Former party executive director Todd Taylor confirmed that part of the reason was to keep the lower group-rate coverage for its remaining full-time employee - himself.
"There were other reasons why we kept her on the plan, but because of confidentiality agreements, I can't discuss them," said Taylor.
The departed employee, Merlin Worthy, had been director of the party's coordinated campaign efforts. Taylor said that continued health coverage after an employee resigns is done as part of severance packages all the time. But current Democratic Party Chairman Donald Dunn didn't think it was appropriate and did away with that practice when he took over two years ago.
Absentee owners? The four-hour forum Wednesday on the future of downtown Salt Lake City had some notable absences - like all seven of the City Council members who also serve as the Redevelopment Board that determines how millions of dollars of investments will be spent in the city.
Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie chided Mayor Rocky Anderson for the mayor's criticism during the forum that the LDS Church has not been more forthcoming about its plans to rebuild two malls. But Beattie said nothing about the council members' absence.
Perhaps they will get a private screening from the church.
Community support: Some Cedar City employees either have a clever sense of humor or a dose of insubordination, depending on one's point of view.
Cedar City Manager Jim Allan was charged recently with impersonating a police officer for allegedly flashing a ceremonial tin badge at a truck driver he thought had cut him off and threatening to arrest him.
So employees of the city water department showed up to work wearing toy plastic badges, although there were no attempted arrests for hogging the drinking fountain.
Absent-minded millionaire: Utahn Ken Jennings - the all-time money winner on the game show "Jeopardy!" - may be a pretty smart guy, but he apparently has trouble remembering where he parks his car.
A story found on the Web site of Fox 19 in Cincinnati earlier this month quoted Jennings' speech to students at Siena College, where he confessed that he was so absent-minded after passing the million dollar winnings mark on his way to more than $2 million, that he forgot where he had parked his car.
The layout of the garage confused him, he said.
What's in a name? The Logan City landfill, which services all of Cache County, has about 20 years of life left, so officials have been searching for a new site.
The city found the ideal location recently and purchased the land for the new refuse dump from a local farmer. It's located between Cornish and Clarkston near the Idaho border and should be easy to find.
It sits between Dirty Head Road and Stinky Creek Road.
prolly@sltrib.com
