Herald
The
Journal
Vol. 100 No. 021 Thursday, January 21, 2010
Weather
High: 40
Low: 27
— Page A12
­Update
Gay issues
Logan Mayor Randy Watts
has told city employees to limit
conversations with reporters.
Watts announced the new
policy at a meeting of the city’s
higher-ups yesterday morning.
Instead of talking to reporters,
city employees can now interact
with them mainly through writ-
ing only — written questions,
written answers.
When asked via e-mail
Wednesday afternoon about the
AP photo need for the new policy, Watts
This undated image provided by responded, “The reason is to
Adam Bouska/NOH8 Campaign ensure that information released
shows Cindy McCain, the wife
of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,
posing for the NOH8 campaign.
NOH8 is a gay rights group chal-
lenging Proposition 8 passed by
California voters in 2008 banning
same sex marriage.
Cindy McCain
in favor of
gay marriage
WASHINGTON (AP)
— Cindy McCain, the wife of
2008 Republican presidential
nominee John McCain, and
their daughter Meghan have
posed for photos endorsing
pro-gay marriage forces in
California.
Mrs. McCain appears with
silver duct tape across her
mouth and “NOH8” written
on one cheek in a photo posted
Wednesday to the Web site
of NOH8, a gay rights group
opposed to Proposition 8.
The ballot measure passed by
California voters in 2008 bans
same-sex marriage.
The McCains’ daughter
Meghan, who has been out-
spoken in her support for
gay rights, has also endorsed
NOH8. She appears with silver
duct tape across her mouth and
“NOH8” on a cheek in a photo
on her Twitter site.
Cindy McCain contacted
NOH8 and offered to pose for
the photo endorsement, the
Web site said.
John McCain’s office said
in a statement that the Arizona
senator respects the views of
members of his family but
remains opposed to gay mar-
riage.
“Sen. McCain believes the
sanctity of marriage is only
defined as between one man
and one woman,” the statement
said.
Quick read
Is there a fun or
fascinating Web
Web
site you would Sightings
like to share
with fellow read-
ers? Call the
newspaper at
752-2121
and it may appear here.
This week’s Web site:
www.myfootprint.org
Ever wondered how much
“nature” your lifestyle requires?
You’re about to find out. The
Ecological Footprint Quiz on
this site estimates the amount
of land and ocean area your
lifestyle takes up.
Index
Comics.........C3 Obituaries....A6
Classifieds...C5 Opinion........A4
Movies.........C2 Sports..........B1
TV listings......B4
www.hjnews.com
Bridgerland’s Daily Newspaper
Logan limits media contact
Conversations
to be replaced
by written Q&A
By Jay Patrick
staff writer
Wine by the glass
Rose Bergquist stocks the fridge with bottled beer at The Owl Club in Preston on Wednesday afternoon.
Franklin County speaks out on proposed law change
By Devin Felix
staff writer
PRESTON — Restaurant and
bar owners in Franklin County
want to be allowed to serve
wine to their customers, but
they’ve got some opposition.
About a dozen people spoke
at a public hearing Jan. 13, and
most were opposed to a possible
change in county law that would
allow bars and restaurants to
serve wine by the glass, said
Quake aftershock terrifies Haitians
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
(AP) — A frightening new
aftershock Wednesday forced
more earthquake survivors
onto the capital’s streets to live
and sent others fleeing to the
countryside, where aid was only
beginning to reach wrecked
towns.
A flotilla of rescue vessels,
meanwhile, led by the U.S. hos-
pital ship Comfort, converged
on Port-au-Prince harbor to help
fill gaps in still-lagging global
efforts to deliver water, food
and medical help. Hundreds
of thousands of survivors of
Haiti’s cataclysmic earthquake
were living in makeshift tents
or on blankets and plastic sheets
under the tropical sun.
The strongest tremor since
the Jan. 12 quake struck at
6:03 a.m., just before sunrise
while many still slept. From
the teeming plaza near the col-
lapsed presidential palace to a
Editor’s Note: It is mandatory to include all
to the media is accurate and
timely and that all appropriate
personnel have an opportunity
to comment.”
Linda Petersen, a newspaper
editor and president of the Utah
Foundation for Open Govern-
ment, said media interviews
are not addressed in open gov-
ernment law, but that Logan’s
move represents an affront to
transparency.
“Officials’ attempts to cen-
sor what reporters ask through
requiring the submittal of ques-
tions in writing is an absolute
violation of what those laws
stand for,” she said, character-
izing the policy as a disservice
to citizens.
When Watts was asked, “Why
is this happening now? Did
something happen to spur this
action?” he again wrote, “The
reason is to ensure that infor-
mation released to the media is
Alcohol issues
Franklin County Commission
Chairman Dirk Bowles. Current
Franklin County law says beer
is the only alcoholic drink that
can be served at public bars and
restaurants.
Only two people spoke in
favor of the proposed change,
one was neutral and the rest
were opposed to the idea, he
said.
Some of those who spoke
against the issue cited a concern
for public safety and a pos-
5VTQPICHVGTUJQEM
The most powerful aftershock yet
struck Haiti on Wednesday, eight
days after a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince.
THE BAHAMAS 0 50 mi
0 50 km
Atlantic Ocean
CUBA
5.9-magnitude
aftershock HAITI
Wednesday
Port-au-prince
Miragoane
DOM.
Petite REP.
Goave
Caribbean
Jan. 12, 2010
7.0 magnitude
Sea
earthquake
SOURCES: ESRI; USGS
hillside tent city, the 5.9-mag-
nitude aftershock lasted only
seconds but panicked thou-
MUSTANGS WIN
“
“The reason is to
ensure that infor-
mation released to
the media is accu-
rate and timely and
that all appropriate
personnel have an
opportunity to com-
ment.”
— Mayor Randy Watts
accurate and timely and that all
appropriate personnel have an
opportunity to comment.”
A question to the mayor:
“How does this policy benefit
the people of Logan?” Answer:
Eli Lucero/Herald Journal
sible increase in alcohol-related
traffic and law incidents, said
commissioner Richard Wester-
berg. Others said they were con-
cerned that the change would
be a step on a path toward a
general permissiveness toward
alcohol in the county, he said.
Among those favoring the
idea was Rose Bergquist, who
first asked the commission to
consider making the change.
See WINE on A8
5VTQPICHVGTUJQEM
Logan native working in
The most powerful aftershock yet
struck Haiti on Wednesday, eight
Haiti for earthquake relief
days after a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince.
By Emilie H. Wheeler
THE BAHAMAS 0 50 mi
staff writer
0 50 km
Atlantic Ocean
A University of North Texas
CUBA
Health Science Center medi-
cal student who was born and
5.9-magnitude
raised in Logan has spent the
past several daysHAITI
aftershock
Wednesday
in Haiti pro-
viding medical help to those
injured Port-au-prince
in the earthquake.
Miragoane
Bill Betz has been able DOM.
Petite
information to REP. medical school. His parents,
to provide Goave
his wife, Amy Betz, through
Jan. 12, 2010
Caribbean e-mail and text mes-
sporadic
7.0 magnitude
Sea
earthquake
AP sands of Haitians.
SOURCES: ESRI; USGS AP ered up children and ran.
“Jesus!” they cried as rubble
tumbled
<AP> and dust rose anew
HAITI_QUAKE_2 012010:
from government
UPDATES buildings
with a revised estimate of aof homeless, people bolted
around the plaza.
5.9-magnitude Parentsmap
aftershock: gath-locatesscreaming from their tents.
6.1-magnitude quake that struck Haiti
Mountain Crest gets it
done at line versus Logan
— B1
ON THE JOB
Wellsville mayor settles
into his new position
— A3
Logan, Utah $0.50
“This policy should ensure
that information released to the
media is accurate and timely
and that all appropriate person-
nel have an opportunity to com-
ment.”
One city department head
said the policy is a response to
recent Herald Journal articles.
The department head said any
subjects that could be contro-
versial would be subject to the
written Q&A.
But when asked if this policy
comes in response to Herald
Journal coverage, Watts wrote,
“No, it is the City’s effort to
provide accurate and complete
information to the media.”
In the last few months, Watts
has expressed his displeasure
to The Herald Journal regard-
ing several articles. The stories
include:
See MEDIA on A7
Utah Dem
calls for
increase in
income tax
SALT LAKE CITY
(AP) — Anyone in Utah
who earns more than
$250,000 a year would pay
higher income taxes under
a proposal being sponsored
by a Democratic state law-
maker.
Rep. Brian King, of
Salt Lake City, sponsored
a bill that he said would
raise more than $350 mil-
lion for public and higher
education beginning next
year. Under House Bill 90,
the marginal income tax
rate for individuals mak-
ing more than $250,000
would increase from 5
percent to 6 percent. The
marginal tax rate for those
who make $750,000 would
increase from 5 percent to
7 percent.
“Look, nobody likes to
pay higher taxes and for
really wealthy folks this
is a significant amount of
higher taxes,” King said
Wednesday. “But nobody’s
in a better position to
absorb that loss — bear
that burden — than they
are.”
Figures from the Utah
Tax Commission show
those who earn between
$250,000 and $1 million
a year comprise about 1.5
percent of all taxpayers.
Those same filers account-
ed for about 14 percent of
all income tax revenue.
Under Utah’s tax sys-
tem, just about everybody
pays the same 5 percent
See UTAH on A8
sages since he arrived in the
Dominican Republic Friday.
On Saturday, the 1997 Logan
High graduate traveled over
the border into Haiti, where
he has been ever since.
In the days he’s been there,
he’s helped work out of sever-
al LDS Church buildings and
visited the epicenter to see
the worst of the destruction.
Betz is in his third year of
See RELIEF on A8
Up in the hills, where U.S.
troops were helping thousands