Gadi Leshem Update: Gadi Claims He's Still in the River Project Game

The "moneyman" offers assurances... and purports to have "other investors" in tow

Mainly for the sake of archival consistency, we'll briefly highlight this morning's Scott Schwebke story, wherein Mr. Schwebke provides something of an Ogden River Project update. "Moneyman" Gadi Leshem has resurfaced, at least for the moment. He's furnished Mr. Schwebke a "prepared statement," wherein he reportedly offers the citizens of Ogden City his assurances that his presently embryonic River Project plans (such as they are) will be unaffected by his floor installation company Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Although most of this morning's article amounts to a rehash of matter earlier reported by the Standard-Examiner and other print media, there is one new tidbit worthy of note:

For the first time, Mr. Leshem represents that he's working with an unnamed pool of "other investors," and that he therefore won't be required to rely upon revenue from his Cover-All, Inc. business to move his project(s) forward. Assuming Mr. Leshem can be taken at his word, this is probably a good thing, inasmuch as his statement contains other information that is less than encouraging:

Leshem also said the future of Cover-All is uncertain because of the economy and a sharp decline in consumer purchases of flooring.

Could it be, gentle readers, that Mr. Leshem contemplates converting his Chapter 11 Reorganization into a straight Chapter 7 Liquidation, thereby allowing Mr. Leshem to jettison his floundering floor company, and then apply his energy full-time as a real estate developer? There's plenty of big money to be made by Gadi and his purported investor "partners," provided they have the financial juice to weather the current recession and move their project(s) forward. Enough money, we suspect, for Gadi to satisfy his obligations to his most pesky and formidable creditors, the State of California and the IRS, and to put a little dough in his own pocket. The rest of his creditors he can probably throw overboard via a Cover-All, Inc. Chapter 7.

Stranger things have happened.

Remember you read it here first.

As for the rest of this morning's Schwebke story, we invite our readers to slice, dice and dissect it.

And remember, that to be a Godfrey-Class Schemer, ya gotta think BIG.

Who will be the first to comment?

Tough Luck for the Billonaire's Son-in-Law, Chris Peterson

With a new Snowbasin "base village" planned for Morgan County, the Godfreyite screwup Chris Peterson gets shafted yet again

The Standard-Examiner announces today the prospect for a four-season resort at the foot of Mount Ogden:

• Snowbasin oficials ‘base village’ vision in Morgan

Snowbasin officials continue to convey exceedingly bad news to Chris Peterson, and to what remain of the "Lift Ogden" lemmings.

Tough luck Chris. It appears that Snowbasin's "lower village" will ultimately be in Morgan County, and NOT Malan's Basin.

Here it is again today for those folks who missed it in the past, from Sinclair Oil vice president for government relations for The Sinclair Companies, Clint Ensign, for what seems like the unpteenth time:

"Snowbasin’s master plan does not include plans for a gondola into Ogden."

Write it down so you don't forget it, people.

We're also wondering how it was possible for possible for Chris Peterson to have so botched the marrying of the billionaire's daughter? How is it possible that Chris Peterson could have so wholly screwed up his relationship with the Holding family and Sinclair Oil so thoroughly and completely? What's evident, for whatever reason... neither Earl Holding... nor the Holding family-held Sinclair Oils, Inc., will throw Chris even so much as a bone.

Oh that's right: Chris Peterson is an FOM, a friend of the bumbling and serially mendacious Matthew Godfrey, which pretty much tells the whole story.

Shocking News from Emerald City: Ogden City Crime Takes a Precipitous Nosedive

" Shocking" new crime data, courtesy of Boss Godfrey and his pals at KSL TV

Thanks to a tip from an alert reader, we're pleased to provide this video clip from last night's KSL broadcast, featuring a highly animated Boss Godfrey, mugging for the camera and announcing that thanks to his efforts, Ogden crime took a sudden and "shocking" nosedive during the 2008 calender year:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Here's an alternate link, which also includes the written story text.

Of course Godfrey has been downplaying Ogden crime since last year's municipal election, and Godfrey's crime stats evaluation hasn't historically held up well when subjected to independent analysis. In short, Boss Godfrey has been accused in the past of "fudging the facts." We link a couple of examples of that here and here.

Yesterday's video clip contains two tables, providing a "minimalist" glimpse into some of Boss Godfrey's most recent data:


In truth, considering Boss Godfrey's track record, let's just say we're dubious about the reliability of these new figures. Perhaps if we kickstart a new discussion, a few of our more research-oriented and statistically-inclined readers can help us out with this.

KSL TV online readers have already provided a jumpstart on this, by the way, in the comments section beneath the main KSL article.

Readers with a particular interest in the crime in Ogden topic, can view our previously-assembled (and quite robust) Godfrey the Crimefighter series.

Have at it, O Gentle Ones. The world blogosphere sits on the edge of its seat, eagerly awaiting enlightenment about the meaning of all this.

Std-Ex Editorial: President Obama

A Std-Ex expression of hope and optimism spanning the American political spectrum

The Standard-Examiner carries a fine editorial this morning, articulately expressing, we believe, the mood of the vast bulk of citizens across the entire American political spectrum, as Barack Obama is now sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Coming from Doug Gibson, a capable editorialist with genuine "conservative" political credentials, this editorial illustrates that the hope and optimism felt in America this morning is shared by so-called "liberals," "moderates" and "conservatives" alike. We incorporate below a couple of paragraphs which we thought to be particularly apt:

Americans greet President Barack Obama with optimism and hope. We share that optimism and hope. Since his historic Election Day win, Obama has demonstrated intellect, an open mind and maturity. He is no ideologue. We believe he will not tie himself to any close-minded orthodoxy. All rational views will be considered. President Obama is fair minded. He understands that the vast majority of liberals, conservatives and moderates desire what is best for America and that the best ideas don’t always come in right- or left-wing boxes.
As Americans, we have missed that pragmatic idealism. We hope these positive transition signals are legitimate, that President Obama will resist the partisanship that has damaged previous administrations and still contaminates Congress today.

Read this morning's full editorial here.

Along with the hope and optimism, Obama carries with him the added burden of high expectations, as he takes the oath of office this morning. In the latter connection, we join with the Standard-Examiner in wishing our new President the best of fortune.... and maybe a little non-ideological cooperation from the "other (GOP) side" of the Congressional political aisle. Our Newly-sworn President is definitely going to need it, as he begins to grapple with the politico-economic mess that Geedubya created over the past eight years.

As an added bonus, we provide this YouTube audio/video combo which, at least for us, captures our own mood, as our nation embarks upon what we hope will be new era in American politics.

Calvin Grondahl's morning cartoon doesn't do a half-bad job of expessing our curent sympathies either.

The floor is now open for your comments. We believe it would be interesting to hear the takes and tales of the readers in our own community, as former President Bush flies off to political exile in Crawford, and the now President of the United States -- Barack Obama -- picks up the reins of governance.

Well...?

Update 1/20/09 7:30 p.m. MT: For those who missed President Obama's most elequent and inspirational inauguration speech, we handily provide the following video version, via msnbc.com, right here:

• 2009 Barack Obama Inauguration Address

Danged great speech, in our never humble opinion. Obama could have given the legendary Daniel Webster a serious run for his money as an orator, we think.

More comments, please.

SL-Trib: Profiles of Four Beehive State Civil Rights Trailblazers

1.19.09 Martin Luther King Holiday Special

Thanks to a tip from another gentle reader, we're pleased to spotlight an article appearing in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune, published in connection with today's Martin Luther King Holiday. The article provides brief profiles of four "trailblazers who helped pioneer the civil-rights path in the Beehive State," two of whom we can claim as Emerald City's own. Here's the lede:

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and Barack Obama, with his historic inauguration, is helping to fulfill it. But so, too, did African-Americans in Utah.
Today, we feature four of those barrier breakers, brave souls who blurred the color line and advanced civil rights in the Beehive State.
Get to know Utah's first black legislator, who protested by lying down on city streets and inside the Capitol; the state's first black judge, who rose from dishing out assists as a University of Utah basketball star to handing out justice as a 3rd District jurist; an NAACP icon, who became a tireless children's and education advocate; and, finally, the "Queen of 25th Street," an Ogden jazz-club owner who defied the era by allowing black customers.

Read the full article here:

• Utahns pave way for civil rights, see long road ahead

While not the most intellectually or historically provocative MLK Day article we've stumbled upon on the web this morning, or any other MLK Day morning, we enjoyed reading the four brief vignettes and thus commend this article to our gentle readers. The article has a certain charm to it, we think... not too light, and not too heavy... neither frivolous nor ponderous. A short reprieve from our usual red meat diet, perhaps? And frankly we can never read enough about Ogden Legends Rev. Harris and Ms. Wheatley.

We invite our readers to chime in with their own impressions, anecdotes and comments, of course.

For lack of a better label, we'll subtitle this article our Martin Luthor King Day Special.

The Next Big Shock: a Heads-up

Fair warning for private investors and habitual municipal big spenders alike

We were delighted to receive an interesting email-attached item over the weekend from one of our alert readers, a subscriber to Dr. Martin D. Weiss's most excellent Money and Markets investment newsletter. Weiss is advising his subscribers to be wary of state and locally-issued (muni) bonds:

We took a look at the attached newsletter. Among other things, Weiss predicts classic supply-demand disequilibrium in the muni bond market:

a whopping $100 billion in new municipal deficits on top of the $350 billion in deficits at the state level," [ for a grand total] of "$450 billion in red ink flowing from state and local governments … in addition to the $2 trillion deficit at the federal level … compounding the latest woes of the nation’s megabanks … and all in the midst of a collapsing economy.

It will be a mass oversupply of government debt instruments, Weiss appropriately reiterates, in the face of severely contracting demand, i.e., a market wherein most heavyweight muni bond buyers are ditching muni bonds. Weiss further predicts "major municipal bond defaults on the near horizon." The risky muni bond market is a place Weiss definitely doesn't want his subscriber/investors to be.

And yeah, there will still be investor money available for imprudent big spending state and local government authorities alright, even in this bad economy. The problem is that it most certainly ain't gonna come cheap. The relatively small remaining pool of investors who sufficiently risk-averse to be interested in new state and local bond issues will definitely exact its pound of flesh.

You can read Dr. Weiss's 1/18/09 investor advisory here:

• The NEXT Big Shock

A savvy heads-up for private investors, we believe.

Must reading too, for our borrow and spend, economic one-trick-pony city administration... and food for thought for the taxpayers who would be held to account for its actions, we think.

Something for everyone to think about, on an otherwise slow Emerald City news day, as a matter of fact.

Comments, anyone?

Ace Reporter Schwebke Reveals More Facts About "Moneyman Leshem" and His Pending Bankruptcy

$44 thousand in delinquent taxes... and other problems

Scott Schwebke provides further information this morning regarding Ogden River Project "moneyman" Gadi Leshem's Cover-All, inc. bankruptcy troubles. Ace reporter Schwebke's been doing his homework and reports that Leshem is delinquent by approximately $44,000 in 2008 property taxes, factoring in the downtown 42 parcels held in his own name, together with another 11 parcels held in the names of surrogates.

Ironic, isn't it? Over the past several years Boss Godfrey and his loyal acolytes have been telling us that the whole purpose of consolidating all these downtown properties into the moneyman's portfolio was to improve the city's tax base. And now Gadi's taking a free ride... on the taxpayers' backs.

According to Gadi's spokeman, however, these tax delinquencies are merely inadvertant error and present no problem at all. "...[T]he property tax matter is an oversight, is not related to the Cover-All bankruptcy filing, and will be taken care of,” Alex Auerbach assures Mr. Schwebke. Seeing will be believing, of course.

We also wonder whether he or his spokeman tendered the same lame excuse ("Oops! we forgot") to his Cover-All employees, when he shafted them just prior to the Christmas/New Years' holidays with $100 thousand (or more) in rubber payroll checks.

Mr. Schwebke also reports that Mr. Leshem's lawyers successfully prevailed on an emergency motion Thursday by Cover-All's lawyers to use an unspecified portion of creditor Bank of the West's cash collateral so the company can continue to operate. We'll presume that the money that's been pried loose by the Bankruptcy Court judge is intended to take care of those disgruntled employees whom, last time we heard, were feeling mighty steamed about those "hot checks."

Although it will no doubt be months before the smoke clears on the Chapter 11 matter, we're betting that even now, Boss Godfrey wishes he never heard of Gadi Leshem. Rumor has it that Godfrey is preparing to soon unveil another Grand Development Scheme involving the Mount Ogden Golf Course. With the Leshem albatross hanging around his neck, it's a sure bet his next moneyman will draw much closer scrutiny than was previously devoted to Leshem.

Further comments, anyone? Schwebke provides plenty of material to discuss.

Huntsman Picks DeCaria For the 2d District Court Bench

Parley Baldwin's vacant slot to be filled by an Ogden Home-boy

Good news from this morning's Standard-Examiner. Governor Huntsman has appointed Weber County Attorney Mark DeCaria to fill Parley Baldwin's vacant seat on the 2d District Court bench in Ogden:

• Weber County attorney named 2d District judge

We're strong advocates of the principle that the governor should fill judicial vacancies with jurists who reside in the same judicial districts and communities over which they preside. In the past, Governor Huntsman has unfortunately exhibited the tendency to appoint Salt Lake lawyers to fill vacant 2d District Court slots. This time however Huntsman definitely got it right.

Our congratulations to Ogden home-boy Mark DeCaria for his appointment to this important local judicial office.

So what say our gentle readers about all this?

Breaking News: The Politically Clumsy GOP Former House Rep. Mark Walker is Finally Charged With a Misdemeanor

Per the D-News: One misdemeanor charge filed against Mark Walker in treasurer's race probe

In order to avoid killing off the lively discussion in the lower article thread, we'll walk lightly on this, even though this another story we've covered fairly extensively earlier. The long and short of it is detailed in this afternoon's Deseret News article:

• Charge filed in treasurer's race probe

Does this development signal hope for ethics reform in the 2009 Utah Legislature?

We'll suggest that perhaps this latest development is a "baby step" in the right direction.

And what say our gentle readers about all this?

Std-Ex: Bankruptcy May Not Affect Gadi Leshem’s Ogden Project

But then again... it most likely will

The Standard-Examiner furnishes further information on the Leshem/Cover-All Inc. Bankruptcy story this morning, providing in the story's lead paragraph that classic Std-Ex Pollyanna spin:

OGDEN — City officials remain optimistic businessman Gadi Leshem will be able to undertake large-scale development downtown even though his California based carpet installation company has declared bankruptcy.

For starters, Mr. Schwebke dutifully provides Ogden Chief Executive Officer John Patterson's obligatory "optimistic" take on this matter:

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing earlier this month by Cover-All Inc. may give Leshem breathing room from creditors so he can focus on Renaissance Village, a commercial and residential development that’s part of the proposed Ogden River Project, John Patterson, the city’s chief administrative officer, said Thursday.
“He (Leshem) has given us assurance that this would not impact the River Project or his commitment to Ogden,” Patterson said of the company’s bankruptcy filing. [...]
Ogden Riverfront Properties is a separate legal entity from Cover-All and likely won’t be affected by the bankruptcy, Patterson said.

The best that Boss Godfrey can muster up is "hopefulness," which is a few clicks shy of optimistic, at least on our WCF B.S.-O-Meter:

Mayor Matthew Godfrey said he’s hopeful Leshem will be able to follow through with his development plans.
The city will have a better idea of whether the Cover-All bankruptcy will affect those plans later this year when Leshem is required to pay for the demolition of boarded-up houses in the river project area, Godfrey said.

What ought to be clear from these above statements is that neither of these Ogden City officials has the slightest clue whether Mr. Leshem's bankruptcy filing will impair Mr. Leshem's River Project. They're as much in the dark as anyone else, it would appear.

But interestingly, the ever-resourceful Ace Reporter Schwebke finally gets down to business, and drags out some revealing commentary from former Ogden Community Community and Economic Development Department Director Dave Harmer, whose view falls quite a distance from optimistic (or so it seems to us):

Leshem’s largest obstacle will be convincing skittish lenders to invest money in his project amid an economic downturn, said Dave Harmer, who retired in October from his post as the city’s community and economic development director.
“The biggest thing is the lending situation,” Harmer said. “Before he can do anything he’s going to have to secure financing.” [...]
In the past, Leshem has relied on Cover-All profits to help fund its investments in Ogden, Harmer said.

Assuming that Mr. Harmer is right, and that Mr. Leshem's further pursuit of his Renaissance Village Project will depend upon Cover-All Inc. "profits," we believe we can see where this story is leading. It's difficult to imagine that the revenue from a company which has $1 million in assets, and is upside down with its creditors to the tune of $42 million, would allow Mr. Leshem to qualify for construction financing, in this, or any other credit market.

Adding insult to injury, this morning's article reels off a list of other obstacles which don't bode well for Mr. Leshem or his troubled company, even assuming he is able to work out a viable Chapter 11 Reorganization Plan.

We don't know about the rest of our Weber County Forum readers, but for our own part... suffice it to say that we're not exactly brimming with optimism for the prospects of Gadi's Renaissance Village Project.

We'll even go out on a limb on this and hereby predict the imminent listing for sale of Gadi's fifty properties, under supervision of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Trustee. If Gadi truly desires to save his company, the expeditious liquidation of these properties is by far the most logical approach.

Our compliments to Scott Schwebke, by the way, for digging out and providing for his readers a robust array of pertinent facts.

Reader comments are hereby invited.

Yet Another Economic Blow to Emerald City

Gadi Leshem's California company files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection

By: What Will It Costs Us

Well now another blow to the city... Ogden River Project developer Gadi Leshem is bankrupt. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Cover-All Inc., the California based carpet installation company owned by Gadi Leshem, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month, claiming it has just $1 million in assets and $46 million in debts. When will the Standard print this story? The Trib is always ahead of Ogden.

And his property in Ogden is in default in taxes. Will it take years to move through the courts and a tax sale?

Maybe the city should be better at buying property for developers that don't have any money.

And what will be the ultimate repercussions for Gadi's stalled River Project?

So many questions... so few answers.

Update 1/15/09 3:oo p.m. MT: We're reminded that we posted a fine Scott Adams (Dilbert) cartoon, referencing Godfrey administration incompetence and hubris about three years ago. We believe it remains apropos.

Continuing comments are invited.

Another Downtown Project Bites the Dust

Oops! Would be developer Stuart Reid pulls the plug on Ashton Square

Astonishing story on this morning's Standard-Examiner business page, announcing that wannabe developer Stuart Reid, who had ambitiously planned construction of a lavish seven story condominium and commercial building at the southwest corner of The Junction, has quietly divested his interest in his one acre parcel, and transferred it back to the original grantor, LDS Church subsidiary Property Reserve, Inc. From this morning's Scott Schwebke story:

OGDEN — A developer has sold about an acre at The Junction complex downtown back to Salt Lake City-based Property Reserve Inc.
Stuart Reid, the city’s former community and economic development director, bought the land at the southeast corner of 22nd Street and Grant Avenue in April 2007 from Property Reserve, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Reid had planned to construct Ashton Square, a sprawling 224,000-squarefoot condominium and commercial building on the property.
However, last year he abandoned the project because of a downturn in the economy. [...].
Tom King, vice president of Property Reserve, declined Wednesday to disclose how much the company paid Reid for the land.
Property Reserve has no immediate plans to develop the parcel that’s near Ensign Plaza South, an office building the company owns at the southwest corner of 22nd Street and Washington Boulevard, and the Ogden LDS Temple.

On the heels of Larry Myler's cancellation of his Mega Hotel & Wading Pool Project, Reid's abdication of his downtown development role marks the second key Junction project to be taken off the economic development table within the last half-year.

This is decidedly bad news for the taxpayers of Ogden, who'd been hoping for early respite from our crushing $750 thousand annual Junction bond payment. The next payment comes due in June, as we understand it. This year's payment, if memory serves, will be the third consecutive bond payment to be picked up by the taxpayers.

Godfrey's Community and Economic Development Department "A" Team currently accounts for 33% of the expenditures in Ogden City's budget. We'd suggest that it's high time these overpaid empty suits get off their keisters and start pulling a few rabbits out of their hats.

Comments, anyone?

Breaking: The Ogden Ice Tower Project is X'd!

Ogden City throws in the towel, and admits it will have to return $200 K in RAMP funds

We hereby pronounce Godfrey's Ice Tower Project D.O.A. We spoke with Weber County Information Officer Mike Caldwell today. Mike tells us the original $200 K RAMP grant, which was issued and "conditionally" funded to Ogden City in 2007, will be returned from Ogden City, per a letter from Ogden City CAO Godfrey apologist John Patterson, who admits the project is a "no go."After TWO RAMP extensions, this ridiculous project finally gets mercifully X'd.

Boss Godfrey and his pal Jeff Lowe couldn't raise the matching funds to make the project work. Imagine that. Nobody was willing to invest a dime of private money into this knuckleheaded project. Go figure.

Boss Godfrey's administration is therefor turning back these funds to otherwise-worthy and legitimate RAMP projects.

Once again, "the visionary mayor" reluctantly succumbs to real world economic reality.

Will the "visionary*" little mayoral twit learn any lessons from this? We doubt it.

And so what say our gentle readers about all this?

*Suffers hallucinations AND delusions of grandeur
Update 1/15/09 10:30 a.m. MT: The Std-Ex has its own version of this story on the "Top of Weber" page today. Undaunted by the above-reported setback, the Godfrey administration keeps a stiff upper lip and wears a VERY brave face, now that this painfully embarrassing cat's been let out of the bag:

• Ice tower goes back to designers

Too funny.

Boss Godfrey: "I Don't Want Overhead Wires in My City"

A glimpse into Mayor Godfrey's apparent European streetcar junket epiphany

By Curmudgeon

The Salt Lake Tribune is running a story today about the recent trip UTA ran to Europe for several Utah mayors to learn about street car systems. Ogden's very own Mayor Godfrey appears in the story, with comments that should absolutely not be missed. For example [from the story]:

Bordeaux, France, demonstrated a new technology that uses a third rail that is electrified only as the car passes over it, eliminating the risk of pedestrian electrocutions. Other trains on the tour packed batteries, allowing cities to dispense with overhead wires in places, such as city-center plazas. Those technologies proved persuasive to Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey, who said he doesn't want overhead wires in his city.

The Mayor who pitched the city into some turmoil for several years, touting a gondola to run on wires suspended from stanchions all the way from downtown up to Harrison, then along Harrison to WSU, now announces he "doesn't want overhead wires in his city."

Parody is dead.

Trentelman: Blogs and Tri-corner Hats

Nice plug from this morning's Standard-Examiner

We'd like to call our readers' attention to what we consider to be a very nice Weber County Forum plug in this morning's Standard-Examiner, for which courtesy we thank Wasatch Rambler columnist Charles Trentelman:

• What do blogs and tri-corner hats have in common?

We do believe Charlie gets it mainly right. Yes, we are a community discussion forum, filling up a space left largely unoccupied by the mainstream media. And yes, speculation and gossip are sometimes part of our product mix, although we also believe we deserve credit for the scores of hard news stories we've broken on these electronic pages over the past 3-1/2 years. Not only that, most of our articles are springboarded off stories scrupulously linked from the broadcast and/or print media, so it's a mite unfair, we believe, to perceive us as "soft" on the facts. Nevertheless, citizen editorial journalism is what we practice here at WCF for the most part. We have no pretensions of being primarily hard-news journalists.

We're not going to gripe, however; this morning's column was a very nice plug, as we said. We're happy to assume the mantle of the original citizen journalists of this country, (the patriotic ones who wore the tri-corner hats.)

And for those readers who'd like to conveniently navigate to Charlie's own most excellent (non-vitriolic and non-mean-spirited) blog, we'll return Charlie's favor. We have the link right here:

• Blogging the Rambler

Here's another thing Charlie gets right, by the way: Blogging is a hell of a lot of fun.

And to those new readers who were steered here by the URL that Charlie graciously included this morning's column, we invite you to read the articles and comments lodged on the front page, and to check out the article collections categorised in the right sidebar.

Hopefully we'll pick up a few new "regulars" along the way, open-minded readers who recognise the advantages of reading opinions (and facts) unconstrained by the whims of paid advertisers, ... and publishing their own observations and comments about local and national issues -- in real time -- to a readership which spans the globe.

Try it... you'll like it, we think.

So what say our gentle readers about this? The blogosphere eagerly awaits your next electronic utterance!

Delinquent and Uncollected Utah Property Taxes: A Brand New Discussion Thread

Ogden Valley Forum picks up the topic where we left off

For those following the reader discussion under Saturday's article, wherein the conversation morphed into an examination of the problem of delinquent and uncollected property taxes in Utah, we're pleased to provide a link to Ogden Valley Forum, where blogmeister Larry Zini has posted his own article, tackling the topic head on:

• The Hidden Pain of Our Property Tax System

In addition to a concise summary of the nature of the problem, Mr. Zini reports on his so far unsuccessful efforts to bring the issue to the attention of Weber County officials, and provides further useful and informative links.

We urge those readers who are closely following this issue to check it out.

Sad, Very Sad: Trolley Square Hero Resigns From the OPD

With criminal and civil charges pending, Officer Ken Hammond calls it quits

We don't know how to frame this story except to say it's disappointing. Trolley Square hero Ken Hammond has resigned from The Ogden City Police Department, with heretofore unproven criminal charges and a flaky civil lawsuit brought by drunken people pending in the background. This breaking news from the Standard-Examiner "live" website:

• Ogden officer called hero during mall shooting resigns

Just the kind of thing we we've come to expect in the BossGoffreyWorld upside-down inverted universe, we guess, where truly rotten people are branded "good," and heros are indicted.

Sad as hell, as we said.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff: The Blogger

Spotlight on a unique "politician's blog"

This morning's Standard-Examiner carries an AP story this morning, reporting that Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff remains adamant about his intention to investigate whether the BCS bowl system violates violates federal anti-trust laws.

But to our minds at least, here's the most interesting part of the story: Shurtleff is a blogger.

Yes, this morning's AP article does refer to Shurtleff's January 11, 2009 post, in which he defends the expenditure of taxpayer resources to "fix" the "broken" NCAA Division 1A playoff system, but that's not all. (Get ready for the neck snapping segue.)

There's actually quite a bit more to behold on Shurtleff's blog:

1) Although Shurtleff is clearly a diehard Utah Utes fan, he's not a johnny-come-lately in his affection for sports in general, either.

2) And although there's some decidedly politically self-serving material on his blog, at least a few of his posts are quite personal and self-revealing. For instance, check out his 8/28/08 and 8/30/08 posts, wherein he reveals in a most personal manner, more than you ever wanted to know about his recent series of surgical procedures.

3) Shurtleff is unafraid to pose in front of a garbage bin, so long as it's for a good cause.

4) Shurtleff supplies other articles as well, giving us a glimpse into his personal philosophy, with a less than normal ration of "politician-speak."

Unlike most politicians who've ventured into the blogosphere, Shurtleff delivers more than political rah-rah on his blog, we think. Prior to checking out his blog, we were inclined to believe that Shurtleff was just another stuffed shirt. Au Contraire, gentle readers. Here's something to do on this, on another Emerald City slow news day. Peruse the pages where our GOP Attorney General lets it all hang out:

• Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff

So what say our gentle readers about this? Does Shurtleff's blog help display the heretofore publicly unknown humanity of the man? Or is this the work of just another politician, campaigning for the next higher office?

It's a slow news day, as we said. Still, that's no reason for our normally verbose readers to clam up.

Walsh: This is the place to Ponzi

Calvinism with unique Utah twist: Riches as proof of righteousness

By Curmudgeon

Ms. R. Walsh has an interesting column up at the Salt Lake Tribune site. It compares Ponzi schemers Madoff and Southwick and finds a common element in their skulduggery:

But the men -- one convicted and the other accused of being a con artist -- had one thing in common. They recruited those they knew. It's the predictable stuff of a Ponzi scheme. What's unexpected are the social and psychological similarities between their bicoastal marks -- Utah Mormons and East Coast Jews. A sense of being special led both groups to fall for the oldest trick in the book.
Madoff found investors at the exclusive Palm Beach Country Club. Southwick found his at church. Madoff's victims paid the club's pricey fees for the chance to brush with the investment whiz and his proxies. Southwick used current and former Mormon bishops and kept a photo of his family with LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson in his office....
More than taking advantage of proximity, Madoff and Southwick plied a unique knowledge of their clients' culture and armchair psychology to get greed to kick in.... Southwick's subscribed to Utah's twist on Calvinism: Riches must be proof of righteousness.

Walsh's piece goes on to discuss some characteristics of Utah that she thinks make it a particularly fertile field for Ponzi schemers, and especially for those who hunt out their co-religionists as marks.

Peter Schiff Predictions

Schiff: Obama's government will unleash a worse crisis than we have now

Schiff (and a handfull of other non-mainstream [non-Keynesian]) economics experts) accurately predicted in 2006 that an inevitable collapse in the housing bubble would trigger a world economic crisis. Most folks either failed or refused to listen. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least consider the warnings that Mr. Schiff is issuing in 2009, given his track record. It takes less than 12 minutes to view and listen to this Schiff video "article."
Viewing it won't cost you a dime, either.

What say you, gentle readers?

New York Times: The Course That Got Away

Useful real estate development lessons for the Big Schemers of Emerald City

By Curmudgeon

Long article in today's New York Times, describing how golf course real estate developments are going under all across the land. It's headlined "The Course That Got Away."

Struck me as I read it that the ones in trouble seem to have been financed [or planned to be] by selling lots and houses to build the next stage, and by charging owners club membership fees to operate the courses.

In the current market, the developers are tanking and closing the golf courses to save money, leaving many unsold lots and houses, and leaving those who did buy with much diminished properties.

Yes, the similarities to what was apparently being planned for Ogden by Hizzonah and Mr. Peterson some years ago caught my eye. Anyway, I found it interesting reading and not wholly unrelated to Ogden. Worth a look.

Std-Ex: Hansen Bill Would Rework Window for Voter Challenges

Proposed curative legislation in response to Boss Godfrey skulduggery

By Curmudgeon

Amidst all the football humphery and outraged throat-clearing, don't miss the Standard-Examiner's front page story this morning on Rep. Neil Hansen [D-Ogden] submitting a bill to require advance challenges to voters to be made at least 30 days ahead of the election.

The story notes skulduggery on the part of Hizzonah Mayor Godfrey's partisans in the last mayoral election, who deposited with the clerk a long list of challenged voters just before election day, making it nearly impossible to vet the challenges by election day. Voter suppression the intended goal. Story also notes another candidate for election downstate ... a Republican of course... who challenged just before election day the eligibility of nearly every registered Democrat in his voting district. Hansen's bill makes good sense.

Kudos to Hansen. Good story. Good bill.

The National Collegiate Football Championship: The Debate Rages On

Spotlight on a delightful San Francisco Chronicle post-season college football writeup

Well... the final result are in. The Salt Lake Tribune reports this morning that our beloved Utah Utes finish the season #2 in the Associated Press Sportswriters poll, and #4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The University of Florida thus lays claim to the "undisputed" title of National Champion, of course, by virtue of #1 ratings in both polls, and their win in last night's BCS National Championship bowl game. So now that the 2008 NCAA collegiate football season has drawn to a final close, will the question of which team in the country is #1 finally be put to rest?

Heavens no! The debate rages on, as evidenced by the various reader comments lodged under the above cited SLTrib story.

And we learn this morning that at least one Texas congressman is contemplating corrective legislation to replace the so-called BCS Championship with a playoff system, thereby joining Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in proposing to utilize the power of Big Government to "fix" the nation's "broken" collegiate football playoff system.

Let no one argue that college football is not serious business in America, gentle readers.

The Standard-Examiner has a fine editorial this morning, arguing that certain football fans might want to take a deep breath and "chill out" a little bit.

Following the Std-Ex editors' lead, and in the spirit of putting a cap on the now concluded college football season, we'll spotlight a San Francisco Chronicle sports page piece, which puts the collegiate football championship debate in clear perspective, in our belief. Although we differ with columnist RayRatto's conclusion that Florida's win over Alabama was "more convincing" than Utah's 31-17 rout, we believe he gets it mainly right. We accordingly incorporate Mr. Ratto's lead paragraphs below:

It may be instructive that the BCS championship game aired opposite "Antichrist" on the History Channel, given that there is some debate over which institution Americans find more objectionable.
The BCS, we mean. Not the History Channel, although if we see one more showing of "Hitler's Bodyguard," we may regard the topic as open for debate.
But we digress. Truth is, Florida and Oklahoma clashed Thursday night to convince hearts and minds that either should be more fondly regarded this morning than Utah. A dichotomy, we think you will all agree, that nobody on the planet saw coming.
While it is a fact that the BCS bought the rights to call the winner of its game a national champion, and while it is equally true that Florida is a superior team by any rubric, most notably the 24-14 win over the Sooners on Thursday in Miami, the institution and its mechanisms are so reviled that people were willing to A) extol the virtues of a Mountain West team, and B) reconsider the value of the once-loathed Associated Press Top 25.
(This last part is particularly horrifying, as your humble author is a voter in the AP Poll, an institution that, with modern technological advancements, has become a new way to tell the sportswriter of your choice that he or she would serve America better as a rail-yard hobo).

We invite you to read the full column below, which we found to be truly delightful:

• Sorry Utah but BCS beast lives on

The floor is hereby open for comments.

Masterful Retort to the Politically Posturing Senator Mike Waddoups

Waddoups: "It's all about the 'childern,' folks."

Fantastic article from this morning's Voice of Deseret blog. Blogmeister Desert Dawg picks up on Senator Mike Waddoups shrill recent public political posturing and masterfully rips the poor inbred backwoods bumpkin to shreds:

• Utah Restaurant Association Claims Senator Mike Waddoups' Anti-Alcohol Retrofitting Proposal Could Cost Each Restaurant Up To $100,000

Read up, gentle readers.

And yes... this will be on the test.

Std-Ex: Hispanic-themed Business Close to Approval

Lets see how the city treats an honest business that has the funding already in place.

By What Will It Cost Us

Today's Standard-Examiner business section reports that the folks who want an Hispanic themed market in the old IGA building will be going for approval with the city council on Tuesday. Lets see how the city treats an honest business that has the funding already in place. No city funds or grants asked for, to occupy and to add to the city's tax revenue base.

Ms. Wilkerson, the Landmarks Commission Chairman, has fought against the company since her business is across the street. I have also heard rumors she is renting part of her residence out on Jefferson Avenue, against city ordinance.

Lets see if the city is willing to help a business establish itself with a real need for a market in that location, or throw up more barriers that they need to cross to finally have a business at 24th and Monroe. They have been trying to get established for over 5 years with the city denying them at every turn.

The city planing department should be bending over backwards to help new businesses rather than to be in an adversarial role.

Look at their current operations in Salt Lake to see how a successful business can be run.

Another Godfrey Pal Silently Submits a Sub Rosa Zoning Change Petition

Arizona Carpetbagger Thaine Fischer proposes to found a new bar on Two-bit Street

Fascinating new development in the ever-fascinating BossGodfreyWorld today.

Suddenly the Lovable Little Lumpkin, the same Morman Mini-Mayor and Harrisville Bullshit Bishop who shut down the wildly profitable 25th Street Fest Celebration, thereby depriving Ogden City of much Beers, Ales & Arm-wrestling revenue, is now actively promoting the addition of... get this... another bar on 25th Street.

Here's the the strange skinny:

At a time which remains uncertain, Friend of Matt Godfrey (FOM) Thaine Fischer, the Arizona carpetbagging real estate developer and Godfrey Butt-Buddy par excellence, filed this petition with the Ogden Planning Commission, seeking to open up a new Private Club on Ogden's 25th Street:

• Thaine Fischer Petition

Here's the petition in a nutshell. What Mr Fischer is asking is that the Planning Commission re-interpret the current zoning ordinance, which prohibits more than two private clubs or bars within a "lineal block," and to re-define it to mean that the term "lineal block" would only apply to one side of the street.

This is another example, we think, of an instance where Boss Godfrey is applying his administrative power to a subtle zoning matter which would affect all of 25th Street. The only reason he's sticking out his neck, of course, is because this change in zoning law interpretation would help a "special friend."

What we're talking about here is a new bar which would cater to who knows, in a climate where even established clubs in Ogden are having their economic troubles. Unable to rent his vacant space to anyone else, FOM Fischer proposes establishing another drinking establishment on 25th Street.

We urge all readers who are concerned about preserving the status quo on 25th street, until we've all had a chance to consider the "long view," to contact the Ogden City Planning Department right now. While you're at it, ask the Planning Commission where, exactly, Fischer's projected new 500 drinking patrons will be expected to park their cars. Be sure to tell 'em to put it all on the back burner, unless and until the Boss Godfrey's Arizona Carpetbagger proponent provides proper explanatory information.

We link here the Ogden City Planning Department online page, which does supply minimal contact information:

• Ogden City Planning Department

We've been dialing in to Uncle Greg's Planning Department all day, BTW, in order to get an email address where our readers could send messages to the planning commission for distribution prior to tonight's meeting. So far all we've gotten is a recorded message, telling us the bureaucrats in the Planning Department "might call us back."

So it is in Emerald City right now. If we continue to put these Godfrey bureaucrats' necks in the ringer, however, we can definitely control how it all works in Ogden.

Don't let the cat get your tongues, gentle readers.

Update 1/7/09 4:36 p.m. MT: We just connected by phone to "Sharon" of the City Planning Department. She advises that emails to the Planning Commission will be collected at this email address, and passed on to commission members prior to tonight's 5:00 p.m. meeting:

• sharons@ci.ogden.ut.us

Sorry. That's the best that we could do on relatively short notice.

Wicks & Gochnour Elected to Council Chair and Vice-Chair

A vote of confidence for intelligent, capable and ethical council leadership

Good news from the Standard-Examiner this morning. Councilwomen Amy Wicks and Caitlin Gochnour have been elected the the Council Chair and Vice Chair positions, by a 4-3 council vote. Read all about it here:

• Wicks, Gochnour will lead city council

This bodes well for city council operations during the year 2009. We'll label it a vote of confidence for intelligent, capable and ethical council leadership.

Ace Reporter Schwebke reports that poor old Boss Godfrey is whining as per usual, of course, pining for the glory days when he ruled Emerald City with an iron fist... and the "Gang of Five" city council was his personal rubber stamp.

A hearty Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to Council members Wicks and Gochnour.

We invite our readers to join in this morning, with their own best wishes and congratulations.

2008 Ogden City Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

The only clean and professionally audited financial information we'll get from Boss Godfrey for the 2008 fiscal year

For the enlightenment of our gentle readers, we're pleased to be able to link this year's Ogden City Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2008 CAFR,) referenced in the below article, and transmitted to us by another alert reader:

• Comprehensive Annual Financial Report - Year ended June 30, 2008

Slice it, dice it and dissect it gentle readers. Consider this our annual opportunity to truly decipher what's really going on financially with the Boss Godfrey administration.

We've also added a link for future reference in our right sidebar, within our "Government Toolkit" module, along with the earlier 2006 and 2007 reports.

Have at it O Gentle ones.

SLTrib: Rep. Neil Hansen Proposes to Overhaul the Value Basis of the Utah Property Tax

Once again, our most citizen friendly Utah House Representative (Neil Hansen) proposes to upset the applecart

Fascinating article in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune, reporting that Ogden home boy House District 9 State Representative Neil Hansen plans to offer a bill in the 2009 legislative session which would drastically change the basis of Utah property tax valuation. We incorporate the key paragraphs from this morning's Cathy McKitrick story below:

Outrage over skyrocketing property taxes in some counties have fueled months of discussion over how to improve the current valuation system.
While several fix-it bills are on the table, Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, proposes a major change: basing property assessments on purchase price instead of the assessor-determined fair market value.
"I've always felt the price you pay for the home is its actual value," Hansen said.
While some say such a change would require a constitutional amendment, Hansen believes the bill could be worded to avoid it.
His yet-to-be-drafted proposal would signal a significant shift. So far, it has gained little traction on Capitol Hill.
"I know there will be entities that come out against it, but I feel the discussion needs to happen," added Hansen, recently elected to his sixth term in the House. "We see people being taxed out of their homes."
In Hansen's thinking, the change would not only simplify the massive county-by-county assessment process but would also help homeowners live within their means.

Predictably, this idea is going over like a lead balloon amongst real estate development interests, as 30 year veteran real estate broker/ Leg District 8 House Representative Gage Froerer suggests in his quoted comments. The passage of a true "acquisition cost" property tax formula would certainly serve as a disincentive to new home buyers, and would also operate detrimentally to the interests of Realtors and developers.

And at first blush we also wonder how taxing authorities would handle the transition, when owners of more newly purchased properties would suddenly experience that nasty tax bill sticker shock which would inevitably come from the adoption of a "acquisition cost basis" property tax system.

On the bright side, as Rep. Hansen suggests, his proposed change in the state property tax valuation formula would be an incentive to help homeowners live within their means.

Moreover, here's something Rep Hansen fails to mention: An acquisition cost based property tax system would operate to promote that warm and cozy "family-oriented theme" which Utah legislators ALWAYS trot out in their election brochures. It would protect the interests of those family cantered property owners who've made lifelong commitments to their homes and families in their local communities, and penalize property owners whose investment in private residences is merely another short-term "investment decision." Read between the lines: It's about FAMILY VALUES, folks!

For those interested in digging in further in re this issue, we'll link to a site which provides a nice overview and discussion of the competing market value and acquisition value approaches, along with alternate informational links and other online goodies:

• UTAH PROPERTY TAX REFORM

And for a discussion of the merits of an existing acquisition value property tax system, the obvious "go-to guy" is Howard Jarvis:

• Proposition 13 Has Made Everyone's Property Tax Reasonable

As for us at Weber County Forum, we're still sitting on the fence. We see plenty of fodder for discussion nevertheless. Hopefully, the posting of these above articles will provoke some discussion on this topic.

A hearty Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to (homeboy) Rep. Hansen, BTW, for bringing this new tax plan to the forefront, while my pals from the GOP party are still running around in circles, and appointing committees upon committees to study the property tax issue.

Who will be the first to speak out?

Std-Ex: Emerald City Finances in Good Shape?

Another apparent disconnect between the Std-Ex headline and the story beneath it
Updated: See the 2008 Comprehesive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) below

By Curmudgeon

Another example, this morning, I think, of the Standard-Examiner allowing a headline to run away with the story beneath it. Here's the story:

• Recent audit reveals Ogden in good financial shape

The headline is understandable, since the story's lede says the same: "The city is in good shape financially, according to the results of a recently released audit for 2008."

However, the rest of the story [which reports on a recent audit of the city's financial records] seems to say something different. From the story:

The Ogden accounting firm of Schmitt, Griffiths, Smith & Co. conducted the annual audit on behalf of the city along with its redevelopment agency and municipal building authorities. Finances for each of the three entities received an unqualified clean bill of health, according to a prepared statement from Mark Johnson, the city’s management services director. “What this means is Ogden City’s financial policies and procedures were found to be in substantial compliance with generally accepted accounting and auditing standards,” Johnson said. No significant deficiencies were identified in the audit that reviewed the city’s financial records, reports, reporting process, or internal controls.

It appears that what the accounting firm certified was that Ogden's financial records are in good shape, not that Ogden's finances are in good shape.

John Arrington, Ogden's finance manager, is quoted and again, the emphasis seems to be on the city's accounting procedures being properly done:

“Governmental reporting guidelines are very strict,” Arrington said in the statement issued by the city. “Achieving this overall rating speaks volumes for our team’s competency, considering the complicated and diverse methods of governmental accounting.”

So I'm wondering. Did the audit concern itself only with the city's record-keeping and reporting? Did the report, in short, certify that Ogden is not fiddling the books, but is accounting for its money and expenditures properly, keeping proper records and reporting accurately? [In which case the headline and the story's lede are inaccurate.] Or did the audit in fact conclude that Ogden city's finances themselves are in good shape?

Breaking; Snow Basin Withdraws Its Back-Country Permit Expansion Application

Snow Basin decides west face and other out-of-bounds descents aren't worth the public hassle

By Dan Schroeder

Breaking news from the Forest Service: Snow Basin has withdrawn its proposal to lead guided backcountry trips down all sides of Mt. Ogden.

This news would seem to confirm the view that this proposal was never a big deal to Snow Basin -- something they wanted to merely try out.

With all the public outcry (some perhaps justified, some not), they've apparently decided it isn't worth the hassle--at least for the time being.

Editor's Addendum: Special thanks also to Ogden District Ranger Chip Sibbernson for dialing up your blogmeister, and independently confirming Dan's above report within minutes of the submission of Dan's above article, and prior to its publication. Anyone who now believes that our local Forest Service Office isn't in the lumpencitizens' corner isn't paying proper attention to what we perceive to be the true facts. That's our current take, at least.

Update 1/6/09 7:00 a.m. MT: The Standard-Examiner chimes in this morning on this latest development, with this morning's information-rich Charlie Trentelman story:

• Snowbasin backs off backcountry guides

Snow Basin manager Denzel Rowland says "things were misconstrued," a predictable consequence, we think, for an application which was craftily intended to be processed and approved outside the public spotlight, devoid of ANY reliable public information.

The Salt lake Tribune has an instructive writeup too:

• Snowbasin withdraws backcountry-permit request

So what say our gentle readers about all this?

WaPo: The Crash - What Went Wrong

How the most dynamic & sophisticated financial markets in the world came to the brink of collapse

The Standard-Examiner carries a compact Washington Post editorial this morning, briefly discussing the series of events (over two decades) which eventually led to the 2008 downfall of insurance mega-giant AIG, and the resultant daisy chain collapse of the whole world financial sector. It's a good "nutshell" piece, boiling down the root causes of the current global financial crisis in a tidy 428 words:

• A cautionary tale of downfall

The editorial also refers to a three-part investigative article series running last week in the Washington Post, under the bylines of Robert O'Harrow Jr., Brady Dennis and Bob Woodward. We'd followed this series ourselves, and had intended to feature it in an upcoming WCF article. Thanks to the Standard-Examiner's introductory lead, we're delighted to provide this article series right on cue.

For readers interested in a more detailed explanation of how Wall Street innovation outpaced Washington regulation and brought the world economy to its knees, the following three WaPo articles are a definite must read:

1. Greed on Wall Street and blindness in Washington certainly helped cause the financial system's crash. But a deeper explanation begins 20 years ago with a bold experiment to master the variable that has defeated so many visionaries: Risk:

• Part 1: The Beautiful Machine

2. By 1998, AIG Financial Products had made hundreds of millions of dollars and had captured Wall Street's attention with its precise, finely balanced system for managing risk. Then it subtly turned in a dangerous direction:

• Part 2: A Crack in The System

3. How could a single unit of AIG cause the giant company's near-ruin and become a fulcrum of the global financial crisis? By straying from its own rules for managing risk and then failing to anticipate the consequences:

• Part 3: Downgrades And Downfall

Don't forget to bookmark this, Weber County Forum economics wonks. This is by far the most detailed and sophisticated post-crash post-mortem reporting and analysis that we've come across so far -- Pulitzer Prize quality material -- in our never-humble estimation.

Comments are invited as always.

Spotlight on a Fine Standard-Examiner Editorial

Gentle Curmudgeon grades this one an A+

By Curmudgeon

Some at WCF, myself among them, expressed considerable concern about new directions we might be seeing in Standard-Examiner editorial policy with the recent appointment of a new editorial page editor. I think perhaps those fears were unfounded. The Std-Ex has up this morning an excellent lead editorial:

• It's the economy, readers

It notes that "the economy, by far, is the issue of most importance looking ahead. Major corporations and industries that survived the Great Depression have either failed or are in danger of failure. The recession, falling retirement accounts, foreclosures, job losses, stagnant wages, has affected just about all of us."

It discusses the economic outlook for Northern Utah --- it's not pretty --- and notes that "We were blindsided by those we have been told to trust. They preached conservative economics while dealing in risky loans, and concludes: "Make no mistake: these economic problems come from the top. And there's been too much tolerance of bad behavior, ethical lapses, and criminality on Wall Street or Capitol Hill. This year, we must demand reform of the economic system."

It goes on to discuss the federal stimulus package, insisting that "an effective stimulus bill must give a hand to Americans needing to make mortgage payments, not CEOs wanting a vacation home." And it cautions the Utah legislature that while cutting state spending matters, it must not be done "at the expense of the most vulnerable in Utah."

As for what individuals can, and should, do to weather the storm? Hard to go wrong with the Std-Ex's advice: " This is going to be a rough economic ride. To hang on, be frugal, stay close to the people most important in your life, and remember to keep a close eye on our leaders. "

It is an editorial of such sound thinking, so grounded in common sense and sensibility, and so plainly written that I might have written it myself. [There can be, of course, no higher praise than that.]

Damn fine job. And well worth reading in full.

Big Game Tonight: The Utah Utes Play For Many of the BCS Marbles

Time for a non RICO violating team to show its stuff
Update: Utes kick Big Bad Alabama's Ass 31-17

Big Game in the New Orleans this evening, thanks to the so far undefeated Utah Utes.

The Alabama Crimson Tide square off with the Utah Utes tonight at 6:00 p.m. Watch it of the Fox Teevee Channel.

Here are the current odds from one punting site:

Bet Utah: Point Spread +9 (-110) --- Money Line +310
Bet Alabama: Point Spread -9 (-110) --- Money Line -380
Over/Under 46: -110,

We solemnly swear we have no idea at all what the local (Ogden) books are booking on this game.

We also think lots of punters in the East will be Wa-a-a-a-y surprised at the eventual outcome of the Sugar Bowl Game. if nothing else, the Utes will beat the spread; and our prediction is that they'll do a hell of lot better than that.

We're looking for a large TV audience for this year's Sugar Bowl Game too, perhaps propelled by the silly betting odds.

Something interesting today from the Grey Lady about this game:

This is why this game will draw a large TV audience. Once again, from today's NYT article:

For all of those college football fans who say that teams from the non-B.C.S. conferences should get more respect should be glued to their sets for this (Sugar Bowl) matchup.[...]
The Utes have been in a spot like this before. After the 2003 season, they took it to Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl. Of course, Urban Meyer was Utah’s coach then and he’s since decamped for Florida, where he’s playing for his second national title after beating Alabama in the SEC title game. But Kyle Whittingham is doing just fine in Meyer’s stead, thank you. In addition to being the only undefeated team in the F.B.S., the Utes have also won 13 games in a row and 20 of their past 21. If they want to continue that winning streak they’ll probably need a big game out of quarterback Brian Johnson, who threw for 2,636 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. You can also bet that the rest of the teams from the Mountain West Conference will be rooting for Utah. A victory by the Utes would guarantee some respect for the oft-underestimated league, not to mention other non-B.C.S. conferences.

Best of Luck to our beloved Utah Utes. We hope they haven't been partying too much this week on New Orleans's Bourbon Street, however.

Glue yourselves to the Tube this evening, Ute Fans. Please send Brian Johnson and the rest of the Utah Utes team your psychic vibes.

We'll keep this post open, for those folks who'd like to comment on the game. It'll be the same as we've done for other important college games earlier.

Don't 't let the cat get yer tongues, Ute Fans!

Update 1/2/09 9:55 p.m MT: Utes kick Big Bad Alabama's Ass

The SLTRib has the story:

• Sugar Bowl: Utes stun 'Bama with dominating win

Thus the Utes finish the season 13-0 as the only unbeaten Division 1 team in the nation.

So's who's the National Champion? Ask the corrupt cracker fatasses who run the corrupt BCS bowl monopoly. We're sure they'll figure something out.

Update 1/3/09 11:00 a.m. MT: Great post-game writeup from the Kansas City Star:

• UFR in the Big Easy: Utah should be No. 1

The Snow Basin Permit Expansion Application:Trentelman Fattens Out the Facts

An abbreviated application process, a useful map and Forest Service contact information

Charles Trentelman provides more information on Snow Basin Resort's Forest Service use permit expansion application in this morning's Standard-Examiner front page story . Trentelman fleshes out several new fact elements, such as the abbreviated approval process which was adopted by the local Ogden Ranger District:

Normally, any request to use public land managed by the Forest Service must go through an application and approval process under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The process can last years and includes public hearings.
Snowbasin made the request a month ago, Vallejos said. Because of the limited nature of the request, he said the Ogden Ranger District did what he called a “Small NEPA, where specialists from the Forest Service sit around the table and we present the projects, and in the small NEPA none of the specialists had any issues at all.”
The process is legal, he said.

Although Trentelman reports that Forest Service officials did contact contact Save Our Canyons and the Sierra Club regarding the Snow Basin application, it's unclear whether objections or other formal responses were invited. Moreover no facts are reported to imply that federal officials made any effort to provide notice to the general public at all. Notably, Trentelman quotes Sierra Club Conservation Chair Dan Schoeder, who expressed surprise "that there would be no formal process." From appearances, the application approval process was designed to come in entirely under under the public radar screen, just as David Witherspoon has suggested.

This morning's story also presents a useful map, showing Snow Basin's planned routes, in relation to the resort and Ogden City. While we would have liked to have seen a proper topographical map, displaying the contour lines for each of the planned descents... we'll take what we can get (click to enlarge image):

We'll also note in closing that Snow Basin and Forest Service officials all reportedly continue to deny that the Snow Basin permit expansion application has anything to do with Earl Holding's son-in-law or his land.

We spoke this morning with the Ogden Ranger District office. Although the key players are all off on vacation, we've been assured that public comments and/or objections will be accepted beyond the stated January 5 cutoff date, and through the upcoming week, for which purpose we provide the contact info below:

RICK VALLEJOS
Recreation Staff Officer
Ogden Ranger District
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Phone: (801)
Office - 625-5112
Fax - 625-5914
Email: rvallejos@fs.fed.us

Well....?