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Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, Ian. 5, 2009 Page 3 Briefs Helicopter crash kills 8 in Louisiana Campus & Community HOUMA, La. (AP) - Eight people were killed and a ninth was reported critically injured.after a helicopter bound for the offshore oil fields crashed Sunday afternoon in marshlands about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans. The helicopter, operated by PHI Inc., crashed about 3:30 p.m. shortly after taking off from PHI's base in Amelia, said Richard Rovinelli, a spokesman for the company. The cause of the crash isn't clear. Rovinelli did not know the type of helicopter or its exact destination. could not be reached for comment. He said the helicopter was carryYoung said that the survivor ing two pilots and seven passengers. was being transported to Ochsner Identities of the victims have not yet Medical Facility in suburban New been released. Orleans. Young said the person, who The National Transportation has not been identified, was in critiSafety Board has been advised of the cal condition. crash and investigators were expectLafayette-based PHI is a primary ed to arrive Monday, Rovinelli said. provider of helicopter services to oil Petty Officer Jaclyn Young said the Coast Guard assisted Terrebonne . and gas platforms that dot the coast Parish sheriffs deputies in searching of Louisiana. It also flies medical helicopters. for and recovering the bodies of the dead and rescuing the survivor from Workers typically are flown to the marshy Bayou Penchant area. A and from their worksites from coastspokesman for the sheriffs office al flight bases. In June, a PHI Air Medical helicopter crashed in Texas, killing four. The accident in the Sam Houston National Forest killed the pilot, paramedic, nurse and a patient who was being transported from Huntsville to Houston. That crew agreed to transport the patient after another helicopter company abandoned the mission saying that cloud cover was too low, making visibility poor in the early-morning darkness. Grass roots environmental Utah farms lag in grants for efficiency projects groups growing in Utah SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - From clean air concerns to uranium mining worries, the number of grass roots groups working on Utah's environmental issues is on the rise. Brigham Young University political science professor Kelly Patterson said the growth makes sense for an issue as diverse as the environment. Patterson says Utahns might snub a national group working on policy issues, but embrace neighbors looking to solve local problems. "It's what you do about uranium tailings," said Patterson, who studies interest groups. "It's what you do about particulate matter (air pollution), it's what you do about preserving open spaces." A study by the Urban Institute shows Utah's growth is part of a national trend. Green groups are increasing a rate nearly double that of other nonprofit groups. "Caring about the environment has become mainstream," said Cherise Udell, president and founder of Utah Moms for Clean Air. "Its no longer a fringe issue." Udell launched Utah Moms about two years ago after becoming frustrated with apathy over high-pollution periods in the Salt Lake valley. The group now has an e-mail list of about 1,200 and has worked to reduce motor vehicle idling at schools and a school-bus retrofitting program to reduce exposure to polluted exhaust. Other Utah groups include the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Uranium Watch, which focuses on pollution from nuclear energy and Urgency Utah, which works on climate change solutions. Air-quality problems also prompted Salt Lake City anesthesiologist Brian Moench to create the doctors' group, which emphasizes the health impacts of pollution. "The public's knowledge of these issues is probably our biggest ally," he says. "The best progress that will be made is through public pressure." University of Utah political science professors Dan McCool says he expects the trend to continue and says it's good for democracy. McCool says local groups can target issues in a way that national groups cannot. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah farmers and ranchers are missing out on millions in federal grants that could help them become more energy efficient. About 90 percent of Utah farms seeking grants are rejected for paperwork problems including incomplete applications or faulty technical details of projects. "Sometimes it seems like farmers and ranchers totally ignore what the application asks for," said Roger Koon, a specialist with the Rural Development Office in Salt Lake City. "It can be (daunting), but if they'll go step by step and take their time, they can do what's required." The state also lags in overall number of applications, said Misty Conrad, technical assistance program manager for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., which does grant technical reviews. "These grants are for tried-and-true technology that cuts energy costs" she said. "Utah has a number of fantastic opportunities to get help. We'd love to see more applications coming out of the state." The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides grants and loans to farms for renewable-energy or energy-efficient projects. The grants can cover up to 75 percent of costs for projects like wind towers, refurbishing hydroelectric equipment or installing solar panels. The grants could help Utah farmers struggling to make ends meet. "I got the message more than 30 years ago that I needed to do everything I could to make my farm energy efficient," said Sevier County alfalfa grower Eric Tuft. Tuft started changing his operations in 1973 in the midst of the Arab oil embargo. Tuft now has a gravity-based irrigation system and low-pressure sprinklers. He's also using no-till farming methods and recycled crankcase oil to heat his barn. Today Tuft's farm power bills run about $200 each month. Mexico: Students lend helping hand during the holidays ' Cicontinuedfrom page 1 DURING WINTER BREAK, USU STUDENTS Cindi Dietz, Katherine Taylor, Bryce Jensen and Josh Jones work on the plumbing for a house in Tijuana, photo courtesy of JOSH JONES PoliccBlotter Saturday, Dec. 27 • USU Police were on foot patrol in Merrill Hall and found the vending machine broken into and the money was taken. That evening USU police also responded to the old Engineering lab building, the Technology building and the Biology and Natural Resources building for vending machine robberies. The incidents are still under investigation. • USU Police were called to the TSC to inves- m tigate an attempted burglary of the ATM machines. An officer arrived and met with the complainant who stated that when he arrived this morning to service the ATM machine he noticed that several of the doors leading to the back of the machine had been pried open. It was determined that the machines themselves had not been broken into. This case is under investigations. • USU Police responded to 800 E. 850 North for a report of a parking meter being damaged by a snow plow. The meter was recovered and turned over to parking. Danielle Cash, junior in social work, discovered the service trip. "I saw it and I just knew I was gonna be there Christmas break," she said. Cash said she drove to Tijuana with three of her roommates. "I've been in Tijuana before and parts of Mexico but it was Americanized. I've never seen poverty this in-depth," Cash said. "It's sad but I can see how those people are happy." Cash said she and the other members of the group completed basic carpentry tasks such as roofing and building walls throughout the trip. She said it was a good experience to help the people of Tijuana and to see their gratitude. Although Cash said she doesn't speak much Spanish, she said she could still communicate with the families she served. "They'd say a little in English and I'd say a little in Spanish," she said. Cash said she would recommend a service trip to "anyone and everyone." "Well, maybe not the highmaintenance kind," she said. Future CAF service trips have been planned for Mexico, Dawson said, but there are also several other destinations. He said the foundation is going to Senegal this summer with USU's women's basketball team. There are also several options for other summer trips, spring break and winter break, he said. "We should do what we can to equalize the world," Dawson said. "As a society, we are in debt to the rest of the world. We owe them for taking their resources." Dawson said he agrees with Mother Teresa that "In this life we cannot do great things, we can only do small things with great love." He said he feels CAF does just that. For more information on the foundation and future trips visit CAF's Web site charityanywhere. org or contact Carter at gordon@charityanywhere.org. -rac. ch@aggiemail. usu. edu Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 • USU Police responded to the Taggart Student Center on a theft report. An employee for the university informed the police that the 50inch plasma television that was located in the Sunburst Lounge was stolen. Police are investigating at this time. Monday, Dec. 29 • USU Police were advised of a deer that was trapped in the Foqtball Stadium. Officers arrived to find the fence on the west side of the stadium had been taken down. The deer is not trapped and hopefully will find its way out. No further action was taken • USU Police were called to a parking lot traffic accident where a USU backhoe slid into a parked car. USU police filed a non-reportable accident report. • Police responded to a smell of electrical smoke in the Military Science building. Police located a mobile heater in room 102 that was the cause of the smell. The heater was unplugged and police left a note informing the employee not to use the heater until he gets approval by the fire marshall. Itoesday, Dec. 30 • A young boy fell down about four to five stairs at the Spectrum. He was examined by USU basketball team doctor and released to his father with no apparent serious injuries. • USU Police responded to the Widtsoe building for a delayed report of harassment. An individual had allegedly made sexual comments to a university employee. USU Police, as well as Logan City Police, searched the area but were unable to locate the individual. • USU Police were dispatched to the area of the BNR and TSC buildings on the report of a male possibly matching the description of an individual involved in recent burglaries. They were unable to locate anyone in the area, or surrounding areas [ • C o m p i l e d by G r e g Boyles USU Community seek award nominations USU Community Associates is seeking nominations for its annual recognition award. A nomination letter identifying the nominee, why they are deserving of the award and what they have done to benefit the university or the community is required. Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, Jan. 7. The award will be presented at the USU Community Associates spring social on Thursday, April 2. Nominations may be mailed to Jan Appuhn at USU Community Associates, Utah State University, Old Main 112, Logan, UT 84322-1440, or e-mailed atjan.appuhm@usu.edu. For questions, contact Appuhn at 797-1280. USU celebrates herbarium growth All are invited to an open house Friday, Jan. 9, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at USU's Intermountain Herbarium as it celebrates the recent preparation of its 250,000 plant specimen. "We invite everyone to celebrate this accomplishment and learn of other developments at the herbarium," said Mary Barkworth, director and associate professor of biology. "The herbarium offers a treasure trove of resources." Tucked in an inconspicuous basement office of the Junction student dining facility, the herbarium offers weekday public access to researchers throughout the USU campus and intermountain region to plant, fungi and bryophyte specimens. A major regional herbarium and significant contributor to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the research center also offers public workshops, guided nature walks and Web resources for students of all ages. The herbarium is located northeast of the Edith Bowen Laboratory School near 1000 E. 700 North. To view its location, visit USU's online campus map at www.usu.edu/map and select "Junction" from the pulldown building index. For more information, call 7971584. USU grant aids Hispanic community The Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City recently secured $90,100 in grants for the 2008 - 2009 year from the government of Mexico to fund seven educational institutions in Utah and Idaho for Hispanic adults. The IME-Becas Grant was awarded through a program of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad. The program is designed to give scholarships to Hispanics older than 15 for courses in literacy, English and computers, as well as continued education at the elementary, high school or vocational levels. The USU Extension, Monterrey Tec, USU Charter Credit Union, Logan High School Community Learning Center was given $13,000 of the lump sum to continue English as a Second Language and basic computer skills courses in Spanish. "This is a good way for Latino families to get a higher education," said Hector Mendiola, USU Extension program leader for Latino communities. "The grant encourages Latino adults to improve their education and participate in the schools that educate their children." USU Extension is a partner of the learning center at Logan High School. It provides instruction, technology and high-quality online programs for bilingual education. It also works to improve the educational program and bring minority and Latino students and families to higher education. "Supported by an association dedicated to Mexican education, Utah schools are improving learning opportunities for minorities that enhance self-reliance and help them overcome cultural challenges," Mendiola said. "USU Extension congratulates the Mexican government education efforts and will continue collaborating to keep these educational programs running and to disseminate them around the state." [MCompiled from staff and media reports |