News

The Cache Valley Initiative is already having an effect on Hyde Park
03/30/01 One of the goals of the Cache Valley Initiative is to increase the capabilities of the Logan Airport by expanding the airstrip to be able to handle freight capabilities. / By Rachel Irvine

Nibley council approves business permit for gun manufacturing
03/30/01 Recently, the rural city of Nibley has been inundated with new home-based businesses throughout their community, according to City Council Representative Todd Hansen. / By Natalie Larson

Once-rural Nibley leads Cache Valley in rate of population growth
03/30/01 The rural town of Nibley has seen a population increase of 75 percent in the last 10 years, according to U.S. Census Bureau information. Its population is now 2,045. "It's sickening," Todd Hansen, a City Council representative, said. "How can you stop development?" / By Natalie Larson

Women Over 65 Achievement Awards recognize role models of service
03/28/01 Three women were presented with a Women Over 65 Achievement Award by the Utah State University Women's Center in the Evan N. Stevenson Ballroom on Monday. The event has been held for 16 years and Jenny Box, Barbara Croft Fjeldsted and Rachel Whitworth would join an elite group with 74 other remarkable women, who have received this award in the past, said Sue Fuhriman, member of the Women's Center Advisory Board. / By Jennifer Pinnock

Journalism historians bring Intermountain West Regional to USU
03/26/01 The American Journalism Historians Association will be presenting the 2001 Intermountain West Regional Conference April 6-7 at Utah State University, in the Old Main building, Room 115. Conference is in conjunction with the Region 9 meeting of the Society for Professional Journalists. / By the USU journalism & communication department

Richmond endorses Cache Valley Initiative
03/26/01 The Richmond City Council voted in favor of supporting the Cache Valley Initiative, a county development plan created by the Cache Chamber of Commerce, after concerns were addressed by two chamber representatives. / By Jennifer Pinnock

Ellingford, Evans, Stettler named top seniors of JCOM Department
03/22/01 Department Head Ted Pease shares, in an open letter to our friends, good news about the department's outstanding public relations, broadcast, print and graduate students as chosen by the faculty. / By Ted Pease

Amalga balancing old zoning law, explosive new growth
03/22/01 Even the small town of Amalga is feeling growing pains these days. In an Amalga City Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday night, committee members talked about revising one of the city's zoning ordinances, but at the same time they want to preserve the town's rural feel. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Spring has come to Capitol Reef National Park, as evidenced by the green under the arches. / Photo by Bill Pritchard

Amalga to erect marker at site of 1841 camp
03/20/01 Amalga will soon add historical plaques to the town. A marker describing the trek of the Bidwell-Bartelson company will soon be erected on the spot in town where the group camped while on its way overland to California in 1841. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Professional journalists to meet at USU to focus on "The Growing West"
03/19/01 The USU campus will play host in April to professional and student journalists from throughout the Intermountain West. The Region IX meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists, representing Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and El Paso County, Texas, will have meetings, discussions and presentations on "The Growing West: What's Happening." Click the above link for details and a registration form.

Millville Planning Commission adds two alternates
03/12/01 MILLVILLE -- Two new alternate plannning commissioners, Jeff Kirby and Ray Brown, were sworn into office last week at the Millville Planning Commission meeting. / By Sharalyn Hartwell

Hyrum tinkering with proposal for commercial zoning on east side
03/12/01 HYRUM -- The debate continues about whether the property at approximately 1000 East to 1250 East between 100 South and 200 South should be rezoned from residential to commercial. / By Jamie Baer

Wellsville (and Cache) crime rising, sheriff tells council
03/08/01 Sheriff Lynn Nelson said 645 traffic citations were issued in Wellsville in 2000, an increase of 22 percent from the previous year."We saw a huge increase in drunk drivers last year. I don't know what to attribute that to. Maybe our officers are just doing a better job of being out in the community and catching them," he said. / By Will Bettmann

Roller coaster of a campaign leaves Palmer catching his breath
03/08/01 New ASUSU President Steve Palmer, a finance major, isn't sure how to react to what lies ahead. The last two weeks of campaigning, he said, were "an emotional roller coaster. It was a hard campaign because I ran against so many of my friends. / By Jennifer Brennan

To succeed, take responsibility for your own actions, Jazz owner says
03/07/01 Larry H. Miller, owner of 37 car dealerships and owner of the Utah Jazz, told USU students Monday that true success comes through taking responsibility. / By Debbie Lamb

South Fields' girls eligible for Miss Millville
03/07/01 Girls who live in South Fields, an unincorporated area of Millville, are eligible to participate in the pageant, a forerunner to the Cache County Dairy Princess Pageant. / By Sharalyn Hartwell

Mortar Board honors -- and occasionally serenades -- Top Profs
03/06/01 Becca Madsen, Mortar Board member, said she chose Professor RoLayne Wilson as a Top Prof because when Wilson asks, "What are you up to?" she really wants to know. Madsen said Wilson has a lot of energy in the classroom, and Madsen wanted to repay her. Madsen had the musical group Chorduroy serenade Wilson with the song Lida Rose from The Music Man. / By Jennifer Pinnock

An off year for No. 1 respiratory virus
03/05/01 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading respiratory virus in babies and younger children, but this has been a light year for the virus in Logan. / By Debbie Lamb

Tempers flare over North Logan recreation plan
03/02/01 NORTH LOGAN-- Emotions ran high as a proposal about joining North Logan's and Smithfield's youth recreational activities was discussed by the City Council last night. Elaine Nelson, city official for parks and recreation, said, "I don't feel like North Logan is getting a good deal in this. North Logan can run the program . . . efficiently and for cheaper." / By Holli Gunnell

Proposed ordinance would place an 11 p.m. curfew on commercial lighting
03/02/01 River Heights City Council scheduled a public hearing on an outdoor lighting ordinance for March 27. The proposed ordinance would place an 11 p.m. curfew on commercial lighting and require shielding on all lighting greater than 100 watts. / By Matthew Flitton

Committee watches for long term interests of citizens
03/02/01 Dean Mauer stormed out of the Nibley Planning and Zoning Meeting on Feb. 28 after his seventh attempt to get the committee to pass his plans to develop his land for a subdivision failed again. / By Natalie Larson

Steve Palmer gives his acceptance speech Thursday night in the Sunburst Lounge after being announced the 2001-2002 ASUSU president. Palmer beat write-in candidate Matt Crowshaw by 372 votes. / Photo by Liz Hobson

Palmer wins ASUSU presidency; write-in is a surprising runner-up
03/01/01 Here are the results of voting for the top two spots in the USU student government; for complete results, click the link above. / Compiled by Jennifer Brennan

President
Steve Palmer 1,728
Taylor Leavitt 1,136
Matt Croshaw (write-in) 1,356

Executive V.P.
Jason Kimber 1,684
Celestial Star Bybee 2,557

Mountain Crest student to lead Providence Youth Council
03/01/01 Jenna Petersen took her oath of office for the 2001 Providence City Youth Council Tuesday night at the Providence City Council meeting. She wants to be active in her city. / By Tyra Leonard

If your candidate's not Scottish, he's . . . : Freshmen Leanne Tanner, left, and Camille Brunson play the bagpipes on the lawn just outside the TSC Thursday afternoon as part of campaign week for ASUSU elections. Primary voting began Thursday morning at 8 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. Friday. The top vote-getters in the race for student government seats will be announced at 5 p.m. Friday. Final elections 8 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday. / Photo by Liz Hobson

Features

Lewiston judge declined politics -- so he could tick off criminals instead of everybody
03/30/01 Evan Hall enjoyed teaching school for 31 years. But now as Lewiston's justice of the peace, he sits in the courtroom two nights a week as people wander in to pay fines for traffic tickets and simple misdemeanors. / By Curtis McInelly

FIRST WARM DAY OF SPRING: And the sap is rising. Utah high school students on campus for the State Youth City Conference frolic near the Animal Science Building. For other photos of fun and frivolity on the Quad, click the image above. / Photo by Debbie Lamb

Trees that are quirk of history will be spared by River Heights developer
03/22/01 A grove of trees along the boundary between River Heights and Providence, at about 300 East, will stay as part of a development. The trees, planted by Don Wilson, now deceased, of River Heights, was to be a Christmas tree farm in contract with a Wisconsin company called Santa's Forest. / By Matthew Flitton

The Old West Still Lives . . . in the red-earth mesas and black rocks of Capitol Reef National Park. Above is the view from the historic Fruita schoolhouse. / Photo by Bill Pritchard

He can fix anything -- except the fix-it business
03/20/01 Inside the now-closed Paul's Fix-It Shop, tools of Paul Merrill's trade wait to be used. Fan belts hang by the dozens on the wall. Half a dozen chainsaws are piled against one wall. After surveying the shop for a moment, Merrill declared: "This is just a conglomeration of crap in here now." / By Matthew Flitton

Who are you, brother, and do you say 'Derry' or 'LONDON-derry?'
03/19/01 Part Five of a series: "I'm thinking of taking a lawn chair to a hill over Falls Road to watch the action," Chris says. The owner of the store looks back sober but unperturbed. "You won't be alone. You'll have someone to talk to. People go down with their news cameras and say, 'Here's 20 pound, go throw these petrol bombs.'" / By Bryce Petersen Jr.

Plans for animal shelter would ease burden and unnecessary deaths
03/19/01 Where do stray animals go in Cache Valley? There is no local animal shelter, which in turn leaves many homeless animals. The Cache Humane Society hopes to change that, with tentative plans to break ground for a shelter in May. / By Tricia Payne

If only the first little pig had baled his straw
03/19/01 Homes made of straw bales are growing in popularity throughout the world. They can be found from South America to Finland. But nowhere are they more popular than in the Southwestern United States. / By Matt Flitton

When parents (not kids) need a timeout, support center offers a breath of sanity
03/13/01 Mary Jones was about to lose it with her children on a recent Wednesday afternoon. She had a deadline at work, her 2-year-old would not take a nap, and when her 4-year-old son spilled the juice all over her white carpet, that was it, the last that she could handle. Fortunately she had a place for relief to take her kids before something terrible could have happened. / By Jane Cardall

Faces, canvas, photopaper . . . USU artist creates in many ways, in nearly any medium
03/13/01 Imagine having the ability to change a person's appearance drastically by putting a little make-up. Now imagine being able to create almost anything with your hands such as photographs and paintings,. Jasmine Francette Bailey was born with that ability, but doesn't feel as if she has to confine herself to one aspect of art. / By Debbie Lamb

Richmond youth council teaching leadership skills
03/12/01 One favorite service project was last year when the council repainted the NC (which stands for North Cache) on the top of a mountain in Richmond. The NC has been on the mountain for years and was fading. / By Jennifer Pinnock

"Ireland is so peaceful; look at the cows," I said, mocking the other tourists at the Cliffs of Moher. Later we saw a postcard with grazing horses. "Peaceful Ireland," it said. We did take this picture for the farm scene, as well as the stone fences -- built by starving citizens during the Great Famine -- that snake across the Irish countryside. / Photo by Kenna Dyches

Hurry up, please, it's time -- time to make memories green and blue
03/09/01 Part Four of a series: Stuart, a wild-eyed, hard-drinking Scot, had told me of epic hikes to castles, islands that move in the sea, Volkswagen Beetles at the bottom of the ocean, a postman who delivered his last letter in a snowstorm before succumbing to hypothermia and a banker who had left the world to live in a cave near Stuart's home. I had to see this place, and Stuart was home for a time. / By Bryce Petersen Jr.

Sexually explicit computer wallpaper irks North Logan Library
03/08/01 NORTH LOGAN-- Kids have been having their way with the computers in the North Logan Library lately. According to Library Director Sue Randleman, kids getting access to and posting pornographic material as wallpaper on the library's computers has become a bit of a problem. / By Holli Gunnell

Midwives becoming more common, more accepted
03/05/01 The in-laws were leery when Debbie Berg told of her plans for a midwife. She's due in summer. / By Brook Cox

Sports

Basketball team makes USU proud, Aggies and fans say at rally
03/21/01 "There's no greater feeling than playing in the Spectrum," senior point guard Bernard Rock said. "I can't speak for all the seniors, but I'm going to miss these guys, and I'm going to miss you guys. Maybe my son and (Brennan Ray's) son will be playing for the Aggies some day." / By Casey Hobson

Rally at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Spectrum will thank USU basketball team
03/19/01 The rally will feature USU cheerleaders, band members and administrators as they recognize the accomplishments of a team that won its second straight Big West championship and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 31 years. / By USU athletic media relations

Cold shooting dooms USU in second round of NCAA
03/19/01 Utah State learned that itıs nearly impossible to win when a team misses 21 straight field goal attempts during a stretch and only shoots 28 percent from the field. The University of California at Los Angeles took advantage of the Aggiesı cold shooting and knocked them out of the NCAA tournament with a 75-50 win. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Aggies upset Ohio State; they'll do at least a two-step at the Dance
03/16/01 Utah State hadnıt won an overtime game during the regular season. It picked a good time to win one Thursday. USU earned its first NCAA tournament victory in 31 years by defeating Ohio State University, 77-68, in overtime, to advance to a showdown with the University of California, Los Angeles at 1:40 p.m. (MST) Saturday. / By Reuben Wadsworth

A cleansing breath: Aggies such as Shawn Daniels have less cause to be nervous this year in the NCAA Tournament. Having gone last year, they know what to expect. / Photo by Casey Hobson

USU calmer the second time around in NCAA tourney
03/13/01 For the second straight year, the Utah State basketball team will be heading to the Big Dance ­ the NCAA Tournament. And for also the second straight year, the Aggies are the 12th seed and are heading east instead of staying west. But this time, they've got experience on their side. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Defense is key to USU making some noise at the Big Dance
03/13/01 "I'm not sure Iıve had a group of young men buy into defense like these guys have," says USU coach Stew Morrill. "That was the whole difference for us in the [Big West] tournament, to turn up our defense a notch.² In the BWC tournament, the Aggies limited all three opponents to fewer than 50 points, marking the first time since the 1949-50 season USU has held opponents to that low of scoring for three straight games. / By Reuben Wadsworth

Aggie basketball schedule in NCAA tourney: It all starts with Buckeyes
03/12/01 Utah State will tip off against the Ohio State Buckeyes at 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Mountain time, at the NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C. USU is a 12th seed; OSU is a fifth seed. If the Aggies win, they will face the winner of the UCLA-Hofstra game. That tipoff will be at 11:10 a.m. Mountain time Saturday. The Aggies will have their opening press conference at 11 a.m. Mountain time Wednesday. Go, Aggies!

Aggie gymnasts rally to beat rival BYU
03/12/01 Utah State's gymnastics team came from .375 points behind after three rotations to score it eighth-best floor score in school history (49.225) and defeat 21st-ranked Brigham Young University with a season high 196.025 to the Cougars' 195.5 Friday night in Logan. / By USU athletic media relations

BLOWOUT: USU forward Brennan Ray hustles after a loose ball during the first half of Utah State's 83-50 victory over UCSB on Thursday night in the Spectrum. The victory ended a two-game skid for the Aggies, as they improved to 23-5 on the season. Despite one of the nation's best records, USU may not make the NCAA Tournament because of a low RPI rating. USU nearly has to win the Big West tourney to get an invitation to the Dance. / Photo by Casey Hobson

Sky's the limit for Cache athletes in Alaska for Special Olympics
03/05/01 Mary Dawn Waite of Hyde Park and Andrew Leatham of Logan, will be there, competing in the biggest event of their lives. Waite, a 28-year-old Hyde Park resident, will be one of 10 U.S. cross-country skiers at the Games. She has been skiing for 14 years, but according to her coach, Dave Bregenzer, her ability has improved drastically in the last three years. / By Bryce Petersen Jr.

OUTTA MY WAY: USU's Toraino Johnson tries to take the ball to the basket against Boise State's Kejuan Woods (13) during the Aggies' 78-77 overtime loss to the Broncos Saturday night at the Pavillion in Boise. Utah State led by 14 points midway through the second half, but Boise State crept back into the game when the Aggies failed to maintain their defensive pressure. / Photo by Casey Hobson

 

DEFENSE WINS GAMES . . . most of the time. USU's Thomas Vincent (3) knocks the ball away from BSU's Kejuan Woods while Tony Brown tries to draw a charge. Brown finished the game with 22 points, including seven 3-pointers. The Aggies failed to get him the ball down the stretch, however, and lost to the Broncos in overtime. / Photo by Casey Hobson

Opinion

Talking politics always passionate in Red China
03/28/01 On campus, politics is discussed with passionate eloquence. Jim picked the university as the venue for part 2 of our ongoing discussion on the politics of Red China. / By Leon D'souza

Understanding China: Evenings with Jim
03/19/01 Last week, Jim and I discussed China's past -- the Communist revolution, Mao tse-Tung, Deng Xiaoping and Tiananmen Square -- every other evening over spicy noodles and hot China tea. As always, Jim made some interesting comments. Our discussion began with a critical remark on the veracity of Chinese history books. "I don't think Chinese history books are correct," Jim said. / By Leon D'souza

Is there an end to high natural gas prices for Questar customers?
03/19/01 Questar Gas company has announced that because of increasing natural gas prices in Utah, it will increase its rates by as much as 30 percent. This is a number that has a lot of customers asking why. / By Jami Lundahl

POSTCARD FROM LEON D'SOUZA, AN AGGIE IN CHINA: The Shi Lin or "Stone Forest," around 120 kilometers southeast of Kunming, is an awesome collection of limestone pillars, the tallest 30m meters high. According to Chinese legend, the immortals are said to have smashed a mountain into a labyrinth for lovers seeking privacy. It is ever so easy to lose one's way in the maze of gray pinnacles and peaks. Never wander off too far if bound by time. I found out the hard way that finding an exit in a hurry is not easy! There are several stone forests in the region. The section open to foreign tourists covers 80 hectares.

Living it up in the Chinese countryside
03/12/01 Like Gandhi's India, the real China lives in villages, and no account of modern China would ever be complete without a description of life away from the din and bustle that is so much a part of everyday life in Chinese cities. / By Leon D'souza

Lifestyles

Weight Watchers find groups help members meet goals
03/23/01 Jane Smith filled the tub with water to take a warm bath. As she stepped in the ankle-high water and sat down she realized that she could not push any water around her thighs because her body filled the entire tub. / By Jennifer Pinnock

Habitat house means daughter will 'finally get her own room'
03/23/01 One by one the board members of the Habitat for Humanity enter the room talking excitedly to one another as they surround the round varnished oak table, leaving only one seat vacant. Behind them faced an audience of empty chairs. / By Melissa Woods

Snowboarders trek to backcountry for powder and solitude
03/21/01 It has been a good day as you reach the bottom and you have the rush of someone who has just caught air off a 40-foot cliff, landed it and lived to tell about it. For a snowboarder it is the best time to be alive. / By Julie Sulunga

Dairy princesses know cows (no bull!)
03/12/01 The Richmond Dairy Princess pageant is about more than good looks and pretty dresses. Its main focus is to promote dairy products, and the participants must have knowledge of cows, how dairy products are made, and how they affect diet. / By Jennifer Pinnock

COLORFUL AND SACRED: Native Americans from across the West met at the Field House on Friday and Saturday for a pow wow. Pow wows are religious ceremonies in which Native Americans gather to give thanks. Tribes from as far as South Dakota and New Mexico competed for awards such as best dance and best drums. / Photo by Casey Hobson

Don't pat an Asian's head or order a burger at an Indian restaurant
03/05/01 Each culture has its own value system. For example, in the United States because of the value of self-reliance, many elderly people decide to go to retirement homes. In Latin America, having someone's parents going to a retirement house is unacceptable because they believe it is the adult children's responsibility to take care of their old parents. / By Sandra Reategui

Arts

'Remember the Titans' worth a second look on video
03/30/01 The story of integration of the T.C. Wiliams High School team in 1971 is a very inspirational movie for anyone, and one does not have to be a fan of football to enjoy it. I would give this movie/video an A. It is captivating and inspiring. / By Debbie Lamb

Music classes struggle for money in Cache public schools
03/27/01 "Music makes life rich," says the assistant band director for Mountain Crest High School, Will Francis, who is in his first year teaching at the high school level. "If we forget how to enjoy music, then we forget who we are. Even in its worst circumstances, humans hang on to music. It's as important to our survival as math or science." / By Natalie Larson

Ska band Reel Big Fish loves Utah scene, and vice versa
03/21/01 The situation is one in which your parents warned you about; a small club, free-flowing alcohol and 500 rowdy fans crammed into what can only be described as a fire code nightmare. Yet according to a little known band from Southern California, this is as close to heaven as one can get. / By Scott Garrard

Combat journalism exhibit to open in May at museum devoted to news
03/12/01 ARLINGTON, Va. - "War Stories," a major new exhibit opening at the Newseum, takes visitors behind the scenes of war reporting and reveals the many conflicts -- personal and professional -- that war correspondents face.

'Soup' and his band play the oldies for the old-timers
03/12/01 Flipping through his white three-ring binder, Willard "Soup" Jessop finds the skeletal sketch of one of hundreds of songs he's been collecting since childhood. Most of them have no written music, just black-and-white words, lifeless without a band. "How 'bout Have You Ever Been Lonely," he says to the rest of the band, seated next to him in front of an audience of about 20. / By Bryce Petersen Jr.