OCR Text |
Show Hansen favors toll a rced from Willard to Nephi Jury didn’t mean to withhold cash SALT LAKE CITY(AP) — Jury foreman John H Firmage said the jury did not err whenit checked a box on the verdict form, but jurors did not realize it would deprive plaintiff Debra Retherford of her $612,000 award Retherford has been seeking to have the verdict overtumed onthe groundthe verdict form was incorrectly marked. Her attorney, Kenneth B. Grimes, filed affidavits from all eight jurors indicating they intended for her to get the money. However, Firmage said that when jurors were asked if Retherford’s harassment claim against AT&T was barred because she waited too long to assert it, the jury voted yes. “T made no mistake or clerical error in answering yes to that question,” the foreman said in a newaffidavit. “I did not understand, and I don’t believe that the other members of the jury understood, the legal effect of voting yes Fire limits set in southern Utah ST. GEORGE (AP) —- Southem Utah federal land managers, fearing dry conditions pose serious fire threats for the Memorial Day weekend, are imposing fire restrictions on public lands throughout the region On Wednesday, access to most of the North Kaibab Ranger District will be closed because of dan gerous fire conditions and restrictions will begin on Bureau of Land Management property on the AnzonaStrip. Restrictions are scheduled to take effect Fnday on BLMlandin southwest Utah and on the Dixie National Forest In additiontothe restrictions on campfires, smoking andfireworks, federal agencies plan for extra crews over the holiday weekend. Last year was considered one of the worst years for wildfires in recent memory, but officials said this year may be worse. Lack of rain and snow has tumed vegetation into dry kindling waiting for a spark. Library lacking at Weber State OGDEN (AP) — Weber State University’s Stewart Library is among the lowestin the country in per-student expenditures comparedto library facilities at similar universities Weber State spends only 19 cents more per student annually on library acquisitions than the school at the bottomof the spend ing list — Austin Peay State in Tennessee And the $56.74 per student it does spend is less than half the average expenditure of $105.16 at comparable schools. The WSU library also has fewer books per student. The average at the selected schools is 48, Weber has 31 “These figures are the latest, but are three years old,” said WSU Librarian Joan Hubbard. New numbers will be released in October, she said, “But I believe the percentages will stay about the same. Although we've made some progress, the other schools will have, too.” Armygives part of TAD to Tooele TOOELE(AP) — Army Secretary Togo D. West Jr. has signed the contracts to give part of the Tooele Army Depot North Area to the city | The agreementis on the condi- jtion that the city find a business , Willing to buy or lease the Consol- tidated Maintenance Facility. The city can back out of the deal if no tenant is found within 90 days. This is believed to be the first militaryfacility to be given to a ‘municipality for free, said Bill Johnson, militaryaide to Rep. Jim »Hansen, R-Utah, He was quoted in a copyright article in The Salt ‘Lake Tribune. } Converting the base tocivilian tuse could cost more than $17 million, but could mean hundreds of jobs and millions in taxes, and the city is hoping for a rebirth. In five years “it’s going to look ‘a lot different than just warehouses.” said City Council member Charlie Roberts. OGDEN (AP) — Congressman Jim Hansen believes the time is ripe for Utah's first public toll road, a north-south highway run ning from Willard around the west side of Utah Lake to Nephi “DT ve been advocatingit strong ly for a long time,” Hansen said. “IT don’t have anything against light rail . but { think this would be a better answer to the problem ofgrowing congestion.” Already in the planning stage is a north-south alternative to Inter- state 15 that would run from the Ogdenarea south along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake to Redwood Road in the Salt Lake Valley Hansen’s idea would be to extend that so-called Western Transportation Corridor north to Willard and south to Nephi and makeit a toll road The key to a toll highway is building the project with money raised by the state through revenue bondsrather than relying on federal highway funding that may not always be there, the Utah Republican said Kent Hansen, a Utah Department of Transportation spokesman, said tolls would be one means of helping Utah solve its transportation funding problems without a tax increase But he said a decision on whetherto build tollways ultimately will rest with the Legislature, Low unemployment meanscut in funds SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal funds for employment assistance in Utah are being cut by $2.3 million because of thestate's low unemploymentrate andfederal budgettightening Utah will receive $17.9 million in Department of Labor funds for the fiscal year that begins July |. down 11 percent from this year, said Rich Kulezewki, a department spokesman The decrease means the Utah Department of Employment Secu rity is leaving Job Service posi tions vacant when employees leave, said Dave Tumer, director of field operations. Job Service is paid for by a Wagner-Peyser Act mandate that requires employers contribute 0.8 percent of the first $7.000 paid to each employeeinto a federal fund Fromthat fund, Utah wiil receive $11.3 millionin the coming fiscal year, whichis $1 million less than its current budget It’s crazy becauseit comes at a time when demand for our services is escalating,” Turner said With Utah’s rapid growth, more employers are posting positions with Job Service and more clients are seeking its services Demand for general laborers is so high that Job Service cannotfill employers’ positions fast enough. Job Service is maintaining the servicesit offers. But with staffing decreasing due to budget cuts, “The process slows down just when we needit to move more quickly,” Turner said. The Utah Office of Job Train ing, which administers Job Train ing Partnership Act (JTPA) funds. alsois seeking ways to use money moreeffectively asit sees its allocation decreasing from $7.9 million to $6.6 million, said Judy Kas ten Bell. a program administrator JTPA funds assist disadvantaged and disabled workers as well as those displaced by corporate downsizing They are awarded based on fac tors such as states’ unemployment rates and proportions of economi cally disadvantaged residents, Kasten Bell said Because Utah's unemployment rate is hovering around 3.5 percent, the state is eligible for fewer funds. Despite low unemployment, there still are about 14,000 Utah families on public assistance and many others whoare eligible for job retraining, Kasten Bell said. “In the past, we have only had the moneyto serve about 5 percent of the eligible population,” she said “Even with a strong job cutlook, there is still a great need for our services.” not state highway engineers. “We're not close to deciding whether any transportation corti dor should be a toll road,” hesaid “However, all qptions are on the table and wf the ultimate users fee, becauSe the people who usethe roads pay for them.” Kent Hansen acknowledged there is a general dislike of toll roads in the West, but much ofthat is probably based on the perception of being caught in a long line ofcars and having to slow down at a toll booth to “toss a coin in the basket.” Modem technology can change that perception in a hurry, he said, by equipping vehicles with transponders that communicate electronically with toll stations. No money wouldbecollected at the time of passage, the UDOT spokesman said, but motorists who vad would received a bill endof the month It could be made very pain In another development, Gov Mike Leavitt said Tuesday that Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, head of the House Transportation Appropriation Subcommittee, pledged support for 80 percent fed. eral funding for the proposed Salt Lakelight raiJ. The governor called Wolf a “critical player’ in the light-rail funding and said there was every indication the full House will go along with the budget leader's commitment Jim Hansen and Rep. Enid Greene, R-Utah, have contended that the Republican-controlled House was pinching mass-transit funding and that Utah taxpayers likely would have to pay a much larger share of the light-rail costs, if the project goes throughatall. Greene said Tuesday that the full federal share definitely would not be available within the fiveyear construction project, but would likely be stretched over 10 s changed.” said Greene. “The amount of moriey available for light rail from the federal government has fiot change i fromyesterday to today,” Utah’s elderly population surging SALT LAKE CITY(AP) — Utah's high birth rate keeps it perpetually youngin the eyes of demographers, but there's a dis: tinct wave of gray in the Bee: hiveState. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the fastest growing segmentof the state’s population is people who are celebrating their centennial birthday nght along with the statethis year. The second fastes populationincludes those andolder By 2020, Utah's elderly pop: ulation will have more than dow bled, according to a U.S. Census report issued Monday Utah ranks No. 7 in the growthrateof its senior population, which is growing at 102 percent. Nevada ranks first, with a growthrate of 116 percent Evenso, Utahis projected to have only 334.000 people over 65 in 2020. More than 19 states will have more than | million elderly residents, according to the in-depth analysis of ag gin America, “65+ in the United States.” State and county officials are not taking the news l i tly. Pro grams providing elderly services have waiting lists in someparts of the state and funding has not kept up with needs Salt Lake County projects that it will have more people 60 years old and older than it will “To me,—o nge wi to figure out ba% yes’ to and mo Say ‘no’ to on services. At some point we ~—, have to start ing even Sumer decisions ... aS to who gets services.” — Darrell Butler, Salt Lake County Aging Services have children in elementarty school by September 2004 — just eight years away To me, the challenge will be trying to figure out who to say “yes” to and whoto say ‘no’ to on services,” said Darrell part of Salt Lake County Aging Services. “At some point we may have to start making even tougher decisions'than we make \ now as to whogets services.” A funding crunch 10. years ago forced Aging Services to tighten eligibility for Meals on Wheels. Similar belt-tightening may be necessary in the future. In the meantime, the state has developed a three-pronged plan to deal with the “graying” of Utah, said Helen Goddard, director of the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services. First. people have, got to stay healthy longer, she said, and the state is launching an education programtohelp themdoit. Second, Utah must develop a long-term care system that offers an array of services depending on needs, ranging from home-delivered meals to home-care and nursing homes. And,finally, people are going to have to understand that they must save money so they can assume some of their own health-care costs. ee e Ten-number memory « Silent vibrationalert ¢ Backlit display « Single-button operation cd annual agreement See asedon ictions may apply. Not at available ZOMI I) JARI Wireless Services Arora Bene ey, WeAre Beating "ZERO IN ON THE 2ast CENTURY” Lah Valley Shits College Evening Bachelor Programs + Business Management + Accounting Emphasis +Technology Management OneStep at a Time ‘Teams of 10-15, for 24 hours. cecaee nae The wail of memones will be erected to inscribe thoughts, ideas ormessages of hope te those who suffer. or have su! there will be entertamment, prize drawings, and lots of | May 31st- June Ist, 1996 o ‘pper-division courses scheduled two years in advance B45WeCondor hon St, Orem # genefal education courses offered evenings and weekends For more information contact the Evening School / weekend college office UVSC « Business Buildny 1014 . 222-8449 800 West 1200 South « Oren, UT 84058 Comancbn 1k | ty ) education, from corporations, families will run waik, roll, Sethe etae hea sen eee against cancer. We iwite you to purchase a lun mary ($5 each) and jon us about 9:00 pm. on Friday, May 3st at Mourtain View for Lite ~ Compete yourBachelorsDegreeatnight Bos ancer Fete May ‘D1 eae cnet donation of per Menary aod made my check papathe Awe Cancer Sec MAR TO AMUERICAN CANCER SOCIETY FOS Preetem Bid Set 20) Prove, Unb bee . oo FOR |