It's a first: The "Take Back the Night" protest march staged by the BYU student group Voice in downtown Provo Thursday night deserves a historic note.
After checking with several sources, we've determined it was the first large protest march held outside of BYU in Provo. The late-night march involved 200 people who wanted to raise community awareness about violence against women.Officers in the Provo Police Department couldn't recall other protest marches. Neither could Melva Richey, archivist at BYU; Sally Harding, Provo City ombudsman and 60-year resident; Stan Brown, former Provo fire chief and city councilman; or Brent Harker at BYU's Public Communication office.
If your memory is better than theirs, call us.
Overheard: "Dad, put your hand over your heart." - Houston Stockton, shouting to his dad, John Stockton, breaking the silence in the Delta Center as a military color guard carried the flags onto the court at last Thursday's Jazz-Mavericks basketball game.
The crowd in that section of the arena chuckled. John Stockton apparently got the message from his son: He placed his hand on his chest.
Orem City Council members were not pleased when a Chamber of Commerce representative failed to show up at last week's meeting to talk about the city's chamber dues. The council voted unanimously to pull the item from the agenda until a chamber representative could be on hand to explain how the city's dues were calculated.
Orem didn't pay chamber dues last year. The chamber is asking Orem to rejoin - which seems appropriate because Mayor Stella Welsh sits on the chamber's executive board.
But the chamber's initial approach got off on the wrong foot.
Orem council members already have a love/hate relationship with the chamber. Some council members believe Provo gets more of the chamber's attention; it is the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce, after all. Orem council members like to refer to it as the Orem/Provo Chamber of Commerce.
Point noted.
And the chamber's Government Review Council always seems to be spouting off about how Orem should be run, much to the chagrin of some council members.
Last week's no-show reinforced the feeling that Orem gets short shrift from the chamber. The item is back on the agenda this week. If the chamber wants its money, it had better do some first-class wooing.
Ghoulish error: From the Associated Press datebook for Friday, April 10: Provo - Roger Alan Wilkins, a former director of a camp for death children, is scheduled to be arraigned on five counts of second-degree felony child abuse at 1 p.m. before 4th District Judge George E. Baliff.
Sounds like a horrible place. AP meant a camp for deaf children.
Quote o' the Week: "After all the press I've gotten lately, I expected a lot more bank examiners here today." - Democratic Senate candidate Wayne Owens, who spoke at Utah Valley Community College Friday.
Two for the road: 2THETEE - spotted on a maroon and champagne Isuzu Trooper. 2THAID - seen on a brown Toyota Cressida.
("Loose Change" appears in the Deseret News on Mondays. To reach Dennis or Brooke, call 374-1162 or send us a fax at 377-5701.)