Paradox Lost: Education Funding
Steve Kroes and the Utah Foundation did a nice job Thursday hosting a valuable forum on public education funding. All sides of the debate were thoroughly aired. You can listen to the presentations at this KCPW radio page. Read coverage by the Morning News and Tribune. Also worth reading is the Utah Foundation’s original research report on the topic and position papers submitted by education interests.
Podcast Watch
The InsideUtah.com podcast this week by Jennifer Napier-Pearce features Deseret Morning News reporter Ben Winslow (:32) on captured polygamist leader Warren Jeffs; Steve Kroes of the Utah Foundation (9:58) on the response to the education funding paradox; and artist and former Utah Arts Council director Frank McEntire (18:01) on his way of coping with 9/11.
Blog Watch
At the Senate Site blog, Sen. Pete Knudson says: "I am thrilled by the breaking news that the BLM and the Bureau of Indian affairs have denied PFS permission to transport and store nuclear poison within the borders of our state. This anxious chapter in our history, apparently, is almost over. Generations to come will be held harmless from a poisonous burden, that we did not create and should not have to bear. ... Thank you to every citizen who cared enough to take pen in hand and write to the licensing agencies at any stage of this misbegotten project. Thank you to Utah Policy Daily and the bloggers who rallied in opposition [see here] ... I appreciate the Utah Senate who recognized a serious threat for what it was and passed the resolution opposing transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel. I am grateful for the powerful efforts of our congressional delegation and Utah's executive branch under the past three administrations. I am grateful for other officials at the state and federal level who worked so hard to protect our state, our people, and our land. A very sincere and special thanks to the unsung heroes of the Attorney General's office who have fought this so valiantly for so long. ... Thank you to all Utah citizens who aided this resistance in so many ways. We've been around the political track long enough to know that nothing is dead until it's really dead. We will all be watching for the next move, and we'll be ready" (see also here)... Rep. Steve Urquhart posts an email he received from his brother-in-law, a Major with the Rough Riders in Iraq, on "Iraq, free speech and Secretary Rumsfeld" (see also here)... Obiter Dicta by Steve says: "Ok, I am not a writer or a freelancer for Wired.com, but I did contribute to an article published there today. As a tech savvy publication, Wired decided to test out collaborative journalism using a Socialtext wiki where it published an unedited story about the wiki phenomen for anyone to come edit and contribute. ... When I heard about this, I knew that I had to get Pete Ashdown mentioned, and the inclusion of wikis in politics was my contribution. Is it the most polished article ever published? No, but after 348 edits by physically disconnected people what could you expect?"... Capital Carnage is "wondering what seats people feel are in play this election year in the Utah House and Senate. Anyone out there with an inside scoop dare to make any predictions? Maybe the Ric and Senate site or Mr. Bell and the boys over at Utah Democrats have a guess. I know the fairly obvious ones; Susan Lawrence and Lou Shurtliff both have tough races, but are there anymore close ones I should watch?"... CoolestFamilyEver explains why the UTOPIA municipal broadband project is "righting the wrongs of the telcos"... At The Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez says: "People -- TV watchers, high-ranking Beltwayers, you name it -- are forever giving me their impressions of Mitt Romney ... From a TV spot, from an Iowa visit ... from a D.C. conference, whatever. They've gone from 'What are you kidding me? His name is Mitt. Oh and better, it's actually WILLARD.' to 'He's MORMON. Forget it.' or, just plain, 'Who?' I first really started paying attention to the governor of Massachusetts, to tell you the truth, when I ran into him at a pre-inaugural party in D.C. in January 2005. I really started paying attention to him later that year when he fought the good fight in defense of human life, trying to hold back a Harvard-instituted Brave New Bay State World ... And then I started watching people pay attention ... And boy, do they now, as you know. An e-mail just now: 'He was very impressive on O'Reilly last night. I told my wife, "even though he's a Mormon, I could vote for him."' ... He's gone -- in my life anyway, which of course determines the course of American politics -- from 'that guy K-Lo has a 2008 crush on' to 'you know, there's something about Romney...'" (see also here, here, here, here, and here).
Washington Watch
Hatch: N-Waste Plan Dead
The Interior Dept. tells Sen. Orrin Hatch "that it has denied Private Fuel Storage's (PFS) plan to store spent nuclear fuel at the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation in Tooele, Utah. The DOI based its decision on letters and calls from thousands of Utahns who rejected the proposal to store nuclear material in Skull Valley -- a site dangerously close to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) where live ordnance is used directly under the low-level flight path of 7,000 F-16s every year." Says Hatch: "We're indebted to the thousands of Utahns who took the time to write the DOI on this issue. It proves that every citizen can make a difference -- Utahns spoke, and the DOI listened" (see press release, television clip, radio clip, and Associated Press story).
Sen. Bob Bennett hails the DOI's Goshute N-waste site decision: "This is tremendous news for the state. It reassures all Utahns today and those in generations to come that high-level nuclear waste will not be sent to Skull Valley" (see press release);
Rep. Jim Matheson also hails the N-waste site decision: "As I said all along, administrative avenues through the federal agencies offered a clear shot at stopping high level radioactive waste storage from coming to Utah. I am so glad that thousands of Utahns contacted BLM about the environmental problems with the right-of-way application across public lands and that now we can celebrate the demise of this dangerous disposal scheme" (see press release).
Bennett Wins Defense Funding
The Senate passes a defense spending bill that funds "key readiness programs critical to the Global War on Terror" and provides "a 2.2 percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel and warfare training programs for the National Guard," as requested by Sen. Bennett (see press release).
Matheson Introduces Health Bill
Matheson helps "introduce bipartisan legislation designed to improve health care in rural areas. Matheson is a cosponsor of the Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2006. He serves in the leadership of the Rural Health Care Coalition, which crafted the bill" (see press release).
Casual Friday
Upland Game Seasons Almost Here
Cottontail rabbit hunting should be excellent across Utah, and chukar partridge hunting should be great in areas that have lots of cheatgrass.
Those two hunts are among 13 upland game hunts that hunters in Utah can participate in over the next few months. Read DWR’s full article.
Weekend Events & Outdoors Report
Outdoors Report
-- Invasive plant choking shores of the Great Salt Lake in the Morning News
-- Autumn adventurers seeking wildlife, camping, hiking, fishing, or wheels and props can find their information in the Tribune
-- Morning News reports on new thrill ride in Park City
-- Find out about upcoming events in the Morning News’ Outdoor Notes
-- Check out the Tribune’s Outdoor Notebook and Recreation Roundup for sports and recreation activities this week
-- Use the Morning News’ interactive map of Utah to plan your outdoor pursuits across the state
-- For the latest wildlife news and information and the fishing report visit the DWR website
New Films
-- Hollywoodland: Rotten Tomatoes
-- The Protector: Rotten Tomatoes
-- Best Movie Bet for Families: Cars. Read the Tribune review
Concerts
-- Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton, piano duo, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall, free
-- Evening Song, choir from Dallas/Fort Worth area, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall, free
-- Vivace UnCorked, Saturday, 8 p.m., Abravanel Hall
-- Moab Music Festival through September 16
-- Lunch Bunch Concert Series, weekdays at noon through September 22, Gallivan Center
-- Eccles Organ Festival, Sundays at 8 p.m. through October 22, Cathedral of the Madeleine
Theater
-- “Peter Pan” through September 9, Academy Theatre Company
-- “Arsenic and Old Lace” through September 16, Terrace Plaza Playhouse
-- “Seussical the Musical” through September 16, Rodgers Memorial Theatre
-- “Crimes of the Heart” through September 23, StageRight TheaterCompany
-- “Pump Boys and Dinettes” through September 23, Grand Theatre
-- “Miasma” through September 24, Plan B Theatre Co.
-- “Disney's Beauty and the Beast” through September 30, Hale Centre Theatre
-- “Oklahoma!” through September 30, Heritage Theatre
-- “The Music Man” through October 7, Center Street Musical Theatre
-- “Footloose” through October 16, Hale Center Theater Orem
-- “Mission: Incredibles,” Desert Star Theatre
Museum Exhibits
-- A Century of Art Exhibition through September 17, Museum of Utah Art and History
-- In Focus: National Geographic Great Portraits Exhibition through September 23, Utah Museum of Natural History
-- Material Culture: The Art of Fine Textile Exhibition through September 30, Looking Back: 75 Years at the Salt Lake Art Center Exhibition through October 14, Salt Lake Art Center
-- Rooted In Tradition: Art Quilts from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum through October 15, Utah Museum of Fine Art
-- Sideshow through January 28, Utah Museum of Fine Art
Et Cetera
-- Greek Festival, Friday – Sunday, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
-- Avenues Street Fair, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
-- Utah Recovery Day Celebration, Saturday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Gallivan Center
-- Utah State Fair, September 7 through September 17, Utah State Fairpark
-- Snowbird Oktoberfest, August 26 through October 8, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
-- Downtown Farmers’ Market/ Downtown Art & Craft Market, Saturdays through October 21, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., Pioneer Park |
