Dec. 31: Top Stories of 2010

In this Sunday Edition special, KSL's Bruce Lindsay reviews major issues in Utah during 2010.

Sunday Edition is a program about issues. It airs each Sunday morning at 9 a.m. This show puts state issues in context and considers their significance not only a year, but also in shaping our lives.

Segment 1:

Politics

2010 was a big year in Utah politics. On Election Day, Utah ended up with a new United States senator and an even more conservative Legislature.

In 2010, political careers began and those that ended did so with a splash of publicity.

In January, just weeks before the Legislature was to start, Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack was arrested for drunk driving after an evening at a local club. He resigned right away.

The session moved smoothly, until the last night when House Majority Leader Kevin Garn dropped a bombshell, admitting he had gone hot tubbing with a minor when he was 28 years old. Garn's political career ended that night. Some say the handling of that public confession on the floor of the House played a part in the speaker David Clark losing his leadership position to Rebecca Lockhart in November.

Politics in 2010 was all about the "Tea Party." The widespread call for change meant trouble for incumbents, even those traditionally considered conservative, like Sen. Robert Bennett. A slew of challengers, angry about his vote for the TARP bailout, lined up to run against him.

The moment of truth came at the May state Republican Convention where delegates pushed Bennett aside. Utah attorney Mike Lee and businessman Tim Bridgewater battled for the conservative vote. Lee won the race for Senate.

Democrat Jim Matheson faced a challenging reelection. First, from a "citizens' candidate," selected by those who thought Matheson wasn't "Democrat enough." Matheson won the primary, but faced what ended up being a serious challenge from his Repubican opponent, Morgan Philpot. He ended up being one of the few Democrats winning reelection this year across the nation.

Republican Gary Herbert had no problem winning over Democrat Peter Corroon in his special election.

And in December, Utah found out it will, finally, get a fourth congressional seat in Washington.

Immigration

States took on the issue of immigration this year out of frustration over Washington's failure to act. Arizona led the charge for radical reform and Utah was right behind. Early in the year the Utah Legislature passed a law that allowed police to be cross-deputized as immigration officers. But the immigration debate got heated when Utah's neighbor to the south passed polarizing legislation.

The country's toughest law against illegal immigration took effect in Arizona in July. It obligated police to determine immigration status if there was reasonable suspicion a person was in the country illegally.

The Arizona law spurred marches across the country by people who feared it would prompt similar laws in other states. And it did.

Utah Rep. Stephen Sandstrom crafted a bill to criminalize undocumented status as a state felony. Sandstrom garnered support and opposition.

Around the time Sandstrom announced plans for his bill, a list of 1,300 supposed illegal immigrants in Utah began circulating. It included names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and some Social Security numbers. The information leak was traced to two employees at the Utah Department of Workforce Services. "The List," as it became known, stirred a pot already boiling over with emotion.

Community leaders who hoped to change the tone of the debate created the Utah Compact. The Utah Compact outlined five guiding principles for immigration reform: federal solutions, law enforcement, support for families, the economy and a free society.

The Utah Compact was our topic on a recent Sunday Edition. The compact's influence will be measured when the Legislature convenes next month when more than a dozen immigration bills are expected to be introduced.

Religion

2010 has been a landmark year for people of many faiths in our state. From building houses of worship, to speaking out on issues, to welcoming new leaders, the religious community has experienced them all.

During the last year, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated, rededicated, broke ground for and announced new temples throughout the world. President Thomas S. Monson traveled to dedications in Vancouver, Gila Valley, Ariz., Cebu City, Philippines, and Kiev, Ukraine -- the first temple in the former Soviet Union.

November brought the rededication of the Laie, Hawaii temple.

Church leaders announced six new temples and groundbreakings for six others. President Monson joined Italian Latter-day Saints for a temple and Church complex outside Rome.

Bishop John Wester, the leader of Utah's Catholics stepped into the immigration debate, asking for better legislation, supporting the Utah Compact and the Dream Act.

"We believe that strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families," The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, explained.

Hundreds from Utah's Episcopal Diocese participated in the installation service for their new Bishop, Scott Hayashi. Retiring Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish passed the bishop's staff.

Utah's Greek Orthodox community met for an historic, yet controversial vote. The majority of the members of two churches voted to remain as one parish, against the wishes of their religious leader in Denver, the Metropolitan Isaiah.

Carole Mikita joins Bruce Lindsay to discuss the the future of the Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake County, the fire at the Provo Tabernacle, and the passing of Sister Mary Joseph and Arnold Friberg.

Education

2010 was a tumultuous year for education. Budget cuts forced educators to teach more students with less money. And for the first time, research showed the strain of growth and funding may finally be taking its toll.

The year presented a tough formula for educators to solve. There were thousands of new students and millions fewer dollars. And money saving proposals left some people aghast, like the one from Utah legislator Sen. Chris Buttars to eliminate the 12th grade.

Individual school districts also took drastic measures to fill holes by cutting busing, cutting school days, laying off teachers and increasing class size. That last measure brought the breaking point for teachers in the Jordan School District, who threatened to picket community high schools.

"Utah already has the highest class size in the country, so for us to continually raise class size, really continues to inhibit the ability of the teachers to run a quality program," said Robin Frodge, Jordan Education Association president.

New research by the Utah Foundation suggested funding issues may finally be catching up in Utah. It challenged the widely-held perception that even though we're last in the country for education funding, we're outperforming other states. The Utah Foundation compared Utah scores to those of demographically similar states and in every category Utah was dead last or second to it.

The jobs stimulus bill, President Obama signed into law, offered some relief for cash strapped schools. Utah would get $101 million, that could potentially save the jobs of 1,800 teachers. The news provided relief to educators. But some Republican legislators threatened to reject the money, likening it to crack cocaine.

Additional state money may be headed to schools, as part of Gov. Herbert's proposed budget.

"We're going to add $50 million into the budget to help with the growth, the 14,000 new students-plus coming into the education this year," promised Gov. Gary Herbert.

He's also proposed more money to extend all-day kindergarten, a program many educators believe is one of the best investments we could make.

Education funding will likely be a top issue during the 2011 legislative session. Funding education is a huge component of student attainment, but it is not everything. Student success requires much more inside and outside of the classroom. And to contribute to the solutions KSL in 2010 launched its Read Today initiative that is moving thousands of students toward reading proficiency, simply by getting them and the younger ones' parents to read for 20 minutes a day.

Segment 2:

Sports

The oldest definition of "sport" in English, from 800 years ago, is anything humans find amusing or entertaining.

2010 brought many memorable moments in the world of sports.

Utah joined the Pac-10 and BYU football went independent.

"We have no doubt it will give us enhanced athletic and academic opportunities as this university takes it's rightful place among the greatest universities, not only in the United States but in the world," announced University of Utah President Michael Young.

BYU's decision boasts an 8-year partnership with ESPN, bringing a spike in exposure and broadcast revenue.

In August, former Utah Jazz player, Karl Malone, was inaugurated in the NBA Hall of Fame.

Carlos Boozer left the Jazz for the Chicago Bulls, and Al Jefferson left Minnesota and joined the Utah team.

And Park City's Steve Holcomb completed an 8-year ascent to the top, piloting USA to the first Olympic bobsled gold medal in 62 years.

Most Viewed Stories

All year long, when a big news story breaks, we see a spike in activity on ksl.com. Every time someone goes to ksl.com and clicks on a story to read, that click is recorded. And the bigger the story, the more clicking. Ksl.com gets hundreds of millions of web readers each year, and 2010 was no different.

The stories that attracted online readers covered all subjects.

The Camp Williams fire in September, that caused evacuations and wide spread panic in parts of Herriman drew 324,500 web readers. It was the second most-read story on ksl.com.

When Stephanie and Nathan Sloop were charged with the murder of their 4-year-old-son Ethan on May 11, 112,240 web hits were recorded. The number spiked to 200,697 the next day, when charging documents were released, describing the details of the murder.

The shooting death of an LDS Bishop in California was the fifth most-read story of the year, with 155,797 hits.

The firing squad execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner had significant web interest as well, with 117, 501 web views.

In the spring nearly 200 vehicles owned by a Utah man charged with running a ponzi scheme, were sold in an auction. 120,343 clicked to see the vehicles, and buyers from around the world attended.

The LDS Church's unveiling of a replica model of the Salt Lake Temple had 108,942 hits. In terms of subject matter, the Elizabeth Smart and Brian David Mitchell saga generated the most web interest in 2010, because so many stories were generated.

But, the one single event, that attracted the most web hits on ksl.com on just one day involved a woman who stole two cars, including a West Valley Police car, while naked! 340,162 web users clicked, to read more about that one.

To put these numbers in perspective, News Director of ksl.com Graydon Johns joins Sunday Edition. Johns says the average story on ksl.com gets between 3,000 to 4,000 hits. The most popular stories are not always the lead or biggest stories of the day, he explains. Often what draws attention on ksl.com is an unique or unusual story- the type of story with intrigue or the "wow" factor that prompts users to share with their friends and family.

Segment 3:

Editorial

The end of this year brings the end of an era in Utah broadcasting.

For 42 years Duane Cardall has been a voice and a presence on the Utah airwaves. Cardall spent fulfilling years producing documentaries and long-form stories. He traveled much of the world, and showed it to the rest of us with boyish enthusiasm. Along the way, he collected broadcasting's coveted awards, and capped his career as KSL's editorial director, bringing us thoughtful commentary on the issues of our day.

Duane has reached a certain age, that comes all too quickly, and has elected to retire, with this sign-off:

On this last day of the year when we traditionally bid farewell to days gone by, I hope you'll indulge me the personal opportunity of saying goodbye to you, our KSL viewers and listeners.

This will be my last editorial for KSL.

For the past 13 years, it has been my distinct privilege to come into your homes via the marvels of broadcasting to share the views of the KSL Editorial Board. Now, after 42 years in broadcasting here in Utah, 38 of them with KSL, it is time to move on.

Please know how much I've appreciated your involvement in the vital process of public discussion that is so essential in a democracy. Your comments and letters have always been welcomed, read, and considered.

Know, too, that KSL will remain committed to encouraging dialogue and expressing reasoned opinion, although the format future editorials will take with my departure is yet to be decided.

For me personally, I look forward to what the future holds with excitement and optimism. The dramatic technological and societal changes we've witnessed the last four decades are nothing compared to what lies ahead. So farewell to the past and all of you, and hello to tomorrow! May it be the happiest of New Years!