Trump Leads Latest Poll by Large Margin

Meanwhile...Sanders Beats All Top Republican Candidates In Latest Poll

Via Pat Bagley: "Gas is below $2, employment is good, dollar is strong, stock market is soaring. meanwhile, Trump vows to change all that."

• Trump Leads Latest Poll by Large Margin

Keep on voting against your personal economic  interests, Peeps.

Meanwhile... consider this:

• Sanders Beats All Top Republican Candidates In Latest Poll

LOL, No???

Standard-Examiner: Weber State University Finishes As Most Improved Big Sky "Winner" in 2015

Gotta say we're totally proud of Coach Hill and our Wildcats, Peeps

Okay Weber State Wildcats fans, we confess that we've been a mite remiss.  So hopelessly caught up in the ongoing spectacle of the myriad of College and NFL programs over the weekend as we were, we're confident and satisfied that we dang nearly forgot to post these most-important post-game stories from the National Sports media:

• Weber State runs past Idaho State 35-14
• Weber State football: Wildcats top Idaho State to finish with winning record
• Weber State beats ISU, records first winning season since 2010

Gotta say we're totally proud of Coach Hill and our Wildcats, Peeps, who finished "winners" @ 6-5.

"Winners." Yes.  Get used to that appellation, Wildcats fans:

Weber State's grand season closing victory will no doubt annoy OZboy, who's plainly a complete Internet Loser with a sad, (very sad) "retardation" in re his seriously lame Football Picks!

Alliance for a Better Utah Lobbies to Impeach "Crackpot" Utah Judge

Jackass Judge Johansen needs to go

This morning, the Alliance for a Better Utah asked the Utah Legislature to begin impeachment proceedings against crackpot Utah 7th District Judge Scott Johansen.... and launched a web-based citizen petition on change.org.:

Let's remove Idiot Judge Scott Johansen

First good Utah political news your blogmeister has heard in at least a week. Nuff said, so far Finally... after being off the grid with zero amounts of Red Meat News  for over a week, Your CANNY Weber County Forum posts "zero out" all crackpot GOP posts, of course,

naturellement?

Lets just say that mere words can't express your blogmeister's sheer distaste for Utah politics.

Update 8:00 P.M: Happily, there's progress in this matter:

• Utah judge removes himself from same-sex foster parent case

Next obvious step for this moron? Resignation.

Paul Ryan - World-Class A-hole

Is Paul Ryan a hypocrite? You be the judge

"Residents of the inner city have a real culture problem and a lack of a work ethic," sez Speaker of the U.S House of Representatives, Paul Ryan:

Is Ryan a hypocrite? You be the judge:

• Government Programs and Taxpayers Financed Paul Ryan: He Didn't Make It on His Own

And keep on voting Republican, people.

Breaking: Lowly Weber State University Whips University of California

Wildcats roll past UC Davis 23-3

OK folks!  As rabid Weber State University fans, we at Weber County Forum can't contain ourselves regarding this stirring Weber State Football development!  Believe it or not, against all odds, our lowly Weber State Wildcats totally whooped the mighty University of California football team this afternoon at Stewart Stadium, by a whopping score of 23-3. Read up, "Cats fans":

• Wildcats roll past UC Davis 23-3

Put that in your silly little "pipe"and "smoke it," Wildcats detractors, as our "Cats" now go 5-5 for the season.

Go Wildcats!

Update 11/8/15 3:00 p.m.:  The Standard's Brandon Garside is all over this story, too:

• Weber State defense shines in 23-3 win over UC Davis

Jeb can "fix it,"

LOL! ya gotta Love It

"Jeb" has a new motto.

Keep on voting "Republican," People,.. err... you lame-brain GOP idiots.

Who is This Guy Fawkes Guy?

Ahem!  "Over the past decade, dissidents across the globe have appropriated the visage of Guy Fawkes, the infamous insurgent who tried to blow up the British Parliament in 1605, warping the once-reviled fringe rebel into a widespread symbol of resistance." Learn up, concerning this interesting recurring phenomenon, PEEPS! 

• Guy Fawkes - Wikipedia

No need to thank us for this revealing,invigoratring AND Shit-hot info, inasmuch as we are RUDIZINK!

Added Bonus:

• How Guy Fawkes became the face of post-modern protest

2015 Ogden Municipal Election Night Special - Election Night Vote Tallies - Updated

The ballots have been processed; the votes have been tallied; and here are tonight's unofficial election results, Weber County Forum political wonks:

Ogden City Mayor
Total
Number of Precincts 45
Precincts Reporting 45 100.0 %
Times Counted 8104/22533 36.0 %
Total Votes 8025
Caldwell, Mike 6394 79.68%
Benitez, Sebastian 1631 20.32%
Ogden City Council - Municipal Ward 2
Total
Number of Precincts 11
Precincts Reporting 11 100.0 %
Times Counted 1785/5743 31.1 %
Total Votes 1533
Hyer, Richard 1533 100.00%
Ogden City Council - Municipal Ward 4
Total
Number of Precincts 15
Precincts Reporting 15 100.0 %
Times Counted 3558/7849 45.3 %
Total Votes 3486
Nadolski, Ben 2047 58.72%
Gladwell, Daniel 1439 41.28%
Ogden City Council - At Large Seat C
Total
Number of Precincts 45
Precincts Reporting 45 100.0 %
Times Counted 8104/22533 36.0 %
Total Votes 7906
Lopez, Luis 4082 51.63%
Ogden, John 3824 48.37%

Thanks to all candidates who participated in this year's Ogden Municipal Election, and hearty congratulations to tonight's big winners.

Update 11/4/15 7:45 a.m.: The Standard-Examiner carries the Added Bonus late story:

• Caldwell secures second term, Lopez and Nadolski nab council seats

Well... 'doh!.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden Mayor Candidates Debate Policing, Infrastructure

Ogden City Mayoral candidates stand for final pre-election debate

OK, Peeps!  With the Ogden City Municipal Election coming up on November 3, 2015, we're going to keep this short, but sweet.  As we announced earlier, our Ogden City Mayoral candidates stood for their final pre-election debate on October 28, 2015.

Read up, Ogden City voters! Standard-Examiner Reporter Becky Wright provides the story:

• Ogden mayor candidates debate policing, infrastructure

Given the heavy traffic to our Weber County Forum election module  this week, we're convinced that many Ogden City voters haven't yet cast their ballots.

Hopefully this afternoon's WCF story and SE link will be helpful in that regard.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden Mayoral Candidates Debate Policing, Infrastructure

With our Ogden Municipal Elections looming FIVE days hence, we're delighted to link this totally awesome Becky Wright article, which describes the magnificence of Tuesday's Ogden High School Mayoral debate

• Ogden mayor candidates debate policing, infrastructure

With a full 4 days pending until Ogden Election Day 2015, we'll be hoping that "some" procrastinator voters will be able to incorporate this latest information into their "valid" last minute votes

Kid dead; What a bummer

So sorry about the bullet wound, Kid, welcome to America, where we lock people up for a doobie because that marijuana shit is like crazy dangerous, man!

Boy, 8, dies of gunshot wound in Las Vegas

Ban Guns? Slow down there, Hoss. Could be an accident, could be an incident, we'll have to get back to you. Hope you had health insurance, Kid.

Breaking: GOP, Democrats, Obama Reach 2-Year Budget Deal To Prevent Shutdown

LOL! This is goimg to piss off Ted Cruz and his little fat-ass buddy, Mike Lee, fer sher

Here's the lede:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders are throwing their collective weight behind a hard-won, two-year bipartisan budget plan aimed at heading off a looming government debt crisis and forestalling a government shutdown in December.The pact, which would take these volatile issues off the table until after the 2016 presidential election, emerged in behind-the-scenes negotiations late Monday on Capitol Hill. It-would give both the Pentagon and domestic agencies $80 billion in debt relief in exchange for cuts elsewhere in the budget.The deal represents one last accommodation between President Barack Obama and departing House Speaker John Boehner, but whether it succeeds depends in great measure on the reception it gets from restive House Republicans, including the arch-conservatives who forced the Ohio Republican out.

Read the full story, PEEPS:

• GOP, Democrats, Obama Reach 2-Year Budget Deal To Prevent Shutdown

Bravo US Congressional leaders, this time, for once

Standard-Examiner: Public Records Battle Shows Dirty Political Money, Clean Getaway

Professor Schroeder: "!t’s nice to have some closure on this."

Pursuant to The Utah Supreme Court's August 25, 2015 ruling, Petitioner/Appellant Dan Schroeder is now in possession of the documents "ordered disclosed," in the exceedingly long-running Envision Ogden GRAMA matter. Standard-Examiner reporter Cathy McKitrick provides the story, beneath this lede, "contained in this Dan Schroeder statement sent Tuesday, Oct. 20":

“Records recently released by the Utah Attorney General’s Office clearly show what local activists long suspected — that the mysterious entity Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate, which was used to hide the origin of more than $20,000 in campaign contributions during Ogden’s 2007 municipal election, was operated by Blain Johnson, the local real estate attorney who was elected to the city council in that race.”

Dr. Schroeder's entire October 10 statement, including attachments, is viewable here What an eye-opener, no?:

• AG Records Show Former Ogden Councilman Laundered Envision Ogden Donations

Read Ms. McKitrick's blockbuster followup, folks:

• Public records battle shows dirty political money, clean getaway

Don't neglect the SE reader comments section, wherein  Ogden City Watchdog Professor Schroeder provides a robust series of further detailed factual additions and clarifications.

We're grateful for Dan's herculean efforts in this matter, and we join him in his post litigation assessment:

“The statute of limitations has expired, so [no legal charges] can be brought,” Schroeder said Tuesday, Oct. 20. “But it’s nice to have some closure on this. My goal has always been to get the story out there to anyone who is interested.”

Bravo, Dan Schroeder!

Salt Lake Tribune: Mormon Apostle Oaks: Kentucky Clerk Wrong Not to Issue Same-sex Marriage Licenses

Gird up your loins, my Mormon Friends:

• Mormon apostle Oaks: Kentucky clerk wrong not to issue same-sex marriage licenses

Write this down so you don't forget it, oh my Mo-mo friends:

Public officials "are not free to apply personal convictions — religious or other — in place of the defined responsibilities of their public offices," LDS apostle Dallin H. Oaks said in a speech in Sacramento, Calif. "A county clerk's recent invoking of religious reasons to justify refusal by her office and staff to issue marriage licenses to same-gender couples violates this principle."

Elder Oaks "nails it," don'tcha thinks?

Our take? Don't mess with "THE" CHURCH! End of Story!

Wake Up America!

Canadian baseball fan has a message for America.

Pass it along!

Standard-Examiner: Weber State Rallies to Beat North Dakota 25-24

WSU now goes 3-1 in 2015 Big Sky Conference Football!

LOL, WSU Football detractors (you know who you are, eh Ozboy!) Here's the skinny on this evening's WSU Football game, wherein our WSU Wildcats whooped the crap outta the mighty University of North Dakota in the 4th quarter.

• Weber State rallies to beat North Dakota 25-24
• Weber State comes back to beat UND 25-24

Read up, Peeps!  Lowly WSU now goes 3-1 in 2015 Big Sky Conference Football!

Go, Wildcats!

Added Bonus: WSU's Emmett Tela named Best in the Big Sky Multiverse:

• Emmett Tela named Big Sky Player of the Week

Winners! The WSU Wildcats are WINNERS, dammit! Write this down so's you don't forget it, Ozboy.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden Mayoral, Council Candidates Square Off in Thursday Debate

Just like clockwork, our prospective 2015 Ogden City Elective Candidates got together on Thursday night as planned, and engaged in typically Ogden-like gentlemanly debate.  Ms. McKitrick of the Standard kindly provides the post-event writeup. Here's the lede:

OGDEN — Candidates seeking two city council seats and Ogden’s mayoral slot faced off Thursday in a public forum sponsored by the Ogden Trolley District, a nonprofit organization that represents the densely populated 80 blocks that make up east-central Ogden.

Held in a restored mansion at 2604 Jefferson Ave., the gathering gave the audience of about 70 attendees a glimpse of how these six individuals might govern if elected. [Link Added]. 

Of the six contenders, Mayor Mike Caldwell was the only incumbent present. When asked what he would do differently if elected to a second term, Caldwell touted his track record and said he would continue in the same vein — only faster.... 

Of course you'll all be tempted to read Ms McKittrick's full yeoman-like SE contribution, Peeps, YES? Please do so here:

• Ogden mayoral, council candidates square off in Thursday debate

The world-wide blogosphere eagerly awaits your ever-savvy comments, Ogden Peeps!

LOL! Investigation Finds “Reasonable Grounds” that American Lands Council Violated Colorado Lobbying Laws

We''ll let all our Republican friends know where you can write love letters to these two dildos, once they're assigned to their respective Federal Prisons.

Future Colorado convicts,
 Ken and Ted

No. We are not making this up:

The ongoing ethics saga involving Utah State Representative Ken Ivory and the American Lands Council took another turn on Thursday, when the Colorado Secretary of State’s office found “reasonable grounds” that ALC violated Colorado lobbying and disclosure laws.
The complaint was originally filed by watchdog group Colorado Ethics Watch in April, which described how the ALC urged members of its Colorado e-mail list to contact their state representatives and support a bill that would study the impacts of giving away American public lands to the state.
As described in its full investigation, the Secretary of State believes Rep. Ivory and ALC violated three Colorado lobbying and disclosure laws:

Read up, Peeps:

• Investigation Finds “Reasonable Grounds” that American Lands Council Violated Colorado Lobbying Laws

We''ll let all our Republican friends know where you can write these two GOP dildos, once they're assigned to their respective Colorado and/or Federal Prisons.

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah students will limit study of Earth’s ‘relatively constant temperature’ in latest tweak to science standards

Utah's science denying GOP morons score another win

Utah's science denying GOP idiots score another win, as they "mess" with the Utah public schools curriculum... Utah's sixth graders will now learn that the greenhouse effect "maintains Earth's energy balance and a relatively constant temperature." despite the conflliciing evidence.

• Utah students will study Earth’s ‘relatively constant temperature’ in latest tweak to science standards

Any discussion of climate change in the curriculum won't take place until the eighth grade.

• Utah students will study Earth’s ‘relatively constant temperature’ in latest tweak to science standards

Sodden Question: Do you like the proposed Utah "science standards," which are now open for a 30-day public review? If not, do you still keep on voting Republican?

Standard-Examiner: Ogden District 4 Candidates Talk Taxes, Schools, Chickens

As an added bounus, Ms. McKitrick sets forth the list of future Debates/Meet the Candidates events scheduled prior to Election Day

Unbeknownst to us, "Ogden City Council Candidates Ben Nadolski and Daniel Gladwell faced off on several hot topics Friday" in  what we deem to have been a poorly-publicized  Weber State University debate.  Happily however, Standard-Examiner reporter Cathy McKitrick provides the story after the fact. Here's the lede:

OGDEN — The issues debated by Ogden’s District 4 council candidates reflected the city’s diverse needs, running the gamut from police pay to backyard chickens, graduation rates, multiculturalism, vacant storefronts, homelessness, and roads and sidewalks in disrepair.
But candidates Daniel Gladwell and Ben Nadolski did not shy away from any question during the forum hosted Friday by the American Democracy Project at Weber State University.

Check out Ms. McKitrick's full writeup here:

• Ogden District 4 candidates talk taxes, schools, chickens

As an added bounus, Ms. McKitrick sets forth the list of future Debates/Meet the Candidates events scheduled prior to Election Day (11/3/15):

While Ogden voters received their mail-in ballots last week, they still have a few more opportunities to hear from the candidates running for mayor and two council seats.

• On Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m., the Ogden Trolley District is hosting a Meet the Candidates town hall forum at 2604 Jefferson Ave.

• On Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., Ogden’s two mayoral candidates — incumbent Mike Caldwell and challenger Sebastian Benitez — will face off in the Garden Room of Weber State University’s Alumni Center, 1235 E. 4100 South.

• On Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. Ogden’s mayoral and council candidates will debate at Ogden High School, 2828 Harrison Blvd.

Don't let the cat get your tongues...

Ogden Meet the Candidates Night - Thursday, October 15, 2015

A Weber County Forum Tip of the Hat to The Ogden Trolley District Community Council for sponsoring this event

Attention Weber County Forum political wonks who are following 2015 Ogden City Municipal Election developments. As a followup to our earlier article,wherein we announced the scheduling of two Mayoral debates  for October 19 and 28, we're delighted to inform our readers of a soon-upcoming political event, wherein Ogden City voters will have a chance to take a pre-election look at Ogden City's 2015 council candidates.

In that connection we'll refer our readers to this afternoon's Facebook based public notice, whereby The Ogden Trolley District Community Council announces a Thursday evening "Meet the Candidates" night.

Here's the nitty-gritty folks:

Hello friends! It's election season and the Trolley District Community Council wants to make it easy for you to stay informed and get involved in your local process.
Thursday October 15th, we're hosting a 'Meet the Candidates' night. Ogden City Council candidates will be there to meet, greet, and answer your burning questions. Come meet some good people and munch on some refreshments!
• Daniel Gladwell - Municipal Ward 4
• Ben Nadolski - Municipal Ward 4
• Luis Lopez - Seat C At Large
• John Ogden - Seat C At Large
• Sebastian Benitez - Mayor
• Mike Caldwell - Mayor
We look forward to seeing you all there!

Here are a few more words about the planned event format:

"There will be a town hall-style question and answer session and an opportunity to meet and speak with the candidates directly."

Be sure to mark your calenders, Ogden City voters.

A Weber County Forum Tip of the Hat to The Ogden Trolley District Community Council for sponsoring this event.

Democratic Congressman Posts Craigslist Ad for a New GOP Speaker of House... Go Wildcats!

Here's hoping you tuned in to the Wildcats game 'Cats fans

Following up on our earlier topic, we can't resist posting this:

• Democratic Congressman Posts Craigslist Ad for a New GOP Speaker of House

Chew on all this whilst you enjoy tonight's football games.

Weber State is up 21-14 over Montana as we post this.  Who knows?  Maybe some of you folks might want to tune in?

• WSU @ Montana 

Update 10/12/15 8:00 a.m.:  Here's hoping you tuned in to the Wildcats game 'Cats fans:

• Weber State stuns No. 12 Montana in overtime, 24-21

SE sprorts reporter Brandon Garside is ecstatic:

• Is this the starting point for greatness at Weber State?

Nice neck-snapping segue, yes?

Go Wildcats!

Update 10/12/15 11:55 a.m.: After Saturday's win at Montana, Weber State has two Big Sky Players of the Week:

• Dixon, Kealamakia named BSC Players of the Week

Chaffetz Announces Bid for Speaker of the House

Will Chaffetz become the next House Speaker? Don't hold your breath

There's big doins in national politics this week, thanx to Utah County's most crack-potted non senatorial political offering, i.e, former BYU kicker, and current congressional joke, none other than this Utah County dunce, who makes this BIG announcement:

• Jason Chaffetz Website: Chaffetz Announces Bid for Speaker of the House

Here's the further skinny from the Grey Lady:

• For Jason Chaffetz, Quixotic House Speaker Bid Is in Character

Will Chaffetz become the next House Speaker? Don't hold your breath.

Update 10/7/15 2:30 p,m.:  Borin' Orrin slams Chaffetz hard:

• Hatch: Chaffetz bid for speaker increases chance of congressional ‘chaos’

Fun, ainnit?

The plot sickens...

• RINO Kevin McCarthy Drops Out Of Speaker’s Race To Spend More Time Not Being Speaker

Update 10/9/15 6:00 p.m.:  The House plot sickens again:

• Things Get Worse For Republicans As Darrell Issa Decides To Run For Speaker

Hmm... here's more about this Chaffetz dip-wad:

• Chaffetz challenge deepens House Republicans' disarray

Wildcats Host SUU Friday (Tonight) Seeking Third Straight Win

Break out your Orville Redenbacker's, 'Cats Fans

Dang! It's only the first 2015 October Friday, and even now Weber State Wildcats football fans are sitting on the edges of their seats.  The auspicious occasion? Southern Utah Unversity v. Weber State! Read up. Peeps.  Lotsa Pre-game Hype:

• 'Cats host SUU Friday seeking third straight win - WSU Website
• Plenty at stake for Weber hosting in-state rival Southern Utah -Standard-Examiner

Tune in here around 6pm for the online video feed, 'Cats Fans:

• Southern Utah at Weber State

This also looks interesting, no?

• Weber State vs. SUU live feed and highlights

Break out your Orville Redenbacker's.  Based on comparative statistics. your blogmeister predicts WSU will be victorious this night.

Update 10/3/15 9:00 p.m.:  The Standard provides the post game story:

• Weber State decimated by stifling SUU defense, loses 44-0

What a Horror Show. Ouch!

Newsweek Repeats the Ogden Miracle Myth

Same old statistical blunders; same old revisionist history

By Dan Schroeder

A lie can run around the block before the truth gets its boots on, as they say.

Regular readers of Weber County Forum are well acquainted with the lie I have in mind: that Ogden was a festering hell hole until January 3, 2000, when Matthew Godfrey swept into office and set us on the road to prosperity.

The latest version of this revisionist history comes from the current cover story in Newsweek, by Leah McGrath Goodman: “As Wealth Inequality Soars, One City Shows the Way.” Yes indeed, that one city is Ogden—sortof.

The article is a typical example of a common journalistic device: A national-level reporter has a national story to tell, but needs a local example to bring the story to life. So the reporter comes to town wearing tinted glasses, seeing only what fits the pre-determined narrative.

I grew up in a town that was subjected to this treatment, in a very negative way, by CBS News in 1966. Fortunately, the recent stories featuring Ogden have been much more favorable—at least to present-day Ogden.

Before getting back to Newsweek, I should also mention High Country News, where writer Jonathan Thompson used Ogden and Godfrey to illustrate his 2012 article “Red state rising: How the Mormon GOP runs Utah with a collectivist touch.” That article told how Utah’s government officials routinely dictate development plans and funnel subsidies to businesses, even while professing to hate big government and love free markets. Thompson, an apparent liberal, portrayed this practice favorably—and Godfrey made a great example. But the ex-mayor fooled Thompson with the hell-hole-before-January-2000 myth, and Thompson gave the myth yet another run around the block.

Newsweek began with a similar narrative: Wealth inequality is one of America’s biggest problems these days, but it’s not as extreme in some places, and that must be because of what local governments are doing in those places. It so happens that Utah ranks quite low (which is good) in a particular statistical measure of financial inequality. Moreover, according to the most recent Census data, the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks lowest nationwide by that measure, among metro areas with more than 300,000 people.

Armed with this statistic (which I’ll return to below), Goodman visited Ogden City to find out how our local government accomplished this admirable feat. For her source she chose Tom Christopulos, Ogden’s Community and Economic Development Director. While giving her a tour of Ogden, Christopulos fed her the usual mythology about Ogden’s dismal past, highlighting Godfrey’s role and his own in turning things around. And the author dutifully recited the version of Ogden’s history she got from Christopulos.

Here are a few of the historical howlers from Goodman’s article:

• “By the late 1990s, the city was in dire straits, its once-resplendent downtown in a shambles and its 25th Street shopping district vacant.”
• “The turnaround began in 2002, with the election of 29-year-old Matthew Godfrey... who spent the next decade tearing down and rebuilding the city’s downtown...”
• “By 2007, their efforts to attract commercial tenants to Ogden’s newly renovated historic buildings started to pay off...”

Those of us who live here can easily detect the grains of truth within these distortions. Parts of 25th Street really were vacant during the 1990s (parts of it still are). The Ogden City Mall really was in dire straits by the end of the 90s, and Godfrey really did tear down and rebuild most of that property by the time he left office. Amer Sports really did move into the American Can Building in 2007. But in each of these statements, Goodman paints with far too broad a brush.

So here, for the record, are a few facts about what was actually happening in Ogden during the 1990s:

• The Union Grill restaurant opened in Union Station in 1990.
• By the mid-1990s, much of the 200 block of Historic 25th Street was occupied with attractive new businesses, many in recently renovated buildings. A few that I remember are/were City Club, Brewski’s, The Daily Grind, Great Harvest, Pan Handler’s, and La Ferrovia.
• Rooster’s restaurant and brewery, which is even pictured in Goodman’s article, opened on 25th Street in 1995.
• The renovated Egyptian Theater, Eccles Conference Center, and Lindquist Field all opened in 1997.
• The first phase of the Ogden River Parkway was completed in 1992, and most of the developed trailheads along the east bench were in place by the end of the 1990s.
• Other improvements were underway by the end of the 1999, even though they were completed a little later: the renovation of the Ogden Municipal Building; the new public safety building; the Intermodal Hub; and most importantly, the Colonial Court Apartments, which brought hundreds of new residents into downtown Ogden for the first time in decades.

Of course the list of improvements to Ogden since 2000 is also impressive, and I don’t mean to downplay those improvements. But to claim that the entire downtown was in a shambles before that, and that the turnaround didn’t begin until 2002, is simply wrong. The revival of downtown dates back to at least a decade earlier. Meanwhile, there are many parts of Ogden that haven’t changed noticeably in the last 25 years.

But, then, what about those economic statistics that make Ogden look so good? The truth is that those statistics have virtually nothing to do with the recent changes in downtown Ogden.

First of all, Goodman’s article says nothing at all about what Ogden’s inequality index was in the past. For all we know it was even better in 1995, and the wonderful improvements that Goodman describes have made it worse. After all, Mayor Godfrey’s stated goal was to make Ogden into a trendy tech hub or resort town, like Boulder or Telluride, where the inequality indices are quite high.

But more importantly, Goodman repeatedly conflates Ogden City, population 85,000, with the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, population 600,000. Virtually all of the economic statistics that she quotes are not for the city but for the metro area, which extends north into Box Elder County and south to the Salt Lake City limits.

Think about that for a minute: Even North Salt Lake and Woods Cross and Bountiful are considered part of the Ogden metro area, for the purpose of a whole variety of U.S. Government statistical information. Our “metro” area consists almost entirely of middle-class suburbs, so of course it will get a low rating in any statistical measure of inequality. The same would be true if you looked only at the suburbs of most other American cities, because both the wealthiest and the poorest people tend to live in big cities. But for whatever reason, the government has seen fit to amputate all of Salt Lake City’s northern suburbs and graft them onto Ogden for statistical purposes.

This unusual delineation of metro area boundaries also makes Ogden look good for another reason. Most of Utah’s rapid population growth is happening in the suburbs, and many economic statistics—especially job growth—are strongly enhanced by rapid population growth. Goodman’s article talks a lot about jobs, especially in the technology sector, without ever mentioning that those “Ogden” technology jobs are centered around Hill Air Force Base, in Davis County. Other parts of Davis County are growing rapidly because of their proximity to Salt Lake County, where there are even more jobs. According to Census Bureau data, more than 40% of Davis County workers commute to jobs in Salt Lake County; fewer than 15% commute to jobs in Weber County.

Goodman isn’t the first writer to give Ogden City credit for growth that’s occurring in Davis County. Three years ago I wrote about a couple of superlative job growth ratings that “Ogden” had recently received, and that city officials were taking credit for. To sort out where the jobs were actually being added, I dug into job statistics on finer geographical scales. Nearly all the new jobs turned out to be in Davis County.

Now seems as good a time as any to update those statistics from my 2012 article. So here, first of all, is a graph of the numbers of jobs in Weber and Davis counties since 1990:

As before, these numbers come from the county-level data at the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site, under Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages. Focusing on just the last several years, we see that both counties are now steadily adding jobs, but Davis County recovered from the Great Recession much faster than Weber.

At a more local level, the Census Bureau’s OnTheMap database now includes data through 2013. This data must be used with care, because before 2010 it did not include federal employees—and Ogden’s biggest employer is the IRS. Making matters worse, there’s no good way to subtract out the federal employees from 2010-2013, to make a fair comparison to earlier years. To make that comparison I’ve therefore subtracted out all “public administration” jobs, which also includes some state and local public administrators. On the following graph, the darker lines include all the jobs in the database (and therefore can’t be compared across 2009-2010), while the lighter lines exclude public administration jobs:

Three years ago, when the data stopped at 2010, I concluded (from the light purple line) that Ogden had suffered a net loss of about 2000 jobs between 2002 and 2010.  The good news is that Ogden has regained those jobs, plus about a thousand more, as of 2013. Ogden City isn’t gaining jobs nearly as fast as the rest of Weber County, let alone Davis County, but at least we’re finally back in positive territory, relative to 2002. Let’s hope this trend continues.

In summary, whether you look at official government statistics or specific on-the-ground improvements, there’s plenty of good news about Ogden’s economy. It’s too bad that the actual good news isn’t good enough for journalists or politicians, who find it necessary to exaggerate and to make misleading (and petty) comparisons to Ogden’s past and to other great communities around Utah and the rest of the country.

Weber State Crushes Northern Colorado, 38-17

A little belated reporting regarding WSU, our mostest-favorite Utah Football team!

“So many positives for us today and I was really pleased with how we came out of the gates and moved the ball,” said WSU head coach Jay Hill. “We really played well on both sides of the ball and made some great stops defensively. Offensively we really ran the ball well which opened up lots of other things as well. We had planned on getting some snaps for Justin Shaw and he really performed well and took us right down the field. We got a lot of guys involved today and made some great steps forward.”

Weber State Football Coach Jay Hill
Weber State Website:
September 27, 2015

"We just have to stay together – what we're doing is working, we're just beating ourselves," (NCU) Coach Knipp said about the loss. "We just can't wait until halftime to put something together. We have to remain confident in our abilities. What we were doing in the first half was working, we just stopped ourselves."

Northern Colorado Coach Jacob Knipp
Weber State Ground Game Too Much For @UNCBears
September 26, 2915

Read up Cats Fans!

• Wildcats run to 38-17 win over Northern Colorado
• Weber State routs Northern Colorado, 38-17

WSU will continue Big Sky play next week as they return home Friday night to whip the shit outta Southern Utah. The Wildcats will begin beating down SUU shortly after the 6 p.m. kickoff at Stewart Stadium.

Ogden Mayoral Debates 2015

Be sure to mark your calenders folks

For the benefit of those WCF readers eagerly following the 2015 Ogden Municipal Election races, we're pleased to report the most recent development in the Ogden City Mayoral race.  According to mayoral challenger Sebastian Banitez's campaign blogsite, not just one, but two mayoraal candidate debates have been scheduled during the month of October.  Read up Peeps:

• Ogden Mayoral Debates 2015

Cutting to the chase, here are the time/space coordinates for these October mayoral campaign events:

The first debate will be held on Monday, October 19th, at 7:00PM in the Garden Room of the Alumni Center at Weber State University. The second debate will be held on Wednesday, October 28th, at 10:00am at Ogden High School.

Be sure to mark your calenders folks.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden Farmers Market Will End Season Two Weeks Later, After Record Year

Look at the bright side, Peeps! Global warming adds to the growing season, which is ALL GOOD, right?

Good news for Ogden Health-freaks, who like to buy fresh veggies and just prowl around Two-Five Drive on Saturday mornings.

"The market, which takes place on Historic 25th Street, was set to end on Saturday, Sept. 26, but will be extended to Saturday, Oct. 10", SE Reporter Sonja Carlson reports.

• Ogden farmers market will end season Oct. 10 after record year

Look at the bright side, Peeps! Global warming adds to the growing season, which is ALL GOOD, right? (wink, wink, wink?)

Standard-Examiner: WSU Downs Sac State, 32-14

Congrats to the Weber State Wildcats football squad

Congrats to the Weber State Wildcats football squad for their Saturday Homecoming victory, wherein the "Cats" prevailed over the Sacramento State Hornets by a convincing 32-14 score.

Here's the lede from The Standard's Brandon Garside:

OGDEN -- Weber State quarterback Jadrian Clark threw for 216 yards and scored a touchdown to help lift the Wildcats over Sacramento State by a score of 32-14 Saturday night at Stewart Stadium.
“It was good to be back in front of a home crowd,” said Weber State head coach Jay Hill, after having the first two home games on the road. “I thought (the crowd) was a big boost to our players. Our players came out of the gates playing well.”

Read the uplifting full story here, Wildcat fans:

• WSU downs Sac State, 32-14

“It’s still not as clean as I want these games to be,” said Hill. “That game could have been 60-7 if we would have continued to execute on short yardage situations, getting a higher percentage on first downs, but it was big step in the right direction. A win is a win.”

Yesiree, folks. That's the kinda talk we wanna hear, as Weber State now heads on the road to face Northern Colorado at 1:30 p.m. MDT next Saturday.

Republican Debates -- John Kasich Nails It - Updated

So howbout it. WCF political wonks? How many of you spent the full three hours last night, watching the GOP Debates? GOP loser candidate John Kasic "nails it," of course, wethinks.

Classic update, via the ever savvy Ozboy:

"This Kasich (rhymes with son of a bitch) guy seems to be the onliest one in the current class of GOP Presidential wanna be clowns that seems to be almost consistent in almost making sense.Check this link out for David Axelord's take on these bozo's. Axelrod, in case you have been living in a Republican induced haze for the last 6 years, is probably the foremost political operator in the game today; "

• David Axelrod: It's just getting serious

Pay attention, peeps. Ozboy "gets it." Howbout You?

Ogden Mayoral Race Shows Sharp Fundraising Disparity

Stop the Presses! Read Kathy McKitrick's mostest/bestest

Okay folks. Now that we've gotten over our grief, after watching our magnificent Weber State Wildcats get eviscerated on Saturday by the NDState Bison,we're ready to get back to normal day-to-day politics. In that connection, read Kathy McKittrick's fantastic Ogden Municipal Elections 2015 writeup, which references the relatively massive amounts of campaign dough being irregularly plowed into the 2015 Election:

• Ogden mayoral race shows sharp fundraising disparity

Read up, Peeps!

WSU Wildcats Game Day Thread: North Dakota State Rolls Over Weber State 41-14

Sodden retort from WSU Coach Jay Hill: "It's just a flesh wound!"

;

Dang, WSU Wildcats football fans: Despite the heady pregame optimism,  here's this afternoon's WSU Football game-day result:

• Wildcats fall 41-14 to #2 North Dakota State - Standard-Examiner
• Weber State football: Defending FCS champ North Dakota State thumps Wildcats, 41-14 - Salt Lake Tribune
• North Dakota State rolls over Weber State 41-14 - Associated Press

Sodden retort from WSU Coach Jay Hill: "It's just a flesh wound!"

Merle Haggard Calls Contemporary Country Music 'A Bunch of Crap'

Well... Merle would know, yes?

Merle Haggard nails it!

“I can’t tell what they’re doing,” the country legend says in an interview. “They’re talking about screwing on a pickup tailgate and things of that nature. I don’t find no substance. I don’t find anything you can whistle and nobody even attempts to write a melody. It’s more of that kids stuff. It’s hot right now, but I’ll tell you what, it’s cooling off.”

• Merle Haggard calls contemporary country music 'a bunch of crap'

Well... Uncle Merle would know, yes?

Comments, anyone?

Awesome Image Meme Concerning "Religious Freedom," So-Called

Comments anyone? Ferris?

Awesome image meme on the subject of "religious freedom," so-called

Comments anyone? Ferris?

Standard-Examiner: Strong Effort by Weber State Falls Short to Oregon State

Speaking as the #1 Weber State Football blog on planet earth (correction: Milky Way Galaxy) we'll happily post our latest blog contribution to the Standard's not half-bad coverage of the Weber State Wildcats Football squad, who got off to a dang good start yesterday evening against a highly talented PAC-12 foe. Read up, Peeps:

• Strong effort by Weber State falls short to Oregon State -Standard-Examiner

SE Reader Floyd Emmett Bingham nails it in the comments section, wethinks: "Nice summary. The Cats defense looked really good. they just needed to generate some more offense."

Go Wildcats!

Quickie Quiz: Which is the Best Gun for Home Defense?

Fascinating question. Whatta ya say, peeps?

Which is the best gun for home defense?
A. Rifle
B. Handgun
C. Shotgun
D. Other

UPDATED: Judge Jails County Clerk Scofflaw For Contempt Of Court

Surprise of surprises, LOL, in the wake of this!

• UPDATED: Judge Jails Kim Davis For Contempt Of Court

Savvy retort from WCF Regular Johnny B, citing a version of one of the oldest lawyer witticisms that I can remember:

"I hope she put on clean underwear before going to court."

Heres Johnny' great quote, in what I consider to be it's "more perfect" form:

As the old saying goes, "Be sure you wear clean underwear, because you never know when you may have to expose your briefs."

Just another helful hint from yer old pal, Rudi.

Dan Liljenquist: Utah's Medicaid Expansion Proposal Unfairly Taxes Caregivers

Amen, sez Ernest T. Bass!

As the "powers that be" in our cold-hearted, GOP-dominated state gummint aparatus continue to dither on what ought to be the simple proposition, i.e, gobbling up tons of federal dough and enacting broadly protective Medicaid Expansion, here's an encouraging D'News editorial to stick in your craw:

• Dan Liljenquist: Utah's Medicaid expansion proposal unfairly taxes caregivers

In summary, we'll adopt this savvy D'News reader comment concerning this topic:

 "I'm with Dan on this. Let's ignore the scriptures in Matthew about taking care of others.The best plan of all is for the poor not to get sick, but if they do, die quickly.

Amen, Ernest T. Bass!

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

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

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

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

Told yuz!

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

Dig it!



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

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

To professor Schroeder we extend our thanks and hearty congrats!

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

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

Read the full Cathy McKitrick story. folks:

• Activist wins court case over Ogden campaign records

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

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

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

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

To professor Schroeder we extend our thanks and hearty congrats!

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

Whoa! Howard Stern has spoken:

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

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

End of story, yes?

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

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

Here's the Lede:

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

Read the dirty GOP laundry, People!.

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

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

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

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

Crooked, Indicteted Cops

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

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

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

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

Read up, O Gentle Ones..

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

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

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

Here's the lede, Peeps:

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

And here's the full Cathy McKitrick writeup:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2015 Primary Election Reminder

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

Source: Ogden City Elections page

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

2015 Ogden Municipal Election: Financial Disclosure Statements First Set

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

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

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

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

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

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

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