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Show hAoK?Ttss Association E. 300 So. SLC, UT tfflll Weather report submitted by the Springville Junior High School weather station: 10-40 percent chance of precipitation, temperatures increasing from around mid 30's to high 30's by Monday. Today cloudy, breezes out of northwest, Friday continued cloudiness, some clearing later in day, Saturday partly cloudy, cooling, Sunday increasing cloudiness, Monday increasing cloudiness, Tuesday increasing cloudiness, winds out of northwest. Volume Eighty-Five SPRINGVILLE, UTAH 84663 - January 21. 1980 Price 2.7 Number Four Youth dies in accident in canyon An American Fork man was killed Thursday night in Hobble Creek Canyon when the car he was a passenger in went off an embankment. Douglas Robert Harmon, 18, 914 N. 400 West, American Fork, was killed. Seriously injured was Eric Sondrup, 18, 550 E 2200 North, Provo. He was the driver of the 1979 jeep CJ5. According to the state highway patrol, the vehicle was westbound oil Hobble Creek Road when it ran off the right shoulder. The driver apparently tried to correct it and it ran off the left shoulder about 100 feet down an embankment. em-bankment. The driver was taken to Utah Valley Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. He suffered head lacerations, possible neck and back fractures and internal injuries. Thief prefers show 'n steal Even school Show 'n Tell isn't safe during the current silver craze, Middle School student Joseph Ahlstrom discovered. A silver dollar in a bracelet, three silver quarters, three silver dimes, some Buffalo nickels and two regular dimes Joseph took to school for Show 'n Tell were stolen at the school. The coins were owned by Fern Killion, who police said Joseph lives with. -They were stolen sometime between Jan. 5 and 11. Utility rates upped 10 Starting Jan. 1, city utility rates were raised 10 percent. The raise is the second phase of a 25 percent increase voted by Springville city council at the beginning of the last fiscal year. Rates were upped 15 percent per-cent in the first phase last July. fa mm'tiy A series of meetings this week between bet-ween the Utah County Commission and mayors of local cities may have brought the two parties closer to working out fire contract agreements for the county. Meeting Thursday night and Monday night, mayors of Springville, Provo, Pleasant Grove, Orem, and Spanish Fork agreed to recommend that the county modify its system of determining deter-mining county mill levies. The mayors and county commissioners com-missioners agreed that they would recommend mill levies be determined on the basis of improvements on property rather than by dividing the land into geographic areas which pay different mills. Under the new system, a farmer would have to pay the mill levy (currently 5.14 mills) for structures even if his other property were all agricultural land on which he pays a lower mill levy (currently .24). By using this system, mayors said they hope to be able to raise additional money for fighting county fires without raising the overall mill levy. If the change still doesn't raise enough revenue, the ratio between the two can be adjusted. Some of the mayors also expressed resentment over a system of allocating funds which allows some smaller city fire departments to receive so many funds they virtually pay for their fire departments without expending city money. However, said Orem mayor James Mangum, "If you have to pay 100 percent of a city's budget to get fire protection, I'd support it 100 percent." "My big contention;" hi added, id put mJ iL & ill ' ' i'ri Normal Suth, a local silversmith, holds a 1 oz. bar of sterling silver. The gold and silver rush has caught many the money where the need is. If you roll my truck and it costs $100, pay me $100." Raise budget In order to pay the cities the amount of money they have claimed it cost to fight fires this year, the county would have to raise the budget by more than double, said county commissioner Ken Pinegar. "I can't set my mill levy in the city on what it was two years ago." replied Mangum, "You've got to meet the demand." "I don't want to you to pay me more than what I do," said Ferguson. "Frankly, you'd come off better in Provo by paying us on what we do." "I'm not asking for 10 cents unless you call my truck out," said Mangum. In the past, Pinegar said, the county has tried paying cities on the basis of the number of fires they fight. However, he said, the county received as much opposition to that system as to the one it is now proposing. The southern cities, which have a larger area to cover, will receive more money, said Ferguson. However, "If I roll a grass truck, a grass truck is a grass truck is a grass truck. If I don't roll, you don't pay" Smaller communities, for which county fires are half the fires they fight, , should probably receive a larger portion of money than bigger cities, said Provo. No deficits No city can deficit spend any more than the county can, said Mangum. "All of us have to operate that way. If I go on a formula that takes the average number of fires I fight and I have a big fire that costs $20,000, 1 still have to pay my men. "I'm not trying to grab the money. I'm obligated to meet costs. It's unfair for me to say you gave Provo umpteen dollars so you have to give me the same." Using the county's present system of dividing areas up into service districts which have different mill levies, the county cannot raise the mill levy on agricultural lands, said Pinegar. "If you raised the mill levy up in Hobble Creek Canyon, you'd drive those ranches out of business." Under the suggested new system of tax levies, a piece of property would be appraised two ways, for structures, which would be taxed at 5.14 mills and for land, which would be taxed at .24 thills. Such a system would be more equitable, said Pinegar, citing the example of one man in the county who has $1 million worth of structures and is paying the agricultural mill levy of .24 for them. Mangum also suggested that anytime there is an "island" of county land which is not annexed to the city but is-serviced is-serviced by city water, sewer and other utilities, it should be taxed at the same rate as the other city residents. "Provo looks just like small pox, with all those little islands, and they all get fire protection," he said. No mill changes Pinegar said the county cannot change its mill levy this year, since the level is written on county records and can't legally be modified. "We can work out some of our problems, but we can't change everything this year. Where we're Continued oh page 6 inexperienced buyers and sellers in "ripoff " schemes, he says. "Use caution in buying and selling," he advises. County says need subdivision plat Utah County has dropped a suit it filed against some properties owners in the Springville area charging them with creating an illegal subdivision. Charged in the suit were R.H. Fackrell, Roka B. Fackrell, Keith R. Fackrell, Jerrie S. Fackrell, Grant M. Weight, Maxine E. Weight, Karen Woodward, James A. Damico, Zion's First National Bank, Robert J. Woodward, Jean J. Woodward, Albert O. Snyder, Cherae A. Snyder, R. Walter Fowler, Manita C. Fowler, David M. Anders, Colette B. Anders, Eldon J. Fackrell, Colette Fackrell, Louis Gene Stulce, Sharlene Stulce, Rulon Bick-more, Bick-more, Dorthy Bickmore, Sterling B. Fackrell, Oneita L. Fackrell, James Nielson, Carolee Strong, Arthur Biggs, Katherine M. Biggs, William F. Frazier and Barbara Frazier. The county said R.H. and Roka Fackrell divided, transferred and sold pieces of land in the county without Valtek wants hearing in Valtek Inc., plans to petition for a rehearing on a decision against it in a patent and trademark infringement lawsuit. ' The suit was brought by Control Components of Irvine, Calif., in 1977. The components company won a suit against Valtek in a Houston District Court and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court affirmed the district court judgement. The suit involved the manufacture Gold, The gold and silver rush is on in a big way and with it has come some "big npoffs," says a local silversmith. "I don't want to see people get ripped off and too many of them are," said Normal Suth, owner of the Pioneer Center on Main Street. A quick look at the want ads in the local paper will show a long list of ads offering to buy silver and gold. Some of them are legitimate. Others, though, are selling and advertising ad-vertising out of their houses or a hotel room, and "people have no guarantee they are getting what they are supposed to be getting." "Use caution in buying and selling silver," Suth advised, "and work with established dealers." A dealer who is still going to be around after the precious metal craze dies down is much more likely to deal honestly with customers to protect his reputation than someone who is in the business temporarily, Suth said. "If you buy for investment, buy from legitimate dealers," he emphasized. A few years ago, when turquoise was very popular, many dealers circulated through town, selling turquoise jewelry for high prices. Most of it was of very low quality, the kind Suth said he sells very inexpensively in costume jewelry. Those dealers are all gone now, leaving behind them many people who were sold an inferior product for high prices. . "Use caution in buying and selling." Dealers are regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce and are required to stamp the percentage of silver or gold content on each bar they sell, Suth said. Anyone buying silver or gold should make sure it has that stamp. "They can really rack you up if you sell it for sterling and it isn't."""" """ People selling gold can expect to get only 50 percent at most of the value quoted as the high price, he said, because the dealer has to sell it to a refiner for 75 percent of the market value. "There is no way you could get the full market price for silver," he said, indicating that an item almost has to go through a dealer and refiner, who each get a cut. "Most refiners will not accept less than 200 ounces." Recent business gimmicks advertising ad-vertising gas for 10 cents a gallon if the money used is silver, and other goods for about a fifth of their cost provided payment is in silver are "ripoffs," said Suth. land submitting a subdivision plat to the county planning commission as required by state law. Sterling Fackrell, one of the defendants defen-dants in the suit, said his parents divided the land and sold some of it as farm land. Later, some of the people who bought it built houses there. Some of the land was also given to members of the family for homes. All of the owners who built on the land obtained ob-tained building permits approved by the county. Fackrell said they were not aware they had to have a plat. The county originally sought a permanent per-manent injunction against the defendants defen-dants stopping them from selling or transferring property. However, Fackrell said the county has now agreed to merely have them sign a document saying they will not subdivide land without submitting a plat to the county. and sale of Tiger - Tooth control valves (formerly called Dragon - tooth). The amount of damages for which is liable in the suit must be established in a separate trial in Houston. They could include a royalty on the valves and a portion of Valtek's profits on the valves. The decision could prohibit Valtek from selling Tiger - Tooth valves without a license. Orders already received can be filled, serviced and repaired in the future. silver rush ripffff "People are better off to sell coins and then go buy the gas," he said. In buying and selling gold, he added, people should be aware that there is a difference between 14 karat gold and what is called 14 karat plum gold. Plum gold is true 14 karat gold, but some 14 karat gold is actually only 13.5 karats. A 14 karat gold item is about 58 percent gold. An 18 karat one is about 75 percent gold. Only 24 karat gold is pure gold. People who buy gold or silver bars or coins from mints should be aware that they are paying a premium price to get bars or coins stamped with the mints symbol. Such items are priced high because they are collectors' items, but if they were sold, they would bring only the market price of silver. Suth said he is not aware of any silver business who are requiring advance payment for silver, as did some businesses in Utah a few years ago which failed to deliver the silver. However, he said it would be wise to pay for silver when it is received. Helping a customer who wanted to sell some silver coins, Suth agreed to buy some of them. One coin he turned down, however, saying the customer would not get the full price for it if he bought it. "You'll lose money on that if you sell it," he said. Report reveals larceny most common crime Larceny and theft was the most common crime in Springville during 1979, according to the Springville police department's year-end report. The 318 larceny and theft cases the department handled this year were far above the second most common crime, vandalism. The department handled 114 vandalism van-dalism cases this year, down 12 percent from last year. Burglary and breaking and entering cases, including residential, commercial com-mercial and vehicles, were up 28 percent from last year, to 110. The next most common crime, driving under the influence of alcohol was also up 28 percent to 46 cases total. Aside from those crimes, Springville was fairly quiet. There was one murder, no manslaughter man-slaughter cases, no rape cases, oniy three robberies and three aggravated assaults, and one arson case. There were no cases of prostitution and commercialized vice, illegal possession of weapons, gambling or embezzlement. Police recorded 15 cases of forgery and counterfeiting, six cases of fraud, four sex offenses, two violations of drug laws and 10 of liquor laws, 13 cases of drunkenness, four of dis orderly conduct con-duct and four of vagrancy. The total number of criminal cases decreased slightly, by less than one percent. The police department received 4,555 non-criminal calls, a total of 10 percent more than last year in 1978. The total number of traffic incidents also increased in-creased by 27 percent. Almost half of the traffic citations were given to adult males. Adult females received 480, and juveniles received about 600, about four-fifths of them to males. The large majority of citations were given for speeding, driver's license violations and registration violations, parking and failure to pass safety inspections. in-spections. According to the report, the peak months for traffic offenses are March, May, July and November. patent suit The sales of the valves amounted to about 11 percent of the company's profits in 1979. However, Valtek has announced that it will continue to serve the noise control market with Megastream, a new precision valve designed for the same purpose. Valtek officials claim the court did not consider legal issues of patent and trademark infringement which should have been decided. u |