The Billings Gazette from Billings, Montana • 20

Section Sunday, April 6, 2003 The Source 1 Ed Kemmick CITY LIGHTS according to research by the Jackson Hole News Guide. "Our community has certainly established itself as the leader in avalanche fatalities in modern times," said Bob Comey, an avalanche forecaster with the Bridger-Teton National Forest "It's a very significant statistic and very significant to the community." A study of the deaths shows that most victims were young male skiers caught in steep terrain when the slide danger was considerable. "That fits all the criteria they teach at the national avalanche school" he said. "Their skiing skills exceed their avalanche skills." Nine of the 10 were mea Seven of the deaths were in the southern Teton Range. Six were skiers, while three were snowboarders, and one was riding a snowmobile.

Seven of the victims did not have to extend themselves to reach dangerous slopes. "With Teton Pass, the access from Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, you have instant access to very active avalanche terrain," Comey said. Equipment also has contributed to easier access. Today there is "just a tremendous difference in the availability of equipment for non-telemark back-country skiers," he said. "It's a lot easier for an accomplished alpine Teton County ranked No.

1 in nation for fatalities from snowslides JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) An unprecedented surge in avalanche deaths has lifted Teton County to the No. 1 ranking in the nation for such fatalities. Ten people have been killed by avalanches in the county over the last three winters, more than 10 percent of the 94 avalanche fatalities in the United States over that period, skier to get into this avalanche country from these access points." In 70 percent of the deaths, terrain was a key factor; the victims were either swept over cliffs, trapped in gullies or carried significant vertical distances, some approaching 1,000 feet All of the victims or someone in their parties, triggered the slides. Comey said avalanche information is available online and by phone.

He said about 250,000 people contacted the avalanche Web site and hot line this winter. "Are people paying attention to the forecast?" he asked. "That's a hard thing to gauge. Did they check the forecast before they went?" Weak beacon of good sense shines faintly at Legislature POW-WOW i XX) Scott Mendenhall for governor! You may not be familiar with Mendenhall, a Republican state representative from Cardwell. To be honest, I hadn't heard of him until last week.

But then he stood up during the House debate on the Butte gambling bill and made a stunning break with legislative tradition: he used his brain, and he asked the right questions. For many weeks past, debate on "Destination Montana," a $1.8 billion house of cards that was to bring casinos, golf courses, music halls, high-altitude athletic training facilities and an amusement park to Butte, centered on whether the project would be good for the state. Mendenhall finally brought the discussion around to where it should have been focused in the first place, on whether the project had any chance of coming to pass. A few questions He asked his fellow legislators to imagine they were on a bank's board of directors and were evaluating the Destination Montana proposal using three criteria. Was there a marketing analysis? Alas, no, the developers hadn't quite gotten around to that.

How much of their own money did the developers plan to put up? They said they would invest $10 million, leaving a mere $1,790,000,000 to be raised from other, as yet unnamed, investors. Had the developers ever worked on a similar project in the past? No, they said, but they had built some apartment complexes. At that point and the debate was on April Fool's Day, as Mendenhall pointed out our lawmakers should have laughed the developers right out of the House chamber. But no, not in Helena. Instead, legislators who decide how to spend our tax money continued to drool over a project that has never had a feather's weight of substance.

Rep. Jim Keane, D-Butte, described the gambling bill as "a plane full of capital" that would land elsewhere if Montana didn't want it. Keane must have extremely sensitive radar if he determined that the plane was full of cash. Rep. John Witt, R-Carter, who introduced the bill, said it would convert "a current wasteland" to "an oasis." Hey, a fella can dream, can't he? And what's with that "wasteland" crack? I thought Witt was supposed to be a friend of Butte.

But my favorite comment came from Rep. Carol Lambert, R-Broadus, which is about two light-years from Butte, as the crow flies. She said that even Broadus might see a new job or two if Destination Montana were built Maybe. And maybe Lambert should invest her life savings with one of those guys in Nigeria who's got access to millions of dollars in frozen assets. Witt's bill, which would have established a gambling district in uptown Butte with 24-hour, wide-open casinos owned by out-of-staters paying reduced taxes, was killed by the House on a 59-41 vote.

I'd like to think Mendenhall's comments helped his colleagues see the light, but I'm guessing that most of those who voted "no" were simply opposed to expanded gambling. He'll be back Meanwhile, the principal developer behind the scheme, Barrett Singer of West Palm Beach, Fla, promised to seek passage of a similar gambling bill "at the earliest opportunity." That apparently means he'll be back during the special session everyone is saying we'll need to clean up the mess from the session now in progress, if the word "progress" can be used in this context Maybe by then some of Mendenhall's common sense will have rubbed off on his fellow legislators, but somehow I doubt it Indeed, the House reverted to form the day after killing the Butte bill when it voted 52-48 to retroactively exempt casinos from an ordinance, passed by voters in Helena last year, that banned smoking in buildings open to the public. It's nice to know that while American troops are risking their lives in the name of bringing democracy to Iraq, our legislators are busy overturning a democratically enacted law so that people can risk their lives in Helena taverns. Rep. Ron Devlin, R-Terry, justified his bill with these words: "The state does have a proprietary interest in making sure ordinances are the same all over the state." This new concept of centralized oversight of local ordinances would have sweeping effects on the entire state if Devlin or any of his colleagues thought for a minute that what he was saying was true.

But it was nothing more than a deliberately misleading way of saying, "If the casino lobby orders us to roll over and play dead, let's do it!" Rep. Mendenhall, I am pleased to report, voted against Devlin's bill That's two votes for truth and justice in a single week, in addition to an uncommon display of rationality. Hell never be governor of this state. Ed Kemmick can be reached at 657-1293 or Roncalio recalled as warm, friendly Former Democratic representative 'enjoyed life and people' CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Teno Roncalio, Wyoming's first five-term U.S.

representative, was remembered Saturday for his warmth, dedication to public service and sense humor. "I think his greatest quality was his friendship," Father John Waters, of Denver, told about 500 mourners during a Mass celebrated for Roncalio at St. Mary's Cathedral "It didn't make any difference who you were. "In his friendship for everyone, there was no fanfare. He did not need a drum roll He just enjoyed life and people." Roncalio died from congestive heart failure in Cheyenne last Sunday at age 87.

The Rock Springs native served in the House from 1965-67 and 1971-79. Since his retirement, no Democrat has held congressional office for Wyoming. He was succeeded by Dick Cheney. At the funeral. Waters read a letter from Sea Edward Kennedy, who served with Roncalio.

"I wish I could be with you all to say goodbye to Teno," the letter stated. Kennedy wrote that he would always remember Roncalio and the 10 years they served together, his caring family and the enthusiastic help Teno gave to Kennedy and his brother, Bobby, on the campaign trail. Kennedy also recalled their ski trips to Copper Mountain and Roncalio's stories about working as a bootjack in Rock Springs to make ends meet, his golden voice and "above all, his great and enduring friendship." "We loved him. We will never forget hun. For all of us in our family, it was heaven to be on Earth with Teno," the letter concluded.

Retired Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Hart joked about how Roncalio once slipped him a note with a check in it after they had worked out at a local fitness club. The note said, "Get yourself something nice to wear." "He didn't want his bishop to look tacky," Hart said, to laughter. He said Roncalio's faith never wavered, and it helped him deal with his wife Cecilia's death six years ago. "Even when he couldn't see to walk to church, he could very clearly see the Lord at church," Hart said. Although they had a few disagreements over political matters.

Hart said, "I found him to be a man of great gentleness, understanding and charity." Among those who attended the funeral were Gov. Dave FreudenthaL former Gov. Mike Sullivan; Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo-i Wyoming Chief Justice William Hill; former Wyoming Secretary of State Kathy Karpan; state lawmakers Jayne Mockler, John Hanes and Floyd EsquibeL and longtime sportscaster Larry BirleffL Burial was held at Olivet Cemetery with military honors by the American Legion Honor Guard. DAVID GRUBBS Gazette Staff Richard Walks Over Ice, a Crow Indian from Billings, dances in full costume Saturday during the Grand Entry for the Rocky Mountain College Indian Club and American Indian Student's annual Indian Club pow-wow at RMC.

Fremont County hurt as gas prices decrease Douglas student wins geography bee LARAMIE Doyle Evins, a seventh-grade student from Douglas, won the state geography bee by answering correctly that Ecuador was the South American country that adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency during a financial crisis in the 1990s. Doyle is the son of Doyle Evins, a Douglas policeman, and his wife, Julie, a teacher's aide. They will accompany him to Washington, D.O, when he competes in the National Geographic Bee May 20-21. For winning the Wyoming championship, Doyle receives $100 from the National Geographic Society and a one-year scholarship contributed by the University of Wyoming.

At the national bee, Doyle will vie for scholarships of $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third. Daniel Butter, from St Anthony Tri-Parish School in Casper, was second, while third place went to Daniel Gal breath, an eighth-grader from Sheridan Junior High School. Eighty-five students, winners of local competitions, took part in Friday's contest at the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences Auditorium. Cheyenne man dies of hypothermia LARAMIE Police concluded that a 60-year-oid Cheyenne man whose body was found last week in the snow died from hypothermia after falling into the Laramie River. The body of Donald Thompson was found just west of a mobile home park in the 1600 block of North Cedar the afternoon of March 29.

"Some kids were playing down by the river and found him," Police Cmdr. Dale Stalder said. "They went home and told their mom, and she called the police." Thompson's wife told ponce she had not heard from him in 10 days and Please see Digest, 3C LANDER, Wyo. (AP) A drop in natural gas prices will result in Fremont County losing nearly $2 million in tax revenue in the next fiscal year. "The change represents a big bump downwards," County Treasurer Scott Hamsberger told commissioners recently, "and there is some indication the prices may go lower according to reports the county assessor is getting.

"But we think the average price of natural gas will be about $2, so that's what these projections are based on." The good news is that commissioners put aside a significant amount in reserve when prices were higher, Hamsberger said. Last year, Fremont County's assessed valuation, which is what Please see Gas, 3C.