News

Host families and Korean students in summer.

Here come the Koreans: Introducing the International Winter Youth Program
11/30/01 Twenty junior high school students from Korea will attend Utah State University for three weeks through Feb. 2 as part of an International Winter Youth Program. The students will learn English and participate in many cultural and recreational activities to explore and experience the American culture. / By Leon D'souza

Providence council hears plan for new park
11/30/01 PROVIDENCE-- Plans for a park were proposed at the City Council meeting Tuesday. Nate Smith, Robert Barben, and Matt Bost, students in the parks and recreation department at USU, presented the council with reasons why there should be another park/playground in Providence City. The park would be at 250 S. 300 West. / By Lindsey Blau

Mendon gets gold star in money management
11/30/01 MENDON -- A year-end budget report shows that even with large projects completed this year, the city stayed within its means. / By Hilary Ingoldsby

Richmond joins plan to better manage highway, arterials
11/30/01 RICHMOND -- Residents can expect big changes for their roads, starting now and continuing into 2003. The Utah Division of Transportation along with the Cache Development and Planning Organization and Richmond city, will be working together to make U.S. 91 wider and better managed. / By Nichole R. Grubbs

Slow times when old doors top the council agenda
11/27/01 RICHMOND -- The winter months bring little for the City Council to worry about. Tuesday's meeting was brief. The council debated, at length, how to properly dispose of two wooden doors and three steel doors that are just taking up space, according to Councilman L.D. Bowcutt. / By Nicole R. Grubbs

USU alum and nature writer Rick Bass to speak on campus
11/27/01 Nature writer and former Utah State University student Rick Bass will read from his recent work at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Eccles Conference Center Auditorium. / By USU public relations and marketing

BUBBLE, BUBBLE: Rob Mackey, a senior majoring in geology, gives a groundwater demonstration Saturday at Rock and Fossil Day in the Geology Building. The event, sponsored by the geology department, was free. / Photo by Jennifer Pinnock

Millville sewer issue not going down the drain
11/21/01 After casting an overwhelming number of votes against it, Millville residents may think they've buried the sewer proposal out back with their septic tanks. This might not be the case. / By Kyle S. Loosle

North Logan gets framework for city employee salaries
11/21/01 A framework that sets a salary schedule for city employees was adopted Thursday night by the North Logan City Council. The study for the framework found that 15 employees are being paid at less than 20 percent of fair market value. / By Jessica Kelly

Nibley sewer construction making progress
11/21/01 The part of the sewer that runs along 3200 South from 800 West on down will be completed soon. There is conflict, however, over the number of times the sewer crosses over the irrigation ditch. / By Julie Sulunga

Lions Club to give Hyrum a new city sign
11/21/01 The Lions Club hopes the sign will serve as a welcome to those who enter the city and will replace the old wood sign, which has been missing for two years. It will be on the northwest corner of 800 East and Main, and will say "Hyrum City" in 3-dimensional, bronze letters. / By Karen Funk

Lewiston reduces residents' fines for slip-ups over building permits
11/21/01 Lewiston's planning and zoning committee has lowered the fines for residents who built on property without building permits. Bob and Brenda Crowther just moved from Ireland to Lewiston and built a house, with the approval of the committee, and thought it would be OK to build a barn in addition to building the house, Bob said. / By Jennifer Brennan

Smithfield council grapples with transportation plan
11/21/01 The City Council last week discussed a proposed access management plan for improving transportation in Cache County. Mark Tuescher, countywide planner, and Jay Aguilar, transportation planner for the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization, presented an overview of the plan to the council. / By Marie Griffin

Moving toward a managed environment, including high-tech classrooms, a top priority for USU trustees
11/21/01 Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Barbrara White put an emphasis on the transition from an existing highly decentralized environment to a "managed" one at the USU Board of Trustees meeting Friday. / By Jennifer Brennan

Four families finally at last step before occupying their homes
11/17/01 MILLVILLE -- After five motions by the City Council and more than two hours of heated discussion, four property owners in the Family Hills subdivision were given permission to seek a final inspection so they could move into their homes. / By Kyle S. Loosle

Leaf litter messing up Richmond
11/16/01 City Council members recently decided to remove public trash bins because they were being used improperly. So now, with the bins gone, people are dumping their leaves in the wrong places. / By Nicole R. Grubbs

City approves audit for new sports complex
11/16/01 Richmond's new sports complex has been causing headaches for the council because it exceeded the budget. The costs for this project have left the city with a loss of nearly $170,000. "That's the fund that's giving me continual heart burn," said Mayor Kip Panter. / By Nicole R. Grubbs

Nielsen leaving as mayor of Nibley
11/16/01 Walking into a city council meeting is a calming event with Mayor H. Jay Nielsen at the head of everything. "Mayor Nielsen has done more than any mayor has," said Nibley City treasurer and clerk Pat Blau. The Utah League of Cities and Towns named him Mayor of the Year, she added. / By Julie Sulunga

Next Tanner Symposium addresses environmental writing and education
11/16/01 The 2002 Tanner Symposium is titled, "The Search for a Common Language: Environmental Writing and Education." Tthe event will feature a combination of writers, scholars, historians and scientists that will increase public knowledge about the environment. / By Jennifer Pinnock

Proposed power plant will raise power reliability and lower monthly bills
11/15/01 A hearing before the Utah Division of Air Quality on Sept. 24 turned out hopeful for the city. Mayor Doug Thompson said the board gave every indication they were going to approve a permit stating that the power plant expansion would be within the bounds of pollution. Scientists with the Utah Division of Air Quality examined the plant and said the gas-powered generators would be "a significant improvement to air quality." / By Jamie Baer

Smithfield to put storage building in corner of cemetery
11/13/01 Some nearby residens were concerned that the building would detract from the beauty and sacredness of the cemetery. The City Council assured the public that it was pleased with the plans for the design of the building and its landscaping. / By Marie Griffin

Wellsville considering automatic sprinklers for park
11/13/01 WELLSVILLE -- Installing automatic sprinklers in the city park could bring Wellsville into compliance with the governor's water conservation program. / By Melissa Dymock

Millville flushes sewer proposal
11/13/01 By almost a four-to-one margin, 383 to 100, voters opposed the idea of Millville constructing a sewer system. Many of those who opposed the sewer thought the $40 monthly fee, based on a proposal by Sunshine Engineering, was too high. / By Kyle S. Loosle

New reservoir-monitoring system will save city a lot of water and work
11/09/01 PARADISE -- Mayor Lee Atwood will soon be able to leave behind part of a lifestyle that resembles that of a fruit grower. Much like orchard owners taking their water share, he often has to worry about water at odd hours of the day and night. But that will change when the town's new telemetry system becomes fully operational next week. / By Joe Rowley

Victor Jensen is named new mayor with 80 percent of the city's votes
11/09/01 RIVER HEIGHTS -- Victor Jensen, with 349 votes, beat candidate Lynn Hulse, who had 93 votes. Two city council positions were also decided in the election. Three candidates entered the race and it remained close throughout the voting. / By Anna Brunson

Potter defeats White for mayoral seat, 1,007 to 323
11/09/01 NORTH LOGAN -- Val Potter wins mayoral seat by 68 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election and Lloyd Berentzen and Elaine Nelson are elected to the open city council seats. / By Jessica Kelly

Hyde Park mayoral candidates in a tie vote; casting of lots possible within a few days
11/07/01 Mayoral candidates Marilyn Grunig and David Kooyman tied with 420 votes each in Tuesday night's election. Judy Hawkins, city recorder, said, "This is the first tie in the history of Hyde Park that anyone can remember, and I've been there for 18 years." / By Kari Gray

ECOS, Democrats protest national energy plan
11/07/01 A sign next to a pile of coal south of the Taggart Student Center on Wednesday identified it as the Jim Hansen National Monument. / By the USU department of journalism and communication

Look, up in the sky! A mass of students gather to catch ping-pong balls thrown from the top of the Business Building as a kick-off to Business Week. Each ball was redeemed for a prize. / Photo by Jennifer Pinnock

Subdivision's opening delayed over need for improvements
11/06/01 MILLVILLE -- New residents of Family Hills subdivision hoping to move into their homes this week may have to wait awhile. The City Council did not approve the final phase of improvements needed to close the contract between the city and developer Milt Anderson. / By Kyle S. Loosle

Citation issued for Halloween prank in Wellsville
11/05/01 WELLSVILLE -- The joint efforts of the Wellsville Neighborhood Watch and the Cache County Sheriff's Office on Halloween resulted in one juvenile being cited for reckless burning. / By Melissa Dymock

Halloween stays within the law in Nibley
11/05/01 NIBLEY -- Halloween went off "without a hitch" here, according to the Cache County Sheriff's Office. / By Julie Sulunga

English department invites student submissions for creative writing award (with a prize of in-state tuition)
11/02/01 The Utah State University English department in cooperation with the College of Natural Resources is inviting submissions for the first annual Jenny and Thad Box Creative Writing Award. The award, which can be made to an undergraduate or graduate student, covers one semester of in-state tuition and includes publication in the student-run journal of creative nature writing, Petroglyph. / By Leon D'souza

Nibley: An election preview
11/02/01 NIBLEY -- The mayor's job and two City Council seats will be up for grabs Tuesday in Nibley. / By Julie Sulunga

USU hosts two-part satellite seminar on 'African-American Experience: Civil Rights and Beyond'
11/01/01 The department of journalism and communication at Utah State University will host an interactive, two-part satellite session on Television and the African-American Experience: Civil Rights and Beyond as part of the department's Media & Society Lecture Series. / By the USU department of journalism and communication

Features

River Heights' old pipes causing residential mess
11/30/01 Recently River Heights' age has begun to show in the water and sewer systems running beneath the city. Sediment, splitting, and sewage are some of the problems the City Council has had to deal with this fall. / By Anna Brunson

USU construction will end with cleaner air, relocated trees
11/29/01 Utah State University's campus is often scarred with construction and this year is no different as a $38.9 million heating plant and utility distribution tunnels are entering their final stages. / By Amy Hayes

Richmond deputy helping strengthen town, build bridges in valley
11/28/01 RICHMOND -- Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Douglas is one person who has volunteered to help communities through Cache County Sheriff G. Lynn Nelson's STAR Deputy Program. The Sheriff's Town Area Representative (STAR) program was set up to find out "how to strengthen communities," said Douglas, who serves as Richmond's deputy. / By Nicole R. Grubbs

NEVER TRUST A MONKEY: "Two dollars, sir. For two dollars you stand with monkey." Craig LaRocco, above, posed with the monkey in Bombay until it gave him a nasty bite. LaRocco, interim director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, and Leon D'souza were exploring possible faculty and student exchanges between USU and India's Manipal Academy of Higher Education over the last couple of weeks. In the streets, they gave out granola bars, left, and pretzels. / Photos by Leon D'souza

An ice-cream vendor pedals and he peddles in the streets of Bombay. / Photo by Leon D'souza

Study in India's tropical Shangi-La: Introducing the Manipal Academy of Higher Education
11/26/01 Manipal is nestled between a majestic mountain range and the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. The panoramic surroundings comprise rural farmlands, rain forests and inland waterways. I was to lay the groundwork for a dialogue between Utah State University and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education on possible faculty and student exchange opportunities, as well as outreach and twinning possibilities. / By Leon D'souza

Can hard frost come any sooner for stinky Lewiston neighborhood?
11/20/01 LEWISTON -- Just five miles south of Lewiston lies Ritewood Inc., one of four commercial egg producers in Utah and a contributor to the city's continuing problem with lurking odor and excessive flies, say residents. / By Jennifer Brennan

THE AMERICAN WAY : Rekha Kalle, educational adviser and officer-in-charge, U.S. Educational Foundation in India, Mumbai, assists Elizabeth Corwin, director of the American Center, Mumbai, in the inauguration of a USU-produced video, Inside the American Way, at International Education Week in Mumbai last week. The video is about international education and multiculturalism in the United States. Also in photo are Craig LaRocco, interim director, office of international students and scholars at Utah State University, and JCOM student Leon D'souza.

Donors make food pantry job easy at holidays
11/20/01 The Cache Community Food Pantry and residents of Cache Valley make it possible for people in need to have food on their tables during the holiday season. / By Jennifer Pinnock

LEMME HEAR YOUR BODY TALK: Michael Jordan, a member of the Student Association of the American Instructors of the Deaf at USU, shows an elementary-age student how to use body language and facial expressions while acting out the part of a lumberjack in Little Red Riding Hood. The American Sign Language Workshop for Kids was Saturday at Edith Bowen. Jordan said the workshop introduced students between second and fifth grades to sign language. Twenty-five children attended. / Photo by Jennifer Pinnock

Cafe Ibis the best place for a quality cup of coffee and a chance to save the planet
11/15/01 The structure sits on the corner of Church Street and Federal Avenue. A passing car can see the figures of young and old sitting outside, whether they be smoking aimlessly or sharing the gossip of the day. It is a Mecca for coffee drinkers of all kinds with recycling containers to boot. It is the Cafe Ibis. / By Julie Sulunga

Lighting ceremony, songs and treats proposed for annual Christmas event in Mendon
11/13/01 MENDON -- Residents may have a new city tradition to enjoy come Christmas time. Plans for an annual Christmas lighting of the town square were proposed to the City Council last week by the Mendon City Arts Council. / By Hilary Ingoldsby

Are we scared yet? The Hard News Cafe hopes you had a happy Halloween. / Photo by Kevin King

A letter from an Aggie in Sen. Daschle's office: 'We are all proud'
11/01/01 I was a block away from work when my mother called my cell phone and told me CNN was reporting that a letter containing anthrax had been opened in Sen. Daschle's office. I hung up the phone, stunned, and quickly walked to the end of the block. / By Jen Feinstein

Sports

Long-awaited ice rink to open Jan. 1
11/20/01 Currently the cement slab that will hold the ice is covered with plastic. Below it are 16 miles of refrigerated tubing. / By Jessica Kelly

USU opens basketball season with a win at Montana State
11/20/01 Guard Tony Brown scored 16 points to lead Utah State's basketball team to a convincing 66-51 season-opening victory at Montana State Saturday. The game marked the first time that USU opened the year with a true road win since 1994. / By USU athletic media relations

Cricket a big sport in other countries, but slowly catching on in the U.S.
11/15/01 For many people in the U.S., quite possibly their only experience with cricket is an American Express ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld. But Tony Butler, a native of New Zealand currently traveling through the United States, has played cricket for 20 years. / By Michael Sloniker

Opinion

Harry Potter merchandising will make the magic go away
11/28/01 The magic is going. Soon there will be nothing special about Harry Potter. He'll be just another face on a cereal box. And a Coke can. And a toy. And candy. / By Matthew Flitton

An environmenally friendly view of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest plan revision
11/27/01We encourage all Wasatch Front citizens to overcome our institutional, cultural and ideological differences and craft a plan that respects the magnificence of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and its inhabitants -- human and otherwise. / By Jim Steitz

Success in college started with shoveling and sweating in childhood
11/26/01 I am the granddaughter, daughter, niece and sister of construction workers and was raised accordingly. How many 9-year-olds do you know who know all about shoveling gravel and driving equipment? I am proud to say I did. / By Melissa Dymock

Leon D'souza's India
11/20/01 I have an enduring image of India. A land riddled with many contradictions. / By Leon D'souza

Redefine 'progress' before we die of Affluenza
11/16/01 Compare the economy to a library. Some get larger; others stay the same size, but replace obsolete and worn-out books with new ones. The latter library develops without growing. The former grows, but may or may not develop. We need to redefine progress, not as growth, but as a rising in the quality of living for all of us. / By Matt Flitton

Time to ax the Forest Service's timber sales program
11/13/01 The timber program's taxpayer subsidy to timber companies has long been the bane of taxpayer advocates and conservationists. However, the Forest Service has manipulated its budget to conceal the true fiscal impact. Even the GAO couldn't figure out how much money is being poured into this black hole. / By Jim Steitz

Election Day: It's not just for votin' anymore
11/06/01 Today Americans should stand together. As we fight terrorism around the world, let us join hands and celebrate United Americans Day. The timing is appropriate since November is One Nation Under God Month, as well as National Moral Indignation Month. / By Matthew Flitton

LETTER: Southern version of Diwali has a twist or two

Dear editor,

The article on India's festival of lights was interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that in the south like in the north, the festival is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Only, the story is slightly different. The legend is significant because all the fireworks consumed during this festival are produced at Sivakasi, a small town in Tamil Nadu. Children below 14 are still being employed in these firework factories because the employers believe that nimble fingers are needed to wrap the explosive chemicals into the fireworks.

In the south, legend has it that Krishna, a tribal youth, who later ruled over vast stretches of west and north India, beheaded a demon king on this day. People celebrate this victory by washing their hair, donning new clothes and lighting up fireworks. The childhood pranks of Krishna have been immortalised. Yet, little attention is being paid to those very children who make every Diwali a memorable one.

R. Sujatha

USU graduate student
Nov. 6, 2001

Lifestyles

USU student living 'off the grid' misses toasted bagels but not utility bills
11/29/01Journalism master's student Lizzy Scully is living without hot showers for a while and says many of her friends live in the mountains and have no running water or electricity. "I like living without electricity because it's nice to live simply and not have to pay bills," she says. / By Bryan Seeley

Goin' hunting with friends, a 5-pound bag of peanuts and the Obermeister
11/29/01 As a professor of fisheries and wildlife at Utah State University, Fred Baker straps on a pair of heavy brown leather shoes, his electric socks, a plaid wool shirt, waders to stand 4 feet or so in freezing water, and especially his bright orange vest. It's the uniform for a good time. / By Kari Gray

Just one thought for these amateurs: to keep on going, for 26 miles
11/28/01 The sun is still hours from rising over the autumn-colored mountains of Cache Valley. Early on a crisp fall morning you can hear the sound of chattering of teeth. Those in the crowd jump and jog in place. Some stretch, others meditate. "Are you ready for this?" one anxiously and nervously asks another. "I can't believe we are doing this," comes the response. / By Jeff Burton

Logan Canyon offers some of the nation's top rock climbs
11/27/01 Adrenaline rushing, the only sound Paul Lund can hear is the rapid beating of his heart and his mind telling him "you can make it." He is concentrating on his path to the top and searching the rough surface for a higher hand hold to pull himself up./ By Curtis McInelly

He moves in vs. she moves in: Adventures in roommates
11/24/01 Moving is not just a series of tasks that we have to go through, it is a revealing rite of passage that shows the deepest social differences between the genders. / By James Britsch

Fence building: Members of USU's Ecological Coalition of Students construct a wooden fence last week to cordon off an illegal off-road vehicle route in the Sids Mountain Wilderness Study Area in the San Rafael Swell. The area is proposed for wilderness designation in the America's Redrock Wilderness Act, supported by ECOS, the Utah Sierra Club, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and other groups. / Photo courtesy of Jim Steitz

FOLD HERE: Rachelle Gay, left, learns origami from Wenlan Xu, right, at the Multicultural Carnival, Friday night in the Taggart Student Center. Admission proceeds from the event will be donated to the Rosa Hilma Hernandez scholarship and a first-grade reading program, said Crystal Floyd, a business student who helped organize the carnival. / Photo by Jennifer Pinnock

Arts

Four stars for 'Harry Potter' movie; one star for theater sound system
11/21/01 Harry Potter is the Hardy Boys meet the Hobbit. Despite what every other reviewer on the planet has said, the movie is not just like the book. While the movie is faithful to the bestseller that spawned it, the film lacks the richness of J.K. Rowling's novel, which is understandable. / By Matthew Flitton

STAB gives students free showing of 'Fast and Furious'
11/20/01 Andy Dilley, a senior majoring in history at Utah State University, and director of STAB said, "We had about 520 students that watched the movie. We could have had more students if we had a larger facility to watch the movie in." / By Steve Barfuss

Battle of the Bands boasts good lighting, sound, venue . . . and music
11/13/01 Close to 400 people gathered to the ballroom in the Taggart Student Center at Utah State University Nov. 7 to view seven bands from the Wasatch Front battle it out and see who was the best. / By Steve Barfuss

'Petroglyph' is USU's lens on humanity and nature
11/13/01 A bonding of man and nature, whether it be through words or through media of art such as photograph, paintings or drawings -- these are the forms of expression that make up the bi-annual magazine that is Petroglyph. / By Julie Sulunga

4 stars for heartwarming 'K-PAX'
11/07/01 Every once in a while, Hollywood will roll the dice on a movie about non-human beings whose lives, for whatever reason, cross paths with the Earthlings and forever change the lives of those they come in contact with. / By Bryce Casselman

Bridge School benefit proves music can make a difference
11/01/01 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- I remember looking up at the stage through a television monitor and seeing a young child in a wheelchair with a bike helmet. Tears came to my eyes, I knew this concert was way more than music, it was to benefit children who did not have all the luxuries in life that I did. / By Julie Sulunga