The winners and the losers

• Winner: Anyone who either has been a Boy Scout or the parents of one knows what it takes to earn merit badges. Often, motivating the Scout takes as much work as earning the badge itself. So it was especially impressive this week to hear about 17-year-old Parker Duncan of Bountiful, who has completed all 121 merit badges available.

Duncan set a goal of doing this when he was 11. With that kind of resolve, he has learned the secret to succeeding in virtually any venture he finds worthwhile.

• Loser: Granted, Goshen isn't a huge city. Its population is about 950, depending on who may have just had a baby or who has visitors for the Pioneer Day holiday. But even for a town the size of Goshen, it's a shame when no one signs up to run for a spot on the Town Council. It's doubly a shame when no one signs up to run for two vacant seats.

But that's the situation. The deadline came and went this week, and no one wanted to devote themselves to public service. If anyone does fill the seats, they will win through a write-in vote.

Maybe Goshen doesn't have a lot of burning issues at the moment, but self-government requires people willing to take care of the sometimes mundane but none-the-less important decisions, as well.