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Show j . r Sinunnunmnit it Sraiimninmnit Times uncovers report on drug probe THE ASPEN TIMES Aspen The Aspen Times recently obtained a 1983 federal affidavit that implicates 30 Aspenites and 17 others in a cocaine distribution network that provided the powder for areas from Hawaii to Vermont. The affidavit led to wiretapes (now amounting to 240 hours of taped conversation) in the case against Stephen Grabow, the alleged leader of the ring. Eight other people were indicted last November for their alleged roles in sale and distribution of cocaine. The wiretaps in the case may now be challenged, said the Times' copyrighted story. Apparently, one agent quit the investigation because he felt investigators were exceeding their authority on the wiretaps. Grabow' s attorney had asked the U.S. District Court to unseal a memo which also alleges the official abuse. However, the attorney can't discuss the memo or admit its existence. In the same vein, prosecutors and defense cannot discuss the affidavit. The document, said the Times, contains evidence obtained from hearsay, recorded phone conversations conversa-tions and file cards gleaned from Grabow's trash. A Times editorial said some observers guessed Grabow's Gra-bow's home had too may safes (three) and not enough operating fireplaces. In their copyrighted coverage, the Times named the people in the city is trying to figure out if it can charge water-sewer connection fees on new developments. The current fees were struck down in a court ruling after they were challenged in a class-action suit by Hailey developers. At a public hearing, several residents argued against the fees. Almost everyone agreed metering water was the best way to see that users paid for services. But an engineer said the cost of installing meters would be about $500,000. J2lJt Mammoth Lakes A second major ski area in Mammoth, to be called Snowcreek, has been proposed by local architect Allan O'Connor and Dempsey Construction, the largest snow-country snow-country condo builder in the U.S. The proposed resort would be located across the pass from Mammoth Mountain. It would also be near 200 acres that Dempsey will develop for a golf course, condominiums condo-miniums and a hotel complex. The resort, to be opened as early as the fall of 1987, would eventually have IS lifts and a skier capacity per day of 8,000. One concern, however, is that it might disrupt an important breeding ground for migratory deer herds. A persistent problem with local lodges, said the Review, is called "stacking." For instance, four skiers rent a unit, then crowd in four more of their friends. Last month, local lodge owners met with sheriff's representatives to discuss the problem. The difficulty is that the law against stacking is so nebulous, it's hard for officers to say a violation has taken place. Some lodge owners say the police are reluctant to pursue the problem. But law officers reply that in order to convict, the district attorney must have proof of intent to defraud. And even if someone is convicted, stacking is only a misdemeanor. Meanwhile, lodge owners fight a private war with especially rude stackers. One manager reported a group actually defecated on his carpet. In retaliation, he deflated their tires and left his business card on their windshield. Mammoth residents are lobbying lobby-ing to have Mono Justice Court Judge Bill Murano named to a judicial post by California Governor George Deukmejian. The vacancy is a Superior Court judgeship occupied by Judge Harry Roberts, who recently resigned. Deukmejian passed over Murano' s name in his initial screening of applicants for the job. Since then, several residents have called the governor's office. One even warned that Murano could defeat a Deukmejian appointee when the post comes up for election in June, 1986. Latest bumper stickers, according accord-ing to Review columnist Mrs. Murphy: "Watch out locals don't brake for tourists" and "Working is for people who don't know how to ski." Jackson Hole News Jackson Hole Landowners and real-estate managers have derailed a proposal for a federally-subsidized, 40-unit apartment complex in Jackson. The opponents said the units would compete unfairly with theirs in an already-crowded market. The developer, Marvin Turner of Sheridan, Wyoming, had applied for a $1.6-million low-interest loan from ,the Farmers Home Administration, but he now says, "We don't want to go anywhere people don't want us." Realty interests have also fought a similar 25-unit project just west of Jackson. Safety problems at Jackson Lake Dam should be solved by permanently perma-nently restricting the level of Jackson Lake. That was the verdict from the Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning. The statement state-ment came in response to an environmental statement from the Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service. Those two bodies favor rebuilding the dam over a four-year period at a cost of $82 million. Opposition has also come from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, but the coalition's executive director Bob Anderson said of the federal agencies. "It looks clear they have their minds made up." affidavit and detailed the evidence about them. However, it said, inclusion on the affidavit is not considered proof of guilt. The Pitkin County Commission looked like Indian-givers, as they rescinded an approval given to a proposed subdivision in east Aspen. Commissioner Michael Kinsley made the motion last month to approve a scaled-down version of a project called The Preserve. Now he has made a motion to reverse, saying he was concerned about visual impacts and density on the land, which is near the North Star Nature Preserve. The second, on both occasions, was made by Commissioner Com-missioner Helen Klanderud. (Two commissioners voted against the recission.) County attorney Tom Smith, while admitting he was uneasy at the procedure, said the prior approval could be revoked since it was never officially passed as a resolution. Diane Smith, owner of the preserve fund, said "This all seems very unethical." A complicating factor is an offer to buy Smith's property, made by the Pitkin County Parks Association. The ; group intends to find a buyer who would build a development with less density than the proposed Preserve. An apologetic Kinsley said he approved the project due to "momentary weakness." He said, "I'm the jerk who made the -motion." On top of everything else, Kinsley said some of his statements may not be clear, since he is taking the medication Percodan following recent surgery. A Times editorial jocularly suggested that Kinsley could excuse his actions, due to the Percodan, but other commissioners couldn't. Pitkin County residents have to accept a lower level of animal-control service. Commissioners told Animal Control Officer Lisa Russell to prioritize the calls she answers. Budget cuts have forced a one-half person reduction in staff there, they said, after voters defeated a 1.5 mill levy increase last November, Commissioner Com-missioner Michael Kinsley said the top priority should be calls about dogs harassing livestock. mm KetchumSun Valley The Ketchum City Council, in a 3-2 split, said they would not approve a proposed $100-million hotel project to be named Greyhawk. The opposing council members said their reasons included the project's density, its height and the inadequacy inade-quacy of the access, Warm Springs Road, to handle traffic. Applicant Jack Poole (president of Daon Development Corp.) asked the council to reflect if it has treated his company fairly. He wondered if the road was the real problem, since his firm could legally build more units on the land now than was planned for Greyhawk. Ketchum Mayor Jerry Seiffert, backing him, said the town needed a major mountain-slope hotel. In Hailey, Mayor Wordell Rainey broke a 2-2 vote to impose a 60-day moratorium on new building In Hailey. The action occurs as the |
