This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Huntsman family just keeps getting cooler and cooler, which seems to coincide proportionately with less and less Utah-like.
First, we had former Gov. Jon Huntsman drive some legislators into apoplexy when he actually acknowledged the need to deal with human-caused global warming. He pushed to normalize Utah's liquor laws, argued that gays and lesbians have rights, and, blasphemy of all blasphemies, did not get all dizzy and swooning in support of school vouchers.
He committed the dastardly deed of accepting an ambassador's position from — scary organ music here — President Barack Obama.
Then he actually criticized the right-wing, tea-party bent of the modern Republican Party and became one of the leaders of No Labels, a political nonprofit with the aim of bridging the partisan divide in Washington, D.C.
His delightful daughters, Abby and Liddy, entered the media market, one as a commentator for the left-leaning MSNBC and another as a regular guest on a local radio program hosted by Democratic State Chairman Jim Dabakis.
Now, Jon Huntsman Sr. — industrialist, generous campaign contributor, respected philanthropist and a leader in the predominant faith subscribed to by most Utah politicians — has joined the act.
This weekend his luxury estate development Huntsman Springs is sponsoring a top-class wine fair.
In Idaho, of course.
The development, near Driggs in the stunning Teton Valley, has all the amenities including a golf course.
It is catering to the jet-set crowd by hosting the Huntsman Springs First Annual Wine Fair on Saturday. The event will feature "tastings from vintners around the globe" and "over 100 bottles of the finest selections for sampling and purchase," according to the festival's brochure.
The fair costs $85 a person. Here's betting that Utah legislators will not get in for free.
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Fighting fire with fire • The Dolcetti gelato store on the southeast corner of 9th and 9th has a big blank wall that gets tagged so regularly that the proprietors, Mark and Elizabeth England, have developed a friendly relationship with the city, which promptly sends out people to paint over the graffiti.
Still, it's frustrating. So the proprietors are trying a new approach. They have painted a mural on the side of their store, hoping that the tag artists won't deface a mural. They say they have not seen graffiti on other murals around town, so perhaps this could be a trend.
The hope is that even taggers have boundaries.
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One-stop shopping • It appears the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is trying to make life a little easier for the hard-working police and sheriff's deputies around the state.
It is selling a new product that promises to be a hit with the cops: Glazed Donut Flavored Vodka.