Crossing To Safety
The Department of Alocholic Beverage Control doesn’t support jaywalking. Yet, when considering a full-servicerestaurant liquor license for the Iron Gate Grill in downtown Logan, the distance from the LDS Tabernacle was measured as a jaywalker walks. DABC spokeswoman Sharon Mackay says the DABC has reconsidered and measured again, this time using the closest crosswalk, placing the grill 702 feet away from the Tabernacle. Beyond 600 feet, the grill doesn’t need a waiver from the LDS Church—which the church was not granting—for the license. This clears the way for the grill to provide a complete dining experience. That is assuming, of course, that the DABC doesn’t run short of licenses at its next meeting.
A Not-So-Free Press
Despite campaign pledges, President Obama is turning his back on reporters wanting to protect their sources. A bill that would enact a national shield law is stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee—of which Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch is a prominent member—in large part because Obama opposes it. The bill would only compel journalists to identify confidential sources in circumstances when time is essential, such as imminent terrorist attacks or a kidnapping. Also, it would place the decision about whether the source should be revealed in the hands of a judge. Obama, however, wants the sources revealed if there is a “significant” threat and judges to be deferential to the administration, which is the same kind of vague language that allowed his predecessor, President Bush, to trample all over American freedoms.
Abstaining from Abstinence
The birds and the bees may be buzzing in Utah schools, if a bill that would offer a twotrack sex-education curriculum to students can gain traction in the upcoming legislative session. One track would provide students with sexual facts, including safe-sex measures, and the other would preach abstinence. While the fight on Capitol Hill will not be easy, the bill may have a shot if a Dan Jones poll—yes, it was paid for by Planned Parenthood, but 51 percent of respondents identified themselves as conservatives—that shows 70 percent of Utahns support the two-track system rings true. Hopefully, the idea of providing parents control of their children’s education will also ring true.
More by Josh Loftin
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Smoking Help, Farm Taxes & Gallivan Skating
Apparently, Salt Lake City officials believe that a premium price is justified for a small, outdoor rink with an ambiance that includes construction noise and heavy equipment ...
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Amendment Madness, Free Legal Aid & Lobbyist Influence
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, plans to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow states to veto an action ...
- Nov 24, 2010
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Anti-affirmative action, TSA Protest & Federal $$
Legislators look to stop affirmative action. Jason Chaffetz still hates body scanners, but doesn't want to protest them in airports. And Utah legislators hate federal money a little bit less after elections.
- Nov 17, 2010
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