www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELE RANSCRIPT Yellow Brick T Road leads 4-H Pigmania to tree fest See B1 BULLETIN December 6, 2005 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 112 NO. 56 50 cents Supreme Court refuses to hear N-waste case by Mark Watson request to hear its case involving STAFF WRITER state laws designed to regulate The State of Utah is hustling, and tax PFS. For Utah it was a working hard, devising various third strike. Previously, judges game plans, but finding the com- ruled against the state laws in petition hard to beat. federal district court and the Utah’s war continues to rage 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. with Private Fuel Storage, Inc. Both sides of the issue said (PFS) and federal agencies regu- the high court’s decision not to lating the disposal of nuclear review the case was expected. waste. The battle seems akin to Federal officials urged the court a 1A team facing a 5A opponent. not to hear the case. The company, with assistance The State of Utah and a group from the Skull Valley Goshutes, of Goshutes opposed to PFS’s wants to store high-level radio- plan recently appealed the active waste in Skull Valley. Nuclear Regulatory Agency’s Private Fuel Storage, Inc. decision in September to grant prevailed in the most recent PFS a license to store nuclear skirmish Monday when the U.S Supreme Court denied Utah’s SEE N-WASTE ON A2 Jury selection to begin in murder-for-hire trial by Jesse Fruhwirth propositioned by the defendant STAFF WRITER but made no arrangements. The Jury selection begins this defense team is likely to argue week for the trial of a man that the witnesses are dishonest photography / Troy Boman accused of conspiring to kill his and testifying only to reduce With 522 days of sobriety and counting, drug court graduate Russell Braithwaite is congratulated by substance recovery advocate Vicki wife. His wife lived and was their own varying charges. Griffith after ceremonies in Tooele County’s 3rd District Court Monday evening. attacked in Grantsville last sum- Deputy County Attorney Gary mer when the alleged murder- Searle said the testimony of the for-hire conspiracy unfolded. witnesses will be supported by According to court documents, other evidence. Drug court helps three more get clean the defendant may take the “There are physical facts that stand in his own defense. are going to be presented which by Jesse Fruhwirth justice system. ny the program has celebrated. Currently Donald Millard, 38 of Midvale, will corroborate that testimony,” STAFF WRITER “Other than adoptions, this is the nicest there are 50 drug court participants. Since was released on $125,000 prop- Searle said. About twice a year, crime and punish- thing I do,” said Judge Randall Skanchy. the program started two years ago, 12 erty bail bond a year ago. The Defense lawyer Tara Isaacson ment is replaced with crime and redemp- The innovative program combines have graduated. jury will be selected this week said she could make little com- tion at the Third District Court in Tooele. addiction therapy with criminal justice The ceremony was met with tearful with the trial scheduled to begin ment on the case before the trial. The drug court celebrated graduation of and its graduation ceremonies are happy, testimonies from the graduates. The entire on Monday. However, she said the frame- three participants Monday night. congratulatory events. Proponents say court room was filled with family mem- The prosecution’s case rests work of the trial may change. The celebration brought an odd gleeful- that mixture of therepy and justice is a bers and supporters of the graduates. on the testimony of three men “Neither side will know pre- ness to the court room. Not often to be vast improvement over previous methods Graduate Stephanie Baker thanked her who have had their own share of cisely [which witnesses] they’re seen are joyous family members, cookies that tried to rehabilitate or punish drug family members for supporting her as well legal trouble. Two men have tes- going to call until they go to and punch, even flower bouquets in the offenders. tified in pretrial hearings for the trial,” Isaacson said. epicenter of judgment for the criminal This was the fourth graduation ceremo- SEE DRUG COURT ON A3 prosecution that they were hired Millard’s ex-wife was attacked by the accused to do the mur- der. A third said he was merely SEE MILLARD ON A2 Business owners want New $9 million courthouse will open in ’07 by Mark Watson He said that in addition to district and juvenile court eyesores spruced up STAFF WRITER The whole process of build- employees, the Tooele County Legislature will examine RDA usage ing a new courthouse in Tooele Attorney’s office will also move County started in the year 2000 to the new building. Once the by Karen Hunt elected official is interested in and will conclude in 2007. new facility is in operation it making sure that it is a good “We started working with will free up almost an entire STAFF WRITER floor for offices at the current Talk to Tooele City business climate for business. Business the county about five years ago county building. owners and it becomes apparent taxes support communities — looking at various options,” Now, the courts are located no one wants to do business in a community taxes would be sig- said Gordon Bissegger, public on the third floor in the county ghost town. nificantly higher if it wasn’t for facilities manager for the Utah building so there is restricted Looking out his office win- business taxes.” Administrative Office of the access, which presents prob- dow, Trent Bell, owner of Quality One irony is that RDAs allow Courts. “We have a lease with lems for individuals needing to Automotive, gestures toward Bell’s property taxes to be them right now which takes access county offices located abandoned properties surround- diverted to help neighborhoods up 7,000 to 8,000 square-feet of on the same floor. ing his car lots. other than his own that are their courthouse. They needed The new courthouse mea- “That’s what hurts us. When considered “blight” areas, with the space and we needed more sures 58,000 square fee. Its you drive into town and see stuff the hope that the “investment” space for courtrooms.” main entrance will be from the like that nursery and that build- will yield greater profits for the Layton Construction Garden Street on the east. “We ing on the corner. That hurts us. entire business community due Company is working full-speed- have had great cooperation I think that’s what the city needs to the improvements. ahead on a new state-of-the-art with Tooele County. They will to work on, is cleaning up empty While Bell is quick to admit court building east of Tooele actually own one-fourth of the buildings and land.” he’s no expert on RDA — he County Courthouse. The $9 mil- building,” Bissegger said. Bell’s concern that a dilapi- knows little about how it works lion facility will be completed MHTN Architects of Salt Lake dated area hurts business is the — that doesn’t trouble him. in January, 2007. The Utah City designed the building. The rationale behind creating rede- “We try to get involved in Legislature approved funding company also designed the Scott velopment agencies (RDA). the community so I don’t try to for the project in 2004. M. Matheson Courts Complex in “A successful community has make too big a deal about each The caseload for the district Salt Lake, the American Fork to have a successful business little tax and I think that end of court in Tooele County has Police & Courts building and district,” said former Tooele town needs all the help it can increased dramatically in recent the recent Davis County Courts Mayor George Diehl, who played get,” Bell said. “... It’s not healthy years. expansion. a major role in creating the RDA for the city to have any area “Essentially we have a full- MHTN has also designed sev- in downtown Tooele City. that’s depressed.” time district judge and a juve- eral buildings for the Tooele “It’s to the interest of every- Not everyone likes RDAs. nile judge who works out there photography / Troy Boman County School District. one in the city to have a strong three days per week,” Bissegger Layton Construction workers build a shear wall at the new county courthouse. business community and any SEE RDA ON A6 said. e-mail:[email protected] WEATHER OPEN FORUM A4 HOMETOWN B1 INSIDE Cloudy tonight with a chance of OBITUARIES A6 DOINGS B4 Buff swimmers capture sweep snow. Partly cloudy and frigid in dual against Pirates Wednesday. Lows near 15. Highs CROSSWORDS A8 TV LISTINGS B6 See A11 in 20s. Complete Forecast: A2 SPORTS A10 CLASSIFIEDS B8 A2 TUESDAY December 6, 2005 ETCETERA ... Design earns kudos from school magazine News Briefs Valley Weather Forecast Local Weather by Jesse Fruhwirth instructor.” Renew pet licenses STAFF WRITER Also great news for the school As a reminder to Tooele City Wed 22/11 The architectural firm respon- district is that Orion Junior High residents who are pet owners, 12/7 sible for designing many of School — also designed by MHTN all 2005 dog and cat licenses Generally sunny. Cold. High 22F. Tooele School District’s elemen- — in the Weber school district will expire Dec. 31. All licenses Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. tary schools has won an award was also listed as a project of dis- require renewal for the new 2006 for that design.