Beehive to Student Council members at Lone Peak High School for their warm devotion to a good cause, despite cold weather. More than a dozen students spent much of a chilly Tuesday evening in front of the school asking for donations from people attending a concert. The council is hoping to raise $30,000 for the Jason Long Foundation. Long was an all-state athlete at Lone Peak who died of leukemia in September at age 21. The foundation gives 75 percent of the donations to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where he was treated. The other 25 percent goes to a scholarship fund in his honor. With such dedication, the students can't help but reach their goal.

Buffalo Chip to the Utah Transit Authority for overstating, by as much as 30 percent, ridership on TRAX trains since the system opened in 1999. Paid observers counted riders in the lead car, then estimated how many rode on the rest of the train. A new infrared system, however, has indicated that months which in years past the agency reported 47,000 to 58,000 riders now have just 40,000 to 45,000. Officials don't think the number of riders really dropped; the agency is just getting accurate figures. Mass transit is vital to the region's future, and this only gives ammunition to those who oppose it.

Beehive to the dozens of people who worked for two months to make the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program a success. More than 500 needy Utah County families picked from among 10,000 brand-new, locally donated toys to help brighten the holiday. Camp Williams-based Charlie Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, has led the program in Utah County for years. The unit faced a new challenge this year because the vast majority of its members are deployed in Iraq. "Future Marines" -- those who have been recruited but have yet to go through boot camp -- pitched in, spending hours gathering and sorting toys. We salute all who helped.

Buffalo Chip to a state prison inmate who claims he needs a Thor's Hammer, a sword and other items to worship ancient Nordic gods. Michael Polk sued the Utah Department of Corrections to get access to these things so he can pay homage to Thor, Odin and other deities from long ago in Scandinavia's past. We're not one to criticize someone's religion, but prison officials say that when he checked into his current accommodations, he checked the box marked "None/Atheist" on the appropriate forms. We've heard of jailhouse conversions, but we've also heard of jailhouse shenanigans. We find it curious that Polk picked a warlike, pagan religion that requires weapons for worship. Prison officials say the sword and hammer, plus other items Polk wants -- a mead horn for drinking, a drum and a rune staff -- pose security problems. Polk seems to feel the officials are overly strict, but -- how do we break the news to himfi -- HE'S IN PRISON. Prisoners are notorious for crafting weapons or escape tools out of all kinds of things. Perhaps Polk could grind a small sword out of a dinner spoon in the prison shop.