FRONT PAGE A1 www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELE RANSCRIPT Virg’s still pack- T ing them in after 10 years See B1 BULLETIN October 16, 2007 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 114 NO. 42 50¢ Broadway project clears another hurdle Police investigate by Tim Gillie STAFF WRITER death in Wendover An affordable housing devel- opment centered on the ren- by Suzanne Ashe found Garcia after ovation of the old Broadway STAFF WRITER responding to a medi- Hotel in Newtown took anoth- cal call at the casino. er step forward last week when Police in West Garcia had report- the state approved low-income Wendover are inves- edly been in an alter- housing tax credits for the tigating the death of cation with two other project. 22-year-old Carlos individuals who had Kevin Peterson of Capital Garcia, of Orem, after left the casino prior to Management, a Salt Lake City- he was found dead at the officers arrival. based development company, the Stateline-Wendover Garcia’s body was said the credits will allow his Nugget Casino on sent to the Washoe company to focus on complet- Sunday. County crime lab in ing a financing package and According to a Reno for an autopsy. finalizing a design for the $10 statement from the The police are continu- million project. West Wendover Police ing their investigation. “I’ve worked intently on Department, officers [email protected] this project for a year and half now,” said Peterson. “It has taken patience, but we’re not stopping.” When completed, the hotel First-ever Grantsville project will include 21 units for photography / Maegan Burr those with an income of 60 per- cent or less of Tooele’s annual Jim Busico stands in front of the Broadway Hotel, which he is helping to renovate into affordable housing. Busico and his stoplight goes online development partners have now received tax credits that will allow him to line up funding to finish the project. The hotel mean income. According to (lower right) is pictured shortly after construction was completed in 1911. Peterson, by today’s figures by Tim Gillie that means people earning The hotel restoration is only Newtown project. After com- to build another three-story STAFF WRITER $34,000 or less. the first phase of Peterson’s pleting the hotel, he has plans ➤ SEE BROADWAY PAGE A5 It’s a sign of the times — literally. Grantsville’s first stoplight was unwrapped by Utah Department of Transportation on Monday and residents are still get- ting used to the idea their town has grown enough to warrant such a measure. “It’s depressing,” said Jamie Bendixen, who works at Casa del Rey Restaurant on Main Street in Grantsville. Voucher debate heats up “It means we’re not a small town any more.” The light, located at the junction of SR-112 and Educators, officials argue pros and cons ahead of Nov. 6 vote SR-138, blinked red to indicate a four-way stop on Monday, but should be fully activated with red, yel- by Sarah Miley drive and gathered well lines. The value of vouchers District 21 seat in 2006, is low and green signals today, according to UDOT. The STAFF WRITER over the 92,000 signatures would increase as time goes pro-voucher. He has five new light was deemed necessary after traffic studies needed to force a refer- on, though by the same children, four of whom are completed by UDOT showed heavy traffic flow at the On Nov. 6, voters will endum. The referendum percentage as increases school-age, and his chil- intersection. decide the fate of a school will decide if vouchers will that the Legislature makes dren have been involved in Many Grantsville residents seem resigned to the voucher initiative that has become state law or not. to public schools for per- public, private and home fact that a stoplight was inevitable, given the rapid polarized the state and If implemented, the student funding. education. growth of the town recently. According to the Wasatch Tooele County. school voucher program Utahns for Public “I believe the public Front Regional Council Grantsville grew by 22 per- The debate over vouch- would give students state- Schools claims private school system is failing,” cent between 2000 and 2006. ers is several years old, but funded scholarships worth school vouchers will fail Clifford said. “The model But that doesn’t mean everyone is happy about the intensified at the beginning $500 to $3,000 annually to Utah’s families and stu- isn’t working for every- change. of this year with two bills attend private schools. The dents because they will cut one, and allowing private “When we moved here my husband said as soon passed by the Utah State amount of the scholarship public education funding. schools to come to the as we get a stoplight we’re moving out,” said Heidi Legislature. In February, depends on household Voucher proponents, table as part of the solution Andreasen, who works at the Handy Corner conve- HB 148 was passed to income and family size. To like the main pro-voucher makes sense in terms of fix- nience store on Main Street. “But we’re not moving.” establish the Parent Choice be eligible, students would group Parents for Choice ing the problem.” “I’m not sure about it,” said Leeann Moody, anoth- in Education Program. HB also have to attend eligible in Education, say with less Funding for the scholar- er Grantsville resident. “We needed it there. At certain 174, which passed weeks private schools. students in public schools, ship program would come times of day there is a line of traffic.” later, modified the program Students currently in per pupil public school from taxpayer dollars. The by tightening accountabil- public school, just enter- spending will increase and money, however, would SEE STOPLIGHT PAGE A5 ➤ ity for all private schools. ing kindergarten or new to class sizes will shrink, pro- come from general state The school voucher Utah would all be eligible viding a better education tax revenues, not the edu- initiative was put on the for the vouchers, as would for students. cation fund. Nov. 6 ballot after Utahns low-income students cur- Tooele resident Jess Tooele County School for Public Schools — the rently attending private Clifford, who ran unsuc- District Superintendent main anti-voucher group schools — based on subsi- cessfully for the Utah Mike Johnsen is against the — spearheaded a petition dized-lunch income guide- House of Representatives voucher program. “As good as the Legislature has done the last few years of funding education, I think vouchers would take money away from the sys- tem,” he said. “We’re still 51st in the nation as far as money to students, and now we’re going to take more away and give it to private schools?” Clifford said he doesn’t buy the argument that pub- lic funds shouldn’t be used for private institutions. “I believe the public funds have been set aside by taxpayers to ensure their kids are educated, and edu- cated in a way that’s com- petitive in the global mar- ket,” said Clifford. Currently, school dis- tricts receive state funds based on the number of photography / Maegan Burr photography/ Maegan Burr students enrolled in their Principal Marcella Burden walks up the stairs Tuesday at St. Marguerite’s elementary school. Burden, along district. If the voucher pro- UDOT employees Guy Buckner and Dave Mount inspect the with the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, is in favor of school vouchers. newly installed traffic light in Grantsville. The light will be fully functional as soon as stop bars are painted on the intersection, ➤ SEE VOUCHERS PAGE A5 which could be as soon as Tuesday afternoon. OPEN FORUM A4 HOMETOWN B1 WEATHER INSIDE Isolated thunderstorms today with OBITUARIES A7 BULLETIN BOARD A6 Tooele swimmers log personal lingering showers Wednesday. Highs TV LISTINGS B2 CLASSIFIEDS B3 records during meet in the upper 40s to lower 50s. See A9 Complete Forecast: A2 SPORTS A9 A2 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT-BULLETIN TUESDAY October 16, 2007 Utah & The West Valley Weather Forecast Local Weather Critics decry continued lobbyist freebies Tue 64/43 10/16 by Brock Vergakis Partial cloudiness early, with scat- ASSOCIATED PRESS tered showers and thunderstorms in the a. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Sushi, dis- counted legal fees, contact lenses and sporting event tickets were among the freebies doled out to public offi- Wed 53/39 10/17 cials by lobbyists over the past three Morning showers. Highs in the low months, reports show. 50s and lows in the upper 30s. The disclosures follow a year in which Gov. Jon Huntsman banned executive branch employees from receiving gifts and legislators grudg- Thu 50/40 10/18 ingly agreed to reveal which pub- Few showers. Highs in the low 50s lic officials are getting free tickets and lows in the low 40s. to college and professional sporting ©2005 American Profile Hometown Content events. Service House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake City, wants to Temps / Precipitation end the gift giving because he says it undermines the public’s faith in Date High Low (prec./inches) government. Oct. 11 72 41 0 “There’s no question it diminishes Oct. 12 62 41 0 the confidence the public has in the Oct. 13 61 47 .06 decisions that we make,” he said. “No Oct. 14 63 45 tr public benefit has been served by Oct. 15 70 42 0 having lobbyists buy meals, buy Jazz tickets and buying golf games.” Ned Bevan, Tooele’s weather observer Sen. Minority Whip Gene Davis, D- for the National Weather Service, reports Salt Lake City, received a $1,259 dis- that his recording station at 139 S.