FRONT PAGE A1 www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY THS softball team enjoys state championship See A10 TOOELETRANSCRIPT BULLETIN May 27, 2008 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 115 NO. 003 50¢ Local summer hiring holding strong by Doug Radunich opened May 24. He said the down.” had to pull in current employ- STAFF WRITER number of employees hired McKendrick said Deseret ees from other departments was the same as last year, and Peak’s other departments, such to come help. We’re lucky that Despite low statewide that most of the new hires were as concessions and ground we had an ample amount of unemployment and fears of a college students on break. maintenance, have also been people apply for departments national recession, local busi- “Several of our hires were hiring seasonal employees. throughout the whole park, nesses and government offi- return employees from previ- “Right now we have a total and our pay rates went up just cials report robust summer ous summers, and we might of 89 summer employees, and a little because of the cost-of- hiring with few problems find- be hiring a couple more,” we’ll see how popular our living increase.” ing seasonal employees. McKendrick said. “Most of them events are to decide if we will Miller Motorsports Park has Deseret Peak Complex were brought on as lifeguards. need even more,” he said. “We also been hiring more employ- Director Mark McKendrick said These summer employees will expect another busy year this ees for the summer season. 39 part-time employees were stay with us until Labor Day, year. In the past, when we’ve Angelina Kendzior, director photography / Troy Boman hired two weeks ago for the which is when pretty much had to run a major event like Eric Applegarth and Marcia Salzar (l-r) work the counter at Dairy Delight park’s aquatic center, which all of our departments wind the Tooele County Fair, we’ve SEE HIRING PAGE A8 ➤ last Friday. More tourists are visiting Tooele County in the summer months and many employers are hiring more part-time help. A MEMORIAL DAY HONOR Mom beat knife-wielding rapist by ‘fighting like heck’ by Jamie Belnap Beacham, 31, had just moved into the home eight STAFF WRITER days ago, and only two days earlier had learned that Johnson was a registered sex offender. Thinking he When Shawndi Beacham saw the front door of had mistakenly entered the wrong house, she asked, her Overlake home close and lock while cleaning up “Hey, what are you doing?” lunch last Tuesday afternoon, she thought her hus- That’s when Beacham said Johnson turned band was home early from work. But as she leaned around and flashed a fillet knife at her. over to get a better view, she saw a red baseball Beacham said Johnson charged up the stairs cap that her next-door neighbor Brandon Johnson always wore. SEE MOM PAGE A9 ➤ photography/ Troy Boman Shawndi Beacham and her husband Ernie describe her struggle against attempted rapist Brandon Farrell Johnson last week. Beacham suffered cuts on her hand, crushed bones in her face and several torn ligaments in her knee fighting off Johnson. Schools’ budget tops $127 million photography / Maegan Burr by Tim Gillie Harold McConnell walks the flag to the flag pole Monday during Memorial Day services at Veterans Memorial Square STAFF WRITER TOOELE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT in Tooele. BUDGET The Tooele County School Board got its first look at a $127.8 million preliminary budget 2007 for 2008-09 last Tuesday, that is down 4.3 per- Maintenance & Operation cent from last year. Non K-12 Settlement Canyon water shut off $2,034,595 $75,575,051 The decline was mainly due to a drop of $9 million in the district’s capital outlay fund Student Activities Despite rains, irrigation officials say reservoir levels still need to rise as Settlement Canyon Elementary School is $3,100,000 completed. All other budget funds show an by Sarah Miley one of the few times in his life- spring is in part due to last year’s increase for 2008-09. Food Service Capital Outlay $5,203,500 STAFF WRITER time that his rain gauge filled and drought. Richard Reese, business administrator for $36,992,903 spilled over in a 24-hour period. “I never remember having to the school district, said increasing enroll- Debt Service Despite heavy rainfall over the Gary Bevan, Settlement Canyon do this [turn water off] in the ment and rising costs associated with staffing $10,448,515 weekend, Settlement Canyon Irrigation Company president, spring,” he said. “Usually the account for most of the increases. Irrigation Company water was said runoff finally began coming water’s up and we’re worried The maintenance and operation fund, turned off last Friday and will into Settlement Canyon reservoir about it going over the spillway. which covers the day-to-day costs of pro- 2008 Maintenance Non K-12 & Operation remain off for about a week to on Sunday. He said as soon as the But a lot of this is the result of viding education to students, comprises the $77,584,411 build up water levels in the reser- water level rises about 10 feet, the last year’s drought because there largest category in the budget. Expenses for $2,035,154 voir after a dry spring. water will be turned back on. wasn’t as much water running maintenance and operations are projected Student From last Thursday to Monday, “It has just been a terrible through the reservoir in the win- to grow by $2 million to $77.6 million — a 2.7 Activities $3,150,000 more than 2.5 inches of precipi- spring, so we just thought with ter as normal.” percent increase. Driving that increase are an tation were recorded in Tooele, all this rain that that’ll take care Depending on how fast the additional 21.5 new certified staff positions, Food Service according to Ned Bevan, Tooele’s of any irrigation and now would water level comes up in the res- an anticipated enrollment increase of 483 new $5,230,002 Capital Outlay $28,011,676 weather observer for the National be a good time to turn off the ervoir, Gary said the water will students, an 8.8 percent increase in employee Debt Service Weather Service. Most of that water because nobody should get remain shut off until possibly health and accident insurance premiums, a $11,674,687 amount — 2.22 inches — fell on hurt,” he said. Monday. graph / John Hamilton Thursday, which Bevan said was Gary said the lack of water this [email protected] SEE BUDGET PAGE A7 ➤ OPEN FORUM A4 HOMETOWN B1 INSIDE OBITUARIES A7 BULLETIN BOARD B2 TV LISTINGS B5 CLASSIFIEDS B6 Pediatrician Iosepa descendants SPORTS A10 ANNOUNCEMENTS A8 opens medical celebrate heritage spa in Tooele See A12 WEATHER See A6 Partly cloudy skies. Highs in the mid 70s. Complete Forecast: A2 A2 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT-BULLETIN TUESDAY May 27, 2008 Valley Weather Forecast Stansbury Park chase lands two men in jail Local Weather One driver hijacked a gun and to drive,” Garcia on the same road where the said. Suburban had been left, and Wed 74/52 5/28 vehicle before fleeing At this point, the Suburban took him into custody. Intervals of clouds and sunshine. and the Cadillac sped off in Garcia said the Cadillac High 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. by Jamie Belnap separate directions, each crashed into a vinyl fence STAFF WRITER being pursued by law enforce- on Village Boulevard and ment. Vatuvie was also arrested. Two men led police on Tooele County Sheriff The Cadillac was registered a high-speed chase into Frank Park said the owner of to a member of Vatuvie’s fam- Thu 74/49 5/29 Stansbury Park Saturday the Suburban fled from his ily. morning. vehicle at his first opportu- Another vehicle, a brown Times of sun and clouds. Highs in Sgt. Dave Garcia of the nity, and Toko then slid over Buick, fled from the scene in the mid 70s and lows in the upper Simone Junior Toko Sione Vatuvie Tooele County Sheriff’s Office into the driver’s seat and con- Erda. 40s. was patrolling on the east away before Garcia had an Park, where Toko then turned tinued driving. The Suburban Both Toko and Vatuvie side of Erda around 8 a.m. opportunity to approach the west down Village Boulevard. traveled through the neigh- were booked into the Tooele when he spotted three suspi- vehicle. Toko eventually aban- borhood a few blocks before County Jail. Toko was charged Fri cious vehicles. He pulled over As a high-speed chase doned the Jeep on Pebble backing into a car parked in with aggravated burglary, 70/49 an older-model blue Jeep began, Garcia said he was Beach, a residential street just a driveway. Toko then fled possession of a stolen vehicle, 5/30 Cherokee, and when he ran pursued by a newer-model north of Village Boulevard, on foot through adjoining evading police, aggravated Times of sun and clouds. Highs in its license plate he discov- white Cadillac driven by Sione and hijacked a brown Chevy backyards, climbing fences robbery and reckless driving. the low 70s and lows in the upper ered the car was stolen. The Vatuvie, 21, of Salt Lake as he Suburban with a male pas- between properties. Vatuvei was charged evading 40s. driver, Simone Junior Toko, followed the Jeep to SR-36 senger inside, Garcia said. At approximately 10 a.m., police, according to Park.