Buffalo Chip to Sen. Lyle Hillyard for going AWOL from jury duty. Hillyard, R-Logan, was supposed to report for jury duty on April 18 in 1st District Court in Logan, the same day he had to conduct some state business. Hillyard wrote a letter to the court explaining his situation and asking to be excused. However, the letter was delivered too late, and an order was issued for Hillyard to come in and face contempt of court charges. It's just as well that he wasn't there. Accused people are guaranteed a jury of their peers, but who would consider a politician a peerfi Even criminals have some dignity.

Beehive to Utah Valley State College for encouraging employees to leave their cars at home this month. UVSC's Professional Association of College Employees designated May as Bike to Work Month, to coincide with the national event. The goal is to get UVSC faculty and staff to engage in physical activity by riding bikes to work or, if they live too far from campus, to ride on their off hours and count the mileage for prizes. With gas prices going through the roof, why not make it a summer-long activityfi

Buffalo Chip to the Utah County Republican Party for entertaining Don Larsen's resolution calling illegal immigration part a plot by Satan to destroy America. While it's not the first wacky resolution to ever come up at a party convention, it's most likely the first -- and hopefully last -- one to invoke the Prince of Darkness. While enough convention delegates walked out of the hall to scuttle a vote on the issue, the damage was already done. The party made Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," ensuring national embarrassment, as well as validating Churchill's quip that democracy was the worst form of government man had come up with.

Beehive to the Utah County Jail for coming to the rescue of Orem residents battling Japanese beetles. Residents living in the parts of Orem where the beetles have been found have been asked to not plant gardens for three years while the state sprays for the bugs. Adrian Hinton, Utah State University extension agent, said low-income families in the area can obtain fresh produce from the county jail, where inmates grow vegetables on a 5-acre plot. The garden is part of the county jail's industries program, and Utah County Sheriff's Lt. Dennis Harris noted that the inmates who work in the garden usually stay out of trouble after they're released.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.