Newsletter August 22, 2007

Welcome to Ideal Living Updates – August 22, 2007
A free newsletter from Ideal Living Media, www.ideallivingmedia.com.

Please forward this newsletter to your friends, family or anyone who may be interested. Subscription and signoff instructions are below.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

WHAT’S NEW?

• School is back in session locally, so remember to drive carefully, especially during morning and afternoon hours. Have a great year!

• Our community’s thoughts and prayers are with those involved in the Crandall Mine tragedy. Our best wishes to all involved.

• If you could use a little daily encouragement, visit Richfield’s Pinnacle Wilderness Foundations inspirational blog, which features a great new quote every day, at http://www.pinnaclewilderness.org/blog/index.php or http://tinyurl.com/382x9x . For example, their latest quote is: “Transitions are almost always signs of growth, but they can bring feelings of loss. To get somewhere new, we may have to leave somewhere else behind.” ~Fred Rogers

• Reports have come in about counterfeit bills circulating in the area, which cannot be detected by the marker pens normally used. Be on the lookout for new-style bills which smell like smokey fireworks, with transparent images which appear off-kilter when held to a light, and with rough places where they should be smooth, and vice versa. Some local stores are accepting them — but taking down contact information — and alerting the authorities.

• A Public Hearing has been called by the Sevier County Planning Commission to hear your concerns about the proposed coal-fired power plant in Sigurd. The public hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m., this Thursday, August 23 at the Sevier Valley Theater on the Snow College campus. Every citizen is encouraged to attend. The specific purpose of the meeting is to hear the public’s response to the proposed “Preliminary Approval” currently being considered by the Planning Commission for the construction and operation of a coal-fired power plant near Sigurd.

Everyone attending the meeting will be able to hear a brief presentation from NEVCO/Sevier Power, followed with the opportunity for those among us who would like to speak to voice their thoughts — with a 2-minute time limit — on the issue. Those who do not wish to stand and speak during the hearing may send letters to the Sevier County Planning Commission at 250 N. Main, Richfield, 84701.

This may be a good time to summarize the controversy surrounding the controversial, tentative project.

Those in support for the proposed plant claim that the project will bring jobs and money to themselves and, in a trickle-down effect, to the local economy. Yet the number-of-jobs issue has met with increasing skepticism, with experts noting that power plants typically employ significantly fewer than 75 people. Additionally, with the 2013 date looming for the shut-down of Salina-based SUFCO coal mine as its deposits are depleted, there is great concern among residents that the coal plant would not even be using Utah coal.

Issues which have arisen concerning the current application for the proposed coal-fired power plant seem to revolve around the following issues: whether the application is complete, public health concerns (including brain damage and miscarriages from mercury poisoning, increased radiation from the enormous ash pile, and sharply increased rates of heart attack and strokes brought on by tons of microparticulates in the air), the possible depletion of limited water supplies in the area and its impact on farming, housing, and the ability to remain living here when the water wells are depleted, negative impacts on the economy –harming the area’s growth as a retail center and the growing tourism industry — whether the Planning Commission may lawfully consider the issue with so many pending lawsuits and appeals, whether such a plant represents the best possible future for the county, and whether the plant could be economically viable in itself.

Meanwhile, the proposed coal-fired power plant in Sigurd continues to garner a great deal of interest from media and citizen groups throughout the country:

+ The Associated Press has been following the loss of California as a destination for “dirty power” — that produced by companies like NEVCO/Sevier Power — in this case with IPP’s proposed third plant failing: http://tinyurl.com/2ro5k8 , a project which has the full support of Rocky Mountain Power, whereas the utility is said to be adamantly opposed to a power plant in Sevier County.

+ The Salt Lake Tribune described the growing strength and political pull of the growing number of groups dedicated to stopping the controversial, proposed plant in Sigurd here: http://tinyurl.com/25pgjj . The Tribune article specifically notes that according to documents filed with Utah’s Division of Air Quality, the proposed NEVCO plant would include the following impacts:

* It will occupy about 162 acres and have a smokestack 462 feet high.
* Trucks filled with lime and coal will number about 80 a day.
* Water consumption is estimated at about 87 gallons per minute.
* Air pollutants will include about 2.2 million tons per year of carbon dioxide and 78 pounds of mercury.

Meanwhile, in a break from the past — where Utah citizens generally opposed environmental concerns — public opinion throughout Utah seems to have widely turned against building another coal power plant in Sigurd. Posted on their web site, a letter from Utah Moms for Clean Air sums up the recent public opinion shift:

“Our friends in Sevier County desperately need our help. As you know, the Sevier Power Company is pushing hard to obtain clearances in order to construct a 270-MW coal-fired power plant right in the middle of Sevier Valley. For those who have never been to the Richfield area, it is truly one of Utah’s most beautiful valleys, consisting of numerous small communities and many small farms, bordered on both sides with gorgeous mountains. Geographically, Sevier Valley is a tighter valley than even Cache Valley. Hence, the air quality is a very precious resource with increasingly dangerous inversions during the winter months. Building a huge coal plant in this valley with 183 homes located within 1-3/4 miles of the plant is simply a bad idea that will only benefit a very few individuals.”
(More of the letter is available at http://tinyurl.com/29wprn ).

Please note that the Public Hearing scheduled for this Thursday, 6 p.m. at SVC Theater is an excellent time — perhaps, the last time — the public will get to have any say in determining the future of our community. Whether for or against, now is the time to stand up, speak out, and let your voice be heard.

• The new Home Depot in Richfield is nearly complete, and is already having a big impact in employment in the area. The store is said to be hiring 100-200 employees to start with. Pay ranges for starting, hourly positions, such as cashiers, have been reported by applicants to start anywhere in a range from a low of $8 per hour, up to $12 per hour. Supervisory positions, such as department heads, are said to be in the $60,000 per year range. Moreover, all positions are said to include full medical benefits for employees and their families. Understandably, applicants from all walks of life have flocked to apply at the retailer — including professionals, managers, and other people with solid income and employment — with reportedly over 150 in-depth screenings performed for strong applicants thus far. The Home Depot web site has numerous positions for the Richfield store listed here: http://tinyurl.com/32qa49 .

• If your garden has grown too much produce for your family to handle, please bring your excess to the Richfield Food Bank, where it can be used by needy working families and seniors. Central Utah Food Sharing is located at 91 East 1000 South in Richfield or you may call them for more info at (435) 896-5225. Staff are available to take your donations Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thank you!

• In Richfield downtown business news, there is a new House of Music store on Main Street, and the Kids & More, children and infant clothing and toys consignment store, has moved next door to Party Central.

• The restaurant, Desert Blossom, has closed. The restaurant was located in a motel owned by a local church, which has now been changed into apartments, operating largely as a halfway house, providing shelter to the homeless, including recently released convicts.

• Richfield’s Madcap Video is selling the vast majority of their video tapes, all for $3 a piece. Some videos are excluded from the sale, including Disney videos. Many other area video stores are phasing out video tapes in favor of DVDs, and some have entirely.

• This year’s Sevier County Fair was a big success. Thanks to Paula Martin and all the others who helped make it such a grand event. Watch Ideal Living TV for upcoming video on the fair, including the Extreme Horsemanship competition and OHV Rock Crawl & Mud-Bogging contest.

• Tired of expensive satellite television, or slow Internet speeds? Sign up with CentraCom cable, where a basic cable channel package with high speed Internet costs only $37 per month. Yes, that’s quality cable TV plus high speed Internet, in a single, convenient bill, for only $37 per month.

And, if you sign up via Ideal Living at http://www.centracom.com/idealliving , or mention Ideal Living on the telephone, you can get one month free with a one-year agreement, or two months free with a two-year agreement, and lock your low prices in for the length of the contract, saving you even further.

Movie channels are also available, and again, if you sign up via Ideal Living, you get them free for three months! Upgrades to the entire system have dramatically increased upload speeds in all areas, and TV channels continue to be added to the various television packages, at no additional charge.

Check it out today: http://www.centracom.com/idealliving . Your subscription, available in nearly every part of Sevier County, helps support Ideal Living’s services. We appreciate your support!

• The phone number for Ideal Living Media has changed. If you need help with a web site, or just have a news tip to share, give us a call at 633-4195. Thank you!
_______________________

NEWS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/news.html

Recent headlines added to our local news archive in Central Utah News:
• Wildfires partly to blame for summertime air quality problems – Tooele Transcript – 8/22/07
• 14 car pileup leaves two dead in Utah – UPI via Bend Weekly – 8/20/07
• Hobnobbing with goblins – News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) – 8/12/07
• Coal plants in cross hairs: Environmentalists make a move for cleaner technology – Salt Lake Tribune – 8/12/07
• Leader had ‘rich, righteous life’ – Deseret Morning News – 8/11/07
• It’s all systems go for new Ogden school – Deseret Morning News – 8/10/07
• Garden Basics: Trees can share a root system – Seattle Post-Intellegencer – 8/10/07
• Archery deer hunt opens on Aug. 18 – Deseret Morning News – 8/9/07
• Snow College building evacuated after workers become ill – Deseret Morning News – 8/9/07
• Delta Petroleum Corporation Announces Second Quarter Operating Results – Press Release via PRNewswire – 8/8/07
• Snow College embezzler gets probation, a year in jail – Salt Lake Tribune – 8/8/07
• Bakersfield 13-year-old stars win in Utah – One Bakersfield – 8/3/07
• Soldier art earns Utahn honors: Her paintings are put on display in a U.S. House building in D.C. – Salt Lake Tribune – 8/2/07

Crandall Mine News:
• AP Interview: Mine Boss Defends Efforts – Washington Post – 8/22/07
• Bid to Reopen Mine Divides Grieving Utah Town – New York Times – 8/22/07
• Utah’s terrible wait known to others – Mercury News (San JOse, CA) – 8/22/07
• Victims’ kin question safety of Utah mine, blame owners: Funeral is held for rescue worker – Boston Globe – 8/22/07
• UPDATE: Official says Utah miners likely unrecoverable – Daily Herald – 8/21/07
• Sadness, Bitterness Over Mine Collapse: Official Says Utah Miners Likely Buried; Families Accuse Authorities Of Abandoning Loved Ones – CBS News – 8/21/07
• Mine too unstable to keep digging, experts say – CNN – 8/21/07
• ‘What can we do’ – Priest says all in central Utah want to aid miners’ families, rescuers – Catholic Online – 8/21/07
• Many pressures led to Utah mine cave-in: Critics cite economics and lax safety rules in disaster – Washington Post via MSNBC – 8/20/07
• MINE RESCUE UPDATE: Silence is answer to repeated attempts to communicate with six trapped miners: Rescuers bang on borehole shaft, set off explosions as signals – Salt Lake Tribune – 8/18/07
• Memories — Communities come together to grieve over loss at mine – Deseret Morning News – 8/18/07
• Fallen rescuer had Colo. ties – Denver Post – 8/18/07
• Rescuers halt tunnel dig for Utah miners – TV New Zealand – 8/18/07
• Efforts to free trapped miners is suspended – Salt Lake Tribune via Scripps – 8/17/07
• Only once in region’s mining history have rescuers been hit so hard – Salt Lake Tribune – 8/17/07
• Underground search for 6 miners suspended after cave-in killed 3 rescuers – AP via Sign On San Diego – 8/17/07
• Mining Tragedy Shows Legislation Not A Quick Fix – National Journal – 8/17/07
• Union head critical of mine owners, federal officials – AP via WLUC – 8/17/07
• Dear Media: Help Prevent the Next Unnatural Disaster – LAist – 8/17/07
• Underground search for 6 miners suspended after cave-in killed 3 rescuers – Seattle Times – 8/17/07
• 3rd hole drilled in Utah provides no signs of life – USA Today via Daily Times (Salisbury, MD) – 8/15/07
• Video doesn’t show trapped miners – AP via Daily Times – 8/13/07
• Timeline of Events in Crandall Canyon Mine Collapse – Fox Utah – 8/13/07
_______________________________

COMMUNITY CALENDAR – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

School calendars are available here: http://tinyurl.com/28vvth

Please submit any local events you know of at 201-9884 or ideallivingmedia@gmail.com. Thank you!

Upcoming local events include:

• August 23: Public Hearing on Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Sigurd, hosted by Sevier County Planning Commission. 7 p.m. Sevier Valley Center Theater, Richfield.

• September 3: Labor Day.

• Sept. 7-8: Antique Truck Show. For more information, contact Kim Robinson at (435) 529-7472.

• Sept. 13-22: Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree. For more information, contact Kevin Arrington at (435) 893-0458.

• Sept. 15: ATV Drags. For more information, contact Clint Roberts at (435) 201-4180.

• September 17-22: Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree. The Jamboree begins just as the fall colors are making their debut in central Utah. With five days of guided rides on the Paiute Trail, the Jamboree brings in riders from all over the United States. The Richfield Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes the participants and assists with meals.

• Sept. 21: Moonlight Mardi Gras in downtown Richfield. Huge sale, party, prizes, parade-join in the fun-wear a costume and be in the parade for a chance to win Downtown Dollars, Cajun barbecue, live jazz music. For more information, contact Lorraine Gregerson at (435) 896-4241.

• Sept. 25: Taste of Home. 7 p.m. Sevier Valley Center Theater, Richfield. Tickets on sale 8/22.
_______________________________

FOOD – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/food.html

• Fun School Sandwiches

• Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

• Plus, recipes from your favorite restaurants, quick and easy meal ideas, and more!
_______________________________

ARTS & CRAFTS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/arts-crafts.html

• Strawberry Mice

• Make Your Own Barn Star

• Plus, Roll-up Pencil Kit, Candy Animals, Pressed Leaves Pictures and more!
_______________________________

INTERNET – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/internet.html

• PC Magazine’s Top 100 Classic Websites – The most useful, entertaining, time-saving, and informative Websites. Ever. What are you missing out on?

• Disney’s Toontown online – The precursor to Disney’s successful Virtual Magic Kingdom is now free for up to two characters per username. Great family fun!

• Plus: kids virtual worlds, daily updated sites, great internet videos, web sites for preschoolers, study buddy learning games, yohoho! puzzle pirates, random casual games, cute overload, samorost, sudoku, disney’s hot shot business, candystand, neopets, disney’s virtual magic kingdom, homestar, orisinal, popcap, more: narnia, star wars, sports…
_______________________________

WEATHER – http://ideallivingmedia.com/weather.html

• Extended weather forecasts for all cities and towns throughout Sevier and Sanpete counties — just a click away!
_______________________________

LATEST UPDATES – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/

• Visit www.IdealLivingMedia.com for news and business updates and other information for and about our “ideal” community! Thanks for visiting!
_______________________________

MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Please support the Richfield Mall and other local businesses by supporting our great sponsors!

Barney Outdoor Outfitters – http://barneyoutdooroutfitters.com
Blake Electric Co. – http://ideallivingmedia.com/blakeelectric
CentraCom Interactive – http://centracominteractive.com
Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties – http://ideallivingmedia.com/coldwellbanker
Comfort Inn – Richfield – http://ideallivingmedia.com/comfortinn
Hal & Jean Ward – http://centralutahhomes.com
Ideal Dairy – http://www.theidealdairy.com
Intermountain Computer Services – http://intermountaincomputer.com
Jones Glass and Decorating – http://www.jonesglassanddecorating.com/
Little Wonder Travel – http://littlewondertravel.com
Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings – http://FloorsandWindows.com
Ogden’s Superstore – http://ogdens.homeappliances.com

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Ideal Living Updates, a publication of Ideal Living Media.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to ideallivingmedia@gmail.com with your choice in the subject.

All contents are (c) 2007 Ideal Living Media, a public service of Ovid Learning Foundation, Inc.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •