Here on earth, space is at a premium. City dwellers feel crowded, which is why we come to places like Moab, where the scenic vistas are vast. But even in Moab, traffic gets congested. In seeking more space, what could possibly be less claustrophobic than skydiving? But even the word “skydive” has connotations that have prevented me from considering it in the past, because tha … [Read more...]
Bangerter Family Farm Wins Zoning Battle for Farmland Usage
Alan Bangerter is no stranger to moving his farming operations in the name of “progress,” which usually comes in the form of freeways built on top of and replacing fertile farm ground. The Legacy of Legacy In 1999 UDOT moved the main Bangerter family farm (30 acres that they bought in the 1970s). The farm was located in the intended path of the Legacy Parkway , so th … [Read more...]
Support Our Local Farmers
A local former state leader said to me last month, "Utah is for certain in the top three states when it comes to corruption in the form of crony capitalism." I might have guessed this, but to hear it confirmed by a former state employee of a high rank was a surprise. He didn’t wish to have his name on the record. But this issue is very closely related to our farm issue because w … [Read more...]
Utah’s Changing Landscape
Taking my dogs running around Sugar House's main corridors offers a constantly changing landscape. First we run around Sugar House Park; then along the PRATT trail under 1300 East tunnel; we then go around Fairmont Park to the new dog park, then west along the S-Line Greenway to 700 East. Along this route we hear the constant pounding of nails, and sawing of boards, and witness … [Read more...]
Utah Governor’s Economic Summit
It’s a perfect spring day. The tulips downtown Salt Lake City Grand America are in full bloom. Entering the Grand Ballroom, I sit as a Zions Bank Executive delivers an over-the-top flattering introduction. “The man who has made Utah’s economy number one in the country for the past four years, Governor Gary Herbert!” The governor walks up to the podium to a rousing applause accom … [Read more...]
Hats off to Jim Whittington
Jim Whittington says he never “moved” to Salt Lake City in 1963. “I found myself here after a two-week drunken binge. I was in Helper, then somehow woke up in Springville.” Originally from New Mexico, Jim thought he had died and gone to heaven. “I saw those beautiful mountains,” he says, “and I found that I really like it here. Utah has been good to me.” Jim or JW (Jay Dubya) … [Read more...]
Ogden’s Gift Shop Pawn House: Home to an Extensive Collection of Browning Rifles
Scott Vanleeuwen at Gift Shop Pawn House in Ogden.Every editor knows that a magazine is only as good as its sources. Thus far I have found there is no better source than men with long, white beards. The length of the beard is usually proportional to the breadth of their wisdom. This is why Moses (of the Old Testament) is always portrayed with a beard down to his knees. Scott … [Read more...]
Lin Ottinger: Moab Dinosaur Hunter
Lin Ottinger's life has been marked from one rock story after another. Lin first learned of the value of his arrowhead and rock collections as a boy living in Tennessee. Back then he was hulling corn for $10 per week. And as he puts it, "My mom told me I had to get rid of my arrowheads." By selling his collection to a local barber he learned he could earn more money selling … [Read more...]
Nik Hougen, Moab’s Local Hermit out of Hiding
Nik Hougen is Moab's local hermit. He lives alone in the rugged wilderness far from downtown Moab. When Richard Markosian, Utah Stories publisher, interviewed him Nik explained how to find him, "You need a UTV to go the first 90 minutes. Then you need to walk the next stretch. It's rough country—about 45 minutes if you don't stop." After run-ins with the BLM and unwanted a … [Read more...]
Aliens at Dugway Proving Ground: Spaceships taking off from “the new Area 51”?
As home to 1,400 residents, you might call Dugway Proving Ground the ultimate gated community. There are an estimated 300 miles of roads around Dugway, but residents have clearance to only a fraction of the secret areas surrounding this mysterious place in Utah’s west desert. Conspiracy theorists claim that Dugway is the “New Area 51”, and that US Government secret programs a … [Read more...]