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Show The Salt Lake Tribune Section D UTAH MFOR THE RECORD/D-2 MESTATE OF THE STATE/D-3 @OBITUARIES/D-11 The unofficial amber ale of the 2002 Olympics? 1 D-6 SATURDAY, DECEMBER5, 1998 County Residents Bash Budget Plan Proposed servicecuts,tax hikes don’t go over well Commissioners are considering a $15 BY LINDAFANTIN milliontax boost for the county's general THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE # 4 | a | | st But Kreherspent Friday night at the Salt Lake County Commission chambers, waiting to lecture commissioners about the proposed budget. When his turn came, the Holladay man lobbied on behalf of libraries Utah's schoolchildren are taught by underpaid teachers in crowded class- fund and a $3 million hike for the munic- ipal-services account, whichaffects only unincorporated areas. If approved, city residents would pay another $36 a yearin taxes on a $164,000 home, while those living in the unincor- porated county would be taxed about $67 moreper year. The proposed increases come on the heels of nearly $54 million in cuts made to departmental budget requests. On Friday, Sheriff Aaron Kennard and mem- roomswith few computers, he said. “Our bersofthecity-countyhealth board said set this educational shortfall,” Kreher jeopardized unless some of those funds would lead to a reduction in operating wererestored. Horiuchi said the fire department would have to eliminate the wildland fire libraries are one way that we can offsaid, noting that a cut in library funds hours, the public’s health and safety would be But for every person who lamented crew and certified-emergency-response the loss of services, there were more who training programs. But there waslittle sympathy from the 150 or so residents who attended the hearing. opposed tax hikes. Commissioner Randy ijuchi a fi Chuck Kreherrejoices when the park- inglotis full and people are standingin line. As longas it is at the libr: whammy.” described it as a “double Michael J. Miller/The Salt Library advocate Chuck Kreher objects to proposed cuts at a hearing Friday on Salt Lake County's budget. Peter Ruplinger of Sandydidn’t want to hearany sob stories aboutlayoffs. He accused commissionersof misrepresenting the budgetpicture, noting that the county’s proposed 1999 budget of $524 million is still more than 4 percent higher than this year’s. “It appearsthe commission would pre- fer to increase government than eliminate waste and curtail taxes,” Ruplinger said. If commissioners cannot keep gov- ernment spendingundercontrol, he suggested, they should step down The county could save money bypurchasing morefuel-efficient cars instead of Ford Broncos and CrownVictorias, said Blaine Thornton Robert Comstock of South Salt Lake had another idea. He told commissioners to sell the $59 million County Government Centerto the school district. That way, children could learnin a climate- controlled building and commissioners could work out of “Quonset huts” in the parking lot The government seems to prosper even when residents don't,” said Sherry Dodge of Sandy. At somepoint, added Kevin Wright of Midvale, “you'll have all our money Commissioners are scheduled to make adjustments to the budget on Monday and adopt it Wednesday Cook’s Policy: ; No More &*$! But assistant says no one besides congressman cusses in the office BY JOHN HEILPRIN and DAN HARRIE ® 1998, THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE Congressman Merrill Cook, battling perceptions of abusive behavior andfoul language, has announceda new internal no-cursing policy in his Washingtonand Salt LakeCity congressional of fices. But the policy, which went into effect two weeksago, seems mostly directed at himself ‘Everybodyhereis v ery spiritually mind ed and noneofus ever use bad language,” said Helen Thurston, a Salt Lake City staff assis- tant.‘The newno-swearing policy, that should not refiect on us — because we don't do that Everyone's strait-laced.” Does pretty CLICK HERE | Foe OnECELaNS, anyone other than Cookeverswear? Of coursenot,” insisted Thurston, seeking to defendthe staff. “Thepolicy doesn’t really apply to us, Wedon't use bad language InherNoy. 8 resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained Friday by The Salt Lake Tribune Cook’s formerchief staff, Janet Jenson, said thedaily abuse from Cook’s emotional instability wasintolerable “Dayafter day, week after week, and month after month,” Cook referred to Jenson and other women in the office in vulgar and derogatory terms, she wrote, adding the congressmanalso used profanity when talking about malestaff members, the governor and other membersof the Utah delegation. “I cannot express how demean See COOK, Page D-12 Al Hartmann/TheSalt LakeTribune Life imitatesart as a pedestrian walks through snowflakesFriday while passing a mural on a storefront along Main Streetin downtownSalt Lake City. From Unseasonably Mild to Wintry Wild in a Flurry Storm closes canyons, zaps power. Today’s forecast calls for scattered snowshowersin Salt Lake and Davis counties BY BRENT ISRAELSEN good one,” said William J. Alder, chief meteorologist for the Salt Lake City office of the National Weather Service. THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE After record high temperatures By 6 p.m. Friday, 8% inches of earlier this week, winter weather appears to have settled on Utah for good. ‘A snowstormFriday dumped up to 81inchesof snow in Salt Lake Coun- ty and footin the mountains. Lingering snow showers are fore- companied by high windsreaching 51 mphin West Valley City, 75 mph at Jupiter Peak above Park City and 94 inches in Holladay, 7 inchesin Tooele, 10 inchesin Bountiful and 6% inches in Logan. Solitude Ski Resort had 12 inches on top, and Park City received about 9 mphatthe top of Germania ski lift at Alta. The snow caused minor traffic acci- As it movedinto the Wasatch Front “This storm is working out to be a Bd snow was reported in Millcreek, 7 inches. cast for this morning with frigid air setting in for the rest of the weekend. More on Utah weather on Thursdaynight, the storm was ac- dents, which led to temporary road closures in Little Cottonwood and Parleys canyons. Spotty power outages were reported in northeastern Salt Lake City, Holladay and Sandy. Today’s forecast calls for scattered snow showersin Salt Lake and Davis counties caused by moisture rising from the Great Salt Lake. Thestorms should subside by afternoon, with temperaturesdipping to 20 tonight Sunday should be cloudy and cold along the Wasatch Front. Snowstorms are expectedin southern Utah, which was notaffected bythe stormon Friday. The next snowstorm is expected to hit Utah on Tuesday, Alder said Man Gets Upto Life For Wife’s Drowning BY STEPHEN HUNT THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Asserting his innocence — andblamingvindictive lovers andineffective attorneys — David Meadwent to prison for up tolife Fridayfor drowninghis wifein a backyardfishpond The 31-year-old Salt Lake City man received the maximum possible sentencefor the 1994killing. Third District Judge J Dennis Frederick ordered that a first-degree-felony murder sentence run consec- utively to one for second-degree murdersolic alsopiled on a $1 Frederick also ordered Meadtopaythe victim’s fam- Utah Retailers Pull Penthouse Off Shelves After Oklahoma Arrests BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH THE SALT LAKE TRIBU! ™@ Movie Buffs prosecutorsays judge not biased In the wake of two Oklahoma bookstore clerks being arrested and charged last month for selling the general circulation adult magazine Penthouse, several Utah retailers have pulled the publication from their shelves or censored photographs that they fear may be deemed obscene. But a Salt Lake City attorney who represents the New York-based magazine in Utah predicts Penthouse soonwill return to area racks, despite a new editorial policy to depict sexualacts in more graphic detail. “Whatusually happensif an issue of the magazine -OPY ' —D-2 gets in trouble someplace, everybodyelsepulls it off the standsto wait and see what's going to happen,” says Jerome Mooney,a Salt Lake City First Amendmentattorney. ‘‘So the Decemberissuegotpulled in someplaces, but when the January issue comes out it will probably be back on the shelves.” About a year ago, Penthouse and another adult magazine, Hustler, independently changed their editorial policies and crossed what had long been considered the unspoken line separating “soft porn” from “hard core.” Both magazines now show explicit photographs of sexual penetration, histori- cally what law-enforcement authorities look for in determining whether material is “obscene” under state and local laws In Tulsa, Okla., last month, police boughtanissue of Penthouse and determinedit included photos that are obscene understate law, which defines obscene as sexual acts that are “normal or perverted, actual or simulated.” Two newstand clerks were charged and could face up to 15 years in prison or $25,000 in fines if convicted. Hustler publisher Larry Flynthasoffered to payall the clerks’ legal costs. The Oklahoma busts have made several Utah re- See PENTHOUSE, Page D-5 ily the $75,000 in life insurance he had collected from David Mead his wife’s homicide — a death Mead staged to appear accidental The judge called Mead a ‘calculating, cold- blooded planner of murder” who took advantage of a womanwho loved and trusted him. Thejudge said that when Meadkilled 29-year-old Pamela Mead onAug. 15, 1994, she was recovering from foot surgeryand wasparticularly vulnerable See MEAD, PageD-5 CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Milford Flats, whereat least 23 waterwells were foundto becontaminated bybacteria, is in Beaver County. A story Thursdayin TheSalt Lake Trib une stated otherwise. |
