubling airborne particulates spike, which not-so-curiously coincides with last night's nerve-jangling Ogden public pyrotechnics overdose.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -- Albert Einstein

4th of July Special 2014 - Happy Birthday, America

Let's keep our eye on the ball, people:

• House Budget Committee Kills Immigration Reform Amendment

Have a safe and sane holiday, folks.

City Council Notes: Ogden City Proposes the Construction of Another Parking Garage - Updated

This folks, is a project which must be closely watched

Amidst this weeks excessively slo-o-o-w local news, we've received a "hot" tip from a gentle reader concerning an Ogden City Council agenda item which, until today has been a mite "below the radar." Specifically, at tonight's Ogden City Redevelopment Agency meeting, "[t]he RDA Board will consider a Resolution authorizing the Executive Director to execute a Real Estate Purchase Contract with H&P Investments for purchase of three parcels of property located between Kiesel and Grant and 24th and 25th Streets for $1.1 million. The City hopes to construct a parking structure on the property."

Here's the RDA agenda item:

4. Reports from Administration:
a. Property Acquisition – 2423 Kiesel Avenue. Proposed Resolution 2014-11 approving the terms and conditions of a real estate purchase contract for property located at approximately 2423 Kiesel Avenue.
(Adopt/not adopt resolution – roll call vote)
b. Land Transfer and Development Agreement – 2250 Kiesel Avenue. Proposed Resolution 2014-12 approving the terms and conditions of a land transfer and development agreement for property located at approximately 2250 Kiesel Avenue. (Adopt/not adopt resolution – roll call vote)

And here's this evening's full council packet, for those who'd like to read up:

• 07/01 City Council-RDA Special Session

Curiously, this proposed  project is situated within one block of another parking structure which Ogden City blithely "gave away" to Marketstar Corporation in late 2008:

• Ogden Gives Away Parking Garage

Similarly, the City built a parking garage on Lincoln Avenue between 20th and 21st, and then promptly gave it  away to the American Can owners:

• The Junction: What Next?

Sodden questions: 

1. Is there another private company standing in the wings to benefit from a similar demonstration of Ogden City largesse? 
2. With Ogden City's new public transit plan nearing fruition, does it make sense at this juncture for Ogden City to be committing millions of dollars toward building yet another automobile-centric parking structure?
3. What's the projected cost of the final buildout?  

So many questions... so few answers.

This Ogden City Lumpencitizens, is a project which must be closely watched.

Update 7/2/14 8:15 a.m.:  The Standard's Mitch Shaw provides this post-meeting story, which reports that the RDA Board  approved the purchase of the three subject parcels last night, and that the bulk of the purchase price will be borne by the taxpayers of Weber County:

• Ogden, Weber County teaming up to buy land for parking garage

The projected cost of the final buildout? This "minor" story detail still remains a mystery.