2014 Weber County Primary Election Final Results

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

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

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

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

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

Via the ever-politically savvy Eric Etherington;

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

Shoulda been a "no brainer," we believe.

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

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

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

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

• Utah board OKs Snowbird’s Oktoberfest liquor permit

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

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

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

• Weber County 2014 Primary Election Roster

Here are the high points wethinks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Added bonus: Find your polling place:

• Utah Voter Information Website

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

• Our View: A final race to the polls

Do your civic duty, folks!

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

• Candidate's campaign sites questioned

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

Good news for Ogden Streetcar fanciers!

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

• $845K Ogden Transit Project study hearing set

Mark your calenders. peeps!

Beer Likely at Oktoberfest After Utah Lawmakers Rip Brouhaha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read up, folks:

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

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

• Lawsuit over control of the Salt Lake Tribune

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

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

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

Via Eric Ethington

Utah: Dead-Ass Last

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

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

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

Similar Views: GOP House District 7 Crackpot Candidate Roundup

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

Click to Enlarge Image

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

• Similar views: GOP House District 7 candidates

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

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

Remember this folks:

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

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

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

Comments, anyone? Eh, Ferris?

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

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

Via Standard-Examiner reporter Mitch Shaw:

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

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

Read Mr. Shaw's encouraging full story here:

• City eyes $5M West Ogden land buy

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Weber County fumbles $250K for housing

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

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

Commission apologies excuses abound:

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

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

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

• Our View: Weber blows housing aid

Standard-Examiner: Video Intensifies Weber Recorder/Surveyor Campaign

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

Via Ricky Hatch's Weber County Elections Office:

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

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

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

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

• Video intensifies Weber Recorder/Surveyor campaign

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

• Can you Lose Your Property at a Tax Sale?

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

Ernest Rowley

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

Leann Kilts

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

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

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

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

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

Salt Lake Tribune photo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turnabout's a bitch, ainnit?

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

Interesting New Developments in the Snowbird Oktoberfest Matter

Sodden question: Will our state legislature act to rein in this latest DABC exhibition of  Utah-style "nanny government?"

As a followup to Wednesday's WCF writeup, wherein we announced that this year's Snowbird Oktoberfest event stands in jeopardy, due to a quirky DABC re-interpretation of Utah "special event" adeministrative liquor license rules, we'll note a few interesting developments, which we've dredged up whilst googling.

First, this strong editorial from the Salt Lake Tribune, laden with some pretty decent legal analysis:

• Editorial: Utah liquor regulators overreach with event rules

That's right, folks, the DABC's new threshhold criterion "for the common good" is found nowhere within the State's enabling statutes, but is instead a concept which an overzealous regulatory agency has pulled straight out of its... hat.  

Next, although tongue-in cheek, X96 Radio presents this intriguing and amusing spoof, which illuminates the slippery slope upon which Utahs find themselves perched, as our renegade State liquor regulatory bureaucracy cavalierly, unilaterally (and mindlessly) "tightens up" its rules:

• Utah Liquor Authority Now Thinking About Requiring Permits To Drink At Home

"Are we going to be required to have a temple recommend before we can purchase alcohol too?" one perplexed reader asks.

And last but not least, and back on Capitol Hill, we learn of this promising "background" remedial legislative activity, via State Senator Jim Dabakis:

Friday night. I am a bit scarily consumed by DABC policy regarding OkertFest at Snowbird "No Beer at...". The event draws 60,000 people and has been creating memories since the mid-1970's. This and many, many other single permit licenses issued to so many non-profits across the state have been thrown into chaos by herky jerky DABC policy changes. 

I formally ask that the Legislature's joint Administrative Rules Review Committee 'request' the presence of the DABC executive director, compliance director and other senior staff to address the following issues about their administrative rulemaking. I believe that Co-Chairs Senator Stephenson and Rep Oda will see the need to address the issues as soon as possible.

The customers of the DABC deserve the respect of a consistent, reasonable rulemaking process open to a full, complete public comment. Without fear of retribution and done with well thought out policies that do not end up regularly on the pages of the worlds newspapers relegating Utah to scorn and ridicule. Hurting both economic development and tourism.
DABC seems prone to an annoying pattern, regularly doing one or both of the following: 

1. Changing a long-standing practice that significantly alters how it implements a rule, but then decides not to amend the rule because it has determined that the new practice more accurately implements the intent of the rule; or,

2. Amended a rule in a way that significantly alters how it implements the rule. In these cases, the agency has sometimes pointed out that the changes made were still within the scope of the statutory authority it was granted to regulate by rule. However, I contend the following points are applicable:

a. changing a long-standing rule in a way that significantly alters its implementation can cause significant disruption within the regulated community that increases in severity the more the amendments depart from the previous rule language; and b. because rules have the effect of law, rule language, particularly long-standing rule language, comes to represent the state’s public policy, and changing it should involve more discussion and review than can usually occur when a rule change proposal is simply made public. 

The current DABC scenario more closely follows #1 above because the agency has not amended its rule but changed its practice. DABC’s changes to its practice more accurately reflect the implicit intent of the rule, but detailing the changes in practice in a rule change, filed with and published by the Division of Administrative Rules, would have provided notice of the changes to the public and the regulated community and created the opportunity for public input.

Will our state legislature act to rein in this latest DABC exhibition of  Utah-style nanny government?"

The ball's in the legislature's court, wethink.

Standard-Examiner: City Incentives Sought for Kiesel Building

Big shot developer proposes $1.12 million taxpayer bailout

Troubling Standard-Examiner story brought to our attention by regular Weber County Forum contributor Smaatguy, who wryly remarks, "Good lard...the nonsense never ceases...". Here's the lede:

OGDEN — A development company wants to revitalize one of Ogden’s most historic downtown buildings, but before it does so, it wants the city to pony up more than a million dollars in incentives.
Salt Lake City-based Lotus Residential Partners wants to renovate the historic Kiesel Building in Ogden, located at 2411 Kiesel Ave.
The company plans to develop the building into an “’upscale urban-loft” style apartment complex, with approximately 50 separate apartments and 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. Lotus has developed several similar projects in the Salt Lake City area and this isn’t the first time the company is dealing in Ogden.

Read up folks:

• City incentives sought for Kiesel Building

This matter appeared on the Ogden City Council agenda on Tuesday, folks:

• City Council-RDA Special Session

Down in the SE comments section, the ever sharp-eyed and alert comments board regular Bob Becker "nails it," wethink:

Isn't Godfrey Towers on the corner one block east still largely unleased, along with much of the ground level retail space at the Junction ? And more along Washington Blvd a block in each direction? Does that not at least suggest Ogden in that neighborhood is already significantly overbuilt in re: retail space given current economuc conditions? And the investors want the city to subdize more? What's that old adage about the first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging? [...]
Paragraph five, in which Lotus Residential Partners explains why it wants a taxpayer funded bailout of its investment in the Kiesel property is a real doozy. Let me attempt a plain English translation: (a) "Inflated aquisition costs" means, I suspect, "rats, we paid too much for the building." (b) "depressed rental rates" seems to mean "Ooops! We just noticed there's a glut of rental units hereabouts and so we're not going to be able to charge the rents we thought we could." (c) "A gap in revenues and expenses" presumably means something like "we're going to lose money on this deal unless we can convince the Council to pony up a seven figure publuc subsidy." That about it? Or close?

We'll be keeping an eagle eye on this story as it develops, of course.

As an added bonus, we provide below the email and telephone contact links of our Ogden City government elected officials, for the convenience of those gentle readers who'd like to throw in their own 2¢, concerning the "wisdom" of this proposed developer bailout:

• Contact Ogden City Elected Officials

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

Salt Lake Tribune: No Beer for Oktoberfest? (Crackpot) Utah Board Gets Tough on Liquor Permits - Updated

Utah: The Best Managed State?

Via State Senator James Dabakis:

First, imagine this story without the SL Tribune (SavetheTribune.com)! I spoke to the director of the DABC moments ago. I asked him to withdraw for at least 6 months any significant new interpretation of DABC regulations. Pending public hearings and input. Invariably, the DABC's star chamber antics every few months create hostility with the public and bad press worldwide (few months ago it was the 'Will you be dining with us' fiasco). Serious changes deserve serious people with serious input! A six month freeze, with public input and hearings, please.

• No beer for Oktoberfest? Utah board gets tough on liquor permits

Planning an event like Oktoberfest or dozens of other community events (many of them charitable) takes months (sometimes years) of work, organizers must not be subject to quick, capricious whims of the DABC.

Is this the best managed state? DABC eruption after DABC eruption?

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

Update 5/29/14 10:00 a.m.:  The Salt Lake Trib follows up on yesterday's story, with DABC executive Director Sal Petilos' lame excuse for threatening the end of the Snowbird Oktoberfest's 40-year cross-cultural community tradition:

• Abuse led DABC to clamp down on single-event permits

"Utah: The Best Manage State?" [snicker]

Apparently DABC Director Petilos "didn't get the memo."

Science Saturday: May 24, 2014 Edition

Sodden Question: So what does an old fart like Tarantino know about the movie business these days?

Its Science Saturday, WCF Peeps. Buckle up your warp-drive, and get a grip:

1) In the US, cheap shale gas has been pushing coal out of the electricity market and there are already indications that industries are beginning to prepare for the day when solar and other renewables push shale gas out of the energy market, by shifting into higher value products.

• New solar breakthrough could be the final nail in coal’s coffin

Bad news for the evil Koch brothers, who are expending billions to protect their lo-tech ancient fossil fuel investments.

2) Researchers have worked out how to make matter from pure light and are drawing up plans to demonstrate the feat within the next 12 months.
The theory underpinning the idea was first described 80 years ago by two physicists who later worked on the first atomic bomb. At the time they considered the conversion of light into matter impossible in a laboratory.
But in a report published on Sunday, physicists at Imperial College London claim to have cracked the problem using high-powered lasers and other equipment now available to scientists.
"We have shown in principle how you can make matter from light," said Steven Rose at Imperial. "If you do this experiment, you will be taking light and turning it into matter":

• Matter will be created from light within a year, claim scientists
• Scientists discover how to turn light into matter after 80-year quest

This folks, is somehow something the "most smartest" ancient alchemists would have "killed for," back in the days of 13th Century technology. Technology which may be soon delivered on a silver platter by a downloadable "App," we earnestly hope.

3) The news: In the past few years, we've seen the introduction of a cervical cancer vaccine and a prostate cancer vaccine — but what if a vaccine could actually cure cancer, instead of just preventing it?
According a new, promising study by the Mayo Clinic, that possibility might be more real than you might think. The famous medical research center announced Wednesday that one of its patients is in remission without a trace of cancer left in her body — all after receiving a single, massive dose of the measles vaccine.

• Mayo Clinic Researchers May Have Discovered a Cure for Cancer Hidden in an Unlikely Vaccine

Keep your fingers crossed, folks; and make sure your IRA retirement account will keep feeding your expenses for the next few thousand years, LOL, if this technology "takes hold".

4) This final story would more appropriately appear under the topic heading "Science and Technology,"  we suppose. Nevertheless, we're not "purists," so please view the awesome below-linked story and  embedded video:

• Stanley Kubrick’s VFX Master Would Like to Introduce You to the Technology that Will Revolutionize Cinema

Not everyone in the film industry agrees with the wisdom of these digital technological advances, by the way. For instance, check out Mr. Tarantino's strenuous objection concerning this topic:

• Cannes: Quentin Tarantino On Digital As The Death Of Cinema; A ‘Django’ Miniseries; ‘Hateful Eight’ Prospects & More

So WTF does an old fart like Tarantino know about the movie business these days?

That's it for Science Saturday this week, folks!

Don't forget to to toss in your own 2¢

Standard-Examiner: Weber Commission OKs Roy Library Contract

All's well that ends well, we guess

Good news for Weber County Library expansion proponents this morning, as Standard-Examiner reporter Cathy McKitrick delivers this morning's encouraging story. Despite earlier murmurings to the contrary, it appears the the voter-approved Weber County Library project is now back on track. Here's the lede:

Weber County commissioners unanimously approved a $16.4 million contract Tuesday with R&O Construction for the building of a new headquarters library branch in Roy.
But not without getting an earful first.
For over an hour, residents from all over the county filed to the microphone to either urge their elected officials to proceed with the Library’s $45 million five-year capital plan approved by voters last June or to limit spending and dilute the planned projects in scope and purpose.
That flood of fired-up folks stemmed from recent unfounded rumors, Commissioner Matthew Bell told those in attendance Tuesday.
“Never once were we against building libraries, never once did we try to slow the process up,” said Bell, who has been a vocal opponent of the $45 million bond for more than a year.
Bell told the audience that the “third-space” Roy project will move forward.

Read the full story here:

• Weber commission OKs Roy library contract

A Weber County Forum Tip of the Hat to Commissioners Gibson and Zogmeister for their wisdom in arguing and voting in favor of the will of the voters of Weber County:

“I think I speak for members of the Library Board of Trustees, Friends of the Library and others, that we have had a lot of debate over a lot of these projects,” [Weber County Commissioner] Gibson told Friday’s crowd. “But I think it has been good, positive debate, and I’m happy today to announce that it’s my belief that we are of one vision as we move forward in completing and finishing these projects.”
During Tuesday’s session, Gibson said “it’s wise for an elected body to do what the public tells us to do. It’s a good thing . . . and we’re elected by that same majority.”
At Tuesday’s session, Commissioner Jan Zogmaister, who serves on the Library Board and recently lost her re-election bid for the GOP nomination when 67 percent of about 600 Republican delegates voted against her at their April convention, credited her commission colleagues with negotiating successfully to move the Roy project forward.
“I too fully respect and intend to honor the vote that’s been taken,” Zogmaister said, adding that she expects everyone to come together with that same respect for the process.
“If you don’t like a process, change the process — but until it’s changed, respect it,” Zogmaister said.

And kudos to Commissioner Bell, for (belatedly at least) listening to the voices of reason.

All's well that ends well, we guess.

Libertas Institute:Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?

Yesiree, our purportedly "fiscally conservative" Utah public servants will always be tight-fisted with our hard-earned taxpayer monies... except, of course... when the're not

It’s important to point out that Utahns around the state were required to help fund the purchase of a gun range in a single location, benefitting only those in the surrounding area. Residents of St. George, Vernal, Provo, and other cities around the state should not be forced to subsidize a facility that does not benefit them in any way. If Weber County officials wanted to convince residents of the alleged need to purchase the facility outright—and therefore require them to pay not only for its purchase, but also its ongoing maintenance—then they should have proposed a bond to the residents in that community along with the resulting tax increase. Instead, we once against witnessed the path of least resistance being followed—the lobbying effort to receive a portion of taxes taken from all Utahns, almost all of whom do not even realize how their money has now been used.

Libertas Institute
Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?
May 15, 2014

Here's a thoughtful editorial from the libertarian-oriented Libertas Institute about last month's $3.8 Swanson Tactical Center gun range purchase, which has also been the subject of several recent Weber County Forum rants:

• Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?

Yesiree, folks. As Libertas Institute President Connor Boyack correctly observes, our purportedly "fiscally conservative" Utah public servants will always be tight-fisted with our hard-earned taxpayer dollars... except, of course... when the're not. Yes?

It's the same old story all over again, we guess... and the beat goes on...

Disappearing Ink: Former Journalists Say The Decline Of The Salt Lake Tribune Stems From A Conspiracy Between The Paper's Corporate Owner And The LDS Church

Imagine, if you will,  a world where the Deseret News winds up as Northern Utah's only remaining major newspaper, peeps 

In any situation where there’s a quasi theocracy ... any state where it’s politically or religiously dominated, an independent voice or a countervoice for that matter, is critical to the survival of diverse thinking.

Former Tribune Editor Jay Shelledy
Disappearing Ink: Former Journalists Say The Decline Of The Salt Lake Tribune Stems From A Conspiracy Between The Paper's Corporate Owner And The LDS Church
May 14, 2014

My sense is that the entire industry has tried to lay print to rest before it’s ready to die, and I see that as a mistake. I think the revenue most places still comes from print—most of the revenue—and that’s why the new split hurts the Tribune so much.

Former Tribune Editor Nancy Conway
Disappearing Ink: Former Journalists Say The Decline Of The Salt Lake Tribune Stems From A Conspiracy Between The Paper's Corporate Owner And The LDS Church
May 14, 2014

Much of what the Tribune does, involves going to court with the government over open-records requests—an often thankless and costly process undertaken so that Utahns know the business being conducted on their behalf. [The Tribune has] always been a very strong, strong investigative watchdog newspaper. I’d hate to see it go. It would be a bad thing.

Joel Campbell, professor of journalism, BYU
Disappearing Ink: Former Journalists Say The Decline Of The Salt Lake Tribune Stems From A Conspiracy Between The Paper's Corporate Owner And The LDS Church
May 14, 2014

The Trib Receives a
D-News "Warm Embrace"

Humdinger of a journalistic tour de force from Salt Lake City Weekly this morning, for those WCF readers who'd like to fully bone up on the current plight of Salt Lake City's top-selling newspaper, the Salt Lake Tribune.  A giant Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to SLWeekly reporter Colby Frazier, for one of the most robust and well-researched journalistic pieces which we've featured on these WCF pages in years. Read up, folks:

• Disappearing Ink: Former Journalists Say The Decline Of The Salt Lake Tribune Stems From A Conspiracy Between The Paper's Corporate Owner And The LDS Church

Within this morning's story, Mr. Frazier has embedded this handy link, which opens this important online petition:

• Save the Tribune

We urge all WCF readers to chime in on this right now. Can't hurt; might help.

Imagine, if you will,  a world where the Deseret News winds up as Northern Utah's only remaining major newspaper, peeps.  If that distressing prospect won't motivate you to take immediate political action, we suppose nothing will.  For a little extra inspiration however, please view the image embedded above, which lays it all out in graphic form, wethinks.

Happy Birthday to Us

Thanks, Weber County Forum readers!

Why it seems like only yesterday that we were introducing Weber County Forum to the lumpencitizens of northern Utah, and whaddaya know, we celebrate WCF's ninth anniversary today.

Happy Birthday To Us!

We'll thus take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks to the political wonks who've given us their enthusiastic support over these past nine years.  We believe that all-in-all, our little home-town blog has proven to be a great and unique community resource.

We couldn't have reached this important milestone, and accomplished the many significant things which we've achieved without the robust contributions of all of you who've stuck with us since our initial founding on May 15, 2005.

Thanks, Weber County Forum readers!

Standard-Examiner: Non-renewed Ogden Teachers Question the System

It's time for a thorough Ogden School Board "house-cleaning," wethinks

Eye-opening Becky Wright story from the Standard-Examiner, profiling the plight of former Ogden High School chemistry teacher Jennifer Claesgens, "one of 17 provisional teachers who received notices from Ogden School District that their contracts would not be renewed." Here's the lede:

Jennifer Claesgens’ resume boasts a Ph.D. in science and mathematics education, with an emphasis in chemistry, experience teaching high school, and four years as an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning. When she married a man from Ogden, Claesgens left the university to become the new chemistry teacher at Ogden High School.
Before the school year was over, Claesgens received notice that her contract with Ogden School District was not going to be renewed for the coming year. She was stunned.
“I actually looked at them and said, ‘This is the first I’ve heard that there was a problem,’ ” she recalled, thinking back to a meeting with her principal and other district administrators. “I asked, ‘What’s the basis of this?’ and they said ‘goodness of fit.’ ”

Check out the full text and embedded video here:

• Non-renewed Ogden teachers question the system

Our take-away concerning academically well-qualified Ms. Claesgens’ sudden blind-siding by the Ogden School District Administration?

"Toe the line (and keep your mouth shut.)"

In our view, today's story is symptomatic of the greater problem in the Ogden School District, of course, where OSD Schools Superintendent Brad Smith has ruthlessly dismantled much of the previously existing OSD personnel infrastructure over the past few years.

Happily, there will be a remedy for the OSD's heavy-handed treatment of Ogden school teachers coming up in November, O Gentle Ones, as all three Ogden School Board incumbents who will stand for re-election in our Ogden School Board races face well-qualified challengers, who are poised to change the Superintendent Brad Smith-centric culture of the Ogden School Board:

District #2 - 4 year term
Steven L. Marker - Incumbent
Douglas B. Barker - Challenger

District # 4 - 2 year term
Jeffrey Heiner - Incumbent
Dori Stauffer Mosher - Challenger

District #7 - 4 year term
Joyce J. Wilson - Incumbent
Aaron G. Garza - Challenger

Our advice for Ogden residents concerning in the upcoming 2014 Ogden School Board Elections?

Write this down so you don't forget it, folks!

It's time for a thorough Ogden School Board "house-cleaning," wethinks.

Standard-Examiner: Taxpayers Had "Little" Public Input in Weber Gun Range Transaction

"Little public input?" Howbout NONE?

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.

Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
Acton Insitute
1834 – 1902

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

H.L. Mencken - American Curmudgeon
A Little Book in C major
1916

If these [two] stooges who run Weber County aren't careful, they are gonna make the folks forget all about Godfrey, that other slippery little feller who specialized in sliding stuff under the tax payer's noses.

Ozboy
Standard-Examiner comments
May 9, 2014

Bad news for the lumpenicitizerns of Weber County, as we learn from the Standard-Examiner this afternoon that without any even a single word of "formal" public discussion or comment, and just as we predicted a few days back, the Weber County Commission
 "good ole boy majority,"  by a vote of 2-1 ("ousted" Commissioner Zogmaister dissenting), "closed the deal" on their precious "Taj Mahal" gun range, "last Wednesday (April 30)," to the tune of $3.8 million taxpayer bucks:

• Taxpayers had "little" public input in Weber gun range transaction

"Little public input?"  Howbout NONE?

We'll just have to sit by and enjoy our tyrannical Weber County government for the next two years at least, inasmuch as there are no opposition candidates, barring a write-in effort, for the two open 2014 General Election County Commission seats.

Looking at the bright side however, and gazing into our trusty crystal ball, we'll predict a brand new lease on life for community watchdog Weber County Forum, we guess, as our current Weber County Commission picks up where the ever-tyrannical Boss Godfrey left off.

Salt Lake Tribune: Brigham City Doctor Gets Big Prison Time Reduction

"This being Utah, I'm sure the 'fix was in...'"

By: Ray

According to todays Salt Lake Tribune, convicted drug dealer Dr. Dewey McKay's sentence was "drastcally reduced" from twenty years to three, with credit for two years already served in the "slam":

• Brigham City doctor gets big prison time reduction

Seems a bit excessive of a reduction for a felony drug dealer whose deeds were alleged to have caused his patients harm. I'm sure there are plenty of minor drug dealers who are not getting the same % reduction as Dr. McKay. But this being Utah, I'm sure the "fix was in...":

Comments, anyone?

Standard-Examiner: Our View: Tax Dollars for Shooting

The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys

It's nice that the county has a boost in its paramedic fund, but we expect the county to offer more information than merely that funds have "built up." If perhaps as much as $2.3 million of Weber taxpayers' funds is going to buy a gun range, we'll need to know how the excess money accumulated and why it should be used to buy a gun range that has apparently faltered as a private sector endeavor. The county has the responsibility to persuade residents that the $2.3 million doesn't have a better use than for shooting.

Standard-Examiner Editorial
Our View: Tax dollars for shooting
May 6, 2014

Top-notch online editorial from the Standard-Examiner this afternoon, questioning the "wisdom" of our Weber County Commission, in ripping off the Weber County "paramedic fund" to the tune of 2.3 million bucks,to finance the purchase the money-losing Swanson Corporation Tactical Training Center "Gun Range", which facility includes "[f]our partially-enclosed live fire ranges, complete with on-board camera systems and variable lighting, along with a "simulated urban comabat environment," etc, etc, etc. Crank up your sound and feast your eyes on the testosterone-induced video promo:



Here's the S-E editorial:

• Our View: Tax dollars for shooting

Our take?

Comments, anyone?

Standard-Examiner: Bell Denounces Any Use of Weber Library Bond for Gun Range Purchase - Updated

Too bad the Weber County Democrats couldn't muster a couple of candidates to at least run against the present Weber County GOP tyranny

As a follow-up to our 4/24/14 WCF story, wherein we "connected the dots" between two Cathy McKitrick/Standard-Examiner stories of the same date, and speculated that our "Weber County Commission [was taking] the "Tried and True 'Bait and Switch' Tactic to a Whole New Level", we'll observe this morning that our conjecture that our Weber County Commission is in the process of "raping" library bond funds for the purchase of the Swanson Tactical Training Center gun range seems to have gained some traction within the Weber County lumpencitizen community.

In that connection, we'll  shine the spotlight on the latest glorious S-E offering from the ever-journalisticallly yeoman-like (and exceedingly smart) Cathy McKitrick.  For starters, here's the lede:

OGDEN -- Weber County Commissioner Matthew Bell weighed in Wednesday on whether he would consider using savings from the $45 million library bond to help fund the purchase of an indoor gun range.
"Absolutely not. Ain't ever going to happen," Bell said. "The bond is specific for doing library improvements, and that's what we're going to do."

Read Ms. McKitrick's latest story, for the full "skinny":

• Bell denounces any use of Weber library bond for gun range purchase

And do not fail to check out the underlying Disqus comments section beneath Ms. McKitrick's story, where, as of this juncture, scores of upset people who ACTUALLY voted the recent Library Bond Election (which election our Commission seems about to nullify) are free-wheeling, lambasting, and generally throwing in their own angry 2¢.

Seems to us that if the Commission axes library bond funding by any significant degree, and yet approves the"white elephant" gun range purchase, such an embarrassing departure from "democratic" reality will reveal our financially "tight-fisted" Commissioner Bell to be a dissembler, deceiver and rhetorical trickster, don'tcha think?

Too bad the Weber County Democrats couldn't muster a couple of candidates to at least run against the present Weber County GOP tyranny, YES?

Update 5/6/14 9:40 a.m.: Via Cathy McKitrick: "This [above-linked] story actually had an update that went into last Friday's print edition but didn't make it online until today. The county found the remaining funds to buy the Swanson gun range last week."

It thus appears that the gun-range purchase is a done deal. Rather than to dip into the library bond fund, their be tapping money which has been layin' around "idle" in the "paramedic fund."

Cute...

Science Saturday May 5, 2014 Edition

 Chalk it up to a slow news day, we guess

Since it's been a great long while since our last post on this sorely neglected topic, here's our newest Science Saturday update, carefully compiled from the broad variety of stories which we've collected over the past few months days. Although the first two of these stories ain't exactly hot off the press, here goes:

1) Perhaps the most confounding mystery of all involves how incredibly large stones made their way to the middle of the Egyptian desert in ancient times without massive mechanical assistance. No camel, even the Egyptian kind, is that strong. The truth, researchers at the University of Amsterdam announced this week in a study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, may actually be quite simple. It has long been believed that Egyptians used wooden sleds to haul the stone, but until now it hasn’t been entirely understood how they overcame the problem of friction. It amounts to nothing more, scientists say, than a “clever trick”:

• The surprisingly simple way Egyptians moved massive pyramid stones without modern technology

Bad news for "space alien theorists," we guess.

2)  With the World Cup just six weeks away, Brazilian authorities have approved the widespread, commercial release of a strain of mosquito that has been genetically reprogrammed to wipe out its own species:

• Mosquitoes bred with suicide genes to combat disease

Venomous jungle snakes and/or American GOP politicians next, please.

Gold "Bug"

3) It seems that medieval alchemists were looking for the Philosopher's Stone—the magic element that could turn lead to gold—in the wrong place. Turns out the "key" is not  a mineral. It's a bug, according to the below-linked story:

• Researchers Discover Bacteria That Produces Pure Gold

Sodden question:  So where can we acquire a healthy culture of Cupriavidus metallidurans... and some decent quantities of gold choride? Time to make some serious "hay,"  inasmuch as we ain't doin' so hot in the stock market lately, wethinks.

That's it folks.  You can chalk it up to a slow news day we guess.

Neverthelless, don't hesitate to post your own science stories in the comments section below.

Provo Daily Herald: Former Candidate Criticizes Utah's Caucus Convention System

At least one unsuccessful 2014 GOP challenger becomes a convert to the open primary nomination system

Interesting story from the Provo Daily Herald, revealing another set of glaring defects in the current caucus/convention nomination system, which the 2014 Utah legislature mercifully augmented with an alternative statutory direct primary nomination procedural approach. Here's the lede:

A former congressional candidate has panned Utah's unique process of selecting candidates for the ballot.
Mark Hedengren, who ran against Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, for the Republican nomination in the 3rd District but lost at the state convention last Saturday as he only won 65 of the 1013 votes available, now says he supports the Count My Vote effort to change Utah's election process after being a candidate in the caucus convention system.
Hedengren said in an email to reporters that the current system is "pretty messed up" and the arguments traditionally made as to why the system is better than a direct primary process, such as that the current system prevents big money from taking over elections, aren't true.

Read the full story Daily Herald story, folks, setting forth exactly how Mr. Hedengren believes he was run through the GOP "wringer":

• Former candidate criticizes Utah's caucus convention system

Mr. Hesterman complains that the caucus and convention system is "one big long fundraiser for the Utah Republican Party," among other things, and says that although "he did enjoy the experience of running for office ... it did not make him a convert to the caucus convention system."

"The state should have open primaries in the future," Mr. Hedengren adds.

Needless to say, we'll be sitting on the edge of our seat, watching to see how these dynamics play out in the 2016 Utah General Election, when Utah's new dual-track political nomination system is at long last unrolled.