The winners and the losers

Winner: The Obama administration said this week it would rather work on solving Utah's wilderness issue a portion at a time than through a single bill that seeks to designate one-sixth of the state as protected land. Given how little progress has been made on the wilderness bill, which has become the perpetual crusade of Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., this is the only logical choice. Getting this president to push the process toward such a move is a good nudge toward solving these long-standing concerns.

Loser: Rep. Kory Holdaway's decision this week to resign from the Legislature was steeped in irony. Holdaway will go to work for the Utah Education Association as a government-relations director, a job for which he likely will become a registered lobbyist. But the UEA supports an initiative campaign that, if successful, would prohibit all lawmakers from becoming registered lobbyists for two years after they leave office. The measure would, in other words, prevent future lawmakers from quitting to take similar jobs. Holdaway does deserve credit for recognizing it would be awkward to be both a lawmaker and a lobbyist, which led to his resignation.

Winner: The State Board of Education has done its part, writing an amended anti-bullying policy that gets specific and that includes cyber-bullying. The policy also is broader than originally discussed, aiming at more than just student athletes, and it includes the need for teacher training to catch problems when they occur. Assuming the board gives final approval to the policy, it will be up to school districts to do their part, which is what really counts. Too often, schools tout their strict anti-bullying policies, but parents of students who are bullied find that the school will do little or nothing to address specific problems. Schools need to demonstrate they will take real action without the need for parents to unite and do some political bullying of their own.