www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELE RANSCRIPT THS Winter T Tree Festival benefits needy See B1 BULLETIN December 12, 2006 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 113 NO. 58 50 cents Benefit cuts force teachers to make difficult choice Many are opting for early retirement even as fast-growing district faces a teacher shortage by Karen Hunt “I wouldn’t have ever retired if I hadn’t STAFF WRITER Tooele County School District is worried about losing benefits. cutting back its retirement benefits I have the best job in the world.” plan for the third time since 2000 — a move that is encouraging teach- — ANNA GONZALES ers to opt out of the district at a time TOOELE JUNIOR HIGH COUNSELOR when it is the fastest growing in the state and educators are is short new laws are putting pressure on 60 — or in our case even 55 — you supply. school districts across the nation to have a way to get out and then The newest change would impact eliminate some retirement benefits. you’re hiring new teachers at a lower the district’s early incentive program Following the Enron scandal, the salary,” Johnsen said, adding that in and could remove health insurance Government Accounting Standards order to reward longtime teachers for upcoming retirees from ages board created a new law that he’s working to keep as much of the 55 to 65. Earlier changes removed requires government entities to put early-out incentive money as pos- MediGap coverage in 2000 and aside funding for benefits up front sible in the new plan. changed over to Medicare Plan D to instead of paying as they go. In addi- Retiring district administrator cover prescription drugs — although tion, Utah’s Legislature is putting Sandra Shepard said any new cuts it entails a higher deductible — last pressure on school districts to cut will hit veteran teachers particu- year. or eliminate their early retirement larly hard. Over years of activity in Superintendent Michael Johnsen plans. the Utah Education Association, she expects to be ready to present the Yet Johnsen sees a place for a has seen negotiations take place in new plan to the school board early program to reward the service of which teachers have accepted lower photography / Missy Thompson next year. longtime teachers who may be ready salaries in exchange for better bene- Tooele High School drama teacher Carol LaForge watches her students perform during class on Tuesday. While Johnsen emphasizes he’s to get out of the profession. LaForge doesn’t want to retire at the end of the year, but if the school district’s benefits package changes trying to do what’s best for teachers, “The philosophy used to be at age SEE TEACHER ON A7 she may consider retirement. Stansbury township movement gaining traction Hospital doing by Alleen Lang been very positive,” about the healthy business CORRESPONDENT township movement, Totman A move to establish a town- said. He expects to be done col- Anticipates positive review ship in the burgeoning Stansbury lecting the required number of Park area is taking shape with signatures needed to begin the from national accreditors the circulation of a petition township process by Jan. 1 of by Mark Watson throughout the community this next year. month, said Scott Totman, peti- If a significant number of sig- STAFF WRITER tion organizer. natures are collected, Tooele Mountain West Medical Center appears to be The unincorporated bedroom County will hold a series of pub- winning over local converts in its bid to prove community is the second-larg- lic hearings and gather comment there’s no need to drive to Salt Lake City for est “town” in Tooele County in before a vote is made on rather quality medical care. terms of population. The town- or not to establish a township, The hospital has seen its admissions rise ship movement is “the first baby said Nicole Cline, Tooele County by 17.1 percent this year compared with 2005, step” toward incorporation as a planning and economic develop- according to Doug Sagers, director of business separate municipality, Totman ment director. development for MWMC. Surgeries are also up photography / Troy Boman 41.8 percent and baby deliveries are up 37.3 said. Some residents of Stansbury Park would like to create a township to help manage “Everyone I have talked to has SEE STANSBURY ON A4 percent from last year. their expanding community. “The trend of people going to Salt Lake for hospital services is reversing,” said Sagers. “We have a good story to tell and a couple of things have helped. First, we’ve tried to educate Valley air quality relatively good — for now people about what we have through our mar- keting, and second, people are having a good by Alleen Lang winter, said Jeff Coombs, Tooele County all based on particulate matter in the 2005. By contrast, Salt Lake County experience and are telling family and friends CORRESPONDENT Environmental Health Director. air. Wood smoke, soot and car emis- has had nine days just this year when about us.” Tooele County has not received an In the winter, poor air quality is sions create the biggest particulate air quality exceeded healthy limits. In The hospital is hoping those positive trends unhealthy air quality rating yet this caused by inversion — cold air trapped problems. 2005, Salt Lake Valley had 28 exceed- will be further substantiated by a national month in spite of the haze blanket- inside a valley by warmer air above it. “A lot of times you can be in the haze ances, Cache Valley had 24, and Tooele ing valleys along the Wasatch Front That causes air not to circulate and and can’t see it until you are away from County had only two. SEE HOSPITAL ON A4 and into northern Utah last week, but haze to accumulate. The EPA rates air it,” Coombs said. Cache Valley has high air pollution the community can expect to get an quality as good, moderate, unhealthy Tooele County has not exceeded EPA SEE AIR ON A5 unhealthy air rating once or twice this for sensitive people and unhealthy for particulate matter limits since Nov. 24, Boyfriend accused of Sewer backup puts killing young mother by Mary Ruth Hammond STAFF WRITER two families out of Walter Smith, 24, appeared in Third District Court this morning on charges he murdered their Tooele homes Nicole Speirs, 22, the mother of his twin sons on March 25 of this year in their Tooele home. by Mary Ruth Hammond Spiers was found dead in a bathtub full of STAFF WRITER water. It was Nov. 30 when Kym Baer’s children came Smith claims he was with his twin sons vis- home from school, walked into their Tooele house, iting family at the time of Speirs’ death. and had to plug their noses because of the stench Speirs was supposed to go to work at 1 p.m. inside. In fact, Legan, 15, started throwing up while his on March 25. Smith said he called her cell older sister, Kamryn, 15, called their mom and said phone at 9 p.m. and told her he had changed she needed to get home as quickly as possible. his mind about staying in Burley, Idaho, and Baer rushed home and as she walked into the would be home after she arrived from work. house she could smell raw sewage. She couldn’t Smith told police that when he returned believe her eyes when she saw both toilets, the home shortly after 1 a.m. he put the twins to tub and shower filled with sewage. What’s more, bed. According to his statement, he then heard according to Baer, the carpet in her entire house, water running and went into the bathroom. He with the exception of a small part of the living said he found Speirs face down in the bathtub room and two corners of each bedroom, was filled in their master bathroom. The water was still with stinking, dirty sewer water. running, he said, but did not overflow because Two Tooele City Maintenance Department per- of an overflow drain. sonnel were sent to the residence. According to Smith is next scheduled to appear in Third photography / Troy Boman Baer, they turned on the water taps in her house District Court at 1 p.m. on Jan. 2 for a roll Cleaner Eddie Wyman of Service Master points to a floor once covered in raw sewage. Resident Kym Baer call hearing. He is currently being held in the had to stack personal belongings in her kitchen to prevent further damage. SEE SEWER ON A7 Tooele County jail. WEATHER OPEN FORUM A6 HOMETOWN B1 INSIDE Mostly cloudy with 40 percent OBITUARIES A8 CROSSWORD B2 Sloan capture’s 1000th victory chance of snow. See A10 Complete Forecast: A2 TV LISTINGS A9 BULLETIN BOARD B3 SPORTS A10 CLASSIFIEDS B4 A2 TUESDAY December 12, 2006 Utah & The West Etc. Arguments over water Egg farm fine going to USU wetland project Temps/Precipitation LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Money penalty for Ritewood.” on with this penalty.” from a northern Utah egg pro- Ritewood Egg houses between The Kaysville project will Date High Low (prec./inches) rights begin in Idaho ducer that was penalized for 750,000 and 1 million hens. Co- include a wetland discovery Dec. 7 45 22 releasing waste into the Bear owner Mark Woodward said the building and improvements Dec. 8 44 23 and Cub rivers will help fund a Lewiston-based company was to the existing ponds at the Dec. 9 53 28 Supreme Court Utah State University wetlands happy to redirect the money to Botanical Center.