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Show GheSalt LakeTribune EoTIOy, BUSINESS Costco sets sights on Murray's SAT Chimney Ridge development/-B-4 | WM FORTHE RECORD, B-2 TOM WHARTON STOCKS, B-6 MDILBERT, B-8 = Nuclear Waste Plan Panned, Endorsed Hearingairs sidesin dispute over storage area on Goshute Reservation BYBRENT ISRAELSEN ©2000, The Salt Lake Tribune Mountain Is A Sacred Place And a Home THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE All week in Salt Lake City, federal nuclear regulators have been meeting — mostly behind closed doors — to hear evi- dence about whether an Indian reservation in Utah can becomea storagesite for much ofthe country’s high-level commer- cial radioactive waste. On Friday, it was the general public’s turn to vent. In the afternoonsession of the public NAVAJO MOUNTAIN — Thesacred mountain, its base gouged by red rock canyonsandits top decorated with communication towers, guards expansesof southern Utah. It is a landmarkfor travelers. Boaters on Lake Powell use it to navigate. Hikers in Four Corners gauge hearing, which also convened Friday night, environmentalists, a Nevada state official and two Utah congressmen spoke againstthe waste storage. A smaller numberof physicists, nuclear industry lobbyists and American Indiansvoiced their support. A consortium ofeight out-of-stateutilities is seeking a federallicense to store some 40,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods on Skull Valley Goshute Reser- distances by its familiar, rounded vation, about 50 miles west of Salt Lake profile off in the haze. A dusty and rugged 20-mile dirt road connectstheisolatedlittle com- City. The spent fuel, now being stored in about 20 nuclear powerplants in California, the Midwest and East, is highly radioactive. It is lethal or carcinogenic to anyonedirectly exposed to it, and does not decompose for about 10,000 years. Although the consortium, known as Private Fuel Storage, and the Goshutes refer to the proposed $3 billion disposal site in Skull Valley as “temporary,” most opponentsfearit will become permanent. “Thereis no guarantee thisfacility will be temporary,” said Rep. Jim Hansen, RUtah, in a statement read by an aide. Hansen vowed to launch full oversight N-WasteinUtah sid arrangements for the waste should the deal sour. Rep. Merrill Cook, R-Utah, denounced the PFS-Goshute proposal, saying he wants Utah to continue to be knownforits “skiing, hiking and beautiful Nevada Agencyfor Nuclear Projects. an Commission’s licensing process and to Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada, vironmental officials about whetherthere is sufficient money to ensure safety or harshly criticized the NRC’s licensing process, saying the licensing board is not a neutral arbiter of fact but an advocate Coming to the defense of the 80 Mustangs To Return to BookCliffs Judge says release contrary to BLM plan for the area nearest grocery store is 27 miles away. The 40-student Navajo Mountain High School and the 140-student Naa Tsi Aan Ele* mentary School are the most modern structures. For Jaime Holgate, a Navajo by birth, a carpenter by trade and elected vice presidentof the independent elementary school board by choice,those schools are a wellspring of pride. He helped supervise their construction. BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH mentary school sutrounded by posters stressing American Indian contributionsto world history. “The childrenare alwaysfirst.” ‘That, plus a successful lawsuit that forced the San Juan County SchoolDistrict to build the high school, means more studentscan return homeatnight and be a partof traditional Navajo family life. And those who muststay in the dorms canoften see their families on weekends because the travel distances are not so great. The community board is considering adopting a fourday school week next year, allowing even more family time; Students can be taught the Navajo language,stories and traditions along with the required English, math and science. “The schoolis more for the people,” says Susan Burdick, a native of Georgia’ who hasserved as a princi pal and a teacher underbothsystems. “Thereis more communityinvolvement than in the past.” ‘That, more than anything, was what Jaime Holgate wanted, He sought quiet changein a quietplace. TRIBUNE LTLi THE A federal judge on Friday authorized the release of 80 captive wild horses to the Book Cliffs range over the objections of Uintah County andthe Ute Tribe, but not before chastising the Bureau of Land Management for failing to obeyits own directives. US. District Judge Bruce Jenkins de- nied a request for a temporaryrest order against the BLM by Uinta Basin ranchers, the countyandtribe. The three groups have sued BLMforits decision to release the corralled mustangs near Bo nanza,27 miles southeast of Vernal. Holgate, a father of two boys who says, sitting in thelibrary of the ele- The Salt LakeTribune See NUCLEAR WASTE.Page B-2 scape. Phoneservice is spotty and expensive, addingto the solitude of this place just north of the Arizona border and a matter of miles — as the crow flies — from Rainbow Bridge National Monument. The Television and computer gamesre- AIL AREA peas for the license applicant. Navajo hogans and a government housing project are dots on the land- placed moretraditionalfamily life. There were drugs, liquor and gangs. Healso becamefrustrated when dealing with the distant Bureau of Indian Affairs, especially when it cameto the managementofthe elementary school. When a window broke on a day when the temperature wasbelow zero,it took weeks to get fixed. Twoyears ago, Holgate and the otherresidentsof the 300-squaremile area the elementary school serves decided to becomeoneof the Navajo nation’s 33 grantschools. ‘That meantthe district would be managed by a community-elected schoolboard, whilestill receiving BIAfunds. “We wantto makesure the moneygetsto the kids,” Holgate | Skull Valley Band of the Goshute Indians arm of the Nevada governor'soffice. Like Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, Nevada Gov. KennyGuinn is opposed to importation of high-level nuclear waste. Loux, whose state is trying to stop a proposed large permanent disposal site at To date, financial aspects of the PFSGoshute lease agreement have been kept secret, raising concerns among Utah en- whether a group of non-Utahutilities | should be licensed to store highly radioactive waste on land ownedby the ardous nuclear waste.” Also among the anti-nuclear voices wasRobert Loux,executive directorof the hearing on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory initiate a legal reviewofthe financial deal between PFS and the Goshutes. Federal nuclearlicensingofficials are in Salt Lake City this week to consider not as the national storage area for haz- A WHIRL OF FUN munity on the Navajo Reservation to the rest of the world. Residentslive in splendid isolation. Scattered homes,traditional are now outof schoolandofa 10year-old adopted daughter, remembers boarding schools where young Navajos spent nine months a year awayfrom home. Herecalls places where military discipline, complete with short haircuts, drills and rigid ceremony, waspart of everydaylife. English was the only languageallowed. Navajos caughtusingtheir native language would have their mouths washed outwith soap. As an adult, Holgate and others watched young Navajos changein frightening ways whenforced to venture far from homefor school. JUNE 24, 2000 Theyfear the wild horses, quarantined in Novemberin responseto an outbreak of a deadly equine virus. may become rein fected and spread the disease to domestic horses. Ranchers also contend the open range horses will consume drought thinned forage that could go to sheep and. “Ryan Galbraith/The Salt Lake Tribune Brayden Halverson, 5, of WestValley City takesin all the camival rides and the midway setup as he spins on the “Yo-Yo"ride at Granger Park during Westfest, WestValley City's annual celebration. Besides the camival at Granger Park, 3600 W. 3500 South, WestValleyCity is also holding a talent show and artisans’ marketplace at Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South. Westfest ends tonight with a fireworks show at Centennial Park. cattle. In arguing their Cu case, attorneys for the tribe. _Tanchers and county pointed to BLM’s own manage. Doctors: Weitzel Over-Prescribed Drugs ment THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE with the University of Utah’s school of medicine. They ultimately died, Hare said, from excessive doses of morphine. tients were weakened and ultimately counts offirst-degree felony murder — Hare addedthat noneofthe five patients appearedto be terminallyill upon claims he used morphine as “comfort care,” to ease the arrival at Weitzel’s geriatric. psychiatric unit at the Davis Hospital and Medical Center in Layton. FARMINGTON — Five elderly pa- Allen Weitzel’s murdertrial. Haldol, Trazodone, Risperdal, Ativan and Fentanyl were among the drugs Weitzel used to treat the anxiety, de- pression and psychotic episodes in patients afflicted with senile dementia. But an expert in pharmacology and pain managementtestified that Weitzel over-prescribed the drugs all of which can inhibit the ability to breathe — and also used them in potentially dangerous combinations. The so-called -psychotropic drugs over-sedated the patients, causing them to stop eating and drinking, testified Bradford Hare, an associate professor Weitzel — whois charged with five pain of patients who were dying of old age. But Hare, who based his opinions on the patients’ medical records, with. Don't neverbeen achievedazerolevel,” any, wild horses should Cliffs. CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS In a Thursday profile of new Salt Lake testified that Weitzel made a fundamen: See DOCTORS.Page B-2 roam the Book “Even though it was a good plan, | See MUSTANGS,PageB-3 A doctor whospecializesin geriatrics other pain medications are compared,” in don’t think theplans of the United States areinfallible.” care withintwo to three weeks. tal error byfailing to properly diagnose the five patients he is charged with As Attorney StephenSorenson answe! red. adding the BLM isin theprocess of amend ing the 1985 plan and studying how many, if The dementedpatients had beensent goal wasto return themto nursing home 0 the plan wasn't complied you think the United States ought to comply with its own plan?” “We certainly acknowledge the! ber 1995 and January1996. seemed to be suffer- ing pain, and that Robert Weitzel said Jenkin: during a 16-dayperiod spanning Decem- to Weitzel’s unit for treatment of dis: turbing and combative behavior, andthe wasfrom headaches and a low backache, which could have been controlled with over-the-counter painrelievers. Morphineis “the standard by which the wild horse herd was “zero.” “Nohorses, none. that’s what it says 5, Ellen B. AnderJudith Larsen, 93, and Lydia M. Smith,90, all died said onlyone patient ™ Past Stories the developed in 1985 and not been amended since. That plan d. based on available vegetation, the appropriatesizeof but it is primarily used for the extreme pain associated with recovery from major surgeryandterminal cancer, he said. killed bylarge doses of powerful drugs, including morphine, according to testimony Friday at psychiatrist Robert for Sere: 142,000-acre “Bonanza eevee herdarea,” which was Theytestify that doses prescribed by psychiatrist caused patients to sink into comas and die BY STEPHEN HUNT plan 1 WebLinks | Community College President H. Lynn Cundiff, Patrick McCord, the vice presi dent of finance and administration at Floyd College in Rome was misidentified. 2nd Congressional District Candidates in Harmony on NationalIssues BYSHIA KAPOS ‘THESALT LAKETRIBUNE Forall their recent feuding and finger-pointing, Republican candidates for the 2nd CongressionalDistrict ve-to-eye on mostnationalis: primaryelection, With just daysleft before Tues ger Derek Smith incumbent Merrill Cook and cha spent some time answeringquestions abouttheir views on everything fromtaxes and education to gun control and defense, em, both agreethereis ‘They both supporta flat-ta: noneed for additional gun1 8 and both see a need to boost military spending, Defense: Sook and Smith agreethat military spending y equipment is outdated and our must be increased, “ ys Smith, Cook feels just as personnel underpai strongly: “Military personnel need to be paid better, We need anational missile-defenses; Education: Cook oppo eS vouchers but favors tax credits for private schools. inety-five percent offederal sent backtostate andlocal education dollars should hooldistricts for direct use in our classroomsto reduce $ size, "he says. Smith supports private schools, charter schools and other attemptsto create educational competition and im provement goals. And, he says. “T want to work onreforming our public schools” by returning control of edu cation dollars and policies to local communities. and schools, “I don't think Washington should be able to mandate howweintegrate our schools or how ourcore curriculum is designed.” Gun Control: Both candidates support better en forcement ofexisting gun laws. “There is no needforad ditional controls on law-abiding citize Amendmentrights needtobeaffirmed, Says Smith: "Weneed to stop offe ring plea bargains to those who commit violent crimes. mith supports congressional efforts Social Securit, to implement the wial Security Lock Box, protecting the Trust Fund from being spent for otherprograms. Still, he sa more reforms are needed, He supports presidential candidate George W. Bush's proposal to let individuals invest 2 percent of their Social Security earnings Cook agi $s Social Security could face financial col lapsein the coming years andal Iso supports the lock-box with the Bushidea “Playing the wildly-fluctuating stock mar! ocial ecurity trust-fund moniescouldbedisa bear m aheal our current and future retired popula proposals However, he disag Social“Tmuee: Both candidates call themselves whose Second 's Cook See NATIONALISSUES, Page B-3 |
