Several months ago, I attended an Orem City Council meeting where the issue of rezoning the beloved Wilkerson Farm from open space to residential housing was heard. The City Council chambers were filled to capacity with Orem residents who were against the proposed rezoning. Many of them spoke ...
At a recent forum for Provo’s District 2 City Council candidates, Councilman George Handley revealed a troubling philosophy. He praised politicians who have the “courage” to ignore the voices of their neighbors and instead rely on their own “convictions” when casting votes. That’s ...
What’s all the hubbub about 501(c)(4)s, PACs, and their impact on elections? And why are Orem voters right to be concerned about “dark money” in local politics? First, let’s clear up the basics. A PAC (Political Action Committee) is created to distribute funds to candidates, political ...
This year being the 50th anniversary of the movie, JAWS, it seems like the perfect time to regale you all with my shark encounter. Since Utah is landlocked, I hadn’t had any live connections before. I’d visited the ocean a few times on vacation but mostly found seaweed. The closest I’d ...
We have been concerned with what seems to be an increasing polarization in our local municipal and school board elections. More than just a difference in ideas and policies, there is a widening divide that includes rancorous and uncivil discourse, and suggests the existence of questionable ...
We Utahns have a discourse problem. In twenty years as a writing instructor, I have seen our speech devolve from reason- and evidence-based persuasion to shouting and bullying. This trend has led increased acts of political violence—including the latest, Charlie Kirk’s murder on my ...
Technology is advancing rapidly, and we must act now to maintain our leadership in this field. From artificial intelligence (AI) research labs at BYU to startups in Silicon Slopes, Utah is helping lead the next wave of innovation. But, without a strong national tech strategy, we risk falling ...
“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty In my earlier editorial ...
Thursday, September 11, 2025, marked the 24th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. The days after both came a resolve to bring those perpetrators accountable along with a unifying of our country perhaps not seen since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. As a ...
Former Orem Mayor Dick Brunst recently published a guest opinion claiming credit for Orem’s new City Hall. As someone who is friends with the former mayor and served on the City Council during his administration, as well as under Mayor Dave Young, I feel compelled to respond with the facts. ...
