May 1st, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

Park Strips:

It is clear that the majority of people in Logan want the city to proceed with reclaiming the "Park Strips" and would like officials to help reverse the decline of some of Logan's higher density areas. However, because this action would so adversely affect many properties that are old enough that they weren't built with vehicles in mind, some consideration should be made to mitigate the impact on these properties..... more

300 East 300 South in Logan.

April 21st, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

The State of Utah recently announced that it will be receiving an additional $14 million as part of the settlement with tobacco manufacturers, bringing this one year tobacco settlement total to $42 million. The additional money has been attributed to the Attorney General's Office holding Big Tobacco accountable for healthcare costs related to smoking. As usual, smokers who are the primary contributors to this money will see only a small amount of this money actually used to help pay for smoking secession or related medical problems.... more

March 11th, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

The following letter was submitted for publication in the Utah State University newspaper, The Utah Statesman. It was written in response to an essay by Jascee Bennett of the Bear River Health Department concerning the dangers of Second Smoke.

A recent Utah Statesman article by Jascee Bennett, Tobacco Coordinator for the Bear River Health Department, titled "Dispelling the myths about secondhand smoke (SHS)," not only failed to present the entire "truth" about secondhand smoke but was occasionally downright false and misleading. I would never argue that SHS is not harmful but it is important to... more

February 29th, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

The following letter concerning Utahs Liquor laws was mailed to Governor Jon Hunstman Jr. on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008.

Dear Governor Huntsman, I am writing to encourage you to veto S.B. 211 should it come before you containing language that would remove favored malt beverages from retail stores. I came to many of the following conclusions while researching an essay on the topic for LincolnsBlog.com, a site that I currently publish and manage. While compiling information on this subject; it occurred to me that the most powerful and underlying issue in this case had to do with the fact that many Utahans see this legislation... more

January 18th, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

In a surprising move yesterday the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) declared through their spokesperson Kim Farah that the Church agrees with both the Utah Attorney General and Utah's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission that so called Alco-Pops should be removed from grocery stores and sold only at state run liquor stores. The main issue at hand is the general belief that these beverages are just too good tasting and thus too much of a temptation for underage kids. By encouraging in their statement for the state legislature to take up this issue, the LDS church is encouraging what is likely the first legislation in the country to restrict a legal item based almost entirely on its "good" flavor. It is nothing new for churches of many different denominations to take political stands on key issues. The movement to make abortions illegal by religious groups is a perfect example of faith based political activism. Here is the question that many Mormons must ask... more

January 14th, 2008 - Richard Okelberry

Last week, while driving home towards River Heights east of Main on 3rd South in Logan, I came across an elderly man shuffling slowly towards traffic on the outside edge of the street. Logan had experienced a relatively heavy snowfall a few days earlier and the sidewalks along this street where still packed with snow. This man, obviously intent on his destination had decided to brave the oncoming caravan... more

October 17th, 2007 - Richard Okelberry

By now most are familiar with Utah's Referendum 1, Voucher Debate. Many issues have been raised by both sides during this controversy. Regardless of the legitimacy of these arguments it is clear to me that the main driving force against Private School Vouchers, Utahns for Public Schools is being plainly dishonest about their intentions. In most cases of this sort an organization's primary... more