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Show alt 3je JL ibune ake SI 1 January 14,' 1986 Tuesday IVIorning Section B Page 1 Last 5 Defendants In Cocaine Case Enter Guilty Pleas By Joan O'Brien Tribune Staff Writer Five men scheduled to go to trial Monday on cocaine distribution charges entered guilty pleas instead, wrapping up a massive drug conspiracy case involving 21 people. Four defendants appeared before U.S. District Court Judge David Sam Monday to enter the guilty pleas. A fifth pleaded guilty to drug charges Friday. Donald F. Rigney, 32, Pleasant Hill, Calif.; Vincent D. McClun, 28, Oakland, Calif.; Richard A. Tyree, 38, also of Oakland; and Richard J. Mair, 36, a Utah State Prison inmate, entered guilty pleas. Friday, Joseph A. Bonacci, 54, Salt Lake City, pleaded counts. guilty to four The five were the last defendants named in a indictment to enter guilty pleas. Twenty-on- e people 15 Utahns were charged in the indictment alleging they were inin a conspiracy to distribute volved quez warms his hands over a heater atop Eagle Gate Plaza. 100 pounds of cocaine over three A storm fronts expected to clear out valley by Wednesday. years in three western states. Prosecutors say the South American cocaine worth f 15 million was funneled through California wholesalers for distribution in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. developing in the Great Basin should fog in 1980; February, 13 days in 1985 Rigney pleaded guilty to two of and 10 in 84 (the previous mark); and five counts against him in the indictproduce some pretty decent precipitation for a couple of days. ment. He pleaded guilty to count one March, 5 days in 1984. the conspiracy charge and count Mr. Alder said that although the inThat should eliminate the inver114 alleging he traveled across state versions stagnant air may be despision, at least for a little while. cable to most, it isnt as unhealthy as lines in support of an unlawful enterThe way 1986 has started only conit looks. Fog and moisture with fog prise. firms that this decade has been brutal and snow grains tends to clean the n Under his on people who become depressed at arrangeair. ment with the government, Rigney the seemingly perpetual sight of stagmonoxide Carbon levels increased will be sentenced to two in prisnant gray air during the winter. to the marginal level on Saturday in on on count 114. He willyears be given a So far this month, Jan. 4 is the only Provo, meaning that people who have five-yea- r probation term on the conday when there hasn't been either fog heart or respiratory ailments spiracy count. or heavy fog at Salt Lake City Intershouldnt go outside or exert themUnder questioning by Assistant national Airport. Heavy fog limits selves strenuously. The air was clearof a visibility to less than er that day, he noted, and the carbon U..S. Attorney Wayne T. Dance, Rigmile. Thats the condition that has monoxide level decreased when fog ney admitted he acted as a courier for California cocaine wholesalers. when Jan. was since it 6, prevailed and low clouds increased on Sunday. He said he flew to Utah to collect only foggy. The meteorologist said air pollution levels in the Salt Lake Valley payment for the cocaine from MiSeven days falls far short of the Heber 21 haven't come close recently to marks chael C. Hurren, a for record heavy fog January man said was the City prosecutors tt reached in the when days in 1931. But it continues the patinstalled equipment to reduce main player in the conspiracy. tern of the 80s in' which records were Judge Sam said Rigney can remain set for December, 14 days of heavy sulphur dioxide emissions. drug-relate- d 170-cou- nt 9 . 'W trap Fighting off the effects of a persistent inversion Charlie Velas- ping cold, foggy air in Salt Lake Valley I I Looming Storms May Rid Valley of Fog By Mike Gorrell Tribune Staff Writer Hope may be in sight. Dense fog that has limited visibiliof a mile ty to less than one-quart- er for seven straight days may be bumped out of here Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. And if that storm doesnt do the trick, it looks like several fronts next week will break up the inversion and enable northern Utahns to see the sun from their homes, something that hasnt happened often since early November. National Weather Service meteorologist William Alder said Monday that a weak storm system that won't do much of anything is expected to move through the Wasatch Front by Tuesday morning. But following close behind is a stronger system of cold air that should start stirring this up and overturning the inversion. By Wednesday morning, Mr. Alder is forecasting that the cold air from the second storm will start cooling the relatively warm air in the mountains, where temperatures have been in the high 30s and low 40s compared to the teens and low 20s in the valleys. Once that cooling process starts, the inversion will start to dissipate. The Weather Service meteorologist said the breakup could be accompanied by freezing rain turning to snow. Three to 6 inches of new snow are predicted at ski resorts along the Wasatch Front. That storm probably wont be strong enough to make the inversion an unpleasant memory and fog could continue through the latter part of the week, although it wont be as dense. Next week, however, a trough No Sign of a Heart Problem Hospital Releases LDS Leader President Ezra Taft Benson, world leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints, was released from LDS Hospital Monday morning after doctors determined he was not suffering from a heart condition. old church leader was The released from the hospital at 10:10 a.m. and left in the company of his wife and other family members. , A church spokesman said tests made over the weekend showed no signs of cardiovascular difficulties. 86-ye-ar Apparently, President Benson had been lying down Saturday afternoon when he stood up too quickly to answer a phone call from his son, Reed. That resulted in blood rushing to his head, which caused dizziness and the fainting spell. When President Benson fainted, his son called the apartment in the Wes-ti- n Hotel Utah on another line and asked a security guard to check on his father. President Benson was then rushed to LDS Hospital. Kennecott to Eliminate 75 of 255 Jobs On Headquarters Staff By Robert H. Woody Tribune Business Editor Kennecott said Monday it is eliminating 75 jobs from its headquarters staff. Thirty of those affected will be assigned to other posts within The other 40 will be terminated or retired, a Kennecott spokesman said. All are salaried workers. The reduction will occur over several sub-unit- s. weeks. The spokesman said the cut results from a study begun in September by Kennecott and its parent Standard Oil Co. (Ohio). The study was intended to redefine Kennecott in light of its recent opera- tional changes and future prospects. It does not affect those assigned to Kennecotts $400 million Utah Copper Division modernization program announced last month. The Utah Copper Division was closed down last year after Kennecott and its unions could not reach agreement on wage and benefit cuts the company said it needed to continue operations Nor will it alter Kennecott's plans to hold talks with its unions on a new contract to replace the three-yea- r contract which expires June 30, he said The cut will occur in administrative and sales offices at the Kennecott Bldg in downtown Salt Lake City, and in engineering and technology staffs at the Kennecott Engineering Center at the University of Utah campus It includes all exploration activities worldwide The effect will be to reduce Kenneto cott employment from about 450 in Utah compared to 7,300 in 1981 when the Utah Copper Division. Ken- - necotts largest property, v plea-bargai- one-quart- er mid-1970- s, Ken-neco- free on bond until his sentencing Feb. 19. McClun pleaded guilty to two of four counts against him, including the conspiracy charge and a charge of interstate travel in support of unlawful activity. McClun admitted he traveled to Utah to collect cocaine payment for George E. OBrien, the California wholesaler. But he insisted he participated in the ring because of his addiction to cocaine. "Four years ago I was a cocaine addict, he said. I could not distinguish between right and wrong. J Mair also pleaded guilty to thecon-spirac- y count and count 74 alleging possession with intent to distribute. Under his plea agreement, the government will recommend a three-yea- r prison term on the distribution count. Defense attorney James N. Barber said the government also will recommend Mair serve his time at Utah State Prison, where he currently is sentence on a serving a 0- - to cocaine distribution conviction. Mair will remain incarcerated at the prison until his Feb. 19 sentencing. Tyree pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and count 102 alleging possession with intent to distribute. Under his arrangement, he will be sentenced to an eight-yea- r prison term on the possession count only. He will be given a five-yeprobation term on the conspiracy count. In connection with the plea agreement in Utah, Tyree also pleaded d counts in a guilty to two California federal court. His sentence on those counts will run concurrent with his Utah sentence. Judge Sam said Tyree can remain in a San Francisco halfway house until his Feb. 24 sentencing. In a plea agreement with the government, Bonacci pleaded guilty to four of 16 counts against him, but will be sentenced only on one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The government will recommend a sentence on that charge. plea-barga- in ar drug-relate- Old Boxes No Need For Alarm After nearly a century, Salt Lake Citys antiquated red and white fire alarm boxes are being removed. When installed, the boxes were the modern technology of 1889 and worked by telegraphing the approximate location of a blaze to fire stations. The proliferation of phones, however, has made the fire boxes obsolete. Notice of fires now comes through the 911 telephone system, which has the advantage of involving a caller who can give precise locations, tell whether people are inside and judge the severity of a fire. as m full operation. At that time, Kennecott was as it had been for years the largest private employer in the state. The thirty who will be staying on with Kennecott wi'l Hp assigped to the Utah Coppei Division modernization team, t the Chino, N.M , and Ray, Anz., Minot LiVisions. or w other Kennecott activities, he said. Thirty years ago a task lorce recommended removal of the boxes, Lt Dolitical inertia left ilmm intac said Fire Departmer Battalion Chief Don Hill. Beginning Jan 2, howeter, city employees began removing tin. fire boxes. At one time it. city had between 300 ai ' t ? of the fireboxes, but now only about 40 exist. Some are mountec .i telepnone poles, others Tribune Stott Photo By Don Miller TLe oJujor technological advancement in fire safety of 1809 is being removed from on bni'dinps and the remainder are on pedosm'.j. Elimination of the boxes is expected to save the city 336,000 in manpower and parts, which were becoming increasingly difficult to find. i Salt Lake City streets. Telephones made the streetside alarms obsolete long ago. Safety will not be sacrificed by the fire box removal, Chief Hill said. Nine of 10 fire box alarms were false, and those that were legitimate were backed up with telephone calls. The boxes will be turned over the Salt Lake Citys Purchasing Department to be sold for scrap or as souvenirs. The telephone pole and pedestal boxes will be out by this weekend, but boxes installed into buildings will take longer to remove. Annexation for Development Awaits Sandy Councils OK By Eric McMullin Tribune Staff Writer SANDY Sandy City is on the brink of annexing the Smart Dairy e property, a parcel on which 120-acr- developers plan a massive office, tail and residential complex. re- The annexation and zoning request has been approved by the Planning Commission and goes before the City Council Tuesday night. It envisions 18 acres of commercial development, 20 acres of office space and 80 acres of residential properties, including condominiums, apartments and possibly a housing complex for the elderly. A dollar figure for the project is not yet available. However, it would be the second largest complex Sandy, behind the $240 million ZCMI Mall project at 10600 South and Interstate 15. Commcr' lal and office buildings start at two to four stories and would rise to eight stories in the center of the complex. Residential areas with densities of around 15 units per would rise to three stories, acre said Mike Coulam, Sandy City director of community and economic development. Developers would provide green-bel- t areas, tree-line-d walkways and think this is "I median areas grassy one of the highest quality develop- - ments in the county, said Mr. Coulam. The area is county property and is bordered by 7800 South, 1300 East, 8100 South and 1000 East. The City Council will discuss both the annexation and the zoning red quest, he said. The developer, Kent Dickerson, has asked for a density of 20 units per acre The city's planning staff recommended 18 units the density of a condo project Phoe-mx-base- to the sodth and the Planning Commission recommended 15 units. The developer also has asked for zoning to accommodate the nearly 40 acres of commercial and office space Even with City Council approval, Mr. Dickerson still would need approval from the council on each phase of the project, he said. "The reason we dont have a iut of See B-- Column 4 Local Governments to Get Say on Development Opposition to Draper City Annexation Plan Wanes By George A Sorensen Tribune Suburban Editor PROVO Opposition to Draper City annexing 3,300 acres in Utah County waned Monday afternoon after local entities learned they will have some say in the development by a Tucson, Anz, company which will have an impad on nearby cities, school and sewer districts and the county "This is not a blank check, but we will do all we can to help the project if the affected cities agree," Utah County Commissioner Gary Anderson said at a conclusion of a meeting attended by several mayors, the County Commission and representatives of Draper and the developer The major concerns voiced by representatives in Utah County were traffic, schools, flood control and sewage treatment They also complained about the short time in which the County Commission, city councils and the trustees of the Timpunogos Sewer Improvement District (comprising the mayors of five cities in the north end of the county) had to study the plan by The Estes Co The p)-- n calls for construction of 10,000 homes along the Traverse Mountains along with industrial and commercial property It includes a resoit hotel, 36 hole golf course and other amenities with approximately 6,600 homes to be built in the Utah County section of Draper. Dennis R Wall, community development director for Estes, said the company just does not have the time with its options on the land to allow for a delay Estes has an option on 5,000 acres along the ridge of which 1,700 acres is in Draper The time constraints were outlined by Brent Rose, Clyde and Pratt Engineers, which is doing the engineering Estes obtained options on the land See B-- Column 1 r a |
