Homeowners in the Provo City School District are facing a hike in tax rates, and in light of rising gasoline and natural gas prices, people have cause to worry. The district's 2008-2009 budget deserves close scrutiny.

Pleasant Grove has an opportunity to show the rest of Utah Valley an example of positive cooperation between residents, business and government.

I wish people took more than one day per year to realize just how great this country truly is. There is a reason people risk their lives to come here -- it's the land of opportunity, the land where anyone from a fat guy losing weight eating Subway sandwiches to a young Chinese immigrant singing "She Bangs" can achieve their dreams.

Beehive to a couple dozen Polynesian youths in Utah County for trying to discourage their peers from smoking. The group created a poster for the state Health Department's Real Noise anti-tobacco youth advertising contest. Though not the contest winner, the poster will be used by local businesses. Good work.

Buffalo Chip to the Utah Department of Transportation for even considering making the Mountain View Corridor a toll road. Toll roads are objectionable because Utahns already pay federal and state taxes for highways, and they favor some residents at the expense of others. People on the east side are not paying a toll on Interstate 15. It would be one thing if a parallel route were available to give people a choice. But that's not the case. Tolls are inappropriate on primary corridors.

Civilizations have perished from famine, flood, pestilence and war, but ours might just be the first to die of regulation.

Utahns will be interested in the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission's two hearings this month on whether to abolish the private club fee for gaining admittance to a bar. Getting the silly rule abolished is long overdue.

Arecent incident in the Jordan School District shows that the state's laws on sex education are too narrow and ought to be changed -- but not in the way one lawmaker proposes. Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, would make answering students' questions a criminal offense.

The U.S. Senate is considering an extraordinarily expensive and useless bill to stop global warming, and it's essential that the scheme be scuttled.