Have Plans Tonight WCF Political Wonks? Cancel Them. This is BIG!

Juggle your calenders, peeps. Take it from yer old pal, Rudi: There'll be somethin' special happening on Faux News tonight, wethinks!

• Have Plans Tonight? Cancel Them. Sarah Palin Is Interviewing Donald Trump

The 2015 US Presidential Race gets weirder and weirder, DUNNIT?

Told yuz!

• Here Is a Video of Sarah Palin Interviewing Donald Trump. It Is Bonkers

Dig it!



And who'll be the first to throw in their own 2¢?

Standard-Examiner: Activist Wins Court Case Over Ogden Campaign Records

To professor Schroeder we extend our thanks and hearty congrats!

Following up on one our longest running Weber County Forum stories, we'll offer our hearty congratulations to Ogden City politicaal activist Dan Schroeder for yeaterday's decisive victory in the Utah Supreme Court:

OGDEN — One Ogden activist refused to take no for an answer in his quest to obtain government records related to political shenanigans that played out in Ogden’s 2007 mayor and city council races.
On Tuesday, Dan Schroeder scored a big win when Utah’s Supreme Court justices ruled in his favor regarding the release of records associated with a fundraising organization called Envision Ogden, former Mayor Matthew Godfrey and two city council hopefuls.
David Reymann, a media law attorney, argued the case, which dealt with Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act. The defending parties were the Utah Attorney General’s Office and the State Records Committee, which hears GRAMA appeals.

Read the full Cathy McKitrick story. folks:

• Activist wins court case over Ogden campaign records

“Accordingly, we remand to the (Salt Lake City) district court to order disclosure of all documents, with appropriate redactions, and to determine whether Mr. Schroeder is entitled to attorney fees,” the ruling said.

Yesiree, WCF readers, it's been a long haul.  Dr. Schroeder's Envision Ogden issues have been lingering around since 2007.

When asked about his bulldog-like tenacity, Schroeder — a Weber State University physics professor and active member of Utah’s chapter of the Sierra Club — said he wasn’t sure where he acquired that trait.

“It’s a mix of scientific curiosity and a genuine desire to contribute to our community in whatever way I can,” Schroeder said. “You take opportunities as they come up and fall into your niche in the community. That’s what seems to have happened.”

To professor Schroeder we extend our thanks and hearty congrats!

Howard Stern Predicts Trump Will Win GOP Nod: 'People Dig Him'

Whoa! Howard Stern has spoken:

“I think more or less, people are super tired of politicians, meaning that they like the idea of a successful businessman running the country who might actually be able to get sh*t done," Howard Stern said about Donald J. Trump. Read up!

• Howard Stern predicts Trump will win GOP nod: 'People dig him'

End of story, yes?

Breaking: GOP Senator Indicted for Embezzling Millions of Dollars from Better Business Bureau

No! We are NOT making this up. GOP politicians are a strange breed of  "honest politicians," NO?

Here's the Lede:

An Oklahoma state senator was indicted for attempting to embezzle millions of dollars from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), reported the Huffington Post.
Oklahoma state Sen. Rick Brinkley (R), who held a senior position with the BBB, was charged with five counts of fraud related to his scheme to embezzle $2 million from the organization and one count of filing a false tax return. Oklahoma state prosecutors said each fraud count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“Defendant Brinkley devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the BBB and obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promise,” 

Read the dirty GOP laundry, People!.

GOP Senator Indicted for Embezzling Millions of Dollars from Better Business Bureau

Keep on voting Republican, Clean-cutUtah People, LOL!

U.S. Uncut: Miraculously, 6 Police Officers Across the US Were Charged with Murder This Week

Americans’ confidence in police is at a 22-year low

Crooked, Indicteted Cops

Via Edward Flint: "Why am I a 'cop hater'who spreads the news of police abuses? Because change starts with saying something."

After months of sustained #BlackLivesMatter protests, there have been a seemingly unprecedented six indictments of police in the last four days. This signals a stunning departure from the long trend of non-indictments, most notably in the cases of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Tony Robinson.

Miraculously, 6 Police Officers Across the US Were Charged with Murder This Week

The uptick in police indictments is not unique to this week, either. In fact, the rate of indictments has increased by 5 times over the course of the last 5 months, according to data compiled by criminal justice professor Philip Stinson.
The sharp rise in indictments isn’t the only change following the anti-police violence protests sweeping across the country. Americans’ confidence in police is at a 22-year low, according to a Gallup poll conducted last month.

Read up, O Gentle Ones..

Sunday Funnies: Ogden Man Wins Spot on Ballot with $0 Campaign Contributions

A true "man bites dog political story," if we ever saw one

In the interest of stirring up a wee bit of 2015 Ogden City Municiapal Elections merriment and mirth, we'll shine the spotlight on yesterdays SE hard-copy edition story, a "man bites dog story," if we ever saw one.

Here's the lede, Peeps:

OGDEN — As of Tuesday’s unofficial vote tally, the two top candidates in this city’s At-Large council race — Luis Lopez and John Ogden — were separated by a mere 11 votes.
Lopez, the front-runner, received 926 votes, while Ogden ran close behind with 915. But their initial campaign finance reports revealed that Lopez raised $10,240 in donations and spent $3,620 while Ogden brought in no donations and spent $272 out of pocket.

And here's the full Cathy McKitrick writeup:

• Ogden man wins spot on ballot with $0 campaign contributions

It's a particularly pernicious form of political "name recognition," we suppose

Check out the full story, folks, in which Ace Standard-Examiner Reporter Ms. McKitrick unleashes a wealth of personal information, concerning these two Ogden City Council candidates, (which is the main reason we're linking this article now.)

2015 Ogden City Municipal Primaries: A Definitive Vote Count Tonight? We Don't Necessarily Think So - Updated

Technologically speaking, it seems Ogden City is evolving backwards, NO?

Okay folks. It's dang near the end of the line for this year's 2015 Ogden City Municipal Primary elections. So as this year's primary runs down to a close. and as Ogden City's three "special" live voting venues shut down around 8pm tonight, what would Weber County Forum be doing normally tonight? Running hot-off-the-press election tallies, of course.

Here's the annoying fly-in-the-ointment, of course:

Mail-in ballots for Tuesday's primary election could delay final results for up to two weeks, according to these DNews and SLTrib stories:

• Thousands of vote-by-mail ballots still absent as primary election approaches
• New by-mail voting could mean election night mystery: Who won?

Here's what we're finding to be the most accurate and helpful Tuesday night election tally link, obtained via our ever-competent Ogden City Recorder, Tracy Hansen:

• OGDEN MUNICIPAL Unofficial Election Results for the August 11, 2015 Primary RESULTS TO BE POSTED AFTER POLLS CLOSE

Technologically speaking, it seems Ogden City and Weber County are evolving backwards, NO?

And barring any wrinkles in the statistical matrix, it looks like it'll be Ben Nadolski facing off against Daniel Gladwell in Ward 4, and Luis Lopez tangling with John Ogden for the At-Large "C" seat, Yes?

Update 8/12/15 11:00 a.m.:  Ace Standard-Examiner reporter Cathy McKitrick provides this most excellent electronic ink, drilling down on the results of yesterday Municipal Primary Elections here in Ogden, and in other localities which are physically proximate to us. Act upon your civic duty, and Read. Up. Peeps.:

• Primary voting results 2015: Weber County and Box Elder County

2015 Primary Election Reminder

Just a quick reminder concerning tomorrow's Ogden City Primary Election. If you're casting your ballot by mail, it must be postmarked no later than today.

Source: Ogden City Elections page

Still undecided about your City Council picks? Check out our 2015 Ogden City Municipal Election Candidate Roster.

2015 Ogden Municipal Election: Financial Disclosure Statements First Set

Here's hoping that the below information will be helpful to WCF political wonks who haven't alreaded submitted their mail-in ballots

With a little under five days running until the 2015 Ogden City Primary Election, we're delighted to provide the below linked financial disclosure statements, which were timely filed with the Ogden City election office on or about the below-indicated dates

Council Municipal Ward 4
Daniel Gladwell 08/04/15
Dori Mosher 08/04/15
Ben Nadolski 08/03/15
JH Thompson 08/03/15

Council At-Large Seat “C”
Eric Holmes 08/04/15
Vance Jay Jackson 08/04/15
Luis Lopez 08/03/15
John Ogden 08/03/15
Virginia Hernandez Reza 08/04/15

Please make note that the other candidates, Richard Hyer, Mike Caldwell, and Sebastian Benitez, do not have a primary race; therefore, they are not required to submit financial reports until August 31, 2015

Here's hoping that the above information will be helpful to WCF political wonks who haven't alreaded submitted their mail-in ballots.

We've already added these documents to our 2015 Candidate Roster, of course.