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Show 7 C005 210601 Discomfort is often a bridge, not a barricade, to success. P UINTAH CO. PUBLIC LIBRARY 1 55 E Main St UT 84078-260Vernal 3 5 .i rr V' Uintah Basin "1 50C Bad road i Upper Country residents are v Tuesday working with Duchesne County Commissioners to make improvements to a dangerous stretch of road. See page 2 ' ; r July 11. 2000 Roosevelt, Utah Vol. www.ubstandard.com Yellow ribbon DOUBLE HOMICIDE CASE home coming 1 Young Dayman O'DriscoH ; returns home after a k hospital stay due to his near drowning in an irrigation ditch near his home. His folks are calling him a little miracle. " See page 3 six-wee- ; Defense: Pinder taking the fall for the ranch hand he feared ;j Case closed! f Class ring found! ; ; , . vyv , -. By Leilee E. Whiting During opening statements in a twisted and bizane double murder trial, defense attorney Ron Yengich told jurors that wealthy Duchesne County cattleman, John R. Pinder, will personally proclaim his innocence. He will look you in the rye and sey I did not kill these people. I did help in burying them and I am ashamed of that, Yengich revealed, adding that his client is no more guilty than one of the states key witnesses who also helped destroy evidence. Yengich admonished jurors not to make hisclient a third victim ofthe crime by finding him guilty of the 11 felony counts be faces, including aggravated murder, aggravated kidnaping. aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, residential burglary, possession of an explosive device and desecration of a dead human body. In the 4 District Courtroom in Heher City last Thursday, Yengich I w v y The defense contends that Pinder assisted Ruiz in trying to hide the human remains because he had been threatened by him and feared for his safety. also said the state's alleged motive for the killings - that Pinder was outraged because he believed the victims we re stealing from him -- will fall flat on its face. The defense contends Pinder Valenchia-Ruiz- , that it was ranch hand, Filomeno 38, who took the lives of Rex K. Tanner, 48,and his companion June Flood. 59, on the night ofOct. 25, 1998, and then used Pinder as a pawn, eventually framing him for the crimes. Tanner and Flood were both formerly employed on the Pinder ranch. According to Yengich, Pinder assisted Ruii in trying to hide the human remains because he had been threatened by him and feared for hie A young woman looses her Union High 1955 class ring 44 years ago in a hay filed, last week the ring arrived in Union's mail. After a short investigation the ring's owner was notified. See page 13 i safety and that of his family. Ruii lived with Pinder at the main ranch house on the JJXP Ranch. Ruii pleaded guilty in November 1999 to two counts of murder, first degree felony. In return for his cooperation, prosecutors dismissed two counts of aggravated murder and nine other felony counts. The agreement also stipulated that Ruii must 'testify truthfully at Pinders murder trial or risk being prosecuted on the full slate of charges which were dismissed in the plea bargain. Ruii is currently serving two concurrent terms of 5 years to life in the Utah State Prison. Prosecutors have said they would recommend to the Board ofPardons that he be allowed to serve his time in a Mexican prison. Ruix's parents live in Mexico. Prosecutors allege that it was Pinder, not Ruii, who masterminded the plot to beat and kidnap Tanner and Flood, drive them toa remote site on the Pinder familys JJNP ranch where he shot them and then blew them up with dynamite. Pieces of human remains that werent blasted to bits or covered by dirt were either burned, tossed in a Dumpster in Idaho or thrown in a river, according to the prosecution. Assistant Attorney General Mike Wims told jurors that Pinder was furious with Tanner and Flood because he believed they had been stealing SEE PINDER TRIAL on page 3 All-Sta- 87, Number 27 4 District Court Judge Lynn W. Dat is is presiding over the Pinder trial. Defense attorney Ron Yengich said his client helped bury body remains, but is not a killer. Assistant Attorney General M ike U ims PROSECUTING ATTORNEY-Ut- ah said John Pinder aas enraged because he bel icved that Rex Tanner and June Flood uere stealing from him. a hen he went to their rented home to confront them. rs WILL NEW WELLS WILL DRY UP FARM LAND? Roosevelt to host WBBA Tournament starting July 25 Teams to compete from Roosevelt Vernal Altamont Tabiona and Duchesne. -- Seepage Lc Baron, administrator of Uintah Basin ON THE DOTTED Medical Center signs documents transferring hospital ownership of the facility . Looking on is hospital attorney Craig Savage and deputy county attorney Roland UresL LINE-Br- ad 16 Protestors appeal decision to give Roosevelt culinary water By Lezlee E. Wbiung A contingency offuroers and ranch- ers in the Neola ties ore challenging a decision by the Utah Division of Water Rights to grant Roosevelts request to develop s former irrigation well for culinary use. The state's approval of the city '(plan to create new wells on the 200 seres they own five miles east of Neola was a bitter pill to swallow for formers and raneben who say portions oftheir property has been suffering from a lack of water since shortly after the citys five Hayden wells went on line in the late 1980s. Thectty'tappbcalion for the transfer from irrigation to culinary use on the Durigan Spring SIGNED AND SEALED Uintah Basin Medical Center administrators and Duchesne County Commissioners finalized the paperwork that transfers ow nerxhip of the hospital from county government to a stand-alon- e nonprofit have been filed w ith the state. After study ing the concept corporation. New Articles of Incorporation and of making the hospital a 50 1 (cX 3 ) corporal ion for ov er a year, commissioners dec ided the change w as in the best interest of the county. Pictured standing left to right Ray Hussey. Chief Operating Officer. Craig Savage, hospital attorney; Brad Le Baron, hospital administrator. Brent Hales. ChiefFinancial Officer and deputy county attorney Roland fresh. Seated are; County Commissioners Ted Kappen, Guy Thayne and Larry Ross. By-La- COMPLETION DATE IS AUG. 14 , Super Wal - Mart brings 200 jobs By Cheryl Mccham ; Its been about 8 yean since came to Vernal and no one could have guessed at its phenomenal popuWal-Ma- rt larity or potential for growth. Now a new building twice the out of the existing structure is being built to accommodate a fuU site grocery, vision deportment, haircut center, permanent portrait studio, one hour photo and tire and lube section. All of this with, our regular hill service pharmacy, shoes and jewelry department, said Garth Lovell, store manager, adding that a small banking center is planned and negotiations or now undenmry to bring one ofthe local banking businesses in ifan agreement is reached. Construction on Uw new facility, located just west of the present Wal-Maon If ighwav 40 should be completed by Aug. 14. The facility will boast sky lights and a lighting system that keeps the store at a consistent bright ness, even under cloud rover. Then we can take possession and start working on it from there. We'll start by building fixtures, then filling rt F Copy) check stands will double from 12lo 28 including speedy and regular. Lovell said the beet thing about is expanding into a Super Wal-Maall of the new jobs it will bring to the The hiring process will begin this week, July 17 when applications will be accepted and first interviews will be done. are. the shelves it's a whole transition, moving from a 70,000 square fool building to a 186,000 square foot building. Lovvll reported. During that moving process the existing store will be open until the day before the Grand Opening, on Wedneeday.Sept. 20. lls going to be a difficult challenge, what we're taping for ie people will continue to shop and be patient the changes, be expressed Inside the Super shoppers will also sea s larger volume of general merchandise in virtually every department including clothing, however, store islot will be wider a inminv-irof 7 feet allow ing more swe for fchopprr.and the number of Wal-Ma- - u "Wed be adding over 200 new employees, be reported The hiring process will begin this week. July 17 when applications wtU be accepted and lint interviews will be done. Applications can be obtained through Work Fort Service in Ver-n- il WeU do a matgr interviews os we con in that week and put people on payroll by Aug. 1. Lovell stated, adding that Wal-Maemployees are called Associates, because they have all the benefits that a manager bos, under a stock purchase plait which cflers Wal-Mastock to anyone who works for the company, "The mast exciting thing is having ftiil-Nt- e grocery store right under the roof of a Wal Mart with meat and deli dr part menu end a baker produce section, Lovell rxperwed. not-in- g that the store will also include a floral department. rt rt (formerly Sprouse Well w approved lost month with flow rate and volume rest notions, after a year long study. State water officials say there ie no scientific evidence to show the Hayden wells are directly damaging the form and ranch land in question, nor do they believe the city's proposed Durigan Springs wells will unreasonably impact agricultural land in the same area. However, those with property bordering or near the proposed culinary water development contend that when the dty begins drawing from the underground aquifer, which is recharged by the Uinta River, their lands will dry up. n rancher Howard Horrock and nearby property owners have retained an attorney to request that state water officials reconsider their derision w hich paws the wy for Roosevelt to construct (bur new water well The city would construct just one of the new wells right sway. The citys Hayden Wells or running close to capacity One well went down at the beginning of summer, forcing large water users to curtail their watering. Under the terms of the agreement, the amount of water available to the city will be 22 cubic feet per second or 555 ocre-fee- t per year - one one-foo- t per jsrar will pecrode enough water (inside and outsidr use) for a family of four. Thats about half the water Kuuswell ho rights to, said Kent Jons, assistant state engineer for water appropriation. The Division of Water Rights also rolled for strict monitoring of usage by the city W try to impose sfwnfic condition to protect existing water rights of others On the Roosevelt atyone we felt Lke w came up with pud proposal for them louse their water right and iwrt impme on the rights uf ot hers They were pretty restricted," said Third-generatio- Jutww. The division has 20 days to decide will reconsider the they granted the city If they whether they sp-pro- v decline to reconsider their actions, opponents have 30 days to appeal their cose to District Court, and that's exactly where Horrock and others see the cue headed. What we want to do is stop the whole thing right now ... before we let this other land be damaged like the first, well go clear to the Super me Court if we have to, said Horrock. Beginning in 1993 bay production on Horrock's land plunged from 4500 bales to 800 bale, and hu remained at that level, be said. Fart of it was the drought (ofthe but dropping the water table out fromundcr us sure didn't help. According to Horrock. the water table in the area dropped 90 feet since the Hayden Wells come on line. Tbt ground that hu been impacted is porous cobblerock and requires a great deal of underground water to build up enough water to run across the land Rancher Loraine Richins said her wlL property hu been impacted close to the even though it is not wells. If Durigan Springs wells go on line.moreorber property stands to be damaged, she sa id. Jones said that while some impact is to be expected, the water division hu to determine what is reasonable, he said, noting the complexity mid-l9Ak- ), u u of water issues and rights. Our responsibility is to protect the rights of others and protect the rghts of those with rights in aquifers or the river system." Those protesting the city's new water acquisition are not out to deprive Roosevelt residents of water, said Richins. Its really important that we take care ofour land and natural resources. The city is important, but so is our land around hero," she said, adding that many of those impacted believe the city has ot her resources for water that would nut destroy livelihoods dependant on agriculture. But for the city, the supply ofclean water, which they own and which can be transported into town at a very reasonable cost, is the beat route to secure water for growth City officials soy before they were able to buy the water supply in late 1998 from former Uintah County rancher Gory Sprouse, they did investigate other potential sources. In each case, the water allocations were used, the cost was financially unfeasible, or the supply too undependable. The division's order allowing the city the water usage and diversion ntfit stands unless a court oflaw overturns the ruling, said Jones. BAND HAS NEW ALBUM OUT HeadHunters to headline UBIC 2000 Bv Sarah Colton Seamans the "practice house where they started long before they were old Her they come, roaring out of enough to drive car. They wilt be entertaining the Kentucky with another foot stompin crowd with rongv that cut through the album being their always unpredictable and al ways dangerous selves, Uie heart, soul and mind giving a lasting Kentucky HeodHunters The musical impression os they wrap up the L'BIC renegades (torn Metcalfe County are Saturday night. Aug 5. with only the in the spotlight once again with the spectacular display of fireworks left strongest, tightest and most varied to say goodbye. UB1C starts July 27 and runs collect Km of songs they've ever written and recorded. through August 5 with all kinds of fem lvr never been happier musi- activities, great food, and excellent entertainment scheduled for you, o cally than I am right now said guitarist Richard Young 1 should be ner- dont mus out. The UB1C commitvous. but 1 feel the new album tee are working hard as usual to make this year's celebration one that Stompin Grounds is already a sucwill hold special memories. cess Don't let us catch vou saving The HeodHunters havethr kind of theres nothing to do L'BIC has sound that can only come (torn a lifeentertainment and fun for everyone. time of shared influences and experience The Young brothers and their cimmik have born playing together at 1WC"mpsvJ |