| Show AoM UTABM I E vasr salt IAeintAine 114 Friday Marit 52041 S t Fund for radiation victims dears hurdle Compensation claims: Congressiord approval could prevent the federal program from going broke By B18VIVI (111111K ?he tworktini Pry's Senate budget leaders agreed Thursday to fully fund a compensation for people suffering prow from cancer and other illnesses beflutse of their exposure to nuclear weapons programs and testing If Congress approves the recommendation which is included in a $238 trillion budget WASIIINGTON been processing claims more quickly As a result the General Accounting Office and Congressional Budget Office estimated the compensation fund would use up its available money by June 205 and have to go back to Issuing IOUs Several senators including and DoOrrin Hatch menici had expressed concern about the potential shortfalls and urged the budget committee to approve Bush's request of an additional $72 million The Justice Department estimates that more than MO million could be needed to pay the remaining claimants although the Congressional Budget Office puts the figure at $78 million radiation exposure can receive checks ranging from MP° to $150P00 from the government But for years the program has been plagued by shortfalls In May 2000 the RECA Trust Fund ran dry For 18 months cancer-strickeclaimants received IOUs from the Justice Department Many died waiting for their checks to come The problem was supposedly fixed when Sen Pete Domenic' R and others convinced Congress to approve $65 million a year for the RECA progrgm through 2011 But the program was also expanded to include more people and the Justice Department has blueprint the Radiation Exposure Compensation trust fund will not go broke next year and ailing residents will not be issued government 10Cs President Bush requested an additional ra million for the compensation claims and the Senate Budget Committee included the request in the bill it sent to the Senate on Thursday Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Ad in 191)0 to compensate uranium miners millers or ore s haulers and - those exposed to radioactive fallout from aboveground weapons tests in n down-winder- Nevada Claimants sickened by their STATE OF TILE STATE 1)4 Nevada Colorado a It Arizona Texas '''''' v 1 1f it :I tialt egthtscia ' I Wyoming Idaho : toner 'rt Iron ' South Dakota North Dakota a Pwt - Grotto 14' Sevier New Mexico Wiynl ' garnqd Contact at statedesVasttribcom Oregon Washington BOX ELDER Brigham City is proceeding with plans to develop a central square with retail shops restaurants and executive office suites directly across from the tabernacle on Main Street The location historically coined "sagebrush hill" was once home to Brigham City's Central School The layout of the project will center around a park opening toward the tabernacle and will contain porches turrets towe ers benchesand a central statue of Mormon leader Brigham Young with landscaping and rock terracing The buildings will be designed with two facades The center lot will be reserved for a y restaurant with teropen-ai- r racing and a ground-leve- l ' It 4 -- '' ":'"‘ s' N '':'0:""''''''''' life-siz- 1 '''-'- : ' f e a t Sonnets t '':" ''' P Carbon mgal ' )11t I t f IDaggetil : ohp1st Utah t 4 Niclit 1 Webet Lag Wasatch Itte4W Ilk t 0 Salt A ''''' ') 4 -- zr — the Utah 1 ' - "it has approved IT114 claims and paid $135 million to residents in the following states: The government -- : i Counties making news To date t 4 — BLAST FROM THE PAST t t 1 i - t two-stor- t : i French-styl- if( i café e --- Standard-Examine- r ' ''' ' t I DAVIS I 411' ' s '' tIA: '' t I o - '' ' ' ' i' 4 ' - I ' tk : t i : : rc ' ' q ' 0 ' k b ' :11 1 - '' ! i'1: i' i ' 't'' 4 ' :ke: : ' ''f 4 :'!?- ' '''' d - 1 I - ' ' il ' '' l'' ( ' I r'''''' MI 1 '- - ' a " I - I Golden Gate bridge on Wednesday 7' - —" the -- " - -- :c Z' 4 : i resources: Top official says recent buildup of personnel Hew equipment and technology gives the US Border Patrol an edge ill Ail Ilitlit 1 1 !IIJCSON 1VirW1tt1ed Ariz -- - itOTSTEIN Prms The US Border l'atrol has a shot this year at sealing the Arizona-Mexicborder the busiest spot for: illegal entries along the entire frontier the agency's top Official said Thürsday Chief Gus De La Tina touring patrol operations along the Mexican border this week said that with manpower expected to reach 2M00 agents in the agency's Tucsoil sector this year "we're finally building our resources in Tucson to the point that we will have a definite impact" For several years more illegal immigrants have been apprehended in the Tucson sector than anywhere else Mexican border Imalong the 2000-milmigrant smuggling has also been rampant in the sector which covers all but the 50 westernmost miles of the Arizona border A lot of the agency's success will depend on the flow of illegal immigrants the economy and what lures them De La Vim said But a host of other factors including getting the personnel equipment and technology "has come together this year and I think we've got an excellent shot at closing the border" he said The sector will be getting at least 200 more agents more helicopters sensors and other equipment — with a special emphasis on desert areas of the Tohono O'odham Reservation — as the approach of summer intensifies the flow of illegal immigrants and brings another rash of desert deaths "'' '' -: BOX ELDER !" 7:oMicnAEL MAcoltTheAtioritiolProm Bay for a five-da- y IJ ' Stay border from only 300 to more than 1000 agents in response to terrorism fears On the technology front he said use of unmanned aerial vehicles particularly for surveillance along vast and remote stretches of both the desert and the northern border can and should play a role as "an eye in the sky for us" On other issues De La Vina said: The agency does not support border vigilante efforts "Law enforcement belongs in this particular situation to the federal government" The agency is still growing and trying to assimilate its added agents facilities vehicles and equipment but turnover has dipped from about 12 percent to between 4 and 6 percent annually The agency is working to reach agreement with the Interior Department on giving agents more ability to operate within some environmentally sensitive areas like the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Jennifer Allen di- rector of the Tucson- based Border Action Network said success ii by the Border Patrol in closing the Arizona border would mean a shift in the flow of tin- migrants to other ar- eas perhaps New Patrol Mexico e -- f!:''t4"' Ih? border wi ona-Mem- co '" ''°' “ as the tali ship makes its entrance into San Francisco t Sealing the Ariz f - s The Hawaiian Chieftain sails into San Francisco Bay passing by ' 4 ' '‘oo I Clerk-Audit- ' 't ' 1 L i' t 0 ( ' ' 0 llor Davis County has sold a acre site in Fruit Heights at a reduced price of $185000 Stephen M Sargent was the buyer The plot had been appraised at $250000 said Steve Rawlings However a fault line was discovered under the property and seismic analysis indicated parts of the plot are unsuitable for building Rawlings said other county-ownelots are for sale includ- !rig some in North Salt Lake and property near the proposed conference center in Layton —Davis County Clipper ' ' nj US Border Chid De La Bina It also would mean increased and ongoing "intimidation and harassment" of residents in border communities inundated by technology and agents intent on sealing the border she said "We're dealing with an agency that is growing at exponential rates and that is not dealing with issues like accountability and oversight" Allen said De La Villa also said the agency has made significant headway in building up its manpower along the porous northern Brigham City's Jessica Bun derson a three-yea- r member of the Lincoln Center Boys & Girls Club has been named the 2004 Youth of the Yearfor Utah by Boys & Girls Clubs of America Bunderson the oldest child of a working single mother took on many responsibilities in her home life including taking care of her younger bothers and earning money to help with the bills She also helps out in her community Last February Bunclprson helped organize colBrigham City's first lection to benefit the World Vision Foundation — News-Journ- WASHINGTON Washington City has appointed Roger Carter as city manager Carter comes after an almost three-montabsence of a manager in the city Former manager Kevin Watt resigned Nov 24 to pursue other opportunities h The City Council picked Carter out of a pool of 35 applicants said Councilman Roger Buddy acting as mayor pro tem — The Spectrum Ii New Mexico drilling curbs eased Tii AssociAriu iss -- - The government has eased proposed Clinton-eroil and gas drilling restrictions on a large tract of desert grassland in New Mexico In i decision that benefits a large Republican donor in the state The donor George Yates says big contributions and fundraising assistance to Vice President Dick Cheney had nothing to do' with the decision The Interior Department says its drilling plan while opening up more land in Otero Mesa will be the most restrictive ever The Bush administration "Would allow 141 oil and gas walls over about 7 million acres Inferior is committed to protecting our public lands" depart mint spokesman Mark Pfeifle said )Invironmentalists are crying WASHINGTON a rug The Bureau of Land Management "surrendered to the demands of one oil company and the political power of the name to which it was connected" the Campaign to Protect America's Lands said Thursday The environmental group said the Interior Department's estimate of 141 wells is based on an outdated plan for Otero Mesa before Yates drilled a successful well there in the late 1990s One of Yates' companies HEYCO drilled a successful natural gas well six years ago at Otero Mesa "We expect to see a lot more drilling than the BLM will admit given the number of companies that now want access" said Peter Altman Pfeifle called the environmental organization "a special interest fund raising group that focuses exclusively on partisan misinformation" Among its supporters is Eric Schaeffer who resigned from the Environmental Protect ion Agency contending the Bush White House was undermining antipollution efforts at power plants that violate clean air laws The BIM subsequently proposed restricting drilling in many areas to near roadsides drawing sharp criticism from - ‘01AD riCtieltil I (41 'I 1 ri p 1111- I - C 0 '16 : - (Phoio 6 11 ()1' Store Hours: SotAll Sok Lake 461 3800 0- fD Saturday ItiverdoloOgdon 622 7400 1 Oom z - 11: - ELECITIONICS Monday cCohmoboint Including latex and spoce ace memory visco foam illuoimhon only) FuaurrunE many 1 Opm Symons 7742800 ALIA I kI 149-- - Closed 1 Sundays ToyforevilleW Volley Orono 227 8800 Murray 967-480- 0 - : - Aldr44 1 APPLIAIICES FLOO1ZZG L -- Ew 1 4144 '41t1 HEYCO Two months ago the Bush administration eased the proposed drilling restrictions say- ing that well drilling in Otero Mesa should be limited "to no more than 5 percent" of a leased area at any one time "The environmentalists are claiming that I was able to change a process to my benefit when in fact the result of the process is highly restricted land use said Yates Cheney participated in a political fund :raiser hosted by Yates in 2002 and Yates has made over $90000 in donations over the past five years almost all to Republicans according to the Center for Responsive Poi ides 21 g ot& OK p 4 1 v !A |
