OCR Text |
Show • Wed/Thurs/Fri, November 2-4, 2005 The Park Record A-2 Locals caught in storm their luggage on the missing buses. Clayton and Maravi hailed another taxi to the airport where they waited in line for a flight to Mexico City, a might blow off or the second floor large international airport with By AMANDA TUST might collapse onto the first floor. flights to the United States. They Contributing Writer Unlike many of the other nearby were 12 people awayfromthe countA relaxing beach vacation turned shelters, both the roof and the floors er when the Mexico Cityflightfilled sour for two Parkites when were spared. In their schoolroom up. They were told they would have Hurricane Wilma raged through most people were from the United to wait anotherfivedays for the next Cancun and left them stranded. States or Mexico, includingfivecou- flight. Instead, they rented a car and Manuel Maravi and Ted Clayton ples on their honeymoons. Clayton drove the 18 hours to Mexico City. were scheduled to fly home on Oct said everybody acted differently They covered 1,000 miles and almost 20, but instead they were evacuated under stress and there were some ran out of cash along the way because it was a toll road and no gas that day from their hotel to a nearby constant complainers. stations accepted credit cards. They school to wait out the coming storm. When they were given the ok to What was supposed to be 24 to 48 leave the building, Maravi and waited two hours in rush hour traffic hours turned into a four-day stay Clayton walked out into a world in Mexico City and they were less when the storm made a slow wrought with downed trees and than a mile from the airport when approach onshore. Maravi and power lines and demolished build- they were pulled over by Mexican Clayton were ushered into a class- ings. "The most difficult thing for police who hassled them and told room with 25 people. They were me was to see the aftermath," them their car was going to be impounded and they would be fined. given a blanket, sheet and pillow. Maravi said. Maravi, originally from Argentina, The windows were boarded up, and Clayton and Maravi volunteered speaks Spanish and explained their although they could not see the to help a family clear tree debris from storm they could hear its fury. When their yard. The family offered Hurricane experience and pleaded the brunt of the storm hit, the power Clayton and Maravi a home-cooked with the officer who eventually let failed and they were left to sit in meal, which they gratefully accept- them go after 10 minutes. darkness with no running water. The pairflewstandby on separate ed. flights from Mexico City to Atlanta "The hurricane was showing who They then took a taxi back to is in charge," Maravi said. their hotel and hopped on a bus and from Atlanta to Salt Lake City With fans no longer circulating arranged by the U.S. Consulate to and, finally, arrived home to Park air, the room became humid and take them to an airport in the nearby City at 1 a.m. on Oct 27. "It was a big sense of relief to be began to smell. Water seeped in and city of Merida. When they arrived in it was a constant battle to keep the Merida, they found out the U.S. had back home and be in control of the floor and blankets dry. Since the pro- not arranged any flights for them as situation," Clayton said. jected time period for the storm was they had expected. They were taken Clayton and Maravi said they were underestimated, food and water had to another school, where they slept grateful they had a home to return to to be rationed. They ate cereal with on the gym floor. It was here that and they were physically and emono milk for breakfast, tuna fish for they were able to take a shower for tionally drained. lunch and Ramen noodles for din- the first time in four days. "It makes you appreciate everyner. The next morning, out of a dozen thing you have," Maravi said. "You Amid the storm, a cinder block buses that were supposed to take are living with basic things trying to wall along the perimeter caved in. them to the airport, only four or five survive and when you get home you Clayton said he worried that the roof had stayed. Many people had left are so relieved." Blowing the big guns Hurricane Wilma disrupts Parkite's Cancun vacation, leaves them stranded for a week Arrest closes pharmacy doors Emergency hearing orders local pharmacy to 'cease and desist' By ANNA BLOOM Of the Record Staff Thomas E. Strebel and Park City Pharmacy at the Clinic have been ordered to cease and desist dispensing controlled substances following a Monday emergency suspension hearing convened by the Utah Department of Commerce. Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., lights inside the pharmacy had been turned off and doors were locked. No sign had been posted to give clients directions or contacts for prescriptions and the phone number did not lead to a voicemail box. According to state Commerce Department public information officer Clark Caras, Strebel has 20 days to ask for an adjudicated hearing before an administrative judge to contest the cease and desist order. Until the commerce department rules otherwise, however, Strebelfelicense and the license of the pharmacy itself will remain suspended. "The emergency suspension hearing took place because of the need to take the public's interest and safety into consideration," Caras said. The action comes after Strebel's arrest last Wednesday on charges that he billed insurance companies for medicines that were never prescribed. Federal authorities said last week that Strebel faces one count of insurance fraud, a second-degree felony, as well as witness tampering and extortion, two third-degree felonies. Strebel, 60, was booked into Summit County Jail, and later released on a $20,000 bail. Park City Healthcare Family Health & Urgent Care Center insist other than renting space in the building on Bonanza Drive, the clinic has little to do with the operations of the pharmacy. Clinic patients are free to fill prescriptions wherever they choose. The Commerce Department invited the Division of Professional Licensing, who oversees the licensing of pharmacists and pharmacies in Utah, and three professional pharmacists to vote during the emergency hearing, Caras said. "The three Utah pharmacists were not aware of the investigation, so today was the first time they had seen the evidence," he told The Park Record Monday afternoon. Caras declined to reveal what was presented since the hearing since the evidence was not public, and only concerned Mr. Strebel. The details of the case presented last week by the FBI allege Strebel once billed an insurer 55 times the price of asthma medication that a patient never used, charging $27,000. Last week, Brent Robbins, a special agent in the FBI's Salt Lake City office reported a customer discovered hilling inconsistencies and spoke with authorities. Robbins said that during the investigation, Strebel offered a woman $1,000 to keep the billing a secret. After the charges were made, Robbins claims the authorities have received additional complains against the pharmacy for fraudulent billing. Though StrebeFs attorney attended the emergency hearing, Strebel himself was not present, according to Caras. Caras said he could not say what factors could clear Strebel and return his license, since Strebel has yet to appeal the decision. Monday, Caras claimed the pharmacy could be opened "as early as tomorrow" should the owner of the pharmacy find another licensed pharmacist in good standing. BLM gets 50-year-old maps The Utah State Attorney General's Office provided the Bureau of Land Management with copies of historic general highway maps dating back to 1950 that depict six roads that are part of a Memorandum of Understanding. The BLM requested additional information about the roads in Beaver, Daggett, Millard and Iron counties in response to criticism from environmental activists. "These maps, along with the strong evidence 'already provided, demonstrate that the state of Utah and the counties owned and controlled these rights-of-way for decades prior to 1976," says Attorney General Mark Shurtieff. Congress granted public access k to roads established by 1976. The six roads are the subject of an MOU signed by then Governor Michael Leavitt and Interior Secretary Gale Norton on April 9, 2003. The goal of the MOU was to define Utah roads eligible for public access. State attorneys recently obtained copies of the maps of the six roads after they were electronically scanned from archives at the Utah Department of Transportation. UDOT representatives told the attorneys that several months ago a member of The Wilderness Society came to review the same maps. "They did some homework," says Assistant Attorney General Roger R. Fairbanks, "but chose to P A R K ignore what they found and instead presented a revisionist history that denies the truth about these rightsof-way. They seek to cut off public access to vast areas of Utah in favor of exclusive access for a small minority of recreationists who support their activist agenda and make up less than lpercent of Utah's population." Fairbanks is working with the Public Roads Over Public Land Project, a joint effort of the Governor's Office, Attorney General's Office and Utah's counties. The project is seeking to preserve state and local ownership and control of long established public roads over public lands in order to maintain access for traditional uses. C I T Y Culinary, GRAYSON WEST/PARK RECORD Brian Sunhadolc, Park City Mountain Resort maintenance manager, checks the snow guns Monday morning. PCMR has 40 snow guns working on the front face of the mountain. Weather permitting, snowmaking will continue as long as temperatures remain below 28 degrees. The resort is slated to open Nov. 19. East Side mayoral candidates vie • Continued from A-1 outgrow it." Bergen claims his past political experience puts him in a strong position to obtain grants for water and sewer improvements. "If people don't know how to play that type of a game, they're not going to get it done," he said. But Prescott, his opponent, served for six years on the Francis Town Council and is already exploring ways to alleviate the town's sewer woes. "We need to get some grants to upgrade everything that we have," she said. Economic development is critical, she added. "Something that would bring revenue into our town ... we don't have any restaurants," Prescott said, adding the property near Wild Willow Drive is zoned for commercial development. Polls will be open Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Summit County six municipalities. Two pipelines may import water • Continued from A-1 Regional officials currently claim to have no excess capacity. Bureau officials say Summit Water's East Canyon pipeline could import nearly 13,000 more acre-feet. "There's been some competition between the two main suppliers up there ... so the expectation is that we're going to go out and tell them which (pipeline) is best," Noyes said. "I think the competition's still there but we hope that the projections in the study clearly show that both (pipelines) are needed." Representatives from Summit Water, who were provided copies of the report last week, dispute the bureau's cost estimates of constructing the East Canyon pipeline. "We do have some questions with respect to the numbers," Summit Water general manager Van Martin said. However, Martin commended the bureau for removing politics from the race to construct a pipeline in Summit County. "It gives everybody a chance to have a much better understanding from an outside perspective," Martin said. Annual ski swap returns to PCHS • Continued from A-1 Sellers will receive 15 percent of the profit from the sale of their specific equipment. The other 25 percent will go to benefit the Park City Ski Team. For early equipment check in, items may be taken to the JANS Mountain Outfitters or Cole Sport locations on Park Avenue until Nov.3. After that all items to be sold may be brought to the high school between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday Nov. 4. The swap will be held Friday, Nov. 4 from 9 p.m.1 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tickets for Friday are $5. Saturday and Sundays tickets are only $2. Children under 12 are free. Galusha says that he enjoys running the eve'iit each year and" " feels that this is a real chance to give back to the community. "This is a town that loves to ski and this is an event that can get people ready for ski season without spending an outrageous amount of money," said Galusha. For more information, log onto www.parkcityskjteam.org or call 649-8749. Lake levels could return to typical SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The drought-shrunken Great Salt Lake could be back at its typical level in as few as two or three years, experts say. The U.S. Geological Survey automated gauge has recorded the level at about 4,195.5 feet above sea level for the past three weeks. That translates to a surface area of about 1,000 square miles. By comparison, the average lake level over the years since Utah was settled is 4200 feet, at which it covers 1,700 square miles, according to the USGS. Many Utahns hope the lake willrisesoon and "cover up those stinkin' mud flats, so it doesnt create a huge dust storm every time a storm comes through," said Randy Julander, snow survey supervisor for the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service in Salt Lake City. And that may be exactly what will happen, provided the drought does not return. "The main source of inflow to the lake is the Bear River system," said Brian Mclnemey, hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. This year, when the drought suddenly ended and the Bear River flooded, there was above-normal inflow to the lake. Hot summer weather caused evaporation which low- ered the lake again. But as winter nears, the evaporation slows, and fall and winter storms add more water. In the spring, the lake's rebound could be going strong. "My feeling is, if you get normal to above normal inflow, it should take about the same amount of time, the four years," to resume its normal level, said Mclnemey. With one year of good inflow, that could leave three to go. That jibes with Juiander's feeling. Two or 3 feet higher, and the lake should cover the mud flats, he said. That could take two or three years of good runoff, he said. The lake's lowest recorded level came in 1963, when the level was 4,191.35 feet above sea level. At the time, it covered only 950 square miles. Back then, Julander said, a lot of people didn't care if it dried up. The attitude was, "every drop of water going to the lake is wasted," he said. "The Great Salt Lake didnt have a lot of friends in the '60s. It was more a nuisance, a sewer, a big hole." In the past four decades, there's been a change of perception. People appreciate its beauty, recreational potential and the abundant waterfowl and other wildlife it supports. It is, Julander says, "a fascinating pond." Highlights of the 2006 Event Community Night CLASSIC Save the Date February 2-5, 2006 to Eat Drink & Be Generous! •T.V Kick-Off Soiree F O U N D A T I O N "Not Your Traditional" Ski Experience All Proceeds will benefit: Vintner Dinners in Spectacular Homes The Underdog Foundations mission to fund community youth programs in the areas of education, arts, advocacy and athletics. Visit www.theunderdogfoundation.org for a list of our preselected 2006 benefici- Luxury Kitchen Mardi Gras Parade Masquerade Ball & Auction "Hair of the Dog" Brunch For more information and tickets visit www.theunderdogfoundation.org • www.parkcitywineclassic.com aries |