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Show WEATHER FORECAST MCA argues for restrictions IMnidL Mostly Cloudy High 51 Low 34 on wilderness lodge permits sSt Friday Ram High 50 Lew 34 Saturday RamSnow by Lisa Church staff writer Low 23 High 46 The Grand County Council voted 1 to have the Planning and Zoning Commission review an ordinance proposed by the Moab Citizens Alliance ( MCA) that tightens the definition and establishes size limitations for proposed wilderness lodge developments in areas zoned for 6-- Sunday Parity Cloudy High 48 Lew vjv 2? Proceeding without a permit hasnl issued The BLM a permit for the annual Jeep Safan event The agency expects an appeal will be made wnen a permit is issued A3 range and grazing. Council Member Jerry MNeelcy voted against the motion. Johnsons-Up-On-Todevelopers Moab Mesa Land Compary are seeking the wilderness lodge designation for the Cloudrock lodge portion of their project. p The draft ordinance was presented dur-inTuesdays afternoon meeting by MCA spokesperson Mathew Gross. The agenda g item drew a crow d of about 45 people loth in support of and opposed to CloudrocL In an unusual showng of ranks, mot members of the county Planning and Zoning Commission also attended MCA was expected to ask the council to institute a review of the land-uscode and to place a moratorium on grant- Continued on Page A2 e Governor touts fiber cable pact Will it affect prices Max Brandenburg enjoys playing with Legos at his Grandparents house Photo by Michael Gostlm for rural Utah? Moab youngster enjoys new lease on life after fall from window by Franklin Seal staff writer On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Gov. Mike Leavitt announced he had signed an agreement with Adesta Communications c for laying Internet backbone fiber-opti- They like the luge 5. 0, state-owne- d Julie Mueller and Saina try out a bobsled at the Utah Winter Sports Park. See coverage in Sports. B3 Inside The T imes Business US Highway 6 and cables along The agreement gives Adesta access in to highway rights-of-wa- y comfor broadband exchange providing munications services that will expand Directory: A Calendar. 65 Crossword Puzzle: 6 II Classifieds: B11 Dining & Lodging: 65 Editorials, Letters: A6-- t Notices: B8 Obituaries: A4 Region Review: 65 Television Listings: 68 the capacity of the state governments internal communications networks. The Adesta cable projects primary function is to connect Denver with Salt Lake City via a route that passes along through Crescent Junction then north along U.S. Highway 6 through Price and on to In Leavitts 1999 State of the State address, he launched what he called his Digital State" initiative. Promising to Internet bring Webtone," or access to every home and business throughout rural Utah by 2002, he later explained that one of his main tools y would be to leverage state to make such access more affordable in are rural areas. Those rights-of-wa- y highly desired by companies wanting to link their primary markets in major metropolitan areas. During a teleconference news briefing held immediately following the signing, the Governor touted the Adesta contract as the first step in improving broadband Internet access in rural Utah communities. But the agreement provides no 5. high-spee- d rights-of-wa- WEATHER STATS Feb. 14 Feb. 15 Feb. 16 52 32.05 50 25 .03 52 21 -F- eb. eb. 18 55 22 49 39.04 Feb. 19 63 38 .10 17 -F- Blender goes Hollywood! specific incentives for Adesta to give price breaks to rural communities along the route. Instead, the governor is relying upon standard market forces. Leavitt Continued on Page A2 I T-- by Michael Gostlin launches new sports section as wrestlers, hoopsters make moves toward state titles is pleased to introduce a new sports section this week, The along with sports editor Kari Gibb who has just moved to the Moab area. Grand County wrestlers ended the season in 1 3th place after a tournament tn Provo last weekend (above photo), while the boys basketball team defeated Monticello. Lady Devil hoopsters have qualified for stale. See Sports, Section B. Photo by Kan Ctb Times-lndepende- nt Great Lakes is early favorite for air service as tourist season is set to start that Great Lakes Aviation, the company that had not yet signed the final bid by Franklin Seal staff writer With the Canyonlands and the official beginning of Moab's spring tourist season now only three weeks away, it is beginning to look less and less likely that Moab will have regularly scheduled passenger air service for the early phase of the season. As of Wednesday morning at press time, the federal Department of Transportation was still awaiting final bid documents from one of four airlines bidding on the Essential Air Service contract for Moab. But several sources said Half-Maratho- n agreement, was likely to get the contract when it is finally awarded. If true, that means later this spring or early summer, passengers flying into or out of Moab will fiy through Denver, not Salt Lake City as has been the case in the past. Grand County Council members Kim Schappert and Joette Langianese visited with DOT officials w hile on a visit to Washington, D C. last week. My impression from talking to them was that Continued on Page A2 T--I intern Some people sufh-- serious a ( irionts on v to ri( (v t he odds of death due to modern medicine Writers dew tales as getting a new leaw on life " Such is the (dory of a young boy who now lives in Moab On Sept M.ixwtll 12, 1999, m of window a fell second out story Brandenburg Richfield, rolied off an awning, and tumbled onto i bard concrete sidewalk below, landing on bis shoulder arid head He was taken to Rk hfield's local hospital, and the n to Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake City where he w is diagnosed with a crushed skull and a collapsed right lung Dr Marion Walker, the head of the Neurology depart ment at the Salt Lake City hospital, was on duty that evening and began to work with the little Ixiy right awav The bone fragments were removed from Max's head, the lung was repaired and Max, who was originally presumed dead, was able- to go home from the hospital about two weeks after the accident occurred But thats not the rid of the story Max was left with a section of his head that , did not have the protective shell of his skull over it forcing him to temporarily wear a he Imc t to avoid more serious injury On Thanksgiving weekend of the same year Max went buck to the hospital for reconstructive- surgery on his skull The original bone fragments that had b n removed from his head on the day of the injury had is ri frozen and saved to he put hac k into place The was his own that Maxs body would accept the fragments r I rdx-thei- r 1 d - c anv-more- - (dritiniH-- on Page 2 Former Film Commission director charged with misuse of funds by Sadie Warner staff writer Last August, Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission (MMVFC) Moabs famed river-runni- dog to be featured on ESPN2. G Genera f V Th Vr placm'Ag Eceoce Timm- - To subscribe to IhfLlimei; independent can subscribemoabtenMXoni CTheTnesndependent This news-- XV p3.rL3 Z. panted on recycled paper and is recyclable. DOR COPY1 Board Member Don Holyoak announced at a meeting of the Grand County Council that the Film Commission would be closing its doors after 50 years due to funding problems. Last Wednesday, Feb. 14, County Attorney Bill Benge filed charges against former director Kari Murphy Huts, 37, alleging over 80 incidents of misappropriation of film commission funds. When the Film Commissions closing was announced, Holyoak stated that over the last three years the office had been experiencing financial difficulties. Coincidentally the County Attorneys office alleges that Huts misdirected over $20,000 between 1997 to 2000. Officials imply that Huts used Film Commission money to purchase airline tickets to and from Australia, souvenirs, groceries, clothes for her children and other miscellaneous items. Huts had been the director of the MMVFC for roughly four and a half years, taking over from Bette Stanton. In a press release provided by the Film Commission and printed in the I on May 23, 1996, former MMVFC president T-- Bonnie Lindgren stated, The Board of Directors felt that Murphy (now Huts), with her eight years experience in the film industry, was the obvious choice to replace Stanton. Murphy enjoys the daily challenges of the film business and meets each hurdle with contagious optimism." The article continued with Kari Murphy Huts' brief biography, citing her associates degree in accounting An investigation began about four months ago when Film Commission board members contacted the police regarding possible embezzlement. Police gathered evidence for over two months, tracking a paper trail through Film Commission Financial records to American Express. Benge reports that his office took two months r o wade throurh Hip compiled documentation. This single case carries more counts than any other case Benge has tried in his 26 years in the position. Arraignment and booking is scheduled for March 20 where Huts may request a preliminary hearing If convicted, Huts faces the possibility of 15 years in a federal penitentiary- Because the Film Commission was jointly funded by both the city and the county. Huts may also be faced with charges i,f - County Attorney B.II Benge peruses evidence of embezz'ement in the case of Moab to Moojment Val'ey Film Commissions former director. Kan Murphy Huts Huts, cuner-t'employed at the Moab Area Economic Development oce, remains at her post m county o"ces Photo by Sad e Warner |