www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELE WWII pilot RANSCRIPT brings 63 years T of experience to Tooele pilots See B1 BULLETIN November 28, 2006 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 113 NO. 54 50 cents Store owners ecstatic about weekend sales Teenage by Mark Watson STAFF WRITER births With Thanksgiving out of the way last Thursday, Tooele County residents focused on Christmas shopping Friday and falling Saturday in a big way — and area businesses were the ben- eficiaries. Stores across the val- ley reported sales up on aver- slightly age of about 25 percent, with more shoppers staying closer to by Alleen Lang home or including local shop- CORRESPONDENT ping before or after their trip to The county’s teenage preg- Salt Lake-area malls. nancy rate is declining but The sales increase locally still remains slightly above the — though based on anecdotal national average. evidence — beat even a bullish In the past 10 years, Tooele 19 percent increase nationwide County has moved from the this year compared to last year’s having the highest teen birth Black Friday, according to the rate in Utah to the fourth National Retail Federation. highest, with teenage births Tooele Wal-Mart manager accounting for 8 percent of Mark Wozney said sales this all births in 2005. About 70 year on Black Friday exceeded percent of those babies were those of a year ago by a signifi- born to unwed mothers. cant margin. Black Friday refers Tooele County topped out to the day after Thanksgiving at a 20 percent teen birth rate and the first shopping day of the in 1995, said Sherrie Ahlstrom, Christmas season. It is so named Tooele community health because it’s the day when profits supervisor. In 2005, Tooele put merchants into the black. County ranked slightly above Wozney said his Wal-Mart store, the national average of 7.7 which was one of the first for percent teen births and quite a the company in Utah, is match- bit higher than Utah’s average ing the sales of Wal-Mart stores of 4.6 percent births to teen in West Valley and West Jordan. mothers, according to census Managers for mega stores figures. Nationally, Utah ranks Liddiard Home Furnishings and second lowest in the nation photography / Troy Boman for teen births. SEE SHOP ON A2 John Cook and Matt Miller (l-r) shop for home entertainment systems Tuesday morning at Liddiard Home Furnishings. “Kids are growing up too fast,” said Amy Royal, a Tooele County Health Department nurse who coordinates the Wrong-way driver causes triple fatality near Wendover county’s teen abstinence program. But while they are by Mary Ruth Hammond Pontiac, Mila Vakataha, 43, of a.m. that a vehicle was traveling physically acting like adults, STAFF WRITER West Valley City, was killed, as in the wrong lane of traffic near they are still youngsters, and The driver of a westbound were passengers Kioa Valentine, Wendover. The closest point teen pregnancy, particularly pickup traveling in the east- 50, of Salt Lake City; and Sosaia troopers could have reached the to unwed mothers, is a tre- bound lane on Interstate 80 Sehoko, 69, of Salt Lake City. All eastbound lane of traffic was at mendous drain on the govern- before dawn on Saturday morn- were pronounced dead at the the Knolls Interchange, located ment. Younger mothers tend ing collided head-on into a car, scene of the crash. at milepost 41. Four minutes to drop out of school to take killing three people. Harrison was flow by AirMed after the first call, dispatchers care of their babies, which in According to a report filed by to University Hospital in Salt got another 911 call reporting turn begins a viscous cycle of UHP Trooper Tom Arnold, the Lake City, where his condition the crash. not being able to get a good accident occurred 30 miles east was reported this morning as I-80 eastbound was closed for of Wendover. critical. several hours after the crash. SEE TEEN ON A5 Jeffery Harrison, 22, of A fourth person in the UHP officials are still investi- Park City, was driving a 1994 Pontiac, Mila Saiala, 30, of West gating the accident to determine Chevrolet pickup truck alone in Valley City, suffered moderate if Harrison — the driver going the wrong lane at 3:40 a.m. when photography courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol injuries. She was transported by the wrong way on the interstate New district he slammed into a 1995 Pontiac The driver of this white pickup was driving on the wrong side of I-80 Lifeflight to LDS Hospital. — was impaired by alcohol or Bonneville sedan with four about 30 miles east of Wendover when he slammed into a car head Tooele County dispatchers controlled substances. policy on, killing three of the four passengers inside. passengers. The driver of the started receiving calls at 3:37 e-mail: [email protected] addresses Hotel occupancy Warm days passing rates drop along bullying by Alleen Lang CORRESPONDENT with temperatures Bullying takes many forms by Mark Watson in schools from nonverbal ges- STAFF WRITER tures to physical threats to cyber Government workers, construction insults, but until recently Tooele workers and business travelers are gen- County School District has not erating the most business for hotels and had a formal policy addressing motels in Tooele valley according to motel the issue. Now they do. managers. A recent Utah State law “Primarily our customers are those requiring each school district coming in to work at the Tooele Army to implement a bullying policy Depot, Deseret Chemical and other busi- has resulted in a formal policy ness travelers,” said John Dwyer, manager addressing the problem, said of Tooele’s Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Terry Linares, Tooele County Suites. “In our first three months I would School District secondary direc- estimate our occupancy rate at 65 to 70 tor. The policy will be up for percent. I expect it to slow down from review during the December now until January. I don’t think we’ll go meeting of the district’s board below 40 percent occupancy.” of directors. The 64-room Holiday Inn opened for While the consequences of business on Sept. 15. “Already we have bullying already exist in Tooele advanced bookings for the races [at Miller County schools, Linares said the Motorsports Park] next year, but these are policy “brings to the forefront usually racing teams and not racing fans.” the importance of addressing The historic Kirk Hotel, in downtown bullying behavior.” Tooele, had 100 percent occupancy of its The policy defines bullying 45 units during the summer, but that is as “aggressive behavior that is dropping off as winter arrives. The hotel intended to cause harm or dis- was running at 60 percent in November. tress.” “I like to rent out to construction Four types of bullying are teams that sometimes stay for up to three photography / Troy Boman addressed including: physi- Recent storms delivered a light patina of Utah powder, scantily covering kayaks on Stansbury pond. Forecasters expect mostly cloudy skies with a 50 percent chance of snow through tomorrow as well as colder temperatures in the teens. SEE HOTEL ON A4 SEE BULLY ON A5 WEATHER OPEN FORUM A6 CROSSWORD B3 INSIDE Snow likely today with highs OBITUARIES A8 DOINGS B4 Cowboys fall to talented, ranked at 27. Highs at 23 Wednesday Flyers in home opener and 28 Thursday. SPORTS A10 TV LISTINGS B5 See A10 Complete Forecast: A2 HOMETOWN B1 CLASSIFIEDS B6 A2 TUESDAY November 28, 2006 ETCETERA ... Temps/Precipitation New name, same game Date High Low (prec./inches) Nov. 22 61 58 Nov. 23 58 40 Nov. 24 45 23 Nov. 25 46 22 Nov. 26 46 24 Nov. 27 48 34 .02 snow trace Ned Bevan, Tooele’s weather observer for the National Weather Service, reports that his recording station at 139 S. Main received .02 inches of precipitation between Nov. 22 and 27 and a total of .48 so far in November. The normal for November is 1.69 inches. For the water year, which began Oct. 1, 2006, Tooele has received 2.75 inches of precipitation. The normal for the year is 18.49 inches of precipi- tation. Valley Weather Forecast Local Weather Wed 24/8 11/29 Partly cloudy skies. Cold. High 24F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Thu 29/20 11/30 Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 20s and lows in the low 20s. Fri 39/19 12/1 Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in the upper teens. photography / Troy Boman Sat 34/17 A long camera exposure of 25 seconds causes traffic lights to be blurred and the newly named EnergySoulutions Arena to glow from within. The Jazz lost their first home 12/2 game last night to the Orlando Magic and face the Spurs in San Antonio tomorrow. Sunshine. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper teens. best ever. It was far more signifi- said about the move to SR-36. Accessories, the weekend was It was also an active day for Sun 36/23 12/3 cant than last year. It’s fun when “Even people on their way out “phenomenal” according to the new Family Dollar Store in Shop we see customers from Salt Lake of Tooele going to Salt Lake to owner Becki Bryant. Grantsville, which opened in Abundant sunshine. Highs in the continued from page A1 mid 30s and lows in the low 20s. City and West Jordan come in. I shop will stop by and check out “Saturdays are usually good June of this year.