* Winner: Three cheers for the students at Murray High who this week chose a senior with Down's syndrome to be homecoming queen. Shellie Eyre, one of two students with disabilities among the 10 finalists, no doubt will perform her duties well. The students, meanwhile, have shown they understand that beauty comes in ways other than those a superficial society traditionally seeks.
Loser: The Ku Klux Klan in Riverton? Anyone who thinks dirty politics is reserved for the big cities or for the nation's capital ought to look at this tiny city in the southwest corner of Salt Lake County. An anonymous campaign has portrayed one mayoral candidate as a member of the KKK, using a crudely designed and poorly written flyer.Perhaps that's the main difference between mud-slingers in small towns and those in large cities. The big-city types tend to know how to spell.
* Winner: Let's hear it for the Provo City Council, which wants to give automobile "boots" the boot. Towing companies in Provo like to lie in wait, taking the first opportunity to strap heavy metal "boots" on cars parked illegally and to demand large amounts of cash to remove them.
Apartment owners need to discourage or punish people who park illegally, but the boot-carring truck drivers are overly aggressive and confrontational.
Tow truck drivers need to carry certain equipment, including both jacks and boots. But that doesn't mean they need to act like they wear jackboots.
Loser: Coming on the heels of one of the worst audits in recent memory, Salt Lake Special Service District No. 1 ought to know better than to request a 31 percent tax increase from its residents. The district runs the Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, which state auditors earlier this month said was poorly managed, missing important records and overly generous to its director. One week after the audit, district board members said they would seek voter approval for a tax hike that would amount to $17 per year on an average home.
Perhaps a little internal reform might be necessary first.