Porn Czar is Educator, Not Prosecutor

Eight months into the job, Paula Houston says she spends most of her time is spent explaining what is and what isn't pornography to Utah's citizens, who have filed 1,500 complaints with her office during that time. Houston, believed to be the first state official whose role is solely to fight pornography, finds that most people need education about what is and what isn't legal. No pornography cases have resulted from her efforts yet.

LDS Man Will Manage Bend, Oregon

Faced with divisions over its rapid growth and a decade of struggle to keep up with it, Bend, Oregon has hired experienced city manager David Hales to run the city. And those in Bend City Hall seem excited about his arrival, after meeting him in interviews and tours. Hales, a returned LDS missionary who served in Korea, was also praised as a family man, first and foremost, and an outdoor enthusiast.

Utah Alcoholic Beverage Commission Allows Religious Ads

In response to a court order, the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission is changing the state's alcohol advertising rules to allow advertising to use religious figures or symbols or a religious theme to promote alcohol. If finalized as part of new rules to be adopted by the commission in December, the change will reverse the commission's ban on religious themes adopted just last Friday. Those rules, which the commission claims were adopted inadvertently, confused Utah alcoholic beverage vendors, who have on occasion poked fun at elements of Mormon culture.

LDS Bishop Won't Be Fooled Again

Bishop Kevin Harsh of the Murray 25th Ward says he won't be fooled again. He was recently asked to announce the time and place of a neighborhood crime watch meeting, but when he attended the meeting with members of his ward, he discovered it was a campaign promotion for a Murray mayor candidate. The candidate, Chad Soffe, a Salt Lake County deputy sheriff, talked about how he could protect the city better than the current mayor. Harsh says he wasn't aware that the meeting would be partisan, and because of the Church's neutrality in elections, he apologized to his ward, "I'd like to publicly apologize for the incident," Harsh said. "I've learned a valuable lesson."

Politics: September 11th Dominates Legislation

Legislation considered in the U.S. Congress last week was dominated by the September 11th terrorist attacks, with the U.S. House considering a measure to enhance domestic security, and the Senate looking at Aviation Security, combating terrorism and a resolution to designate September 11th as "National Day of Remembrance."

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