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Show .4.,1. Sheik sentenced for New York bomb plans . iit. 'rillin. Provo High School wants to start early Pags A3 Data reveals status of Utah's young residents Page C1 B1 Page bid coul mean more gold Salt lake TV Page D1 Wood Burning Conditions OK Bum Day IS. 'SH By CHRIS BIRD Associated Press Writer "mayskaya' and neighboring vil- lages Wednesday, as Russian KEMSI-YURtroop's unleashed a scorching rockPresRussia et attack intended to crush the ident Boris Yeltsin declared the rebels. in southern hostage crisis There was no immediate reacRussia to be over today, claiming ' all of the Chechen rebel captors tion from the rebel s forces to Yeltsin's remarks, reported by the were killed and most of the capFTAR-Tanews agency. It was tives survived. Yeltsin said 82 hostages were not immediately clear whether his rescued and 18 were missing. remarks had reached rebel sympaThere was no way to independent- thizers who hijacked a passenger ferry in Turkey on Wednesday and ly confirm his account, which contradicted a statement by Prime said they would blow it up unless the Russians the battle at - . ' T, sep-arat- ist ss stopped ' Pervomayskaya. ' Yeltsin told reporters in Moscow after meeting with his security chief that the military Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin earlier in the day that 42 hostages had been freed and the rest appeared to be dead. Russian military authorities expelled reporters from Pervo- - 1 , Rescue workers from American Fork and the Utah County Sheriff's office help et the scene of an autotrain collision Wednesday. mr- - riiMirnm iraraii mm ii iit Jf f 41 year-old Pleasant Grove residents were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred at a railroad cross-- Two -- lr tnar r KirTri W i Tftfi Daily Herald . nJ i in... PhotoJason Oisoo Sheriff's office"' ,,:jr.r ".,,- "The truck had too much speed and slid onto the railroad tracks," AMERICAN FORK - Two Femstedt said. "Weather was one Pleasant Grove residents were of the contributing factors." killed Wednesday afternoon n This is not the first time a when a Southern Pacific freight has lost their life at this partrain crushed their pickup at a ticular crossing. A fatal accident rural crossing just south of here. occurred at the site two years Alan Rodger Hardy and ago, but Femstedt said the cirDeanna T. Hardy, both 41, were cumstances regarding that accikilled after they lost control of dent were different That accitheir vehicle and slid into the dent involved an elderly woman path of an oncoming locomotive. who became disoriented while The accident, which occurred driving through the crossing. at about 3 p.m., was partially Around that same time, a simweather-relatesaid Lt. Ron ilar accident occurred at a rural Femstedt of the Utah County crossing in Spanish Fork just ByTOMMcHOE$ The Daily Herald - . per-'so- d, ; west of Mapleton. . ic barriers would not necessarily ." ""That was the same type of be the answer. " situation we had here," Femstedt ": ' "Ultimately, it's the responsi- -' said. "The road was slippery and bilky of the driver," he said. the car slid onto the tracks." "That is by far the overwhelming - Dean Smith, who lives a mile factor in these cases. You need to" from the crossing, said the major be aware of what is going on problem with the crossing is that around you. Then, w hen you are its structure makes it too difficult don't try to risk it. Drive for drivers to see oncoming aware, on the side of caution." trains. The crossing is too narrow But Femstedt said he could and steep for approaching combe certain if irresponsibility not said. he muters, was to blame for Wednesday's "It would be nice if they put accident. "There are still a numcrossing guards up and built up ber of the road," he added. things we need to check to be certain "about what actually But Femstedt said the visibility is fine there and that automat happened." Snowstorm strands kids in classrooms U satw behind Twaji rim fmfn .jtfcr htwK xhcuidai and upper back. A MBoft freezing rain, snow and wind. In Texas, tornadoes and strong wind ripped away roofs. One man was By LARRY RYCKMAN Associated Press Writer ' A fierce storm that quickly back ihoaU be torn arrwwl the wmrt roared into the Plains with snow killed, and three others were injured when the roof of a store in and strong wind caught thousands of people by surprise, Anthony, Texas, collapsed. More than 200 cars were y stranding usually stranded in in their drivers Nebraska, cars and kids in Related story, Page B1 where their classrooms. J3S v it bent, gKfeccg jrwft en liu back. snow-savv- ; ' wind-whipp- Conditions were so bad in Minnesota today that authorities even ordered snowplows off the roads. "There have been several hundred crashes statewide, and we anticipate that that's only going to get worse," said Kevin Bums, spokesman for the state department of safety.. The storm also blasted Kansas, .Oklahoma and Missouri with C4 .D5 le . Minnesota authorities threatened to arrest any drivers for travel not related to emergen- - Television .C4 .......... ...... ............ .......... ..... Weather World . JEA C6 JC7 E4 CI C4 jV3 B2 ,B4 Dl B3 A7 .A6 Air Quality Today is a "green" burn day for all areas along the Wasatch Front The air quality today was good for Utah County. See Page A2. i'iO iiii null HyiMI itim4m,n,mn The storm began dumping freezing fain on Wednesday and then quickly turned to snow, blanketing parts of South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska with more than a fooL The blizzard lashed the region "with biting winds. The wind chill plummeted to 72 degrees below zero in Grand ' Forks, N.D. By MATTHEW BROWN ' Associated Press Writer fe tences without seeking public input, lawmakers are approaching the issue with an armful of public opinion and outside recommendations. On Wednesday, the Senate JudiciaCommittee ry unanimously approved Sen. Lyle W. Hillyard's bill suspended sentence or probation. The Related stories, Pages B1.B3, B7 condi- tions for probation include no prior offenses, admission of guilt and the offender is not a dangerous pedophile. "There will be more treatment under this bill for those w ho can be helped," Hillyard said. Previously, an offender could go for most of his or her sentence without receiving any counseling or reha- establishing sen- -, tencing guidelines for aggravated murder and sexual crimes against children. said his bill Hillyard, was based on the Utah Sentencing Commission's guidelines. The commission conducted 44 public and private meetings to draft recommendations for minimum sentences, strict paroleprobation guidelines and requirements to bilitation. If an offender cannot be rehabilitated, the bill allows the state to imprison them for life. "I don't think you can cure some of these people," Hillyard said. The bill also closes a loophole in previous laws by requiring minimum sentences for attempted sexual assaults. Hillyard said prosecutors bypassed the earlier minimum guidelines by accepting lesser pleas of attempted sexual assault The bill now moves to the Senate for a full vote. close loopholes. The commission addressed the issue after the Utah State Legislature passed a bill abolishing the 5, minimums 10, and 15 years-to-lifor sexual assaults against children last year. The 1995 bill, introduced by Senate President R. Lane Beat-ti- e, was passed in the waning moments of the Legislature's annual session. Critics, including victims' rights groups, claimed the bill was pushed through without any chance for public comment on the proposal. Normally, the Legislature confe Also Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee endorsed a bill that would appropriate $2 million toward sex offender treatment That's nearly seven times ducts public committee hearings what the governor recommended in his proposed budget. on legislation, but Beattie introThe bill, sponsored by Rep. duced his measure on the last day Lake, of the session and bypassed the Shirley V. Jensen, committee system. appropriates $1.75 million and Gov. Mike Leavitt allowed the requires a review after three years to bill to become law without his sigf rnoniior the program's effectiveness. R-S- The Mormon belief that still gives , Utah's death row, inmates the choice of a firing squad could be death penalty opponents' only hope of stopping an execution next week, an attorney said. Without the consent of condemned child killer John Albert Taylor, defense lawyers have little or no chance of getting into court and stopping his Jan. 26 execution SALT LAKE CITY 1 ; 9th-centu- ry byfiring squad. But as a last resort, the religious underpinnings to the firing squad in Utah could make a case that s Lake for the execution. broader standing in court to object to (Taylor's execution) on whether it is a religious ritual," said Seattle attorney Tim Ford, a nationally recognized expert on death penalty cases. Defense attorneys hoping Taylor will change his mind have consulted with Ford, but they say it's too late to pursue such a case. Attorney Bob Steele said it would be nothing more than a public statement that could galvanize opponents and provide story fodder for news media around the world expected to gather in Salt Steele and two other local defense attorneys have been meetconvict, ing with the who has been at the Point of the Mountain's death row since 1989 for the rapeslaying of 11 year-old Charla King in Weber County. Steele said they, are showing him possible avenues of appeal, primarily concerning his legal counsel. He has exhausted aU of his state appeals but can still seek a : J. nature, but a special session of the Legislature agreed later in 1995 to put the plan on hold until 1996 while the commission reviewed it Hillyard's bill establishes minimum prison terms of 6, 10 or 15 for various forms of years-to-lisexual assault against children, but sharply limits the conditions under which an offender can receive .a SALT LAKE CITY Once again, the Utah State Senate is taking up the issue of minimum sentencing guidelines for sex offenders. B ut, unlike last year when legislators pushed through a bill abolishing minimum mandatory sen- Utah's death penalty law violates the First Amendment clause separating church and state. "That' would give (opponents) r 4 By DONALD W. MEYERS The Daily Herald Use of firing squad may raise crisidf protest j Tonight good chance of snow and breezy. South winds 10-1-5 mph with areas of blowing and drifting snow. Not as cold. Lows mid- - find upper 20s. Friday snow showers likely. Highs neai 40. Chance of snow 50 percent tonight and 60 percent Friday. See Page A7. ji cies, and the National Guard helped rescue stranded motorists in Polk County. Elsewhere, even rescuers had to stay indoors. "We're not sure whether there are people stranded out there or not," Minnesota State Roxanne Patrol . dispatcher Engum said early today. "Because of the zero visibility, we can't get out there." le Weather Find it . i'hf ed snow caused hundreds of traffic accidents and stretch of shut down a 170-miInterstate 80, between York and stretch North Platte. A 250-miof Interstate 94 was closed, from Bismarck, N.D., to Fergus Falls, Minn. UjMKM Arts Business Classified Ads Comics Crossword Legals Lifestyle Movies Nation Obituaries. Opinions Sports State ' Ejjwiii'.?,-- Public input flavors sex offender debate ing south of American Fork. Investigating officers say slick road conditions could have contributed to the cause of the accident. Train, ca r collision deadly for 2 (See YELTSIN, Page A2) "(Taylor) changing his mind is the most important thing," Steele said. -- 1 federal review of his case. . But Taylorv who dropped his appeals and fired his attorney last , month, has remained firm in his resolve to end his life and the daily torment of remaining in his cell all but one hour. ' Utah is alone among states giving condemned prisoners the choice of a firing squad or lethal injection. v University of Nebraska law professor Martin Gardner has traced the firing squad option to the 19th century Mormon doctrine of blood atonement. In a 1979 Washington Law Quarterly article, Gardner used the Utah firing squad as a case to prove that illicit legislative motivation could be grounds for finding a law is unconstitutional. (Set SQUAD, Page A2) moRcmmi |
