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Show 0 Orem man dies in SECTION THURSDAY, JULY 10, DAILY HERALD David Ragsdale, the man accused of gunning down his wife in a church parking lot in Lehi, dismissed his defense attorney, saying he was not happy with the way Greg Skordas was handling his case. "I'd like to go in a different direction and hire another attorney," Rags-dal- e said. Janice Peterson DAILY HERALD An Orem man was killed in an early morning collision with a tractor trailer Wednesday. According to a press release, the driver of a tractor-traile- r ran a red light at 1200 West and 800 North in Orem at approximately 8 a.m. According to police reports, one witness saw the truck moving west on 800 North, too quickly to stop for the light. David Lant, 34, did not see the approaching truck and was hit while riding his motorcycle through the intersection. Orem police Lt. Doug Edwards said charges are pending against truck driver from the Lindon, whose name has not been released. The speed of the truck as it entered the intersection and other details of the accident are still under investigation. Edwards said Lant was transported to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, where he was pronounced dead. Edwards said he personally knew Lant through church. "He was a devoted husband and father and will be missed by all who knew him," Edwards said in a release. Robert Cluff, Lant's boss at Minuteman Press in Orem, said Lant was a hard worker and very close to Cluff : Cluff said he came upon the scene of the accident minutes after it occurred and did not realize who had been 344-253- 0 aroseheTaldextra.com Raffidale dismisses defense attorney Jeremy Duda motorcycle accident Amie Rose METRO EDITOR 2008 At a hearing Wednesday in Provo's k 4th District Court, Judge Claudia dismissed Skordas as Ragsdale's attorney and assigned him a public defender. Ragsdale said he is trying to hire a new lawyer, but is having difficulties coming up with the money because his assets have been frozen pending the outcome of a civil suit Lay-coc- filed against him by his deceased wife's family. Ragsdale's family has said a cocktail of psychiatric medications chemically altered his brain and caused him to shoot his wife. Tamara Ragsdale said her brother was taking the antidepressants Paxil and Doxepin, along with two kinds of testosterone, Ritalin, Provigil and Valium, at the direction of a nurse practitioner who had been providing counseling for him and his wife, Kristy. Tamara Ragsdale said her brother's use of those psychiatric drugs will play a major role in his defense. "Certainly, the huge combination of SSRIs and other prescription drugs David was subjected to played a role in the tragedy, and that is backed up by several experts in the field from across the country," she said. SSRIs are a class of antidepressants that includes Paxil. Ragsdale's sister did not say whether Skordas was pursuing that angle for his defense, and did not say why he was unhappy with Skordas. "I could, but I'm not going to," Ta- - JASON OLSONAssociated See TRIAL, Press pool photo public defender Dusty Kawai, right and David Ragsdale left on Wednesday in Utah's 4th District Court in Provo. Newly-appointe- C3 d Wireless hazards - Vf t; 1 I f W I J ;? , , j; ' I I-- II j fV -' r "I 1 v involved. See ACCIDENT, C3 Officers back to ' ' A ft " - work after shooting Jeremy Duda DAILY HERALD Two Lehi police officers who shot and killed a woman after she fired on another officer have been cleared to return to work. Lehi police spokesman Sgt. Darren Paul said the two officers, whom the department has not identified, will likely be back on duty later this week or early next week. A third officer who backed the two up but did not fire on the suspect is also set to return to work soon after taking some time off following the incident. The two officers were placed on leave after shooting Kelly Wark, a Washington state native who was going to school at the Utah College of Massage Therapy in Lindoa Capt. Harold Terry pulled over Wark on the morning of June 23 See RETURN, C3 ASHLEY Registered nurse Julyn Shepherd left and respiratory therapist Brandon Kirfe Wednesday at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Orem. mate an adjustment to a ventilator FRANSCELLDaily Herald in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on Intermountain moves forward with RFE)s Ace Stryker DAILY HERALD Intermountain Healthcare of- ficials say they will go ahead with plans to install wireless systems to keep track of hospital equipment in Utah County facilities, despite a new report that says the systems could interfere with life-savi- medical devices. Hospitals worldwide are increasingly using radio frequency identification devices, or RFID, to find equipment quickly and keep patients and visitors from leaving with it.' Small tags are attached to property ' that then emit radio waves that can ' be detected by computers around the hospital. But in a new study in the, i June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers report that the radio tags interfered in tests with a variety of medical devices including some that are health-critica- l, such as pacemakers, dialysis machines, ventilators and syringe pumps. Larson Holyoak, director of clinical engineering at Intermountain, said the report bears no great revelations. The medical community has been aware of the same problems presented by cell phones for years, but proper precautions have prevented any major disaster. "With any of this wireless-typ- e stuff, there is a potential for the wireless equipment to cause problems," he said. "We teach all of our hospital staff that that's the case. It's a vigilance with our staff, vigilance with people who use our equipment." In the study, which was conducted at the Academic Medical Centre in the University of Amsterdam, researchers tested 41 medical devices from 22 manufacturers. When the radio equipment was placed within a foot of the devices, the electromagnetic field generated caused electronic glitches almost 30 percent of the s of those probtime. About lems were classified as "hazardous," meaning they could harm patients. But Holyoak said similar precautions to those in place for cell phones restrictions on where visitors can two-third- See EQUIPMENT, C3 Pressurized water system on target Barbara Christiansen i 're. ';.' 9 ' ' NORTH COUNTY ' dV.a; J fA ' CRAIO DILOERDaily Herald Worker fill In around the new pipes and construction of American Fork's pressurized irrigation system on Tuesday. STAFF There are five contractors working in American Fork on separate construction projects all with the goal of completing this year's phase of the pressurized water sytem approved by voters last November. Work is a little behind the planned schedule and is, so far, under budget, said project manager John Schiess. Public Works director Howard Denney safojthere is $10 million in contract activity with the projected the city is "monitoring ana supervising, making sure it all gets done correctly." The main concern has been about replacing asphalt on roads after the pipe is laid. That has not happened as quickly as 1 the system," Denney said. anticipated in some places. "From here on out it will be "The theory is that roads would be torn up maybe two faster," Schiess said. Denney said the projects weeks," Denney said. "That has were progressing smoothly. not happened, but it is being "We are really pleased," he resolved." said. "Things are close to schedSchiess said that the pipes ule. Most contractors are putneed to be tested prior to the roads being repaired. Because ting in more pipe a day than we of delays in putting in the lower thought they could." That efficiency in itself can reservoir for the system, near : the Fox Hollow Golf Course, J create challenges, as the city has to keep up with the contracthere has not been water availtors. able for that testing. "Our crews are going out 0n Tuesday the City and doing blue stakes," he said, a bid to build the referring to marking places lofyer reservoir. The first task where utilities are already in is to build a pad for the new place. "We mark the power horse stables, then demolition lines and laterals. That is not of the existing stables, Denney said. Then the contractor will only for the city, but for gas, begin preparing the land for the power, phone, cable and other services." reservoir. "That is the primary source See DEADLINE. C3 for water for the lower parts of Coun-cilward- |