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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 75¢ GUNNISON VALLEY EDITION VOL. 84 • NUMBER 1 WEA THER EATHER MANTI, UTAH • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2005 Sanpete to get two new state reps WELCOME TO 2005 ... Wednesday 34/18 Snow/rain Thursday - 33/15 Snow possible Friday - 39/17 By John Hales Snow possible Staff writer Saturday - 36/20 Cloudy Last Week’s Weather Reported by Lee J. Anderson Date Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Jan. Jan. Max. Min. Prec. Snow 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 41 43 42 44 45 39 39 28 30 29 30 29 25 17 .13 trace .02 1/2” .04 trace .09 1” - AT A GLANCE Clear way for letter carriers Every year, an average of 60 Utah letter carriers are injured from slipping on snow and ice. “Keeping a path clear to your mailbox will go a long way toward keeping our letter carriers safe and ensuring mail delivery each day,” says Salt Lake district manager Ken McArthur. New art on display this Friday The Central Utah Art Center in Ephraim will be hosting a reception on Friday, Jan. 7 from 7-9 p.m. to introduce the center’s newest exhibit. The exhibit will feature the work of Jared Latimer and Bryon Draper and will be open to the public Jan. 6-Feb. 17. Jared Latimer makes large abstract paintings that are a reaction to the anxiety he feels after living in New York City during the 9/11 attack. Bryon Draper, originally from Canada, makes bronze and stone sculptures based on the human figure. Quote of the Week “Someone helped me a long time ago to be the best I could be, and I feel obligated to give back what I can.” – Snow College professor Boyd Beck on what drives him to urge his students to excel. INSIDE Opinions ............. A4 Lifestyle .............. A5 Classifieds .......... A9 Utah Press Association General Excellence winner 1999 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 JOHN HALES /MESSENGER PHOTO Mike and Heather Welch of Koosharem, Utah are happy for the arrival of their son, Range, born Jan. 4, 2005 at the Gunnison Valley Hospital. New year, new baby By John Hales Staff writer GUNNISON—Heather and Mike Welch are the winners of the 2005 New Year’s baby sweepstakes at Gunnison Valley Hospital. Although Range Welch (middle name yet to be determined, say the happy parents) is the first baby of the year at the hospital, it isn’t a first for Heather, who is now a third-time mother. The baby was born Jan. 4 at 10:57 a.m., only about an hour after Heather went into labor, weighed in at 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. The Welchs didn’t have much to say about having the hospital’s New Year’s baby. Talking to a reporter within an hour of the birth of their son, they were still in a state of quiet admiration. Heather, two of her husband’s cousins and a friend were all due within a week of each other. “I beat ‘em all,” she said. The couple and their (now) four children reside in Koosharem, where Mike has his own company, Log Rustics, where he makes log furniture, and sub-contracts to build log homes. Heather is “just a mom,” as she puts it. For having the first baby of the year at Gunnison Valley Hospital, the Welchs will receive a gift package of donations from local businesses totaling well over $1,000, says hospital Director of Nursing Brenda Bartholomew. Suspects charged in 2004 Sanpete turkey slaughter By Sean Hales Staff writer MANTI—A tip to Sanpete County sheriff’s officers has culminated in charges against seven Utah County men in the brutal slaughter of nearly 1,200 turkeys on a farm near Fountain Green last February. Martin Smith and Cody Long, both 18, from Spanish Fork; Travis Argyle, 18, from Lake Shore; and Colton Belliston, 18, of Woodland Hills, along with three juveniles, have been charged with second-degree felony criminal mischief and criminal trespass, a Class C misdemeanor. Sanpete County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenny Kirkham, who has been leading the investigation since the incident, said that the office had “several leads come in” but ‘they all kind of deadended.” Then, about two and a half weeks ago, a phone tip tied several of the leads together and led officers to the suspects. According to Kirkham, the suspects had traveled to Sanpete from Utah County to “spotlight” rabbits. The truck in which they were traveling slid off the road in front of Jason Sunderland’s turkey farm in the Cedar Hills area, just outside of Fountain Green. While their vehicle was stuck, the men entered one of the turkey coops with tree branches and beat the turkeys on their heads. There was also some minor property damage, such as broken water lines and ruined bedding. Sheriff’s Deputy Andy Lyons described the act as “random,” and Kirkham added, “The consensus is…they’re probably a pretty good group of kids who did something stupid.” There are no firm figures yet as to the amount of the loss, but Ross Blackham, Sanpete County attorney, estimated the damage at $7,000$10,000. There was some speculation as to the potential loss—how much the turkeys could have been sold for had they been raised to maturity and sold— reaching around $22,000. However, Blackham said that in establishing the damages for the court, he couldn’t speculate on the final value of the turkeys. The Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the parties responsible for the crime. Other rewards were posted by Moroni Feed Co., the Utah Farm Bureau, the Utah Farmer’s Union, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and an anonymous individual. The rewards totaled $8,500. According to Kirkham, reward money will probably be distributed when and if a conviction is gained. Mark Anderson takes oath as commissioner A smiling Mark Anderson recited his oath of office as Sanpete County’s new commissioner Monday at noon at the county courthouse. County clerk Kristine Frischknecht administered the oath as commissioners Bruce Blackham and Claudia Jarrett, and Anderson’s wife, Mary, looked on. Anderson joked that his inauguration would cost zero, in contrast to President Bush’s $4 million gala and Gov. Jon Huntman’s JOHN HALES / MESSENGER PHOTO $50,000 celebration. SALT LAKE CITY—Two lawmakers with Sanpete County among their constituencies have resigned seats in the state legislature to accept cabinet positions in the new administration of Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., forcing the Republican Party to hold a special caucus to replace them. Huntsman is expected today to announce the selection of Sen. Leonard Blackham (R-Moroni), and Rep. Michael Styler (R-Delta) to head two important state agencies: Blackham will become the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Food, while Styler has been appointed as Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources. Both appointments await ratification by the Utah Senate during the legislature’s approaching general session before the men take up their new posts. In a letter last week to GOP delegates in Senate District 24 (Blackham’s former district) and House District 68 (Styler’s), Utah Republican Party Chairman Joe Cannon announced the “upcoming resignations” of the legislators. The same letter also called delegates in both districts to a Jan. 15 caucus at Snow College to elect successors to the two men. Senate District 24 includes Sanpete, Sevier, Piute, Wayne and Juab counties, and a large portion of Tooele County. Eddie Cox-Fairview, Darrin Peterson-Nephi, Bradley Johnson-Salina and Don Jorgensen-Salina have all declared their intentions to run for the senate seat. Sanpete County Republican Party Chairman Wendell Jacobsen says that two other Sanpete residents have indicated an interest in campaigning for the seat as well, but he did not release their names pending official declarations. For House District 68—encompassing Millard County, Sanpete County from Mt. Pleasant to Gunnison, and a portion of Juab County—three people have put their names in the ring: former Sanpete County Commissioner Bob Bessey-Manti, Warren Peterson-Oasis, Millard County (who happens to be Bessey’s nephew), and Mary Greathouse-Lynndyl, Millard County. Hopefuls from either district must declare candidacy to the state party office by Jan. 7. Jacobsen says that he expects the caucus to go well for Sanpete candidates for two reasons. First, having the event at Snow College means that delegates from Sanpete are more likely to attend than if the meeting was held at a more distant location. Second, the county party’s recent track record in voting may give a slight edge to candidates from Sanpete. At last May’s state Republican nominating convention, all 39 members of Sanpete’s delegation voted, a feat described at the time by county GOP ViceChair Carolyn Bessey as “unprecedented.” But Jacobsen says he fully expects that precedent to be followed a week-and-a-half from now. “The trend (See “State jobs” on A2) Commission trims 2005 county budget By Suzanne Dean Publisher MANTI—The Sanpete County Commission trimmed its original draft by $67,000 before passing a 2005 budget of $10,616,569 a few days before Christmas. The cut was possible because the county was able to purchase equipment for a major upgrade to the county’s 911 system before year-end, explained county auditor Ilene Roth. A grant covering about two-thirds of the project also came in during 2004. When commissioners learned that the upgrade, which will make it possible to connect cell phone callers to 911 using global positioning satellites, could be funded out of last year’s budget, they cut $120,000 for the project that they had included in their 2005 budget draft. Besides grant funding, the county had budgeted about $50,000 of its own funds in 2005 for the 911 project. When the commissioners learned the upgrade had pretty much been bought and paid for in 2004, then the $50,000 was freed up. The commissioners decided to channel $42,000 of the spare cash to finishing improvements to the courthouse heating system. The final budget includes $150,000 for a capital improvements reserve fund, which will be added to $75,000 the county put away in the fund in 2004. A few years ago, when the Sanpete economy hit the rocks and revenue dropped, the county was forced to borrow from the fund to cover expenses. Now it is starting to replenish the account. The 2005 budget of $10.6 million is about $2.07 million less than the $12,694,485 budget for last year. The main reason for the higher budget in 2004 was that the biggest part of work on the Ephraim Canyon Road was funded out of last year’s budget. |