Melinda Kay McDermott works on the costume of Patty for the USU production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. The oldest costume in the collection that inclues masks, Mountie uniforms and disco clothes goes back about 50 years, she thinks. See the story in the Arts section, at bottom of this web page. / Photo by Marcie Young

News

Analysis: No happy medium yet on Grand Staircase-Escalante
12/18/00 The Escalante River that runs through it was the last unknown river in the United States. The town of Boulder near its northeastern border was still receiving mail by pack mule as late as the 1930s. In short -- the place is remote. While many national parks and monuments were designated throughout the 20th century, the land making up Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument remained in the public domain, but well out of the national spotlight. Until the Clinton administration stirred things up. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Few drink in Utah and at USU, but those who do, do a lot
12/18/00 The college environment indirectly contributes to the problem of binge drinking, which happens when a person has more than five drinks at one sitting. JoAnn Autry, a counselor for 15 years for USU at the Student Wellness Center, when asked if USU had a problem with alcohol, replies, "No, but the problem is reflective of the state's problem. . . . Once members of the dominant religion drink they don't just have a drink, they drink to get drunk." / By Bart McKinnon

Ecology coalition seeking support for proposed U.S. law on redrock wilderness
12/06/00 Environmentalists want this act passed to stop roads from being built, prevent portions of the wilderness from being turned into industrial oil fields, avoid the permanent damage done by off-road vehicles and further to protect rare wildlife in Southern Utah. / By Dusty Decker

Features

USU student treks to Nepal
12/18/00 When an opportunity of a lifetime comes a-knocking, answer it -- right? That's exactly what USU graduate student Darek Staab did. After visiting Nepal on a scouting trip a year earlier, Staab facilitated an educational tour composed of six USU students and five Cache Valley community members to some of the most pristine areas of the world. / By Monica Evans

Making bucks with advertising on the Web
12/18/00 As people move from the click of the remote to the click of a mouse, advertisers are finding new and creative ways to catch the eye of a possible customer. Cami Boehme, a multi-media teacher for USU's department of journalism and communication and a web page designer, says that in many cases, advertising is how web pages make their money. / By Robert Davis

Future education at USU will use DVDs for quality, online capability
12/18/00 Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) are still very new to consumers, but USU students will be using them more and more in the future. "DVD will definitely have a place in the classroom," said Thomas Risk. Risk is the director of DVD production at the university. "The biggest use for DVD," Risk said, "will be in supporting online instruction." / By James Hadley

Alone in a crowd for the last time
12/08/00 It was the end of an era. Lacey Jones, the only feature twirler USU has ever had, performed for the last time. In fact, no other Utah school has a twirler on its band; she's one of a kind. / By Vicky Campbell

Fossils: more than a scientific tool
12/08/00 They are millions of years old and found in a variety of rock. They have captured the attention and interest of millions of scientists, researchers, universities, dealers, collector and children. Fossils, the ancient life forms found in rocks, have progressed beyond scientific tools to become works of art. / By Shauna Wolf

Printing press is a finicky monster, and it demands to be fed just so
12/04/00 A door creaks. Inside it's deafeningly silent. They shuffle in, quiet, somber. It's too early to be awake. Or is it too late? Trees, neatly sliced and coiled into monstrous white rolls, fill the room, their scent overpowering -- especially mixed with the smell of buckets of black, yellow, magenta and cyan goo the consistency of molasses. They go about preparing the giant, yellow machine for the night. / By Vicky Campbell

Sweepers of the night know no 'morning' or 'evening' -- only a twilight zone of work
12/01/00 When asked if the night shift goes by fast he responds, "mmmmyaAaa." He's happy if he sleeps for four hours straight in a day, but that does not usually happen. Meet the high-tech technicians of cleaning as well as buddy Omen, MyNerd. / By Dusty Decker

Sports

Doug Layne fills you in on some games you might have missed over the holiday break:
01/04/01 USU 82, Cal Poly SLO 69
12/30/00 USU 59, Air Force 50
12/29/00 USU 88, Albany 43
12/23/00 USU 89, Weber State 77
12/16/00 BYU 69, USU 67

Cache Valley getting a big kick out of the 'beautiful game'
12/18/00 Soccer is becoming one of the sports that Cache Valley residents just can't seem to get enough of. Youth, women's, co-ed, men's and adult leagues are all flourishing, and participation and enjoyment of the "beautiful game," the name that Pele, the Brazilian soccer great, called it, is on the rise. / By Kody Bone

Gym teacher sparked a fire in Cache Valley marathoner
12/12/00 Have you ever thought what the most important job of a teacher or professor is? According to Mt. Logan Middle School gym teacher Steve Reeder, it is to motivate students. Motivation from Reeder is just what Max Jones needed to get him started in one of his favorite pastimes: running. / By Wade Denniston

Dunks and layups give Aggies a 50-point victory against Montana Tech
12/11/00 After a nail-biter against the Utes on Wednesday, the Aggies had no trouble handling Montana Tech as they defeated the Orediggers, 79-29, Saturday at the Spectrum. / By Doug Layne

Aggies survive scare at the buzzer to beat Utah, 58-57
12/07/00 The Utah State Aggies survived a flurry of missed field goals and errant tip-ins at the buzzer to defeat their in-state rival, the nationally ranked University of Utah Running Utes, 58-57. / By Doug Layne

Football team voyaged further than it was expected to
12/01/00 The Aggies were picked to finish in the cellar of the Big West. But a funny thing happened after the end of the non-conference games. "Once we got into league, we played a brand of football that we were capable of playing," coach Mick Dennehy says. "The kids made a statement." / By Aaron Morton

Opinion

Confessions of a small-town psychic
12/18/00 The ad was wedged in the classifieds, between exotic dancer for hire and concrete layers wanted. It was short, sweet and to the point: "Tarot card readers, phone psychics, work at home. Top pay plus bonuses," and listed a number. Christmas was coming and a few extra bucks would always come in handy. I could work at home, choose my own hours. Why not? / By merry lu

Let it snow: A connoisseur's guide to the best skiing conditions in the world
12/18/00 For skiers and snowboarders, Cache Valley is indeed "the place." I don't know if it's just because the license plates say so, but this area of the world truly gets the lightest and driest snow of anywhere I have been. I have skied all over the lower 48, Switzerland, Italy and Canada, and their snow does not compare to the snow that falls in Northern Utah. / By Ross Hayes

Lifestyles

Only in a bakery can you misplace 50 pounds of dough or think nothing of 300 pies
12/04/00 You put the doughnut in your mouth and feel the glazed, fluffy-breaded wisps melt like cotton candy on your tongue. What kinds of ingredients go into such pastry masterpieces? A pound of flour? Sugar? A sprinkle of family and loyal employees? A pinch of politics and Garth Brooks? / By Kendal Bates

As long as there are people, this job will never end
12/01/00 Laffy Taffy, Chewy Granola Bars and M&M cardboard boxes are all thrown into the Dumpster. "Soda boxes are the hardest to break down," Taggart Student Center janitor Mark Lawson says, as he folds once, folds twice, the last of the boxes. Repugnant and putrid smells cause the the janitors to clench their noses as they venture to a less desirable destination, the trash Dumpsters. This is hard, occasionally nasty work. / By Jennifer Brennan

Arts

In 'the stinky room,' USU costume designer finds her Candyland
12/12/00 Melinda Kay McDermott struggles with the key. The door is locked tight, and even with the right key she has to turn the handle just so to get the door open. She jiggles the silver key around in the lock, and with a pop the door swings open to a world of pink taffeta, golden masks and Canadian Mountie uniforms. The room is packed from ceiling to floor with 1970s disco dresses ("Double knit polyester, and it's ribbed. Oh my gawd.") mobster pinstriped suits and black lace bodices, among other things. / By Marcie Young

'Peanuts' characters are recipe for fun during dead week
12/08/00 There is nothing like being awakened from the dullness of the "dead" week before finals to be thrust back into the childhood simplicity of cartoon memories. It is good timing that Utah State's theatre arts department is presenting You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. / By Dusty Decker