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Show f , U 3a v - v A a hs I AM 7 Im not a p PRESS ASSOCIATION w. ?aa abog s. suite SALT LAKE CITY, IJT (o; .tah Basin 84101-12- 1 Judge OKays survey An S' District Court judge has okayed a motion made by defense attorneys 1 1 for homicide suspect Lee M Roy Wood, to mail out V, V to vi surveys ':.T 1 Seepage 12 .' : This ain't no fish story During the Depression ofthe 1930's, Dale and Max Stewart were just kids who fishing 'I enjoyed Green River near in the Vernal. Many ofthe fish the caught became endangered, but the are now making a comeback. Seepage 13 West Junior High is making an effort to eliminate discipline problems. The current Uintah School District Policy has the same rules it has always had, but certain ones will be emphasized this year in response to problems last year. Seepage 14 . Riley Bagfey and Tomi picked as outstanding athletes at Tabiona High School. Bagley stars on the diamond and court. Thomas Thomas is a top volleyball and basketball player. See Page 16 e. 50$ 4' Tuesday June 11, 2002 Vol. 'tt 88, Number 24 www.ubstandard.com IS IT DIRTY POLITICS? Allegations don't add up in political ad By Therena Morrill and Lex lee Whiting A politically motivated advertisement placed in last weeks edition of the Standard captured a lot of attention and generated a great deal of talk but it could do more harm than good to the group who placed the ad. The ad included the name ofthe person who paid cash for its printing, Vicky Bailey, along with the name of the group, Concerned Citizens For a Better Duchesne County. It asserted that many county employees have had their jobs threatened by superiors due to their choice to vote for a candidate other than the official in office, who is running for The ad also called upon those employees who had been threatened to Voice your opinion ... campaign for your candidate openly. The ad reminded people that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil ... is for good men to do nothing! Most readers that we talked to came to the conclusion that the accusations made in the ad were being directed at Duchesne County Commissioner Larry Ross. Even though Ross was not specifically named, he is the only county commissioner who is in the primaries that will be held June 25. up for I dont know who is trying to do something against me, Ross said. If its the accusations in the ad relevant to me, I have no idea how; I have never gotten involved in that type of thing. He added that he could not respond any forther to something that has no grounds or basis for complaint. Because of the seriousness of the accusations, the Standard contacted county department heads and most of the employees who work in the administration building and the sheriffs office to try to identify if anyone has been threatened. Commissioner Roes did not request this survey, nor was he consulted regarding it, other than to obtain remarks about the ad and what he thought about it. No one who works in the administration building or in the sheriffs office reported that they had been threatened by Commissioner Ron. Employees Speak Out Top Tigers will-b- Rings Peak department He said they all reported that they had never been threatened. I havent heard of anything like this happening before, and Ive been with the county since 1983, Garff said. Clayton Chidester, the director of planning and zoning said hes never been threatened. I have no idea who the ad could be referring to. George Adams, the fire and emergency management direc- - Commissioner Guy Thayne referred to the ad as dirty politics. I believe the ad is absolutely untrue. Its a foolish thing for anyone to try. The Accusations Zero tolerance 'm a J Lauren Bacall Roosevelt, Utah prospective ' i 1 ''Til jurors in Uintah County and one other county." ,i has-bee- n. Each county employee who was interviewed was asked the same question: Have you ever had your job threatened by anyone who has authority over you?Maxine Panas went on the record as saying, No. Thats ridiculous. Building inspector, Karl Mott said, "I can guarantee you that person Ross has not made any threats to anyone. He knows and understands the laws and, besides, he wouldnt do that. Theres been problems, in our office but it hasnt been for political votes. I think these people who placed the ad are trying to steal the county away form people who care about it so they can have their way. County Assessor Greg Oarff spoke to all the employees in his - tor said, If anyone had been threatened, I would have heard about it. I can honestly toy thats the first I heard of it when I read that ad. Colene Nelson, the county treasurer said she has not heard of any threats, either. Only the voters can threaten my job. I havent been threatened in any way. Leann Stewart, who works in the auditors office, called the Standard when she heard a survey was being taken because she wanted to be on the record. No way have I ever been threatened by Lorry Ross. The only commissioner whos ever threatened to fire county employees is commissioner Lorna Stradinger. Stewart wasnt alone in her allegation against Stradinger, but was the only county employee who would go on record with the statement Stradinger adamantly denied the accusations. She said she never threatened anyone with the loss of their job and noted that it takes all three commissioners to fire a county employee. Dean Johnson, assistant building inspector for the county, said he wondered who Vicky Bailey is, who she works for, and where is she getting her information. I dont always see eye to eye with Roes, but he always works with the beet interest of the county in mind. Yes, I do believe theres an atmosphere of fear and distrust in the county, but I dont believe Commissioner Roes is behind it, said Johnson. Commissioner Guy Thayne referred to the ad as dirty politics and said, I believe the ad is absolutely untrue. Its a foolish thing for anyone to try. Thayne said that even though he and Ross have had their disagreemei; f he has no ill will toward him. I know Larry well enough to know he wouldn't do that threaten people. Commissioner Lorna Stradinger said, I dont know anything about it the ad. I dont know that person Vicky Bailey. I cant imagine what its referring to. Protected By Law Deputy County Attorney Roland Ureak said one aspect of his job is to provide advice to county employees concerning their rights. Noone has talked to me about this the alleged threats. I havent heard any talk of anyone being threatened, Uresk said. According to Stradinger, there is a process involved with firing a county employee that must be followed. She said all employees have rights and the polity and procedure manual murt be strictly adhered to. Who Authored the Ad? The ad was submitted to the Standard office by Duchesne County resident Joan Steed. Joan and her husband, Joe, are n dollar Utah Mini Ranches subdevelopers of the division, east of Duchesne. The Steed's have been critical of county laws regarding subdivision developments. The Standard requires that ads of an accusatory nature cany the name ofthe author. Steed said she was delivering the ad at the request of others and did not want her name on the ad. A few hours later, Bailey came to the Standard office stating she had written the ad and wanted her name on it. She said she was very upset by what was going on in the county and had no qualms about claiming responsibility as the author of the open tetter to Duchesne County citizens. Bailey agreed to be interviewed about the allegations, but did not provide any specific information. At one point in the interview Bailey said die wasnt attacking Commissioner Larry Ross just because he was a democrat because Im a democrat, too. Ross is a registered Republican. When pressed, Bailey said there were numerous people who wanted the ad to run, and said she would return later with her notes, so that she could reveal the names of the people who were threatened. However, subsequent phone calls placed to her at the place of her employment. Highland Development which is owned by the Steeds were not returned. Company However, Joan Steed did visit the Standard to place an ad for county commission candidate Kim Hamlin. Steed said Bailey refused to return with her notes and talk to reporters because she felt riie was being badgered and intimidated. Since Hamlin is running against Ross in the Republican primary, he is the logical candidate who would benefit from a campaign to tarnish Ross reputation, so the Standard an interview with him. Hamlin agreed, but said the e, however he never returned interview must be repeated phone calls to arrange the meeting. Hamlin did say in a telephone conversation, 1 dont like dirty politics, but the other side is trying to dig up dirt on me. If this is the way the people want to be, then so be it He did not want to elaborate on what he meant specifically when he accused the other side of digging up dirt. He also refosed to disclose who his contributors are at this time. When questioned whether Bailey's employer, the Steeds, were large financial supporters of his campaign, he said that he has many supporters. multi-millio- face-to-fac- PSC TO TAKE MORE TIME FOR REVIEW Vernal area concerns Basin-wid- e calling delay UBTA- - UBET Communication officials have announced that there will be a delay in the impto- mentation of Basin Wide Extended Area Service for residents of the Uintah Basin. Originally the company had set a target date ofJune 16 to begin offering the toll-fre- e calling service to businesses and residents who dial other telephone prefixes throughout the Uintah Basin. Due to the delays it could take anywhere between 30 and 60 days for the PSC to approve the companys request. According to UBTA --UBET Communications CEO, Bruce H. Todd , the Basin-wid-e calling proposal has received overwhelming support in the communities. However, due to concerns voiced by several Vernal area residents, the Public Service Commission will not allow the company to move forward with their planned June 16 target date for implementation. Two hundred eleven Basin residents, mostly concentrated in the Vernal area, have signed a petition Basin wide against UBTA-UBET- 's toll free calling propoeaL They are opposed to the rate increase of $4.95 par line a month for residential customers and $6.95 per line a month for business customers, that would be charged to all telephone subscribers, if the toll-frcalling plan is adopted. The PSC will review the complaints and hold a public hearing regarding the matter. According to Todd , due to the delays it could take anywhere between 30 and 60 days for the PSC to approve the company's request ee UBTA-UBE- T spokesperson Glenda Stewart said the proposal was unanimously approved during UBTA Communications annual meeting, held in April in both Vernal and Roosevelt At the Roosevelt meeting there was unanimous support from the Roosevelt and Dfichesne area residents. Stewart noted that the proposal was also approved at the sparsely attended Venial meeting. Todd stated that it had long been a goal of the locally owned UBTA-UBE- T Communications to unite the communities that it serves. The proposal was initially introduced to area resident more than two years ago, when the Public Service Commission held a community meeting in Vernal regarding the pending purchase and acquisition of the three former Qwest exchanges. "Subscribers making toll calls to places involved in their daily lives, such as school, businesses, churches, family and friends are wanting these locations included in a local calling area to avoid toll charges, and with Extended Area Service (EAS) this goal can be accomplished, said Todd. The $4.95 per line customers and $6.95 per line charge for businesses will be revenue neutral of the company. Todd said the Extended Area Service proposal is just one of many services the telephone company would be offering with the idea of bringing the residents of the Uintah Basin together. UBTA-UBE- T is dedicated to offering its customers service equal or superior to that of any telephone company in the United States, said Todd. In recent years, the company invested over $4.2 million dollars in an extensive fiber route between Roosevelt and Vernal. This route SEE DELAY on page 3 ODD AND EVEN DAYS REQUESTED addresses Outdoor water use VALUABLE DRIPS-Enj- oy the green leaves of summer now as drought problems will mean restrictions on water use. Getting a bucket to save these precious drops of water would be a good investment for this home owner. People awoke to a frost Monday morning and hopefully die cold stuff such as ice cm this fence will vanish with hot weather. Summer doesnt begin officially until June 21 . By Lezlee E. Whiting 1500 POSSIBLE NAMES IDENTIFIED City Roosevelts traditional peak ter demand times dont typically waoc- cur until July, hut for two days last week city water users were consuming all the water produced. The daily consumption equated thedailyoutput, said Roosevelt City Administrator Brad Hancock. To deal with a potential water shortage, last week the Roosevelt City Council announced the implementation of additional voluntary water restrictions. Roosevelt city water users including those who live in Neola, as well as on the outskirts ofthe dty are asked to limit their outdoor watering to everyother day, based on their address. Those whose lari digit oftheir address is an odd number are asked to water on odd days; water users with an address ending in an even number are asked to water only on days. Businesses are asked to discontinue hosing down their sidewalks even-number- ed These restrictions are voluntary at this point, but could become mandatory. Protocol being determined for vaccinations re-administe- and parking lots, and instead use a broom to remove debris. The city also asks water users to continue to entirely eliminate outdoor watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. One ofthe factors contributing to the high usage so early in the summer is a lack of irrigation water. Prior to this year, the city was able to use irrigation water on dty parks, the golf course and cemetery. This year they must rely on culinary water to take care of large water users.. The dty plans to cut back on wa- ter usage as well, said Hancock. These restrictions are voluntary at this point, but could become mandatory depending on water use and the lock of moisture. ring By Lezlee E. Whiting children have been identified as potential candidates for due to the possibility that some v icrines they received as long as four years ago, Fifteen-hundre- d may have been ineffective. Last week Uintah Basin Medical Patients will have to be looked at individually and a determination will be made by the physician." ahowed some vaccines could have been compromised since Jan. 1, 1998. With the raw list of names com piled through hospital billingrecords, Roosevelt pediatrician Dr. Greg Staker and Dr. George Develan with tine inspection of refrigerators used The re- to store vaccines. vaccination alert affects only pediatric patients who were immunized in the offices of Dr. Amy McNelis, Dr. Teresa Stewart and Drs. Greg and Shannon Staker. Hospital records establish which vaccines each individual child may need to receive again. The joint effort is necessary because some children may not have obtained all their vaccinations at the Center administrators announced that some children who received their childhood immunization at pediatricians offices in Roosevelt would need to be revaccinated, because some vaccines had been stored below recommended temperatures. The error was found during a rou- - the State Department of Health are comparing immunization records supplied by the hospital, state and Tri County Health Department to SEE VACCINATIONS onpageS |