The winners and the losers

• Winner: Utah's film industry is one of the state's nicest little secrets. Outside of Hollywood, Utah has historically been one of the giants of movie production, dating back to the days of the old Westerns. That prominence took a hit after 9/11, but a recent story in this newspaper outlined how things are coming back strong, with help from some enticing tax incentives.

"Pirates of the Caribbean," "High School Musical" and a lot of other big name films and TV productions are being added to Utah's already impressive list of credits — big news for the state even though most film viewers aren't aware they are looking at Utah scenery.

• Loser: This week's Utah Gang Conference was an important reminder that organized crime remains a huge problem in Utah. The conference made it clear that the problem extends to places like St. George and Tooele, and that gangs are becoming more violent.

The good news is that gang-related crimes overall are down in Utah. The bad news? "There are several things that are happening in the valley that could escalate in an hour," said Sgt. Bill Robertson with the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit.