This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With the Salt Lake County Council poised to vote on Mayor Ben McAdams' $1.1 billion budget next week, some ruffled feathers over a tiff between the Democratic mayor and some Republicans on the council might still need soothing.
As the council was going through the proposed budget and making changes recently, council member Aimee Winder Newton proposed more than 80 cuts to McAdams' recommendation, although the end result was nearly revenue neutral since she added budget items of her own.
One item she had removed was the county's membership in the various chambers of commerce, except the Salt Lake Chamber.
Newton also was able to defeat McAdams' proposed appropriation for software that would allow county constituents to use an online link giving them contact information for county services.
She wanted to replace it with a $140,000 software program that would live-stream County Council meetings. While that proposal was discussed, McAdams tweeted: "County Council debating $140,000 for software to live stream. Listen to a live stream of the debate with app I just downloaded. #u.pol"
The dig was that McAdams was showing the service Winder wanted to buy for $140,000 was already available for free.
The council voted down Newton's proposal and she tweeted: "Public access to documents/transparency died with this agenda vote."
The Republicans on the council then went into a closed caucus to lament the failure to be transparent.
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No exit • Jace King has learned that landing in Sen. Mike Lee's newsletter mailing list is like being in the Hotel California. "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."
King never asked to receive the online newsletter, but in October he began getting the partisan takes from Utah's junior senator and, no matter how hard he tries, he can't make it stop.
Every time he has received an email, he has tried to get off the list by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" option.
On Nov. 17 he wrote in the comments section of the email asking to be taken off the mailing list.
Nope. Didn't work.
The latest came Tuesday with Lee's declaration that everyone agrees that Obamacare is a train wreck and we need Sen. Lee and his wisdom to save us from the abyss.
King was invited to join a telephone town hall meeting this week to learn about Lee's latest ideas.
King would rather not.
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Meanwhile • Bob Edwards feels like he is being stalked by Lee.
The senator held his telephone town hall meeting Wednesday, and it robo-dialed Edwards' workplace voicemail 19 times, leaving 19 messages. He also received emails, and his office phone system called him at home 19 times to deliver the messages.
What a way to ruin a guy's quiet night with the family.
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Wise words to heed • Cryptoquote, which appears daily on The Salt Lake Tribune comics page along with the crossword puzzle, the Jumble and Sudoku, challenges players to figure out the quote and who said it.
A recent Cryptoquote proved timely, considering the controversy over the LDS Church's policy changes regarding same-sex couples and their children. The quote: "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." — Thomas S. Monson.
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Dyslexic tour guide • The November edition of Delta's Sky Magazine has a four-page spread advertising Utah's national parks, dubbed "The Mighty Five."
It describes with breathtaking pictures the vistas of Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef national parks.
But the last part of the spread prompts a double-take from anyone familiar with Utah.
On the left is a picture of Zion, covered by large white letters spelling out "Bryce." On the right is a picture of Bryce, with the large white letters spelling out "Zion."
Oh well, the ad did spell "Life Elevated" correctly.
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A well-prepared staff • My friend Mike Littlefield was dining at Franck's Angel Cafe in Cottonwood Heights this week, but before ordering from the menu he asked for a glass of ice water.
The waitress immediately placed the glass in front of him and, being my age with similar dexterity abilities, he promptly tipped it with his arm, spilling the ice and water all over the floor.
The staff couldn't have been more patient and polite, swiftly sweeping up the ice and mopping up the water.
He then was given a new glass of ice water.
But this time, it was in a sippy cup.