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Show Wednesday, January n, 2006 A3 Winter what-land? .Vernal Express, 1 .V.. By April Collett Express Writer Every morning, I experience the same dreaded excitement as I unlock the front door and ; step out into the ridiculously cold air. As I squint around (I'm i generally not properly awake i at this time) I notice that I am i surrounded by white. A fluffy white winter land that has sur-rounded sur-rounded me in what could only be the beauty of famous Utah snow. Icicles cling perilously overhead and I breathe in the toe chilling fresh air and feel at home as all snow dwellers do during winter time. Almost instantly, my eyes focus correctly and reality dawns, I'm not surrounded by snow, I'm surrounded by yucky frosted gravel. And the icicles! Ironically, they are just the icicle ici-cle lights left on all night. I look around and see that everything is gray. Everything is cold and there is not a flake of sweet snow in the sky. December 24th came and went and the only snow left on the ground hidden hid-den in cold shadows is being reduced to mush. It seems like I never really did move away from Seattle. Yesterday, I was moving things around instead of really cleaning, and I found my snowboard snow-board sitting sadly in a closet. A single tear leaked from the corner cor-ner of my eye as I thought of it being torn from its natural habitat hab-itat in the mountains, only to be locked away in a stuffy closet littered with old prom dresses, broken trophies, and anything else that has lost its use. My poor snowboard, sitting among such lonely companions, collecting col-lecting dust instead of powder, how could I treat my best friend this way? It wasn't long before I had strapped my snowboard onto my slippered feet, and was standing at a great precipice, preci-pice, ready to careen into the unknown. A mingle of fear creeped down my spine as I leaned forward, ready for what Uintah School District saves taxpayers over $10 million was to come. I felt the cool air breezing across my face, I was boarding swiftly, ... and then I fell. I tried to grab the banister for help as I went recklessly crashing down the grand staircase, stair-case, leaving dent after dent in the untarnished white wall. I flopped into the foyer head first, I looked up to see the damage. It appeared I could get away with it by telling mom that a small, deranged and largely tusked elephant got loose on the stairs. This would never have happened hap-pened if there was deep, powdery pow-dery snow on the mountains, in which case, we'd all be up there right now using someone else's snowmobiles to carry us up to the topmost slopes so that we could careen down to the bottom in a flight of everlasting everlast-ing happiness. But no, we are forced to live in a dreary cold winter working-land, never stopping to have fun, so that we may be able to afford the drive and the lift-pass to snowboard at Park City. Hopefully this day will be meeting us sooner than we know. On Nov. 8, 2005 voters in Uintah County were asked to vote on the proposed issuance issu-ance of $50 million of General Obligation bonds to renovate and replace existing school buildings in Uintah School District. District administration administra-tion ensured the public that their tax dollars would be put to use wisely. This was the first successful general obligation obliga-tion bond election on behalf of Uintah School District in 20 years. Although it will cost taxpayers taxpay-ers of Uintah School District to renovate and replace the proposed pro-posed facilities, the District has committed to getting the lowest low-est available cost of financing. So far, Uintah School District has lived up to their word and saved1 more in taxpayer dollars than was expected. The first bonds issued were Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB). A QZAB is a taxable obligation issued by a state or local government, the proceeds of which are to be issued for certain eligible schools. Rather than receiving interest on the governmental obligations, eligible eli-gible holders of the obligations are entitled to receive an annual annu-al federal income tax credit to offset their regular income tax liability as long as the obligations obli-gations remain outstanding. The QZAB also requires a 10 percent in kind contribution from private business. Uintah School District was fortunate to have 12 local businesses assist in meeting this requirement. These businesses are Ashley Valley Medical Center, Basin Clinic, Mr. Wes Baden, KVEL & KLCY, Little Britches Day Care, Oil and Gas Equipment Corporation, Seitz Eye Care, UBTA-UBET, Uintah Schools Foundation, Vernal Rotary, WalMart, and Zions First National Bank. Uintah School District has issued $5,977 million in QZABs. To get the lowest QZAB borrowing bor-rowing cost the District worked with its financial advisor, Zions Bank Public Finance, to solicit bids to the largest and most active purchasers of QZABs in the United States. The lowest bid the District received was for a 0 interest rate for the $5,977,000 for 15 years. With no interest expense and the ability to reinvest principal payments for the QZAB, the District structured the QZAB so that its required annual principal princi-pal payments were invested to generate interest income at 2.75 percent. As a result, the District was able to borrow $5,977,000 and only has to repay $4,902,840, which is a total difference of $1,074,162 of interest that the District actually earns. If the District had not issued $5,977,000 of QZABs the District would have issued this same amount as tax exempt general obligation bonds over 20 years. The interest savings to the District by issuing $5,977,000 of QZABs instead of 20 year general gener-al obligation bonds is approximately approxi-mately $3,000,000. It is very likely that the Uintah School District QZAB has the lowest combined cost of borrowing, for its size, of any school borrowing in the history of the State of Utah. Uintah School District plans to borrow an additional $24 million mil-lion in tax exempt general obligation obli-gation bonds in February. Tax exempt municipal bond interest inter-est rates are currently near historically his-torically low levels, which will help the District meet its goal of getting the lowest available cost of financing. The third and final bond issue of $20,000,000 is scheduled for November of 2008. By developing the currently planned bond issue structure, Uintah School District has been able to eliminate 4 years of bond payments at the end of the original bond structure which will save at least $2.5 million per year for a total of $10 million. mil-lion. This bond structure will also keep the amount of tax on a $100,000 home under or at the $54 per year as estimated prior to the bond election. f Jake Nyland Jeffrey Hollinqer !L& n Kass Collier Lawrence Hill 111 Shawn Nelson Warrants Warrants of arrest from 8th District Court as of Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006, includes the following fol-lowing individuals: Kass K. Collier, born Feb. 2, 1962, who is wanted on a no-bail warrant. Lawrence Lloyd Hill, born Sept. 8, 1985, who is wanted on a $1,150 warrant. Jeffery Michael Hollinger, born June 12, 1973 who is wanted want-ed on a $3,000 warrant. Shawn Wayne Nelson, born May 21, 1985, who is wanted on a $1,481 warrant. Jake L. Nyland, born Oct. 5, 1981, who is wanted on two warrants war-rants for $601 and $1,146. Persons with information about the location of these individuals should contact the Uintah County Sheriffs Office, 789-2511; Central Dispatch, 789-4222 789-4222 or use the Secret Witness Line, 781-5400. BLM extends comment on vegetation control period The Bureau of Land Management has extended the public comment period on its proposed methods for treating and managing vegetation on BLM-managed public lands. The BLM, which held public pub-lic meetings on its vegetation vegeta-tion treatment proposal from Nov. 28, to Dec. 13 last year, is extending the public comment period to Feb. 10, 2006 to ensure that all interested parties have an opportunity to express their views. The public comment period originally had been slated slat-ed to close Jan. 9. The vegetation treatments are aimed at controlling the spread of noxious and invasive plants on BLM lands in the West The treatment will also reduce the amount of highly flammable forest and rangeland fuels, such as stand of pinyon and Juniper trees or dead and down woody materials. The BLM's environmental environmen-tal analysis consists of two vegetation-related reports released on Nov. 10, 2005. The Draft Vegetation Treatment Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Land in 17 Western States Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement addresses the BLM's use of herbicides. The Draft Vegetation Treatment on BLM Lands in 17 Western States describes the environmental impacts of using non-herbicide treatment methods, including fire and mechanical, manual or biological controls. The document docu-ment and associated material can be accessed at www.blm. gov. Written comments can be placed by contacting Brian Amme, Project Manager, BLM P.O. Box 12000, Reno, NV 89520. Comments can be faxed to 755-861-67122 or emailed to vegeisnv.blm.gov. 5 mmm t liMl MU3 mm miinrn Mil jfc?. i gwgga Get your taxes prepared at H&R Block and play the Double Your Refund Instant Win Game. There's lots to win: cash prizes, free tax preparation, software and a 10-song download. You might even win double the amount of your Federal refund up to $20,000. Come in by April 17 to play I 1 (while game card supplies last). I I H&R CLOCK Sam Location 1607WHwy40 Vernal UT 84078 435-789-3335 MON - FRI 9:00 - 7:00 Extended Hours in Feb. SAT 9.00 -5:00 wo me wi on m 1 m m Additional Location 855 E 200 N Roosevelt UT 84066 435-725-3335 MON -FRI 9:00-7:00 SAT 9:00 -5:00 l khjMhaataftfUS 11 Receiving quilts from an Eagle Scout project are Donna Collett, Frank Chandler, Hugh Trotter, (Boy Scouts) Harold Merrell (102), Grant Hacking (98), Norma Denver, Madeline Gallerani, Carrie Merkley (99) and Deloris Corbin. Scout makes quilt donation For his Eagle Scout proj ect, Frank Chandler organized orga-nized the sewing of nine quilts which were donated to the Beehive Home in Maeser. The quilts were made by vol unteers ranging in age from 8 to 99. Chandler, Hugh Troddler, who helped on the project, presented pre-sented the quilts to the residents resi-dents of the Beehive Home last Friday. "This is a wonderful contribution contri-bution to the residents," said Guy Collett, Beehive Home owner and manager. "They will definitely keep them warm." Dinner and a Movie signups begin Uintah Recreation is host ing a Dinner and a Movie along with Vernal Theaters and Subway sandwiches. Dinner and a Movie will be Monday, Feb. 13. Dinner will be at 5 p.m. and the movie will Man arrested for assault A 27-year-old Roosevelt resident resi-dent was arrested last week for burglary and the beating of a Ft. Duchesne woman. The complaint against John Anthony Larett states that shortly before midnight, Jan. 2, Sgt. Jay Mountain Lion, Bureau of Indian Affairs, was informed that a man was chasing chas-ing a woman at the Queacut residence in Ft. Duchesne. When the officer drove to the residence, he observed a black Hyundai Elantra leave the home at a high rate of speed. Sgt. Mountain Lion turned on his lights and siren in an effort to get the vehicle to stop, but instead it accelerated away from him. As the driver went east, Sgt. . Mountain Lion observed that the, vehicle weaved back and forth. Uintah County Sheriffs deputies responded from Vernal to assist in trying to stop the vehicle. Deputy Rocky Samuels set up vehicle spikes on Highway 40. After hitting the spikes, the vehicle stopped and the driver, John Anthony Larett was arrested. A passenger in the vehicle, Jolita Josephine Queacut, was reported to have been severely beaten in the head and shoulders. She was transported to Uintah Basin Medical Center for treatment. According to Queacut, Larett, her estranged common-law husband, become more verbally ver-bally abusive and threatening since their separation four months prior. He came to her mother's home in Ft. Duchesne and wanted to see their two children. Because of the late hour and because the children were asleep, Queacut turned him away. About an how-later how-later he returned to the home, kicked open the front door and went into a bedroom where he dragged Queacut outside and into his vehicle. Queacut's sister sis-ter called police. Larett was incarcerated in the Uintah County Jail where he is waiting for a hearing in federal court. He is charged with burglary and assault. No court date has been set. start at 5:30 p.m. Bring your children, receive a drink, a sandwich and sit back and watch a family film. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and must preregistered for the event. Registration deadline is Feb. 10 or until all seats are sold. Cost per adult is $6 and for youth 12 ad under $4. Register at the Uintah Recreation District, 134 West Main, Suite 101 or call 781-0982. frVll Will ill IH See me for a second opinion Most major brands... All price ranges. Call 435789-3342 X 136 C. 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