ne The Salt Lake Tribune Section B @ FOR THE RECORD/B-2 MESTATE OF THE STATE/B4 WM OBITUAPIES/B-6 I CLASSIFIEDS/B-7 ALLEN TRIAL ON HOLD Court date delayed for man ac cusedof having wife killed /B-2 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1998 ROBERT KIRBY © 1998,The Sait LakeTribune Christmas Lights Always Darken Holy Matrimony This morning, my wife asked me for a divorce. Oh, she didn’t come right out and use the D word. She's much too subtle for that. What she said was, “When are you going to put up the Christmaslights?” Longtime veterans of marriage to women know that “today” is the proper answer to such a rhetorical question. What I said was, “Just as soon as finish killing Herb.” Every neighborhood has a Herb. On mystreet, it's Herb Mote. Mostof the year, Herb is a nice guy. Easygoing and soft-spoken, he loans me State Nearing Record for Traffic Accidents Holiday weekend proves deadly on Utah’s roads were more people traveling and traveling faster,” White said. “At least a couple of those people who werekilled were not wearing their seat belts,” he said. White added that manyfatigued driv“It just takes a secondfor an accident to happen,” White said. “Someone can either fall asleep or be distracted by somethingin the vehicle, and an accident can occur in just a few seconds.” Tina Humphries, 36, of Las Vegas, was killed on Thanksgiving Dayin a bizarre BYMICHAEL VIGH The long Thanksgiving weekend proved to be much more deadly than in recent years on Utah roadways, whereat least a dozen people werekilled between Wednesday and Sunday. Several other people were injured in the accidents, The most deadly of those happened on Wednesday night when three members of a Logan family and a accident after a runaway tire slammed into the windshield of her car in Cedar City. Kevin Chamberlain, 17, Cedar City, was driving westbound on Highway14 in Cedar Canyon when the left tire of his automobile inexplicably came off the friend werekilled in a collision in Salt car. The tire rolled into eastbound lane whereit struck the windshield of a Geo Lake City. Two other people were also seriously injured in the accident. Otherfatal accidents were reportedin pee, Weber County and Summit Coun- Metro driven by Humphries. The glass shattered, but the Geo Metro continued down the road until it hit a cluster of rocks and rolled down an embankment, said UHP Lt. Clayton Allred. yophat' 's pretty high. We usually have about three,” said Utah HighwayPatrol The victim’s husband and two children Lt. Verdi White. Officials said Utah’s highways were suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. Chamberlain was not injured. the unseasonably warm weather.“There See UTAH ROADS, Page B-7 packed with holiday travelers because of wearing seat belts. That amounted to 167 deaths for ages 0-to-19 between 1993 especially blamed during those same years for children for deaths of kids ers werealso involved in accidents. THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Lack of seat belts BY NORMA WAGNER Hazardousdriving conditions are one thing. Riding withoutseat belts and not putting kidsin child seats are another, But when both conditions are combined, people get hurt more often: Near record numbersof traffic accidents are being recorded this year. The resulting injuries and deaths can be blamed on the lack of seat-belt use, especially among Utah's younger popu- lations, according to the first report by the Utah Child Fatality Review Committee. Injury is the leading cause of death among Utah children ages 1 to 19, with motor-vehicle accidents being the prima- ry cause, the committee reported. Such injuries account for nearly 41 percent of deaths among males and 61 percent of deaths among females. Of those killed, 63 percent were not and 1996 — comparedto 61 child deaths who wereproperly restrained In 1996, children not buckled up were seven times morelikely to be killed in a car crashandfive times morelikely to be hospitalized, said Scott Williams, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health. The committee is recommending legis- lative passage of two bills to decrease auto injuries and fatalities throughout Utah. Oneis a morestringent seat-belt and child-restraint law, raising the age a child must be in a child car- LICK HERE seat from 2 to 4 years and in- FOR MOREDETAILS www.sitrib.com creasing the 7 age of adolescents who must use seat belts from 10 to 16 years of age. ‘This law also would allow lawenforce- mentofficers to pull over and cite drivers as well as any passengers older than 16 whoare not properly restrained in a vehicle. Currently, they can only cite someone fornot wearing a seat belt if the driveris pulled overfor a different traf- See SEAT BELTS,Page B-6 tools and helps mefix stuff. But every year, sometime around Thanks- giving, Herb turnsinto the Antichrist. Proposal Would End Sales Tax On College Texts Herbis the first guy to put up Christmaslights. To his credit, he does a great job. Whattherest of the menon the street can’t figure outis why. Not only is Herb’s wife much smaller than heis, none of us have ever seen her hit him with anything larger than a crock pot. Herb dragging lights around on his roofis the first sure sign of Christ- mas in the Spring Hills subdivision. This wouldn't be a big dealif our THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. wives didn’t notice, but they do. Mainly beeause whenhe’s finally done, Herb’s house is so festive that you can see it from Alpha Centauri. Utah college students could get a bit of a tax break next year. Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, D-Salt Lake, minders like, “Today would be a good sales tax on textbooks. The measure is proposing bill that wouldeliminate Afterthat, it's nonstop spousalre- could save the average scholar about day to put up thelights, dear,” and “Let's make Christmas really special this year.” While these all sound harmless enough, men know that they are just different ways of saying, “Go $40 annually. “If you look at saving $30 or $40, that’s a lotof moneytoa college student , they'reall on fixed incomes, trying up on the roof and hurt yourself.” to make ends meet,” said Bourdeaux. Bourdeauxhasyet to draft language I didn’t always know this. WhenI was a kid, I believed my mom when for the bill, which will be introduced shesaid that Christmas lights were during the 1999 Legislature. He said he is also awaiting legislative analysts projections for the potential tax-reve- designed to show Santa Claus where to land. After I got married, I believed my dad’s shouts from the top of the house, “Lousy #@é*! lights!” As a veteran Xmas-light guy, I offer this simple checklist as a way of making the job easier. nuelosses. “If it’s not going to impact[tax revenues] a great deal, then I thinkit’s definitely something we need,” he said. Not surprisingly, Utah college students enthusiastically back the bill. “Textbooks are so incredibly expensive already, and students are within the population that can least afford to pay exorbitant rates on books,’’ said Safety: Getting up on the roofis not the hard part. That would be the ground, which you wantto avoid returning to without the useof a ladder. Since Christmaslights typically go aroundthe part of the roof known as “the edge,” there is no wayto avoid this hazard. You can, however, soften your fear with lots of insurance and/or eggnog. Preparation: Untangle and test the lights before dragging them up on the housetop. This is important because no matter how carefully you stored the lights last Christmas, they wili be snarled again this Christmas. Furthermore, half of them will not work two-thirds of the time. The edge of a roof is the wrong place to start wishing that you had never been born. Arrangement: Because of gender differences, this may be the most difficult part of Christmas lights. As a rule, women wantthelights to be symmetrical in appearance. For those of you thinking “Huh?” right now, “symmetrical” means “the way Mar- tha Stewart would likeit.” For this, a guy wili need a calculator, a sextant, lots more eggnog and the patience of Doug Dubitsky, presidentof the Associ- ated Studentsof the University of Utah. Steve Griffin/TheSalt Lake Tribune Edna Selin and T. Martin Bernards stop by Sugar HouseParkto feed the birds after dancing the afternoon away at a Salt Lake City senior citizens center. Sunny skies Monday madeit a perfect day for taking a break outside. Warm Weather Makes Utah Forget Winter Temperatures seem more appropriate for fall or spring, but things should cool downa bit today Chris Brenchley has been anintern with the National Weather Service just a short time, but hesaysit’s been long enough to know that strange weatherbrings lots of fee telephone calls to the Salt Lake of- aphiat- wee the. cue Monday, when many weak storm hits the mountains and Salt The previous highest record low was 43 tures at about 50 are forecast today for the valley. The mountains above 8,000 feet the high of 62 degrees broke the previous record of 60 degrees, setin 1953; Brigham City reached a high of 56 degrees to leave Lake Valley Scattered rain showers and tempera- should see to 4 inchesof snow. The storm should pass by Wednesday, Utah residents called to say, “Thanks for which Brenchleysayswill be cloudy with little bit is on the way, says Brenchley, Temperatures, which reached 64 degrees in Salt Lake City on Monday, will cool down today and Wednesday, as a Monday's balmy weather broke just one the sun, but where's the snow?” temperatures ai about50 degrees. Salt Lake City record, the record low. The lowest temperature for the day in Sali Lake City was a record high of 47 degrees, degrees, set in 1995 Records were broken in Tooele, where behind the previous record of 54 degrees, set in 1980; and Coalville’s high tempera- ture of 60 degrees shattered the previous Maintenance:Just because the Removal: Depending on how good you are at watching ancanalyzing the weather, taking down the Christmas lights is something that can be post- poned until the end ofJuly. Robert Kirby welcomes e-mailat rkirby@sitrib.com. er, less expensive and faster for stu- dents to get through school.” And that, Dubitsky reasons, will meangreaterefficiency at the taxpayer-subsidized schools. Bourdeaux said the measure would definitely apply to the state's nine public colleges and universities, andit may include Utah’s private schools as well, including Brigham Young University. Students who are enrolled in classes would beeligible for the tax break. The issue has been identified as a pri- ority by the Utah Intercollegiate As- sembly,a group ofstudentleaders from campusesacrossthe state. Its 130 mem- bers collectively represent 100,000 college students — and voters. Weber State University Student Body President Brian Brown said early record of 55 degrees, set in 1953. estimates predict it would cost taxpay- partly to warmer air from the south that ers about $1.1 million annually to offer the tax break. Brenchley says Monday's heat was due would normally be in Arizona. “Students might actually be able to keep some of their books so they can keep their ownlibrary,” Brownsaid the dead. lights are up and you are down does not mean that you can forget about them. Lights burn out. For some reason incomprehensible even to scientists, the person not responsible for climbing on the roof will also be the same person most bothered by the fact that one light in 5,000 is not working. “{It’s] in theinterest ofall other citizens ofthe state becauseit will makeit easi- Layton Homeowners’ Association Rebels Against Open-Space Tax Residents will take appeal to state, claiming county taxes them twice forlandin their subdivision that can never be developed BY BRANDON LOOMIS it in higher tax valuations, said Larry The homeownerseventually will num- ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Moore, attorney for the Kays Creek Association. ber 276 in the subdivision, where the price of homes is between $160,000 and FARMINGTON — Cities and counties are taxing homeowners twice by requiring them to pay property taxes for open space within their subdivisions, a homeowners’ association asserts. ‘The association representing some 200 homeowners in west Layton’s Kays Creek Estates is appealing Davis Coun- ty’s $2,700 tax on about 50 acres of common space. The debate raises the question of who should pay — and how much Private appraiser Roland Robison also pleaded the owners’ case. They should not have to pay again for land that was reserved and can neverbe developed, he told commissioners. “Tt can’t be sold,” Robison said of the parks and dedicated farm fields in the subdivision “Therefore, it has no val- ue The Davis County Commission denied — to carry out public policies that cluster homes together to save farm fields, parks and views on the remaining portion of a 122-acre housing development the appeal, but asked the county assessor’s office to review the policy for next year. In the meantime, the homeowners’ plan to appeal to the State Tax Commis- The open space already adds value to assurance that they would do something next year.” the homes, so the owners are paying for sion, Moore said, because, “There's no $250,000, with a few worth nearly $500,000. Theypay feesto the association, which in turn pays the tax bill on sharedfields, parks and walkways. The county has agreed to tax the landatits lowest rates — agricultural and greenbelt — but the owners are pressing their case on princi- ple. Counties have different policies addressing open space. For instance, Salt Lake County does not bill owners or their associations for common space in taxes. If theyare not, they should payfor the value of the commonspacedirectly. shesaid “It's a little difficult for me to understand how there's no value whenit’s definite benefit to the lot owner,” Pagesaid. Davis County Attorney Gerry Hess referred to a recent article in a University of Utah law review that backed up the stand that taxing open space amounts to double taxation. But he cautioned against changing the county's policy immediately without someclarification of state statutes. State law is clear that shared-space taxes are folded into indi- subdivisions. vidualtax bills for condominiums,butit Davis County Commissioner Carol Page questioned whether the owners really are paying for the open-space privilege through their individual home would be to address it iegeleiey nm is less clear about free-standing homes, Hess said “The way to resolve the problem