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Show ; The Katt LakeGribune rq « @FORTHERECORD, C-2 ROLLY & WELLS a STATE OF THE STATE, C-2 ) BEST AVAILABLE copy \ WEBWESBAY Ml OBITUARIES, C-6 « BY BRANDON LOOMIS 5 THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Oops: Doctor Did Know What He Was Doing Mark May, anemergency-room physician at Jordan Valley Medical Center, wasjogging on a dirt road'‘in Draper’s Corner Canyon aiid when he saw an injured man lying be- his bike. May wrapped thevic's fractured , then ran sevealflies tohis four-wheel-drive ve- JUNE 14, 2000 Let the U.Light--RailExtension Begin UTAgivesproject greenlight; construction could begin next week PAUL ROLLY and JOANN JACOBSEN-WELLS oT SLC Rail Constructors hopes to start digging into 400 South in Salt Lake City to build the University of Utah light-rail extension by the end of this month, now that the Utah Transit Authority has issued a CTS notice to proceed. If the contractor can finish @ WebLinks such preliminary work as safety and traffic-management plans, construction could begin between 400 East and 800 Rest East SEN by June 21; Then. ey frog in segments; wi could complicate commuting for fans attending U. football games at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Fornow,though,“the mostsignificantthing the public is going to see is the removal of parking and lane widening,” Clements said Tuesday. “The road TRAX Builders Ready to Go East Crews are scheduled to start construction this month on the University of Utahlight-rail line. Completion of the $118.5 million route — with its fourstations — is expected by November 2001 is going to get wider.” Throughout this summer, two lanes probably will remain openin each direction. At times during ar | === North-South Rail Line ISTATION| “= PlannedEastRail Line heavy construction, though, some could be reduced to onelane in each direction, hesaid. Although UTA is committing its own money to start the project, federal funding of the $118.5 million, 24%-mile spur remains in limbo. The Federal Transit Authority forwarded the request to Congress on Friday, meaning it could take up to 60 days before UTA knowswhether it will be awarded the Bening between theiit 400-500 cnr Sout! $85 million it is counting on, ete: Still,city officials who are pushing to Cane oe first phase of construction will invé locating water lines and otherutilities centerofthe street to make roomforthetra Bob Clements,project manager for the cont the line before the 2002 Winter Olympics say they are getting good signals from Washington. See U. LIGHT RAIL, Page C-4 heavy construction of therails, new st and sidewalks could begiri: Autumn cons! tail campaign gathers steam C4 Steve Baker / TheSalt Lake Tribune icle. Becatise the road was closed to vehicular traffi¢, May used his cell ea all the Salt Lake County Task Force ritf’s Departmentandasked a dis- SeeksFunds : saan for permission to drive back to his patient. After being put on hold for 15 minutes, he was denied permission to enter the cahyonwith his car. Hewas instructed to waitfor a deputy. Ten minutes later, three rescueofficers showed up and sent May home. But as Maywas pulling into the drivewayofhis Sandy home,he got a call from a deputy asking him to return to Corner Canyon because the rescuers could notfind the victim. When hearrived atthe trailhead, he saw a firetruck, ambulance and two more sheriffcars. He also was informed the man finally had been foundafter lying in pain for 90 minutes. Whentheinjured biker was brought down,his ankle rssplits with a deputy’s clipboard andtape. For Schools Sofar, politicians unhappy with new revenue proposals BY HEATHER MAY ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Politicians stepped onto the “minefield” of public education funding Tuesday as they searched for new waysof fi- Qa nancing Utah’s school system. The possibilities range from raising corporate franchise taxes and adjusting the basic tax rate to taxing Internetsales. Strict Dress Code? When Chelsea Cassel, a ninthgrader at Syracuse Middle School in Davis County, read an article about an organizationthat accepts donated hair to make wigs for cancer-stricken children undergoing chemotherapy, she wanted to chopof her long black hair for the'cai She wantedtot todo it at school during the last weekof classes to bring attentionto the charity. But schoolofficials nixed the proposed cutting ceremony,telling her: “Ifyour mother wants to make‘a spectacle of you and cut your hair for a publicity stunt, she'll haveto doit elsewhere.” Which shedid. The LDS seminary teacherlet Chelsea perform herphilanthropic sacrifice in the seminary building. Micromanagers The Farmington public swimming pool, as you know,is closed on Sunday, to the chagrin ofsomeresidents. Now,during the days the pool is open,city officials have announced that every 60 minutes, on the quarterto-the-hour, a whistle will blow to signify the pool will be closed for 15 minutes to everyone younger than 18. ‘The anhounccment, which appeared recently in the city’s newsletter, says: “During this time, younger patrons will have a chance to use the Testrooms, get something to eat or take a short rest.” So Farmington, not only are you old what days you can swim,you are \so told whento go to the bathroom. Q Still on Parole KSL-Channel5 anchor Carole Mikita, breaking into programming Mondayfor Steve Young’s news conference broadcastfrom Santa Clara, Calif., stated that on hand to see Young ham Young University, Monee Steve served time.” Q Old Home Week Many Salt Lake County em; heard a familiar voice on their Fewofthe options aired during legislative task force meeting at the Capitol looked good to lawmakers, “All of these are political minefields,” said Rep. Kevin Garn, R-Layton. “Any otherideas?” Garn, the majority whip, is cochairman of a task force charged with finding alternative sources of money for public education. Representatives from the State Office of Education, Utah Education Association, the Utah PTA and the Utah TaxpayChris Zuppa/The Salt Lake Tribune With Delta Air Lines’ Olympic plane in the background, Bonnie Blair, U.S. Olympic gold medalist, talks to the news media Tuesdayat the Sdlt Lake Intemational Airport. Blair, of Milwaukee, wasin town for the unveiling of the plane, which features her in championship form. Also on hand was up-and-coming skater Ashlie Brown of Keams.Story, Page C-2. Suit Against BLM Halts Mustang Release BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Uintah County and three eastern Utah ranchers sued the Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday, asking a federal judge to block the return of80 wild horses into the remote BookCliffs. As a result, BLM officials in Vernal canceled plans today to release the mustangs — held in captivity since midNovember after being quarantined — until a federal judge can rule on the county and ranchers’ request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. ‘The lawsuit against Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, national BLM Director Tom Fry, Utah BLM boss Sally Wisely and Vernal BLM Manager Dave Howell claims the agency violated several federal laws last week in ordering the immediate release of wild horses in the so-called Bonanza/Rainbow Herd Area, a barren region near the White River south of Vernal. The 80 Bonanza horses were among 210 held in captivity as a precaution against the spread of equine infectious anemia, an AIDS-like virus that only affects horses. In the past two years, 84 mustangs have been euthanized after testing positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA), whichis spread by biting insects and has no knowncure. State veterinary officials certified the 210 quarantined horses disease-free in April. After holding public meetings and debating the fate of the captive horses, Howell announced last week he had decided the BLM would return 80 horses to the range while the remaining 130 would be offered to the public through adoption events aroundthe state. Uintah County commissioners have repeatedly opposed the release of any mustangs: into the Bonanza rangeland, arguing the horses will deplete the forage availablefor livestock owned by ranchers whose grazing allocations have already been partly suspended by the BLM because ofpoor conditions. Tuesday, the county wentto court with ranchers Dean Chew, Lynn Siddoway and Oscar Wyatt — who each hold BLM permits to graze livestock on public lands onor adjacent to the Bonanza herd area. Wyatt, a prominent Texas billionaire who has previously sued over cattle-grazing reduction efforts to promotewildlife populations on state lands in the BookCliffs, broughtthe latest litigation on behalf of his Alameda Corp. cattle operation and his Morapas Creek See RANCHERS,Page C-4 ers Association presented their ideas for new funding sources during the meeting. Educators and the PTA, backed by polls that say the majority of Utahns support the idea, rallied for more taxes. Noting that state lawmakers have authorized $1 billion in tax cuts since 1993, Susan Kuziak, UEA executive director said: “Thelegislature and governor have trumpeted tax cuts, but they can’t haveit both ways and turn around and say they can't pay for schools.” According to some estimates,the state could raise $33 million annually with a 1 percentincrease in corporatetaxes. Greg Fredde, vice presidentofthe Utah Taxpayers Association, urged lawmakers to forget that option. He said higher taxes would scare businesses considering locating here. See SCHOOL FUNDING,Page C-4 CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Amir Stark and Ed Clark own Gravity Paddle Sports, a kayaking guiding and instruction business, contrary to a story in Tuesday's Daybreaksection. Relative Says Weitzel Declared Patient ‘Didn’t Deserveto Live’ BY STEPHEN HUNT ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE FARMINGTON — The day before 90pas Lydia or died, psychiatrist Weitzel called her “an ut, 1996, five patients died on Weitzel's geriatric/psychiatric unit at the Davis County Hospital and Medical Center in Layton. Prosecutors say the patients were relatively healthy before Weitzel weakened them by prescribing largedoses ofvarious sedatives and then lethal amounts of strong and clung to life. believed if she could walk, she could live,” Kent Smith testified. The strokeaffected her speech, but his mother Se ee eeee versation’ “You got that right,” she retorted, after informing aetistotetoes neeaeaie venPatenl aot tA i fidebunts Smith was sent to Weltzel for her telling jury ion of eaeattitude when srcnhoyen ay Oe. <iuscnedfikebe he not like Lom Gateewshede wk Oe * 1 Kent Smith said his mother would take his arm and they would walk when he visited her on Weitzel’s unit. Then, days before she died, she became lethargic. Bonnie Smith eee testified that on the day her mother died, a nurse gave a morphine even though Smith apparently was comatose. Weight said she asked the nurse what she was doing. “She said the shot had been ordered,” Weight recalled. “Then she turned Mother over and gave the shot.” Forty-five minutes later, Lydia Smith was dead. at ud |
