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Show iJAIO THE The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice since 1890 Thursday, march 2003 VOL. 112 NO. 126 13, Elizabeth Smart Comes Home After 9 Months Girl Found on Neighbors Joyful, Relieved to Have Sandy Street With Drifter SALT LAKE ADAM BENSON Chronicle Staff Writer CITY-Eliza-beth Smart, the girl who vanfrom ished her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive Wednesday in a Salt Lake City suburb with a drifter who had once done work at the family's home. The man, recently identified by Elizabeth's sister as the potential abductor, was taken into custody and the teenagd er was whisked away to a reunion with her family. She was returned to the family home about 8:20 p.m. in an unmarked police van. She did not say anything to reporters as she rushed inside the house. "All of the children out there deserve to come back to their parents the way Elizabeth has come back to us," father Ed Smart as he broke into sobs. "It is nothing but a miracle. I just held her, held her the whole way home. Authorities said Elizabeth, the drifter known as Emmanuel and a woman were all wearing wigs when they were stopped along a street in suburban Sandy, about 20 miles south J jr.;; X , I 1 - SJTY&&V 14 w "nn After nine months of agonizing sceworry and visions.of worst-cas- e narios, the Federal Heights community, from which Elizabeth Smart was abducted, exploded in celebration was upon word that the found alive Wednesday afternoon. "When I first got here, there was nobody for me to hug, and that's all I wanted to do, was to hug somebody," said Charlotte Hamblin, a family friend and neighbor. Hamblin, a teacher in Salt Lake Community College's developmental education department, said when she heard Elizabeth was found alive in Sandy, she rushed out of a faculty meeting and returned home to be with her neighbors. "I'm so grateful...! couldn't stop crying all the way up here," Hamblin ' if ' long-awaite- of Salt Lake City. jn f Relatives of Emmanuel, whose real name is Brian Mitchell, have described him as a prophet for the homeless who has lived in a teepee in the mountains outside the city. He was self-appoint-ed Tfis hired by the Smarts in November 2001 to work on their roof. Elizabeth disappeared seven months later. Mitchell and the second suspect, identified only as Wanda Barzee, were ANDREW KIRK Chronicle Staff Writer In early December, the Raza Political Action Committee, known as RazPac, lodged several complaints with the university, specifically the U Hospital. The organization was acting on behalf of several U employees who were upset about discrimination against Hispanics. The most obvious incident, a hospital manager prohibiting employees from speaking Spanish on the job, received extensive media coverage from both the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune. But according to James Yapias and Robert Gallegos of RazPac, there are more issues that have yet to be addressed. Facility maintenance employees were misled about how many days of sick leave they were entitled to and when they could take sick leave, they said. They were only given 10 cent yearly raises while all other hospital employees were given wage percentage raises, Gallegos said. According to Gallegos, the employees were entitled to 12 days of sick leave a year but were only permitted six. An ill pregnant woman, who had several days of sick leave remaining, was prohibited from using it at the risk of being fired, they said. She was forced to go to work sick and eventually miscarried the baby, Gallegos said. Although RazPac doesn't know if the miscarriage was directly related to the incident, they are protesting the unjust treatment. While every facility maintenance employee was subject to shortened sick leave and unequal wage raises, Gallegos and Yapias argue that these policies discriminated against Hispanic employees. "A pregnant white lady gets time off, but the Hispanic lady did not," said Gallegos. RazPac argues that little or no effort was made to make sure employees understood how many days of sick leave they were entitled to. "If they were told, were they told in English or Spanish? Some of the employees don't understand English well," Gallegos said. They also said there were more cases of unfair treat- ment of Hispanics throughout the university. When the allegations were made in December, the Utah see RAZPAK, page 6 refinery, which is going through a merger with Conoco, has decided workagainst allowing its a ers benefit package they were previously promised. The Work Force Stabilization Plan was created as a benefit package that, among other things, would provide up to four weeks of additional pay for every year of service, according to a written statement. According to Beck, that money blue-coll- protest by workers Cross oil refinery, owned by Phillips 66, has caused concern among community members, including U students. According to Howard "Buddy" Beck, l, vice president of the Paper, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union, the Allied-Industria- ar said. Some Federal Heights residents see NEIGHBORS, page 7 see SMART, page 6 "W tudents Get Involved With UT Labor Struggles at Oil Refinery at a Woods taken to the Sandy police station and later were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggra- - ueever issues 7r With the University Hosnvted ALI HASNAIN Chronicle Asst. News Editor V Charlotte Hamblin gives a hug to neighbor Becky Cannon outside the home of Ed and Lois Smart after learning that Elizabeth Smart, missing since June 5, 2002 had been found alive by Salt Lake City Police Wednesday. Ma zirac Jrursues A Back 15-Year-- 0ld could be the difference between sending an additional child or two to college for an average Utah family. However, the package will be offered to white-collworkers. "It's blatantly unfair," Beck said. Along with other community members, students from the U Student Labor Alliance Project are supporting the cause of workers affiliated with the ar see PICKET, page 5 "V. V i ' t hJ! ' 'f- . ; 1 v A r ' - ' WAN 1 4 At i 1 1 ; v. i ; 1 , 1 and Annie Ylst of "All Aboard" talk while campaigning near the Business Classroom Building. Alex Lowe of Summit Parties Anxious to Hear Election Results ADAM BENSON that we wouldn't regret anything, and Chronicle Staff Writer we don't," Johnson said. With only 30 votes separating the two parties in last Thursday's primary elections, Werrett and Johnson said With the final election results for next year's student body president and vice president positions being announced later tonight, the heads of both campaigns arc confident in the future of their parties. "I think the greatest thing we did was picking the people wc did who worked with us. The elections arc over, and we're still on campus trying to raise money. That's what we're about," Summit Party presidential candidate Jake Werrett said. For "All Aboard"'s Adrian Johnson, the feeling is much the same. "I really feel like wc gave it our all, so we have no regrets. ..our biggest goal this entire election process was they expect the race toward the final polls to be just as close. "We are planning on another close election, for sure. This whole campaign has been great. It's been like watching a good game," Werrett said. Aboard" candidate Anthony White said that in elections as close as today's is projected to be, the importance of every student's vote is even greater. "When races are really close like this one, I think people realize they have a voice and that it's an important "All vice-president- see PARTIES, page 6 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT www.DailyUtahChronicle.com |