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Show ene sca bctacee sla aa RRRRUEI NORDIC RELAY JAZZ SINK LAKERS UTES BEAT REBELS Italian women set pace C-1 Utah defeats champs 111-103 C1 79-70 winfurthers conference bid C-1 heSalt LakeGribane http://www.sltrib.com Utah’s Independent Voice Since 1871 ‘Volume261 Number90 4 143 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 64111 ‘Telephone numbers listed on A-2 SUNDAY, JANUARY14, 2001 The More the World Adopts U.S. Consumer Culture, the More Resources Are Threatened BY MATT CRENSON ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS can spread democracy and stability to all carers of theglobe But the fast pace of Ever since he wrote a book called The Population Bomb in 1968, ecologist Paul Ehrlich has argued that the American lifeLovins ale ish outer rele brink ofcola; than anybody else. Worstofall, they waste more food yaoe people in subSaharan Africa she ret ofthe worldbumesmore will something vital water, oil, food — simply run out? billion people living on this planet the way Americans do,” Ehrlich says. “I don’t think we even wantto try.” But others, including the late University of Maryland economist Julian Simon, have argued that Ehrlich couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not resources that limit economic growth and lifestyles, Simon insisted, but human ingenuity. 1 Situation graphically illustrated You smell it in Beijing’s Beihai Park, where Chinese families line up to buy A-13 Back in 190,the two wagered money their competing world views. They picked easily measurable — the value ee toputtheir theories to the test. something “There is nota hope in hell of seeing 10 gapore now rivals thatoftheUnited States. These and en- nuity would overcome scarcity, and that the prices would go down. between 1980 and 1990. See U.S.-STYLE, Page A-13 Utah Power Wants Hike Utility cites losses, aks PSC to allow $142Mrate bump BY PHIL SAHM ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Utah Power chose the beginning ofa three-day weekendto request a $142 million electrical rate in- crease, saying it could not bear the cost of buying electricity on the spot market to supply Utah customers. The utility brought boxes of documents to the Public Service Commission offices at close of business Fridayto file its roe. the size ofwhich surprised the Utah Power also asked for a hearing Jan. 22 to gain immediate approval ofthe rate increase. Corporations, unions, special-interest groups are lawmakers’ most generous supporters BY DAN HARRIE GREG BURTON ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Coming out ofthemost fiercely competitive, election A-14-18 @ Utah 2001Legislature Cause, says those outside the inner circle see it differently. “What it certainly buys is poor |says want as favorable a situation as they can create.” It is no coincidence that those with gripes against or requestsfor government are some of the most willing campaign supporters. FolTomine fie Groene scltendied tour of several of the most volatile topics likely to come up on Capitol Hill. session. Gov. Mike Leavitt has proposed record spending increases for public schools. Teacher unions poured more than $250,000 into election campaigns. @ Credit unions will be back onthehill after aone-year layoff, pushing to repeal restrictions on membership recruitment and commercial Joan caps. Banks will be there to oppose their tax-exempt rivals. Credit unions shoveled nearly $200,000 into the elections and helped elect at least three new legislators who work for the state’s biggest credit union — America First. Additionally, they are fielding a squad of lobbyists, including lawmaker-~ Hobbyist Susan Koehn and two former Utah Republican Party heads. W Utilities will be on the defensive, attempting to save as much as possible of last year’s House Bill 320. The measure written by Questar Corp. — the parent companyofUtah’s natural-gas monopoly — wiped out regulations the utilities saw as onerous, including aboliting consumers. nearly $120,000 into candidates’ outstretched hands in thelast election. @ Education funding, including teacher salaries, will be the marquee debate of the B38 ARTS Need. a guide for the Sundance Fiim DA Festival? It starts Thursday. eee ©a0,THSALTLAKETRIBUNEher The last time Whitney BU: lbsHines Ateas Heaeas'd eet een thedove ofes Meet The Tribune's new owner.. 1 ferwithe siiver necklace. are less tr alive moments before riddled the 21-year-old’s ae this large,” Mecham said. “But there are things going on in the market that haven’t gone on be- fore.” Mecham declined to estimate theeffect ofa’ $142 million increase on the average bill. The increase depends on how therate hikeis allocated among various types of customers,he said. But Utah Power corporate officials should expect protest from consumer advocates and individual customers. Utah Legislative Watch, a consumer-advocate group,will file Power lost approximately $142 million supplying electricity See UTAH POWER,Page A-4 Strip-Search Cases OntheRise in U.S. Broad interpretation of law by courts blamed BY DONNA DE LA CRUZ 1 Strip searches in Utah A4 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK —Across the country, hundreds of lawsuits are being pursued by people who claim they were subjected to degrading “The strip search was the worst thing thatI've ever encountered,” said Danni Tyson, a 49-year-old woman who was forced to disrobe by female New York City jail guards after being arrested on a disorderly conduct four years ago.“I just couldn'tstop crying.I felt stupid. I felt very, very angry.I justfelt so helpless.” The number of legal claims arising from strip searches has lysts say, as broad interpretations of the law bythe courts have given rise to inconsistent practices. The phenomenon was under- scored last week when New York City officials said they expect to pay Tyson and 60,000 others a total of up to $50 million to settle a law- suit alleging improper searches in jails in 1996 and 1997. Mostclaims are lodged against officials in prisons and jails, where strip searches are commonlyused to find weapons and drugs. But allegations of improper strip searches havespilled over into un- expected settings such as schools, A Boston woman,for example, See STRIP SEARCHES,Page A-4 Slain Motorist’s Loved Ones Reflect on HisLife WEATHER Achance ofsnow. es market, the companyclaims. Chairman Stephen Mecham said Saturday that Utah Power had been expected to file for arate increase, but he had no idea how much theutility would seek. “T have never seen an increase to intervene in the case with the PSC, group spokeswoman Claire Geddes said Saturday. climbed in the past 20 years, ana- See LEGISLATURE, Page A-18 $95 million came from paying higher prices for electricity on the plication, part of which was obtained by The Tribune, states Utah The utility's rate-increase ap- MoneyFuels Capitol Hill to its 600,000 Utah customers in 1999. Ofthat deficit, approximately ' woman last saw her brother Salt Lake City police officers <esicas RogerNiloonand Shanel —I wish etic aee cee en about, someone I was going to spend the rest of my life ee een ee anaspiringartistandfashiondesigner,dieda Howard, day before he was to start classes at fashion design school in California. Howard worried that returning tojail on an warrant for misdemeanor counts of theft of . Howard family photo Investigators have released scantdetails about the incident, and the investigation could take up to a month, said Kent Morgan, spokesman for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. Since Howard's death, family members have recalled his path from an Arizona teen-ager who gathered food and clothing for the needy to an adult whose run-ins with the law would ultimately cost him his life. \ See ee Page A-4 |