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Show 3t-- 1 5 Press An str Uth P.O. Sox 132? . The Treraenton, Utah 84337 Volume 56 Number 24 Moth 25, 1976 Investigating Lightening Rods $1 7JH&& County From Stafl 'Forester For Fire. Suppression. There are a couple of matters relating to the alleged conflict of interest between two board members and a Tremonton bank which still need to be looked at, according to Board Member Winston Benson of Brigham City. Benson said he believes that the resignations submitted by Board Members Ken Porritt and Deloris Stokes "do not entirely meet what seems to be the statutory requirements." The board "needs to take another look," he added. He was scheduled to resume the issue Wednesday evening at the school board meeting. But County Attorney O.D. Lund said Monday he feels the resignations have closed the matter unless new information is brought forward. "...I think this has resolved the matter and hope that is the case," Lund said. Benson was quoted recently in a daily newspaper as feeling that the fact that Stokes still owns about five percent of the stock in the Bear River State Bank raises a question as to whether he has resolved the conflict by simply resigning his post as a bank fOP " - III! BICENTENNIAL Davis (at left) and Bill Ecker pass through the cross on their bicentennial ride from El Paso, Texas, to Anchorage, RIDERS-To- m roads area of Tremonton Alaska. ' Riders Are Out director. But Lund said Monday that the state statute says no conflict exists unless an individual owns ten percent or a "substantial interest" of stock. . Benson said the decision by Porritt to resign his school board position and Stokes to resign his bank directorship "...was their decision not mine." He said he merely brought the question to the board for consideration. "I haven't been peddling it elsewhere," he added. Both Stokes and Porritt said in statements last week that they hoped their resignations would allow the school board to get back to matters of education. Their actions were prompted by the fact that interest on a $300,000 savings certificate at Bear River State Bank would have been lost had it been withdrawn to alleviate the conflict. Asked if he felt he has been impeding the board in doing its job, Benson said he "had the idea this matter related directly to education." He denied, emphatically, rumors which he said he had heard that he was urging County Attorney Lund to take legal action against the pair. "I was confronted with the rumor today that I was planning a lawsuit," he said. "I think its an affront." "I'm definitely not the one who has been threatening legal action," he added noting that the "questions I had for the county attorney are in the letter that I brought to the board. ' Benson also noted that he was not aware of the alleged conflict of interest when he filed for the school board election. "...at the time I filed for the board I had not read the extract of statutes which apply to board members.. .in the course of reading them. ..I came to an awareness that the question ought to have the board's attention." . In regard to Pofritt's resignation from the board, Benson said he has "enjoyed my association with Ken very much..." America well-know- "We're seeing things that people driving a road fifty time never see." That simple statement seems to be more than enough justification for two cowboys who decided they wanted to see the good old USA by horseback. "The country is changing, the is closing in," explained Tom Davis of LaJara, Colo. So it is almost with a sense of urgency that Davis and a friend, Bill Ecker, 27, of El Paso, Texas, set out on their marathon journey. Actually, Davis set out alone at first. He met Ecker in a bar at El Paso. Both and decided they'ed are like to spend much of 1976 seeing the country from border to border. "There's not a better year to do it," Davis said. The duo expect to finish their journey in mid-Julor early August at Fairbanks, Alaska, depending on how many curious tourists and reporters stop them along the way just to chat. They left El pup-ulatio- n y fttercr Paso Strap in "Chances are the way the country is changing you won't be able to do this again," Davis admitted. "If it wasn't a bicentennial ride I'm sure (law enforcement agencies) wouldn't let us." The pair sauntered past the crossroads east of Tremonton recently hitching their two horses and two pack mules to the back of a truck at a nearby feed store long enough to get som. coffee. They made camp in a field near the sugar factorv.jn Garland. Davis said tife pair hoped to be in Pocatello by Saturday to watch the championship cutter racing action. Davis is celebrating not only the nation's 200th birthday but also Coof which lorado's 100th birthday-bo- th appear to be just a good excuse for the adventure. Both men are bullish on America to n commercial. paraphrase a "There's still a little American spirit left," Ecker chortled. "People along the way have been treating us real good." Added Davis: "There's lots of heart left that most people think is gone." People along the route have provided hot meals, places to sleep and corrals to turn the stock into. Davis recited only one bad incident while in Utah. That occurred when a woman near Soldier Summit in Price wouldn't let the duo put their stock in an empty corral during a snowstorm. Besides the good neighbors along the way, the trip is aided by Elk's Clubs who provide food and support. Both admit the trip is "hard money-wise- " considering how much it is costing them both for the trip and in lost work. But Davis added, "We just got tired paying about half of everything we make to Uncle Sam." The pair hope to write a book about their experiences after it's over. They carry a tape recorder and camera, and want to get on the school lecture tour as well. ' They are seeing sights, they say, which school children may never get a chance to see in the future. February. The treascounty ury got a shot in the arm Tuesday when the State delivered a Forester check for $17,066 to county commissioners. The check' represented the state's share of the cost of fighting fires on county lands in Box Elder last year. The state, according to State Forrester Paul Sjo- blom has a program of financial aid to counties in of which it will pay one-hathe amount which a county exceeds its fire suppression budget. The county last year exceeded its $15,400 budget by roughly $34,000 spending a total of about $49,000 for fire suppression. "Box Elder County experienced a rather tough year last year," Sjoblom acknowledged. The Promontory Point fire alone, which took about five days to quash and burned about 17,000 acres, cost the county about $25,000. County Ftre Warden Lloyd Robinette was on hand when Sjoblom presented the check to commissioners. He took the opportunity to announce that his department is studying a technique being implemented by some ranchers which could prevent many range fires. lf . Robinette, who said proof county bably fires are caused by lightening, vnoted that some ranchers in the Promontory area reportedly are installing lightening rods in lightning prone areas to harmlessly ground out the lightening been ravaged by inflation to a point where the towns could be losing money. Robinette pointed out that Tremonton responded 24 bolts. He said the owners of Newfoundland island in the Salt Great Lake have reportedly used the technique for some time and haye effectively curtailed lightening caused fires. Robinette said the county has a number of lightening strike areas such as the Portage area and Hansel Valley. In other action, Robin-ette was told by County Commissioner Don Chase that commissioners are willing to fire contracts with to county fires last year and received $2,879 or an average of just over $100 a fire. In other action, the it commission announced will send four people to an alcoholism school at the University of Utah June 14. Half of the $8 tuition cost per individual is borne by the Utah Alcoholism Foundation. On another matter, Craig Christensen, the Box Elder representative of District the Bear River Mental Health program, announced that a number of public hearings have been scheduled in Cache County, cont. on page three Tremonton and Garland. "We're wilperfectly ling to take another look at it... and not hold them- to a ten year contract," Chase """ said. Robinette approached Phone Rates Hearing Alonday , Tremonton 's town council recently to say that he felt the contract with the town to provide fire protection in nearby county areas should be updated. The original ten year contract, with a number of years to go, has A public hearing on the proposed rate increases by the Continental Telephone Co. of The West will be held Monday, March 29, at 10 a.m. in the Tremonton Civic Center, 102 South Tremont St. Shot Clinic Golden Spike Symphony Set The Golden Spike Youth Symphony will perform a bicentennial concert at Bear River high school in the auditorium Saturday March 27, at 8 p.m., according to officcounty bicentennial ials. Adrnission will be $1 per person. Proceeds will be used by the group to help finance an appearance in Scheduled Today Philidelphia, Penn., in May to represent the State of Utah during Utah day-p- art of the national bicentennial celebration. The symphony is composed completely of high school students from the Weber area. They are under the direction of Dr. James Thompson, music director of Ogden City schools. i i The Bear River District Health Department will be conducting another in a series of immunization clinics, today, March 25, from 5 p.m. It will be held in the Civic Center, 102 S. Tremont, in the Assembly room. All immunizations will be given. 2-- i f Planned In Tremonton Bicentennial Clean Up Am It'll soon be spring cleantime in Tremonton. ing The city Planning Board has unveiled plans for an e bicenextensive tennial clean up effort which they hope will last through much of the summer months. Chairman of the effort is city councilwoman Marj This week she announced the appointment of six precinct chairmen" who will assist in organizing block captains" throughout the city to supervise the clean up effort. Appointed are Henry Van Sweden, No. 4; Dr. Darwin Ardis Woodbury, No. 6, Adams, no. 1, Dale Collom, No. 2; and Evan Green, No. city-wid- A Massachuetts man wants to start a hew town" in western Box Elder County. But County Commissioners have dashed his hopes. In a letter to commissioners the would-b- e pioneer noted: We would like to start a new town in the far out remote parts of Box Elder County. Could we get a townsite from. ..(the) county to start a new town on it." County Commissioner Don Chase was forced to dampen the man's prospects considerably with this reply: With the exception of a few small isolated pieces of ground, which have reverted to the county because of tax default, Box Elder County does not own property that would meet the needs of your request. It would be necessary for you to acquire property from either the Federal Government or from private ownership. To our knowledge there is no such ground available for this purpose at this time." Up Bicentennial Clean Month" with a number of activities slated. City trucks will be available on Thursday and Frito haul away day, April garbage and debris-includi- ng large items like old sofas-whi- ch can't be hand 8-- led by the regular garbage run. Items must be placed out in the area where garbage is normally picked up prior to 10 a.m. on each day to insure pickup. Efforts are also underway to rid the city of a host of derelict cars and trucks. Jor-gense- ,5. April will be designated Pruning Clinic Slated Spring also means tree and shrubbery pruning time. And, for the novice, that can be a hacking experience. It can be fatal for the tree or shrub. County Extension Agent Harold Lindsay will present a clinic on the art of proper pruning Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. at the Tremonton Civic Center, 102 South Main. Admittance is free. Treminton's summer long "bicentennial clean up campaign" are these precinct chairman. Pictured are (front to r) Henry Van Sweden, precinct no. 4; Dr. Darwin Woodbury, precinct no. 6; Ardis Adams, precinct no. 1; (back row) Keith Fraser, publicity chairman; and Dale Collom, precinct no. 2. Evan CLEAN UP The clinic is being sponsored by the Tremonton Planning Board as part of their city clean up campaign. TEAM-Organiz- ing 1 Green, precinct no. 5, is absent from photo. |