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Show 2 Vernal Expretl Wednesday. August 15, 2001 Opinion and Commentary 1 JACK-STRAWS by Jack Wan! Pedestrian safety According to the Utah Safety Council, pedestrian fatalities are a leading cause of death in children under the age of 20. In 1999, 34 pedestrians were killed in Utah. Nationally, automobiles killed an estimated 5.800 pedestrians and caused 95,000 to suffer nonfatal injuries. About half of these deaths and injuries occurred when pedestrians crossed or entered streets. Almost one-third of the victims were children under the age of 15, yet they represent only about 15 percent of the U.S. population. The Utah Safety Council offers the following walking walk-ing safety tips: f It is critical to teach children to look fcft-right-left before crossing streets. Cross only at designated crossings. Entering traffic mid-block or from parked cars is dangerous. Teach children never to dart into traffic. The physical environment often determines how much and how safely residents can and will walk, la research comparing communities with few sidewalks to traditional communities with plentiful sidewalks and inviting downtown commercial areas, it was found there were three times as many pedestrian trips in the communities designed with pedestrians in mind. "Everyone benefits from walking, but it needs to be safe and easy," said Utah Safety Council President Robert Percnti. The National Safety Council and the Partners for a Walkable America have issued a pedestrian pedes-trian safety checklist that can be found at http:w ww.nsc,orgw a!kw kcheckhtm. For additional information on pedestrian safety, contact con-tact the Utah Safety Council at 800-933-5943 or visit www.usc.state.ut.us. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcomes tetters tet-ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages). Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, signa-ture, phone number and addross. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed in the forum. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789-8690 or through e-mail at edrtorOvemal.com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on al published letters. let-ters. All letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and aie not necessarily nec-essarily the opinion of the Express Editor. Managing of wolves and coyotes Dear Editor, I am writing this article because of an artic le found in the Southern Idaho Press which was written by John Thompson and in the Voice of Idaho Agriculture. Many of my ideas are taken from this article. The planting of wolves by Bruce Babbitt and Clinton have made the Idaho people discover that wolves and people do not mix. Recently there was a wolf march by wolf advocates through the Stanley Basin in northern Idaho. The people peo-ple of Idaho who have had to live around these wolves find very little respect for out-of-town visitors who came there to promote trie cause of the wolf. People have spent millions of dolIarsTflying helicopters, tracking, track-ing, trapping, tranquilizing and relocating wolves, and the people have learned two things about wolves. First, (hey can't keep them from killing livestock and second, the only means of managing wolves is to kill them because they are too cunning and too migratory. The ranchers who are paid for livestock kill, receive payment two yean after the event arid at the market price only. They do not take into account that some animals ani-mals are registered and the repayment cost for these animals are in the thousands of dollars. The wolf project pro-ject by Ginton is a losing cause for Idahoans. Creating sympathy is a top priority for wolf advocates and they do an excellent job of hitting all the points certain to target a reader's heartstrings. The wolf advocates advo-cates are usually from some big city who know nothing about the life style of the West These advocates only try to out shout and out number the wolf haters. During a recent hike through Stanley Basin, they quoted Gandhi and read from the Bible. They told reporters how a pack of poor, helpless wolves couldn't find enough food for their nine pups because there wasn't any prey that was easy to catch. One might conclude from that statement that livestock is easier prey than elk who could run faster. The killing of a pair of wolves on June 29 precipitated precipitat-ed the event called a "Wolf Walk." The pair of wolves had grown a little too fond of mutton and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prescribed hot lead as the best management tool for them. This management option has become more prevalent as Idaho's wolf population has grown so rapidly in the recent years. Although I'm sure the wolf walk was a heart rendering experience, what remains unclear, however, is where our sympathy would be directed toward a pack of the most cunning predators anywhere, or toward the rancher whose livelihood liveli-hood is being preyed upon. There is a lot the wolf and coyote sympathizers don't understand about them. There are a few instances of wolves attacking people, and it is certain that wolves don't get along well where there are people. If the forest and range lands are the perfect habitat as wolf advocates claim, then why are VERNAL xpress (ISSN 0892-1091) Published every Wednesday for S24 par year In ehoppng are and $36 per yew out u ahopping arM wWw txm and (38 par year out of ataie with USA by fte Vernal Expreas Pubfefcing Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue, Vernal. Utah S4C78. Pariodicaia poataga paid at Vernal, Utah 84078. POSTMASTER: Sand addrei change to VERNAL EXPRESS, P.O. Box 1000, Vernal Utah 84078. JacfcR.Wcaa. SSevjn R WaJcc Wgpni Harrington.. VlcW FeW. ..Edten and co-pubietiar Faalura wrNer PuMcNofcae Ti kayfeu . Sara Moon . JodySmuki... terftang ..Orcutaflon ft Ctaaaffled Ad Prion 435-789-3611 FAX. 435-7S9469Q. Webene: www.vamal.com e-ma ednorOvemai.com DEADLINES DieptoyAdvaftieino,.. Classified Aovarfieing.. Pjrtfc NofJow ...Monday 12 noon ..Monday S p.m. ..Monday 5 pm ..Monday 3 p.m. wolves found more and more around farms, people, and ranches of the Sawtooth National Forest. Wolf advocate Lynne Stone told the Times-News that people should start making a stink about the killing of the two wolves and then the wolves would be in their perfect habitat when the livestock is moved to another drainage. Moving the livestock to another drainage is not the solution. A hungry wolf can easily cover 20 miles in a day over roughest terrain. When wolves learn how tasty and easy it is to have a beef or lamb stew, the livestock will be a bloody mess. If forest lands are the perfect habitat then why are the wolves killing so many livestock live-stock in the Idaho valleys. It may be viewed as perfect wolf and coyote habitat if the food source were something some-thing other than someone's livestock. Lynne Stone's comments arc naive and if she keeps up with this campaign, she will do more harm to her cause than good m Idaho. Nobody is listening to her in Idaho after experiencing the wolf problem. Lynne Stone will need to tug at the heartstrings of the people who don't live with the wolf. We Utahans should take a lesson from the Idaho experience that it is very costly to maintain an animal like the wolf. Sooner or later it costs the people of the state who could be spending their money for better things such as roads, schools, health care, etc. Clinton and Babbit never understood the consequences of any situation and their environmental projects lacked appropriate appro-priate funds to maintain these projects. GLEN J. MECHAM. Vernal Band Dear Editor, The members of our neighborhood have come together togeth-er to enjoy an old fashioned 4th of July celebration. We were all looking forward to the flag ceremony, the fly over with the parade and fireworks! We wish to thank all of those who work so hard to help this community enjoy this most important national holiday especially Jim Barth and Skeet. We hope that we can add our support to your efforts. Last year the community band was playing before the fireworks - which we so much enjoyed. We were greatly great-ly disappointed that they were not there this year. WE MISSED THE B AND! We hope that this band will continue to play and add a patriotic atmosphere to Vcmal'i 4th of July holiday. Again, thank you all! NORMAN AND MARY NIELSON FAMILY GENE AND LYNELL ANFINSON FAMILY JASON AND CINDY ANFINSON FAMILY SHANNON AND M1NDY KARREN FAMILY RANDY AND LINDA DEARTH FAMILY DOUG AND ARLENE CHRISTENSEN FAMILY KENT AND NAN BUNDERSON FAMILY Wonderful place Dear Editor, As the events of the past six weeks play out in my mind, your acts of compassion, love and concern that were shown to me and my family are most comforting. I have been so moved to realize the support our community com-munity has for us and the police department I know we are not alone in the loss of one we loved so dearly. Thank you will never be enough for all you have done on our behalf. I pray we will all continue to sup-' port our "men behind the badge." They are a dedicated group of people. The Uintah Basin is a wonderful place to live. My love to all of you, LYNETTEGURR Attorneys... Continued from page 1 Travel expenses include travel within the State of Utah necessary for preparation of the defense. Both Brass and Bugden graduated for the University of Utah College of Law in 1977. Mr. Budgen has tried approximately 170 criminal jury trials and Mr. Brass has tried close to 200 criminal jury trials. "It is important that we have good defense attorneys to prevent a mistrial," said Commissioner Cloyd Harrison. 1 believe we have two good ones. LeeRoy Wood is charged crimes related to the death of Roosevelt City Police Chief Cecil Gun. Got was shot in the head and killed after he responded to a disturbance dis-turbance at a convenience store on the westside of Uintah County. He died just feet inside Uintah County. Last week LTintah County accepted the Brass and Bugden's bid on the Wood defense, when the signing of the contract next week, the court appointed defense attorneys can begin to work on Wood' defense. mi mhli. linn .! mil m i . Kmmmmmm mi NW I JUNE 1 JULY V ' AUGUST Congress heads home for recess As Congress leaves town for the annual district work period - more commonly known as August recess - Washington D.C. becomes a much quieter place. While Capitol Hill seems to empty out and become almost abandoned, representatives and senators sena-tors are politicing away in their home states and districts. dis-tricts. They are holding town hall meetings, visiting local news media, going to county fairs and working hi their district offices. And so August is a perfect time for constituents to visit their local congressional office and discuss the issues that are important to them. You might not necessarily nec-essarily get face time with your elected official, but it is a good opportunity to get to know the congressional congression-al staffers as well. Communicating with the right staff member can be invaluable when trying to affect policy deliberations. Members of Congress will also be paying closer attention to their local media: this is an effective window win-dow to write letters to the editor of your local paper or call into a local talk' radio or public affairs radiotelevision program on which your member is a . guest. You can find out your representative's schedule sched-ule by looking on their website at www.house.gov or calling their office. There are two major issues of importance to small-business small-business owners that Congress will take up in September after the recess: the beginning of another push to raise the minimum wage and the fight over the final version of "patients rights' legislation. The "Patients' Bill of Rights" will move to a conference con-ference committee, which is a joint committee composed com-posed of both representatives and senators. Here they hammer out details of a particular bill, reconciling the differences between each chambers' legislation. This is "done behind closed doors, and during the intense bargaining a bill can be notably altered, for good or ill, or stymied all together. It is crucial that Health notes from BlueCross BlueShield of Utah With today's busy lifestyle it can be tough to squeeze in the recomrrfended 30 minutes of exercise each day. So BCBS suggests finding other ways to work out, like walking to work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. ele-vator. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, even gardening can all be beneficial, too. By incorporating more physical physi-cal activity into your daily life while accomplishing other tasks you'll reap the benefits of exercise without sacrificing your schedule. Did you know stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and the one of the primary causes of disability? Strokes are caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. They can be brought on by a blood clot or blood vessels that have narrowed over time. Reduce your risk of stroke by following these tips given by BCBS of Utah. First, control your blood pressure. Hypertension is the most important risk factor for stroke. Next, quit smoking; eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that's low in fat, sodium and cholesterol; maintain a healthy weight; .and exercise regularly. Keeping your brain in shape. As you age, it's more important than ever to actively stimulate your brain. One of the best ways is to stay curious. By asking questions and trying to learn something new every day. you're more likely to stay mentally sharp. You can also play games that require a lot of thought, read boob; and magazines and attend lectures, plays and museums. In short, give your brain a daily workout, and chances are good it'll stay stronger longer. The human body is made up of two-thirds water, which is why it's so important to drink so much water every day. Water is an important source of both calcium calci-um and magnesium. It carries nutrients to your organ by way of the bloodstream. And it moistens mucous membranes and lubricates joints. Water also aids in the digestion of food, carries away bodily waste, and cools your body through perspiratioa ' So drink six to eight 8 -ounce glasses each day and you should start to notice a healthier you in just a few YOU talk to your lawmakers so that your voice is heard, particularly if they are appointed to the conference committee. com-mittee. Small business scored a significant victory with the inclusion of Association Health Plans in the "patients' rights' bill that passed the House of Representatives. This and other aspects of the House package that go some way toward ameliorating the impact of the legislation legisla-tion will be targeted in the conference. Conferees are expected to be named after Labor Day. Visit www.nfib.com to see if your lawmakers will be key players in conference negotiations. So, get your small-business message out: if you have the opportunity to ask a question of your Member of Congress at an open forum., take a shot and make your voice heard! As "patients' rights" legislation moves to a HouseSenate conference committee and then ,r. potentially poten-tially - on to President Bush's desk for his signature or veto, it is important stay informed. To learn how your lawmakers have voted or to ask questions regarding "Patients' Bill of Rights" legislation, legisla-tion, please visit www.nfib.com, e-mail NFIB at legisla-tiveservicesnfib.org legisla-tiveservicesnfib.org or call NFIB's Legislative Services at 1-800-552-NFIB (6342). "Patients' Rights" Passes in House ''Patients' rights" legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives August 2 after a late-breaking agreement agree-ment between President George W. Bush and Rep. Charlie Norwood (10th DisL-Ga.). The bill now must be reconciled in conference committee with the Kennedy-McCain Kennedy-McCain version of the "Patients' Bill of Rights" that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this summer. The Bush Norwood compromise defeated a companion compan-ion measure to the Kennedy-McCain bill that would drastically increase litigation in the health care system and the liability of employers. Bush-Norwood places such litigation under a tighter regime of limits. A significant victory was scored when the House passed an NFIB-backed provision in the bill that will help millions of uninsured small-business owners and employees afford health insurance for themselves and their families. The bipartisan Amendment would allow small-business owners to band together in Association Health Plans (AHPs) and purchase more affordable insurance. It would" also expand Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) to provide individuals even greater choice. AHPs - the No. 1 health-care priority for NFIB -could help as many as 8.5 million uninsured Americans afford health insurance by giving them the same accessibility, accessi-bility, affordability and choice in the health-care marketplace market-place that big business now enjoys. AHPs were not included in the Senate-passed bill and will be targeted in conference committee. NFIB will continue to work to insure that AHPs are part of whatever compromise version ver-sion is eventually approved by the conference committee. Subscribe to the Vernal Express for only $24 a year. Call 789-3511 |