• Pioneer Park: For 20 years, I've been writing stories about Salt Lake City leaders who want to change Pioneer Park's drug-dealer, vagabond image by pouring money into it. But all the fitness trails and modern restrooms in the world won't bring families there to play. We know that because previous city administrations have tried. Now the city once again is in the middle of a revitalization plan.

There are many reasons why the homeless gravitate to the park. There also are reasons why criminals find their way there. Certainly, the city should do all it can to drive the criminals away, but it can't drive the homeless away without providing somewhere for them to go.

Actually, families with homes would benefit greatly from interacting with the homeless in the park. In reality, however, they seldom want to try.

• The Hoaks twins: These aptly named siblings have been scamming Americans from coast to coast, including in Salt Lake City. Generally, they take advantage of people's softer side, sometimes posing as homeless young boys. The Chicago Tribune profiled the twins this week. Two things are clear from their adventure. One is that Americans remain admirably concerned about people who say they're in need. The other is that, even in the Information Age, it's still possible to go from town to town and stay one step ahead of the law — for a while, anyway.

• Brigham City girls: Police have charged 48 girls in connection with a brawl in a city park. Seems the whole thing was caught on several cell-phone cameras and posted on youtube.com. As I said in an earlier column, little brother, not George Orwell's big brother, is everywhere, watching everything you do. Some people still have to learn this the hard way.