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Show Temple Riders formed. Wednesday Mostly cloudy. Thursday jj Debt Free. See Page B1 Seven-day geA7 See Page A12 Considerable cloudiness. Single Copy 50 t Wednesday, March 17, 2004 Vernal, Utah 84078 112th Year No. 11 20 Pages SUPPORT OUR TROOPS Express online: www.vernal.com 'wed. night Mostly cloudy. t 'o V mm Public gives comments about wolves A public meeting to initiate a statewide planning effort on wolves in Utah drew over 50 people from the public and governmental organizations organi-zations last week. The Wolf Working Group, a committee com-mittee given the assignment of scoping scop-ing public opinion on the issue and then drafting a statewide wolf management man-agement plan, hosted the meeting in conjunction with the Utah State Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). The meeting was held at 7 p.m. on March 9 at the Western Park. A similar meeting was held in Roosevelt on March 8 and drew a similar level of participation. Other meetings were also conducted for the same purpose in other locations throughout the state. After a wolf was captured in a coyote trap set located in Morgan County in 2002, wildlife officials recognized that wolves would soon become a common issue in Utah. Since two subspecies of the gray wolf were once thought to occur in the state and both are recognized under the Endangered Species Act, state wildlife officials needed to know how they were expected to react. The one wolf trapped in Morgan County was a marked animal ani-mal that had dispersed from the population pop-ulation located in the Yellowstone National Park area. Since it was readily identified, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service transported it back to Yellowstone and released it into the wild. It has since remained there, but wildlife officials knew that wolves often disperse distances of up to 500 miles. While the first wolf was easy to deal with, officials knew it would only be a matter of time until more arrived accompanied with a shroud of public controversy. The Utah Legislature also recognized recog-nized that the issue was on the state doorstep. They drafted a resolution that among other things requested that the wolf be delisted from the ScIhooQ eyes stiatie ireacOBirDgj ffdls Parents, teachers voice concern Facing upset citizens and concerned teachers, the Uintah School Board voted three to two Tuesday night to at least begin putting together a plan that would prepare Uintah County to grab the brass ring dangled by the recently adjourned Utah State Legislature for a K-3 Reading Initiative staffing plan. The proposed Governor Olene Walker's Reading Initiative would allow for a tax rate of .000121 that would generate an estimated $216,795 in local monies which would trigger an estimated $213,552 in state matching funds for a total possible of $430,347. The increase in tax rate would be included as part of the proposed budget for 2004-05 and go through Truth in Taxation. The tax in Uintah County, if the Board ultimately approves the program pro-gram yet to be designed, it would cost a homeowner of a $100,000 home an estimated $6.60 per year. In order to proceed on the matter, the Board was requested to pass a motion that would allow for the advertisement locally, state wide and nationally for reading specialists. Proponents urged the positive vote to get Uintah County in the reading specialist search which will become competitive statewide with other Districts seeking to take advantage of the state offered funds to be matched by local monies. Board members Rod Anderson and Joseph Shaffer voted against the proposal. All Board members registered complaints at the election year maneuvering maneu-vering of the Legislature not wanting to be associated with tax increases. The offering of state monies if matched on the local level puts Districts in the position of having to raise taxes. All Board members agreed that K-3 is an important stage for good skills to be learned. Teachers from Todd Elementary spoke to the Board stressing that teachers already teach classes and are reading specialists, all on one salary. They questioned the wisdom of hiring a Board specialist at a pro- J posed cost of $70,000 salary inclusive of benefits and extended contract, a $10,000 supplies and materials budget and a $15,000 part-time secretary. secre-tary. Those speaking encouraged the Board to consider using such funds in existing programs with teachers who are already on a one-on-one basis with children at risk. The matter will be considered again at future Board meetings. , ' - - - ) - - . ... t :,' -v-. .. v ." . K" ' o I) &' u Stars will glow at new Field House Xuzheng He, mural painter and artist with Dixon Studios, Inc., discovered a child's toy that could project the night sky for July onto the ceiling of the theater in the new Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. The stars will glow with blue lights, enhancing the illusion of being outside on a prehistoric prehis-toric night. Xuzheng has painted murals for the movies Tombstone", "The Quick and the Dead", and "Tin Cup." He teaches on the university level from his 30 years experience in Chinese and American theater. Endangered Species Act designations designa-tions in Utah. -This move would allow broader management options and place wolves under DWR management. man-agement. They also directed DWR officials to begin a public process to draft a wolf management plan. The plan would help identify what the public desired to have accomplished on the issue and would also provide direction on how to achieve their desires. A working group committee was formed to accomplish the task and will work independently. The DWR will provide technical expertise, but the working group will seek public H)ard input and then draft the management manage-ment plan. They will be assisted by an independent consulting company, compa-ny, Dynamic Solutions based in Wyoming. Those who attended the public meeting were welcomed and several sever-al were introduced. Members of the Uintah County Commission, Ute Tribe, and the Northeastern Region Wildlife Advisory Council (RAC) joined with ranchers, sportsmen and interested citizens in participating participat-ing in the meeting. Walt Gasson of Dynamic Solutions addressed the audience and provided the meeting format and goals. The intent was to pro Canmceir By Maureen Spencer Express Writer Seventeen-year-old Melanie Brady is an animated, beautiful young woman involved in one of the most physically demanding activities at Uintah High School, the U-Ette's Drill Team. In her junior year of high school, Melanie has everything going for her and an involved family supporting support-ing her and cheering her on. She is also in remission from Acute Mylocytic Leukemia. Of the four types of leukemia, AML is acute, fast growing, has a fast onset, and it is felt may have a little higher cure rate. Melanie had been having pains in her legs about a year ago. Now, looking back on the experience, the family identifies other physical signs that were not normal for the dark haired girl-her easy bruising, the lump under her chin, swollen glandsan intense, prolonged headache. In May, 2003, Melanie was at a U-Ette practice when extra laps in the gym were called for. She began the run, which for her soon turned into a slow, halting walk. Her legs began hurting intensely and she was aware she was light headed and weak. "I was so tired," she remembers. remem-bers. Her coach approached her, noticing notic-ing her blue lips and pale skin tones and asked if she would like to walk. Melanie remembers replying "yes", before collapsing into the coach's arms. For a girl who had "never been sick before", it was a heads up that something was seriously wrong. When Rebecca Brady arrived at the school to get her daughter she vide a basic background to everyone every-one in attendance on the status of wolves and then to have the participants partici-pants work together to identify issues that the working group needed need-ed to consider for the management plan. Following the issue identification identifica-tion portion of the meeting, the same audience was given an opportunity oppor-tunity to provide the working group any advice they felt was pertinent to the plan or the wolf management issue. Before participants were organized organ-ized into small committees to complete com-plete the assigned work, an See Wolves on A2 sMIlies Rebecca and Del Brady are leukemia. found her on the floor crying from the pain. They went home where Melanie went to bed and to sleep. Rebecca recalls that she made the doctor's appointment but almost postponed taking Melanie in because she was sleeping so sound- iy. At Dr. James Allen's office a blood test was taken for mononucleosis mononu-cleosis and they returned home, being told that they could call the office in a couple of hours for the results. "He called us," father Del Brady says, recalling the conversation when their trusted doctor and friend confided, "I just hope we caught it soon enough." Melanie was showing leukemia. Immediate appointments in Provo were made, and the family traveled for the first of what would become an increasingly alarming series of AV; . i (Smi(seirirDS By Steven R. Wallis Express Editor The Uintah Recreation Board Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment commit-ment to purchase property for future recreation developments. The Board has entered into negotiations nego-tiations to purchase 78.5 acres of vacant property located at 500 South Vernal Ave. The property is currently on Green Belt and is being farmed. "It is probably the largest piece of property available in close proximity proximi-ty to the center of town," said Randy Simmons, Uintah County Recorders Office. The Uintah Recreation District has received over $1 million in the past two years in additional mineral lease monies over what was budgeted. bud-geted. "With this extra money and the help and support of the community, we have been able to complete many projects that have improved the quality of recreation for everyone every-one in the community," said John Millecam, president Uintah Recreation District. Mineral lease money does not come from property or sales taxes,, but is paid by energy companies who develop resources on public land. The money is paid to offset the impact of mineral development in the Utah. In Uintah County the money goes to the Uintah Special Service District for road improvements, for scholarships to Uintah Basin campuses cam-puses of Uintah Basin Applied Technology Center and Utah State University. The money cannot be used by the county instead of county coun-ty taxes and it cannot be given to the school board. "If we took the money, we would WeirmiaD ffamrnDDy 1 enjoying their daughter Melanie's treatments and complications. "Leukemia 'doesn't happen to us,'" Del says wryly. As the family shares their thoughts at the beginning begin-ning of the diagnosis, many things become clear. None of them really knew what a leukemia diagnosis meant. One generation ago there would have been no question about the outcome of such a diagnosis, but today's treatments and understanding of this cancer of the blood produces a significant remission and cure rate. Through the parents eyes', even the word "oncology" on the doctor's doc-tor's wall had no clear meaning- an entire new vocabulary was about to join the family. They didn't know that they were traveling to the Wasatch Front for four to six weeks of hospitalization, not just a test. Through Melanie's eyes, she wanted to cry but held the emotion lose thousands of dollars we receive in PILT payments," Uintah County Commissioner Dave Haslem said. The Recreation Board proposed to use its excess mineral lease money to purchase about 39.25 acres of property from the Alvin and Virginia Kay family for $1.5 million. As part of the purchase agreement, the Kay family will agree to donate the balance of the 78.5 acres to the Recreation District. Total cost per acre of the project is $19,108.28. Upon the signing of the agreement, the Recreation Board will pay $750,000 for the property. The balance will be paid to the Kay family the following year, 2005. Phase two of the project would be the development of key venues in the park which have no or low maintenance and operation costs. Funding for this phase of the park would come from the Community Impact Board. In phase three of the project, after the indebtedness is retired from the first two phases and Uintah Recreation District is stable, the board will consider develop of venues ven-ues which have higher maintenance and operation costs. The stability of the Recreation District is based on continued mineral min-eral lease money. If oil and gas development on public lands in Uintah County declines, as it has in the past, funding for the Recreation will decline proportionately. Uintah County has agreed to be responsible responsi-ble for the debt on the property if the Uintah Recreation District ceases ceas-es to exist. The venues that will be placed on the 78.5 acres have not been decid- See Park on A4 recovery from a sudden onset of in, waiting until she could call her friends and "let it all out." Her friends, realizing that she had cancer, can-cer, raised the question beginning to well within them all, "Could you die?" Del says that nobody spelled out the medical process because they had to take each day one at a time. They couldn't say it would be one week or two weeks, because the patient and the condition, the chemicals chem-icals and the response of the disease to the chemicals, all had their own time tables. Melanie remembers she was afraid to ask questions at first, but as the weeks went by, she found she could talk to the doctors. "I kept thinking, 'Just get me better!' bet-ter!' I want to get it over with." See Cancer on A7 4 |