Christopher Smart

Locked and Loaded

Inmate deaths plague Salt Lake County jail.

• By Christopher Smart
Utah is one of 20 states that does not require jail inspections or independent oversight.
• Tags: Cover Story

Flying Dinosaur Days: Christopher Smart (Editor 1996-2002)

• By Christopher Smart
It’s all a fog now, but as I review the fossil record—with carbon-14 dating, of course—it appears that I started at City Weekly sometime in 1993 as a freelancer ...
• Tags: Cover Story, City Weekly, Private Eye Weekly

Politics of Wildlife: It’s Up For Grabs

• By Christopher Smart
Depending upon whom you listen to, it is either an effort to undermine the voting public’s rights or a great move to protect the tradition of Utah living. It is either a plan financed by national, rightwing firearms and hunting groups, or a maneuver...

Audit Says Police Chief Should Bury the Hatchet With Officers

• By Christopher Smart
A management audit of the Salt Lake City Police Department is apparently unable to square poor morale among police officers with findings that Chief Ruben Ortega’s department is making progress and is relatively well run. But the yet-to-become-public...

Breaking Free

The healing force for one prison inmate was the discovery of his art.

• By Christopher Smart
Locked up in a 6-by-8-foot cell at the Utah State Prison, Patricio Toledo was haunted by demons. Not knowing what else to do, he began to draw in an effort to grasp a lifeline—hoping to purge the ill feelings and free himself from his past and the...

Ruben Retaliates

• By Christopher Smart
In an unusual move, Salt Lake City Police Chief Ruben Ortega released protected personnel documents to news media in an apparent attempt to embarrass or retaliate against one of his police officers and president of the local police union. It was the...

Touchy, Touchy

• By Christopher Smart
Some people are very touchy about being criticized. That’s understandable, of course, no body likes to get the brown helmet. But when powerful people whine about getting a little jab here or there, it can be pretty pathetic. People like Sen. Orrin...

Ain’t No Sunshine

• By Christopher Smart
Over at the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control they know a lot about the law. Compliance Manager Earl Dorius is an attorney. Also, they have the aid of the Utah Attorney General’s Office. If that weren’t enough, four of the Liquor...

Master of the Obvious

• By Christopher Smart
Master of the ObviousPresident George W. Bush has come up with a new plan to reduce the number of forest fires—cut down the trees before they burn. Conservatives and timber industry officials are hailing the Bush proposal as a breakthrough on forestry...

Let’s Rodeo!

• By Christopher Smart
Pull on your shit kickers, the Olympic rodeo is coming.For a minute there, it looked as though the Salt Lake (Olympic) Organizing Committee might sever ties with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), with which it contracted to put on a rodeo...