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Show I I i Host families needed for culture exchange -- See page Union student creates award winning dragon 4 City Recreation Wrestling Tournament -- See page 12 -- See page 1 16 Pages Cents 0 Annual revenues of $20 million Bonneville Pacific signs contract with Ules Basin during tribe election campaigns. Three of the business By L.A. Eaton Despite the political atmosphere on the Ute and Ouray Indian Reservation, officials from Bonneville Pacific Corporation signed agreements with the Ute Business Council, Friday, to construct a $45 million power plant and greenhouse near Roosevelt "It didnt bother us at all, said Ann L Garrett, public affairs We manager, for Bonneville. have a good track record and a solid company." The business council assured Bonneville that any contracts would be binding, said council member Gary Poowegup. "Once they sign the contract, it ties them in. A new committee cannot break the lease. Bonneville officials visited the committee members are up for - Maxine Natchees, Lester Chapoose and Stewart Pike. As petitions to oust the committee members have not succeeded, twenty three members are running for election, including the three incumbents. Primaries will be held March 29. Although Concerned Members have not approved of committee chairman Lester projects, Chapoose said that this is a way to solve one of the main concerns of the entire tribe - unemployment "This cooperative venture between a sovereign nation and a private sector organization is a unique opportunity to use the tribal resources to promote economic development he said, "as well as an opportunity to alleviate the unemployment Approximately 120 tribal members will be hired to work in the greenhouse where high grade tomatoes for the national market will be grown. There will be 28 employees in the power plant "We choose this place because of the natural gas and the work force, said Garrett The agreements include a natural gas purchase and supply agreement and a ground lease. The power plant will have a capacity of It is a cogen- eration facility that will provide electricity to Moon Lake Electric Association, andheat and electricity to an adjacent green30-ac- re house. In addition to the jobs and the revenue from the natural gas and lease agreements, the tribe will be Continued on page 3 Lester Chapoose was one of the representatives BONNEVILLE SIGNS WITH TRIBE-Chairof the Ute Tribe which signed agreements with Bonneville Pacific to build a power plant and greenhouse seven miles from Roosevelt man The 76th Year o Wednesday, March 29, 1989 Roosevelt, Utah No. 13 SO Easter week a bad one .for local accidents Law enforcement and emergency personnel of the area were kept busy during the past week and through the Easter weekend, as numerous accidents and mishaps, including a serious iqjuiy in Roosevelt and two in Vernal, took their toll on the holiday spirit An incident early Saturday morning north of Roosevelt resulted in the serious injury of one local old girl. UHP Officer Jack Peterson reports that four under-agyouth were in the cab of a Chevrolet Luv pickup north of R Hill about 5 am., at the Burdick Paving gravel pit, when the vehicle went off the edge of the road and rolled over into the pit None of the occupants, two boys and two girls, were wearing seatbelts. (hie girl was thrown through the windshield and was pinned beneath the vehicle when it came to rest As soon as emergency personnel arrived, including Peterson and a Roosevelt ambulance crew, the youth were transported to Duchesne County Hospital, where three of the youth were treated for minor injuries and released. The injured girl was to the U of U Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where she was listed in critical and very unstable condition as of Monday, with head injuries. While the victim showed no signs of alcohol consumption, the remaining three all tested positive. The incident remains under investigation. A head-ocollision nine miles east of Vernal Saturday afternoon on the Island Park road sent two Vernal residents to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, and resulted in the iqjury of four others. According to UHP Sergeant 16-ye- ar e air-lifte- OIL TANKER DOWN-T- he back trailer of a Danyl B. Taylor tanker broken loose and overturned when the was Transportation on the road near Chevron Oil plant on South driver ovcr-correct- Myton Bench. Crews work to clean up die spill, seen in the left front comer of the picture. No injuries occurred from the incident, ed Unfair payment rates n County Hospital joins lawsuit Duchesne County Hospital has joined with 18 other rural hospitals in the state of Utah in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over low Medicare reimbursement to rural hospitals. DCH Administrator John Jeffries calls the medicare reimbursement policy unfair and discriminatory against rural health care facilities; in explaining why the local hospital has joined in the suit that includes the Utah State Department of Health and the National Rural Health Association as rural health care allies, he declares, "We feel it is essential to maintain accessible service for our area we need better treatment from Medicare. The Joint lawsuit challenges the. constitutionality of the new procedure that provides a lower medicare reimbursement to rural hospitals. "Why should the rate to rural hospitals be lower, when our expenses are not? We dont think there is anything fair about the new procedure, and we are fighting it, states Jeffries. Under Medicares Prospective Payment System, rural hospitals are reimbursed at a lower rate than urban hospitals-av-er aging 39.6 percent lew. Health care analyst Denise Denton indicates that rural hospitals are actually subsidizing the care in urban ar- eas. The Medicare policy was established with the belieftii at salaries were lower and stafTs were smaller at rural hospitals, so it would cost less to provide the same services. But thats just not the case, says Denton. "There are bask manpower needs that you just cant go below, and salaries are not necessarily lower in a ru ral hospital. Rural areas often have a higher percentage of Medicare patients; because the small hospital doesn't have as many patients as you would see in a city, the Medicare patient losses can't made up. Robert Sherwood, director of the bureau of local and rural health systems for the state health department, explains it this way. "The problem with rural hospitals is they have a relatively small number of patients to begin with, and they can lose a great deal of money on one or two Medicare patients. Utah rural hospitals report that Medicare patients accounted for nearly 40 percent of admissions in 1987. "The premise that if some hospitals go out ofbusiness and occupancy goes up in others, it creates a healthier system is faulty when it comes to rural care," Sherwood be also states. In rural communities, competition is not an element; the facility is vital to the area, yet thaw is a struggle for even one facility to provide quality health care. Duchesne County Hospital joins these rural Utah hospitals involved in the litigation: Allen Memorial, Moab; Ashley Valley Medical Center, Vernal; Bear River Valley, Tremonton; Beaver Valley, Beaver, Central Valley Medical Cento:, Nephi; Delta Community Medical Center; Fillmore Medical Center; Garfield Memorial, Panguitch; Gunnison Valley; Kane County, Kanab; Milford Valley Memorial; Monument Valley; San Juan County, Montkello; Sanpete Valley, ML Pleasant; Sevier Valley, Richfield; Tooele Valley, and Wasatch County, Heber. Tribe d Dave Jacobson, a southbound pickup driven by Kenneth C. Kay, 46, and a northbound Blazer driven by old Richard Ray Uffard, collided head-on- , injuring both drivers as well as their passengers: Martha Kay, 45, in the Kay vehicle; Kelly Burton, 17; Mike Uffard, 16; and Gregory Taylor, 18, in the Uffard vehicle. None of the occupants of the Uf18-ye- ar fard vehicle were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. Taylor and Mike Uffard were to Salt Lake City, where they remain in serious but stable condition. The remaining accident victims were treated at' Ashley Valley Medical Center for various injuries and released. Investigation of the incident continues, under the direction of UHP trooper Annette Hatch. collision on Another head-oNorth Myton Bench, also on Saturday, was miraculously without personal injury. A Savage Brothers truck and another truck, driven by Marion Southam, Life-Flight- n Roosevelt, collided when the Savage Bros, vehicle tried to avoid hitting a horse on the road. The damage to both vehicles was minimal, and no injuries resulted. Likewise, a Darryl Taylor Trucking Company tanker lost control while driving north of the' Chevron Oil plant on South Myton barrels Bench, losing some of crude oil and damaging the rear trailer from which the oil spilled, but causing no injuries. Various other incidents were dealt with by emergency personnel during the holiday week, with no others resulting in serious injury or extensive damage. 15-2- 0 business commitee openings Primary elections being held today The Ute Indian Tribe is holding primary elections today with three openings in the business commitee. Millicent Maxine Natchees, Stewart Pike and Lee ter M. and are being challenged by twenty-on- e Chapooee are up for candidates. Nominees from the Uintah band include; Curtis Cesspooch, Julius R. Murray, Delna Floyd Wopsock, Robert Chapoose, Sr., Everett Cess pooch, Homey Secukuku, Katherine Jenks and Raymond Murray. From the Whiteriver band, candidates are; Luke J. Duncan, FYank B. Arrowchii and Kirby Arrive. Candidates from the Uneompahgre band include; Alvin Pinna-eoosMyron L. Aecuttaroop, Haskell L. Chapoose, Cecelia Jenks, Hubert J. Groves, Ronald Williams, Ferron Secakuku, Wayne Per-anMary Lee Longhair and Allion Myore. e, k, |