Ken Garff generously provides a car to each area high school, which then gives it to a student who excels in academics and citizenship. Granite was dropped because of confusion over its status due to Granite School District's flip-flopping - first deciding to close it, then cutting programs, then calling it an alternative school and finally allowing it to continue as a high school.

So the South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, with support from Hinckley Dodge, U.S. Bank, Zions Bank, Wasatch Steel and other businesses and individuals in South Salt Lake, got Granite a car from Hinckley to be given to a worthy student.

A slap in the face? The way former House Speaker Glen Brown learned he was demoted from his long-time position as chairman of the powerful Utah Transportation Commission may become more of an issue than the demotion itself.

Some of Brown's supporters were asking what Republican they could put up against Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. in the 2008 election after Brown received the news via a telephone call Monday night, just 13 hours before the commission's regular meeting in Brigham City. The call didn't come from Huntsman, but from UDOT Director John Njord. It's reminiscent of the sudden firings in the Department of Economic Development in Huntsman's first year and the more recent demotion of State Corrections Director Scott Carver. Meanwhile, Brown's replacement as chairman, former state Rep. Stuart Adams of Layton, has a history of playing politics with the state's pocketbook. He thwarted a bill designed to reimburse Salt Lake City's $2.4 million in sales tax funds held, but unused, by the state until Mayor Rocky Anderson promised not to participate in future lawsuits against the Legacy Highway in Davis County.

Removing all doubt: Ric Cantrell, chief deputy of the Utah State Senate, is making sure there is no confusion between official Senate business and Republican politics.

Cantrell has arranged for space at the State Republican Party headquarters to perform political work for Republican senators, such as promoting fundraisers. Cantrell says he has been careful to note the amount of time he spends on political duties while at the Senate and not count that as state time. But a separate venue for those duties eliminates the perception of a conflict.

Patriotic family: Kelly and Ellen Springer of Delta have contributed more than their fair share to the defense of the U.S. Their eldest son Derk has been to Iraq twice. Their second son, Josh, returned home from a year-long deployment with the 19th Special Forces Group in the Philippines on May 11, just a week before their youngest son Ryan left for a year-long deployment to Iraq. prolly@sltrib.com