June 2000

News

The central heating plant is so old -- dating to at least 1911, and probably older -- that keeping it running is sometimes more art than science. Above, a boiler of ancient origin is no longer used. / Photo by Bryce Atkins

QUEST FOR FIRE: 24 hours a day, year-round, the ancient heating plant keeps flickering flames alive
06/29/00 You step back to avoid the blast of super-hot air that still slams you in the face as the plant foreman swings open the 2-inch-thick, lunch-tray-sized door. The thundering fire inside throws an orange-yellow glow onto the once white-painted concrete walls. "Pretty hot in there," yells Wallace Spring over the roar of the boiler's inferno. / By Paul Edwards

USU tests for human plague in state
06/22/00 Two environmental health scientists were dispatched to Millard County, in southwest Utah, to inspect the home and surroundings of a patient showing symptoms of plague. A few dead animals were carefully collected and transported to Utah State University for testing. / By Maggon Osmond

USU students get exposure to diversity they lack on campus
06/20/00 Being a citizen of Cache Valley herself, Dr. Sue Guenter-Schlesinger has seen how easily minorities in Logan are tagged with negative stereotypes that haunt them wherever they go. That helps explain the need for a diversity class, which USU offered last weekend at Park City. According to one participant, it was "real emotional." / By Russell Dixon

New outdoor pool to open in 2001
06/20/00 The wait will soon be over and Cache Valley residents will be able to splash into the summer of 2001 with the opening of a new outdoor swimming pool in the Willow Park Complex. / By Rachel Marberger

Features

Logan computer/internet store starts small, but aims for national franchises
06/20/00 It began by selling a few computer parts out of their home, and while Jeff and Mary Limb never originally saw much past that, today, the two USU alumni say, they are ready to take their business to a national level by making franchises. / By Heather Campbell

Are you media literate?
06/20/00 Did you know the average American person watches more than four hours of TV each day? That is 28 hours a week, or two months of nonstop TV-watching per year. Are you one of these people? / By Kim Barraclough

The mountains of Logan Canyon recede in the distance in this view from the top of the Jardine Juniper Trail. / Photo by Mike Sweeney

'Got some ID?' Clerks vary on dealing with underage patrons
06/15/00 "One guy said he couldn't show me his driver's license because the police confiscated it when he was arrested for DUI (driving under the influence)," says Allen, shaking his head. "The sad part is, I think he was telling the truth." / By Richard Jenson

Who ya gonna call . . . from jail at 3 a.m.? Probably a bail bondsman like Mike, who has a few questions for you
06/07/00 OK, so a bail bondsman sometimes makes $480 for 30 minutes' work. There is a down side to the job. Sometimes his clients get violent, or flee, and often they call late. Being on call 24 hours a day is part of the job and most of his business comes between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. He doesn't always get calls from a friend of the person in jail, often the person in jail will just call him directly on the verge of tears. / By Brook Cox

Science of LOUD sound keeps professor in touch with Def Leppard and city laws
06/05/00 Teeth and windows rattle as the car stereo reaches its maximum volume. Sitting in the passenger side of the shaking Nissan 300ZX is a man grinning with two orange fluorescent earplugs sticking out of his ears. He is holding a sound level meter, a small gadget shaped like TV remote-control used for measuring decibels. This is LOUD, and this is his life. / By Richard Jenson

Sports

Late surge can't help Buzz beat Calgary
06/27/00 SALT LAKE CITY -- It started out a great night for defense and pitching. Both pitchers held the other team to a goose egg for the first four innings, going three-up and three-down most of the way. In the end the Cannons were the ones standing, with a 3-2 victory over the first-place Buzz in the Pacific League. / By Ryan White

Rookie pitcher tosses one-hitter as Smithfield sweeps doubleheader
06/27/00 In his first-ever career game on the hill, Greg Webb pitched a one-hitter in leading the Smithfield Aztecs to a 6-3 American Legion victory over the Preston Indians. Smithfield took the second game, 12-6. / By Wade Denniston

WAY OVER PAR: No room for error at Birch Creek
06/21/00 When asked, the locals at Birch Creek Golf Course in Smithfield will tell you one thing, "If you are going to miss, miss in the right place." As I played Birch Creek I quickly found out what they meant. / By Brett Lundahl

Providence overpowers Preston, 11-1
06/18/00 PROVIDENCE -- It took a couple of innings for the Wolverine offense to get going Tuesday night, but once it did, the Preston Aggies couldn't stop it. With each player recording at least one hit off Preston's Kenny Albrechtsen, the Wolverines cruised to an 11-1 victory, at Max L. Johnson Memorial Field. / By Wade Denniston

WAY OVER PAR WITH WADE: Country club is scenic but tricky
06/15/00 LOGAN -- Near the mouth of Logan Canyon and just below part of the Wasatch Mountain Range, the Logan Golf and Country Club (par-71 for men and par-72 for women) offers 18 holes of scenic play. / By Wade Denniston

Providence goes deep in victory over Bear River
06/05/00 PROVIDENCE -- The Wolverines used home runs from four players Thursday night to dispose of the Bear River Barons, 15-3, in Northern Utah League action, at Max L. Johnson Memorial Field. / By Wade Denniston

Opinion

Surprise! It is possible to have a delightful family reunion (except for the sunburn)
06/29/00 Family reunions can cause stress for family members. Not only for the person who is in charge, but also for people attending. This time, thought, it was different. Thank goodness. / By Kimberly Barraclough

Potential leasing of bookstore a concern to students
06/21/00 Are you a student barely scraping by? Do you wish that the USU Bookstore prices were cheaper? Well, if the bookstore is taken over by a leasing company (a company such as Barnes & Noble), you can forget about it. / By Jonas Manuel

NEW MEXICO FIRE DAMAGE: What's left of a home on Arizona Avenue in Los Alamos, N.M., the town's hardest-hit neighborhood, after the Cerro Grande fire destroyed more than 400 dwellings (that's one-tenth of the homes in the town) last month. For an opinion about the fire, click the link below. / Photo by Nancy Matlack Williams

Los Alamos fire has taken things that cannot be replaced
06/19/00 LOS ALAMOS, N.M. -- I drove through my old neighborhood and I wept. It was all too much -- house after house, street after street, all those lives and memories up in smoke and flames with nothing but ashes as evidence that life had happened here, that people got up when their alarm clocks went off and read their newspapers and ate their eggs, gulped their coffee, got the kids off to school, answered the phone, walked the dogs, drove to work, made love and art and soup and laughter. All of it gone. / By Nancy Matlack Williams

YOUR VIEW

Study to identify uranium in hair tissue of potentially exposed workers
06/22/00

 

Lifestyles

For good exercise, try water aerobics
06/29/00 Water aerobics is no longer for women over 60 with varicose veins and skirts on their swimming suits. Water aerobics can be a tough workout for those in the best condition. / By Rachel Marberger

All fats are not bad fats, researcher says
06/29/00 Here's some food for thought. Imagine all those years your parents encouraged you to drink skim milk and eat only lean meat. There are some things they didn't know. / By Heather Wardle

Kayaking lessons a new (and wet) challenge
06/27/00 Have you ever heard of an eddy turn, wet exit, side-surfing, hip snap or a stern draw? The students attending a USU Summer Credit Workshop entitled "Kayaking Skills and Drills" are learning the literal definitions to these words. / By Maggon Osmond

Dr. Frank White, in dark hat, leads a USU class on Lake Powell.

Lake Powell kayak trip challenges muscles, brains
06/22/00 Our kayaks were made of wood and canvas, painted about 40 times. We were made to travel as light as possible; everything we needed to use for the entire week we had to have in our kayaks. This meant at times mundane dehydrated meals, along with water micro filters and purifiers, and a portable toilet for those times you just want to be left alone. / By Bryce Atkins

Arts

Alumni Band gives nearly flawless concert of patriotic tunes
06/27/00 The USU alumni musicians have gathered in the summer for 40 years, and according to their director, "There are not too many groups who could do what we do -- show up at 5 o'clock, rehearse for about an hour, and then perform almost flawlessly in concert -- all of this without meeting for the past 11 months." Next performance: July 23. / By Russell Dixon

Manti Pageant attracts thousands
06/27/00 "Mormon and non-Mormons come from all over, to learn about this wonderful true story," said Owen Petersen, of Richfield. / By Jonas C. Manuel

Dixie Chicks hit 'Wide Open Spaces' in Delta Center
06/27/00 It's a concert worth going to, and one you'll never forget. / By Wade Denniston

The weather was perfect and the crowds appreciative for Voice Male, an a cappella group, Saturday at Summerfest. For details, click the link below, or the photo. / Photo by Ryan White

Summerfest 2000 biggest ever
06/20/00 People from everywhere made their way to Logan this past weekend to be a part of the 17th annual Summerfest. Summerfest, which was held on the Mormon tabernacle grounds was said to be the biggest ever. / By Ryan White