This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some Utah County Republicans are questioning the party's donations to three GOP legislative candidates running in Salt Lake County.
They ask: Shouldn't a county party support the candidates in that county and let the other counties take care of themselves?
When one Utah County Republican delegate queried a party officer about donating to Salt Lake County candidates, she was told those candidates support Utah County issues.
But cynics suspect a different reason.
The Salt Lake County recipients of Utah County generosity are House candidates Craig Hall and Dana Dickson, and Senate candidate Brian Shiozawa. Each received $1,000.
The skeptics are asking if the two House candidates in Salt Lake could be votes for House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo. So far, she doesn't seem to have a challenger for her leadership position in the House. But she barely beat former Speaker David Clark in the leadership race two years ago, and several of her supporters are leaving the Legislature.
There also is speculation that Lockhart could be gathering support for challengers to take on House Majority Leader Brad Dee, R-Ogden, and House Majority Whip Greg Hughes, R-Draper. Dee and Hughes backed Clark in the vote for speaker.
The Utah County folks point out that the three Salt Lake County candidates were given more by the county party than 10 candidates whose districts are in, or include, Utah County.
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Shoot 'em up for democracy • Contributors to Republican Gov. Gary Herbert's recent fundraising gala got to wear tuxedos and gowns, spend $500 to eat at a fancy hotel and pay for their own parking.
Contributors to Democratic Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder's campaign get to spend $500 to go to Grantsville and shoot stuff.
Winder's fundraising event Oct. 10 is at the Big Shot Ranch and will feature law enforcement SWAT members who will teach the participants who cough up $500 apiece how to shoot tactical police and military weapons.
The participants will compete in three-person teams with such firearms as a Glock 22 handgun, Remington 870 shotgun and a Colt AR-15 rifle.
And for an additional donation, participants can "light up the night" by participating in a tracer shoot at dusk.
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Happy birthday, Mr. Kidney • Fred Romero is 67, but the birthday he'll be celebrating Monday is just the 42nd.
That's how long his kidney has been in his body.
Romero's is one of the oldest transplanted kidney recipients in the United States. He received the organ in 1970. The donor was his brother, Eloy, now 63, who had just returned home from a stint in the military.
Fred was on dialysis when Eloy offered to give him a kidney. They were going to wait until Eloy had six months with his new employer so he would have insurance coverage. That would have been in February 1971.
Fred's condition worsened so he couldn't wait that long. The only problem was, in the meantime, Eloy got married and needed to run the idea past his bride.
She agreed, and the kidney went from one brother to the other, where it remains functioning and healthy.