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Show WTV r i? in r r i? '.'ru i h .07 1 ' ' ' ' ( v Ul. .fllT IftKf f TTY. n jtoj playing because you are pld; old because you slop playing. grow you Kw don ; 1. Ul tali Basin Fire destroys nome Kings Pea were left Two families 7 homeless when a fire broke out in their Pleasant Valley home as they were gening ready for school and work. See page 3 Annual awards The Duchesne County Area Chamber of Commerce will honor citizens, businesses and in special teachers ceremony this Wednesday. See page 9 fH .'M. 2002-200- 3 1. In the 25 yean that Dick Jones has worked for the Uintah Basin Applied Technology College (formerly technology center), the school has never experienced a reduction in staff due to a lack of money. This year, in the face of a $456,500 state funding shortfall, the time has come. Five UBATC employees will lose their jobs, two instructors who an retiring will not be replaced, two programs have been eliminated and other courses have been transferred. Its the second time in just a matter of months, that the technology college has been impacted by flind- - The schools prison program and career ladder programs were eliminated, and while the cuts go deep, they could have been worse. Three Salt Lake area men, all former convicts, were arrested while allegedly on their way to sell methamphetamine in the Uintah Basin. Seepage 16 Wild match College matman Cael Sanderson goes 159 - 0, but lost in high school to Union High wrestler Tom Meacham. See page 12 ing reductions. Their 2001 2002 fiscal year budget had to be trimmed by $100,000 late last year when it was determined the state was going to sustain a huge budget shortfall, caused in part by the downturn in the economy since the Sept 11,2001 terrorist attacks in New York and - Washington, D.C. While the cuts go deep, Jones who was named regional president of the UBATC last September knows they could have been much worse. "There was a lot of our money that was reinstated during the last few days ofthe Legislative Session. If we hadnt had that, we would have lost $747,500 and we would have had to cut three major programs," Jones revealed. As it stands, the UBATC Board of Trustees has mandated 12 "action items to be implemented when the fiscal year begins on July The budget cuts are as follows: Elimination of the Career Ladder program, reducing the budget by $68300. This cut will not impact jobs, and the technology college will still be able to continue to ftind professional development such as special training courses and advanced education for instructors and personnel. Transition of the EdNet Hub to Utah State University Uintah Basin, saving $30,000. None at the UBATC) courses are taught over the EdNet Hub, but USU courses are. The EdNet system will remain in the UBATC facility, but USU Uintah Basin will absorb the cost A Vernal UBATC business instructor will be taking retirement and will not be replaced, saving $65,240 in salaries and benefits... Other instructors will share in taking on her responsibilities. A Hazmat (hazardous materials) course will be taught through ' the UBATC Custom Fit program, for a savings of $5,290. The computer services budget will sustain a cut of $7,510. A $4,806 reduction in the Nursing Assistant budget will not impact employees. While the budget was available, it had not been used. An evening machining program 1 for adults will be cancelled. No em- - ployees will be impacted. This win result in a savings of $18,235. (Adult student interest in that program has been low over the past two years.) The UBATC Custom Fit office in Roosevelt will be dosed, eliminatsecretarial position. ing a part-tim- e The program, which serves Uintah Basin businesses who request specialized training for employees, will now be administered through the Vernal campus with no loss in services. The reduction in force will re- SEE UBATC CUTS on page 3 STUDENTS OUT EARLY ON FRIDAY Union High to have "practice run" with new block schedule By Therena Morrill Union High Principal Brent Fieldsted wants to have a smooth transition next year when a new A B block schedule will go into effect, In an effort to give both students and teachers a pew at what to expect in August when classes will meet every other school day for 83 minutes instead of 45 minutes daily, a "practice run of the new schedule will take place April 16 -- 19. According to Fieldsted, who has coordinated the "practice run with USU, UBATC, and thereleaaed-timseminary teachers, on Tuesday, April 16 students will go to their first and e v rz:xi: ; ,.M 4 .fj ,.-- feWr second hour classes for 83 minutes each. They will then have a lunch period from 11: 15 a.m. to noon. They will return to school for their third and fourth hour classes, again each one lasting 83 minutes. School will be dismissed at 2:53 p.m., which is ten minutes earlier than normal. On April 17, students will attend what is now their fifth hour class for the first period of the day. Then they will have student body elections and an assembly, and will again be dismissed for lunch from 11:15 p.m. to noon. Students will "We want parents and the public to be aware of what will be going on next week return to school for sixth and seventh periods, each one 83 minutes long, and will again he dismissed at VI' I'' - " :'Y -- H - . i i; V.? v .i A iI - . A IN THE HALLS Union High will hold a trial run next week to give students an idea of what foe new AB block schedule will be like. The new schedule, which lengthens class time by having classes on alternating days, begins next year. t COPVl ; v1 Personnel, programs trimmed to handle state funding cuts By Lezlee E. Whiting Traffic stop slows moth flow or ' $456,500 SHORTFALL FOR UBATC 2:53 a.m. The practice run for April 18 will be exactly as it was for April 16. Friday, April 19, is the exception to the other days. Fieldsted said on April 19, students will again attend their fifth and sixth hour classes during the morning, will go to lunch at 1 1:15 a.m., and will return to school for their seventh hour class which will let out at 1:30 p.m. He emphasized that school will let out at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19. "Next year when we are on the AJ B block schedule, students will be taking eight classes instead of just seven, Fieldsted said. He explained that for the practice run, because students currently only have seven classes, they will be dismissed from school earfy on Friday because they will not have an assembly to take up the remaining 83 minutes. He stressed that buses will notrun early, because of the need to provide bus service to other schools which will not dismiss early. "If students cant find another way to get home that day besides on the bus, we will have supervision for them in the school until the buses SEE BLOCK SCHEDULE on page 8 1 . ' ' fv i Declared Stan Young last Thursday at the ceremonial ground ITS A GREAT DAY FOR DUCHESNE HIGH breaking for the new Duchesne High addition. Pictured left to right: Stan Young, Duchesne High principal; Phil Thompson, school board member; Chad Peatross, project manager for Valley Builders; Dalancy Mccham, Duchesne High student body president; Douglas Swascy, school board president, and John Aland, Duchesne County School District superintendent donned blue hard hats to man the blue shovels at the ground breaking. Its an exciting day for the school and the city, said Mccham. -- v SCHOOL WORKING TO CORRECT DEFICIENCIES Altamont High principal speaks out on school's accreditation By Therena Morrill A recent story in the Salt Lake Tribune regarding schools around the state that are or have been in "accreditation hot water dedicated one paragraph to AltamontHigh- - The article dealt with warnings issued by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges to two Utah public high schools and six private schools. Altamont High was listed on the warning list due to "Lacking evidence of a school mission statement and because its principal, Kirk Brotherson, doesnt have an administrative license, according to the Tribune article. When a school is issued an accreditation warning the administrator has an opportunity with his next annual report to show he is acting to correct the undesirable situations. A school's accreditation can be dropped if the administrator fails to show any evidence of improvement far two or more consecutive years. When a school loses its accreditation, students' earned credits from that school will not be accepted by the state. Duchesne Country School District Superintendent John Aland said he was aware of the warning Altamont High was issued. We're going to work to get Altamont back on approved status. I wont let them lose their accreditation, he said. Brotherson said information that Altamont High does not haveaschool mission statement is incorrect. He said the school has had a mission statement for several years. All school principals are required to submit accreditation reports to the state Office of Education on an annual basis. The mission statement is supposed to be included in those reports. "I was filling out the report (last that when 1 finally submitted the report I failed to include the mission statement. I just don't know. When a school loses its accreditation, students' earned credits from that school will not be accepted by the sfate. fell) on line and I kept losing it every time I got to a certain plaice. After about ten times I got mad. It could be I Eel. Brotherson said. He explained that as soon as he was notified last November that Altamont High had been issued the warning, he met with the Utah accreditation panel in Salt Lake and gave them a copy of the mission statement. Panel members told him they would correct their records. SEE ALTAMONT HIGH on page 3 i. jf , L $ iff NOTHING LEFT TO SAVE Myton firefighters douse the dying flames of a blaze that destroyed the Stan Meacham residence last week. Family members were home getting ready to go to school and to work when fire erupted from a wall. (See story on page 3.) RULED COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL Wood bound over for trial on all counts in slaying of Chief Gurr By Lezlee E. Whiting The man aocuaod in the July 6, 2001, shooting death of Roosevelt Police Chief Cecil Gurr has been bound over to face trial on a capital homicide charge, as well as two counts ofattempted murder, aggravated kidnaping, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a restricted person. Before proceeding with the preliminary hearing last Thursday for Lee Roy Wood, 8 District Court old prison parolee had been competent to stand trial. Woods mental health was called into question after he wrote a letter to Judge Payne just a week before his original preliminary hearing date last December. In the letter Wood said he feared he was being poisoned and said "shadow people4 were taking over his body. could see the finger (on the trigger). "I I could see the emotions on his face Wood entered not guilty pleas to each of the felony charges. He remains incarcerated in the Uintah County JaiL A trial date is pending the filing of motions in the case. Wood agreed to talk to investigators nine days after the shooting. During a taped jailhouse interview Uintah County Sheriffs SgL Keith Campbell testified Wood provided numerous details relating to the shooting, aa well as to the events that led up to the confrontation with Roosevelt police officers in the parking lot of the Maverik Country Store in Ballard on a warm summer Friday evening. Wood told Campbell that he had obtained an SKS rifle earlier in the day from Vernal resident Michael Nelson Swett and had used the weapon to force his girlfriend Kristy Pugh, to drive from Vernal to Salt Lake to settle a drug dispute. A federal grand jury has indicted Swett on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon in connection with the case. Wood told Campbell that Swett believed Pugh had shorted him in the amount of crystal methamphet-amin- e he had paid her to buy for him in Magna. "Swett wanted Kristy Pugh dead. He told Lee Wood not to bring the rifle back, Campbell related aa he read from the interview transcript. "He (Wood) said he was on his way with Kristy Pugh to kill her in Salt SEE WOOD TRIAL onpageS |