New Equal Access Playground at Burton

by Allison Jones

Friday, 18 November 2011, at 1:00 pm Burton Elementary School hosted a ribbon cutting for their new special needs playground. 

The PTO wrote a program that the children performed which promoted diversity. They told stories, showed pictures they had drawn, and sang songs. The children had been practicing this program since the beginning of the school year.

Also each person or group that donated to the project were announced and thanked. The bulletin handed out at the program provides the whole list which is quite long. The former principal Jordan Busby and Kendra Angel, who led the effort for the playground, both received enthusiastic and boisterous cheers when their names were called.

Tisha Flora and Kendra Angel both answered questions about how this project came to be. Originally the PTO was only looking to get a new regular playground because the one they had was not large enough to serve the number of children at the new school. But then the special needs teacher asked what would be done for their students. A very nice regular playground would cost $27,000 and they wondered how they would raise even that much money; a special needs playground cost $200,000.

But once they realized that Carly, one of their special needs children in kindergarten, could not participate in any of the activities provided in a regular playground they began to see this as a moral and ethical issue. The PTO decided that they could not justify to themselves leaving some of the children out of the play activities that the rest of the children can use. Because of the generosity of the community it took only eight months for the $200,000 to be raised.

Recreation Today is the company that built the playground. Their representative said that on average it takes 100- 200 hours to put together a playground, but because their crew has twenty years experience they were able to get it done quicker. Each piece has around one hundred bolts that must be attached and the surface is made of individual tiles. It took only a week to build the structure and a week to lay the surfacing tiles.

There are many unusual toys available on it such as musical toys for those who don't like to play with others and the tea cup for those who like to spin. These are attractive activities for those with autism. The ramps also allow those with physical disabilities to use the slides and such on the structure. There are also swings that have a bar that fastens the person into it so even those children completely lacking voluntary movement can enjoy them.

There are about a dozen special needs children are in Burton Elementary itself and there are about seventy-five special needs preschool children who also use the school and playground. They are rotated in four classes so that not all of them are present at the same time. The new equal access playground will get a lot of use for the next twenty to thirty years.

Air polution exacerbates droughts and flooding

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122231&WT.mc_id=USNSF_58&WT.mc_ev=click

We live in a high altitude desert.  It is important that we know about this so we can reduce our aerosol emissions and thus help make sure we receive more rain to keep our reservoirs full.  This is especially important if we want our city to grow and thus require more water than we are currently using.

Veteran's Day Memorial Ceremony

by Allison Jones

The sky was mostly clear and the air chilly as people, including children from Adams Elementary School, gathered at the memorial in Smith Park to commemorate the nation's war veterans. All branches of the armed services were honored and the service hymns played by the Madison High School band. Though the Navy hymn is not in fact Anchors Away, but Eternal Father, Strong to Save. Each branch, except the Coast Guard, was represented by veterans present.

The BYU-I ROTC and the Rexburg Police Department cooperated to accompany each of the people laying the eleven wreathes placed in honor of our veterans. Each group in their dress uniforms and seeming to take their duties seriously. The school children seemed most impressed by the flyover of three single prop plains from the Legacy Flight Museum.

Judge Greg Moeller offered remarks on the sacrifice our military personnel make for the rest of our country's citizens and our duty to make use of that sacrifice by becoming contributing members of society and using the freedoms we have been granted, such as voting in elections. Captain Aaron Jarnagin's keynote address focused on supporting our active troops and veterans and helping in our communities. These messages seemed timely as our current society does not hold our military in the esteem they held in former years as well as the common lack of participation in civic activities.

The rifle salute was provided by our local VFW Post and followed by a cannon salute from B Battery 1-148 FABN. This is done to honor those killed in action. The cannon was loud enough that all of Rexburg should have heard it. The park's squirrels certainly did and proceeded to flee the area.

The Madison Fire District Pipe and Drum Brigade favored us with a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace while in full regalia. The bagpipe is a very difficult instrument to master and it is impressive that we have four talented pipers here in Rexburg. One of my neighbors has been learning so that he can participate and it takes many hours of practice to become proficient. Luckily I am fond of bagpipes.

After the benediction the audience was encouraged to peruse the war memorial. It has quotes, names of local veterans, and information pertaining to each of the country's wars. I would recommend viewing it at least once. We should remember our veterans and war dead more frequently than just on Veteran's Day; without them we would not even have our country or the freedoms we enjoy.

A Moral Delima

Is It Really Their Loss and My Gain?
By Susan Jones
 
My daughter came to visit from California and we went to Porter’s as we always do. She wanted to make a quilt and found the perfect fabric and pattern in a kit. When she gave the cashier the credit card the cashier said, “$20.00.” We had expected more and went out to the car with the bag to study the receipt. She determined that she was charged for the pattern but not the whole kit. Therein lays the dilemma which shouldn’t be such a hard decision if you have any morals at all. But this was a 35 year old woman too old for her mom to tell her what to do. So I waited for her to think it through.
“We spend a lot of money at Porters and you know there is a big mark up. They won’t miss it.”
“Well, they have to pay their workers out of the profits.”
“What would you think of me if I just walk away?”
“It is more of a matter of what will you think of yourself? I think your conscience would always bother you and you wouldn’t be able to let it go.” 
“I think I could.”
“If they had overcharged you a quarter you would expect them to make it right.”
“True.”
“It is a matter of being honest and doing the right thing. You think about it while I go pick up a prescription.”
A little later she said, “Take me back to Porter’s. How should I do this?”
“Just take the receipt and the kit in and explain what you think happened.”
And she did and paid the remainder of the bill. Now what is the reward for doing what is right?
The cashier thanked her for coming back in and that makes you feel good. And you feel relieved of a quandary and your character is intact.
But for me I wanted to tell everyone we met that my daughter had a moral dilemma and she chose the right. I was so proud of her. Maybe because it reflects on the parents; “Raise up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 You can always hope.

Honoring Veterans Day

This is a brief article about recipients of the Medal of Honor.

"Among those who have served throughout the years, the recipients of the Medal of Honor (MOH) deserve our utmost respect and admiration."

Ribbon Cutting for the Glass Slipper

by Allison Jones

The Glass Slipper is a shop where one can rent dresses for weddings or proms that opened in July.  The dresses are designer but can be rented for a fraction of the cost to purchase them.  The store covers dry cleaning and alterations as well.  Their hours are 10 am to 6 pm Monday thru Saturday but appointments may also be made for before or after those hours.  The rentals also last for however long the dress is needed for the event and not just for the event itself.  This quaint store is located at 110 East 1st North in Rexburg.  You can also check out their website at www.formaldressrentals.com for more information.

Nuclear Iran

Well, this is a troubling development, though not entirely unexpected.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577026103201770154.html?mod=e2tw

Ribbon Cutting for Gandolfo's

by Allison Jones

Today at 11:30am Gandolfo's opened their new food truck in the parking lot by Taco Bell. This is a nation wide franchise restaurant selling sandwiches. Their goal is to rebuild their following in Rexburg and will stay open through the winter months. One idea they had was that people could call in their orders and when they are ready twenty minutes later they can walk the order out to the customer's car so that they don't have to brave Rexburg's frigid weather. They also have a facebook page so you can go on there and share your opinions and suggestions. Besides coming to the truck to order, they offer catering services and they already cater events in Idaho Falls.

Meet the Mayor Candidates

by Allison Jones

Last night there was a lively forum with Rexburg's candidates for mayor at the Romance Theater. There are three people running for the position. Donna Benfield has spent ten years on the city council and has owned her own retail business for twenty-three years and wants to focus on keeping the family community feel to Rexburg while growing smartly. Erick Salcedo is a student of BYU-I and wants to focus on encouraging American ideals and values. And finally, Richard Woodland has been the mayor for the past two years, has cut spending by $500,000 during his tenure, and wants to focus on helping Rexburg grow.

Questions were gathered from the Standard Journal's editorial staff, those submitted to the paper on-line, and the audience. The publisher of the Standard Journal was the moderator.

1. What do you bring to the table?
   Donna Benfield said that she brought her experience running a successful business. She also pointed out that the City Council is responsible for most of the city's improvements.
   Erick Salcedo has studied economics and politics and says that government is not a business and should stay out of the way of the city's businesses.
   Richard Woodland said that he had already been helping Rexburg's finances, responded to emergencies, and made suggestions to the City Council that have improved the city.
2. Does Rexburg need a chief financial officer and a full time mayor?
   All of the candidates agreed that both positions were necessary. Benfield expanded her answer to say that with a five million dollar budget we need someone the keep an eye on it and being mayor is already a full-time job. Woodland believes that the mayor ought to rely on experts to make sure each issue is dealt with well.
3. Your thoughts on Rexburg Rapids and if you would finish out the projects still to be finished?
   None of the candidates were opposed to Rexburg Rapids and finishing the planned projects though Salcedo thought that it could have been better planned and partnering with the private sector would have saved money.
4. The growth of BYU-I and the issues surrounding having 50,000 seasonal residents.
   Benfield answered that there is already a plan in place to accommodate the school's expansion. Also there need to be more jobs available, and hopefully some industry can be enticed to Rexburg as well as more retail stores. Mostly the city needs to stay ahead of the community's needs.
   Salcedo thinks that more students will be staying here year round and that we need to get the students shopping in Rexburg. Currently 63% of business from the students is lost to Idaho Falls. He also thinks that we need to try new strategies to bring new businesses to Rexburg.
   Woodland believes that if we can get more technology based jobs moved into Rexburg then we wouldn't lose as many people to jobs and businesses in Idaho Falls.
5. The relationship and communication between Rexburg and BYU-I and the students.
   While all the candidates agree that the relations between the city and the university are good, Woodland asserts that they have improved while he has been in office, Benfield thinks that a new BYU-I student advisory board would be helpful, and Salcedo believes that the city to be more direct in its outreach to students and also to stay out of their lives.
6. Would it be a good idea to rotate out department heads?
   This was a new idea to the candidates but Benfield thought it would keep them on their toes while Salcedo and Woodland thought that is was unnecessary.
7. Shouldn't we be worried about the economic depression the nation is in?
   Each of the candidates pointed out that BYU-I is still growing and that the city should take advantage of the growing student population.
8. Road Repairs
   Richard Woodland said that there are already plans in place to evaluate and maintain the roads and that they are working just fine.
   Donna Benfield said that she has spent the last year researching and creating a plan to inventory the roads and repair them systematically.
   Erick Salcedo wants to reduce traffic and wear on the roads by promoting shuttle services and have a systematic repair plan.
9. What are your opinions of Rexburg's new skyline with high density housing?
   Benfield answered that high density housing was good for around campus but that it should stay out of the established neighborhoods. She also said that the apartment complexes to offer shuttle services since they do not have as much room for students to bring their own cars.
   Salcedo believes it is an inevitable development due to the growth of the school and agrees with Benfield that there should be shuttle services and that they need to be planned to preserve existing neighborhoods.
   Woodland said that they take advantage of existing infrastructure and thus save the city money. Also he is a fan of the underground parking planned for some of these new complexes but believes the school and city still need to work on providing more parking available to the students since they are not going to stop bringing their cars with them to school.
10. What is the issue you are most passionate about?
    Salcedo wants to focus on joining the local and student populations and encouraging values and civic participation.
    Woodland would focus on sustainable economic growth and providing more recreation opportunities in town. He is in favor of building an indoor pool if the people will vote for a bond to pay for it.
    Benfield wants to keep the feel and spirit of Rexburg while planning for expansion.

In conclusion Richard Woodland says that his is doing a good job already, Erick Salcedo wants to teach values to the youth, and Donna Benfield plans make the changes the voters told her they wanted while she was canvassing homes.

It's NaNoWriMo Time

by Allison Jones

November 1 heralds the beginning of National Novel Writing Month.  It is when aspiring writers all over the country set out to write 50,000 words by midnight November 30.  We do this for fun, the satisfaction of achieving a goal, and just to see if we really can write that much even if it isn't perfect.  At the end of the month there are often local get togethers of those who participated.  The Idaho Falls Public Library is participating in the Come Write In! initiative to encourage those participating to use the library during this time.

There are also special offers available to those who are participating in NaNoWriMo.  CreateSpace is offering five free paperback copies of a finished book for all NaNoWriMo winners.  That means that if you get to 50,000 words by midnight November 30 you will receive a printed copy of your story.  Last year you had until April to finish polishing it up before it had to be turned in to the company. There are also other offers for participants and winners.  Beyond that some of the stories are picked up by publishers every year.

To participate all you have to do is go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up.  It is free and the event is sponsored by various writer centered businesses.  As you write you periodically turn in your manuscript for an official word count.  No one will get to read your story unless you give them permission, so there is no need to feel shy about officially participating.  Plus there are other services available on the site.