Amy Nicholson

Many cities around the country have book discussion groups, but Weber Reads is unlike most of those, according to volunteer coordinator Margaret Rostkowski.

For one thing, she says, Ogden is the ideal city because it is small enough that a lot of people know each other, yet large enough to have resources such as Weber State University.

Ideas from smmartideas.blogspot.com by Lisa Bergantz:

Cranberry Shooters

Teaches reading and math

To make the shooter, roll half a piece of construction paper into a tube. Make sure the diameter is just large enough to fit a cranberry. Fasten one end closed with a paper clip.

Make a list of holiday words such as "lights," "Christmas," "presents," "songs," "nativity" and "snow."

The first time you meet Lori Rogers, a petite lady in her 40s whose positive attitude is contagious, you would never guess that she broke the state record in a deadlift competition earlier this year -- and took second place at the world championship weightlifting finals this month.

It would be even harder to guess that she accomplished her goals after battling lupus for 27 years.

Many people living in Utah associate rabbits with fuzzy, cuddly creatures like the Easter Bunny. Or, maybe even the wisecracking Bugs Bunny.

But few think of rabbit when contemplating the question, "What’s for dinner?"

Over the summer, Shana Hess, owner of Jasoh!

Obesity has become a widespread health concern. Last year, the Surgeon General revealed that two-thirds of adults in our country, and one-third of our children, exceed what is considered a healthy weight.

In that report, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated that one of the best ways to reverse this trend is to "show people how to choose nutritious food."

Hai Fitzgerald, owner of Thyme & Seasons Market Place, a restaurant in Bountiful, wants to do his part.

Fitzgerald grew up eating fresh, homegrown foods on a farm in Vietnam.

Taggart's Grill, located up Weber Canyon past Morgan, is off the beaten path. Yet the restaurant, rich in its history and famous for its homemade food and desserts, is always busy.

Currently owned by the Tuttle family, Taggart's was originally opened by the Taggart family as a gas station in 1937. By the early 1960s, it was operating as gas station and burger joint, until it burned down later that decade.

In the early '70s, the Taggarts rebuilt what is now a small part of the current building. At the time, it was a small convenience store, which closed in 1979.

From a 6-year-old with an alter ego, to a group of senior citizens struggling as they near the end of life, to a 21st-century fairy tale, Weber State University's One-Act Play Festival has it all.

Students enrolled in Tracy Callahan's second-year directing course have pulled together seven 30- to 45-minute productions, complete with student casts and costumes, to bring on the laughter and to bring on the tears.

Three of the plays, "Dogbrain," "The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year" and "Mirror, Mirror," are appropriate for all audiences. In fact, "Dogbrain," is written for children.