Tell it to the judge: The recent Utah Supreme Court ruling that overturns court commissioner rulings has some of us - or at least one of us - worried, particularly if that invalidates divorces granted by Howard Maetani in Utah County.
Does that mean former spouses can just walk right back into our lives? Does that throw everybody back in time? What a tangle this will make of divorce settlements and decrees, visitation and child support agreements.Do the deadbeat dads who aren't really divorced get to stop paying conscience-free until this is worked out? Does anybody have a clue as to what remains and what goes? Are the subsequent marriages and/or divorces invalid, and what belongs to whom? The only real answer we can see here is that it's a mess and lawyers are going to make money trying to sort it all out - before the judge.
Right on target: The National Guard Armory is located only a gunshot away from the new county jail site in Spanish Fork. Mayor Marie Huff thinks that's somewhat appropriate because the shooting range faces the jail. She's predicting the location will probably cut down on any problems with escaping criminals.
Quote o' the week: "The patients were unable to toilet themselves, and if there would have been a fire, they wouldn't have been able to evacuate." - Debra Wynkoop-Green, of the Utah Department of Health, commenting on a Provo rest home allegedly strapping residents to beds.
Think about it.
Shoveling into the future: Those with gold-painted shovels at the groundbreaking for the giant Finger-hut distribution center in Spanish Fork were invited to take the tools with them as souvenirs.
Spanish Fork city administrator David Oyler, leaving with one of the shiny shovels, asked, "Is this a sign of what my next job's going to be?"
Quick, Dave, toss some salt over that shoulder.
No-shows: County Commission candidates promised in their campaign speeches prior to the primary election to "do their homework" and get ready for the job if they win in November. That should include showing up at weekly commission meetings to keep abreast of issues and observe how things work.
So, how come David Gardner, Jerry Grover, Tom Anderson and Jim Larsen have yet to make an appearance in commission chambers?
No more nodding off: In an effort to avoid a repeat of the marathon eight-hour meeting we talked about a couple of weeks ago, the Provo Planning Commission is making new rules.
Now, items that aren't dealt with by 11 p.m. will move two weeks down the line to the next agenda, unless the commission feels it is close enough to the finish line to plod on.
People arguing for or against a particular issue get 10 minutes for each side. That means if the first guy takes nine minutes and 50 seconds, you get the remaining 10 seconds or vice versa.
That should also mean commissioners get to go home before midnight most meetings and get a chance to be thinking clearly and conscious when they're making policy for the city.
Good plan.
Sink or swim: A reporter on assignment was recently looking for a way to get to the other side of the Provo River to interview Division of Wildlife Resources officials studying fish.
"You're from the Deseret News? You should be able to walk across," said one worker.