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Show makes sale syirplys ipoweir hike once Bonanza comes on line. The money from those rate hikes went into a special account that will cover the shortfall in revenue for the next few years. The will borrow $6 million to $30 million in the next few years to minimize the rate hikes, Millett said. DG&T members will increase rates 7 percent next year and another rate hike will not be needed until 1987, he said. DG&T also expects to complete this year the previously announced sale of Bonanza through a leveraged lease. The transaction will save DG&Ts members $28 million a year and reduce rate hikes by 15 percent, Millett said. DG&T is selling Bonanza for $650 million and the leverage lease will be the largest in history for a power plant. The purchase of enough power for homes by two California cities from the Bonanza Power Plant southeast of Vernal will soften the blow of sharp rate hikes to Deseret Generation and Transmission Cooperative members. Contracts have been signed to sell 80 megawatts of power to Anaheim and 47 megawatts to Riverside, Deseret officials said Tuesday. The signing of the contracts has averted a potential catastrophe for the customers of the six rural electric associations of DG&T. Over six monwas conths ago, the fronted with the problem of having no market for the surplus power of Bonanza plant. the of The plant was scheduled to come on line commercially in January and from a construction standpoint, we will be able to meet that date, said Don Cullum, plant manager. Crews at the plant are working round the clock to bring the plant on line. Roll-ovdate is Dec. 6, but as with any power plant start up, it is diffcult to set a certain date. 63,000 The lease payment on Bonanza will be about $50 million a year. Commercial operation of the plant is not scheduled for April 1986, but power generation will begin in We are going to keep the Hunter II Plant, said Millett. In the long run, DG&T members will benefit from keeping the Hunter II interest because it is relatively inexpensive compared to power from Bonanza. The price of the Anaheim and Riverside power will cover approxs of the fixed imately costs of operating Bonanza and all of the the cost of coal, Millett said. Fixed costs are cost DG&T incurs no matter how much power is January. In the last year, we have seen a said Merrill J. Millett, general manager lot of opportunities open up, of DG&T. Weve had problems. But we also had plans to solve them, he said. And we have worked hard to solve them. It hasnt been eight-hou- r days. are and Anaheim Riverside California participants in the Inter" mountain Power Project near Delta generated. 'and will be transmitted over IPPs southern transmission system. Both Because of the sales of surplus cities have excess capacity on the will power, DG&Ts members escape IPPs lines. unscathed from fierce rate relatively hikes especially compared with The contract, which will begin in last year. 1986, will be for five years, with a Members began to increase rates renewal option which is expected to three years ago to lessen a steep rate be used. three-fourth- Additional sales of power will come from the Utah Municipal Power Association, six municipal utilities in central Utah. The utilities are buying interest in Bonanza a for about $28 million and has agreed to buy an additional 10 megawatts of power beginning in 1990. The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), a group of 22 municipal utilities, has agreed to buy 30 megawatts of Bonanzas output. The sales have been approved by UAMPS and DG&T board and the contracts will be signed within the next week, Millett said. Deserets members need about 70 megawatts of Bonanza output leaving approximately 118 megawatts of surplus capacity. .The power plants are expected to have surplus capacity when they first begin generating power to allow for future growth, Millett said. If we are 100 megawatts within having firm contracts (for all of Bonanzas output), were in good shape, he said. Riverside is also looking at buying power on the spot market from DG&T rather than operating its costpower plants, Millett ly natural-ga- s said. The city could buy as much as 150 megawatts when Bonanza has the excess generating capacity until the second generation unit of IPP is completed. Millett did not mention any names, but said there are other utilities interested buying power on the spot market from DG&T. With the spot power sales, the Hunter II and Bonanza plants could be to their maximum capacity b the end of 1986. inDeseret has a terest in Utah Power & Light Co.s a 100 Hunter II power plant megawatt interest UP&L was expecting to buy at bargain prices when the Bonanza Plant comes on lines. Wood burning stove poisons Vernal family Five members of a Vernal family were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a wood burning stove Sunday, Nov. 24, at8:45a.m. Relatives and friends of the family had come to the home to pick up Susan Nielsons baby and care for the family pets when they discovered the family members unconscious. Mrs. Nielson said she had called friends to come by and pick up her baby and take care of the family pets because family members were not feeling well. Mrs. Nielson said she administered oxygen to the victims in their home before transporting them to the hospital. Later the same morning at approximately 10:40 a.m. Mrs. Nielsons brother-in-laRandy, returned to the home and discovered that a fire had broken out in the home. Initial investigation of the fire by the sheriffs office indicates that the wood stove was not properly vented. The fire originated in the chimney and burned thought that her, and four members of her family, William, Michael, Summer and Adam had the flu and were unaware of any problems with the stove because there was no smoke in the home. After making a few phone calls to friends on Sunday morning, Mrs. Nielson said she laid down and later passed out from the carbon monoxide in the home. were members The family transported to Ashley Valley Medical Center by ambulance where they were treated and released. EMTs Continued on page 2 IS SMILING during the Turkey by the Vernal Area Drawing sponsored Chamber of Commerce, Saturday. Over 80 EVERYONE CURRENT TOPICS CLUB members quickly bag candy to be handed out during Santa Claus' Santa Claus is coming and Vernal residents will officially hail the event with a Christmas lighting ceremony and other activities Saturday. The Vernal Chamber of Commerce Christmas Committee has organized the decorating of Dinosaur Gardens with over 30,000 lights. Entrance to the garden will be through a southwest gate during the evening hours. The official turning on the lights will begin a 6 p.m. in the gardens. A choir from the Glines 3rd and Vernal 8th Wards will sing. Mike Perry, former director of the need to sleep but recovered with no ill Taking a group of Boy Scouts effects. swimming last summer became a Because of Shalenas actions she near death experience for den leader Lee Ellen Atwood, and it forced her was nominated to receive the Honorable Mention Award through daughter, Shalena, to put her trainthe National Girl Scouts. She receivto test. the life in saving ing ed notification Nov. 11 that she was to Shalena, who is a Brownie Scout, the award. The letter from the was with the boys and her mother as get Scouts of the United States was Girls they walked to the canal in Davis for written by Verna Simpkins, program a late summer swim. As they crossed and program services. She a small bridge, Mrs. Atwood fell into specialist in part, I send you sincere consaid the water. Shalena is aware that her the on earning mother has a physical malady and gratulations Mention Award. We are Honorable has an occasional reaction to medicaof you. You have shown quick tion. This, plus the possibility of her proud and courage in saving the thinking mother drowning sent her imof your mother. We commend you life mediately into action. for your preparedness and willAccording to her mother, Shalena ingness to help others and for living jumped into the water and elevated up to the Girl Scout Promise and her head and then instructed one of Law. the boys how to keep her head up Shalena was presented the award while she went for help. She rode her at Clayton Intermediate School in to bike to a house where she asked Lake City by Girl Scout Council Salt use the telephone to call for help. president Connie Gates on Saturday, She returned and with a cool head, Nov. 16 at the Girl Scouts annual accompanied her mother for medical meeting. care and then continued to watch She was accompanied by her over her after she was released to Shirl Atwood, Mrs. Atwood father, come home. and Phyllis Powell, neighborhood The 3rd grade girl stayed by her chairman at the presentation. mothers side, tucked her in bed and This is only the third award of this kept reassuring her that she would be kind given in the history of the Utah all right. Mrs. Atwood said she was Girl Scout Council. disoriented for sometime and felt a fK V V v - AT & i. -- V 7 iS twoit ,v) if) J$3& I I U'kcJ - fi PHYLLIS POWELL joins the Atwood family; Shalena, Mrs. Lee Ellen Atwood and Mr. Shirl Atwood in showing off Shalenas Honorable Mention Award. t peo- ple showed up to try and win one. visit to Vernal which will be accompanied by numerous other community events. Liahtina ceremonies to hail Santa Claus on his way Brownie saves mom with heroic actions cF turkeys were given away, and over 1,000 Dinosaur Museum of Natural History and Alden Hamblin will be at the ceremonies. Every 15 minutes choirs from Uintah elementary schools, and Davis, Ashley Discovery, Maeser will sing. Irvin Haws will conduct the ceremonies. The weekly Turkey Drawings will begin at 11 a.m. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will ride down Vernals Main Street in a vintage Model-- car at 12:30 p.m. At 1 p.m. they will be visiting with children at the Vernal T Junior High cafeteria and distributing candy bagged by the Current Topics Club In conjunction with the Dinosaur Gardens lights, the Vernal Jaycees have been placing lights on the trees on Main Street. There have been hundreds of for Vernal hours decorating Christmas, said Irvin Haws. It is going to be special this year. I think it will take your breath away, he said. Comet now visible with a little help comet as it passes the Pleiades star cluster in the east. The comet in now past the Pleiades cluster in Pisces. Nov. 26 the comet was at a good viewing this month. spot, but the full moon interferes. Starting Nov. 30 the sky is dark Still too faint to be seen with the naked eye, the comet should be and viewing should be good at the end of evening twilight. dimly visible with binoculars as it The comet will be it brightest in is now past the Pleiades star cluster. April and March. It will reach its but greatest brilliance April The comet is now up almost all it will be too low to be seen clearof At the beginning night. ly in the northern U S. November it rose around 7pm., From 40 degrees north latitude and it is was high enough tor good in April the head of the comet is viewing for two or three hours. never more than 5 degrees above Every day thereafter its placethe horizon. ment for evening improved. Nov. 1 the comet reached it highest In December the best time to point in the sky at 2:30 a m. By look is at the end of evening the end of the month it will be twilight about 1.5 hours after there as early as 8 p m. sunset. Passing below the Great The comet is getting brighter Square of Pegasus high in the of the end the southern early evening sky, the every day. By comet goes through the Circlet of month it is expected to grow nine and ends the Pisces Dec. times more luminous. water near the month jar in has no longer Fancy equipment Aquarius. Moonlight becomes a a monopoly on the comet, it will problem in the latter half of the just be a matter of knowing month. Starting Dec. 29, the sky where to look. will be dark and moonless at the The comet is best viewed on a of end twilight. evening dark moonless night, away from Moonlight wont be a problem know their city lights Those that constellations can easily find the Continued or page 2 Those that have seen it are like- later in the month for a better view, and those that have not seen it have their first chance to spot Halleys Comet ly waiting until easy-to-fin- d 4 |