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Show I 2 The Magna TimesWest Valley News, Thursday, May 27, 1999 GovernmentEditorial Political posturing is now in season Utah, the Fraud Capital: do we have a fraud law? by KIM FOLSOM STAFF WRITER The Political Picture in the state .is still up for grabs as to who is running for what and where. Governor Mike Leavitt will most probably run for governor again, but talk on the Hill has it that he may change running mates. Some political insiders believe that Leavitt would like to position himself for the opportunity to accept a possible invitation of undeclared presidential candidate George Bush Jr., and if he did this a favorite choice for Lt. Governor would be Utah State Senate President Lane Beatty. . . The strongest Democratic con- tender for governor would be Attorney General Jan Graham, who could benefit from her current bat- tle with the governor over the removal of her civil powers. Graham is also said to be consider ing a run at Congress or possibly another term in the Attorney General's office. Commissioner Mark Shurtleff was looking both at Merrill Cook's congressional seat and at the Attorney General post. Recently his focus seems to be on the Attorney General race. Commissioner Brent Overson is still looking at becoming the county's first mayor. Sheriff Aaron Kennard is also another top Republican candidate for this job. last When interviewed. Commissioner Mary Callaghan was also serious about her plans to gain the county mayor's job. But there is also some speculation by political strategists that Callaghan might be considering a possible appointment by Governor Mike Leavitt to the Public Service Commission. Democrat and community activist Karen Crompton is the top Democratic candidate for die county mayor's post Crompton also has volunteered for the hard task of spearheading the Democrats drive for strong candidates for the next election. Crompton says, "We are going to field strong candidates in every race. We will be working especially hard on State House and Senate races because of the upcom- County Jail to other states in by KIM FOLSOM STAFF WRITER Utah is considered by some to be the Fraud Capital of the world, but there is no fraud statute in our state law, according to Bill Morris of the Salt Lake County Sheriffs Department. Now, if an officer wants to arrest someone for fraud, he has to arrest them under the less strong category of Theft by Deception. Morris believes that the legislature should address the issue to avoid future loopholes for criminals. Many telephone fraud scams prey on the elderly and others daily. They include ones in which the caller will demand immediate payment of a fictitious bill and threaten arrest and other punitive action. A recent case involved calls made from the Cook ing Crompton knows firsthand the value of making sure there are credible candidates in all races because she suffered a loss of a county commission race, mainly because of low turnout in key Democratic Districts on the west side because the Democrats failed to run a candidate against KAREN CROMPTON Chris Cannon. Congressman Paulina Flint who has been active The county council races are in community council work for a number of years, is also looking at running for the county mayor posi- very important to get area representation; most of these races are still up for grabs. tion. which someone pretended to be an FBI agent and threaten various people to pay a sum of address money to an or face punitive action. Other scam artists will try to obtain your social security number or bank account number to clean you out They may try over the phone, in person, or may even go through your garbage. Some tips on dealing with such te calls: Do not answer any questions especially do not give out your social security number, bank account numbers and other financial or personal information. Demand credentials and verification of the caller's authority. Hang up and call the operator and report the harassing call. Make a police report Olympics on track and ready to go The Postal Modernization Act of 1999 In the past year, the Salt Lake sorship. He noted some recent new Olympic Committee has gone local sponsors to the Salt Lake Olympics include the Marker Company, famous for ski bindings and other ski equipment, which has signed on as sponsor to provide through scandal, change, new man- agement overhaul, and speculation of and disaster for the state and Salt Lake City. Some time has passed and the volunteer uniforms. Marker, new management team has been although a local company, is actugetting things back in line. The Salt ally a national sponsor. Questar V"vill Lake also be a sponsor and provide Olympic Organizing Committee has made a budget of natural gas to all venues. O.C. $1.4 billion as a goal for funding Tanner, one of the area's top jewel-th- e ers, will donate medals for the Salt Olympics and Paralympics. The nore-suppo- funding will come from a variety of sources. About 52 Olympics should be paid and between $80 million and $100 million will remain for government to invest or use for other pur- predicted to come from ticket sales, come from the sale of licensed Olympic items. The majority of the Salt Lake Olympics will be privately sponsored. The money for television rights is guaranteed. It is now just under 1000 days until the 2002 Winter Olympics and Frank Zang, SLOC Director of Communications and Media, feels confident that the committee will reach its goals and the 2002 Winter Olympics will be a financial success as well as an athletic showcase. . to Zang, SLOC is fooking at a $300 million gap to fill m the next 1000 days. Zang says, 'The goal is raise $100 million from local sponsorship and $200 million more from national spon- - MAGNA TIMES 0 Second class postage paid at Magna, Utah 84044 8980 West 2700 South Magna, Utah 84044 J. HOWARD STAHLE Publisher BONNIE STAHLE Advertising Manager Office Manager GENE JEFFERIES that former Olympic skier Jon Claude Killy, who helped manage the Albertville, France Olympics, said Salt Lake is ahead of where Albertville was in its preparation for the Olympics within the same time period. Zang said, "The Olympic management also had the job of tightening our belts. $98 million in cuts have been made in our budget and we are still looking for ways to reduce costs. Our emphasis is on sports and that the legacy fund to keep the speed skating oval and the Advertising Sales SLOC, the USOC, and the IOC which all show around 60 percent public support for the 2002 Winter Games. He also notes that recently 15,000 people came to the Mascot launch, a larger than expected crowd. Work to provide an air of openness and to broaden the makeup of the SLOC commit- tee have been major factors in securing the publics support Other issues of concern as to security and manpower are also in good shape. SLOC studied carefully security issues in the Atlanta Summer Games and had experts who handled security in those games give their counsel. SLOC has formed the Utah Public Safety Command under Craig Deardon of the state, in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies. There are 9000 pregame volunteers already signed up and Zang feels confident that the Olympics will easily be able to have double that number. There are 23 events planned for this year and Zang see many other athletic programs being generated for the community as a result of the Olympics. ic DEANNA JONES Arts & Entertainment Editor Production Manager The Utah Shared Access Alliance has filed suit in federal court to stop massive road closures on the Boulder Top which is located in Wayne and Garfield Counties in central Utah. This stunning 50,000 acre plateau towers over the surrounding desert offering magnificent views in every direction. At 11,000 feet, the high alpine environment dotted with numerous small lakes provides an exceptional recreational experience for outdoor lovers of all ages. In 1997, the Forest Service began a process designed to greatly restrict vehicle based access to die Boulder Top. The final plan, adopted in 1998, closed 89 of the SHARON LINSCHOTEN Stall Writer DALE SIMONS Sports Columnist Democratic representatives unveiled draft legislation which Committee. The legislation requires each school board to adopt and implement an emergency response plan to combat violence in public schools. The plan would also include staff training and coordination with local law enforce-- , DANNY JOHNSON Design a Layout Lead Computer Technician MIKE SOUTH Intern Copyright, Magna TlmaahWast VaHey News rasarvad. Reproduction, rauaa, or transmittal at a matter harrtn Is proNMtad wtthotA prior erlttan parmtaalon by tha pubHahar or editor. C AS rights ment agencies to adequately The Magna Timas and Watt Vslloy respond to emergencies. Rep. Dave Jones unveiled draft gun legislation he claims would help in preventing more senseless acts of violence. Point out that 30 days have now passed since he and Nears are published esch Thursday Subscription (is par year (21 par year out of stats his Democratic colleagues first postmaster; Send ehangs ol sddrsas to; Magns Times ' 8880 W. 2700 8w Magna, UT 84044 (801)250-586- or FAX (801) M The Mepne Timas a SonMad newspaper Utah Praes AaeaeWtoo 'THIS IS MY SEVENTH OPERATlON.DOC! A postal executive salary bonuses the Postal Service will raise postage rates each year as high as possible. The way it is crafted, the bill promises to sack individual consumers, organizations and small businesses with the highest stamp price increases while giving advertising and bulk mailers a break. With no review of justification to raise first class mail rates as long as they stay within a cap, no one will be charged with making sure stamp buyers are not being overcharged so the Postal Service can subsidize other classes of mail and undercut its competitors. In fact, it seems obvious the bill will tempt postal executives to meet budget needs by raising rates in their monopoly class while keeping others artificially low. , STOMACH BETTER PUT SWINGING DOOR ON IT I e 131 . miles of inventoried roads, eliminating 68 of the access people have enjoyed for generations. According to Rainer Huck, "The President of Boulder Top closures are just a small part of a big plan to keep USA-AL- L, people out of our public lands and forests. Nearly every land management action these days focuses on closing roads and eliminating access. This trend is directed toward establishing a new generation of 'King's Forests', where only the chosen elite can come and play while the rabble must be content to just look through the fence. "Of course, in these more enlightened times, it's not called the 'King's Forest' anymore. Wilderness' is the word used in our kinder and gentler world, because it still invokes warm and fussy feelings even in many of the intended victims." Huck continued saying, "These massive road closures were orches- trated to prepare much of the Boulder Top for Wilderness Designation, which requires candidate areas to be roadless. If legitimized, this process can be used to 'create' wilderness nearly anywhere on Forest or public lands. The Mountain States Legal it Foundation, a public interest corporation is representing USA-ALin this action. For furnon-prof- L ther information, contact Brian Hawthorne at Democratic representatives unveil legislation to make Utah a safer place and the other by Rep. Patrice Arent. Each is aimed at reducing crime and increasing safety in our communities. Rep. Patrice Arent introduced a draft of her school safety plan legislations to the Education Interim ALAN BLAIN Stall Writer J Postal "profits" to be used for Group sues to save Utah roads they believe will help make Utah a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. Two draft bills were unveiled, one by Rep. Dave Jones SOME FUM? GARY R. BLODGETT Editor prices to the maximum allowable rate. Additionally, the bill directs port because of recent polls by Utah Winter Sports Park Lake Olympics. So far, only two worldwide sponsors have committed to be Olympic sponsors, Coke and Sports Illustrated, but others are expected to renew sponsorship for this Olympics. There are 13 national sponsors already signed up including such giants as Delta Airlines, Texaco, AT&T, and General Motors. Locally, Drake Beam Morian joins O.C. Tanner and Questar as a supplier. There are currently 20 Olympic licensees selling Olympic related items. Zang was happy to mention - Although the Commission currently lacks the final authority to set rates, it has served as an important safeguard for consumers against the Postal Service's ability to abuse its monopoly on letter mail. Zang belies that SLOC is gaining back public sup- should Instead, the Postal Service would be free to raise stamp prices every year as long as the increase did not exceed an adjusted index established by the bill. That index would be the Consumer Price Index (CPI) a measurement that not only fails to reflect traditional postal costs, but also fails to reflect any of the promised savings of billions of dollars from Postal Service investments in automation in recent years. Thus, while the Postal Service's actual cost increases to deliver first class mail might be considerably lower than this index, the Service would still be free to raise stamp dent Postal Rate Commission. poses. 4 percent of the 325-58- var- ious governments relating to the 31 percent of the revenues will come from worldwide television fights, 1 1 percent is USPS ff all major expenses of the Olympic sponsors, revenues January could be more accurately Act of entitled The Postal Rip-O1999. Far from proposing meaningful reform of the U.S. Postal Service, it would result in automat ic stamp price increases every year and remove what little accountability currently exists. There are no two ways about it -- - the Postal Rip-O- ff Act of 1999 is a raw deal for the average American. Currently the Postal Service is required to bring rate increase proposals to a public hearing review process overseen by the indepen- starting to pay back some of the $59 million that was spent on Olympic infrastructure to die state. The Office of Planning and Budget predicts that $2.8 billion in economic output will result from the Olympics of which $236 million in gross local and state tax revenue will be gained. Out of this tax rev- percent is predicted to come from and This bill introduced into the House of Representatives in goal." SLOC is already in the process of enue, Rather than giving the independent commission the power to keep stamp prices from rising higher than necessary, the bill would give the Postal Service even greater latitude in setting its own rates. It would no longer be required to provide justification for rate increases. by SCOTT MACDONALD Utah Winter Sports Park in operation after the Olympics is a major called for a special session to deal with issues related to gun violence, Jones provided the press with a copy of a consolidated bill which deals with three "no brainer" issues. Rep. Jones has also requested that the legislation be heard before an appropriate interim committee during the next interim day, Jun 16, 1999. If passed Jones' legislation would: 1) Close the loophole in current state law which allow people with prior misdemeanor violations involving dangerous weapons to legally purchase a gun; 2) Close the loophole which allows criminals and unqualified individuals to purchase firearms at gun show, trade shows and flea markets without background checks; and 3) requires the court clerks to make a report to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation whenever a defendant in a criminal case enters a plea of insanity or mental incapacity to the court. In addition to his consolidated bill. Rep. Jones indicated that, at his request, legislation is currently being drafted to correct serious omissions and short comings in the concealed weapons legislation passed earlier this year by the Legislature. "Under current law, churches and homeowners and Olympic organizers can ban concealed weapons from (heir properthe ty, but school administrators people we charge with the safety of our children - cannot ban guns from schools," said Rep. Jones. "What's more, churches and private residents actually have to put up signs telling people guns are not welcome. In my opinion, that's backwards. If someone wants to carry a loaded firearm into my home or place of worship, they should have to ask for permission before entering." Jones sponsored legislation to this effect during the 1999 legislative session, and sponsored floor amendments to ban concealed weapons from schools. However, both initiatives were voted down despite the endorsement of the state PTA, a coalitions of religious organizations. Governor Leavitt, and many other groups. "Now that die LDS Church has firmly and unequivocally weighed in on this issue, I have new hope the legislature will reconsider its previous actions and pass this legislation," continued Rep. Jones. "It's time that the legislature realizes what the public realized long ago: there are just some places where guns don't need to be, and there are just some people who shouldn't have access to guns anytime, anywhere." Copies of draft legislation are available in House Democratic Offices. POOR C |