The winners and the losers

• Loser: In local government circles, it's hard to find a bigger controversy right now than the one over where to put a new, publicly funded Broadway-style theater. Sandy City wants it in the city's new downtown. Salt Lake City wants it as part of a new cultural district.

So when Salt Lake County leaders learned this week that the consultant they hired to study the issue, Webb Management Services, already had done a study for Sandy (which has yet to be finished), they had no choice but to fire the company.

• Winner: Jill Stevens didn't win the Miss America pageant, but the Utahn was voted "America's Choice" last weekend in the annual competition. We're not big fans of beauty pageants, which reinforce a host of negative stereotypes. We are, however, big fans of Stevens. She was a medic with the Utah National Guard in Afghanistan and has completed 12 marathons. She wore a one-piece bathing suit to reflect her personal values. We think the people of America got it right.