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Show SPORTS OBITUARIES CLASSIFIED STANDARD-EXAMINER SATURDAY,DEC. 14, 1991 CITY EDITOR: 625-4220 e Burn plant dispute nearly over NEWS BEAT AT A GLANCE Bogus solicitor By JAMES NICKERSON Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau swindles residents FARMINGTON — After years of legal wrangling, the Davis County Energy Recovery Districtis ironing Out a settlement with the operators of the burn plant that officials say would give the district OGDEN — Police say a man whoclaimsto be soliciting on behalf of the Salvation Army has swindled several area residents out of money. Described as a white, blonde complete control of the Layton plant. manin his 30s, the suspect has been going door to door District Executive Director LeGrandeBitter said the settlement would give the district control of the plant by January. It has been operated by Davis Energy Sysiems Inc. since its construction in 1986. asking residents to contribute to the charitable organization's Christmas assistance program, police said. Capt. A.K. Greenwood said the man makes an appointment to return to collect the money. At that time, he leaves a certificate thanking the donor for being “Santa's helper.” Aspart of the arrangement, Da- vis Energy Systems, a subsidiary of Katy-Seghers Inc. of Delaware, would receive “a settlement with some cash proceeds involved,” he The Salvation Army does not said. solicit door to door. Those who want to make a donation to the organization should mail a District attorney Ray Gardiner said details cannot be released until the settlementis finalized. Bob Baratta, president of KatySeghers, gave a brief comment on check, find a Salvation Army bell-ringer or visit the office at 2615 Grant Ave., he said. the matter through his Salt Lake at- torney Craig Rasmussen. Watchtonight for meteor shower “Serious negotiations for a settlement are under way,” Rasmussen quoted Baratta as saying. “KatySeghers is hopeful that the negotia- Look to the skies tonight and you maysee brief, needlelike streaks oflight cutting across the sky as part of the annual KRISTINE WOLFF/Standard-Examiner set a special meeting for 5 p.m. Kyle Hunter, 5, sits on Santa’s lap and tells him that he would like a toy tractor and somerocksfor Christmas this Thursday at the Davis County Courthouse in Farmington to announce the agreement. “Gaining control (of the plant operations) has been a very difficult situation for several years,” Bitter said. “We are very pleased we havearrived at this point of a settlement.” year. Santa is stationed in the Ogden City Mall and children can have their instant picture taken with him. Teachers: Budgetplan falls short Three years ago, plant operators filed a $6.7 million federal lawsuit against the district claiming the district failed to pay additional construction costs at the plant. The district then filed a $4.5 million counter-suit claiming the operators failed to install cranes, an adequate turbine generator system and a properly functioning lime-injection system to control pollution. Bitter said both suits would be dropped as part of the settlement. Hesaid the district has begun negotiations with R.W. Beck and Associates, a Seattle-based engineering firm, to operate the plant. Bitter said the only employee turnover planned immediately is the replacement of plant manager Standard-Examiner staff and wire services Gov. Norm Bangerter’s latest budget is a business-as-usual proposal that, with a proposed salary increase of 3 percent for teachers and state employees, already has workers grinding their teeth. “The governor’s budget proposal for schools is unacceptable,” said Lily Eskelsen, president of the Utah Education Association. “Whatthis recommendation needs now is a bold Legislature willing to elevate kids to the top ofits priority list.” “ Under Bangerter’s plan, the money would be distributed as a merit increase, not an across-the-board boost, to public and higher educa- Dave Spahn. The engineering firm will supply an interim plant man- tion teachers and state employees. The Utah Public Employees As- ager until a permanent manager sociation, which said it was asking can be hired by February, Bitter said. “We are currently interviewing nationally for that position,” he. said. “We will have a maintenance program, and we plan to take into Bangerter for a “square deal,” calied his proposal a “raw deal.” “It falls way short of the bal- anced, four-part program we proposed,” said UPEA Executive Director Nancy Sechrest. “We in- accountall areas of efficiency.” tend to stand by ouroriginal request.” Eskelsen, leader of the state’s comment. a Gaining control of the operation largest teacher union, said the govof the plant will improve the dis- ernor has proposed only the fundSpahn could not be reached for trict’s standing with the state Bureau of Air Quality, Bitter said, but initially may carry a cost because of possible new equipmentthe dis- trict may have to buy to controlair pollution. “We will be working with the state very closely, and there will be See BURN on 2B ing increase for school operations recommended by a coalition of school agencies. “This 3 percent request for school operations promises to leave virtually every area of instruction for our young people in deep trouble,” she said. This year’s proposal is about half Budget omits courts building Standard-Examiner staff SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Norm Bangerter’s capital improvements budgetproposal for fiscal year 1993 includes no funding for the newstate courts building planned for the corner of 25th Street and Grant Avenue in Ogden. But Bangerter’s budget does include $2.7 million for the state Corrections Department’s expanded halfway house in Ogden, $2.9 million for the Weber State University student services building and $2.4 million for the new State courthouse in Brigham City. Fifty percent of the funding for the halfway house, student services building and Brigham City courthouse was appropriated this year, and Bangerteris proposing to complete the financing of all three projects this year. State courts officials have ‘worked for months with Ogden City and Weber Countyofficials on the location and design of the new $13 million Ogden courthouse, which wouid replace courts in the aging Municipal Building. But Scott Gilmore ofthe state Office of Planning and Budget said the governor.chose not to include the courthouse in his bonding proposal. Thestate’s statutory bonding limit is $125 million, and Bangerter is recommending bonding projects next year totaling $90 million. “The governor chose notto go to the maximum limit,” Gilmore said. “There‘just wasn’t enough reserve within that bond limit amount.” The Legislature, however, can choose to finance the Ogden courts building by bonding up to the $125 million or increase the bonding limit. that of 1990, the year after teachers staged a one-day protest strike and maintained the threat of more walkouts throughout the general session. After six weeks of marathon negotiations with the UEA, lawmakers produced a 6 percent salary-and-benefits package. In 1991, new UEA leadership maintained a lower profile but res- olutely lobbied lawmakers and Bangerter’s office, emerging with a 5 percent package. But the actual pay increases varied from district to district. In tiny Morgan,hard-fought contract negotiations in November ended with what district officials called a 3 percent raise. In practice, said Morgan Educa- tion Association President Sue Valcarce, that 3 percent paid for higher insurance and minorincreases for built-in advancements. “We didn’t get anything. We’d be tickled pink with 3 percent,” she said. So embittered were Morgan teachers that when they reluctantly ratified the new contract, most wrote angry comments to be forwarded to Capitol Hill and began talking about job actions nextfall, Valcarce said. Now, Bangerter’s 3 percent proposal — part of his $3.8 billion budget plan — has many teachers and local union officials wondering whether a low-key approachis the best way to convincestate officials of the severity of their plight. Teachers and public employees both are hoping to convincestate legislators to shelve Bangerter’s proposals and authorize better pay increases in the 1992-93 budget. The public employees’ grcup contends that state workers in the previous six years have received a total of 8.5 percent in cost-of-living adjustments, while the Consumer Price Index during that time rose by 19.3 percent. Sechrest also said that during that six-year period, merit increases totalled 4.1 percent. “That alone says something about Bangerter’s alleged commitment to public employees and the pay-for-pe,formance concept,” she said. Utah scores solid, but lag in language arts Stanford Achievement Test _ : By LISA CARRICABURU Standard-Examiner staff Utah statewide testing results for fail 1991. Ths national norm is 50 for each subtest. A score higher than 50 indicates Utah students did better than the national average, while a score below 50 indicates they did worse than the national average. Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade 11 Subtest 1990 1991 1990 1991 1990 1991 Mathematics 60th 62nd 53rd 54th 54th 59th Language/English 45th 45th 5ist Science ~——— 53rd 60th 60th Reading == SS SSH SEINStd 58th S8th Social Science Total basic battery= 53rd 5! Students tested 35,664 50th ee Sist 31,969 56th 56th Sard. Soth 26,455 Source: State Office of Education Standard-Examiner SALT LAKE CITY — Utah students tested this fall again lagged behind their peers nationwide in language arts while continuing to outperform them in most other areas, according to Utah Statewide Testing Program results released Friday. “I think it’s safe to say I'm delighted with some of the scores, but it’s also cbvious that we need to take a close look at the challenges we face in other areas,” said David Nelson, state director of testing and assessment. “Utah shouldn’t be seeing the kind of scores we've seen in English and language arts.” The test scores, which were re- ported to the state school board at its monthly meeting, are required under school accountability laws passed by the 1990 Legislature. The laws mandate that the same norm-referenced achievement test be given to all Utah fifth-, cighth- and 11th-graders, and that school and district averages be reported to the public. Nelson said his office was releasing statewide results for use in comparisons with district- and individual-school results that will be reported soon bylocal school districts. A more detailed summary of statewide results will be presented to Gov. Norm Bangerter in January as part of State Schools Neighbors’ help at Clinton fire saved gin'’s life CLINTON — The damage from the Thanksgiving night blaze at Jon em Draayer’s home is readily vis1 . “No trespassing” signs are posted on boards where windows and walls used io stand. Aluminum sid- ing scarred from flames is piled ia the yard. Draayer, 52, staying at his fa-ther’s home, get: daily treatments for the second- and thi a percent his y- : But he and his family are thankful to the many neighbors who risked injury to come to their aid Nov. 28. Before volunteer firefighters ari ? WE SALUTE By Loretta Park Standard-Examine: staf rived at the scene, neighbors were already heiping. “We truly appreciate their efforts,” said Fire Chief Lloyd Brown. There was an explosion and fir2 at the home around 10:20 p.m. Officials say it was caused by a gas Jeak that resulted when Draayer ac- blew up. In the home at the time were Draayer, his 13-year-old stepdaughter Katie Geisler and his 6-year-old daughter Roni. Neighbor Rocky Walker said that at the time of the explesion he was lying on his bed thinking about getting a snack. “I had barely raised out of bed when there was this explosion. It was like a bomb. My whole bedroom lit up,” he said. “I ran to the front door and saw Kert’s house engulfed in flames.” “The flames were 10 feet above the bullet nicked a three-quarterinch gas line in the ceiling. When the house, and I thought, ‘If anythe furnace turned on, the house — body is there, they're dead,” cidentally discharged a firearm and 4 Walker said. Walker said he heard someone scream and he ran to the northeast corner where Geisler’s bedroom was. “I yelled at her to get out, and she said she couldn't open the window. I couldn't understand at the time, but apparently the heat was so extreme that the blinds were too kot to touch,” he said. Walker noticed a piece of aluminum rein gutter that had been blown off the house. “I wadded that up and hit the window with it several times butit wouldn't break. That's when I startSee SALUTE on 2B Superintendent Jay Taggart’s annual report. In its second year, the program tested nearly 100,000 Utah students in September and October, Nelson said. He said an overall examination of 1991 results indicates that Utah students did better than the nation on 15 of 18 possible comparisons. Math and science scores were particularly impressive, he said, especially at grade levels where Utah students scored in the 60th percentile. Utah's fifth-graders scored in the 62nd percentile in math, for example, meaning that they did better than 62 percent of their See TESTS on 2B Geminid meteor shower. Patrick Wiggins, spokesman for the Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, said viewers who are awayfrom city lights and smog can usually see between 50 and 80 streaks per hour during the Geminid meteor shower. Telescopes and binoculars aren't necessary for viewing the spectacle, he said, adding that the Geminidswill likely be mostactive after midnight. | { For more information, call the planetariums STARLINE information service at 532-STAR. Weather anchor to leave KUTV SALT LAKE CITY — Tim Rossis stepping down Dec. 31 as KUTV's weather anchor to head his own public speaking company. “Public speaking has always been my goal,” said Ross, adding that he has addressed 800 school groups, given 200 corporate training sessions and been the master of ceremonies at 600 events. Jeff Hatch, KUTV president and general manager, supported Ross’ decision. “Increased demandsfor Tim’s personal appearances required a choice between full-time weather reporting and public speaking,” he said. A new anchorwill be named to join the station March 1, Hatch said. Hot line takes tips on waste, fraud SALT LAKE CITY — State Auditor Tom Allen has opened a “governmentefficiency hot line” that citizens can call with tips about waste, mismanagementandfraud in state and local government. The toll-free numberis (800) 622-1243, or 538-1334 in the Salt Lake area. “This program will enhance the state auditor's responsibility to ensure that state and local governments operate efficiently and in compliance with all state and local fiscal laws,” Allen said. He said people whocall or write his office will receive followup information on how their tip was handled and whether anything was done aboutit. Anonymous Calls and letters also are accepted. WHO’s NEWS Wright will head fire marshal group OGDEN — Fire Marshal Bob Wright has been elected president of the Utah Fire Marshals Association. Wright, a four-year member of the non-profit organization, will head the group begin- ning in January. A 42-year- old Plain City Wright resident, Wright has been Ogden’s fire marshal since 1987. He coordinatesfire investigations, inspections and Earlier this year, Wright was appointed to a six-year term on the state Fire Prevention E ard. — Standard-Examiner staft y ae tions will be successful. The exact timetablefor such a settlementis at this timestill uncertain.” However, the district board has |
