Story Archive for 09/02/2010
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Prep Sports Roundup: 9/2
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:18PM
BEAVER, Utah (AP)-Krystyn Stevens posted two goals while Keri Brunson and Shelby Sheriff also scored as the Millard Lady Eagles downed the Beaver Lady Beavers, 4-1 Thursday in Region 13 girls soccer action. Rachel Roberts had the sole goal in the game for Beaver.
SALINA, Utah (AP)-Jayden Bernhardi and Tavia Rice each amassed hat tricks and the Parowan Lady Rams smoked the North Sevier Lady Wolves, 7-0 in Region 13 girls soccer action Thursday.
MANTI, Utah (AP)-Kati Tucker and Kamee Christensen combined for 24 kills as the Manti Lady Templars swept the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 3-0 Thursday in non-region girls volleyball action.
Richfield McDonald's gets new Arches sign
Published on September 02, 2010 at 11:49AM
(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield McDonald’s fast-food restaurant is getting new Golden Arches. Manager Leann Eccles says the new Arches will feature a lot of new items on the menu. Strong winds during the summer blew down the old Arches sign that landed on an automobile, where a teenager was sleeping in the back seat, while his mother was in the restaurant getting lunch. No injuries were reported in the incident. Eccles said the new Arches sign is made of stronger plastic to brace against high winds and should be completely installed at the end of the day today.
No Arizona Construction During Labor Day Weekend
Published on September 02, 2010 at 11:29AM
(PHOENIX)-While numerous residents of the western United States have traditionally flocked to Arizona hot spots such as Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon for Labor Day weekend, the Arizona Department of Transportation has confirmed that there will be no construction closures on Arizona highways for the 3-day weekend.
KPHO-TV, Channel 5 in Phoenix reports that although there are no scheduled closures, ADOT spokesman, John Halikowski, urges visitors to remember that unscheduled closures may occur potentially at any time.
ADOT recommends visitors to bring extra drinking water, snack foods and other supplies to keep cool as Arizona still remains hotter than many of its neighboring states in the region well into September.
During Labor Day weekend last year, Arizona had an alarming amount of fatalities as seven people were killed in five fatal car crashes on Arizonan local roads and highways.
9 Plead Guilty in Navajo Land Drug Ring
Published on September 02, 2010 at 11:08AM
(PHOENIX)-KPHO-TV, Channel 5 in Phoenix, reports that nine people who authorities said were a part of a meth distribution network on the Navajo Nation have pleaded guilty in federal court.
Nearly two dozen people were charged earlier this year for their roles in supplying the Tuba City, Ariz. area with meth.
Authorities said the supply line stretched from Tuba City to the Phoenix metropolitan area with connections to Mexican drug cartels.
Thus far, nine have entered pleas and await sentencing while the cases for 13 others are pending trial.
One defendant faces up to 80 years and $4 million in fines if convicted of meth possession with the intent to distribute near a school. Most others face up to 20 to 40 years.
U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke said he won’t allow Indian tribal lands to be a safe haven for drug dealers.
BLM plans burn in Wayne County
Published on September 02, 2010 at 11:05AM
(RICHFIELD) – The Utah BLM is planning a prescribed burn Sept. 7-11 near Hanksville in Wayne County. Natural Resource Specialist Bob Bate says the burn will take place in an area known as Beaver Wash. Bate said the purpose of the burn is to get rid of standing, dead tamarisk, which is non-native vegetation, currently creating increased fuel loading. The BLM says that due to the increase of fire hazard of dead and dying herbicide-treated vegetation, the Richfield Field Office is creating a fuel break in riparian corridors to prevent the spread of invasive, non-natives and catastrophic wildfire, along with protecting the public and firefighter safety.
Millard Commissioners plan housing hearing
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:37AM
(FILLMORE) – Millard County Commissioners are holding a public hearing regarding the development of a moderate income housing plan as part of the General Plan. Commissioners say they want to gain input on several amendments to the goals, objectives and implementation strategies concerning the Housing Element in the General Plan. The hearing is planned for Sept. 7 at 11am at the Commission Offices in Fillmore.
Judge Waddoups Rehears Arguments To Remand Case
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:33AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Utah District Judge Clark Waddoups reheard arguments in the Peni Cox vs. Recon Trust Company matter in which the plaintiff’s attorneys contend the court erroneously ruled it had jurisdiction and vacated the preliminary injunction issued by a state court halting Bank of American/Recon Trust foreclosures in Utah.
The oral and written presentation to the court by lawyers John Christian Barlow and E. Craig Smay said the court relied upon the erroneous conclusion of preemption.
The plaintiff’s attorneys asked the court to correct its findings and remand the case to state court.
Bank of America/Recon Trust’s attorneys asked the court to dismiss the action, claiming Cox lacked a cause of action while the plaintiff’s attorneys said Recon Trust used the bank to foreclose on homes.
Recon is permitted to serve as a trustee in the state but is required to register and have offices in the state along with its competitors, but only after it becomes a recognized entity. It will then be allowed to foreclose non-judicially.
Waddoups took the matter under advisement following both written and oral reports while his decision is expected in a few days following the judge’s memorandum decision explaining the basis upon which the case is determined.
The plaintiff has filed an appeal of the previous decision to the 10th Circuit Court in Denver which could be heard in late October, depending on the outcome of next Tuesday’s rehearing decision.
Prestigious ex-BYU Signal Callers Return To Fund Endowment
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:14AM
(PROVO)-While Brigham Young University’s athletic department has had a big week which has seen them potentially net millions of dollars in future revenue via their contract with ESPN, great Cougar quarterbacks of the past are also returning to raise even more money.
Friday and Saturday, ex-BYU star quarterbacks, Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, Marc Wilson, Virgil Carter Gifford Nielsen and Steve Sarkisian are visiting their alma mater to raise a million dollars to endow four scholarships for the football program.
While this benefits the football program primarily, other entities at the university will also benefit, such as funding for students and salaries for professors.
With evidence emerging from numerous scholarly and academic journals that the Bowl Championship Series creates larger discrepancies than before, even in the academic arena of higher education, college athletics departments are entering a new arms race to fund the universities which they represent, especially those who do not obtain automatic access to the BCS, such as BYU.
The huge reservoirs of cash that storied athletic departments throughout the country, such as Stanford, Duke and Ohio State, have enable them to bring in stellar athletes who are able to use prestigious facilities and be the best they can be. BYU is doing their best this weekend to keep up with the proverbial Joneses.
Currently, BYU has roughly 255 scholarships available for 588 student athletes competing in 19 NCAA-sanctioned sports and while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which owns and operates the university, often is able to keep BYU athletics in the black, an endowment can do nothing but help in a time rife with economic uncertainty.
These types of endowments are not unprecedented at the university as those who have been recipients of academic endowments include U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and LDS Apostles, Jeffrey R. Holland, L. Todd Christofferson and Neil L. Andersen.
The experience promises to be exceptionally surreal for Sarkisian as he currently serves as the head coach of BYU’s opponent Saturday, the Washington Huskies.
Illegal Immigration May Be Declining in Utah
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:07AM
Updated on September 02, 2010 at 05:04PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-The flow of illegal immigrants to Utah has slowed to the point that it may have reversed direction with more of them returning to their native countries according to a statement released Wednesday by the Washington D.C.-based Pew Hispanic Center.
Furthermore, the study estimated the number of illegal immigrants dropped by 8 percent, or 10,000 people from 2008 to 2009.
Nevertheless, study authors cautioned those numbers are within statistical margins of error, so it’s possible no decrease occurred.
Of course, conservative leaders in the state believe these numbers could be outdated as the data was compiled more than a year ago.
The Pew study made its estimates by subtracting the number of citizens and legal immigrants from the overall foreign-born U.S. population annually estimated by the U.S. Census. It also assumes the residual are illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, the Pew study also confirmed Arizona’s illegal immigration has plummeted by 21 percent although there is no evidence suggesting SB1070 played a role in this.
Utah GOP Chooses Log Cabin Republican For State Race
Published on September 02, 2010 at 10:01AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-The Utah Republican Party has chosen the head of the Utah Log Cabin Republicans to run in a state Senate race.
Initially, the Deseret News reported Thursday that Melvin Nimer will replace Republican Nancie Lee Davis for the District 2 seat in predominantly Democratic Salt Lake City.
Davis was disqualified for failing to file a campaign finance disclosure statement with the lieutenant governor’s office.
The selection of Nimer will help Republicans’ chances against Democratic State Senator Ben McAdams.
The person previously holding McAdams’ seat was the only openly gay member of the Senate.
EnergySoultions Ready To Start on Illinois Plant
Published on September 02, 2010 at 09:50AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Utah company, EnergySolutions Inc., says it has now officially closed an agreement to decommission a former nuclear power plant in the Chicagoland area of Illinois.
Exelon Nuclear hired EnergySolutions to handle the project at the Zion Power Station north of Chicago.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses have been transferred to ZionSolutions, a subsidiary of EnergySolutions that will act as owner of the former plant during its deconstruction.
EnergySolutions says the transaction with Exelon should speed up the long process of dismantling the closed nuclear site safely.
Literal Voices of Ancestors Can Now Be Heard
Published on September 02, 2010 at 09:47AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Millions of Americans have ancestors who passed through Ellis Island and now, for the first time, their voices can be heard.
National Park Service employees began recording the stories of immigrants for the Ellis Island Museum in the 1970s and now, via the Web site, www.ancestry.com, everyone can listen to them.
Additionally, ancestry.com personnel say its entire U.S. Immigrant Collection free through Labor Day, while this new feature, entitled, The Ellis Island Oral History Collection, will remain free permanently.
Federal Magistrate Recommends Dismissing State Guns' Suit
Published on September 02, 2010 at 09:37AM
(HELENA, Mont.)-A group of states seeking freedom from federal gun stipulations were dealt a blow Wednesday when a federal magistrate recommended dismissal of a lawsuit launched by gun rights advocates who argue Congress has overstepped its bounds in gun control.
Magistrate Jeremiah Lynch sided with the U.S. Department of Justice which says courts have already decided Congress can set standards on such items as guns through its power to regulate interstate commerce.
The recommendation is now slated to go to the federal judge in Missoula,Mont., Donald Molloy, who will be hearing the case while even gun rights advocates believe it’s likely he will side with the magistrate.
The issue was first launched last year when “firearm freedoms act” laws come into play backed by Montanan gun advocates with the backing of the governments of Montana, Utah, Alabama, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The states in question argue that they should decide which rules, if any, would control the sale and purchase of guns and paraphernalia made inside their borders.
They say the 10th Amendment of the Constitution assures the federal government only has those powers that are specifically given to it by the Constitution.
Lynch beat back this argument Tuesday and also challenged the standing of Gary Marbut and his Montana Shooting Sports Association to file the lawsuit in the first place.
Judge Says Drilling Lease Lawsuit Too Late
Published on September 02, 2010 at 09:27AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit brought by energy producers challenging the cancellation of 77 oil and gas drilling leases was filed too late.
Wednesday, U.S. District Judge, Dee Benson, ruled that the companies failed to file their lawsuit within 90 days of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s February 2009 decision to cancel much of the lease sale which occurred in the final month of former U.S. President George W. Bush’s administration.
Benson wrote that Salazar exceeded his authority by withdrawing the leases but ultimately ruled in his favor as companies missed his deadline.
Salazar said he voided the leases as they were at the doorstep to Utah’s redrock national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, and Dinosaur National Monument.
He also faulted the Bureau of Land Management for failing to consult the National Park Service before leasing the lands and he questioned whether an environmental analysis justifying the sale was adequate.
Salazar’s attorneys argued those reasons were good enough for him to scrap the last 77 issues although Benson disagreed.
It was deemed that the auction back in December 2008 was flawed from the start as a Utah college student grabbed the bidder’s paddle to run up prices and parcels between Arches and Canyonlands for safekeeping.
Tim DeChristopher, who acknowledged he didn’t have $1.7 million to pay for his leases, has pleaded not guilty to felony counts of interfering with and making false representations at a government auction.
He said he disrupted the auction as an act of civil disobedience to focus attention on climate change.
Millard Planners table line discussion
Published on September 02, 2010 at 08:58AM
(DELTA) – A public hearing was held Wednesday night in Delta concerning amending the General Plan on transmission line construction. Those who attended the Planning Commission meeting included representatives from Rocky Mountain Power and First Wind, Inc. to discuss construction of a 345-Kilovolt transmission line in the county. Planning Chairperson Sheryl Dekker said RMP and First Wind wanted a Conditional Use Permit for construction of the line but did not want Planners to amend the General Plan. The Planning Commission tabled the decision to amend the plan until further discussions can be held with the County Commissioners. Dekker said the General Plan requires amendments to be made to the Plan if entities want to construct transmission lines in the county.
SSD students achieve AYP
Published on September 02, 2010 at 07:16AM
(RICHFIELD) – Sevier School District officials are happy to report that all schools in the district made the Adequate Yearly Progress status for the 2009-10 school year. Superintendent Myron Mickelson said the bar has been raised for students. Mickelson shared his vision for education at a school board meeting this month with a presentation called, “Promises to Keep”, identifying some areas that students and teachers can improve on. Also at the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Cade Douglas informed the board concerning, “iObservation”, an electronic tool to help instructional leaders and teachers implement a common language and model of instruction.