Show Regional economists optimistic about 2003 — A3 Aggies show their stuff on national televisidn — B1 2l3undapanuar3 2J2003 oq'artIUtaUC2003JSr?25 BrJdgejJandJlDaiJewspape Voatfaor ompdus-cinimLikely a lot like yesterday — ByArrln Brunson ( staff writer PageA12 While levels of crime on college campuses nationwide are reportedly rising the number of incidents at Utah State University remains constant law enforcement officials reported Tuesday llpdalo ES& schools USU Police Chief Steve Mecham provided statistics for the past four years including the totals Incirecently compiled 2002 year-en- d e dents at Utah State are managed by 12 who and three reserve officers police officers coverage of the campus each provide full-tim- Logan get ‘gold’ rating from magazine 24-ho- ur day is a very safe said “There are always concerns that something can happen but gener “Overall place to I think the campus ally the campus is safe” Professional colleagues from other campus law enforcement organizations are not as fortunate as the force at Utah State Mecham said “Tliey’ve been talking about how they’re having a lot more problems with students in than in the this current school year (2002-03- ) we’re that here” he not and experiencing past said There were zero reports of hate crimes arson nonforcible sex offenses and aggravated assault at USU in 2002 and no arrests for weapons law violations Mecham said Reports of burglary (16) auto burglary (31) and theft (129) are significant but the statistics don’t compare negatively to other institutions be" Mecham ry ' Crossword Movies Novel serial wwwhjnewscom A10 A4 B1 2001 2002 to Pok Department o u0 Brent StevensHerald Journal Petersen discusses a loan with a client at Cache Valley Bank At left Brad At right 13 he poses with cattle at his Young Ward farm 3" keep farming many locals keep second job To By Mark Randall staff writer E weekday Brad Peterson gets up shirt and tie and heads to work at on a puts Cache Valley Bank in Logan where he is a vice president But unlike most other bankers when 5 o’clock rolls around it’s not the end of his day Peterson heads home and then puts in another three or four hours of labor at his “other job" He splits the workload with his father Max on the family's cattle ranch in College Ward “He does the morning chores and I do the majority of the things in the evening” Peterson said “I spend two three four hours in the evening until 9 or 10 at night working on the Whether by truck or by rail Cache County could ship its solid waste to any of three landfill operations at a reasonable cost to residents depending on whether or not the county decides to build a new landfill inside the county limits e The County Citizens Advisory Committee for Landfill Siting heard landfill proposals from three said who could they accept solid operations waste from Cache County — ECDC in Carbon County Box Elder County Landfill and a proposed landfill at Promontory in Box ider County “We asked them all to come and make presentations to inform ua of what they could offer” said Issa Hamud director of See TRASH on All te 2000 3 Logan-Cach- C6 Obituaries C6 Opinion C8 Sports 1999 ui staff writer Indoa Crime e By Mark Randall Epilogue Annual crime incident numbers on the USU campus Source USU (MD Cache trash in demand Apearfs story Violations snapshot See CRIME on A12 By Holli Weiss staff writer Logan City School District sends ' students out into the “real world" after graduation well prepared for what’s ahead of them according to a recent article published in a national business magazine "Expansion Management "and Superintendent Richard Jensen credits the success to students faculty and the community "This is extremely significant" said Jensen who found out at the beginning of this week that his district was given a “gold" rating by the magazine for being in the top 17 percent in the nation for preparing students for the work force Logan District was one of 1500 schools in the nation that were ranked by the magazine Criteria for the ranking included an enrollment of 4800 students or more located in a city with a population of at least 15000 The magazine also considered graduation rales and the amount of community support Logan has a long history of high graduation rates said Jensen and one of the district’s goals is to always maintain that rate “We have a very high percentage of students who go on to college or receive some type of training after graduation Those numbers are over 70 percent" said Jensen Jensen said a lot of students come from families that have ties to Utah State Universiiy so college is more of a priority than it might he otherwise There are also many post-hig- h school educational opportunities in the community and nearby where students have the chance to receive various kinds of training he said Director of secondary curriculum and instruction Stuart Howell said the rating system was the result of a nationwide survey conducted by the magazine last summer “The survey spoke to preparing young people for the work place” said Howell “There were really two parts to the criteria One is the experience of our students and the second is how well prepared they were when they left high school” Howell said the focus of the study was to determine whether Logan is a place where a business or industry might want to be and “the overall consensus was yes” e i farm" 2002 Like many in Cache Valley agriculture runs deep in his blood If it weren't for the tough economic realities of being a farmer Peterson said he would gladly trade in his suit for a pair of overalls e rancher with a cattle “If I could be a ranch I’d do it” Peterson said “But it’s a long way from reality Agriculture is my family's histoiy It's our life and I love it It's a great diversion from work but I can't raise a family on it” Times are tough for farmers Everything keeps going up except the prices they get for all their months of hard labor Farm operators on average will only make about $2622 from the farm after the costs for equipment operations and depreciation is deducted according to a study by the United States Department of Agriculture in September “The profit margin has become so narrow that it’s just dam tough to make a living at it” said Cache County Extension Agent Clark Israelsen Many small farm operators like Peterson are leaving the bam behind and heading to a job in town to make a living “I know folks that put in eight hours each day and then go home and farm all night and weekend” said Israelsen “Even I fit into that full-tim- category” According to the latest statistics from the USDA 55 percent of farm operators now have an source of income That figure rises to 85 percent when spouses’ jobs are factored in Farmers this year will earn an average of $55235 off the farm off-far- m off-far- m See FARMS on A6 Illinois governor clears death row CHICAGO (AP) — Calling the death penalty process “arbitrary and capricious and therefore immoral’’ Gov George Ryan announced Saturday he was clearing Illinois’ death row of all 156 inmates and commuting their death sentences a move unprecedented in scale in US history Ryan’s action just two days before he leaves office drew immediate angry reaction from prosecutors the incoming governor and relatives of some of the victims Ryan said he sympathized AP photo with the familiesiof the men Pam Williams of Bloomington III attends a women and chilonen who had Rod Blagojevlch on bear murdered opt he felt he rafly for Illinois Saturday The sign refers to the commuting had to act of death sentences by outgoing Gov George “I am not prepared to take the risk that we may execute Ryan Gov-ele- ct to £ an innocent person’’ he wrote in an overnight letter to the victims’ families warning them of his plans With death row inmates he had recently pardoned sitting in the audience as he spoke Saturday Ryan framed the death penalty issue as “one of the great civil rights struggles of our time” “Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error — error in determining guilt and error in determining who among die guilty deserves to die’’ Ryan said “What effect was race having? What effect was poverty having? “Because of all these reasons today I am commuting the sentences of all death row inmates” V :— I |