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Show $$$ Ml : .?. 4m jn j. wwi .if .' r':;,tj j... '.: And, of till ln'M dungs upon earth, I hold thot a faithful friend is the best. :s,..Gryff ..tf .' Huluvr-Lytto- n '' ! -- ;n t'?. -- K-- Stf VArtrr vv . , .v 7-,- - UNEMPLOYMENT RATE CUMBING AGAIN Will downturn in oil industry mirror conditions of 10 years ago? problems being exhibited now are the same as those manifested in 1985 and 1986. about ... it affects One of the mqjor employers in the oil field. Inland Resources, recently families and lives. laid off seven workers in their Roosevelt office and eight at the companys Denver, Colo, headquarIt'd small world after mil. Oil field ters. Those who lost their jobs inworkers, downtown retail merchants cluded mechanics, pumpers, drilling personal and permiters, said Inland in theJintah Basin are stumbling district manager Mike Guinn. Guinn said the company is hoping financially because of a glutted oil market created by the layoffs will be the final adjustOPEC countries, and the bottoming-ou- t ments that will have to be made to ofthe Asian economy. endure low pricing. Oil producers are getting less than Inland employees who were let go $8 a barrel for oil that costs them $12 were given severance packages, said to $15 to produce. The oil industry is Guinn, who added, it's tough to talk ailing, and short of a sustained war about ... it affects families and lives. Coastal Oil recently shutdowntheir with Iraq, forecasters arent predictDenver office and announced they ing a rebound any time soon. would relocate to Vernal to consoliAlthough the severity of the current downturn in oil production isnt date and save money. Some of the as critical as it was in the mid 1980s, companys Altamont employees were local oil industry officials say it does given the chance to transfer with the go down deep. Many of the same company to save their jobs, other Coastal employees were called in late last week and told there jobs could not be guaranteed for any length of time unless they accepted transfers out of SEE DOWNTURN on page 3 By Lczlee E. Whiting B J vijM... fc.it (gw diisfrs Iters A 'A . GRAND PRIZE awarded these happy folks with four fabulous grand prizes as part of our Christmas Word Scramble contest. Local merchants also made the holidays brighter for their customers with to those who correctly unscrambled a mixed-u- p phrase. Pictured left to right bottom row: Jeff Mathews, winner of a satellite dish from UBET ; Kathy Schurz, winner ofa S100 gift certificate from BenFranklin. Top row left to right: CarlindaTraman, a night stay at LC Ranch; and LaRae Cook, a John Deere lawnmower. WlNNERS-TheStan-d- give-awa- ard ys :",'. 4 i, Uintah Basin Letters to Santa 50$ - Elementary school childrem share their wishes fora bright Christmas morning in letters to Santa Claus. One writer doesnt want anything for himself, but does want Santa to bring something really special for his cousin. These letters are sure to make you laugh and cryl -- See pages 31 33 ' :t Tuesday December 22, 1998 wf jr Roosevelt, Vol. '' Utah 85, Number 51 www.ubstandard .com -- i NOT MUCH IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST YEAR Duchesne District SAT scores rank below the state average Sex abuse cases on the rise The Duchesne. County Sheriff's office is investigating numerous sex abuse cases involving young children. Unfortunately investigators say this is a crime that is during the holidays. By MaryWertz the district excel, but low same set scores in others bring down overall average. Altamonts 11th graders, Duchesne's Hih graders and Neola's 5th graders scoie above stale average on total test battery. can-pound-ed Scholastic Achievement Teat (SAT) results for Duchesne County School Seepages District are in and it appears that ,ftudents in all grade levels and sub--. areas scored lower than the statewide average. Fifth, 8th and 11th graders are required to take SAT tests annually. jiect Tabiona and Duchesne remain undefeated The Tigers defeated Green River and Altamont to go S- - 0. Levi Gines hit eight 3 pointers in two games. The Eagles crushed North Summit to go 4-- 0. Seepages 168 17 CAMERA-Th- is young Musical Mustang ventured from the scrip a bit during the groups Christmas conceit and was captured in one of tl kids do die damest things. moments. CANDID Early deadline Due to the Christmas holiday the Standard will be closed Thursday and Friday. All articles, announcements, Kappen votes no on new budget Wednesday. --Merry Christmas! By LomaStradinger New USU addition 33,000 square foot addition to USLTs Uintah Basin branch campus is scheduled for groundbreaking in the fall of next year. The new building should be completed in The fall2000. See page 3 Unlike the uneventful public budgethearing earlier this month, formal adoption ofthe 1999 Duchesne County budget was not without some heated diamsaion, including a debate among County Commissioners on whether the budget should include proposed pay raises averaging 12 percent for county employees, in view of depressed oil prices. "I foresee a drastic drop in revenue with suppressed oil prices," said Commissioner-elect Guy Thayne. There will be lqyoflk as a result throughout DUCHESNE COUNTY 1 murder trial have some Commissioners expressing doubts about a proposed pay raise for The Utah State Dept of Corrections sent out a RFP (Request for Bids) Monday, Dec. 14, to four previously-approved private prison construction companies. At least two of the companies have scoped out the Uintah Basin as a possible site for prison construction. WackenhutCorrections Corporation, a Florida-base-d prison construction and management company, approached Duchesne County Commissioners months ago. In response the commissioners signed a resolution that confirmed their desire to locate a private prison in the county. Cornell Ventura, California-base- d Corrections has also considered several sites in Duchesne County, including one in the city of Roosevelt I think it would be a good thing for our county, said mayor Dennis Jenkins, sp employees. the county and I recommend that the pay raises be reduced to only 4 percent. I will be willing to forgo my increase in salary as commissioner. I cannot justify any more than a 4 percent raise for county employees," added Commissioner Ted Kappen. We could save the county $165,000 and put that money toward the double OF 4 SITES BEING CONSIDERED homicide trial. All elected officials should forgo the raise along with the logo shirts for employees. The county budgeted $15,000 for and uniforms for insignia county employees in the miscellaneous budget for 1999. We worked very hard to get our taxbasefrom other sources than property taxes and oil revenues, said Commission Chairman Larry Ross. We have made a strong effort to bring our employee salaries up to a livable wage. If the salary raises are decreased, by the time taxes are taken out, the income side iaataveiy dangerous level." Hie jail brings sizable revenues to the county along with increased revenues from PILT monies. All departments show substantial budget increases in 1999. We should do the budget as outlined, Ross stated. port of the county, town, or city in adding that economics and employis wiped out, If the oil ment currently ebb and flow with which they propose to build before the county canindustry survive," agreed Comstate. bids submit to downs. the and and He County missioner John Swasey. Our morale they agriculture oilups said a prison would offer stability in Commissioners welcomed the idea of is better than it has been for I a prison because it would provide suggest we adopt the present years. employment budget "Im sure the good would outweigh employment - about 100-15- 0 jobs -- and with the commissioner's prom- the bad, said Jenkins. Weve held which they believe would stimulate lse go economic growth. Also, ifthe Duchesne public meetings and had overwhelmCounty activist Dorothy Evans ing support from the community. We County site is chosen, Wackenhut voiced disgruntlementover the $2,000 meet all the criteria; the companies Corporation has agreed to be totally pay raise commissioners gave themare impressed with the workforce. responsible for financing the construc- selves and other elected county offiHe added that the county meets tion. cials. I think you had a large enough Two other the required criteria of having adcompapay raise two years ago, and most equate water and sewer, medical fa- nies will compete in the bidding to people Ive talked to are flabbercilities and fire and police protection. build and maintain a private medium gasted, said Evans. HowevBr.themayorsaidhedoubts security prison capable ofhousing 500 Uintah County pays their comthat the state will build in this area men in Utah. missioners $5, 000 more than our comMarch will on be because of its distance from the Proposals opened missioners," stated Kappen. Our Wasatch Front and mqjor highways. I 16 by the Division of Facilities Manwork load is sufficient to warrant a addialso feel the state would never build in agement and Construction. In alary increase. our area because oftbe politics, said tion to Wackenhut and Cornell, the Evans also maintains that Wasatch Jenkins. I think they have an idea of competing companies are Manage-meis not paying its fair share of County where they want to build. Training Corporation (MTC) Companies must have the full sup SEE STATE BIDS on page 3 SEE VOTES NO on page 3 State calls for bids from four private correctional facilities By Mary Wertz SAT RESULTS COMMISSIONER WORRIED ABOUT LOCAL ECONOMY and ads are due by 5 p.m. scores from the different schools. For example, on a whole Myton Elemenaverage. tary 5th grade students scored an avFifth graders scored five points erage of only 28 points on the total lower than lastyear in science, and one battmy (if tesis, while 5th graders at point lower than last year in math. SEE SAT S(10RESj)npage 3 Eighth gradersasagroup also tested below the state average in all subject areas. Their total battery test score (for all subjects combined) averaged out to 50 points, four points lower Duchesne County than the state average. Eighth grade scores reflect an imSchool District provement in both reading and Enscores two are up points Fifth Grade Tests glish. Reading to 48 from last years 46 points. However, they fell five points short of the statewide average of 53. In English 8th graders in the Duchesne District scored 46, which is three points higher than last years score of 43, but falls four points short of the statewide average of 50. Social science, science and math scores for 8th graders are all down from lastyear and below the statewide average. Eleventh grade students as a group also scored below the state average in all subject areas. On the brighter side of the equation, English scores have risen for tiie past two years. In 1997 11th graders scored 41 in English; this year that average was raised to 45, which is eight points below the state average of 53 . Reading cores stiyed the same in the district for 11th graders at 50 points, ten points below the state average. Math and social science scoresfor 1 1th graders show the high school juniors at 1 1 points below the state averages for these subjects. ThisyearB junior class also scored seven points below the state average in science. Large discrepancies can be seen in three scores are still below the state Students are tested in the areas of mathematics, reading, English, science and social science. Their semes in each subject are combined and averaged to come up with a total test battery" score. Testing at the beginning of the school year shows 5th grade students scoring a total test battery average of 49 points, one point below the state average of 50. (See related chart.) Although 5th graders as a class scored three points higher in reading and social science and five points higher in English than last year, these nt BAIL HEARING POSTPONED Additional charges filed against murder suspects By Lezlee EL Whiting Prosecutors have filed eight new counts against JohnR. Pinder, 41, and seven additional charges against Filimeno Valenchia-Rui34, both of Strawberry River. The two are suspects in a double murder which authorities allege occurred on Oct. 25 at Pinders Duchesne County ranch. In addition to two counts of capital homicide and a second-degre- e felony charge of tampering with evidence in the deaths of Rex K. Tanner, 48, and his companion June Flood, 59, Pinder faces three felony charges of aggravated kidnaping and aggravated burglary of a residence, three second-degre- e felony charges of tampering with evidence, residential burglary and possession of an explosive e device, and two felony z, first-degr- ee third-degre- counts of desecration of a dead body. Ruiz, who hud been charged with the two capital murder counts and the residential burglaiy upon his arrest last month, is facing similar charges. Pinder and his newly retained attorney, Ron Yengich, appeared last Monday, Dec. 14 in 8th District Court in Duchesne for a possible bail reduction. The matter was postponed until a biter date when prosecutors learned Pinder lias a passport. Yengich told the court the passport is believed to be in the custody of Pinderss father, Robert. The passport will be turned over to authorities before the court takes action on a possible bail reduction. Duchesne County Attorney Herb Gillespie asked the court to join the SEE MORE CHARGES on page 3 COPY) I mp: I.sjpfsiliw WIW'OWW w ywi.Misuf liis wjijiWswiff v - f ijw.wV;!., ft |