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Show HfRAlD DAILY 12 TAH VALLEY PROVO I There will be a rabies clinic from H a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds, Get the full story and other news of local interest in your community newspaper. $3.19 1460 N. 756-766- Daily Herald Angie Parkinson 344-254- Spanish Fork Press 7 Debbie Chandler Provo, countywide 489-565- 9 Lehi, Cedar Valley, Saratoga Springs, Pleasant Grove or Lindon ext. 10 798-101-1 Spanish Fork, Salem, Payson, Elk Ridge, Woodland Hills, Genola, Santaquin 1 Springville, Mapleton AIWCMTRAL AXL SYSTEM 6 months No Call Ynu Snvp! j InterestNo Pavment Financina Available a mmr wa Today For mmw A m mm m m m m mm m mm m mm' FreeNo Cost Estimate rvcy Heating and Air Conditioning www.harveyheatingandair.com 8N rf?T Springville Trcr'Tt '"ft over safety problems w mr mm w j ASSOCIATED PRESS "This makes it that ., much harder for families to hold onto their homes and cars and the life that they deserve." SALT LAKE CITY The deepest coal mine in the U.S. abruptly shut down Friday, a week after the company was hit with a huge safety fine and was being assessed for other violations at a nearby mine. UtahAmerican Energy Inc. said "unexpected and unusual stress conditions" forced it to indefinitely close the Tower mine seven miles north of Price for the safety of miners. The mine was slapped with $420,000 in fines for "flagrant" safety violations involving explosive hazards on March 20. The federal Mine Safety and Health Aaministration issued another set of fines on Friday for "flagrant" violations at the West Ridge coal mine, also owned by UtahAmerican d Energy, a subsidiary of Murray Energy Co. The privately held company was caught in a national spotlight last August when nine people at Crandall died in two cave-in- s Canyon mine, also in Utah's coal district. Companies can be assessed a flagrant violation at up to $220,000 for a known danger they fail to correct or for showing a "total disregard" for safety, said Kevin Stricklin, who oversees coal mine safety for MSHA. His agency refused to release a copy of the citations for West Ridge until they were delivered to the company. UtahAmerican's president, P. Bruce HilL announced the shutdown of the Tower mine Friday in a terse statement. Reached at his office, Hill refused to say if the mine was being closed Joel Piccolo Price mayor v that register as earthquakes, said Walter Ohio-base- questions. Corporate officials did not return phone or messages. Price Mayor Joel Piccolo -- U. I41 Come see the crown jewel of Thanksgiving Point open its Jours for the 2008 season. Enjoy 55 acres of breathtaking!)' beautiful gardens. I Ara-bas- said he would be surprised if Murray Energy abandoned the Tower mine. "The resource is too rich there. With newer technology down the road, I guarantee you that they'll finish that mine. It's tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars there," he said. But the Tower mine, 2,750 feet deep, was plagued by explosive methane emissions, said Dave Tabet, energy and minerals program manager for the Utah Geological Survey. "As they were getting deeper, they were encountering more gas and had to spend more time ventilating and they couldn't produce as much coal," Tabet said. "For a while, they shut it down to drill more ventilation wells. Maybe they were having additional bounce problems as welL" A bounce is a violent shift inside a mountain Miners say they can feel a bounce in their bones if rockfall doesn't kill them first. Utah's coal mines set off thousands of bounces a year s. "If these operators say they're seeing things that trouble them, and they won't continue their operation because it's not safe, I believe them," said Kim McCarter, chairman of the university's Department of Mining Engineering. UtahAmerican said Tower is the deepest operating coal mine in the United States. At that depth, the mountain is bearing down on the mine with a force of 3,025 pounds per square inch, McCarter said. iivmsormunciimwi 9 ft ? op 1 I z, director of the University of Utah's seismograph stations. It was uncertain how methane and unstable ground played in the company's decision to shut down the mine, but Huntington city councilwoman Julie Jones said, "I've heard some of the coal miners say if they didn't shut it down, it would blow up because it's gassy. They knew it was a dangerous mine." The Tower mine employed upward of 200 people and produced about 2 million tons of coal a year, Tabet said. UtahAmerican said it would offer to transfer many of the Tower miners to West Ridge or other mines operated by Murray Energy in Ohio and Illinois. Many Utah miners who've gone through periodic layoff s with Murray Energy, however, have declined to move to the Midwest. "The miners live here, work here, recreate here," Piccolo said. State unemployment officials said they didn't know how many of the miners would end up losing a job, but Piccolo said the number could be significant. "This makes it that much harder for families to hold on to their homes and cars and the life that they deserve," he said. "It's not a good thing." The shutdown came a day after University of Utah researchers presented findings about the dangers of deep coal mining at a conference at the federal Bureau of Land Management in Salt Lake City. William Pariseau, a professor of mining engineering, determined the solid coal barriers at Tower were sufficiently large to support the mine, but his analysis did not take into account geologic conditions that could contribute to cave-in- for good or answer any other GARDENS 4 Utah coal mine closed Paul Foy American Fork, Highland, Alpine or Cedar Hills 756-766- Orem, Vineyard Thie-bau-d, m 1 Ave., Provo THE Cathy Allred 5 Tip FnrliPrYnu Ruv. vi j The Mnre w Springville 1750 West. 9 SAVE ON ALL HIGH EFFICIENCY AIR CLEANERS mmm St.. Springville Prices reflect the cost of regular unleaded gasoline at 5 p.m. on Friday. More prices at www.heraldextra.comgas. Pony Express Michael Rigert 443-326- SAVE HUNDKEDS OF DOLLARS ON 8 Flying J, Pleasant Grove Review Orem Times American realist, will be on display starting today at the mmm N. Main $3.19 Sinclair, 930 S. University Lehi Free Press The Springville Herald I Artwork by Wayne m 1600 North. Orem Barbara Christiansen Pat Conover m W. lone Peak Press MORE... SPRINGVILLE m 1600 North. Orem W. American Fork Citizen LEARN at 489-708- 1395 & Girls Clubs 12-1- y Exxon, 475 S. Main St. Rabies shots for animals will cost $8. Dog licenses will be $10 and $25 for altered and unaltered animals, respectively. SPANISH FORK e 4kfV-"- $3.15 489-272- ft . 7 Eleven, 794 N. State St.. Orem 3-- 5 756-523- I Residents are being asked to check their pressurized ir- rigation valves and sprinkler $3.15 $3.19 Chevron. 1415 Springville Museum of Art, 126 E. 400 South. The exhibit ends July 27. Thiebaud himself will be at the museum for a lecture and book signing at 1 p.m. today. Though the reception with Thiebaud, from p.m., is sold out, there is a free public p.m. For reception from more information, visit www. smofa.org or call of Utah County will join more than 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country in celebratmonument at (801) ing National Boys & Girls Club Week, Sunday through I Youth personal-watercraApril 5. The week is meant to courses will be available at celebrate the impact the clubs Utah Lake State Park on Tues- bring to their communities and invite local residents to days during April and May. Personal watercraft include visit and learn more about the JetSki and WaveRunner-typprograms being offered to children ages boats. Students must . Residents are invited to visit for this class. local clubs throughout the Youth age 7 are reweek. To learn more about quired by state law to take a the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah safety class and be certified County, donate to the One prior to operating a personal watercraft on Utah waters. To Campaign for Kids or learn or for more infor-mabout volunteer opportunities, ion, call visitwww.bgcutah.org. PAYSON OUUUI, OtlUUJf $3.17 Mirastar, 660 S. 1750 West. May 10. I The Boys JUWU VV. $3.15 Sinclair. 1223 systems. Weather permitting, pressurized irrigation water I Timpanftgos Cave National w ill be turned on during t he Monument is looking for vofirst week of April. Once the lunteers to help shovel snow pressurized irrigation system from the cave trail. Volunteers is turned on, ft takes up to a should be 16 years or older week for all residents to have and bring a shovel and gloves water in their pipes. Residents are asked to on the first three Saturdays in make sure their main pressurApril April 5, April 12 and ized irrigation valve is turned April 19. Volunteer help duroff now so that when the waing the week would also be welcome. Officials are hoping ter comes on, it doesn't flood to open the cave for tours on yards. Volunteers need to sign up before April 5 and should plan on meeting at the Timpanogos Cave Visitor Center at 9 a.m. each of the three Saturdays. For more information, call the J VAHKA.U, DAILY DIGEST COUNTYWIDE Jl PRICES AT THE PUT.2P A x LLADRP' mother's love I Mr:, 'Mi. V J v-- v ;; y ill ki lOSEE Jewelers n SB. Square (801) v Moo - Sat 10m 6:30 .toejewel.T.twit ESTABLISHED t956 pre 373-100- 0 Fridays until 8pm smt.Xl ' |