Utah Democrat Jim Matheson is one of the few members of Congress who routinely sides with the other party, according to a new Congressional Quarterly study of partisan votes during the years President George W. Bush has been in office.

Leash etiquette

While running through the off-leash park at the mouth of Parley's Canyon I was threatened by another's dog. The dog was growling, showing teeth and raising its back hair. It looked ready to leap on me. Its owners were both repeatedly yelling, "Leave it!"

Luckily, I was not bitten. As I departed, I yelled, "You should keep that dog on a leash." The owners replied, "We don't have to; this is an off-leash park."

Our current dog, Georgia, would not hurt anyone. I always let her off leash and have never had a problem. Our prior dog, Oscar, was always loving toward my family, but in public Oscar would often get into dog fights and snap at people. Acknowledging his poor behavior, and regardless of laws or rights, I always kept him on leash. I did this to protect others and to keep pepper spray out of Oscar's face. It worked.

Off-leash parks, like any park, are for the civilized. If you own a problem dog, regardless of a leash law, that dog still needs to be controlled.

Dan Lidgard

Salt Lake City

Cell-phone savvy hed

My wife and I recently went to Northern California for our vacation. California has the "Click It or Ticket" seatbelt campaign, just like Utah, plus a law that prohibits the use of handheld cell phones. It was good to see that the drivers and children were, for the most part, all buckled in. The drivers did not use cell phones and they paid attention to the road. It was a good experience driving with people who were aware of what is going on around them.

Then we returned to Utah!

Dan McGrew

Salt Lake City

Airline add-ons

Paul Beebe is smarting a little from the airline add-ons ("Airlines getting lift from fees," Tribune, Aug. 10). I can feel his pain.

Now feel my pain. I live on the West Coast of Canada. My girlfriend lives in Salt Lake City (don't ask). I just booked a round trip, direct flight out of Seattle to Salt Lake City, for $208, including all taxes and surcharges.

Just for fun, I tested the waters out of my native Vancouver, British Columbia. That same flight - well, not exactly the same; I have to go through San Francisco - with Canadian taxes, U.S. transportation tax, something called "U.S. agriculture tax," airport tax, air travelers security charge and facility charge, a U.S. immigration user fee, and, of course, the Sept. 11 security fee - would cost me $834 out of neighboring Vancouver.

Ah, but we have free medical insurance up here! I have been waiting for a hernia operation for eight months. Oh, and I just paid $1.60 for a litre of gas. That's $6 a gallon. Whine all you want; all I can say is "God bless America."

Peter Vincent

Salt Spring, British Columbia, Canada

Blanding

Two current, one former councilmen killed when plan crashes

An early-morning plane crash in southern Utah killed three Blanding men last week, delivering a blow to the small community. Two were Blanding City Council members, and the third was a former member. Eric Johnson, Brian Bayles and Kim Acton died Aug. 8 when their single-engine plane crashed into a wheat field at about 6:30 a.m. as they scouted for elk.

Sanpete County

Plea in abeyance for former deputy

A former Sanpete County deputy who stole drugs has pleaded guilty but will avoid jail. John E. Stevens entered a plea in abeyance Wednesday in 6th District Court in Manti. Stevens must enter drug treatment and obey all laws for two years, after which three felony drug possession charges will be dismissed.

Stevens was a Sanpete County Sheriff's deputy and part of a drug task force. In September, he went to the sheriff and admitted using cocaine and methamphetamine and stealing drugs from an evidence room in Millard County, court papers say. Stevens later resigned from the sheriff's office.

West Haven

Engagement ring left on hood of car is found, returned

A 23-year-old man who left an engagement ring on the hood of a car went from extremely unlucky to lucky when another man riding a Harley-Davidson noticed a little black jewelry box in the middle of the road.

''I never thought we'd see that ring again,'' said Karen Jones, whose son Tyler forgot he had put the $3,000 diamond ring on his girlfriend's car.

After some frantic days of searching, the Jones family placed a classified ad in the Standard-Examiner. Monte Kirk's wife, Debbie, saw the ad, which she had been looking for after her husband had showed her the ring he had found in the road.

Garden City

Couple's plane goes down near Bear Lake

Two people died when their small plane crashed on the western shore of Bear Lake on Saturday morning, police said. Charles W. McCall, in his mid-40s, and his passenger, Deborah J. Lucero, 51, of Kent, Wash., were killed in the crash, Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey said. The couple were flying in to visit friends on Bear Lake.

Fairview

Avid pioneer re-enactor Montell Seely, 74, and 13-year-old Hannah Wagstaff died Tuesday morning when a pickup plowed into a group of pioneer re-enactors traveling east on the shoulder of State Road 31 around 8 a.m. The pickup truck driver had no warning he was quickly nearing the group of 16 re-enactors pulling handcarts and was likely blinded by sunlight, said Utah Highway Patrol troopers, who are investigating. No charges have been filed.