Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011

Transcription

11676112.qxp
12/14/2011
9:54 PM
Page A1
Volume CXXXII - No. 291
www.rocketminer.com
75¢
YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1881
Passengers
of downed
helicopter
identified
An artist’s conception of the outdoor arenas shows the scene of what improvement should look like prior to the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2012.
Rodeo upgrades will provide
long-lasting benefits
ROCK SPRINGS — The pilot
and passengers of the Guardian
Flight helicopter that crashed
near Rock Springs on Tuesday
have been identified.
Sweetwater County Sheriff
Rich Haskell said Calvin Cannon
of Rock Springs, 45, was piloting
the craft. Max Calnin, 28, Robert
W. Moses, 58, Robert B. Moses,
33, and a 13-year-old boy Haskell
declined to identify, were the passengers. A press release said
none were patients and the flight
was not believed to involve a
medical transport.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Undersheriff Craig Jackson was on
Yellowstone Road about 3 miles
north of Rock Springs when he
saw the helicopter, a Bell 407, circling west of the roadway. He
then observed the craft drop
straight to the ground from a relatively low altitude.
No one was reported injured. A
range of emergency services
providers responded to the crash,
including the Sweetwater County
Sheriff’s Office, Sweetwater
County Fire District No. 1,
Wyoming Highway Patrol, Sweetwater Medics and Sweetwater
County Search & Rescue.
Haskell said investigators from
the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation
Safety Board are en route to Rock
Springs to begin their investigation. Meanwhile, county detectives and deputies are conducting
a preliminary inquiry and gathering information to be submitted
to federal authorities.
PAUL MURRAY
Rocket-Miner Staff Reporter
ROCK SPRINGS — The infrastructure upgrades at the Sweetwater County Events Complex
are for more than simply the National High School Finals Rodeo,
Executive Director Larry Lloyd
said Tuesday.
Lloyd said many of the improvements at the Events Complex are upgrades that have been
needed for some time and cannot be put off any longer in light
of the national rodeo coming
next July.
“These infrastructure upgrades will outlive all of us. Improvements to the water, utilities, campground, rodeo facilities are things that have been
needed all along,” Lloyd said.
“Improvements to the water
service have been needed for the
last five or six years. It’s long
overdue.”
Beyond the immediate benefit
for the upcoming high school
rodeo, Lloyd said the upgrades
will enable the Events Complex
to compete for other large-scale
shows and activities which were
formerly out of reach.
“The board has authorized me
to throw our hat in the ring for
the National Junior High School
Finals Rodeo,” Lloyd said. “The
association has asked us to do
that. There are other long-term
benefits as the community continues to grow. More campground space means we can
bring in RV and motor home
shows, things like the Good Sam
Club, regional soccer tournaments. People come to those
A helicopter carrying five people went down around 6 p.m. Tuesday
north of Rock Springs. No one was reported injured. County detectives
are collecting evidence ahead of the arrival of Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigators.
An artist’s conception shows what the clear-span tent structures will look like once they are built at the
Sweetwater County Events Complex. They are designed to provide 85,000 square-feet of vendor space.
soccer tournaments from states
all around.”
Lloyd used Gillette as an example of what rodeo-induced infrastructure improvements can
do. Gillette has previously hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo.
“The National Motor Home
Association, with 5,000 motor
homes, was on that property in
Gillette,” he said. “They wouldn’t
have been able to do that if they
didn’t have the infrastructure.”
Lloyd said the incoming three
clear-span tent structures will
YOUR GUIDE TO INSIDE
TODAY: Partly sunny with a high near
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have 85,000 square-feet of space
for events such as car shows and
other large indoor gatherings.
IMPROVEMENTS LISTED
A 12-inch water pipeline is
scheduled to be installed along
Yellowstone Road to accommodate Events Complex needs for
the rodeo.
In addition, all of the waterlines will be tied together by an
8-inch pipeline.
One result of this will be more
shower facilities and restrooms
for campers at the Events Com-
plex. The golf course will also
benefit from the improved water
service.
There will be a golf tournament during the high school
event. The waterline work will
continue through the winter.
There are 220 existing campsites at the Events Complex, and
Lloyd said there will be 1,200
campsites there by the time the
national rodeo participants arrive starting on July 9.
SEE UPGRADES, PAGE 3A
Pedestrian dies
after being hit
in crosswalk
ROCK SPRINGS — The Rock
Springs Police Department is investigating a fatal traffic accident
Dec. 11 at the intersection of A
and Second streets.
Rock Springs police were notified at 12:25 p.m. Sunday after Alfred “Don” Scott, 57, was struck
while crossing A Street.
Scott was transported to
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater
County and the University of
Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City
by helicopter. He died at the hospital the next morning.
The driver of the vehicle, 21year-old Jade Michael Hendricks,
was cited for failure to yield to a
pedestrian in a crosswalk.
The Rock Springs Critical Accident Team is investigating the
case.
Police said drivers should be
alert for pedestrians and prepared to yield to pedestrians in or
entering crosswalks.
Fugitives arrested
in Rock Springs
ROCK SPRINGS — Two
A 28-year-old man wanted in
fugitives remain in custody at Minnehaha County, South
the Sweetwater County Deten- Dakota on two counts of sexual
tion Center following their re- exploitation and two counts of
cent capture.
solicitation of a minor was
According to Sweettracked to Sweetwater
water County Sheriff
County by the United
Rich Haskell, Michael
States Marshals Service
Edward Cooper, 43, of
and arrested in Rock
Weatherford, Texas,
Springs, also on Dec. 8,
was arrested at Cruel
though the arrests were
Jack’s Travel Plaza west
unrelated.
of Rock Springs by
Haskell declined to
Deputy Sheriff Patrick
identify the South
O’Farrell on Dec. 8. Ear- MICHAEL
Dakota fugitive, citing
lier this year, Cooper EDWARD
sexual assault case conwas indicted by the COOPER
fidentiality issues. He
Brown County Grand
said his agency is in
Jury in Brownwood, Texas, on touch with Texas and South
two counts of burglary of a Dakota officials, arranging the
building.
fugitives’ return to those states.
Photo courtesy of the Sweetwater County Fire Department
A rear axle broke on a transported workover rig, which sparked a fire
Tuesday afternoon. The flames damaged the rear half of the rig. The
Sweetwater County Fire Department and Wamsutter Fire Department
both worked to put out the fire.
Workover rig burns Tuesday
JOEL GALLOB
Rocket-Miner Staff Reporter
ROCK SPRINGS — A
workover rig caught fire around
3:45 p.m. Tuesday and prompted
a quick response from the Sweetwater County Fire Department.
Nobody was reported injured.
SEE BURNS, PAGE 3A
2A
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Colo. agencies have
$93.7M in unspent
stimulus funds
IVAN MORENO
Area
Cities
Area Cities
City
Afton
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Buffalo
Casper
Cheyenne
Cody
Douglas
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Hi
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30
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Lo Cond.
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15 mst sunny
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City
Lusk
Mountain View
Newcatsle
Pinedale
Powell
Rawlins
Reliance
Riverton
Rock Springs
Sheridan
Thermopolis
Torrington
Wheatland
Worland
Yellowstone NP
Hi
35
32
29
28
31
32
30
33
30
34
35
40
39
34
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San Francisco
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St. Louis
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Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Time is running out for Colorado to spend
millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds.
State auditors said Tuesday
that 10 state agencies could lose
about $93.7 million in stimulus
funds if they don’t use the money
before the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act funds expire.
The stimulus funds expire on
Sept. 30, 2012, but some agencies
have gotten extensions to spend
the grant money. The Governor’s
Energy Office, the state Department of Education, and the Department of Labor and Employment are among the agencies
with unspent funds, as are University of Colorado at Boulder
and Colorado State University.
Auditors looked at agencies
that have spent less than 75 percent of the grant money they
were awarded.
“There is a risk that some state
agencies will be unable to spend
the grant funds by the federal
deadlines and will be required to
revert funds back to the federal
awarding agencies,” according to
a memo from auditors.
Grants include nearly $1.5 million to the Lieutenant Governor’s
Town sues state’s main
landfill over stench
DAVID KLEPPER
Associated Press
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Holly Dabb
PUBLISHER
Michele
Depue
MANAGING
EDITOR
11
0
Rick Lee
Pam Haynes
GENERAL
MANAGER
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
How to reach us
362-3736 (1-888-443-3736 if out of Rock Springs Area) If your copy
hasn’t arrived by 7 a.m.
THE ROCKET-MINER (USPS
468-160) is published every
morning except Monday by
Rock Springs Newspapers,
Inc. at 215 D Street, Rock
Springs, Wyoming 82901.
Telephone (307) 362-3736,
ISSN: 0893-3650
Entered as a periodical
Nov. 29, 1907 at the post
office at Rock Springs,
Wyoming, 82901, by Rock
Springs Newspapers, Inc.,
under the act of Congress
of March 3, 1879 USPS No.
468-160, ISBN 0893-3650
POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to the
Rocket-Miner, 215 D Street,
P.O. Box 98, Rock Springs,
WY 82902.
HOLIDAYS - No publication
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made on the day after the
following holidays: New
Years Day, Memorial Day,
July 4th, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Day and
Christmas.
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Teen gets probation
for crashing into
horse, rider
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A
16-year-old girl has been placed
on probation and ordered to
perform 175 hours of community service for a September accident that killed a horse and left
its rider critically injured.
The teen, at a hearing Friday
in 3rd District Juvenile Court,
admitted to misdemeanor
counts of reckless endangerment and aggravated cruelty to
an animal, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Lacey Picard, 37, a chiropractor, was thrown from her horse,
Tahoe, after the animal was
struck from behind by the girl’s
vehicle Sept. 5. She remains in a
semiconscious
“vegetative”
state after suffering traumatic
brain injuries and multiple broken bones, her family said. Her
pinto quarter-horse died at the
scene.
Judge Mark May ignored
prosecutors’ request of two
weeks in juvenile detention for
the driver, but revoked her driver’s license until she is 21 and
ordered her to visit Picard at the
long-term care center where she
resides.
The sobbing, shaking girl told
the court, “I’m so sorry. I would
give anything to take it back.”
The name of the girl was not
released and juvenile court
records are not public.
Defense attorney Gail Laser
said the girl — an inexperienced
driver whose license had been
issued just four weeks earlier —
was traveling between 40 and
45 mph in a 35 mph zone, and
was briefly distracted before the
crash.
Office for an early childhood education program and about $9.6
million for the Governor’s Energy Office for energy efficiency
and conservation projects.
The Department of Education
also has grants for $17.4 million
to implement data systems to
track student achievement and
teacher effectiveness, and nearly
$2.3 million to enhance public access to computers at libraries that
serve low-income populations.
The agencies told state auditors that they plan to spend the
money in time. Reed Rowley, the
director of the Governor’s Office
of Economic Recovery, said state
officials are working with agencies “to make sure that no funds
are returned to the U.S. Treasury.”
Jonathan Trull, Colorado’s
deputy state auditor, told lawmakers that his office did not audit how the programs or projects
that received grants are working
and that the memo served only as
an update on unspent stimulus
money.
Sen. Lois Tochtrop, a Democrat who chairs the legislative audit committee, said while free,
one-time money is good, she
added that “nothing is ever free
because the cost of implementation and administration.”
“It creates a burden in many
cases,” she said.
JOHNSTON, R.I. (AP) — Residents in this Rhode Island town
say the stench moved in this fall,
rolling off the state’s main landfill
and spreading its eye-watering
fumes for miles.
After weeks of waiting for officials to eliminate the odor, Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena said
he had had enough. He and the
Johnston Town Council on
Wednesday sued the agency operating the landfill, seeking an immediate end to the odor and damages to compensate for the suffering of residents. He said the smell
damages the quality of life in this
town of 29,000 just west of Providence.
“The odor has no conscience,”
Polisena told The Associated
Press. “It travels through different
neighborhoods. You can’t measure the effect of this. It has to
end.” The agency in charge of the
landfill, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp., has dug
dozens of wells to trap the gas and
dumped tons of soil to smother
the smell. Agency Executive Director Michael O’Connell said he
understands the distress the odor
has caused.
“There are only a few things
you can do to fix an odor problem,” he said during a recent tour
of the landfill. “We’re running out
of time. We’ll do whatever we have
to do.” The odor can be traced to
a number of factors, O’Connell
said, including rain that clogged
wells that trap the gas. A decision
made years ago to open up more
landfill space for trash may be to
blame as well, he said.
Complaints about the smell
have come from as far as Attleboro, Mass., about 20 miles to the
northeast. Residents say it often
smells like rotten eggs, though it’s
also been described as sickly
sweet.
“It’s nauseating,” said Elizabeth
Falvo, a 29-year Johnston resident. Falvo said odors from the
landfill occasionally have been noticeable in the past but never as
bad as they’ve been in the past
several weeks. “It makes my eyes
water when it’s really strong.”
Richard Zompa began noticing
the smell several weeks ago outside his North Providence home,
several miles from the landfill.
“It’s kind of a sweet, but not a
good sweet,” Zompa said. “I’ve
smelled rotten eggs and it’s not
that. It’s strong and it hits you
hard.”
Polisena said he worries the
smell will hurt property values
and the town’s reputation as a
great place to raise a family or
start a business just outside the
dense urban bustle of Providence.
The lawsuit, he said, was filed as a
last resort.
“We’ve been very patient,”
Polisena said. “We gave them the
time they needed. The time ran
out.”
According to the lawsuit, the
smell first became a problem in
April but grew much worse this
fall. The landfill received 46 odor
complaints in October and 249 in
November, according to the suit.
On Monday, the mayor’s office received 70 calls about the smell.
After complaints began to
mount, state environmental officials started regular landfill inspections and sent roving bands
of workers into neighborhoods to
track the smell and efforts to end
it. The workers have used equipment to measure the concentrations of landfill gasses, but the
nose knows best, according to
David E. Chopy, chief of compliance and inspection at the state’s
Department of Environmental
Management. “The nose is far
more sensitive than any instrument we have,” Chopy said.
The lawsuit, filed in Providence
County Superior Court, also
names as a defendant Broadrock
Renewables, an energy company
that uses gas from the landfill to
generate electricity. The suit alleges that Broadrock hasn’t done
enough to collect the gas.
Bill Fischer, a spokesman for
Broadrock Gas Services, said the
company had not yet seen the
lawsuit and could not comment
on it. But, he said, “Broadrock is
doing everything within its control to assist in addressing the
odor issues.”
OBITUARIES
MARVIN RALPH OPITZ
GREEN RIVER — Marvin
Ralph Opitz, 64, of Green River, died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011,
from an accident at his residence.
He was born Oct. 29, 1947,
in Day County, S.D., the son of
Frederick Opitz and Margerie
Stromseth Opitz. He attended
schools in Roslyn, S.D., and
graduated with the
class of 1965.
He married Vivian
Delinger on Aug. 24,
1975, in Rawlins.
He worked for Simplot Phosphates for 19
years.
He was a member of
the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
His interests included snowmobiling, camping, farming,
the outdoors and his grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife,
Vivian Opitz of Green River;
mother, Margerie Opitz of
Webster, S.D.; sons, Doyle Bennett and wife Judy of Casper,
Dustin Opitz and wife Danielle
of Star Valley Ranch and Derek
Opitz of Casper; brothers,
DuWayne Opitz of Portland,
Ore., and Jeff Opitz of Britton,
S.D.; sisters, Elaine Opitz of
Watertown, S.D., Charlene
Clark of Anacortes, Wash.,, and
Karen Wilder and husband
Bernie of Colorado Springs,
Colo.; three grandsons; six
granddaughters; and numerous
aunts, uncles, nieces and
nephews.
He was preceded in death by
his father, Frederick
Opitz.
A memorial services
will be conducted at
5:30 p.m. Thursday,
Dec. 15, 2011, at Fox
Funeral Home, 2800
Commercial
Way,
Rock Springs. Pastor
Harold Alomia will officiate. Additional funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.
17, 2011, at the Seventh-Day
Adventist Church, 2625 Casper
Mountain Road, Casper. Pastor
Gordon Henderson will officiate. Friends may call from 6-8
p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, at
Bustard’s Funeral Home, 600
C.Y. Ave, Casper. Interment
will be in the Highland Cemetery in Casper.
Condolences may be left at
www.foxfh.com.
ROBERT BURNAUGH
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.
— Robert Burnaugh,
79, of Springfield, Mo.,
died Dec 1, 2011, at his
home with his family at
his side.
He was born Nov. 17,
1932, in Riverton, the
son of Bud Burnaugh
Sr. and Mary Burnaugh. He attended Rock
Springs High School and graduated with the class of 1950.
He served in the U.S. Navy
four years before earning a degree in psychology at the University of Wyoming in 1959.
He married Nancy York on
Jan. 22, 1961, in Casper.
He was chief probation and
parole officer for the state of
Wyoming from 1966 to 1984
until his retirement.
His survivors include his wife
of 50 years, Nancy; children,
Bruce, Barbara and husband,
Billy Long, Kaleen and Kelle;
and brother, Bud Burnaugh of
TODAY IN
HISTORY
In 1938, groundbreaking for
the Jefferson Memorial took
place in Washington with President Franklin D. Roosevelt taking part in the ceremony.
In 1944, a single-engine plane
carrying bandleader Glenn
Miller, a major in the U.S. Army
Air Forces, disappeared over
the English Channel while en
route to Paris. American forces
invaded Mindoro Island in the
Philippines.
In 1965, two U.S. manned
spacecraft, Gemini 6A and
Gemini 7, maneuvered to within 10 feet of each other while in
orbit.
Green River.
He was preceded in
death by his parents.
Funeral
services
were conducted Dec. 9,
2011, at the Davis Funeral Home in Riverton. Interment was in
the Riverton Mountain
View Cemetery.
11676116.qxp
12/14/2011
9:54 PM
Page A3
rocketminer.com
3A
Military hearing
over helicopter
crash concludes
Ryan James/Rocket-Miner
Sudden Stop
ROCK SPRINGS: The driver of a late model van struck a tree on Dewar Drive on Wednesday night. Sgt. Steve Reekers of the Rock Springs Police Department said the driver reportedly suffered a seizure before the accident. The driver and a female passenger were transported to
the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. The driver received two citations.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
UPGRADES
There are plans to construct
576 campsites behind the
grounds while another 423 campsites will be built in a sagebrush
area north of the existing barbed
wire fence, which will be torn
down.
Two additional rodeo arenas
will be built for a total of six, including one across from the
Wyoming National Guard armory
and just west of Yellowstone
Road. One new rodeo arena will
be constructed north of the outdoor rodeo arena, which has been
used for the Red Desert Rodeo,
giving the existing arena an L
shape. The Events Complex obtained bleachers from East Junior
High to install adjacent to the
outdoor arena. The bleachers
were taken apart in order to be
transported to the Events Complex, where they are being reassembled. The outdoor arena
will be able to handle television
cameras.
Lloyd said he met with officials
of the Wyoming National Guard
last week in order to coordinate
and ensure the national rodeo
does not interfere with National
Guard activities.
The formerly dirt-covered area
just west of the indoor arena,
which served as an outdoor vendor site during the Sweetwater
County Fair, has been covered in
blacktop and will be the site of
the three clear-span tent structures. The structures will house
vendors during the NHSFR. The
small arena next door will handle
overflow. Other vendors will be
placed in the exhibit hall building
used during the fair.
Many of the vendors will be
Western-themed, Lloyd said, including saddlers and Western
gear and clothing sellers. There
will be local vendors as well as national vendors. Food sales will
have a Western flavor, with buffalo burgers, spare ribs and chuck
wagon-style barbecue planned.
Lloyd added pizza will be available during the rodeo.
The dirt-floored tent structure
which was used for beer sales
during the fair now has a cement
floor. Lloyd said there will not be
any beer sales during the national rodeo.
Parking has been expanded.
Even with over 1,500 high school
rodeo participants expected, plus
their families and multitudes of
rodeo enthusiasts, Lloyd said the
Events Complex would have
room for all vehicles to park.
Truck and trailer parking have
been expanded. Livestock pens
have been added to accommodate the cattle and horses needed
for rodeo participants.
Rocky Mountain Power is
working to upgrade utility service
at the Events Complex to ensure
there is enough electricity to simultaneously power multiple arenas. The Events Complex already
receives service at primary voltage and is on a large industrial
billing tariff.
ANCILLARY NEEDS
Even with all of the physical
changes to the Events Complex,
BURNS
Sweetwater County Fire Warden Dennis Washam said one of
the three back axles on the rig
broke, which began to drag on
the roadway and create sparks.
“The rear half was pretty well
totaled by the fire,” Washam said.
He said the workover rig,
which is used over holes that
have already been drilled, is
owned by Crown Oil and Gas
Company of Green River.
The machine was being transported to another location when
the axle broke.
“I have no idea why it broke,”
Washam said.
The fire occurred at Luman
Road, also known as County
Road 20, in the Red Desert about
30 miles north of Interstate 80.
Washam said the area is very rural and there were no other vehicles involved, so there was no
traffic to stop.
Two county trucks and four
firefighters responded to the
scene.
The Wamsutter Fire Department sent another truck with two
firefighters.
Washam said it took about
1,000 gallons of water and 90
minutes to put the fire out.
Sweetwater County Events Complex Executive Director Larry Lloyd
points to where another arena will be built near the existing outdoor
arena.
Lloyd said there is work to be
done beyond what is visible. Coordination with emergency medical personnel, law enforcement
and local retailers and service industry personnel are just part of
the planning that needs to be performed in order to ensure a
smooth rodeo.
Lloyd said he has met with representatives of local retail and
restaurant establishments and received assurances many businesses will stay open later during
the rodeo. This addresses one
concern which the Urban Renewal Agency board of directors discussed at their Dec. 12 meeting.
They said local businesses need
to accommodate visitors who will
be up and about late into the
evening.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A
military hearing for the sole survivor of a Coast Guard helicopter crash ended Friday, with the
defense arguing that the Guard
had “set a trap” by not marking
the power lines hit by the aircraft. A man from Rock Springs
was killed in the accident.
Prosecutor Lt. Stanley Fields
dismissed the concerns about
the wires as “red herrings,” and
argued Lt. Lance Leone did not
fulfill his duties as a co-pilot and
should face court-martial over
the crash that killed three people. Leone, 31, is charged with
negligent homicide, dereliction
of duty and destruction of government property in connection
with the July 2010 crash off the
Washington coast.
On Friday, Capt. Andrew
Norris, the investigating officer
presiding over the Article 32
hearing, said he planned to investigate an additional charge of
dereliction of duty for failure to
employ proper crew resource
management, a reference to
communications in the cockpit.
The prosecution said it did
not seek the new charge.
Leone, who has earned a long
list of Coast Guard awards and
accolades, was co-piloting an
MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter
from Astoria, Ore., to the crew’s
base in Sitka, Alaska, when it
crashed off LaPush, Wash. He is
accused of not actively navigating or challenging the pilot’s decision to drop in altitude seconds before the helicopter hit
the 1,900-foot span of wires and
crashed.
The wires, which were the site
of at least two other accidents in
1961 and the late 1950s, were
the responsibility of the Coast
Guard, and they sloped from
190 feet to about 36 feet. At the
time of the 2010 crash, marking
balls were pooled near a pole,
above land, at the low point, not
along the span.
One of the prosecutors,
Cmdr. Matthew Fay, said there
was no requirement the lines be
marked because they were below 200 feet. The crash’s lead
investigator called the lines a
contributing factor but also said
there was no reason for the aircraft to be flying so low.
Leone’s civilian attorney, John
Smith, said Leone had programmed the helicopter on a
track that would have missed
the wires, but the pilot deviated
from that, dropping in altitude
as he flew over a Coast Guard
vessel in the channel. Seconds
later, the aircraft struck the
wires.
The flight plan called for the
helicopter to hug the coastline
but prescribed no set altitude.
Cameron also said it’s customary for a Coast Guard helicopter
to fly over an agency vessel.
The negligent homicide
charges are related to the deaths
of Brett Banks, 33, of Rock
Springs, and Adam C. Hoke, 40,
of Great Falls, Mont. There is no
charge related to the death of
Krueger, 33, of Seymour, Conn.
Norris, a Coast Guard judge
advocate stationed in Rhode Island, will make recommendations to the Coast Guard commander in Alaska, Rear Admiral
Thomas Ostebo, for the next
course of action. Norris said Ostebo is not bound by any recommendations he makes.
Possibilities include dismissal
of the charges, administrative
action or court-martial. Leone
could face a possible maximum
penalty that includes 7 1/2 years
in prison if convicted on all
courts at a court-martial.
LIFESTYLES
rocketminer.com
Your local news source since 1881
Poetry slam scheduled
Dec. 15 in Rock Springs
ROCK SPRINGS — Western
Wyoming Community College’s
Hay Library and the Sweetwater
County Library System are
bringing Poetry Slams back to
Sweetwater County.
The first poetry slam born of
this collaboration will take place
Thursday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. at
612 Broadway in Rock Springs.
For those of you whom are unfamiliar with the slam format, it
is set up as follows: the slam is
divided into three rounds, all poets read in the first round, the
top poets from the first round
move up to the second round,
and the top poets from the second round move to the third and
final round.
Judges are picked randomly
from the audience. Each poet is
scored on a scale of 1-10. The
highest and lowest score a poet
receives in each round are
dropped and the three middle
scores are added together giving
the poet his or her score for that
round.
Remember, judges are picked
randomly from the audience and
exist mainly to encourage participation and keep things from becoming boring.
The job of the poet is to move
the judges with their work; the
purpose of the judge is to give
the poet a score not based on audience approval; and the responsibility placed on the audience is,
of course, to sway the judges. As
you can see there is nothing
docile about the slam.
Josh Vensor, WWCC student
and regular Poetry Slam participant, said, “Slamming becomes
a strategic process both for the
audience and the poets; everyone reads the crowd, and everything from the order in which
poems are delivered to the way
they’re performed becomes key.”
Vensor also said, “This
process turns everybody in the
Western Wyoming Community College student and slam frequenter delivers a poem to the audience. The
next slam will take place Thursday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m.
room into a participant whether
it is with a mic, scoreboard or
just enthusiasm; everyone is part
of the slam. Cheering, and verbally expressing your opinion isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged.”
According to Vensor, the poetry styles and messages are as diverse as those participating.
“One can expect anything from
gritty hip-hop lyrics to cowboy
poetry.”
The idea of a “competition”
may sound daunting to some,
but according to Vensor, the audience is extremely friendly and
open minded.
“No matter what corner of the
universe you pull your poetry
from, someone will appreciate it.
Slams are a beautiful thing and
they provide a chance for some
of our county’s most interesting
word slingers to get together to
share art, share feelings, and
share souls,” Vensor said. “It’s
just a small slice of your time;
don’t deny yourself what could
become a passion.”
Western Wyoming Community College’s Poetry Club is excited to be a part of the Poetry
Slams. They have contributed
prizes for the December and Jan-
uary slams and also plan to build
a slam team in hopes of returning to the national collegiate
slam.
WWCC and the Sweetwater
County Library System sponsored a slam team that traveled
to the national collegiate slam in
2009.
LIFESTYLES BRIEF
Coffee exhibit
opens at Wyoming
State Museum
CHEYENNE (AP) — A national traveling exhibition examining
the impact of coffee is visiting
Cheyenne.
“Coffee: The World in Your
Cup” is on display starting Monday at the Wyoming State Museum.
It looks at the environmental
and social impacts of the coffee
industry, how caffeine affects the
body as well as coffee’s history
and present-day importance.
The exhibition is organized by
the Burke Museum of Natural
History and Culture in the coffee
capital of Seattle. It will be on display through March 3.
“Without the great help from
the Wyoming Department of
Health. ... I would have to stop
my meds and with depression
that can be very dangerous…”
• A Cheyenne client said:
“The medication donation is an
amazing program and I’m not
sure my husband would be alive
without their services.”
Any medication may be sent
to the program, as well as certain medical items such as diabetes testing supplies or wound
care materials. “We will sort it
out,” Gallizzi said.
Donations acceptable for
passing on to help other residents include:
• Medications in sealed packages
• Unexpired medications
• Medications that do not require refrigeration
• Medications that are not
controlled substances
Donations not appropriate
for sharing are destroyed via incineration. “This option safely
disposes of the medicines to
avoid potential prescription
drug abuse and without causing
water pollution, which can be a
result of flushing medications,”
Gallizzi said.
Residents may call the program toll free at (855)-257-5041
to see if they qualify and if the
medication they need is available. “We can mail medications
to qualified residents throughout Wyoming,” Gallizzi said.
To donate unused medications:
• Mark out any patient identifying information (name, address, phone number, Rx number), but leave the drug name
on the container.
• Complete a donor form,
which is available online at
http://www.health.wyo.gov/healt
hcarefin/pharmacy/DonorToolkit.html
Page 4A
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
Student News
GRHS students
earn Wolf of the
Week honors
stands at 152 pounds, went 72 at the Wasatch Duels this
weekend. “Shay has shown a
great deal of improvement and
is working very hard.”
GREEN RIVER — Several
Vanessa Munoz was nomiGreen River High School stu- nated by Tim Cassity, GRHS
dents earn Wolf of the Week industrial arts teacher.
honors.
“Vanessa
Ben Albert
is an outand
Katie
standing stuBayles were
dent
who
nominated
works very
by Kris Weihard on her
dner, student
projects,”
council sponCassity said.
sor.
“She has a
“I would
great
attiKATIE BAYLES
like to nomi- BEN ALBERT
tude
and
nate
Ben
takes great
Albert and
pride in her
Katie
work
and
Bayles,” Weiputs
forth
dner
said.
great effort
“This
last
to make her
weekend,
projects the
Student
best they can
Council parbe.
She
ticipated in
helps others
the Craft Fair SHAY McCURDY JEFF BOWLES
and is very
at the Goldsafe in the
en Hour Seshop.”
nior Center. Through
Jeff Bowles was also
the help of these indinominated by Cassity.
viduals, the council
“Jeff has shown a
raised $400. Katie
great attitude toward
helped guide another
woodworking and has
student in the finer dedemonstrated an attitails of what needed to
tude toward safety,
be done to have a succraftsmanship and fincessful bake sale. Ben VANESSA
ishing what he starts,”
spent the better part MUNOZ
Cassity said. “He has
of two days making
taken great pride in
truffles and cheesecake to sell. the shop by helping others and
I am so proud of the work ex- helping his instructor with
hibited from these three stu- keeping the shop in working
dents. They continue to stand order. He is very concerned
out as leaders in the fullest with doing what is right and
sense.”
making the shop a good place
Shay McCurdy was nomi- to work. Jeff has a good
nated by Darren Heslep, knowledge of woodworking
GRHS wrestling coach.
and is applying what he knows
McCurdy, a sophomore who to be a great student.”
For more information about the poetry slams,
contact Janice Grover-Roosa, Director of Hay
Library, at jgroverroosa@wwcc.wy.edu, or Kyla
Baumfalk, Youth Services Assistant for the
White Mountain Branch of the Sweetwater
Libraries closed
for holidays
County Library System at kbaumfalk@sweetwaterlibraries.com.
Department of Health: Donate your
unused medications to help others
LARAMIE — Wyoming residents may donate unused medications to help others who may
have trouble affording needed
prescription drugs through the
Wyoming
Department
of
Health’s Medication Donation
Program.
The program helps residents
who are low-income and without insurance or who are underinsured. “Our program brings
together people who find they
have unused medications on
their hands with others who
may need those very same
medications but can’t afford
them,” said Natasha Gallizzi,
Medication Donation Program
manager and pharmacist.
• A Wheatland program
client: “I was having a choice,
pills or food, pills or bills. So
thanks to this program, I can
still have the medication I
need.”
• From a Casper client:
NEWS TIPS: Call the news department with your local news ideas,
events and organizational updates 362-3736
•
Mail
donations
to:
Wyoming Medication Donation
Program, Wyoming Department of Health, Office of
Healthcare Financing, 2508 E.
Fox Farm Road, Suite 2A,
Cheyenne, WY
82007. In
Cheyenne, donations may also
be dropped off at the same address Monday through Friday,
from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and
1:30-5 p.m.
Gallizzi thanked those who
have donated medication and
made it possible for the program and the clinics it supports
to serve people needing help.
“We appreciate donors taking
the time to prepare and mail
donations to our program,” she
said.
GREEN RIVER — The
Sweetwater County Library
System will have closures for
holidays. All libraries and the
Community Fine Arts Center
will be closed for the Christmas
weekend Friday, Dec. 23,
through Monday, Dec. 26. Regular library operations will resume Tuesday, Dec. 27.
The Community Fine Arts
Center and all libraries will also
be closed to observe the New
Year’s holiday Friday, Dec. 30
through Monday, Jan. 2. The library system will resume operations Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Regular hours for the Sweetwater County Library, the Rock
Springs Library and the White
Mountain Library are Monday
through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8
p.m., and Friday and Saturday,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Community Fine Arts Center’s hours
See us online:
www.rocketminer.com
are Monday through Thursday
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The
Community Fine Arts Center is
also open Friday and Saturday
from noon to 5 p.m.
The Sweetwater County Library System’s rural branches
have varying hours of operation. Please check the library
system’s Web site for rural
branch hours at www.sweetwaterlibraries.com. All of the
Sweetwater County libraries
are closed on Sunday.
Remember to check out your
items before the closures and
please use the outside book
drops to return your library materials during the closure. You
can also access the library system’s Web site and databases
any time day or night.
Check the library system’s
Web page for hours at
www.sweetwaterlibraries.com.
Click on “hours” at the top of
the page. For more information
visit a local library or go to
www.sweetwaterlibraries.com.
rocketminer.com
5A
Family Justice Center
seeking volunteers
Learning About Stress
Lena Warren, PR specialist for Southwest Counseling Service, spoke recently at the weekly Rock Springs Kiwanis Club,
about a new workshop on how to cope with stress in your work
and family life. She is being presented a certificate of appreciation
from Rock Springs Kiwanis President Cliff Topps.
ROCK SPRINGS:
ROCK SPRINGS — The
Sweetwater County Family Justice Center is currently developing a volunteers program and recruiting interested members of
the community. Volunteers are an
integral part of Family Justice
Centers throughout the country
and provide a variety of support
meant to maintain effective daily operations of the center.
The goals of the volunteer program are to match each volunteer
with a fulfilling area of service
and to provide volunteers with
the training and support they
need to assist those affected by
sexual assault, elder abuse, dating violence, child abuse or neglect, domestic violence and stalking.
In order to provide a safe and
fulfilling experience, the Family
Justice Center has developed an
application process for all volunteers. Volunteers should be at
least 18 years of age.
For most volunteer positions,
the center hopes to recruit individuals who are available to work
at least two, four-hour shifts per
month.
Volunteers are welcome to set
a regular, weekly volunteer
schedule, as well.
The staff of the center desires
for every volunteer to have a
meaningful experience and ask
that interested volunteers commit to at least six months in order to receive training and become an expert in the selected
volunteer area.
All volunteers will be asked to
complete a volunteer application,
an interview, and a background
check.
At this time, the center has a
need for the following types of
volunteers: guest care volunteers
who greet clients, help manage
the reception area and provide
general office support; children’s
area volunteers who help monitor
and entertain the children at the
center; chaplain volunteers who
provide connections to faithbased community resources; administrative volunteers who assist with data entry, Web site
management, and related office
work; YWCA Support and Safe
House program direct service advocates who provide advocacy
and intake services at the Center;
maintenance/custodial volunteers
who can assist in snow removal,
moving furniture, building maintenance, cleaning and painting;
and translators who can interpret
materials for the center and provide assistance to clients with
limited English abilities.
The Sweetwater County Family Justice Center is the first of its
kind in Wyoming. It serves as a
“one stop help center” where victims of sexual assault, elder
abuse, dating violence, child
abuse or neglect, domestic violence, and stalking can receive all
the services they need in one location.
The center works with a dedicated team of social service, legal
and law enforcement agencies,
including: the Department of
Family Services; the Sweetwater
County Sheriff’s Office; the
YWCA of Sweetwater County;
the Rock Springs Police Department; the Green River Police Department; Memorial Hospital of
Sweetwater County; Wyoming
Workforce Services; and Southwest Counseling Services.
The center is a program of the
YWCA of Sweetwater County
and has been funded by the Division of Victim Services, Wyoming
Office of the Attorney General.
Any individual from Rock
Springs or Green River interested in learning about volunteer
opportunities at the Sweetwater
County Family Justice Center
may contact Sandy or Virg for
more information.
Some figs are not for eating
LEE REICH
For The Associated Press
Importance Of Planning
Deborah Wood, executive director of Sage View
Care Center is being presented a certificate of appreciation by Cliff
Topps, president of the Rock Springs Kiwanis Club, for speaking recently at their weekly meeting. She helped the members of the club
understand the complexity of long-term care and estate planning.
ROCK SPRINGS:
Sweetwater County Dems host
Jefferson-Jackson dinner and
plan annual holiday dinner
ROCK SPRINGS — Sweetwater County Democrats welcomed Democrats from across
Wyoming to the JeffersonJackson dinner conducted
Oct. 1 at the Outlaw Inn.
More than 150 attended.
The theme of this year’s dinner was support for working
people everywhere, including
organized labor, nonunion
workers, and those who are
looking for jobs. The gathering was presided over by State
Democratic Chair Chuck
Herz. The keynote speaker
was Leslie Frane, national director of the Public Services
Division of the Service Employees International Union,
SEIU.
The SEIU represents more
than 2 million people across
the country mainly in the areas of health care and public
employees including members
of our own Wyoming Public
Employees Association, SEIU,
Local 1990.
Frane gave a powerful message about the importance of
building deep, long lasting,
mutually beneficial relationships within the union movement, particularly now in the
face of the unprecedented attacks on unions and the unemployed seen in many states
across the county.
A highlight of the dinner
was the naming of State Rep.
Stan Blake of Green River as
Party Builder of the Year. The
award is in recognition of the
work Blake has done to promote the Democratic Party
and principles in Wyoming
and Sweetwater County. He
represents Sweetwater County in House District 39.
Other speakers included
Rep. Patrick Goggles, State
House Minority Leader from
Ethete, representing Fremont
County; and Sen. John
Hastert, State Senate Minority Leader from Green River
and Rep. Joe Barbuto of Rock
Springs, both representing
Sweetwater County. State officers attending in addition to
Herz were vice chairman Jodi
Guerin and State Party Treasurer Leslie Peterson. Former
executive director for the
State Democratic Party Bill
Luckett was honored at the
banquet for his service to the
party.
Luckett is moving to Oregon.
In other news, Sweetwater
County Democratic chairman
JoAnn Dayton announced results of the special election on
Nov. 17 to fill the vacancies of
vice chairman and state committeeman. At the meeting
Jack Waters was elected vice
chairman and Bob Spencer
was elected state committeeman.
The meeting took place in
Green River at Western
Wyoming Community college
with members of the County
Central Committee voting to
fill the vacancies.
At the meeting, Dayton also
provided a brief update on the
re-districting proposals under
consideration by the Joint
Corporations Interim Committee in place of Sen. Marty
Martin, who was unable to attend.
The Sweetwater County Democrats will next gather at the
Outlaw Inn for a holiday dinner on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.
Even if you don’t grow edible
fruits, it’s likely you’ve grown
some sort of ornamental fig.
They range from creeping vines
to majestic trees, most of them
tropical, in which case they can
make majestic houseplants.
Interestingly, the edible fig is
among the cold-hardiest of fig
species, tolerating temperatures
down to about 15 degrees
Fahrenheit. It also makes the
least satisfactory houseplant of
the lot because indoors it grows
too leggy, and becomes susceptible to pests such as spider
mites.
This fig is also deciduous —
that is, it loses its leaves in winter or, if there is no winter in
your living room, it might drop
some leaves and look as if it
would like to drop the rest.
FIG TREES FOR THE TROPICS
AND FOR HOMES
Weeping fig — sometimes
merely called ficus, which is the
botanical name for the whole fig
genus — is among the prettiest
figs, whether growing outdoors
in tropical splendor or in your
home in a large or small pot.
The tree’s thin branches bow
gracefully earthward and the
leaves are small enough so that
even a 3-foot-high potted plant
can take on the air of a real tree.
For added pizazz, these trees are
often trained with three stems
woven together to form a single
braided trunk.
The familiar rubber tree is another fig, but one that is not at
all graceful when grown as a
houseplant. The leaves usually
are spaced far apart along the
stems, and are large, leathery
and stiff. All this makes for a
plant tolerant of the parched air
in many homes in winter, and is
perhaps in keeping with a
“modern,” minimalist decor.
You need to visit some tropical country and see a full-size
rubber tree to appreciate the
plant in all its splendor. There, it
presents a crown of lush greenery, the plant comparable in size
to sugar maples. Rubber tree’s
large leathery leaves look at
home on such a grandiose plant;
they look gawky on a houseplant.
Rubber trees are so-called not
because they are a commercial
source of natural rubber but be-
Mitten envy? Wisconsin
promotion draws note
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — When
it comes to a debate over whether
Wisconsin or Michigan’s Lower
Peninsula looks more like a mitten, Alex Beaton of the Awesome
Mitten Web site says the winner is
Michigan, hands down. Beaton
spotted the knit mitten shaped
like Wisconsin on the Travel Wisconsin website this week after it
came to her attention during some
lighthearted trash talking on Facebook about Michigan State’s loss
Saturday to Wisconsin in the Big
Ten championship football game.
The 23-year-old Grand Rapids
resident went on a bare-knuckled
offensive against what she saw as
a mitten impostor, and soon
dozens of Michigan residents
were tweeting comments such as,
“Only one state has Mitten Mojo!”
“People in Michigan, we do
identify ourselves so closely with
the Mitten State,” Beaton said.
“We’re America’s high five!”
But Tom Lyons, who works in
public relations in Neenah, Wis.,
said Michigan residents shouldn’t
be getting their yarn in a twist
over Wisconsin’s mitten theme for
its winter tourism campaign.
“Wisconsin is the left mitten.
Michigan is the right mitten. Even
children know that one mitten
doesn’t cut it when it comes to
Midwest winters,” he said. Lyons
formerly worked in Door County
— Wisconsin’s thumb region —
and said he often holds up his left
hand when locating state places
for others. “We complement each
other and it’s not our fault that
their thumb is smaller,” he said,
taking a lighthearted jab at Wisconsin’s neighbor across Lake
Michigan. “We’re very similar and
they should be flattered.”
Michiganders have long held up
a hand to show where they live,
even getting both hands into play
if they want to show the Lower
and Upper peninsulas. Under former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the
state hired Michigan-based actor
and playwright Jeff Daniels to promote the state’s business opportunities by telling companies to
come to Michigan and “give your
company the Upper Hand.”
cause of that rubbery look of the
leaves. Like many other fig
species, the bark will bleed a latex that can be made into rubber, though not with great commercial feasibility. Keep this sap
off your skin when you prune or
otherwise bruise a fig, because it
is irritating.
Less familiar than the weeping fig or rubber tree, at least as
a houseplant, is the fiddleleaf
fig. It has the same coarse
growth form as a rubber tree but
its enormous, glossy leaves are
shaped like bass fiddles.
SMALL FIG PLANTS
FOR SMALL SPACES
Enough with fig trees; what
about a bush or vine?
Mistletoe fig is a small, bushy
plant that has rounded leaves
and readily bears small fruits,
unfortunately inedible.
Creeping fig is a charmer, a
tropical vine with tiny, heartshaped leaves. Tiny at first, that
is, because once this plant takes
hold and matures, it grows exuberantly and develops a different kind of leaf, one that is large
and oblong. I’ve seen this vine
gobble up whole walls of old
conservatories. The way to keep
the leaves small and contain the
plant’s enthusiasm is to keep it
juvenile by lopping it back severely from time to time.
THESE PLANTS WANT
TO TAKE ROOT
Look closely at almost any fig
plant, whether a tree, shrub or
vine, especially if the humidity
is high enough, and you may notice “threads” dangling from its
branches. Those are aerial roots.
In humid, tropical climates, they
drip from the branches to the
ground or cling to a wall, where
they actually take hold. Over
time, some fig trees’ aerial roots
will thicken to become new
trunks that meld together to
create a single trunk of enormous girth.
Aerial roots hint at how easy
it is for figs of all kinds to multiply into new plants. They root
readily by softwood or hardwood cuttings, as well as by air
layering. Rubber trees have even
been commercially rooted from
single buds nestled into a pot of
soil and kept in a humid atmosphere.
So all the figs are fun to play
with, even if some are a bit
gawky.
SPORTS
rocketminer.com
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL FBS
BOWL GLANCE
NEWS TIPS: Call the news department with your local news ideas,
events and organizational updates 362-3736
Page 6A
FLAMING GORGE CLASSIC INVITATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 2011
All Times EST
Saturday, Dec. 17
New Mexico Bowl
At Albuquerque
Wyoming (8-4) vs. Temple (8-4),
2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
At Boise, Idaho
Utah State (7-5) vs. Ohio (9-4),
5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) vs. San
Diego State (8-4), 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Dec. 20
Beef ’O’Brady’s Bowl
At St. Petersburg, Fla.
Marshall (6-6) vs. FIU (8-4), 8 p.m.
(ESPN)
Wednesday, Dec. 21
Poinsettia Bowl
At San Diego
TCU (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4),
8 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 22
MAACO Bowl
At Las Vegas
Boise State (11-1) vs. Arizona State
(6-6), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl
At Honolulu
Nevada (7-5) vs. Southern Mississippi
(11-2), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Dec. 26
Independence Bowl
At Shreveport, La.
North Carolina (7-5) vs. Missouri (75), 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Basketball takes
over Sweetwater
County this weekend
Tuesday, Dec. 27
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
At Detroit
Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue
(6-6), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Belk Bowl
At Charlotte, N.C.
North Carolina State (7-5) vs.
Louisville (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Dec. 28
Military Bowl
At Washington
Air Force (7-5) vs. Toledo (8-4), 4:30
p.m. (ESPN)
Holiday Bowl
At San Diego
Texas (7-5) vs. California (7-5),
8 p.m. (ESPN)
ROBERT MORGAN
Rocket-Miner Sports Reporter
Thursday, Dec. 29
Champs Sports Bowl
At Orlando, Fla.
Florida State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (84), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Alamo Bowl
At San Antonio
Baylor (9-3) vs. Washington (7-5),
9 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Dec. 30
Armed Forces Bowl
At Dallas
Tulsa (8-4) vs. BYU (9-3), Noon (ESPN)
Pinstripe Bowl
At Bronx, N.Y.
Rutgers (8-4) vs. Iowa State (6-6),
3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Music City Bowl
At Nashville, Tenn.
Mississippi State (6-6) vs. Wake
Forest (6-6), 6:40 p.m. (ESPN)
Insight Bowl
At Tempe, Ariz.
Oklahoma (9-3) vs. Iowa (7-5),
10 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, Dec. 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl
At Houston
Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Northwestern (66), Noon (ESPN)
Sun Bowl
At El Paso, Texas
Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5), 2
p.m. (CBS)
Liberty Bowl
At Memphis, Tenn.
Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. Cincinnati (9-3),
3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Fight Hunger Bowl
At San Francisco
UCLA (6-7) vs. Illinois (6-6), 3:30 p.m.
(ESPN)
Chick-fil-A Bowl
At Atlanta
Virginia (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5),
7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Jan. 2
TicketCity Bowl
At Dallas
Penn State (9-3) vs. Houston (12-1),
Noon (ESPNU)
Capital One Bowl
At Orlando, Fla.
Nebraska (9-3) vs. South Carolina
(10-2), 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Outback Bowl
At Tampa, Fla.
Georgia (10-3) vs. Michigan State
(10-3), 1 p.m. (ABC)
Gator Bowl
At Jacksonville, Fla.
Florida (6-6) vs. Ohio State (6-6), 1
p.m. (ESPN2)
Rose Bowl
At Pasadena, Calif.
Oregon (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (11-2),
5 p.m. (ESPN)
Fiesta Bowl
At Glendale, Ariz.
Stanford (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State
(11-1), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Jan. 3
Sugar Bowl
At New Orleans
Michigan (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (112), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Jan. 4
Orange Bowl
At Miami
West Virginia (9-3) vs. Clemson (10-3),
8 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Jan. 6
Cotton Bowl
At Arlington, Texas
Kansas State (10-2) vs. Arkansas (102), 8 p.m. (FOX)
Saturday, Jan. 7
BBVA Compass Bowl
At Birmingham, Ala.
Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5), Noon
(ESPN)
Sunday, Jan. 8
GoDaddy.com Bowl
At Mobile, Ala.
Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern
Illinois (10-3), 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Jan. 9
BCS National Championship
At New Orleans
LSU (13-0) vs. Alabama (11-1), 8:30
p.m. (ESPN)
Carlo Harryman/Rocket-Miner
Rock Springs High School guard Summer Newman gets in a final practice on Wednesday before this weekend’s Flaming Gorge Classic Invitational Tournament.
ROCK SPRINGS — Green River and
Rock Springs high school basketball teams
have been traveling across the state the
past two weeks competing in tournaments.
This week all the local teams finally get
the chance to stay home and play in front
of their home crowds in the 17th annual
Flaming Gorge Classic Invitational Basketball Tournament. The action begins
Thursday and will wrap up after 8 p.m.
Saturday.
The state’s biggest tournament this
weekend will be made up of 34 boys teams
— 17 varsity and 17 junior varsity — as well
as 36 girls teams — 18 varsity, 18 junior
varsity — from Wyoming and Colorado.
A total of 111 games will be played at
Green River and Rock Springs high
schools as well as Lincoln Middle School
in Green River.
Green River will begin play at home on
Thursday when the Lady Wolves take on
Mountain View at 5 p.m. The GRHS boys
will immediately follow at 6:40 p.m.
against Mountain View.
Rock Springs will also play on its home
court throughout the tournament. The
Lady Tigers hit the court on Thursday in
their home opener against Jackson at 5
p.m. They will be followed by the RSHS
boys against Vernal, Utah, at 6:40 p.m.
All 70 teams will play one game a day.
The junior varsity actions will be played at
in the auxiliary gyms at both high schools.
Alex Nelson, left, keeps the ball secure from
teammate Theresa Allgier, right, during the
team’s practice on Wednesday afternoon.
The talented lineup of teams spending
the weekend in Sweetwater County includes Green River, Rock Springs,
Pinedale, Riverton, Cheyenne Central,
Evanston, Manila, Mountain View, Union,
Gillette, Star Valley, Steamboat, Colo.,
American Fork, Kemmerer, Jackson,
Laramie, Rich County, Cheyenne East,
Sheridan and Vernal.
Chris Paul joins the Blake show in L.A.
Hornets get Gordon,
Kaman and
Aminu in trade
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris
Paul is headed to Los Angeles for
real this time — to the Clippers,
not the Lakers.
The Hornets have traded Chris
Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers
for guard Eric Gordon, forward
Al-Farouq Aminu, center Chris
Kaman and a first-round draft
choice.
The deal required the approval
of NBA Commissioner David
Stern because the Hornets are
owned by the league.
So no more lame-duck practices — and ducking questions —
in New Orleans.
The move puts an end to a tor-
tured week in which the Hornets’
season sat in limbo while the NBA
took a public relations beating
over everything from potential
conflicts of interest, to retarding
the Hornets’ pursuit of free
agents, to disrespecting the New
Orleans fan base. The Hornets at
last have a measure of certainty
about the roster they’ll have when
the regular season begins in less
than two weeks.
Paul, already a star with international appeal, gets to play in one
of the NBA’s biggest markets,
even if his new team plays in the
shadow of the Lakers. That’s the
club Paul was almost traded to
last week, only to have Stern nix
the deal and unleash a torrent of
bad publicity on his league just as
it was trying to generate good will
following a nearly five-month labor dispute that has already
SPORTS BRIEF
Fossil Island Golf
Course Cross-Country
Ski Trail now open
KEMMERER — The Bureau of
Land Management Kemmerer
Field Office groomed the Fossil
Island Golf Course cross-country
ski trail and it is now open to the
public.
There is no charge to use the
easy 1.5 mile loop located at 105
Highway 189 in Kemmerer.
The BLM grooms the crosscountry ski trail as a public service. For more information, please
contact Wally Mierzejewski, KFO
outdoor recreation planner.
caused a shortening of the season.
Then again, maybe there is no
such thing as bad publicity. Even
with the NFL’s Saints on a fivegame winning streak and wrapping up a playoff spot, the Hornets and Paul ordeal were the talk
of New Orleans for a change.
The 26-year-old Paul, a fourtime All-Star, averaged 18.7 points
and 9.8 assists last season, his
sixth in the NBA. His move to the
Clippers means he’ll now be able
to make alley-oop lobs to a young
star famous for dunking over a
car. That would be forward Blake
Griffin, who averaged 22.5 points
and 12.1 rebounds last season, his
first as a pro.
The Hornets, meanwhile, get a
prolific young shooting guard in
Gordon, who turns 23 on Christmas Day and averaged 22.3 points
last season. The 6-foot-9 Aminu is
a second-year pro who averaged
5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds as a
rookie. The 7-foot Kaman, 29, is
an eight-year veteran who averaged 12.4 points and seven rebounds last season, but played in
only 32 games because of a left
ankle injury.
“With this trade, we now have
three additional players who were
among the top eight draft picks in
their respective drafts as well as
our own first round pick and Minnesota’s first round pick,” Hornets
general manager Dell Demps said
in a statement released by the
team. “Aminu is a young talent
with a bright future, Gordon is a
big-time scorer and one of the
best (shooting) guards in the
league and Kaman is a proven
center and former All-Star. ... We
will field a competitive team and
our future looks great.”
rocketminer.com
7A
Tebow mixes faith and Luster lifts Cowboys to
football with no regrets a 58-48 win over Irvine
ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) —
The Gospel and the gridiron are
inextricably intertwined in Tim
Tebow’s world.
The scrambling quarterback
and devout Christian draws as
much scrutiny for mixing faith
with football as he does for his unconventional winning ways.
With all eyes on the quirky QB
who has led the Denver Broncos’
remarkable resurgence, Tebow isn’t shy about publicly professing
his religious beliefs, often ending
interviews with a hardy “God
Bless!”
He inspired a viral phenomenon
known as “Tebowing” when he
dropped to a knee in prayerful reflection as his teammates celebrated around him in Miami after the
first in a string of six outrageous
comebacks.
Raised by missionary parents,
Tebow wore Bible verses on his
eye black at Florida and still
preaches to villagers in the Philippines and inspires inmates during
jailhouse talks. And he’s sharing
his religious beliefs with his teammates as enthusiastically as he
yells the cadence at the line of
scrimmage on Sundays.
Coach John Fox asked Tebow
to give the weekly address to the
team on the eve of a game against
at San Diego last month, and nobody was surprised when Tebow
shared Proverbs 27:17 — “As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” something Tebow
deemed appropriate as offense,
defense and special teams feed off
one another in what NFL junkies
call “complementary football.”
Another time, Tebow approached defensive players before
a home game against the New
York Jets and told them not to fret,
God’s got this.
“I like his passion,” Fox said. “I
think in today’s world with all
that’s going on in sport and our
society, I think it’s wonderful.”
Others cringe.
Former Broncos quarterback
Jake Plummer said he likes Tebow
but would like him a lot more if he
would quit reminding everybody
how much he loves Jesus Christ.
No way, Tebow said, insisting
he isn’t “just a Christian or a believer at church.” Many an athlete
has used his platform as a pulpit.
Chap Clark, a professor at
Fuller Theological Seminary, a
prominent evangelical school
based in California, said Tebow’s
unorthodox route to success, after
so many predicted he would fail as
a quarterback, has set him and his
faith apart, even from the many
other athletes who talk about their
religious principles.
“Tim has this ferocity as a competitor, but it’s still a game to him.
He is consistently saying that football is not the center of life,” Clark
said. “His great strength is that
even people who don’t agree with
his faith at all play their best
around him.”
Tebow recently told The Associated Press that he knows his
openness about his religion can be
divisive but he feels compelled to
share his story of salvation regardless of the sensitivity of the subject, and he relayed one of his favorite quotes: “I don’t know what
my future holds, but I know who
holds my future,” in showing how
he leans on his faith so he can focus on football unencumbered by
others’ opinions.
“To get me through? Without a
doubt, 100 percent,” Tebow said.
“And that’s the thing about my
faith: it’s not just something that
happens when you’re at church or
happens when you’re praying or
reading the Scripture. It’s part of
Brady vs. Tebow in the spotlight
In honor of Pro Picks’ skill at picking Best Bets — 2-12 against
the spread, no winners since Week 6 — we offer a Worst Bet to go
along with it this week.
First, though, a look at the juiciest game on the schedule, the
Bradys vs. the Tebows, uh, the Patriots against the Broncos in
Denver.
For those still in wonderment over the Broncos’ six-game winning streak built on a solid defense and the magic of quarterback
Tim Tebow late in games, Patriots coach Bill Belichick offers this:
“We brought Tim in and spent a whole day with him here, in addition to our other interactions with him. He’s an impressive young
man. He had great success in college. I think all his attributes are
pretty well documented. He’s a strong guy, smart, works hard, a
great leader, great football character.”
Sounds like Belichick is a believer, too. But his Patriots can
clinch the AFC East with a win. New England’s defense has been
torn up by two weak offenses, Indianapolis and Washington, the
last two weeks, yet the Patriots still have won five in a row. Win
this and Belichick can tool with the D as the playoffs approach.
Las Vegas doesn’t adhere to Tebowmania, apparently, making
New England a 6-point favorite. We sort of believe — by a point.
PATRIOTS, 23-18
As for the Best Bet — and Worst Bet:
Cleveland (plus 7) at Arizona
Browns come off long layoff, which won’t help against streaking
Cardinals.
BEST BET: CARDINALS, 27-14
New York Jets (plus 2 1-2) at Philadelphia
Jets are 0-8 against Eagles. Make it 0-9.
But it’s so dangerous to trust Philly.
WORST BET: EAGLES, 21-17
Detroit (minus 1) at Oakland
Raiders must send Lions into Black Hole or forget about postseason.
UPSET SPECIAL: RAIDERS, 24-23
Jacksonville (plus 11) at Atlanta, Thursday night
Falcons can put vice grip on wild-card berth.
FALCONS, 28-15
Dallas (minus 7) at Tampa Bay, Saturday night
So close to being comfortable, Dallas now is desperate.
COWBOYS, 27-17
Washington (plus 7) at New York Giants
If Giants win out, they are in playoffs. Nice place to start.
GIANTS, 30-20
Green Bay (minus 13 1-2) at Kansas City
At least Todd Haley won’t have to watch this from the sideline.
PACKERS, 33-13
New Orleans (minus 7) at Minnesota
Saints won’t need missed call by officials on last play to win.
SAINTS, 33-13
Baltimore (minus 2 1-2) at San Diego
Ravens are league’s most-balanced team, but struggle on road.
RAVENS, 21-20
Seattle (plus 4) at Chicago
Both teams trying to stay in wild-card chase. Bears barely will.
BEARS, 16-13
Carolina (plus 6 1-2) at Houston
With first playoff berth secured, Texans seek AFC’s top seed.
TEXANS, 31-20
Tennessee (minus 6 1-2) at Indianapolis
Two years ago, Colts were unbeaten at this point. They remain winless ...
TITANS, 17-14
Cincinnati (minus 6 1-2) at St. Louis
If things break right, Bengals can take control of final wild card
again.
BENGALS, 20-7
Pittsburgh (OFF) at San Francisco, Monday night
Wonder what the spread would have been if Ben Roethlisberger
was healthy.
49ERS, 20-17
Miami (OFF) at Buffalo
Lovely way to spend a December afternoon for Floridians.
DOLPHINS, 16-13
RECORD
Against spread: 6-7 (overall 101-89-4); straight up 12-4
(overall 135-73).
Best Bet: 2-12 against spread, 9-5 straight up.
Upset Special: 9-5 against spread, 7-7 straight up.
who you are, as a person, as a
player, in your life and everything.”
Teammate Brian Dawkins,
who’s equally enthusiastic about
sharing his Christianity, said he
can’t fathom why anyone would
have a problem with somebody invoking his right to free speech or
freedom of religion.
“He doesn’t pull up a pulpit in
the middle of the locker room and
say, ‘Hey, everybody, gather
‘round, let me tell you something.’
That’s not how this thing works,”
Dawkins said. “It’s individual. If
someone asks a question, we’ll
share our faith and our testimony.
“I don’t understand why it’s
such a big deal. Tebow, he’s not
the first one, Reggie White, Irving
Fryar, there are many guys who
have lived their lives with outside
faith. But for whatever reason,
Tim gets so much grief now. To
this day, I don’t understand it.
“Football is what we do, not
who we are.”
Amen to that, Tebow said.
The scrambler, who sometimes
sings hymns as he runs onto the
football field to stay calm in
crunch time, said he can’t compartmentalize his faith because it’s
such an integral part of who he is.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people
do, but what I feel is living your
faith and being genuine is in
everything you do and that’s football, that’s life,” Tebow said.
So, he’s not going to stop praying on the field or praising God in
public even if some find it offensive. Whether or not his teammates share in his tenets, there’s
no denying he’s inspiring them.
“He had everybody listening”
when he spoke about the
Proverbs, linebacker Wesley
Woodyard said. “Just to see him
get up there and talk and believe in
himself, that’s something that
spreads throughout the whole
team. He believes in himself, so we
believe in him.”
Large wins big in Week 14 football contest
ROCK SPRINGS — Mike
Large of Rock Springs won the
Week 14 football contest by predicting the winner in 16 of the 17
games over the weekend. Seven
other contestants had 15 predictions correct.
Large’s only incorrect prediction was Miami over Philadelphia.
The Dolphins lost at home to
the Eagles by a 26-10 count.
The other NFL games were
Pittsburgh over Cleveland, 14-3;
New York Giants over Dallas, 3734; Atlanta over Carolina, 31-23;
Houston over Cincinnati, 20-19;
Detroit over Minnesota, 34-28;
Green Bay over Oakland, 46-16;
Jacksonville over Tampa Bay, 4114; the New York Jets over
Kansas City, 37-10; New Orleans
over Tennessee, 22-17; New England over Washington, 34-27; Arizona over San Francisco, 21-19;
Denver over Chicago, 13-10; San
Diego over Buffalo, 37-10; Baltimore over Indianapolis, 24-10;
and Seattle over St. Louis, 30-13.
In college action, Navy defeated Army, 27-21.
The last football contest for
2011 features 17 bowl games. The
bowl games are Texas A&M vs.
Northwestern in the Meineke
Bowl, Dec. 31; Georgia Tech vs.
Utah in the Sun Bowl, Dec. 31;
UCLA vs. Illinois in the Kraft
Fight Hunger Bowl, Dec. 31;
Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt in the
Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31; Virginia vs.
Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl,
Dec. 31; Houston vs. Penn State
in the TicketCity Bowl, Jan. 2;
South Carolina vs. Nebraska in
the Capital One Bowl, Jan. 2;
Ohio St. vs. Florida in the Gator
Bowl, Jan. 2; Michigan St. vs.
Georgia in the Outback Bowl, Jan.
2; Arkansas vs. Kansas St. in the
Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6; SMU vs.
Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass
Bowl, Jan. 7; Northern Illinois vs.
Arkansas
St.
in
the
GoDaddy.com Bowl, Jan. 8; Oregon vs. Wisconsin in the Rose
Bowl, Jan. 2; Oklahoma St. vs.
Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl, Jan.
2; Michigan vs. Virginia Tech in
the Sugar Bowl, Jan. 3; Clemson
vs. West Virginia in the Orange
Bowl, Jan. 4; and, the tiebreaker,
LSU vs. Alabama in the BSC title
game, Jan. 9.
All entries must be received by
4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29.
BOB HAMMOND
Wyo. Sports
LARAMIE — On a night when
the University of Wyoming basketball team needed an offensive
spark, it got what it needed from
an unlikely source.
Senior point guard JayDee
Luster scored a career-high 18
points to lift the Cowboys to a 5848 victory over a spunky UC
Irvine team before a sparse
crowd of 4,084 Tuesday night in
the Arena-Auditorium.
The victory was the eighth
straight for Coach Larry Shyatt’s
10-1 Cowboys. Wyoming has
now equaled its win total for the
last two seasons when it registered back-to-back 10-21 seasons.
The Anteaters came into Tuesday’s contest with a plan of doubling up on the Cowboys’ leading
three-point shooter, Luke Martinez, and sluffing off of Luster.
Luster, who is more used to
handing the ball off to teammates, made UC Irvine pay when
he knocked down 6 of 12 shots
from the field, including 3 of 5
from the 3-point arc.
“They were pressuring (Martinez) off the screens real hard
and sagging off me, making me
take shots,” Luster said. “Coach
Shyatt told me about a week ago
that guys are going to start playing off me. I’ve been coming in to
the gym every night and shooting 100 3s, so I had ht confidence
at the end of the game to keep
shooting.”
UC Irvine did a nice job off the
backboards, out-rebounding the
Cowboys 36-27. Thirteen of
those rebounds came off the offensive glass. That, combined
with a cold shooting night by the
Cowboys, kept the Anteaters in
GAME STATS
Game: Cowboys 58, UC Irvine 48
MVP: UW senior point guard JayDee Luster scored a career-high
18 points and handed out four assists to spark the Cowboys to
their eighth-straight victory.
Key stat: UC Irvine stayed in the game by out-rebounding the
taller Cowboys 36-27, including 13 off the offensive glass.
Up next: Sioux Falls at Wyoming, 7 p.m., Friday
TV/radio: None/KCGY (95.1 FM)
Tickets: Brown & Gold Outlet, 1802 Dell Range Blvd;
www.wyomingathletics..com; UW Athletics Ticket Office
the game.
Wyoming held a 45-42 lead
with 4:35 remaining before a
short spurt, keyed by back-toback treys by Luster and
Leonard Washington and a layup
by Francisco Cruz, pushed
Wyoming out to a 53-44 lead and
put the game out of reach.
“JayDee and Leonard knocked
down a couple of big shots when
it was a three-point game,” Shyatt said. “Those were two big
possessions. But again, those are
not that big unless you are getting stops at the other end. And I
think we came back with three
consecutive stops with some
good switches on defense.”
Wyoming came into the game
following an emotional 65-54 victory over Colorado last Friday.
The residual effects of that game
and some health issues lingered
into the early part of this week.
Both teams got off to a slow
start through the first five minutes before the Cowboys went on
a 13-4 run to take a 15-6 lead with
just over eight minutes left in the
half. But the Anteaters responded with a 10-2 run, keyed by center Adam Folker and guard Chris
McNealy, to get back in the game
and take their only lead at 18-17
with 1:33 left in the half.
Following a timeout, the Cowboys got a 3-pointer from Cruz
and a fast-break layup by Luster
to take a 22-19 lead at the intermission break. It was the secondlowest scoring first half of the
season by Wyoming. The only
one lower was a 21-20 deficit to
Bradley.
The scrappy Anteaters managed to stay close in the second
half, but could never quite get the
go-ahead basket.
The difference in the game
once again was Wyoming’s defense. UC Irvine had averaged 87
points per game in its two previous outings and had two deadly
3-point shooters in guards
Michael Wilder (21 of 51) and
Daman Starring (15 of 29).
Tuesday, Wilder was 1 of 4
from the arc and Starring never
got a three-ball off.
“I was proud that our guys
were able to keep them inside the
3-point arc,” Shyatt added.
The 48 total points are UC
Irvine’s lowest of the season. The
Anteaters shot just 37.7 percent
from the field (20 of 53) and 30.8
percent from the arc (4 of 13).
Wyoming wasn’t a lot better at
45.7 percent overall (21 of 46)
and 33.3 percent from the arc (7
of 21).
OPINIONS
rocketminer.com
“I disapprove of what you say, but will defend
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GET INVOLVED: Send your signed opinions to P.O. Box 98
Rock Springs, WY 82902
Page 8A
He gave me the
shirt off his back
We have all heard about Western Hospitality.
In Wyoming, we offer more of
it than perhaps anywhere else in
the world.
The following story is
true.
It’s about Western
Hospitality and is my alltime favorite golf story.
It occurred in the West,
all right, but not in
America.
This occurred in Western Great Britain in the
Welsh highlands.
Wales is the formerly
independent
country
that is about the size of BILL
Wyoming. Its people are
SNIFFIN
Celtic and very friendly.
My family’s ancestors
are Welsh. Their names
were Price and Jones. During my
time there in July 1987, it seemed
like a good idea to visit the hometown of my forebears. My Aunt
Mabel said our ancient relatives
lived between “Bilth” and “Bettws” before emigrating to the
United States in the 1880s.
There were many places called
Bettws, which means “holy
place.” The only Bilth was “Builth
Wells” which had a small place
named Bettws nearby.
From 1986 to 1989, I was a
part-time student pursuing a
Masters Degree at the University of Wales in Cardiff and also
serving as a guest lecturer. I had
rented a room from a well-to-do
Arab fellow student, Ali Al’Hail.
He offered to drive to Builth
Wells. Ali is now a television
broadcaster for the Al Jezeera
network in Qatar.
We headed up over some
rugged short mountains called
the Brecon Beacons. It was raining, which it does most of the
time there. We marveled at a series of waterfalls. The area looked
like Glacier National Park.
It was still raining when we got
to Builth Wells.
I found old gravestones for
people named Jones and Price
and posed next to them for photos.
At the information center was
a brochure about the local golf
club.
It seemed like a good idea to
buy a golf shirt.
The clubhouse was a converted
1600-era stone barn. We tried the
door but couldn’t figure out how
to open it. Instead of a doorknob,
there was just a hole. We walked
around ducking into various
doorways to get out of a driving
rain.
Suddenly we were standing in
the middle of a dark locker room.
Four elderly men in their late 60s
and 70s were in various stages of
undress. They looked up in
shock.
They took umbrage at our
barging into their dressing room.
I apologized and explained
how my ancestors had come
from this place. Since I was a
fledgling golfer, I had thought it
would be nice to buy a golf shirt
that said Builth Wells on
it.
“Can you tell me
where your pro shop is?”
I asked.
“We don’t have one,”
one man abruptly answered.
“Can I buy a golf
shirt?” I asked.
“No,” another man
said, “you order them in
advance.”
We apologized again,
and said we would leave.
“No, wait,” one of the
fellows, said. “We’ll meet
you after we get dressed.
And that door isn’t locked. Just
stick your finger into the hole and
lift up. It’ll open.”
Ali and I went back to the original door and sure enough, it
opened easily.
A few minutes later, the four
men arrived. They had played
golf on that day as they had every
Thursday, raining or not.
One man, J. Ewert Davies
plopped his wet sweater into my
hands. “Here, take this. Don’t
make a big deal out of it,” he said,
as I protested and tried to pay
him. “Take it back to America as
a souvenir from our town.”
It was nearly new. It had
“Builth Wells Golf Club” inscribed on it.
They ordered pints of beer all
around. We pulled up chairs and
talked about Wales and America.
They were now a jolly bunch.
My new friend J. Ewert then
told about his first experience in
America.
In 1940, his ship docked in
New York City. He and a fellow
sailor were given an eight-hour
leave.
They stopped at the famous
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, but had little money. It didn’t matter because the people in the bar refused to let the two Welsh sailors
buy a drink. They stayed there all
night long with the food and
drink provided by the Americans.
“I never forgot that American
hospitality,” Ewert said.
One of the other gents turned
to me and said: “And that’s why
he gave you his sweater. He’s had
a guilty conscience for 47 years!”
I laughed at the joke, but decided, much like J. Ewert’s experience back in 1940, I wouldn’t
soon forget this gesture of hospitality either.
Views
Check out Bill Sniffin’s columns and blogs at
The new Chelsea Clinton
SUSAN ESTRICH
Former first daughter Chelsea
Clinton’s debut on NBC’s
“Nightly News” is drawing plenty of attention, as well it should.
Since her father’s election nearly
20 years ago, the Clintons set an
example of real family values by
doing everything they could to
keep Chelsea out of the spotlight
and allow her to live as normal of
a life as possible. By all outside
indicators, it worked. She has
grown up to be a young woman
of intelligence, character and
commitment. The press, for its
part, pretty much left her alone.
Until she became one of them,
sort of.
When NBC announced her
three-month contract, Clinton
was roundly criticized both for
joining the ranks of those she
had studiously avoided and for
not making herself available for
interviews when she did. The
first criticism seemed silly. Politicians and their kids are a fixture
on television news, even those
who once complained about how
unfairly they were treated by the
media and even by the very net-
President Bill Clinton’s home
state of Arkansas who has devoted herself to providing afterschool support for at-risk kids. It
was the kind of story that networks do now and again — the
“hero of the week” type of thing
— and that gets almost no attention. Because Chelsea Clinton
did it, it got plenty of attention.
That is precisely the point.
Some people seek out celebrity. Others are born into it. What
troubles me, frankly, is when parents use their children to make
celebrities of themselves (you
can fill in the names here) or
push their children to take on the
trappings of celebrity that they
aren’t able to handle (another
easy fill-in-the-blank exercise).
But Clinton is no longer a child,
and she will always be a celebrity. The question that matters
now that she is an adult is how
she will use it.
In explaining her decision to
go public, as if she weren’t already, Clinton said her grandmother, Dorothy Rodham, who
died last month, urged her to do
more with her fame. Taking her
advice, Clinton decided to lead a
“purposefully public life.”
Let’s be honest here. Chelsea
Clinton is famous and will be for
some time to come. She could
use that fame to get a front-row
seat at the fashion shows, to get
invited to the best Oscar parties,
to get designers and jewelers to
lend her their baubles. She could
sell pictures of her private life for
a pretty penny to any magazine
or tabloid in the world, as so
many celebrities do. She could
turn her life into a reality show.
Being famous gives you power
that others don’t have. It gives
you the power to set an example,
good or bad. It gives you the
power to be noticed, for better or
for worse.
It gives you the power to tell a
story that will (only) be noticed
because you tell it.
That is the kind of power
Chelsea Clinton has chosen to
exercise. And I say more power
to her for that.
To find out more about Susan Estrich and read
features by other Creators Syndicate writers
and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate
Web site at www.creators.com.
www.billsniffin.com. He is a longtime Wyoming
journalist from Lander who has three books
that are available at fine bookstores. He has a
Facebook page for William C. Sniffin and his
Twitter address is Billwyoming.
Driving under the influence of cellphones
FROMA HARROP
DOONESBURY
works for whom they now work.
Meghan McCain’s father, former presidential candidate Sen.
John McCain, never has been a
fan of MSNBC, which didn’t —
and shouldn’t — stop his daughter from working there. I am sure
George W. Bush tunes in whenever his daughter Jenna appears
on NBC’s “Today” show, although he has been skewered
more times than he might
choose to count by the network
that produces “Saturday Night
Live.”
Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is prepping her
new show at Current TV; while
Sarah Palin and “Huckabee” are
staples at Fox.
Clinton probably did make a
mistake in not appearing at a
press conference when her hiring was announced — not because she would have said any
more than the press release, but
because it gave the media something more legitimate to complain about. So be it.
But her first report on Monday
night demonstrated why her decision makes perfect sense. It
was a report on a woman in
By Garry Trudeau
Moving at a stately 30 miles
an hour, the woman drove her
tank-like vehicle right through
the stop sign and almost through
me as I crossed the street. Like
the psychiatrist assigning mental illness at the mere sound of
crazy shouting, I didn’t have to
look at the motorist. I just knew
from her behavior that she was
yakking on a cellphone. Sure
enough, she was.
Many of us who play pedestrian — even if only in parking lots
— have dodged motorists
blankly staring out the windshield as they jabber on the
phone. Between now and the
ringing-in of 2012, countless
families will have suffered
tragedy at the hands of these distracted drivers. And nothing will
have been done about their dangerous practice, given the strong
political and societal forces
amassing in its defense.
But a serious discussion will
have begun. For that, we can
thank the brave bureaucrats at
the National Transportation
Safety Board. NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman recently called on
states to ban driving under the
influence of a phone call. She
means all cellphone use, including that with wireless headsets.
The hazard of phoning and driving isn’t about where the hands
are. It’s where the brain is. (I’ve
seen guys engrossed in conversation stop their cars in the middle of the road.) Whether one
holds the phone in a hand, wears
a headset or talks into a car’s
voice-activated system, it is the
conversation itself that threatens
the public.
I would guess that the driver
cited above is a hardworking
mother. Like many Americans,
especially women, her hours
rush by in perpetual-motion activity. She feels she must work
for pay, bake cookies, chauffeur
kids, drop off dry cleaning, shop
for presents, get her nails done,
do laundry, decorate the house.
She is all things to all people, except for those who share the
road with her. The bicyclist who
assumes she’s going to stop at
the stop sign is virtually invisible
to her.
Apparently, there is no such
thing as true multitasking. What
we call multitasking is actually
moving rapidly among different
actions. We do one thing, then
we do another. The student
working on homework while
watching TV isn’t accomplishing
both at the same moment. His
attention may flit back and forth,
but at any time, it is on one of the
two activities. (So the idea that
young brains are better at multitasking is off base. Young people
are said to be better at rapidly
switching back and forth between tasks than their elders.)
Over the years, our car-dominated society has taken only
baby steps toward reining in the
use of distracting technology on
the road. No one knows this better than California Sen. Joe
Simitian, a Democrat who spent
five years getting his state to ban
hand-held cellphone use. Eight
other states have followed suit.
But no state has said “no phoning while driving, period,” as the
NTSB urged this month.
Such change won’t happen
quickly. Multitudes of timestressed Americans demand the
freedom to phone under any circumstances. Thus, lawmakers
who rage over the less-disabling
effects of moderate drinking on
driving ability defend this practice as some inalienable right.
(Only 35 states have even outlawed texting while driving.) The
powerful mobile-phone industry
would go bonkers at the thought
of a complete ban. And the car
manufacturers who put in voiceactivated systems as a supposed
safety feature would (understandably) respond, “Hey, wait a
minute.”
Like the campaign against
drunk driving, this one will take
time — and with it, a rising tally
of innocent victims. Someday, it
is hoped, bans on driving while
phoning will become the law of
the land. Kudos to the NTSB for
starting the journey.
To find out more about Froma Harrop, and
read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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of interest to our readers. Letters
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BUSINESS
rocketminer.com
Is the job market on a roll?
Another RIMM slide?
BlackBerry maker Research in
Motion has been steadily losing
ground to the iPhone, and its thirdquarter earnings are likely to show
that trend continuing. Apple introduced its latest iPhone, the 4S,
during the quarter. And Sprint began selling the phone for the first
time. Investors will want to hear
about Research in Motion’s plans
to introduce its QNX operating system. It’s designed to compete with
the iPhone and phones that run on
Google’s Android software.
First-time applications for
unemployment benefits
An encouraging sign about the job
market has been a drop in the number of people who have applied for
unemployment benefits. Last week,
the government said 381,000 people
sought benefits in the week ended
Wednesday’s close: $15.69
Dec. 3. If that number falls below
52-week price range:
375,000 and stays there, economists
$15.41
$69.30 believe unemployment could start to
fall steadily. The weekly count of apOperating EPS
plications fluctuates, but the four3Q ’11 1.74
week average is considered a more
3Q ’12 (est) 1.15
reliable indicator of the job market.
It’s at an eight-month low.
Price-earnings ratio: 3
381k
Dec. 3
Dec. 10
Week ending
Local Stocks
52-WK RANGE
NAME
TICKER
vjAMR
AMR
AT&T Inc
T
Alcoa
AA
Anadarko
LO
HI
CLOSE
CHG %CHG WK
YTD
1YR
MO QTR %CHG %RTN
VOL
(Thous) P/E
-92.2
40087
dd
...
1.72
DIV
+.07 +12.1
s
t
t
28.81
-.23
-0.8
t
s
s
-1.9
+6.9
22253
15
8.94
-.10
-1.1
t
t
t
-41.9
-36.2
38586
9
0.12
85.50
73.72 -2.77
-3.6
t
t
s
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+10.2
4328
dd
0.36
5
49.50
41.10
-.53
-1.3
t
t
s
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-0.3
5978
16
1.68
2
81.00
45.96 -1.92
-4.0
t
t
t
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7301
12
0.60
1
15.31
-.09
-1.7
t
t
t
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-57.3
218137
dd
0.04
100.53 -3.09
-3.0
t
t
s
+10.2
+20.8
15298
7
3.12
-.30
-0.7
t
s
t
+27.6
+34.2
655
22
0.68
-.49
-2.7
t
t
s
-11.1
-4.7
58538
16
0.24
26.05
-.85
-3.2
t
t
s
-44.9
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67287
7
0.04
15.05
-.14
-0.9
t
t
s
+11.1
+13.7
19081
8
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28.73
22.18
-.50
-2.2
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26797
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25.73
24.87
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8122
cc
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88.23
79.44 -1.09
-1.4
t
s
s
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+13.8
23630
10
1.88
63.81
7
93.00
81.54
-.64
-0.8
t
s
s
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+3.6
644
24
0.60
9.05
2
18.97
10.15
-.33
-3.1
t
t
s
-39.5
-36.4
51409
5
0.20
GE
14.02
4
21.65
16.61
+.19
+1.2
t
s
s
-9.2
-3.5
83328
14
0.68f
Hallibrtn
HAL
27.21
2
57.77
31.00
-.86
-2.7
t
t
s
-24.1
-21.7
28397
11
0.36
HonwllIntl
HON
41.22
5
62.28
51.55
-.76
-1.5
t
t
s
-3.0
+3.2
4780
13
1.49f
Intel
INTC
19.16
7
25.78
23.31
-.25
-1.1
t
t
s
+10.8
+13.2
54880
10
0.84
IBM
IBM
144.15
188.72 -2.43
-1.3
t
s
s
+28.6
+34.5
4956
15
3.00
JPMorgCh
JPM
27.85
2
48.36
31.51
+.22
+0.7
t
s
s
-25.7
-22.7
40139
7
1.00
MicronT
MU
3.97
2
11.95
5.45
-.16
-2.9
t
t
s
-32.0
-31.1
36543
36
...
Microsoft
MSFT
23.65
4
29.46
25.59
-.17
-0.7
t
t
s
-8.3
-3.0
46866
9
0.80
MorgStan
MS
11.58
2
31.04
15.06
-.11
-0.7
t
s
s
-44.7
-42.9
29147
9
0.20
Pfizer
PFE
16.63
9
21.45
20.86
+.10
+0.5
s
s
s
+19.1
+25.4
56160
13
0.88f
PulteGrp
PHM
3.29
5
8.69
5.60
-.36
-6.0
t
s
s
-25.5
-15.2
13742
dd
...
Questar
STR
16.36
8
19.91
18.88
-.41
-2.1
t
t
s
+8.4
+14.2
1460
16
0.65f
RschMotn
RIMM
15.32
1
70.54
15.08
-.40
-2.6
t
t
t
-74.1
-74.5
26911
3
...
Saks
SKS
7.67
3
12.97
9.03
+.02
+0.2
t
t
s
-15.6
-21.7
3183
22
...
Schlmbrg
SLB
54.79
3
95.64
67.00 -3.41
-4.8
t
t
s
-19.8
-13.4
13111
20
1.00
SiriusXM
SIRI
1.27
5
2.44
1.76
-.04
-2.2
s
s
s
+8.0
+30.4
31291
44
...
SprintNex
S
2.10
1
6.45
2.27
-.12
-5.0
t
t
t
-46.3
-45.3
31997
dd
...
UnionPac
UNP
77.73
7 107.89
98.62 -1.57
-1.6
t
t
s
+6.4
+10.8
3973
16
2.40f
WellsFargo
WFC
22.58
3
34.25
25.86
+.07
+0.3
t
s
s
-16.6
-13.1
32605
10
0.48
WmsCos
WMB
21.90
8
33.47
30.59
-.78
-2.5
t
t
s
+23.7
+33.2
9255
19
1.00f
Xerox
XRX
6.55
3
12.08
7.79
-.13
-1.6
t
t
s
-32.4
-32.1
10559
13
0.17
Yahoo
YHOO
11.09
6
18.84
15.02
-.40
-2.6
t
t
s
-9.7
-7.7
26776
18
...
0.20
1
8.89
.69
27.20
4
31.94
8.45
1
18.47
APC
57.11
6
BP PLC
BP
33.62
BakrHu
BHI
41.91
BkofAm
BAC
5.03
Chevron
CVX
86.68
6 110.01
ChurchD s
CHD
33.44
9
46.29
44.04
Cisco
CSCO
13.30
6
22.34
17.98
Citigrp rs
C
21.40
2
51.50
Dell Inc
DELL
12.99
5
17.60
EMC Cp
EMC
19.84
3
ElPasoCp
EP
13.07
ExxonMbl
XOM
67.03
FMC Corp
FMC
FordM
F
GenElec
9 194.90
5.23
-91.2
Dividend Footnotes: a - Extra dividends were paid, but are not included. b - Annual rate plus stock. c - Liquidating dividend. e - Amount declared or paid in last 12 months. f
- Current annual rate, which was increased by most recent dividend announcement. i - Sum of dividends paid after stock split, no regular rate. j - Sum of dividends paid this
year. Most recent dividend was omitted or deferred. k - Declared or paid this year, a cumulative issue with dividends in arrears. m - Current annual rate, which was decreased
by most recent dividend announcement. p - Initial dividend, annual rate not known, yield not shown. r - Declared or paid in preceding 12 months plus stock dividend. t - Paid in
stock, approximate cash value on ex-distribution date. PE Footnotes: q - Stock is a closed-end fund - no P/E ratio shown. cc - P/E exceeds 99. dd - Loss in last 12 months.
Commodities
FUELS
CLOSE
Crude Oil (bbl)
94.95
Ethanol (gal)
2.07
Heating Oil (gal)
2.83
Natural Gas (mm btu) 3.14
Unleaded Gas (gal)
2.50
Crude oil fell
$5.19 per barrel
to $94.95 on
worries that
Europe’s debt
crisis is worsening. Gold fell
below $1,600
per ounce for
the first time
since July as
the dollar
strengthened.
PVS.
100.14
2.11
2.93
3.28
2.63
%CHG %YTD
-5.18
+3.9
+0.05 -13.1
-3.38 +11.3
-4.36 -28.8
-4.64
+2.1
METALS
Gold (oz)
Silver (oz)
Platinum (oz)
Copper (lb)
Palladium (oz)
CLOSE
1584.30
28.88
1426.30
3.27
617.70
PVS.
1659.90
31.20
1492.30
3.43
662.15
%CHG %YTD
-4.55 +11.5
-7.42
-6.6
-4.42 -19.6
-4.71 -26.3
-6.71 -23.1
AGRICULTURE
CLOSE
PVS.
%CHG %YTD
Cattle (lb)
1.18
Coffee (lb)
2.15
Corn (bu)
5.80
Cotton (lb)
0.85
Lumber (1,000 bd ft) 224.70
Orange Juice (lb)
1.68
Soybeans (bu)
11.00
Wheat (bu)
5.88
1.18
2.19
5.89
0.87
229.60
1.67
11.19
5.92
+0.23
-1.62
-1.44
-2.51
-2.13
+0.24
-1.65
-0.63
est.
390k
+9.5
-10.6
-7.8
-41.2
-25.6
-2.7
-21.1
-26.0
Discover earnings
Discover Financial Services has
been one of the best financial stocks
this year because consumers have
Wednesday’s close: $23.82
been more willing to spend as the
economy has shown signs of im52-week price range:
provement. Its fourth-quarter earn$27.92
$17.86
ings will show how much Discover
Operating EPS
has benefited from that trend, and
how strong the holiday shopping sea- 3Q ’11 1.74
son has been. Discover may, like oth- 3Q ’12 (est) 0.90
er card issuers, say more consumers Price-earnings ratio: 6
are defaulting on payments. But overDividend yield: 1%
all, its customers are seen as having
Dividend yield : 0.24%
strong payment records.
1,280
S&P 500
2,680
Nasdaq composite
Close: 1,211.82
Change: -13.91 (-1.1%)
2,600
Close: 2,539.31
Change: -39.96 (-1.5%)
1,200
2,520
10 DAYS
1,360
DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats
may jettison their demand for higher
taxes on millionaires as part of legislation to extend Social Security tax cuts
for most Americans, officials said
Wednesday as President Barack Obama and Congress struggled to clear
critical year-end bills without triggering a partial government shutdown.
Republicans, too, signaled an eagerness to avoid gridlock and adjourn for
the holidays. With a massive, $1 trillion
funding bill blocked by Democrats,
GOP lawmakers and aides floated the
possibility of a backup measure to
keep the government in operation for
several days after the money runs out
Friday night.
It all comes at the close of a year of
divided government — with a tea party-flavored majority in the House and
Obama’s allies in the Senate — that
has veered from near catastrophe to
last-minute compromise repeatedly
since last January.
The rhetoric Wednesday was biting
at times.
“We have fiddled all year long, all
DAVID MCHUGH AND
GABRIELE STEINHAUSER
AP Business Writers
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Investors have soured on the latest attempt to resolve the European debt
crisis.
Stocks tumbled around the world
Wednesday, the euro slid to an 11month low and borrowing costs spiked
for heavily indebted Italy. The markets’ jitters reflect rising doubts about
the deal European Union leaders
reached at a summit last Friday in
Brussels.
The agreement requires the 17 countries that use the euro and nine other
10 DAYS
30-YR T-BONDS
2.90%
2,600
EU countries to balance their budgets
and gives the International Monetary
Fund up to €200 ($264 billion) to help
countries with high debt loads.
But there’s growing disappointment
that the new EU treaty:
• Doesn’t reduce existing government debt levels;
• Doesn’t do much to promote the
long-term growth that would shrink
those burdens;
• Doesn’t provide enough money to
reassure financial markets that Italy
and Spain can keep paying their bills.
“Fiscal discipline is needed in the
long term, but it doesn’t address today’s crisis,” says Athanasios Vamvakidis, head European currency
J
A
S
O
N
D
A. Bought stocks
B. Sold stocks
C. Bought bonds
D. No moves
GOLD
$1,584.30
-5.19
EURO
$1.2977
-.11
6-MO T-BILLS
.04%
-39.96
-75.60
-.0066
...
Obama’s jobs program. Another is the
$1 trillion spending measure that
would lock in cuts that Republicans
won earlier in the year. The third
measure is a $662 billion defense bill
setting policy for military personnel,
weapons systems and the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, plus national security programs in the Energy Department.
After a two-day silence, the White
House said Obama would sign the
measure despite initial concern over a
provision requiring the military to take
custody of any suspect deemed to be a
member of al-Qaida or its affiliates and
involved in plotting or committing attacks on the United States. U.S. citizens would be exempt.
Reid and other top Democratic senators met with Obama at the White
House at midafternoon, and congressional aides said the topic was the endof-year legislation.
Democrats have made the proposed
millionaires’ tax central to their plan
for the payroll tax cut extension, and
officials stressed no decision had been
made on whether to drop it. They
spoke on condition of anonymity to
talk about legislative strategy.
strategist at Merrill Lynch-Bank of
America.
“There isn’t enough money to stop
the run on sovereign bonds of Italy
and Spain. Investors don’t want to buy
their debt.”
It was also unclear how the agreement, which is being written into a
treaty, would be enforced and whether
some of the countries that signed on
might end up dropping out because of
resistance to budget cuts back home.
Britain has rejected the deal.
“Markets like quick fixes and have
no patience with the length of the political processes,” says Gianni Toniolo,
a professor of economics and history
at Duke University.
DEPOSIT ED ...
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Question of the Day
What investment moves did
you make during November?
-131.46
q
q
q
n
W IT HDREW .. .
2,400
J
NASDAQ
2,539.31
If you want to get a sense of how investors are
feeling, look at where they put their money.
They deposited a net $42 billion into money market mutual funds in November, according to the research firm Strategic Insight. The volatility in stocks
during the month sent investors back to the safety of
these funds after they had optimistically withdrawn
a net $21 billion in October. The S&P 500 was down
as much as 7 percent during November, then recovered to a loss of under 1 percent.
The cash added to money market mutual funds
last month was also a reversal of the trend this year.
Investors have withdrawn a net $173 billion since
Jan. 1. The appeal of these funds as an investment
has faded because returns have been barely above
zero since early 2009. They follow short-term interest rates. When investors put money back into the
funds, they’re putting safety above returns.
2,500
2,300
-13.91
Strategic Insight also reports that
investors:
2,700
1,120
1,040
CRUDE OIL
$94.95
year,” the Republican leader, Sen.
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, complained in a less-than-harmonious exchange on the Senate floor with Majority Leader Harry Reid. McConnell accused Democrats of “routinely setting
up votes designed to divide us ... to
give the president a talking point out
on the campaign trail.”
Reid shot back that McConnell had
long ago declared Obama’s defeat to
be his top priority. And he warned that
unless Republicans show a willingness
to bend, the country faces a government shutdown “that will be just as
unpopular” as the two that occurred
when Newt Gingrich was House
speaker more than a decade ago.
It was a reminder — as if McConnell
and current Speaker John Boehner of
Ohio needed one — of the political debacle that ensued for Republicans
when Gingrich was outmaneuvered in
a showdown with former President
Bill Clinton.
At issue now are three year-end bills
that Obama and leaders in both parties
in Congress say they want. One would
extend expiring Social Security payroll
tax cuts and benefits for the long-term
unemployed, provisions at the heart of
Safety first
2,800
1,200
DOW
11,823.48
q
q
q
q
Euro under pressure as EU summit optimism fades
2,900
1,280
S&P 500
1,211.82
Dems may drop millionaires
tax in year-end dispute
Stocks Recap
1,240
Page 9A
Y E ST E R DAY ’ S P O L L
What kind of yearend financial
planning do you do?
Rebalance
50%
Quick click your answers at
Bargain hunt 0%
Results do not reflect a scientific poll.
They show only how readers responded. Figures may not total 100 due to rounding.
Fund my
IRA
50%
WI T HDREW. . .
... a net $16.1 billion from stock
mutual funds last month. That
was the seventh straight month
of withdrawals. Stocks were hurt
by concerns that Europe’s debt
crisis would harm the U.S. economy. Investors have withdrawn
a net $65 billion from stock funds
this year. That exceeds the $49
billion for all of 2010.
... a net $11.9 billion into bond
funds last month. About $9
billion in new cash was added to taxable bond funds, a
category that includes corporate bonds. Corporate bonds
are seen as safer than stocks.
Nearly $3 billion was deposited last month into municipal
bond funds that invest in the
debt of state and local governments. Bond funds have had
total net deposits of $104 billion this year.
... a net $2.6 billion from foreign
stock funds last month. Companies in other countries are seen
as more vulnerable than U.S.
businesses to global economic
problems. Their stocks were also hurt by China’s slowing economic growth. November’s withdrawals were also a shift from
investors’ strategy for much of
the year. They’ve deposited a
net $45 billion into foreign funds
in 2011 as they bet that emerging markets would have strong
long-term growth.
Mark Jewell, Kristen Girard • AP
10A
rocketminer.com
Christmas Animals In The Winter Woods
: Sage Elementary School students perform the finale during the “The Animals’ Christmas Tree” concert on Dec. 13 in the gymnasium of Sage Elementary School. Songs included “On a Wintery Night,”
“Goodnight, My Friend,” “Merryville Carol” and “Light the Lights.”
ROCK SPRINGS
rocketminer.com
Reindeer Whisperers
1B
Photo courtesy of Westridge Elementary School
: The Westridge Elementary School choir, right, performs “Christmas Eve Eve” during the school’s performance of “The Reindeer Whisperer” concert. Santa, played by AJ Moneyhun, left, asks fellow
performers for help in saving Christmas. Other songs included “Can you please save Christmas?” “Why Won’t You Fly?” “Words Can Hurt” and “It’s Time to fly.”
ROCK SPRINGS
CLASSIFIED
rocketminer.com
ROCKET- MINER
OILFIELD SERVICE Com- HONNEN EQUIPMENT pany seeking Roustabouts. Shop Service Technician
GIVE US A CALL TO GET STARTED
307-362-3736 • 1-888-443-3736
advertising@rocketminer.com
Experience preferred but
will have on the job training. Must have valid driver’s license. Full benefits
package, 401K and paid vacation. Please fax resume
to 362-7795, Attention: Bobbie, or email resume to
bobbie.rofs@gmail.com or
email for application or
questions.
CLASSIFIED RULES, RATES
$1.05 1 or 2 days
.95¢ 3 to 5 days
.85¢ 6 or more days
- Ads are per line per day consecutive days
- Add one-time $1.00 for a
mandatory web site charge
- Minimum Ad: 2 lines
- Minimum Charges: $3.10
Ad Size
1
Day
3
Days
6
Days
2 lines
3 lines
4 lines
5 lines
6 lines
7 lines
$3.10
4.15
5.20
6.25
7.30
8.35
$6.70
9.55
12.40
15.25
18.10
20.95
$11.20
16.30
21.40
26.50
31.60
36.70
RIG WELDER
with truck to
work on drilling rigs. North
Dakota, Wyoming areas.
Call 389-2843, 389-9385.
ALL SHIFTS
available. No
experience necessary. Stop
in Cowboy Donuts at 1573
Dewar Drive to apply. Preemployment drug screen
required.
* prices include $1.00 web site charge
Figure four average-length words per
line, but give us a call for exact info.
Deadlines: Line ads accepted daily until 2 p.m. for following morning’s Rocket-Miner. Cancellations and corrections will be accepted until 2 p.m. Deadline for Saturday
and Sunday papers is 2 p.m. Friday.
Check your ad: The Rocket-Miner will not be responsible
for errors appearing in ads after first publication.
Box numbers: An additional charge of $5.00 is required on
all Rocket-Miner Box Numbers. $10.00, if mailed.
Non-local rate: $1.05 Per Line Per Day Flat. Non-local rates
apply to advertisements of firms outside of Southwestern
Wyoming. Add $1.00 for web site charge.
Classified Display Ad Rates, Deadlines: Per Inch: $9.55.
Advertisements accepted daily until 12 noon for following
morning’s Rocket-Miner. Cancellations and corrections
accepted until 12 noon.
*AVON*
Call Sherry at
362-3534, to buy products
or sign up to sell.
*CREATIVE MEMORIES*
Traditional or digital scrapbooking or card making
supplies. Products or parties. Call Krista at (307)
431-2217.
ADOPT: A
caring, loving
couple wishes to give your
newborn a secure, joyful
home with endless love.
Expenses paid. Kathleen
and Vin 1-877-602-3678.
RSC EQUIPMENT
Rental is
hiring! Now hiring experienced CDL Driver at our
Boulder location. Apply
online at:
www.rsccareers.com or in
person at the Boulder
branch Dec. 13-15. Contact
Amy for details and directions at 866-909-9187 Extension 6154.
WITHIN
ROCK SPRINGS,
1992 three bed, two bath, with
swamp cooler, fenced yard.
$850/month, $850/ de-posit,
lot rent included. FREE water,
garbage, sewer. One year
lease, no pets. 555-5555,
555-5555.
1
Good.
Simple,
multi-line ad.
Mechanic. Maintain and repair heavy equipment and
cranes. Two plus years experience. Paid training.
Competitive pay and full
benefit package.
HR@honnen.com or fax
303-600-0960.
FULL-TIME Delivery Driver.
Must be 18 or older and
have clean driving record.
Apply in person at NAPA,
1300 Dewar Drive.
H & R Block
now hiring for
Front Desk position for
both Rock Springs and
Green River Offices. Must
be able to multi-task, handle a multi-phone line system, all while smiling and
making clients welcome.
This position is for the
upcoming Tax season. Apply in person, 1461 Dewar
Drive. Open Tuesdays and
Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EXPERIENCED
SERVERS.
Must be able to serve alcohol. Apply in person at The
Renegade Cafe, 1610 Elk
Street, Rock Springs. No
phone calls please.
FLATBED DRIVER
wanted,
must have CDL and two
years experience. Competive wages, paid vacation
after first year. Fax resume
to 307-782-7623, any questions 307- 747- 2328.
PICK YOUR FORMAT
Choose what works best for your ad. We also offer centering of text and Garage Sale Kits. Call for details.
CUSTOM DRAPERIES
LOCAL CLASS A CDL Deliv-
Western Wyoming
Windows (307) 350-6579
ery driver, 23 years of age.
Flatbed experience helpful,
piggy back forklift experience or will train. Call
435-633-5347.
EXPERIENCED AUTO
DETAILING, licensed and insured, will accept all major
credit, debit cards and purchase orders. 382-4440,
389-1844, leave message.
PROFESSIONAL RESUMES
362-9068
TOWING:
2
WITHIN ROCK SPRINGS,
1992 three bed, two bath,
with swamp cooler, fenced
yard. $850 /month, $850/ deposit, lot rent included.
FREE water, garbage, sewer. One year lease, no pets.
555-5555, 555-5555.
Better. Add
an icon or an
attention getter.
Cars, Trucks,
Semi’s, Machinery. Also
private property towing.
Call 389-9225.
TARUFELLI DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION for your
building needs, large or
small. Call 307-362-2247.
ELECTRICIANS ON CALL
24 hours
Tarpon Energy, 382-2709
CALL MONTE
Vista Construction for all your roofing needs. 382-0767.
3
Best.
Customize your
ad! Upgrade to
a display ad.
Add photos,
borders or logos
for maximum
impact.
INTERIOR and EXTERIOR MEDICAL
ASSISTANT
Painting/Texturing. Locally needed for multi-specialty
Owned, excellent referfast-paced clinic. Medical
ences. Pablo and Picasso
experience and computer
Painting, 362-4589, 371-2002 skills preferred. Must be
to work evenings
SHOTGUN WEDDING and willing
weekends. Send reParty Supplies, 123 Broad- and
plies to Blind Box 282, care
way, Rock Springs, (307)
922-2771. Ordained Wedding Officiant, just bring in
your wedding license and
two witnesses, we do the
rest. We also have party
supplies and gifts. Come
Check Us Out!
DANNY’S AUTO DETAILING
of Rocket-Miner, PO Box 98,
Rock Springs, WY 82902.
EXPERIENCED CLASS A CDL
Flatbed Driver needed, one
year driving and oilfield experience a plus. Call Lori,
362-9043.
Pick up, drop off. 389-2782
LOOKING FOR a contractor
that does his own work?
HOLP CONSTRUCTION has
your on-the-job contractor.
Now doing estimates for
winter remodeling projects: additions, basement,
kitchens and baths. Call
Terry, 362-6680. www.holp
-construction.com.
QUICK, CLEAN Home cleaning, 354-6391.
EXPERIENCED
SPEED BUMP
BY DAVE COVERLY
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL
acres
for sale. For inquiries and
appointments
call
TARUFELLI DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION. 362-2247,
(307) 389-5380.
UNIQUE GIFTS
and great
stocking stuffers, Kopy
Korner, 418 Broadway.
FILL YOUR Christmas want
lists at the Dugout, 515 N.
Front St.
KELLY’S Convenience
Center is looking for experienced Clerks. You must be
21, honest, dependable and
drug free. Apply in person
at 1652 9th Street, 1900 Yellowstone Road, or 1645
Sunset Drive.
FULL-TIME
or part-time
Bartender. Apply in person
at Buddha Bob’s Bar.
HONNEN EQUIPMENT
Parts Coordinator
Parts
counter,
phone
orders, returns, Customer
issues. Attention to detail.
One-two years Parts Experience. Professional Customer Service Oriented.
HR@honnen.com or (303)
600-0960.
WELDER
wanted immediately. Local,
full-time employee position
with rig rent available now.
Benefits include health
insurance, dental insurance and paid time off.
Please contact Wyutex Energy, (307) 362-3644 in order to apply or fax resume
and copy of Motor Vehicle
Record to (307) 362-3017.
Page 2B
rocketminer.com
ROUTE
SALES Driver
wanted for linen company
to run a route in and
around Rock Springs. Great
pay, 401K, health insurance, paid holidays, weekends off. Call Dwaine Collins to schedule interview
at (307) 389-7547.
SANDS INN has the cheap-
est weekly and nightly
rooms, with refrigerator,
microwave and Wi-Fi. Call
389-1309.
ROOM FOR rent,
Rock
Springs. (307) 747-5571.
ROOM FOR
rent, $375 per
month. Call 875-5972, before 3 p.m.
204 LIBERTY #B - Four bed,
1.5 bath, rent $1100, deposit starts at *$1100. No
pets/No smoking. Southwest Real Estate, (307)
382-9180 or visit:
southwestwyoming.com.
Equal Housing.
TWO BEDROOM, all utilities
paid, $650/month. 362-2929.
NEWLY REMODELED
two
bedroom, one bath, $750
per month plus electric, no
pets, 8x15 storage on site.
350-0128, 382-6542.
409 ARCHERS
Trail, Rock
Springs. Four bedroom, 2.5
bath, rent $1800, deposit
starts at *$1800. Call Southwest Real Estate (307)
382-9180 or visit:
southwestwyoming.com
Equal Housing.
1388 ALPINE, Rock Springs.
Three bed, two bath, rent
$1500 per month, security
deposit starts at $1500. Call
Southwest Real Estate,
(307) 382-9180 or visit:
Equal Housing.
THREE BEDROOM
town
houses in Green River. Call
389-1077, 871-1351.
http://landlrentals.weebly.c
om
THREE BEDROOM house, all
utilities paid, washer and
dryer, $1250 per month.
362-2929.
ROCK SPRINGS-
Two bed,
one bath, new remodel, no
smoking, $850 - utilities included. 801-891-4061.
UPCOMING APARTMENTS
for rent; two bedroom, one
bath for only $725, deposit
$350. Pet friendly, first two
months free pet rent. Best
deal in town. Call 382-6281.
TWO BEDROOM,
two bath
townhome. Recently remodeled, finished basement, private yard. Pets
okay, $1300 per month. Call
371-9462.
ONE BEDROOM
house for
rent. $550, all utilities paid.
389-0782.
BEDROOM, Rock
Springs. 309 “I” Street. $800
a month, $1000 security deposit. Month to month
lease. Smokers and pets
welcome, pets extra. Call
Russ, 922-3301.
LIFT recliner,
brown, 2 months old. Paid
$900; will sell for $500.
350-9281.
TWO HIGH back bar stools,
walnut with black upholstery, good condition, $40.
389-8135.
home
gym with power rods,
workout bench, leg extensions, $700, (307) 349-2965.
MIKE IS
having a holiday
sports card sale at Mitch’s
Cafe. He has a wide selection of authentic autographed UFC cards and
many football and baseball
singles. Cookin’ great deals
for the holidays on complete sets! Such as: 1984
TOPPS FOOTBALL - $200!
1974 TOPPS BASEBALL $300! 1969 TOPPS B BASEBALL - (incomplete set
only, missing 43 cards) $500! These are super deals
that are far too good to
pass up. All cards are near
mint condition, so stop by
or call 307-273-9606, ask for
Mike. We also offer gift certificates at Mitch’s Cafe in
beautiful
Farson,
WY.
Merry Christmas!
LA-Z-BOY RECLINER,
like
new; 32 in. Sanyo color TV;
DVD movies. 382-3403.
KARAOKE
RENTALS at
Pickin’ Palace, 553 N. Front
Street.
TWO
PARTIALLY FURNISHED stu-
dio apartment, no smoking,
no pets. $600/month, $500
deposit. 382-7142.
MONROE APARTMENTS
in
Green River. Two bed, 1.5
bath
townhouse
style
apartments. Rent $700 per
month, $700 deposit. Some
pets allowed with $150
non-refundable pet fee
plus $25 additional a
month. Call Southwest Real
Estate, 307-382-9180 or visit
Equal Housing.
GREEN RIVER,
fully furnished two bedroom. One
car garage. All utilities
paid, washer/dryer. No
smoking, no pets. Deposit
required. 875-7032, leave
message.
***NEW LUXURY CONDO***
***FREE RENT***
Three bedroom, two bath.
Tile, granite counter tops,
air conditioning, garages.
Must see! First, last, plus
deposit. One year lease.
New, behind Smith’s, Green
River. (801) 368-8660
TWO BEDROOM apartment.
All utilities paid except
electricity, no smoking, no
pets, $700. Call 389-1445.
ONE BEDROOM,
all utilities
paid, no pets. $600 rent,
$300 deposit. Call 362-1727,
leave message if no answer.
TWO BEDROOM
unfurnished with refrigerator
and range. No pets. Utilities
paid, $895. 362-7428.
TWO BEDROOM - 1415 E.
Teton, Green River. $675
rent and deposit, plus electric and water. Lease required. No pets. Call
389-0078 or 870-6112.
THREE BED, 1.5 bath in
Green River, pets considered, $1200 per month. Call
307-371-8265.
Reduced Factory Inventory
30x36 – Regular $12,300,
Now $9,970.
36x58 – Regular $20,300,
Now $16,930.
48x96 – Regular $42,400,
Now $36,200.
81x130 – Regular $104,800,
Now $89,940.
Source# 1LA, 307-213-4242.
ST. BERNARD, male, 2 years
old. $400, includes house.
871-7657.
ONE SHIH TZU male puppy
left 10 1/2 weeks old and
$400. 307-362-9044.
REGISTERED - TWO
male
brindle Pit Bull puppies, 8
weeks old. (307) 922-1936.
LABRADOR
RETRIEVER,
playful. 2 year 8 month female, good with cats,
black. Must see to appreciate! 307-276-4282 in Marbleton, WY. Ready for a
home. Great markings. Free
to good home.
WORKING FRAC Sand Truck
and Trailer for sale. Call
Tim, 307-680-4741.
REFRIGERATORS,
washers
and dryers, $100 and up.
Blaine, 212-2432.
MOVING SALE,
1480 Colorado Circle, Green River,
Thursday and Friday, 10
a.m. - 2 p.m. Couch sets,
oak entertainment center,
cherrywood table with two
leafs.
Much
more.
354-6981.
REFRIGERATOR $35; Stove
$25 - both work. 389-8135.
WANTED, DEAD
or alive,
Appliances. 30 inch electric
stove, $100. 30 inch gas
stove, $175. Call Blaine at
(307) 212-2432.
3B
FOR SALE or lease, 5700 sq.
ft., office/shop, industrial
building on two acres,
great visibility from I-80.
Call Rocky Mountain Real
Estate, 362-9990.
TWO LARGE cul-de-sac lots
for sale. 362-2929.
PRIME HEAVY
industrial
acreage available. Ready to
build on. Call 389-8194.
Let The
Classifieds
Work For You
362-3736
TWO BED,
refrigerator,
stove, washer/dryer, just
cleaned the carpets, seller
will finance with $1100
down; Two bed two full
bath, refrigerator, stove
top, wall oven, dishwasher,
built in deep freeze,
washer and dryer hookups,
seller will finance with
$2200 down. 801-910-8105.
NOTICE OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND
AVAILABILITY OF MINUTES
Notice is hereby given that regular meetings of the Board of Trustees of
Sweetwater County School District Number One, State of Wyoming, are
held each month at 7 p.m. on the second Monday in the Board Room of
the Central Administration Building, 3550 Foothill Blvd., Rock Springs,
Wyoming and such meetings are open to the public. Special Meetings of
the Board may be advertised and held at the discretion of the Board
Chairman.
Notice is also given that official minutes of each regular or special meeting of such board, including a record of all official acts and of all warrants issued, are available for inspection by any citizen during regular office hours at the office of the Clerk of said District at 3550 Foothill
Blvd., Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Board of Trustees
Sweetwater County
School District Number One
Dec. 15___________________________________________________
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID
Lincoln MS Energy Reduction Project
10 YEAR old registered sorrel overo paint gelding,
$1300. 7 year old registered
bay overo paint gelding,
$1100. 1993 Logan coach
Sweetwater County School District #2 is requesting bid proposals for a
single project consisting of work at the following sites: Lincoln MS Energy Reduction Project. The Project site is located in Green River, WY.
Bidding documents will be available at CTA, Inc. (208) 336-4900 or at
School District Maintenance office (307) 872-5599 on December 14,
2011. This project is an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) funded project, requiring the (Davis Bacon Act; Buy American;
and Disadvantages Business Enterprise) regulations be followed.
Bidder’s Proposals shall be accompanied by 10% Bid Bond, in the form
of a money order or certified checks. The form of contract will be a revised AIA Document A107 - 1997 Contract Form, prepared by the attorney to Sweetwater County School District #2. A mandatory pre-bid
meeting will be held at the SWSD2 District Maintenance office starting
at 10 a.m. December 20, 2011. Bids will be accepted until December 28,
2011, 2 p.m. at Sweetwater County School District #2, Attn: Doug
Hamel, 320 Monroe, Green River, WY 82935. Further information and
specifications may be obtained by emailing laurar@ctagroup.com.
four-horse,
slant
load
bumper pull, front and rear
tack, $4700, 705-2520.
HORSE CORRAL
for sale,
CMS Corral (FMC Park Corrals). 354-6981.
Clerk, Board of Trustees
/c/ Sherri Smith
Sweetwater County
School District #2
Green River, WY
Dec. 15___________________________________________________
KOA MONTHLY lodges. Un-
der new ownership. Furnished one bedroom, bath,
kitchen. $1100/month utilities furnished, Wi-Fi and
cable free. 307-362-3063.
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
ONE BEDROOM
Pursuant to the Judgment, Decree of Foreclosure and Order of Sale of
the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming entered on
October 21, 2011, foreclosing a certain Mortgage dated December 19,
2007, and recorded December 19, 2007 in the real property records of
Sweetwater County, Wyoming in book 1110 at pages 0655-0663, from
the defendant, Bon Ton Roulet, Inc., to the plaintiff, Community South
Bank, the undersigned will, on the 29th day of December, 2011, at 10:00
o’clock a.m. of said day, at the front door of the Sweetwater County
Courthouse in Green River, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, offer for sale
at public auction to the highest and best bidder, the following described
real estate, to-wit:
UNFURNISHED TWO
A TRACT OF LAND IN SECTION 27, TOWNSHIP 18 NORTH,
RANGE 107 WEST, SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING, BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
THREE BED, two bath, north
of Rock Springs, tenant
pays gas and electric, one
year lease, no pets allowed, 389-1077, 871-1351,
http://landlrentals.weebly.c
om
unit, $500
per month plus utilities, for
more
information
call
382-7482.
Bedroom trailer. No pets. Deposit, you pay heat. Call
362-2827.
THREE BED, two bath doublewide, Gateway Village,
#27. $1100 a month plus
gas and power. $800 deposit. No pets. Paul, (307)
389-8790. Connie, 371-3810
12x60 - $700 rent, $700
deposit, plus utilities. Call
382-6274.
OVER 1500
sq. ft. on Commercial Way in Postal
Square. 12 ft. garage door,
three phase electrical.
Great shop space. No retail
entrance. Minimum one
year lease. Reference required. $1100 per month
plus $1100 deposit. Call
Tom Fossen at AAA Properties 389-5180, or 362-4911.
Owner/Agent.
GREAT LOCATION for small
business in high traffic
area which includes living
quarters. Call 362-2563.
FOR LEASE
- 20,000 sq. ft.
light industrial building. Includes
offices,
shop,
heated warehouse and two
acre fenced yard. Great location, can be divided. Broker owned, Rocky Mountain Real Estate, 362-9990.
CLEAN, SPACIOUS two bed-
room apartment, close to
elementary schools. No
pets. Call 362-2949.
torcycles, ATV’s, Campers.
Wolf Auto - 362-1555.
STEEL BUILDINGS
AR-15,
$1,000. Armstrong AR-15,
speaks receiver, $1,500.
Browning 338 A-bolt with
Leupold
6x20,
$1,800.
389-1846.
camp trailer lot
space
for
rent.
Call
382-5897. $350 includes
water and garbage.
Green River. Lots of parking. Broker owned. Rocky
Mountain
Real
Estate,
362-9990.
- two bedroom, small front fenced
yard, RV parking, 10 month
old carpet, kitchen, paint,
etc., well insulated, washer
and dryer. We pay water,
garbage and sewer, $725
monthly, $700 one year
contract. 307-871-6500.
WE BUY Trucks, SUV’s, Mo-
BUSHMASTER
RV OR
3000 SQ. FT. retail space in
GREEN RIVER
FOR SALE By Owner. As is.
Great Rental. Call 382-3554
for more Information and
to set up a viewing of the
home.
POWER
BOWFLEX BLAZE
8 FT.
metal utility cap for
pickup with ladder rack.
Wired for security, key
locks. $900, 307-448-0030.
PALLETS FOR sale, $3 each.
382-7131.
BEAUTIFUL 1700-plus sq. ft.
townhome in Garbett’s new
Morningside community.
Starting price, $164,900.
Call Craig Knudsen, Garbett
Realty, (307) 922-3822.
BEGINNING AT A POINT THAT LIES SOUTH 18º56’ WEST, 20.00
FEET FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER, LOT 1, BLOCK 6, OF
THE PAXTON WEBB ADDITION TO THE TOWN (NOW CITY) OF
GREEN RIVER, SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING; THENCE
SOUTH 18º56’ WEST, 279.16 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 34º41’ WEST,
159.59 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 64º49’ EAST, 437.48 FEET TO A
POINT ON THE WESTERLY R.O.W. LINE ON THE ARC OF A
CURVE CENTRAL ANGLE 7º44’, CHORD BEARING NORTH
35º48’ EAST, A DISTANCE OF 502.36 FEET; THENCE NORTH
71º04’ WEST, 537.22 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, EXCEPTING THEREFROM THAT PORTION CONVEYED TO UTILITY COMPANIES BY INSTRUMENT RECORDED MAY 5, 1993 IN
BOOK 836, PAGE 1991.
with an address of 1410 and 1416 Uinta Drive, Green River, Wyoming
82935.
The property being foreclosed upon may be subject to other liens and encumbrances that will not be extinguished at the sale and any prospective
purchaser should research the status of title before submitting a bid.
Rick Haskell
Sweetwater County Sheriff
Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22____________________________________________
4B
City of Rock Springs
County of Sweetwater
State of Wyoming
rocketminer.com
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Bills & Claims for December 6, 2011 - Airgas Intermountain, Blanket
order, 943.80; Akers, Patrick, Refund, 71.71; Albertsons, Recreation,
41.98; All About Tires, Tires, 188.00; Alsco-American Linen, Uniforms,
mats, 2,389.88; Amazon/GE Money Bank, Maintenance, 307.38;
Amundsen Construction, Refund, 1,058.00; Amundsen Construction,
Refund, 10.90; Amundsen Construction, Refund, 15.03; Amundsen
Construction, Refund, 15.03; Amundsen Construction, Refund, 15.03;
API Systems Integrators, Equipment, 1,195.05; Arena Systems, Supplies, 413.89; Armstrong, Lyle, Registration, 160.00; Arnold Law Offices, Services, 1,610.00; Arnold, Everett, Housing assistance, 1,059.00;
Bishop, Gary, Refund, 86.71; Blanksvard, Carl, Reimbursement, 205.79;
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Admin fee, 34,120.52; Boot Barn, Inc., Clothing, 109.99; Broken Arrow, Materials, 717.53; C.E.M. Aquatics, Maintenance, 907.00; Cabela’s Marketing, Equipment, 78.38; California Contractor Supplies, Inc., Clothing, 760.05; Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc.,
Services, 66,153.60; Canaday, Carol, Refund, 522.47; Cannon, Stan,
Housing assistance, 930.00; Carrington Pointe Apartments, Housing assistance, 3,908.00; CDW Government, Computers, 920.93; Century
Equipment Company, Inc., Blanket order, 700.75; Centurylink, Telephone, 4,145.73; City Auto Rock Springs, Blanket order, 1,909.71; City
of Rock Springs, Health insurance, 230,237.18; Claco Equipment and
Service, Electronics, 12,500.00; Codale Electric Supply, Inc., Equip-
ment, 636.05; Coleman, Dolores, Reimbursement, 85.00; Commercial
Refrigeration, Maintenance, 12,787.90; Communication Technologies,
Blanket order, 156.50; Copier & Supply Co., Inc., Maintenance,
10,714.09; Cordova, Lisa, Services, 175.00; Cowboy’s Against Cancer,
Sponsor, -750.00; Crider, Duane, Housing assistance, 420.00; Crum
Electric Supply Co., Inc., Blanket order, 64.36; Culligan Soft & Bottled
Water, Water, 57.00; Cummins Rocky Mountain, LLC, Maintenance,
111.30; CVS Systems, Inc., Flags, banners, 542.50; Day Timer, Supplies, 54.97; DeBernardi Construction, Refund, 1,420.21; DeBernardi
Construction, Services, 251,011.65; Dell, Computers, 1,069.80;
DeLong, Mark, Materials, 2,100.00; Demshar, Carl, Reimbursement,
-40.06; Desert Pizza, Inc., Recreation, 17.65; Ennis, Jerry, Refund,
60.00; FBI-Leeda, Services, 50.00; Fedex, Shipping, 634.68; Fenno,
Sandra, Housing assistance, 100.00; First Choice Ford, Blanket order,
107.13; Flo-Controls, Inc., Sewage treatment, 707.51; Foremost Promotions, Equipment, 3,860.20; Fred Pryor Seminar, Registration, 398.00;
Fremont Motor Rock Springs, Blanket order, 103.75; FWD Construction, Refund, 624.00; GED Properties, Inc., Housing assistance, 650.00;
Generation X, Inc., Services, 10,104.00; Giberson, Harold, Housing assistance, 240.00; Grainger, Inc., Equipment, 716.74; Gutierrez, Vanessa,
Services, 105.00; H-Mac Systems, Inc., Air conditioning, 668.00; Haden
Construction, Refund, 1,590.00; Hafey Properties, Housing assistance,
109.00; High Desert Polaris, Maintenance, 101.88; High Security Lock
& Alarm, Blanket order, 2,387.00; Hodges, Dameon, Equipment,
180.00; Homax Oil Sales, Inc., Fuel, 627.05; Home Depot Credit Services, Blanket order, 3,089.08; Hose & Rubber Supply, Blanket order,
476.82; Howell, Vicki Jean, Services, 570.00; Hudspeth and Associates,
Inc., Refund, 101.52; HWP, Inc., Maintenance, 705.95; Ice Skating Institute, Subscription, 375.00; Industrial Supply, Equipment, 114.00; Infinity Power & Controls, Equipment, 6,511.62; Integrated Power Services, Maintenance, 3,960.00; Inter-Mountain Laboratories, Equipment,
1,924.50; International Council of E-Commerce, Services, 300.00; J-Bar
Excavation, Material, 371.80; Jackson Ultima Skates, Inc., Supplies,
3,021.69; JFC Engineers Surveyors, Services, 2126.44; JL Hardy Construction, Services, 147,884.19; JM Electrical Services, Services,
7,581.62; Johnson, Kathleen, Services, 540.00; Joint Powers Telecom
Board, Internet connection, 1,980.00; Jones, Lennox, Refund, 131.57;
Kiefer Aquatic, Retail items, 360.83; Kim, Yoon Bae, Refund, 16.42; L.
N. Curtis & Sons, Clothing, 785.48; Leadership Wyoming, Economic
development, 250.00; Lee, Nikkol, Refund, 124.95; Lewis & Lewis,
Inc., Blanket order, 483.88; Long, Vaughn, Services, 50.00; Longhorn
Construction, Inc., Services, 6,418.73; Lopez, Eddie, Services, 35.00;
Lowell, Mike, Reimbursement, 23.28; MacDonald, John, Refund, 36.57;
Mahaffey, Jo, Supplies, 200.00; Matthew Bender, Services, 162.46; McCormick, Charles, Services, 540.00; MDF Industries, Inc., Supplies,
450.00; Med-Tech Resource, Inc., Equipment, 187.24; Medical Arts
Press, Supplies, 46.30; Modern Marketing, Inc., Equipment, 425.33;
Moeller, Casey, Refund, 53.97; Mountainaire Animal Clinic, Services,
184.34; Mountainland Fire Protection, Equipment, 683.71; MPH Industries, Inc., Maintenance, 184.77; Murphy, Warren, Supplies, 47.88; Myers Anderson Architecture, Services, 2,443.96; Neeff, Lance, Services,
2,500.00; Nicholas & Company, Inc., Concession , 713.76; Norlab, Inc.,
WWTP Collection, 287.00; Northern Safety Co., Inc., Equipment,
348.79; Nu-Tech Specialties, Inc., Blanket order, 3,299.80; Orkin, Inc.,
Pest control, 312.00; Padilla, Kenneth, Housing assistance, 50.00;
Paetec, Telephone, 211.24; Pandalis, John, Housing assistance, 289.00;
Payment Remittance Center, Expenses, 3,766.74; Peternell, Andrew,
Services, 525.00; Pickin Palace, Services, 100.00; Pioneer Gasket of
Wyoming, Inc., Supplies, 102.06; Plan One/Architects, Services,
2,665.98; Polk Directories, Services, 550.00; Pool and Spa News,
Services, 39.97; Postmaster, Shipping, 3,215.93; Power Music, Sound
systems, 277.35; Precision Outdoor Power, Equipment, 18,066.00;
Printers’ Alley, Supplies, 341.79; Progressive Business Publications,
Subscription, 94.56; Questar Gas, Utilities, 21,728.71; R & D Sweeping
& Asphalt, Services, 3,695.96; Real NVest, Housing assistance, 353.00;
Reese, Nathan, Reimbursement, 24.91; Reiman Corporation, Services,
42,073.93; Rizzi, Automotive , Services, 300.00; Rock Springs Chamber
of Commerce, Gift Certificates, 13720.50; Rock Springs Humane Society, K-9 Services/Supplies, 160.00; Rock Springs IV Center, First Aid
Supplies, 137.16; Rock Springs Newspapers, Advertising, 5553.99;
Rock Springs Recycling Center, Finance Expenses, 4750.00; Rock
Springs Renewal Fund, Sponsorship Funding, 2000.00; Rock Springs
Winlectric, Maintenance Supplies, 735.31; Rocky Mountain Power,
Electrical Bill, 34247.64; Rocky Mountain Powersports, Equipment
Parts, 107.12; Rod Mines Reclamation, Construction Services, 670.00;
Rogers Excavation, Refund, 2860.00; Rosenbauer Minnesota LLC,
Equipment Parts, 206.64; RS Refrigeration, Appliances, 405.98; RUUD
Lighting, Electrical Equipment, 275.00; S/D Inc., Builders Supplies,
388.00; School-Tech, Crossing Guard Vest, 43.45; Shantz, Eric, Housing Assistance, 408.00; Shantz, Norman, Housing Assistance, 528.00;
Sirchie Laboratories, Police Supplies, 681.37; Skaggs Companies, Inc.,
Police Clothing, 455.90; Skillpath On-Site, Educational Services,
2800.00; Skips Tire, Tire Repair, 120.00; Smyth Printing, Printing,
175.35; Snow Biz, Services, 200.00; Spa World, Chemicals, 153.80;
Staples, Office Supplies, 1941.28; Staples Advantage, Office Supplies,
440.24; Stevens Engineers, Inc., Services, 5210.79; Still, Jennifer, Refund, 478.00; Stonecrest Construction, Refund, 530.00; Sun Life
Finanacial, Sunlife Insurance, 721.43; Superior Lumber Co, Building
Supplies, 1229.15; Swtr Cnty Historical Museum, Media Service,
218.75; Swtr Cnty Treasurer, Services, 2701.20; Sweetwater Trophies,
Retirement Plaque, 34.00; Symbolarts Inc, Police Badge, 82.50; TA
Guest Ranch, Travel Expense, 2140.00; Technology Net, Annual Subscription, 400.00; Tegeler & Associates, Insurance, 22679.00; Tire Den,
Tires, 11269.21; Tom’s Wyoming Glass, Windshield, 68.00; Trihydro
Corp, Services, 100212.77; Triple R Asphalt, Street Paint, 4986.25; Trujillo, Kamille, Crossing Guard, 525.00; Turnkey Properties, Services,
700.00; Union Telephone, Phone Service, 2496.82; United Reprographic Supply, Equipment Mntc, 104.00; United States Welding, Welding
Equipment, 336.73; UPS, Shipping, 277.06; USA Blue Book, Pumps,
366.45; Val Kotter & Sons Inc., Services, 15262.50; Vaughn’s Plumbing, Refund, 279.15; Verizon Wireless, Phone Service, 274.68; Vermeer, Belts, 72.14; Walmart , Supplies, 2873.79; Wamco Lab Inc. ,
WWTP Supplies, 2500.00; Ware, Ted, Housing Assistance, 778.00;
Webb, Regina, Services, 175.00; West Group Payment Center, Subscriptions, 1387.98; Western Wyoming Beverage, Concession Supplies,
154.00; Williams, Penny, Services, 175.00; Wireless Advanced Comm.
Inc., Telecommunication, 2300.00; Witmer Public Safety Group Inc.,
Safety Equipment, 133.00; Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, Publications, 391.70; Wolverine Distributing, Museum Supplies, 591.76; Wy
Dept of Environmental Quality, Tank Fees, 200.00; Wyo Assoc Rural
Water Systems, Services, 400.00; Wyoming Machinery, Equipment
Mntc., 202.74; Wyo State Engineer’s Office, Permits, 100.00; Wyoming
Stationery, Office Supplies, 187.13; Wyoming Taxpayers Assoc., Services, 100.00; Young at Heart Sr Citizen Center, Supplies, 29.00;
Ziplocal, Advertising, -21.00; Zueck Transportation, Services, 2296.25;
Total, $1,237,835.93. Report Checks for November 22, 2011 - Employee Garnishments, Employee deductions, 1,270.03; Internal Revenue
Service, Electronic fund transfer, 131,507.65; Sweetwater Federal Credit
Union, Employee deductions, 9,365.95; Flexible Spending
Account/BCBS, Employee BCBS flexshare, 1,939.58; Miscellaneous
Deduction, Employee deductions, 13.39; Wyoming Child Support, Child
support payments, 3,675.50; Idaho Child Support, Child support pay-
MUST SELL: 1999
1997 HONDA
City Council met in regular session on December 6, 2011. Mayor
Demshar called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Members present included Councilors David Tate, Glennise Wendorf, David Halter, Glenn
Sugano, Chad Banks, Joyce Corcoran, and Billy Shalata. Councilor Rob
Zotti was absent from the meeting. Department heads present included
Mike Lowell, Vess Walker, Vince Crow, Paul Kauchich, Lyle Armstrong, and Lisa Tarufelli. The pledge of allegiance was recited.
Moved by Councilor Corcoran, seconded by Councilor Shalata to approve the City Council Meeting minutes of November 15, 2011. Motion
carried unanimously.
APPOINTMENTS
Planning & Zoning Commission: Kent Porenta, 1st term and Tom
Bernatis, 1st term - Moved by Councilor Corcoran, seconded by Councilor Shalata to appoint Kent Porenta to a 1st term on the Planning and
Zoning Commission. Upon roll call the following voted in favor:
Councilor Sugano, Halter, Tate, Wendorf, Banks, Corcoran and Shalata.
Motion carried unanimously.
Moved by Councilor Banks, seconded by Councilor Halter to appoint
Tom Bernatis to a 1st term on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Councilor Sugano, Halter,
Tate, Wendorf, Banks, Corcoran and Shalata. Motion carried unanimously.
PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS
Retirement plaque—Shawn A. Wells, Captain, Rock Springs Fire Department - Mayor Demshar presented a retirement plaque to Shawn
Wells, Firefighter Captain, and thanked him for his 22 years of service to
the city.
WWCC Women’s Volleyball Team Recognition—2nd Place, 2011 Nationals - Mayor Demshar read a proclamation recognizing the Western
Wyoming Community College women’s volleyball team and their second place finish at the 2011 nationals. Mayor Demshar noted their
achievement brings recognition to the school and the community alike.
Team members received copies of the proclamation.
Don Hartley—Green River Transbasin Projects Update - Don Hartley
provided an update on three water projects and two studies. The Million
water project has been revised and is before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for review. The Parker project is similar to the old
Million project but the studies associated with this water project are not
complete. The third project is the Colorado Water Conservation Board
study to look at the feasibility of the water projects. Initial funding of
$72,000 is being spent with an additional $100,000 available if the studies warrant further review. Mr. Hartley apprised the governing body of
two recently released studies by the Colorado Water Conservation Board
and the Bureau of Reclamation respectively. Both studies discuss the
availability of water in the Colorado River Basin. Mayor Demshar asked
the impact on the proposed diversion projects if the studies reveal a
shortage of water. Mr. Hartley is hopeful the information provided in the
studies will assist in our case.
PETITIONS - No petitions were heard.
OFFICER AND STAFF REPORTS
Animal Control Report—October 2011; Bar Report—November 2011
- Moved by Councilor Tate, seconded by Councilor Wendorf to approve
the reports and place them on file. Motion carried unanimously.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE AND BOARD REPORTS
Mayor Demshar acknowledged the receipt of the Parks & Recreation
Advisory Board Meeting minutes of October 13, 2011. Council
Wendorf reminded everyone of the Top Hats and Tiaras event for New
Year’s Eve. Councilor Shalata announced the Toys for Tots program is
currently underway at the Rock Springs Fire Department.
Councilor Sugano presented information pertaining to Ordinance
2011-13 which is on third reading. Councilor Sugano indicated many
comments had been received on the proposed language and it was determined that modifications were necessary. The language will not be
available until the December 20 meeting, thus tabling the ordinance is
recommended. Mayor Demshar added that the ordinance will be a complaint driven process and that the language may need additional modifications after implementation.
CORRESPONDENCE
The following correspondence was received: (1) Letter from Experience
Works thanking the city for support of their program; (2) Joint Powers
Water Board agenda for November 30, 2011; (3) Letter from Senator
Enzi inviting businesses to share their stories; and (4) Letter from Trapper Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America, confirming contribution.
Moved by Councilor Corcoran, seconded by Councilor Banks to approve the correspondence and place it on file. Motion carried unanimously.
BILLS AND CLAIMS
16x60 Atlantic two bed, two bath.
Can move or leave in established park in Rock
Springs. Call 970-218-0442,
872-8194, 870-4119 .
2001 GMC
Sierra SLT 2500
extended cab 4x4. 110,500
miles, one owner, very
good shape. Asking $8800.
362-6144.
2002 CHEVY
1999 FORD
Taurus, only
125,000 miles, runs good,
$1500. Ryan, 307-382-4128.
1990 GMC
Van Vandura.
Runs
great,
new
transmission, $2000 or best
offer. Call 350-9281.
S-10 four
wheel drive, crew cab, bedliner with cover and tow
package, pewter with gray
interior, great condition,
$7800. Call 875-1923.
1987 HARLEY Davidson
Tour Glide Classic. 38,000
miles, garage kept, $5000.
307-212-0151, 871-8411.
1998 HARLEY
1991 FORD
extended cab,
4x4, runs good, $2000 or
best offer, 382-8333.
Davidson
FXSTS.
15,000
miles,
Springer Softail, set up for
a woman, $10,000 firm.
350-9281.
CR500, never
been raced, hardly been
rode. Runs Great, $2500 or
best. 307-349-5516.
2007 YAMAHA
Rhino 660
4x4. 500 miles, 10x8 flatbed
trailer, hard top with windshield, 307-382-4159.
2007 ARCTIC Cat Prowler
XT H1. Winch, snowplow,
gun scabbard, and softop
roof, 300 miles. Excellent
condition, $6500. 362-9419.
Let The
Classifieds
Work For
You
362-3736
ments, 426.50; Washington State Support Enforce., Child support payments, 108.00; Total, $148,306.60. Moved by Councilor Wendorf, seconded by Councilor Tate to approve the bills and claims for December
6, 2011. Motion carried unanimously.
Salaries for November 22, 2011: $552,051.96 - Moved by Councilor
Wendorf, seconded by Councilor Banks to approve the salaries for November 22, 2011. Motion carried with Councilor Shalata abstaining.
NEW BUSINESS
Request from Engineering & Operations for permission to bid the
2012 Miscellaneous Sewer Project - Moved by Councilor Corcoran, seconded by Councilor Shalata to approve the request. Motion carried
unanimously.
Request from Lew’s, Inc. for a liquor catering permit for Chevron
Mining’s Christmas Party on December 17, 2011, from 4 p.m. – midnight, at the Kemmerer Events Complex (also requires approval by the
governing body of Kemmerer) - Moved by Councilor Banks, seconded
by Councilor Tate to approve the request. Motion carried unanimously.
Request from STAR Transit to improve bus stops and place advertising on shelters and benches (Tabled 11/15/11) - Mayor Demshar advised this item will remain tabled.
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution 2011-170 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ROCK
SPRINGS GOVERNING BODY EXPRESSING ITS CONTINUING
OPPOSITION TO THE REGIONAL WATERSHED SUPPLY
PROJECT INCLUDING HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT, was
read by title. Moved by Councilor Shalata, seconded by Councilor Corcoran to approve Resolution 2011-170. Upon roll call the following
voted in favor: Councilors Halter, Banks, Sugano, Tate, Wendorf, Corcoran, Shalata, and Mayor Demshar. Motion carried unanimously.
Resolution 2011-171 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND APPROVING A LONG TERM LEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
MIKE AND CARMEN BARBEAU, HUSBAND AND WIFE, OF
836 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING,
AND AUTHORIZING CARL R. DEMSHAR, JR., AS MAYOR OF
THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS, AND LISA M. TARUFELLI, AS
CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS, TO EXECUTE
SAID AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF ROCK
SPRINGS, was read by title. Moved by Councilor Banks, seconded by
Councilor Halter to approve Resolution 2011-171. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Councilors Halter, Banks, Sugano, Tate,
Wendorf, Corcoran, Shalata, and Mayor Demshar. Motion carried unanimously.
Resolution 2011-172 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND APPROVING AN AGREEMENT WITH TECHNOLOGY PLUS INCORPORATED, A COLORADO CORPORATION, PROVIDING
WIRELESS MESH DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION MANAGEMENT, AND AUTHORIZING CARL R. DEMSHAR, JR., AS
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS, AND LISA M.
TARUFELLI, AS CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS,
TO EXECUTE SAID AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF
ROCK SPRINGS, was read by title. Moved by Councilor Halter, seconded by Councilor Wendorf to approve Resolution 2011-172. Upon
roll call the following voted in favor: Councilors Halter, Banks, Sugano,
Tate, Wendorf, Corcoran, Shalata, and Mayor Demshar. Motion carried
unanimously.
Resolution 2011-173 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING CARL R. DEMSHAR, JR., AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF
ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING, AND LISA M. TARUFELLI, AS CITY
CLERK OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING, TO ACCEPT AND APPROVE A BUDGET REVISION TO THE BUDGET
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2012, was read by title. Moved by Councilor Tate, seconded by Councilor Sugano approve
Resolution 2011-173. Upon roll call the following voted in favor:
Councilors Halter, Banks, Sugano, Tate, Wendorf, Corcoran, Shalata,
and Mayor Demshar. Motion carried unanimously.
ORDINANCES
Ordinance 2011-12 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS FROM
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL (I-1) TO HEAVY INDUSTRIAL (I-2) FOR
ONE (1) TRACT OF LAND TOTALING 10 ACRES AND LOCATED AS HEREBY DESCRIBED IN SECTION 4, RESURVEY
TOWNSHIP 18 NORTH, RANGE 105 WEST OF THE SIXTH
PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN IN THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS,
COUNTY OF SWEETWATER, STATE OF WYOMING, was read by
title on third reading. Moved by Councilor Tate, seconded by Councilor
Corcoran to approve Ordinance 2011-12 on third reading. Upon roll
call the following voted in favor: Councilors Sugano, Halter, Tate,
Wendorf, Corcoran, Banks, Shalata, and Mayor Demshar. Motion carried unanimously.
Ordinance 2011-13 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE 6-114
“CLEANING SIDEWALKS,” AND TO ADD A NEW SECTION,
ARTICLE 6-120 “CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS,” TO CHAPTER VI,
TO THE ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS,
WYOMING, ENTITLED “STREETS, ALLEYS AND SIDEWALKS,” was read by title on third reading. Moved by Councilor
Sugano, seconded by Councilor Shalata to table Ordinance 2011-13 on
third reading. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Councilors
Sugano, Halter, Tate, Wendorf, Corcoran, Banks, Shalata, and Mayor
Demshar. Motion carried unanimously.
Ordinance 2011-14 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION
4-200-6 OF THE ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ROCK
SPRINGS, WYOMING, WHICH ORDINANCE PERTAINS TO
GARBAGE COLLECTION, was read by title on first reading.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
By: David M. Tate
Council President
Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)
— For the first time in
decades, the federal government is considering
moving bison captured
leaving Yellowstone National Park to public lands
in Colorado, South Dakota
and elsewhere as part of efforts to curb periodic
slaughters of the animals.
However, Montana Gov.
Brian Schweitzer said
Wednesday the animals belong to his state and he will
block any attempt to move
them.
In a Tuesday letter obtained by The Associated
Press, Interior Secretary
Ken
Salazar
told
Schweitzer his agency is
looking at relocation sites
Occupy
Cheyenne
protests
against social
inequalities
CHEYENNE
—
About 65 people who
gathered outside the
state Capitol on Saturday said they need a
voice in government.
Protesters at the
Occupy Cheyenne rally spoke of their frustrations with economic inequality.
They said they are
upset with politicians
who do not represent
the majority of Americans, but only the
wealthy elite.
The signs expressed
their frustrations, with
messages like “money
talks
too
much,”
“democracy is not for
sale,” and “put politicians on minimum
wage without benefits
and see how fast
things change.”
Protesters chanted,
“We are the 99,”
among other sayings.
This refers to the 99
percent of the population outside of the top
1 percent of the
wealthiest Americans.
The Occupy effort is
an
international
protest
movement
aimed mostly at economic and social inequities.
Occupy
Cheyenne came about
in the wake of the Occupy Wall Street
movement.
Wreaths Across
America honors
veterans
LARAMIE — It’s a
simple image, but one
of honor: a green and
red wreath laid across
the tombstone of a
veteran.
“I’ll have to be honest, taking a military
headstone and putting
a green and red wreath
on it is a powerful image,” Laramie Civil Air
Patrol unit Col. Stan
Skrabut said Saturday.
Along with scores of
other communities
around the country, including Arlington National
Cemetery,
Laramie honored veterans in Green Hill
Cemetery Saturday
for Wreaths Across
America.
Founded in 1992 by
wreath-maker Morrill
Worcester, the event
helps communities
recognize and remember the sacrifices of
those who’ve served in
America’s
armed
forces, Skrabut said.
“All across the nation at 10 (a.m. Saturday), wreaths are being laid at graves by
the Civil Air Patrol in a
gesture to recognize
the veterans,” he said.
ATTEST:
Lisa M. Tarufelli
City Clerk
Carl R. Demshar, Jr.
Mayor
Dec. 15___________________________________________________
Colo., S.D. eyed for Yellowstone bison
MATTHEW BROWN
STATE
BRIEFS
including Badlands National Park on South Dakota’s
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Great Sand Dunes
National Park in Colorado.
Salazar also mentioned
Wyoming’s Wind River
Reservation, where a prior
attempt to place Yellowstone bison collapsed two
years ago.
The proposal came as
state and federal officials
have been trying to come
up with alternatives to the
periodic slaughter of bison
leaving the park in search
of food. Cattle ranchers say
those migrations raise the
chance of livestock being
infected by diseased bison.
Many of Yellowstone’s
3,700 bison have been exposed to the disease brucellosis, yet the animals remain prized for their pure
genetics. The bison to be
transferred have been tested and are considered disease-free.
“I want to work with you
to manage bison numbers
and reduce disease prevalence in the Yellowstone
herd,” Salazar wrote to
Schweitzer. “While the Department of Interior alone
cannot resolve this issue, I
am willing to look at options of moving Yellowstone bison onto other DOI
properties.”
After receiving the letter,
Schweitzer issued an order
blocking any fish and
wildlife shipments by the
Interior Department in
Montana. The governor
wants the bison to go to the
National Bison Range near
Moiese in western Montana.
Laramie man
pleads guilty
to child
pornography
LARAMIE
—
Laramie resident Andrew Cornia pleaded
guilty to one count of
receiving
child
pornography and one
count of possessing
child pornography in
U.S. District Court in
Cheyenne Friday.
Cornia had been
charged in July this
year of one count of
receipt
of
child
pornography and two
counts of possession
of child pornography.
According to court
documents, Cornia
used the Internet to receive “one or more images of child pornography” in June and
kept child pornography on external and
internal hard drives.
rocketminer.com
Syrian
activists say
more than
25 killed
ZEINA KARAM
WORLD
Chilean doctors separate
conjoined twins girls
EVA VERGARA
Associated Press
Associated Press
BEIRUT (AP) — Violence
across Syria killed at least 25 people Wednesday, including eight
soldiers who were gunned down
by army defectors in a retaliatory
ambush after government troops
destroyed a civilian car, activists
said.
It was the second day in a row
in which an attack by President
Bashar Assad’s forces on civilians
appears to have brought a quick
and deadly act of revenge by antiregime fighters. The ambush was
the latest sign that the oncepeaceful protest movement is
growing into an insurgency.
The brazen midday attack came
hours after troops fired upon a
civilian car traveling through the
village of Khattab in the countryside of the central province of
Hama, killing all five passengers
inside.
The vehicle “exploded in a ball
of fire,” said Rami Abdul-Rahman,
director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, which relies on a network
of activists on the ground inside
the country.
Hours later, he said, gunmen
ambushed a convoy of four military jeeps passing through the
nearby village of al-Asharna on
the northern outskirts of the city
of Hama, spraying it with bullets.
The gunmen are believed to be
military defectors seeking revenge
for the dawn attack targeting the
car, he said.
There was no immediate claim
of responsibility for the ambush,
but the Free Syrian Army, a Turkish-based defector group, has in
the past claimed similar attacks
across the country.
Abdul-Rahman and other activists who confirmed the initial
car attack did not say why soldiers
targeted the vehicle, but security
forces frequently hunt for suspects in the restive area.
“The area is a stronghold of dissent where anti-regime protests
are routinely held and where there
are a number of (army) defectors,”
he said.
The Local Coordination Committees group said the car was destroyed by a shell fired by the
army. A third activist based in
Syria who spoke on condition of
anonymity for fear of reprisal said
the car was struck by a hail of bullets.
The differing accounts could
not be immediately reconciled.
Activists said 17 other people
were believed killed by security
forces in Homs, Idlib, Daraa and
elsewhere.
The Observatory also reported
heavy gunfire in Hirak village in
the southern province of Daraa, as
troops backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers hunted
for activists. Three anti-regime
military defectors were wounded
in clashes with Syrian security
forces in the area, it said.
The new shootings follow a
spike in violence which left 38
dead on Tuesday, mostly in a
restive northwestern province
bordering Turkey.
The fighting in Idlib province
included an ambush by army defectors, who killed seven government troops traveling in a convoy.
Activists said the defectors were
avenging the shooting of 11 civilians in a nearby village.
A 46-year-old Turkish citizen,
Munur Dural, was killed near the
northern city of Idlib, Turkey’s
state-run Anadolu Agency said
without citing sources on
Wednesday.
NTV television, citing local
sources, said Dural was killed
Tuesday when he was caught in
the middle of a shootout near
Idlib. Dural was returning to Saudi Arabia after vacationing in
Turkey, the channel added.
There was no immediate comment from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry. The U.N. says more than
5,000 people have been killed
since the revolt erupted in March.
Separately, a pro-government
newspaper reported Syria’s ambassador to the United States,
Imad Mustafa, has been named
envoy to China.
Al-Watan newspaper said President Assad had issued a decree
appointing Mustafa, who was recalled in October in response to
the Washington’s withdrawal of
U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford
from Damascus over security concerns. Ford returned to Syria last
week.
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean doctors successfully separated conjoined twin
girls in a marathon 20-hour surgery, saying
Wednesday that the operation went extremely well despite challenges.
The 10-month-old twins Maria Paz and
Maria Jose were recovering in an intensive
care unit, and doctors said the next two
days would be critical as they watch for infections or other possible complications.
Parents Jessica Navarrete and Roberto
Paredes kept an anxious vigil at Luis Calvo
Mackenna Hospital in Santiago as doctors
separated the twins at the thorax, abdomen
and pelvis.
It was the seventh and most complex operation yet for the twins.
Doctors successfully separated the twins
late Tuesday night. Chief surgeon Francisco Ossandon described it as the moment
“the girls finished the process of being
born.”
“Before, they had two souls and one
body,” Ossandon said.
Surgery on one of the twins was completed early Wednesday after a total of 19 hours,
while for the other it took more than 20
hours.
“We had a number of difficulties during
the surgery. There were some surprises, but
we were able to fix, solve the problems,” Ossandon said at a news conference.
He added that the twins came out of the
surgery in good condition. Ossandon, however, didn’t rule out future complications involving the effects from anesthesia and possible infections.
“We’re very happy because we think
they’ve had the best evolution we could
have hoped for,” he said.
The girls’ parents appeared in televised
images as they kissed the twins before the
operation. Then afterward, the mother and
father gazed lovingly at the sleeping girls
from beside their separate cribs in the intensive care unit.
Paredes softly placed a hand on one
daughter’s head.
Some Chilean television stations occa-
sionally broke into their regular programming to broadcast updates from the doctors, both during and after the delicate surgery.
“The next 48 hours will be the most critical in terms of the ... risk they face of dying,” said Dr. Carlos Acuna, chief of the intensive care unit. He said the girls faced
risks of various organs ceasing to function,
and also had kidney and lung problems.
The girls’ mother said she was hoping for
a miracle when the high-risk operation began Tuesday morning.
The Chilean twins presented a particularly difficult challenge because they were born
sharing many of the same internal organs
and even urinary system. About 100 people
participated in the procedure, including 25
surgeons and anesthesiologists.
Perhaps providing some comfort to the
parents was the hospital’s history with conjoined twins. Staff there have separated
three sets before. A fourth set, however, died
during surgery due to cardiac complications.
According to the University of Maryland
Medical Center, roughly one out of every
200,000 live births worldwide results in
conjoined twins. The overall survival rate is
between 5 percent to 25 percent, depending
on various factors, including where they are
joined.
While rare, such surgeries have become
increasingly frequent over the years due to
improvements in surgery, anesthesia and
critical care, said Dr. Eric Strauch, a surgeon
at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
“We’ve gotten better at dealing with
them,” Strauch said. “I think people are willing to undertake it more.”
He said he has performed surgeries on
two sets of twins. The first set, girls from
Uganda, survived in 2002 and are now
about 10 years old, he said.
“The second set survived for about six
months after the separation, but they both
succumbed to infection,” said Strauch,
adding that their intestines were unable to
function.
He said he knew of another successful
case in which two girls were separated and
have reached adulthood.
“They’re in their 20s and they’re just
graduated from college,” Strauch said. “A lot
of them don’t do well, but a lot of them do.”
Dr. Steven Fishman, a pediatric surgeon
at Children’s Hospital Boston, said that if
twins make it out of the hospital without
post-surgery complications, most tend to
survive.
“If they’re felt to be well enough to go
home, in general they will make it long
term,” he said.
The Chilean twins were born in the Villarrica hospital about 470 miles (760 kilometers) south of Santiago and were kept under
constant medical care, surviving with the
aid of an artificial respirator.
Earlier this year, doctors separated the
twins’ legs, urinary tracts, pulmonary systems and other parts of their bodies. They
now each have part of a leg that used to be
fused together.
During the latest surgery, doctors managed to separate an intestine that had been
shared by the two, giving each of them part
of it, said Jaime Manalich, the government’s
health minister, who visited the family at the
hospital.
Surgeons weren’t able to completely close
their abdominal cavities or their thoraxes,
and therefore had to use meshing to cover
them, Ossandon said. “These are foreign
bodies that sometimes the body recognizes
as foreign, and that can cause infections,” he
said.
Maria Jose was the first twin to reach the
intensive care unit after the surgery. Her sister Maria Paz, whose operation was more
complex due to difficulties in the area near
her heart, arrived an hour and 15 minutes
later.
They were born in February, and since
then have been hospitalized and attached to
machines including an artificial respirator.
The girls were still connected to a respirator on Wednesday.
They are to remain sedated for at least
three days.
Ossandon said the twins will return to the
operating room every two or three days so
that doctors can clean their wounds. He
called the surgery their “rebirth.”
Journey with the Taliban
shows militants’ resilience
ISHTIAQ MAHSUD
Associated Press
SOUTH WAZIRISTAN, Pakistan (AP) — For 15 hours, we
walked with Taliban fighters
through territory supposedly
controlled by the Pakistani
army and frequently pounded
by U.S. drone strikes. Avoiding
roads and towns, we easily
evaded soldiers and were
shown recruits drilling with
weapons, militant positions
and — from a distance — a
compound used by foreign
fighters.
The rare trip to South
Waziristan revealed the resilience of militants in the
northwestern tribal areas,
some of whom are also battling American soldiers across
the frontier in Afghanistan. It
also demonstrated that the insurgents, who once ruled
much of South Waziristan
from permanent bases with
many hundreds of fighters, are
now largely a guerrilla force
there.
The Pakistani Taliban had
invited three Pakistani journalists to meet its leader,
Hakimullah Mehsud, at a time
when splits have appeared in
the movement.
But Mehsud canceled, with
his aides saying he was called
into urgent meetings with a
delegation of Afghan Taliban
elders who had arrived from
across the border.
The trip began in the capital
of North Waziristan, Miran
Shah, where the Pakistan army
has yet to launch an offensive
despite requests from Washington. Militants, including alQaida and Afghan Taliban factions, are in firmer control in
this region than in South
Waziristan.
Extremists from other countries and other areas of Pakistan were visible on the
streets of the town.
We then drove to the boundary with the south, and began
our journey on foot, accompanied by four fighters.
South Waziristan was once
home to about 500,000 people
but its towns and villages are
now mostly empty. The population was told to flee ahead of
a major Pakistani army offensive in 2009. The army has declared victory, but most locals
haven’t returned. They do not
believe official statements that
their homeland is safe.
In one abandoned village,
three men were living in a single room in a ruined house.
They said they couldn’t leave
because they had no money
and two of them were blind
from birth. Their sole possessions were a dirty mat and
some blackened cooking pots.
One, 30-year-old Mafiq, said
the Taliban gave them monthly rations and sometimes
cooked food.
At night, we slept in empty
houses. Once, we feasted on
goat with about 40 fighters in
a forest encampment.
The Pakistani military remains in South Waziristan in
force but its men are often targeted in ambushes.
On the main roads there
were army posts, vital for supplying the roughly 30,000 soldiers in the region. But it was
easy to travel without being
spotted or pursued so long as
our group stayed off them.
“The army is confined to the
roads,”
said
Shameem
Mehsud, the operational commander of the Pakistani Taliban.
“All the surrounding areas
are in Taliban control.”
After 15 hours hiking, our
group came to a semi-permanent forward position used to
attack troops traveling on a
main road below. About 30
fighters were armed with rocket launchers, sniper rifles and
artillery.
Through
binoculars,
Mehsud pointed out what appeared to be an anti-aircraft
gun on a nearby ridge he said
belonged to the Taliban.
As we chatted, the army
fired mortars at the position,
one round landing about 50
meters (yards) away.
On the return journey to the
north, again on foot but using
a different route, one of the
fighters pointed to a collection
of buildings that he said was
used by fighters from Turkmenistan.
He said fighters from other
countries stayed at different
places in the region.
The tribal regions, particularly North Waziristan, have
become a magnet for Muslims
wanting to fight jihad or “holy
war.” The area is also used by
Afghan militants to stage attacks inside their homeland,
knowing that U.S. and NATO
troops cannot enter Pakistani
territory.
The Pakistani army, which
has several times flown reporters to South Waziristan
and other Afghan border areas
to show off its achievements
against militants, was not
available for comment on what
we observed on our trip.
The army offensive in South
Waziristan was launched after
heavy American pressure, and
was followed by operations in
six of the seven tribal regions
along the border. But as U.S.led forces have found in
Afghanistan, holding exposed
and remote territory against
insurgents who know the area
and can count on local support
is fiendishly difficult.
Eager to wipe out a safe
haven for al-Qaida and protect
American
troops
in
Afghanistan, the United States
has supplied Pakistan with
money, weapons and expert
assistance for its campaign
against the militants. That cooperation has faltered badly
this year amid a series of crises
between the two nations,
whose divergent interests in
Afghanistan have proved hard
to reconcile.
There is no love lost between the Pakistani military
and the Pakistani Taliban,
which is allied to al-Qaida and
has carried out scores of suicide bombings around the
country since 2007.
Some insurgent commanders in the northwest have said
recently they were in peace negotiations with the Pakistani
government. Militant attacks
in major cities outside the
northwest have been down
sharply this year, a drop some
have attributed to the success
of army operations and the
drone strikes.
The commanders in South
Waziristan rejected any talk of
peace.
They said they would negotiate with the government only
if Islamic law were implemented throughout the country, the
army withdraws from the region and all Taliban prisoners
are released.
“Despite all their resources
and atomic power, America,
NATO and Pakistan cannot
defeat the Taliban as our suicide bombers will use their
bones as bullets, their flesh as
gunpowder and their blood as
fuel,” Mehsud said. “They have
no way to counter to this spirit.”
Pakistan’s spy agency has
been accused of aiding other
militants, such as the Haqqanis and other factions in the
Afghan Taliban who carry out
attacks on U.S. troops across
the border.
CIA drones, in turn, have
targeted militants with missile
strikes in the Pakistani tribal
regions.
Although Mehsud said the
militants often changed their
training grounds because of
fear of attack by American
drones, he and his fighters didn’t appear overly concerned
about the missiles. There have
been more than 60 such attacks this year, the vast majority in the Waziristans.
At one point on the trip, the
militants showed us young recruits — they called them
trainee suicide bombers — exercising on a flat piece of land
in a deserted village surrounded by mountains. Wearing
masks, they staged the mock
capture of a man wearing the
uniform of a Pakistani soldier.
“We will jump in the fire
without any hesitation on the
orders of our commander,”
they shouted in unison at the
end.
5B
Egypt’s seculars
desperate to
balance Islamists
SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — Overwhelmed
by Islamists in parliamentary elections, the secular and liberal
youths who were the driving force
behind Egypt’s uprising are
scrambling to ensure their voices
are not lost as a new constitution
and government take shape.
Two Islamist blocs — newly
emboldened after decades of repression under Mubarak’s secular
regime — won close to 70 percent
of seats in the initial balloting on
Nov. 28-29, while the revolutionary parties got less than 15 percent
so far, according to an Associated
Press tally compiled from official
results. A power struggle is
emerging between religious factions and the ruling military, with
liberals appearing to be on the
sidelines.
The second round of voting on
Wednesday and Thursday and a
final phase in January are not expected to alter the outcome, and
Islamists may even boost their
gains.
Without a doubt, the presence
of the liberal youths behind the
uprising that ousted Hosni
Mubarak will be meager in parliament and Islamists will be in control. But Wael Khalil, a member of
one of the alliances born out of
the uprising, Revolution Continues, said the fight for the future of
Egypt will also be waged outside
official institutions.
“In the media, in the revolutionary spaces and in the new media,”
Khalil said. “This will play an important role in steering and influencing the discussions (away
from the conflict and) toward the
basic issues.” The most immediate and urgent concern for the
revolutionaries is the drafting of
the country’s new constitution.
The new parliament will be in
charge of picking the 100-member constituent assembly to draft
the future constitution of the Arab
world’s most populous country.
Many fear an Islamist-dominated
parliament may lead to a document guided by strict Islamic
principles.
Egypt’s military rulers have
clearly picked up on liberals’ fears.
Soon after the Islamist surge in
the first round, they floated a new
idea designed to prevent an Islamist-dominated
parliament
from monopolizing the drafting of
the constitution. A member of the
military ruling council said the
parliament is not “representative”
enough of the country, and that a
parallel military-appointed advisory council, along with the government, would work with the newly
elected house to choose those
who will draft the constitution.
Sameh Ashour, the head of the
lawyer’s union and a supporter of
the revolution, has become a
member of the military-appointed
council. “We can’t leave the council alone to be pressured by only
one trend in one direction,” he
told the ONTV network Monday.
Khalil said the military is trying
to play the liberals and the Islamists against each other to improve its own standing. He said
liberal groups shouldn’t let their
worries about the Islamists send
them into the arms of the generals who helped lead Mubarak’s old
regime.
“It is like running out from the
frying pan into the fire,” he said.
Some suggested it was time to
build alliances with the dominant
parties in the parliament.
Prominent reformist columnist
Ibrahim Eissa went as far as saying it is no point talking with the
military, expressing a growing
sentiment that the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood is increasingly seizing the reins in determining the future shape of
Egypt.
The badly lagging secular and
liberal groups were scrambling to
keep Islamist parties from grabbing even more of the spoils in
Wednesday’s second round of parliamentary elections. They turned
to celebrities and tried to adopt a
more Muslim-friendly image.
Hours before voting started
Wednesday dozens of volunteers
crammed in a small room for a
crash-course on election monitoring by one of the liberal parties.
One volunteer interrupted a detailed dicussion of legal procedures, saying: “We don’t have
time. We want to save whatever
we can.”
Omniya Fikry, a voter in Giza
province, home to the famous
pyramids on the western outskirts
of Cairo, said she was worried a
dominant Islamic bloc would reproduce the one-party system
that dominated politics under
Mubarak.
6B
NATIONAL
Congress weighing the
length of jobless benefits
TOM RAUM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Is
there any downside to extending federal jobless benefits, as
Congress is about to do? The
benefits are a crucial lifeline to
the longtime unemployed. But
they also can be a disincentive
to looking for work and prolong
joblessness, economists say, as
lawmakers weigh shortening
them.
If Congress does nothing, the
current law that provides federal benefits to augment state assistance that last for only 26
weeks will expire at the end of
this month. As a result, more
than a million out-of-work
Americans could lose their benefits in January, and a total of
five million could lose them by
year’s end.
In states with high or rising
unemployment, the ceiling on
federal and state benefits combined is now 99 weeks. The Republican-led House has passed
a bill that extends the coverage
but gradually reduces it by 20
weeks by mid-2012. An improving job market could reduce eligibility for extended benefits by
another 20 weeks in some of
those states, making the new effective ceiling 59 weeks.
At the heart of the controversy is something economists and
politicians have long debated.
Conservatives argue that prolonging government assistance
to the unemployed can discourage active job searching so long
as it lasts, keeping jobless rates
higher than they would be if aid
were ended.
Supporters of a full new extension, including President
Barack Obama and most congressional Democrats, argue
that these are unusually dire
times and that jobs are harder to
find than after run-of-the-mill
recessions. Therefore, additional aid is warranted and can contribute directly to economic
growth, they say.
Mark Zandi, chief economist
at Moody’s Analytics, backs the
full extension because “it is
needed and necessary given the
stress in the labor market.”
“But this is not a slam-dunk
positive,” Zandi said. “There is
something to the argument that
the length of unemployment
benefits creates disincentives to
work.” He said some studies
found that benefit extensions
have added as much as half a
percentage point to the unemployment rate. That would suggest the most recent unemployment rate, for November, would
be 8.1 percent rather than 8.6
percent. “Still, on net, the positives outweigh the negatives,”
Zandi said.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former head of the Congressional
Budget Office who was 2008
GOP presidential nominee John
McCain’s top economic adviser,
said there are both benefits and
costs to extending the benefits.
“It gives them some cash and
allows them time to perhaps
find a better match, a better job
for them in the future.” But
Holtz-Eakin also said “there is
unambiguous evidence that
longer unemployment insurance extends spells of unemployment” and is especially
hard on older workers whose
skills diminish the longer
they’re out of work.
“You’ve got to figure where to
draw the line. There’s no magic
number,” said Holtz-Eakin, now
president of the conservative
American Action Forum. The
House bill “is an attempt to do
this,” he said.
In the current extensions, the
first one voted by Congress in
early 2008, some 17.6 million
Americans have collected federal benefits. How much varies
from state to state, but the nationwide average is about $300
a week.
Republicans say they are willing to extend the benefits, but
also want to cut back the coverage by 20 weeks.
They argue that even under
the full extension sought by
Obama, federal benefits tied to
state-by-state levels of unemployment will likely expire in 20
states under the current formula as jobless rates decline. Even
under Obama’s plan, the cap
would become 79 weeks instead
of 99 weeks.
The House formula reducing
the cap “reflects the more normal level typically available following recessions,” said House
Ways and Means Chairman
Dave Camp, R-Mich.
But economists say there is
no guarantee that unemployment rates won’t rise once discouraged workers start looking
for jobs again and are officially
counted by the government as
rejoining the ranks of unemployed.
The unemployment rate
dropped to 8.6 percent last
month after hovering at or
above 9 percent for more than
two years. But part of the decline came because many jobless workers became discouraged and stopped looking for
work and left the work force.
The government’s official
count of unemployed workers is
14 million. But add to those
what the government calls discouraged workers because they
have quit looking for a job or are
working only part time because
they can’t find full-time jobs,
and the unemployed and underemployed together total 25 million.
Democrats said the GOP legislation would hit states with the
highest unemployment rates the
hardest. They tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to guarantee 99 weeks of maximum benefits without regard to jobless
rates in individual states.
The Republicans’ version
passed the House on Tuesday
on a largely partisan vote as part
of a larger measure that also extends the Social Security payroll
tax cut and includes an unrelated provision to force a presidential decision on a controversial
Canada-U.S. oil pipeline. It’s
now before the Senate, where
Democratic leaders have pronounced it dead.
Despite the standoff, renewing the federal jobless benefits
seems likely before year’s end
since both sides favor some
form of extension.
Here’s how the existing program works.
States shoulder the initial
costs of jobless benefits, for up
to 26 weeks. Then a federal program takes over, under a law
first passed in 2008, offering up
to 53 weeks in four categories
based in part on state-by-state
unemployment rates, and a final
20 weeks of extended benefits
in states with the highest or rising unemployment.
Thus, out of work Americans
are eligible for up to a total of 99
weeks of combined state and
federal benefits.
Labor Department and congressional studies show that
there are 4.3 job seekers for
every single job opening. Four
out of 10 jobless have been without work for more than six
months, and nearly one-third
have been unemployed for at
least one year.
According to a Democratic
analysis, the Republican bill
would reduce benefits by 40
weeks in 21 states plus the District of Columbia: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri,
Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
All other states would lose between 14 and 34 weeks of federal benefits, the analysis said.
Labor economist Heidi Shierholz at the liberal Economic Policy Institute said that the maximum 99 weeks of benefits is
still needed because “things are
not really expected to get better
next year.”
She acknowledged there was
some disincentive effect from
prolonging unemployment benefits, but said it was slight. Continuing benefits to longer-term
unemployed people makes economic sense, she said.
“They are cash-strapped. So
they have very little choice but
to spend that money immediately. It just goes right into the
economy.”
rocketminer.com
Could U.S. drivers ever
abide by cellphone ban?
JAMIE STENGLE
Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) — Junior Woods
has a well-practiced routine for
conducting business on the road:
While driving throughout rural
Arkansas, the electronics salesman steals a glance at his cellphone every so often, checking
for text messages and emails.
“I can keep both hands on the
steering wheel and just look
down my nose and read in 10second intervals,” Woods said in
a phone interview from Rogers,
Ark. “I’m actually doing that right
now.”
Like millions of other Americans, Woods uses his car as a mobile office, relying on his phone
almost every hour of every workday to stay productive and earn a
living.
So would drivers ever abide by
a proposed ban on almost all cellphone use behind the wheel, even
if it is hands-free? Could they afford to?
Those are just a few of the
questions looming over a federal
recommendation that seeks to
rein in what has become an essential tool of American business.
Woods said the ban, if adopted,
would devastate his sales. Because he lives in a rural state, his
minimum drive is an hour and a
half.
“If I have a 3½-hour drive to
Little Rock, and I’ve got 100 messages to return, it’s going to turn
that into a six-hour drive,” he said.
“I’ve got no secretary. I’m the administrative assistant. I’m the
salesman. I’m the sales director.”
The National Transportation
Safety Board declared Tuesday
that texting, emailing or chatting
while driving is just too dangerous to be allowed anywhere in the
United States. It urged all states
to impose total bans except for
emergencies.
The NTSB, an independent
agency that investigates accidents and makes safety recommendations, doesn’t have the
power to impose regulations or
make grants. But its suggestions
carry significant weight with lawmakers and regulators.
Still, a decision rests with the
states, meaning that 50 separate
legislatures would have to act.
And many lawmakers are just as
wedded to their cellphones as
Woods.
“I think all of us have mixed
feelings on this issue. How could
you not?” said U.S. Rep. Gerry
Connolly, whose northern Virginia district has some of the
longest, most traffic-choked commutes in the country.
Before going to Congress, the
Democrat spent most of his career at the county level, driving
around Fairfax County with his
cellphone.
Now he commutes to Capitol
Hill by carpool or mass transit so
he can use his phone without getting behind the wheel.
While he’s sympathetic to the
NTSB’s safety concerns, he said,
a blanket ban on cellphone use
would be unenforceable. But he
agrees that hands-free devices offer little improvement over those
that are hand-held.
“It’s a cognitive distraction,” he
said. “The mental attention shifts
... to that other party, not to the
task at hand.”
Dallas event planner Debbie
Vaughan said she would abide by
any ban, but her service to clients
would be diminished.
“I know many people are frustrated when all they get is voice
mail,” said Vaughan, who spends
about 10 hours a week on her cellphone in her car.
Bruce McGovern said he would
have no choice but to defy the
law.
McGovern, who owns four
Massage Envy and four European Wax Center franchises in
the Dallas area, said he spends up
to four days a week on the road,
traveling between his businesses.
“My business would go down.
We’d have problems we couldn’t
solve. My employees wouldn’t be
able to reach me and get timely
answers,” McGovern said.
“Customer issues that only I
can resolve would have to be delayed. And in this day and age,
customers want instantaneous results for things. They’re not willing to wait three or four hours,”
he said.
McGovern, who said he uses
hands-free technology 90 percent
of the time, said he’s been conducting business from his car for
more than 20 years, starting with
an early “bag phone” that predated today’s much smaller cellphones.
“It’s a total overreach of the
government. It’ll be enforced erratically. They can’t even enforce
the speed limits,” McGovern said.
Boston attorney Jeffrey Denner
said he racks up at least 25 billable hours each week while driving.
“I probably spend three hours
a day on the phone in the car —
minimum. In an hour, I can talk
to 10 people. On my way to court,
I call people to make sure witnesses are lined up. It’s become a
part of my life.”
Besides, he said, there’s plenty
of other distractions modern
drivers deal with.
“If you want to talk about distraction, you should talk about
how the whole notion of technology is distracting. Let’s look at
the command centers in cars
right now, with the GPS, climate
control, satellite radio with 9,000
options, looking down, getting directions. There are 20 different
things we’re playing with in our
cars all the time.”
J.R. Maddox of Minneapolis,
another attorney, said it makes no
sense to ban hands-free devices.
“If they wanted to go that far,
they should also ban speaking to
anyone in the car,” Maddox said.
His hands-free device allows him
to keep both hands on the wheel,
maintain his field of vision and
look over his shoulder.
“The fact of the matter is we
have to travel to work. It would
reduce the amount of time I could
actually communicate with
clients and, hence, billing time.”
The federal government last
year banned texting while driving
for commercial truck and bus
drivers. The ban was extended to
all hand-held cellphone use last
month, although commercial
drivers can still use hands-free
devices.
The chairman of a South Dakota trucking company said he
doesn’t understand why people
need to be talking on the phone
while driving in the first place.
“There’s nothing so important
that they need to run somebody
over because they couldn’t stop,”
said Larry Anderson, of A & A
Express Inc., a Brandon, S.D.,
company that hauls refrigerated
products.
In New York City, Chrissy
DeLuso and her mother were
waiting for a cab to take them to
a Broadway show. Both women
agreed that texting while driving
was a bad idea and didn’t mind if
the government cracked down on
it.
But when it came to banning
all cellphone use, they hesitated.
With a smile, DeLuso admitted
she “can’t promise” she wouldn’t
be talking on her cell phone even
if it were illegal.
Jo Trizila, president of Dallas
public relations company TrizCom Inc., said she would welcome a comprehensive ban, even
for hands-free technology.
“I think it would be actually
good for mental health,” she said,
“that you just have some down
time.”
Fallout from student death: Ga. high schools suspend bands
DORIE TURNER AND
GARY FINEOUT
Associated Press Writers
ATLANTA (AP) — The fallout
from the death of a Florida A&M
University drum major broadened
Wednesday to nearly two dozen
high schools in Georgia, where
marching band activities were
suspended over concerns of “inappropriate physical activity” between band mates.
A metro Atlanta school district
began investigating after Robert
Champion died Nov. 19. The
Southwest DeKalb High graduate
was found unresponsive on a bus
parked in front of an Orlando hotel after a university football game,
and authorities said his death involved hazing.
Another Florida A&M student,
Bria Shante Hunter, who also attended Southwest DeKalb, told
police she was severely beaten in
a hazing ritual about three weeks
before Champion’s death.
Hunter, a freshman and clarinet
player, said she was repeatedly hit
in her legs by members of the
“Red Dawg Order,” a band club for
Georgia natives. Authorities have
said Champion was hazed, but
have not described how.
Three band members were arrested in Hunter’s case and
charged with hazing. Two were
also charged with battery.
Meanwhile, Florida authorities
looking into Champion’s death
opened a new investigation after
they uncovered possible employee fraud and misconduct at the
university, according to documents released Wednesday.
The separate investigation was
triggered by information investigators discovered regarding the finances of the Marching 100, according to a person in Gov. Rick
Scott’s administration. He asked
for anonymity because he was not
publicly authorized to discuss the
matter.
In Georgia, Walter
Woods, spokesman for the
DeKalb County school district,
said they were investigating
marching bands at the district’s 21
high schools after two problems
over the summer. He declined to
say whether the incidences involved hazing and said the students involved were not injured.
“Our interest is in protecting
students, the safety of the students,” said Woods. “We have notified schools to be vigilant of our
existing policy, which is zero tolerance for harassment of any kind.”
The bands’ busy season ended
last week with the conclusion of
football season, but the Atlantaarea bands will still be able to perform in the Martin Luther King
Day parade in Stone Mountain in
January, Woods said. No marching
bands are scheduled to perform in
a football bowl game.
Decatur resident Keith Sailor,
who is the president of the marching band booster club at Southwest DeKalb High School, said his
son, a sophomore, has never had
any problems with hazing.
“I’m pretty comfortable with
him participating in the band,” he
said, declining further comment.
Experts say hazing has been
found in students as young as 12,
particularly when it involves a
team activity like sports or band.
Richard Sigal, a retired New Jersey sociology professor and expert on hazing, said schools need
to examine whether it is happening. “I think anytime you get a
group of young people together, at
some point, a tradition becomes
established and that’s what perpetuates hazing,” Sigal said. “It’s
up to coaches, it’s up to the principals, it’s up to the band leaders
to stop it.” In Florida, the state law
enforcement agency sent letters
to the head of the FAMU board
and the head of the state university system, but they did not detail
the potential fraud or misconduct,
saying only that it involves school
employees as well as “persons associated” with the university.
rocketminer.com
DEAR ABBY
WONDERWORD By
David Ouellet
MOMMA by Mel Lazarus
By Abigail Van Buren
DEAR ABBY: “Saddened in
New Jersey” (Oct. 2) complained
that her sister’s 4-year-old daughter put stickers on the hands and
face of her deceased grandmother during her wake. Perhaps the
child’s mother didn’t anticipate
her daughter’s actions. Children
need to grieve, too. That said, they
also should behave appropriately.
I saw an article about one funeral home with an excellent solution. Before the dearly departed is
placed in the casket, the inside
fabric, pillow, etc. are removed.
The children are then allowed to
decorate the uncovered casket
walls with farewell messages and
drawings. The interior is then “reupholstered” and nothing is visible. The children are told that it is
to keep their messages private.
One story was particularly
touching — a little boy wanted his
mommy to know how much he
loved her and for it to be as close
to her as possible. He wrote “I
love you, Mommy” on the casket
pillow that was placed beneath
her head. At the service, only he
knew about the secret message he
had left for his mom for all eternity. — A MOM IN TEXAS
DEAR MOM: Thank you for
sharing a clever solution. I felt
that the child’s placing of stickers
on her grandmother’s body was
disrespectful and the mother was
wrong to permit it in spite of the
grandfather’s expression of disapproval. While I viewed it as a desecration of a corpse, readers felt
differently. My newspaper readers
comment:
DEAR ABBY: If the sticker incident is the worst that can be said
about the 4-year-old’s behavior
that day, what’s the harm? Had
she thrown a tantrum during the
service or before placing the stickers, I’d agree that the child should
not have been there. But since the
behavior took place after “Saddened” made an issue of the stickers, the situation could have been
handled more effectively.
All “Saddened” had to do was
wait until the service was over,
take the funeral director aside privately and ask him to remove the
stickers before the deceased was
interred. No drama, no scene, no
tantrum, and everybody goes
home in peace. Funerals, like any
other event, are only as stressful
as you want them to be. — NO
DRAMA, PLEASE
DEAR ABBY: I own the West’s
oldest funeral firm and I disagree
with your answer. Funerals are
about learning that we are mortal.
To stand on ceremony when a
young child is participating in one
of life’s most important lessons
misses the point. Memorials are
not about formality but humanity.
Let the child place those stickers
and let everyone learn something
from that. — DAN IN SAN
FRANCISCO
GARFIELD by Jim Davis
DOG EAT DOUG by Ryan Anderson
BECKER BRIDGE Never Say Pass
AGNES by Morrie Turner
ZACK HILL by J. Deering and J. Macintosh
JANRIC CLASSIC SUDOKU
BLONDIE by Dean Young and Dennis Lebrun
HOROSCOPE
By Holiday
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Life isn’t a popularity contest, but if it were, you would win
it today. You seem to have what people are
looking for, and you’re willing to share it in
just the right amount.
ONE BIG HAPPY... by Rick Detorie
CROSSWORD By
Thomas Joseph
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Avoid experiencing life in hyperbole. Discount exaggerations of the mind and word. When nothing
is the best, worst, nicest or meanest, you
can see it for what it really is.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21) You are constantly issuing statements to the world, even
when you don’t realize it. Your attitude and
appearance speak for you. You’ll find the
response you get in return a little surprising now.
CANCER (June 22-July 22) A burden is
eased, and the relief you feel about this
will bring about a surge of self-control.
You’ll work for healthy payoffs instead of
settling for unhealthy, temporary benefits.
FLO AND FRIENDS by John Gibel and Jenny
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You are highly involved in life, and the level of attention you
give your interests can be personally demanding and sometimes downright inconvenient. But the joy you feel being in the
mix of things makes it all worthwhile.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Everyone shows
off when they want attention. You’ll be artful in your attempts to capture interest,
and that will make all the difference in the
quality of attention you receive.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) People want to be
associated with winners, and yet close
contact with big personalities often breeds
jealousy and discontent. You’ll be sorting
through such issues over the next few
days.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) You aren’t born
optimistic. You have to grow into the label
by repeating the tendency to look on the
bright side until it’s a habit. You’ll take hold
of your thoughts and cultivate good will.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) When you
hear good news, take it as a sign. This is
just the tip of the iceberg. From here on
out, things get better and better. Believe
and act in accordance, and it becomes
true.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Recruiting is
an art. Instead of merely asking people to
join forces with you, turn it into an event.
People are more seduced by celebration
and ritual.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You’ll see the
charm in things that others don’t want to
think about. This is what sets you apart as
a friendly force and an artistic influence on
the otherwise ordinary.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) When someone
says “no” to you, you’ll be wise to take this
as a good sign. A fast “no” is, after all, so
much better than a “maybe” that drags on
indefinitely.
CRYPTOQUOTE
STRANGE BREW
7B
8B
REGIONAL
A piece
of history
restored
in Colorado
SCOTT N. MILLER
rocketminer.com
What the frack?
Starting in April, energy companies will have to
disclose fracking chemical concentrations in Colo.
P. SOLOMON BANDA
Associated Press
Vail Daily
VAIL, Colo. (AP) — In a valley where so much is new, preserving the old can be tricky.
But Avon now has nearly finished restoring and returning a
historic artifact to its original
home.
Electricity hadn’t yet come
to Avon in the 1920s, so Emmett and Myrtle Nottingham
took matters into their own
hands. The Nottinghams designed and built a waterwheel
to generate electricity for their
home along the Eagle River,
and later sold some of the excess power to light the town’s
railroad depot — located where
the town’s Burger King now
sits.
The Nottinghams used the
power from the generator until
about 1940, when the Rural
Electrification
Association
brought power lines to Avon.
Like so many things along
the river, the waterwheel was
left in place, unused, to deteriorate with age. It was still sitting there when Jeanette Hix
and her husband moved into
the then-new Canyon Run
townhomes in late 1998. Her
unit looked out over the river,
and Hix often wondered what
the “old contraption” down
there might be.
The next spring, she and her
husband wandered down to the
river, and discovered the old
waterwheel. Hix and neighbor
Ron Neville organized a
cleanup to uncover the old
structure. After that came a
long process of organizing a
town historical society and
finding a way to have the wheel
removed, restored and replaced.
The town, working with Colorado Mountain College and
state historical preservation
agencies, got the wheel taken
out a couple of years ago and
hauled up to Leadville for
restoration. That process was
sidetracked a couple of times
because of administrative
changes. The work was finally
finished this fall, and the frame
was put into place Thanksgiving week.
For Hix, who has a keen appreciation of history, having the
job so close to completion is a
big deal.
“Individuals and entities can
learn a lot from history,” Hix
said. “This waterwheel was designed by a woman, and
women in the early 1900s were
very important to Colorado.
People who see this can learn
about society, but you need
some kind of artifact to point
you toward that history.”
Mauri Nottingham lived
some of that history — and he
still has the waterwheel’s generator in a shed at his Avon
home. Emmett and Myrtle
Nottingham were Mauri’s aunt
and uncle; their kids were his
cousins. Now almost 82, Nottingham remembers being at
the home a few times. But he
also remembers what life in the
valley was like without electricity.
Mauri Nottingham’s parents
used carbide gas to light their
home — they used gasoline to
run the washing machine and
big, clunky batteries for the radio. Instead of a refrigerator,
there was an icebox, with ice
stored in a shed through the
summer months.
“For my mother, electricity
must have been wonderful,”
Nottingham said.
While a lot of work has gone
into returning the waterwheel
to its original home, getting
down to it will remain tricky for
the foreseeable future.
The wheel will be visible
from U.S. Highway 6 just east
of the roundabout at the entrance to Beaver Creek. But
walking down to it requires a
stroll through private property
at Canyon Run. Avon planner
Matt Pielsticker led the official
work on the waterwheel project. He said there will probably
be some sort of interpretive
sign near the wheel, perhaps
along the highway. And there
may be a few warm-weather
tours coming. There may be a
trail in the future, but that
could be tricky and expensive,
since the river’s path is tight
along that stretch of stream.
DENVER (AP) — Environmentalists and regulators in Colorado will have more information
than any state about what chemicals energy companies are
pumping into the earth as they
try to extract gas from rock formations deep underground.
Starting in April, energy companies will have to disclose the
concentrations of the chemicals
used in hydraulic fracturing,
which some environmentalists
and residents fear is contaminating groundwater and tainting the
air.
Colorado regulators unanimously approved the new rules
Tuesday. Drillers also will have to
make public some information
about chemicals considered trade
secrets, and give 48 hours’ notice
before pumping the chemicals
into the ground.
The rules are similar to those in
a first-in-the-nation law that
Texas regulators implemented
Tuesday, but Colorado’s go further by requiring the concentrations of chemicals to be disclosed.
“That’s the big advancer here.
We’re getting a full picture of
what’s in that fracking fluid,” said
Michael Freeman, an attorney for
Earthjustice who worked with the
industry to write the rules for
Colorado.
Halliburton Co. and other
drilling companies had opposed
the rules, saying the chemicals
were proprietary. Both environmental groups and industry attorneys hammered out the regulations in what both described as
an informal atmosphere.
“It yielded a good rule for the
state and a workable rule for the
industry,” said Jep Seman, an at-
torney for the Colorado Petroleum Association.
The Environmental Protection
Agency last week found a possible link between groundwater
pollution and hydraulic fracturing
beneath Pavillion, Wyo. The EPA
found compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals in the
groundwater beneath the small
central Wyoming community
where residents complain their
well water smells like chemicals.
Health officials last year advised
residents not to drink their well
water after the EPA found low
levels of hydrocarbons.
Industry officials pointed out
that the EPA announcement didn’t focus on the domestic water
wells but two wells drilled somewhat deeper into the aquifer
specifically to test for pollution.
The owner of the Pavillion gas
field, Calgary, Alberta-based Encana Corp., said the compounds
could have had other origins not
related to gas development.
Dave Neslin, director of the
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said commissioners are reviewing the draft
EPA report but the state already
has implemented regulations
meant to protect its groundwater.
Those rules include how to properly encase and cement wells,
clean up spills and properly dispose of waste.
“Disclosure is important for
transparency and public education, but it’s not our first line of
defense,” he said.
Also, if Colorado drillers claim
a trade secret, they have to certify it’s a trade secret but would still
have to disclose the ingredient’s
chemical family.
In emergencies, companies
would have to tell health care
workers what those secret ingredients are. The public can chal-
lenge whether a company in Colorado can claim something’s a
trade secret.
Texas’ regulations allow companies to claim trade secrets unless the attorney general or a
court determines the information
doesn’t qualify.
Companies have been fracking
for decades, but as drilling expands to more populated areas,
residents near wells are concerned about the effects on their
health and drinking water. Texas,
in passing its law this summer,
noted that fracking has been
done safely in that state for 60
years.
Arkansas, Montana, Texas and
Wyoming all require companies
to disclose the chemicals in fracking fluid but not their concentrations, said Matt Watson, senior
energy policy manager for the
Environmental Defense Fund.
Louisiana and New Mexico only
require disclosure of some chemicals deemed workplace hazards
by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration. Other
states, including Michigan and
Pennsylvania, have proposed
similar regulations.
Both Colorado and Texas require companies to list fracking
fluid chemicals on FracFocus.org,
a national Web site created by two
intergovernmental
agencies.
Companies in Texas must begin
complying starting in February.
Gov. John Hickenlooper had
called for Colorado to draft a disclosure rule.
“I think we’ve reached the
fairest and most transparent rules
on the transparency of frack fluids of any state in the country,”
the Democratic governor said. “I
think this will likely become a national model that if other states
they don’t copy it, they will certainly use it as a touch point.”
Walking sticks provide support for autistic man
KELSEY DAYTON
Casper Star-Tribune
RIVERTON (AP) — A walking
stick is meant to offer support,
easing weight from joints to wood.
It is meant to assist in independence, relieving a need for support
from someone else. It can open
new possibilities: suddenly a walk
isn’t too long, or terrain quite so
treacherous.
Leonard Williams’ walking
sticks give his customers these
things, but they also provide them
for him.
Williams, 21, collects sticks,
then peels, sands, shapes and
sometimes colors them before
adding a finishing varnish. It is
the only time he is truly focused
and calm, when his fine motor
skills are at their best and his signature “flicking” or flapping of his
hands still so he can wield drills
and saws and sanders.
Leonard was diagnosed with
autism as a baby, about 20 years
ago, before the term filled headlines and people knew what it
meant.
Autism is a developmental disability, varying in the ways it affects a person. Some autistic people can’t speak at all, while others
are articulate.
Leonard didn’t hit developmental marks at the same rate as other kids.
When the family heard the diagnosis, they accepted it, said his
mother, Debra Williams. They
didn’t want medication or even to
use the word disability.
“Leonard was just Leonard,”
she said.
Leonard received help at school
working on motor and social
skills, but the real work was constant at home, Debra said.
Specialists told Debra her son
wouldn’t be able to put on his own
jacket. She sewed hand prints inside so he’d know where to place
his arms through the sleeves.
They said he’d never tie his own
shoe. Debra vowed he would —
and he did, although it took several years.
“We knew the world would never adjust to Leonard, so we better
work hard to make Leonard adjust to the world,” Debra said.
Leonard showed an autistic
characteristic early on, becoming
infatuated or obsessed with a certain topic. Debra calls it being
“stuck.” When he was little, it was
bugs. He wanted bug clothing, to
read only bug books and play with
bug toys.
As he got older, his parents
eased him away from bugs, trying
to find something more age appropriate, such as dinosaurs and
then cars. They’d explain to him
simply that something was better
for boys his age. And Leonard
looked to his older brother as a
role model. The whole family
went on outings, hunting, fishing,
or — as Leonard is quick to remind everyone — sledding.
They’ve tried to keep him well
rounded, and he no longer seems
to get “stuck” on one thing, Debra
said. He loves his fish, but also his
lizards and his walking sticks.
His love of walking sticks started as a 4-H project about six years
ago. His older brother had entered
a walking stick in the county fair a
couple of years before. Leonard
insisted he wanted to create the
same project.
Through the years, Debra tried
to find something that incited
passion from her son. The house
is cluttered with the activities he’s
tried: painted rocks, watercolors,
molding clay into orange fish,
dried leaf collages.
Leonard’s interest always
sparked at first, but quickly
waned.
Debra thought a walking stick
would require an attention span
Leonard didn’t have, but she
agreed to let him try, thinking it
was a project he could chip away
at, even if took all year.
A couple of hours after he had
started, she checked on him, expecting to find he’d moved on to a
new interest. Instead, he presented a finished stick, a smile and a
serious question: Do another one?
Debra, a wood artist, held the
stick and found it perfectly
smoothed. It won Leonard a purple ribbon that year at the fair.
Afterward, Leonard wanted to
make another and then another.
But that isn’t how Debra knew her
son had discovered something he
loved.
“When Leonard is working on a
stick,” she said, “he doesn’t flick.”
A few years ago, the school began to pressure Debra to have
Leonard take a job to learn responsibility and develop a work
ethic.
Debra agreed with part of the
suggestion. She did want her son
to feel the sense of accomplishment from productivity and the
pride from a job well done.
But the choices were limited
and none seemed to suit her son.
Meanwhile, Leonard was still
making walking sticks, collecting
sticks from the ground while out
walking or using ones his uncle
brought from Utah. Friends and
family were starting to ask about
buying them. The family saw the
sticks as a perfect opportunity for
Leonard to work.
They talked with Leonard, who
loved the idea, and decided they’d
eventually make a plan to help
him start his business.
A few days later, Debra and
Leonard were out checking
garage sales when Leonard suddenly yelled stop!
Sticks!
Trees!
Walking sticks, Leonard yelled,
pointing at a man cutting limbs
from a tree. Debra stopped and together they asked the man for his
tree limbs, telling him about
Leonard’s business. The man said
they could have them all and said
he knew other people cutting
trees, did they want more? Debra
gave the man her address and
said people could leave sticks or
branches in the yard.
Without a body, can the
missing mom case progress?
NATE CARLISLE
The Salt Lake Tribune
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah
(AP) — West Valley City police
this year conducted public
searches for any sign of the
body of Susan Cox Powell, using cadaver dogs to search the
vast desert around Topaz
Mountain and rappelling into
scores of mine shafts near Ely,
Nev.
They also executed a search
warrant on the Puyallup, Wash.,
home of the father of Josh Powell, the missing woman’s husband and the only person police
have identified as a person of interest in the disappearance.
Finding any remains would
end the nearly two-year mystery
of Powell’s disappearance, giving her family answers and providing something else: evidence.
But in the absence of discovering a body, putting together a
criminal case in connection with
Powell’s disappearance is a lot
tougher.
Police have said little about
what evidence exists in the case,
but University of Utah law professor Daniel Medwed said the
lack of a body would make it difficult, but not impossible, to file
a murder charge.
“You basically need to have a
mountain of circumstantial evidence,” Medwed said.
That circumstantial evidence
would have to show the person
is dead, was murdered and who
did it. But a murder case with
no body creates an obvious
counterargument for the defendant.
“I could envision a defense attorney here saying: ‘Well ... we
don’t have a body. We don’t
even know that she’s dead,”‘
Medwed said.
West Valley City police said in
early December that a laboratory finished examining suspicious charred wood found by cadaver dogs during the Topaz
Mountain search, although po-
lice aren’t releasing the results
of the test.
Authorities also are continuing to sort through a trailer full
of evidence taken from the
Puyallup home.
No other searches are
planned, but West Valley City
Police Chief Buzz Nielsen remains confident the case will be
solved.
“We’re going to get there,” he
said.
Utah police and prosecutors
have filed murder charges without a body before. The last was
that of victim Joyce Yost and defendant Douglas Lovell. In 1985,
Lovell was charged with raping
Yost, but she disappeared 10
days before she was to testify at
trial.
Prosecutors didn’t charge
Lovell with Yost’s murder until
1992. Lovell’s wife testified that
he hated Yost for accusing him
of rape and broke into Yost’s
South Ogden home, murdered
her and buried her near Snowbasin resort. After pleading
guilty to murder, Lovell took police to where he said he buried
Yost, but her body has never
been found. A judge sentenced
Lovell to death, but in 2010, the
Utah Supreme Court said Lovell
should have been better informed of his rights and allowed
Lovell to withdraw his guilty
plea. A new trial date has not
been scheduled.
Prosecutors in Denver last
year charged a man with murdering a business partner even
though they didn’t have the victim’s body. Police found a crime
scene in which they found evidence of a murder.
A year after the charges were
filed, a person walking a dog
found the victim’s body along
Interstate 70 near Cisco, Utah.
A trial is scheduled for February.
There’s no indication West
Valley City police have a witness
like in the Yost murder or have
found a crime scene like that in
the Denver case.

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011

Transcription

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