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Show The Salt Lake Tribune NSIDE eECTOy, We “BUSINESS Unemployment rate dropsto 30- year low. /D-4 SATORBAY FOR THE RECORD, D-2 ME STATE OFTHE STATE, D-3 JUNE 5, 1999 Republicans Will | | | Vote on Changing Admissions At U. May Nominee Selection Proposed change would parallel Get Stiffer current Democratic Party policy BYDAN HARRIE THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE President wants higher Utah Republicans won't nominate any candidates todayat their annual state convention, but they will vote on a plan that would significantly change how nomineesareselected for the 2000 elections. The proposal — endorsed by the GOP Central Committee — would make it easier to pick nomineesat the convention, with the aim of avoiding primary elections. Instead of requiring a minimum of 70 percent of convention delegate votes to secure nomination for statewide office and multicountylegislative seats, Republican leaders want to lower the scores, enrollment cap BY DAN EGAN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE CEDAR CITY — University of Utah President Bernie Machen told the state Board of Regents this week he wantsto tighten admission requir< ments at his 25,000-student school. UtahState University President George Emertis consider ing a similar move threshold to 60 percent Widelyregarded as Utah's top two public uni The advantage of making such a change is that it sidesteps the expense and potential intraparty divisiveness of a primary. The drawback is the public at large is shut out of selecting which canilates will appear on the general-election ballot. Utah Republican Chairman RobBishop is encouraging approval of the proposed amendment to the party constitution. versities, both haverelativelylax undergraduate admissionpolicies. The U., for example. accepts 91 percent of those who apply. At a minimum, the U. requires incoming stu dents to have a 2.6 grade point averageand an 18% composite score on the ACT. Grades can be lower than 2.6 if the test score is higher. Thetest score can be lower than 18 if gradesare higher. “Under the current circumstances,it is our Machensaid he would like to boost minimum only avenue to ensure only Republicans nominate Republicans,” Bishop said in a note to delegates. “If we can ever convincethe general population a closed primary is in the public interest, we could change.” A closed primary would allow only registered Republicans to vote in GOP runoff elections. Utahresidents for decades haveresisted that sys- grade andtest-scores requirements for incoming students, although he did not say what they should be. He also wants to increase high school class requirements for applicants in areas such as math andscience tem in favorof a wide-open primary in which a Al Hartmann’The Salt Lake Tribune U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner,left, FBI Special Agent David Tubbs and FBI spokesman George Dougherty display guns, drugs and moneyseized during a sting of valley gangsters. nomination threshold for state candidates. Re- publicanscite that precedent asoneoftheir main arguments for changing their ownrule. With few primaries among Democrats, loyalists of the minority party are free to “infiltrate” GOP runoffelections, Republicans warn. “It allows Democrats to play havocin our prii Bishop said. He pointedto at least four prominent Democrats who voted in GOP primaries last year: Atty. Gen. Jan Graham, state Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, former Salt Lake County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi and Gunsand DrugsSeized in FBI Sting Violent gangsters arrested — somehaveties to gang involvedin drive-by death BY GREG BURTON ing of a West Valley City teen-ager. In November 1998, Bethany Hyde, 16, was shot to death while she sat in the back seat of her friend's $100,000 and stolen property with a value in excess of $50,000. But the quantity of confiscated guns. TH formerstate Sen. Blaze Wharton. Utah Democratic Executive Director Todd ALT LAKE TRIBI NE As many as 70 firearms, many stolen or illegal, were confiscated this week as a yearlong undercover operation culminated with the arrest of 17 violent Taylor said his namecould be addedto the list, biit there is a good reason Republicans don’t want to use him as an example. “TI got a call from Gov. [Mike] Leavitt asking meto vote in Republican primaries,” Taylor said. car at a stoplight in West Valley City. A group offive males pulled up alongside Hyde’s car andoneof the Republican Leavitt sponsored prerecorded get-out-the-vote calls in the 1998 primaries to help several moderate GOP legislators fend off conservative challengers. The messages werenot confined to Republican voters, as evidenced by Taylor’s call at his Davis County home While supporting the 60 percent rule for Demoerats, Taylor believes it is a bad idea for the dominant Republican Party. “We have many morekinds of resource prob- some modified in deadly ways, vestigators most seemedtosatisfyin- “T can't help believing that lookingat this pile of guns, somebody somewhereis going to be saved Hyde's car for a rival gang member's vehicle. Three young bald eagles were flap ping their wings andpreparingto take their first flights Friday from a huge stick nest in a deadtreenear the Great Salt Lake Although only 78 days old, the youngsters already stand about 3-feet tall and have a 7- to 8-foot wingspan, Theyare brownall over, unlike their parents, which have the distinctive white head andtail of adult bald ea- gles. This is the fourth year in a row bald eagles have nested in northern Utah, and thefirst time they have produced More thantwo eaglets. It was a surprise,” said Bob Wal ters, a nongamebiologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources who spotted in the spring of 1996, it was the first time bald eagles were recorded breeding in thereis no differencein teaching quality at the variousstate schools. “Here, we'retelling ourkids and their parents that it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I don't knowany state that even believes that.” Increased admission standards likely will not happenwithoutlegislative approval becausecol lege funding is largely tied to the number of new students a school attracts professors will continue to compete with the compromise the quality of instruction al the “Our intent wasto get gangs, guns, drugsanddeal- Others have yet to be filed, but Warner said most will Machensaidif that policy is not switched, U community colleges for students, and that will Someindictments in the case have been sealed be charged with weaponsordrugviolationsand each faces between 10 and 20yearsin prisonif convicted See U. PRESIDENT, Page D-3 {Budgetrealism D3 Govemor namestrustees @ Board wants gun ban D3 D3 Pet Bunny Rescued From Death Keeps Going and Going out there. ” After electrocuting himself while chewing on a lampwire, Thumper the Bob Walters gray bunny was brought back from —a Rainey Morgan, a Salt Lake City critical carenurse. ac4aq anyonewhospots abaldeaglein thelate spring or early summerto no apparent damage the 10-pound, floppy Walters describes as the “greater Price a" and the fourth along the Great t Lake Herequested that the precise loca: tion of the nests not be published to minimize disturbanceto the birds "T have strong suspicions there are other nests out there,” he said, noting Utahis a “big state” with lots of good He death's grip by his next-door neighbor Utal n Division of Wildlife Resources Two little burned lips were the only eared, housebroken bunny suffered. Thumper’s family did not want to be interviewed, but did say they are thank- tify the Utah Division of Wildlife Re sources. ful their pet is alive Peopleinterestedin getting a look at Thedrama started at 6:10 am. Friday as Morgan was leaving for Salt Lake Regional Medical Center, where she works as an intensive-care unit nurse. ‘The teleplione rang and it was one of the Great Salt Lake eagle family can attendoneof thefreefieldtrips that Walters will lead on June 16, 17 and 19. Interested persons shouldmeetat 6 p.m. infront of the Utah Department of Natural Resources headquarters, 1594 W. myneighbors andshesaid ‘Rainey, can you do anything? Thumper chewed through an electrical wire and he's North Temple in Salt Lake City Participants will travel to the view- dead.’ there,” Morganrecalled. By the timeof the field trips, the When she arrived, “Thumper was limp andI couldn't feel his heartbeateo1 did mouth-to-snout resuscitation and Baldeagles areclassified as ‘threat ened” under the Endangered Species Act. It was oneof s species hit used the same kind of CPR you would use on an infant, very short puffs of breath and quick little tiny compressions with just two fingers on the rib cage. ‘Within two minutes, he sneezed. ‘Then hestarted coming outofit. He was hardbythepesticide DDT inthe 1960s Bald eagle numbers have improved since, and federal biologists soon may drop themfromthelist of endangered species The dead tree in which the eagles built their 44%-foot diameter nest was recently leaning precariously, 80 Utah Powercrewsinstalleda short pieceof a power pole next to it to support the trunk I told her to touch his chest and pump up and downlightly until I gat ing area in their ownvehicles by the adult birds, Walters said. M2 nests in Utah twoalong theColo: fao Riverin eastern Utah, onein what BY NORMA WAGNER THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE there are othernests young birds shouldbe flying, butstill hanging aroundthenest and being fed OR COPY ¢ “Tm learning new things in Utah,” hesaid, noting the commonperception across Utahthat that problem Those whotraffic in guns will be pursued until this problem is solved.” h every winter, but most headnorth inthe spring Whereare only four known baldea newting habitat for bald eagles, University of Michigan, sees a problem with the situation violence and drugs have been plaguesin our society for sometime. This investigation puts a small dent in forthern Utahsince 1918. "More than 1,000 bald eagles visit . grees, Machen, whoarrivedat the U. in 1998 fromthe T havestrong suspicions THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE Whenthis eagle nest attending the less expensive community colleges for their first two years, and then transfer to a four-year school to finish their bachelor’s de- In February, Stephen Keomanivong, 18, was ar- Bald Eagles Raising Youngsters In a Tree Near Great Salt Lake thonitors the birds. In 1986, the regents approved a policy that ed situation where students save big money by rested in Portland, and charged with aggravated murder. Members of Keomanivong’s gang were amongthe 17 arrested this week by the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force. Arrests warrants havebeen is- AA BY JIM WOOLF “We'd like to hold it there and raise the standards as we go,” hesaid called for greater transferability of credits among state colleges and universities. That creat- said Asst. Police Chief LarryStott of Salt LakeCity. Said U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner, “Gun ersoff the street,” said David Tubbs, the FBI's resident t harge for Utah, Idaho and Montana See REPUBLICANS,Page D-2 value of $450,000, stolen vehicles worth more than menstuck a gun outthe car and shotsix timesinto the back seat. The shooter reportedly mistook sued for another25 suspects, all with gang ties lemsthat pushus in that direction,” Taylor said. WVtah's GOP chairman gang members, somewith tiesto the drive-by shoot- Undercover task-force officers initially targeted one gang, but ended up dealing with as many assix gangs involvedin drive-by shootings, armed robberies, trafficking in stolen guns and property and the makingandselling of illegal drugs. Confiscated during the sting were quantities of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine with a street wouldbe politically difficult to accomplish € ae vans voteris allowed to choose which partyballot to punch. Democrats already have adopted a 60 percent His goal is to increase the quality of the student body and distinguish the U. from other state colleges and universities, as well as increase its national reputation. Machen said he would like an enrollment cap around 27,000, though he acknowledged any cap a little dazed.” The rabbit's owner took Thumper to the veterinarian's office, where he was examined and released. He's fine,” Morgan said, “I talked to Danny La/The Salt L eT Twobald eaglets perch in their nest along the Great Salt Lake on Friday. It is one of four sites in the state where the birds are known to nest. +, them later in the day and Thum is hopping around. He's got some on his lips. It looks like he's going ty lives chew through anpther cord ae |
