Hill Happenings

Yesterday’s Utah Legislative Report Summary
Articles in published in today’s Utah newspapers about the Yesterday’s Utah Legislature news:

Salt Lake Tribune
Short Sessions: Legislative Briefs
Update: “Lori’s Law” bill passes House committee
Lori’s Law would stiffen sentences of Utah killers
A Father’s Plea

Proposal has legislators choose senators
Bill would reverse 17th amendment, have party caucuses choose nominees

Guv gets support in waste dispute
Power fight: Ex-governors say Huntsman should have the final say on the sites

Report lists ‘questionable’ campaign-fund spending
Disputed: Financial disclosures show donations have been used for personal matters; Lawmakers take issue with the conclusions

Bill to require notifying long-term care facilities when ex-cons move in
Information disclosure: The legislation is meant to head off potential problems as the number of aging inmates grows

Land-use bill shines spotlight on zoning
Balance of power: Municipal leaders see it as curbing their authority, but developers say it will give them a fair shake

Deseret News
House panel passes ‘Lori’s Bill,’ — 15-year minimum for murder
Crowd seeks disabled services–Funding DSPD needs would cost $8 million; surplus is $1 billion
Legislation aims to preserve hunting
House panel is pumped over Lake Powell pipeline–Measure flows to full House without a dissent
House OKs test program for disabled
Senator to modify bill’s ‘soft repeal’ of 17th–‘Vote of confidence’ by a caucus is one alternative
Use of campaign funds targeted–Advocacy group wants to restrict how they are used
House panel backs measure on right-of-way for disabled
Lawmakers may have to report conflicts of interest each year
Bill to ensure imate care passed

Today in history

January 26

1784
Benjamin Franklin, noting the bald eagle was “a bird of bad moral character” who lived “by sharping and robbing,” expressed regret it had been selected to be the U.S. national symbol. Franklin proposed the turkey, “a much more respectable Bird and a true original Native of America.”


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West Jordan Council Ignores its Citizens

I live in West Jordan, Utah which is historically a very politically conservative suburb of Salt Lake City.

Here is “democracy in action” in West Jordan:
Yesterday the West Jordan City Council approved a settlement with Utah Power, that will allow a controversial power substation to be built where neighbors don’t want it.

Despite the fact that the land for the proposed substation is near two elementary schools, a park, a church and the planned site of a private religious school, and that this issue has long been opposed by citizens, the council voted 6-1 to approve it. In exchange for the vote to approve the substation, Utah Power has agreed to implement “optimum enhancements” (trees, walls, etc.). But that does not satisfy residents who do not want the substation at all.
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More Larry Miller News

Today’s Deseret News has published an entitled ‘Transamerica’ not set for Megaplex, about a rumor that Miller’s Megaplex had an ad in a local GLBT newspaper for a “controversial” movie that was then pulled. Here is the article:

A movie about a pre-operative, male-to-female transsexual has not been pulled from Larry Miller’s Megaplex 17 theater, contrary to a report on a Web site.
“This film was not pulled from the theater because it was never scheduled to be shown — it’s not scheduled to be in that theater,” said Sarah Rothman, spokeswoman for The Weinstein Company in New York.
The movie, “Transamerica,” is planned for eventual release in the Salt Lake market, Rothman said, but there is no date set for the movie’s arrival here. “I don’t have a specific theater in mind yet,” she added.
However, Salt Lake Metro, which bills itself as Utah’s gay and lesbian biweekly newspaper, said on its Web site, http://www.slmetro.com, that the movie had been advertised on an Internet site for Miller’s theater and then the ad was reportedly removed over the weekend. The newspaper cited another Web site as its source for news of the cancellation.
Calls to a theater representative and a spokesman for Miller were not returned.
Miller’s Jordan Commons theater has received international attention for pulling “Brokeback Mountain,” a movie about two gay cowboys.

Hill Happenings

Yesterday’s Utah Legislative Report Summary
Articles in published in today’s Utah newspapers about the Yesterday’s Utah Legislature news:

Salt Lake Tribune
Short Sessions: Legislative Briefs
Unsuitable for Kids: Bill would equate video-game violence with porn
Bill strips cities’ zoning rights–Legislature 2006: Mansell, a real estate broker, authors SB170
Cutbacks would hit troubled kids
Federal bill: If it passes, millions of dollars to help young delinquents and foster kids in Utah will go

Measure would keep out criminals Audit finds: Providers were granted licenses, even though serious criminals were on staff
Ure moves no-tattoos-for-kids bill onward
Waste of time: Shop owner says cops don’t try to bust parlors under the current law; bill lifts penalty to class B misdemeanor

Utah Lawmakers Defend Bill to Bypass Voters
Seat Belt Bill Ambushed
Raw milk a step closer to stores–Whoa, say dairymen, this could be unsafe
Measure to Boost State Liability Cap
Measure Would Treat Home-Schooled Athletes Differently
Former immigration reform panel chair leads advisory group

Deseret News
Senate panel OKs bill on identity theft
This Is the Place seeking $2.8M–State cash would help private park get matching funds
‘Origins of life’ bill falters–Some Republicans in House raising concerns
Senate Republicans combine tax-cut proposals–Single bill will contain both food credit, flat-tax plan
Animal-abuse proposal advances
$11 million in federal cuts hits Utah Human Services
Measure targets abusive daters
Seat-belt bill may be amended–Bramble wants onus put on insurance firms, not lawmakers
House says military fit for in-state tuition
Tattooing minors is targeted
“Common law” bill considered by some to be too broad
$700,000 for school fees passes legislative hurdle
Ed panel OKs bill to help teachers meet NCLB terms
Measure would restrict who can operate child-care facilities
Ed committee passes bill to let other students play sports at public schools
Medical record access bill OK’d by committee
3rd District Court may get new juvenile judge soon

Today in history

January 25

1851
Sojourner Truth addresses first Black Women’s Rights Convention, Akron, OH

1930
Mahatma Gandhi issued the Declaration of Independence of India. To achieve this goal Gandhi adopted the non-violent tactic of challenging the British monopoly on salt – it was illegal for anyone other than the British government in India to manufacture or sell salt.
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Gonzales gets the shaft

The Syndialist posted this photo on his blog today:Gonzales vs. audience photo

Accompanying the photo is a caption that describes how the audience at Georgetown University stood up and turned their backs on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as he spoke at Georgetown University Law School today. Gonzales said that “warrantless surveillance is critical to prevent another terrorist attack within the United States”.

Stop Karl Rove

Several days ago I posted an article by Cindy Sheehan where she calls on people everywhere to take action against the injustices of war.

War Times has published this article:

ROVE’S WARNING FOR 2006: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE “WAR ON TERROR”
By Max Elbaum

Elbaum addresses the points made by Rove in his speech to the Republican National Committee last week, where he justifies the degradation of peoples’ rights in the name of the “war on terrorism”. Elbaum points out that most Dems fail to take a stand for what is right and just say “no”.

Elbaum calls on anti-war activists and grassroots everywhere to take action to stop Karl Rove.

I keep hearing this: Take Action. I believe that we are at the point where we must.

Here is the article:

The speech that will define U.S. politics throughout 2006 has already been given.

The audience was the Republican National Committee and the date was January 19.
The speechmaker was Karl Rove, top political adviser to President George Bush.
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Your Hillbilly Name Is….

Your Hillbilly Name Is…

Betty Rose Duke

Green Building

One of the visions of my school community is to eventually build a green school. We want to make sure we do it right, so we are continuing to lease property so as to take our time to carefully plan an environmentally responsible school building.

Today’s Salt Lake Tribune reports that Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has amended his executive order on green building.

This means that buildings such as police and fire facilities and public safety buildings will have to adhere to more strict environmental standards. New city-owned buildings larger than 10,000 square feetwill be required to meet these standards.

Anderson recognizes that it is more expensive up front to build green building, but in the long run it saves energy costs and lessens the negative impacts on our environment.

Anderson is pursuing the implementation of more environmentally responsible standards for privately owned businesses as well as for providing incentives for single-family constructed homes.