The nuclear energy question has drawn rabid debate for several decades now.

Leaks at power plants worldwide, what to do with the waste and who is exactly responsible are issues of grave concern, particularly when you are dealing with something this potentially dangerous.

Remember your science classes when they told you about plutonium and how long the half-life lasts? We’re not talking about something evaporative here, we’re talking about thousands of years before the material is safe.

It’s not like a little spill that can be mopped up, powdered over or will naturally go away. We’re talking serious chemical elements that can kill.

Energy, from the gasoline that powers our vehicles to the fuel that turns the turbines in the local power plant, is vital to our very existence. We cannot become entrapped, enslaved to nations that hold the key to the oil barrel. At the same time, we cannot make the environment unsuitable for all living things.

If a South American nation can convert sugar into fuel, if a country singer can figure out that he can help the environment by using cooking oil to power his tour bus, if we can see that solar power actually works, why can’t our elected officials grab the vision?

But, when big oil and so-called public utilities have Congress in their hip pocket, what else can we expect?

We have to change our culture to understand that if we don’t do something — from finding alternative fuels to realizing that, yes, indeed, global warming is a threat to our very existence — we will perish.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

For five years, we've heard about how much safer we are from terrorists with the Bushinistas in charge.

So, now what do the far right leaners think after 24 alleged terrorists were busted in Great Britain?

Al-Qaida's only been sleeping.

The key to any terror group is patience, knowing when and where to strike and allowing all the rhetoric, all the guns and all the political fury to die down. Even with the arrest of this alleged plot -- and, it is still alleged, nobody's been convicted yet -- al-Qaida succeeded by disrupting the norm. That's all a terrorist has to do -- disrupt the norm and take us out of our comfort zone.

They've done this repeatedly with false leaks of other supposed attacks and we have responded in Pavlovian style, tongues hanging, nerves frizzed, tensions increased as we've upped the terror level and put many hours and dollars into examining ports, bridges, shopping malls, the House and Senate office buildings, airports sporting events, political conventions, you name it.

It was the Brits who uncovered this plot, which should tell you something about our intelligence community (a genuine oxymoron).

Meanwhile, we can't find a 6-feet, 7-inch tall guy with a long beard, turban and toting an AK-47 who is at the heart of it all. By now, he could be hiding out in western Iron County, providing security for polygamist guru Warren Jeffs.

The insurgents in Iraq, the Hezbollah and Hamas are tough cookies. They fight dirty. They suck us in, drain our forces and money and play a cat-and-mouse game we are incapable of thwarting, just like in Vietnam, just like in Korea.

So, are we safer?

No. Our foreign debt is owned by unfriendlies like China and Iraq, our soldiers are now in the body count game because there are no turf wins, our American public is being stiffed because the majority believes fighting in Iraq is a mistake and our president goes on vacation, once again, when there's a world crisis that could elevate to biblical proportions at any moment.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Figuring out topics to write about can be grueling sometimes. That’s why I’ve decided to stick to one – weight loss. I’m embarking on a journey of losing 60 pounds. It’s taken me two years to lose 30 pounds so I know I’m going to need some patience, as well as some encouragement.

My weekly blogs are going to be documenting my endeavor to drop the pounds. Anyone out there care to join me? We’ll share in the plateaus, cravings and successes. Let’s also pick our favorites on Celebrity Fit Club 4. I’ve been hooked on that show since its first season. Instead of watching it with a tub of ice cream, I’ll be competing with those so-called celebs.

It’ll make it fun for me, so don’t be surprised if I write a little about the show now in then over the next 8 weeks. Kelly LeBrock is my idol from past shows, thus far. As for me? At 5’7”, my goal is to weigh 147 pounds by this same time next year. (If you do the math, I guess you know my current weight. How embarrassing. *Sigh.*)

My goal weight isn’t too thin, and it’s not fat. It’s a happy medium, where I felt the best about myself in my late 20’s before I started having children. Between 145 and 150 is where I feel the most comfortable, so I’m striving to get back there. I’m a size 16 and I really want to easily fit into a size 10.

I started working out at the gym and keeping a food journal. I’m going to post those tid-bits on this blog, too. I figure that way I’ll get some advice from some of you experts out there. Tune in! Any help I can get will be appreciated. Work it, baby!

Posted by Jennifer Weaver at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

"Really, officer, all I was trying to do was help my community. It isn't REALLY against the law to bet on horses anyway...is it?"

The hypocrisy is just oozing from the Beaver County line, where officials got busted in a photo finish during the last round of horse racing at the county track.

It was found that not only is betting tolerated, it is right out in the open, with a booth where you can purchase your ticket and everything, all so simple that even an 11-year-old can do it.

The Lions Club says the only way you can have the annual races up there is to spice things up with a little wagering. The locals agree, which is why there's a sudden flood of hate mail directed at the newsroom that exposed this sham.

Now, I have nothing against gambling and have been known to lay down a buck or two from time to time in nearby Mesquite. But, I must add that gambling in Mesquite is 100 percent legal. Gambling in Beaver -- or Cedar City, St. George, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo or even little ol' Paragonah -- is not.

Supposedly, the state law banning gambling is to protect us from ourselves. Same with the ridiculous alcohol laws we live with.

That's why you see so many Utah license plates in Wendover and Mesquite, or, for that matter, in Idaho and Arizona whenever the Powerball jackpot reaches dizzying heights.

It's time for Utah to dispose of its blue laws and join the 20th Century. The 21st would, it seems, be too much to ask for.

There are Super Bowl office pools. There's gambling at the track when the ponies run up and down the state, I'll bet (oops, did I say that?) You can't have a raffle, but you can have a drawing. You can get drunk as long as you're downing 3.2 beer. You can have multiple wives as long as they're all women.

And, before you punch the comment button below, no, I won't go back where I came from. Too many gangs, too many earthquakes and I really like all the red rock surrounding me, OK?

State officials need to realize that gambling is a personal choice, that there is a lot of money that could come into the coffers to help support our schools and that the prevailing attitude is not, I'll bet (darn, there I go again!) a flat-out condemnation of those who like to risk a little money on a chance to win something.

It's hypocritical when the powers that set the laws turn a blind eye to those who break it, saying "Oh, well...it's for a good cause." There are a lot of other laws that should be broken for a good cause, but I'll bet (take me away, officer) doing so would land you in the clink. I know it would.

So, let's either enforce the law or change it. If the good folks of Beaver, Washington Iron and the rest of the counties in the state want to lay a little money down, let them do so. The players will be happy, the state will stuff its pockets and we'll all live happily ever after.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

A proposed rules change makes it appear that the Utah Legislature wants the state to get the best government that money can buy.
And that’s not a good thing.

Sept. 1 begins a 30-day comment period on a new rule that would allow lobbyists to hand out literature outside the legislative chamber and committee rooms, but members of the public would not be allowed to do so. Instead, private citizens would be relegated to the main entrance of the West Building.
Supporters of the plan have said they fear excessive noise and other disruptions that would be created by an excessive number of public residents standing in the hallways handing out literature. Some opponents to the proposed rule think the idea to limit access goes back to the 2006 session, when a group of people pushing for funds for a dental program for low-income senior citizens and the disabled handed out pictures of decaying teeth.
That doesn’t sound appetizing, but neither does the idea of limiting access — which is what this really is.
Paid lobbyists are essential in today’s government. Whether that’s right or fair is a point for debate, but it’s the reality nonetheless.
But the public shouldn’t be relegated to third-class status. Members of the public deserve access to their elected lawmakers. Legislators do, after all, work for the people and not vice versa.
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has been quoted as saying that the state can count on being sued if the public doesn’t get the same access as lobbyists.
Shurtleff is right.
The Legislature shouldn’t restrict access to the public. The public is, after all, really supposed to be the people in charge.

Posted by Managing Editor Todd Seifert at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

I am so proud to live in a country where our politicians can handle winning and losing a lot better than politicians from other countries.

I remember the recount for Bush's first win. Yes, it was a pain (and I lived in FL at the time!) but at the end the candidate that didn't win accepted with a speech saying that the well being of our country came first and it was everybody's job to support the new president. President Bush's second term started almost the same way, and then again the other candidate accepted the outcome and we moved on.
Isn't it a shame to see that other countries (specially in Latin America and currently Mexico) can't deal in a mature and professional manner when they have close races to their political top roles? What a bunch of fools.

Posted by Gloria Bertram, HR Director at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

A few months ago, Goodboro partner Danny Mason stopped by the office and introduced the Heritage development to me.

I could hear the excitement in Mason's voice as he talked for more than an hour about the nearly 400-acre project south of Highway 56. It would be the first of its kind in Utah.

It was easy to understand why Mason was so excited. The Heritage project would bring neighbors together in a unique village setting where folks could work within a few short blocks of their homes and relax at a nearby park or go for a swim at the recreation center.

In theory, Heritage sounds perfect. It's far from it, though.

Mason discussed the Heritage development in detail at Wednesday's Cedar City Council meeting and to say councilors were concerned would be an understatement.

They should be, and here's why:

Goodboro is proposing to build some 4,600 dwellings, some large and some small. But just five percent, or about 230, of those dwellings would be classified as affordable housing.

In other words, people who have lived in Cedar City for years or who want to live and raise family here won't be able to afford to live there. Clearly, Heritage is being designed to attract more wealthy folks from California, Las Vegas and other locales.

I'm not against growth, but I'm against a community that would nurture an elitist attitude. I'm afraid Heritage would do just that.

I commend Goodboro for its vision. A project such as Heritage will work in a lot of places. I don't think it would work in Cedar City.

Posted by Steve Kiggins at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Since the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District (CICWCD) has been charged to provide regional water solutions, a comprehensive plan using a variety of water systems should take into account the financial means to put that plan into action. Right now, it seems the top funding choice are the taxpayers, yet a county population of 35,000 can in no way possible fund the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to do that in a plan that includes the construction of the Lake Powell pipeline and an overhaul of Coal Creek.

Since the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District (CICWCD) has been charged to provide regional water solutions, a comprehensive plan using a variety of water systems should take into account the financial means to put that plan into action. Right now, it seems the top funding choice are the taxpayers, yet a county population of 35,000 can in no way possible fund the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to do that in a plan that includes the construction of the Lake Powell pipeline and an overhaul of Coal Creek.

Thus far - and I’m guessing - because a comprehensive water plan has never been made public, the plan has started with the Three Peaks pipeline project. Scott Wilson, executive director of the CICWCD has stressed that no property taxes will go to pay for this project; saying property taxes only pay for community projects, such as the Lake Powell pipeline or Coal Creek improvements. If that is the case, why then a 1,000 percent tax levy increase that has been earmarked with only $500,000 going towards the Lake Powell pipeline with the remainder of nearly $1 million in new revenue going to unidentified “capital expenditures?”

The only capital expenditures now taking place, with Phase 1 nearly completed, is the $12 million Three Peaks pipeline that is supposedly fully funded. It is already supplying water to Fifetown residents who were in big trouble with the federal government, ready to impose lofty fines that would’ve kicked those residents out of their homes if they’d had to pay them, because of the housing development’s deplorable water system. That was until the CICWCD stepped in and saved them.

How CICWCD did that was by installing pipe along Midvalley Road, 2300 West, 4000 North and Lund Highway, encompassing seven subdivisions. Midvalley Estates elected not to hook on to the system, and why would they? The residents there have worked hard for a perfectly good water system they developed and have no need to, but Fifetown sure benefited.

Contractors have also laid the base for a 1 million gallon storage water tank at the Three Peaks Recreational Area as part of this pipeline project. It will deliver 2,000 gallons per minute for two hours to meet the requirements of the new Three Peaks Elementary school's fire code, supply water to homeowners in the area, as well as to the recreational site. Phase 2 will provide help to struggling small water systems south of Highway 56, and Phase 3 will connect that to the Three Peaks pipeline.

Wilson said only water user fees will pay for the district's $6.345 million bond for this project. So above the newly approved tax hike, county residents will be forking out the dough in water user fees – just another tax with a different name - to pay for this bond. Utah State Rural Development gave the district about $3 million as a "forgivable loan" and an additional $3.5 million came from the state to pay for the remainder of the Three Peaks project.

What other “capital expenditures” there are out there is unknown to me. Three Peaks should be paid for, so I still can't comprehend the need for a 1,000 percent tax hike. Perhaps at the upcoming meeting, we’ll all be informed as to what they are. I hope so.

What can we look forward to? How about the re-engineering of Coal Creek so its water can be used more efficiently? Yes, the CICWCD has that in its sight - and well it should. Water reclamation and reuse is not near what it could be. Just go out to Quichapa Lake and see the standing water there – just sitting.

I'm no water expert, but I do know that water recycling is reusing treated wastewater for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing a ground water basin (referred to as ground water recharge.) CICWCD has said this is going to be “costly,” but have never divulged how costly or whether that is a choice they are even exploring. But I’m going to take a stab at potential costs since that is the only other alternative I can see to solve our water shortage of the future with the constant growth we're experiencing now.

As an example, high volumes of treated wastewater discharged from the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant into the south San Francisco Bay threatened the area's natural salt water marsh. In response, a $140 million recycling project was completed in 1997. The South Bay Water Recycling Program has the capacity to provide 21 million gallons per day of recycled water for use in irrigation and industry.

While our needs are probably half that of the California municipalities, my best guess is that it will cost at least $100 million to build a recycling project - or considerably less for whatever else the CICWCD has in store for Coal Creek. I can’t image what other choices are out there, but, what I do understand is the Lake Powell pipeline to Iron County from Sand Hollow Reservoir has been estimated to cost $115 million. That’s our portion of the total pipeline cost that is currently projected to be around $500 million.

With Port 15 Utah and its 800 acres of industrial space and high-tech businesses planned to built out in the next 17 years, and the proposed Goodboro’s Heritage development with its 400 acres of homes, a school, recreation center and commercial buildings just south of Highway 56 to be built during the next 11 years in several phases, adequate water resources are definitely going to come into play.

The new developments should bear the brunt of the CICWCD’s bill to supply the water, which by all accounts is going to hit more than $200 million for the Lake Powell pipeline and Coal Creek upgrade whether water recycling is the method used or not.

Put simply, growth should pay for itself. I said in my column today that I am aware that the aquifer is being depleted, and county residents have been using more water than is being recharged. However, the water available now can sustain the current population if conservation is made to be apart of our daily lives. Mayor Sherratt has said in his newsletters mailed out to residents with the city water bills that we actually can sustain a population of up to 50,000 from the water basin we have now. That's without the Lake Powell pipeline or any changes to Coal Creek as it is now.

So what is really causing the problem is supplying enough water to accommodate the projected growth beyond that. If growth continues at 2 percent each year, by 2030 we’ll have run out of water if nothing is done. But growth is being allowed to happen so something needs to change.

I just identified two projects that will make a huge impact, and there’s sure to be more to come. These developments should be paying the bills because it is with them in mind the CICWCD's regional water plan is being devised and implemented. Overburdening the taxpayer is unfair, but on face value appears to be the No. 1 choice.

To fund half of the money needed for the $115 million Lake Powell pipeline, which is planned to come to fruition in the next decade, each current county resident will have to pay more than $1,600, which equates to more than $56 million. That’s about $160 annually for the next 10 years. Wow, that’s pretty darn close to the tax levy CICWCD just imposed in addition to water user fees, isn’t it?

If the Lake Powell pipeline doesn't come to be, water recycling is seriously the only alternative choice and that is comparable in cost. Either way, water is going to be an expensive commodity in Iron County, and the taxpayer can’t simply afford it when the county’s median hourly wage is only $10.63 an hour.

That's why it is so imperative that alternative funding sources to taxpayers’ money needs to be explored with as much aggression as this tax levy was passed - and a justifiable plan to merit such action - or growth must be halted immediately. As an Iron County taxpayer, I don’t feel it is fair that I pay for the bulk of my future neighbor’s water.

That’s also why I support a cap on the taxation power of the CICWCD. I believe residents can petition for this and ensure we don’t get hit with another 1,000 percent tax hike. I could be wrong, but wouldn’t be nice if residents had a say on how much the CICWCD could tax, say no more than 25 percent over the next century?

OK. Maybe I’m dreaming, but that’s why I can’t wait for the public hearing in the next eight days. I’m hoping answers will be given to these concerns at that time. Please join me at this meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 6:30 p.m. at Cedar High School. We all need to stay involved because our absence at past meetings is what enabled CICWCD to propose such a tremendous tax increase in the first place. See you there!

Posted by Jennifer Weaver at 04:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )