Press Dispatch from Victorville, California • 1

HIGH DESERT Apple Vafley High School's mode trial team put up a good fight But when the final verdict cameit Kwasa heartbreaker MRADE Marie knows lot of peopte think rma goody-goody Butyoucantgrowupinthis business and last for 37 years and still be OASIS Todayytravel feature invoivesa visit to New Mexico's isolated Chaco Culture National Historical Park where scientists say the andent Anasazi people held a dark cannibalism PageDI INSIDE FUTURE Supervisors envision incentive area at Harper Dry Lake By CRAM JOHNSON Staff Writer Flying cars and robots with human personalities may not be a part of the year 2000 but a "spaceport incentive remains a possibility The San Bernardino County PageBI systems currently available And unlike the space shuttle it wontneed an external fuel tank or booster rockets The project would bring both jobs and prestige county Public Information Officer Datrid Wert said "The very Wert said would love to have that project in our county in the High Desert VentureStar could bring an estimated 2000 jobs during con jfstr struction of the spaceport and other jobs once it is operating A spaceport incentive zone could help reduce red tape for a possible spaceport development provide state funds for infrastructure and other assistance Lockheed Martin Corp will choose two spaceport sites Jrom among several states competing Right now the VentureStar Srogram has experienced some elays because a portion of a tank on a prototype of the Ven tureStar called the X-33 came apart The X-33 must successfully fly before the VentureStar program can begin Lockheed Martin and NASA are heading up the X-33 project Dave Drachlis a spokesman for NASA's Marshal Space Flight Center in Huntsville Ala said a team continues to study the tank to And out what went wrong It could make a report by the end feature attains 60 percent capture rate OWTHEWEBl httprwwihighdesertcom We offer an githcring piece fcrour comrnunrtji Muse let us know howwtcenheip yogrsitegroiM of the month It remains unknown what impact the tank problem will have on the X-33 program The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to ask its state lobbyist to pursue spaceport incentive zone legislation during its meeting at 10 am Tuesday in the County Government Center at 385 Arrowhead Ave in San Bernardino I HNSWE FUGITIVES: See photos and profiles of three men wanted by law enforcement officers PagsA7 paper Mibeck said "When you get pressure from the family people will usually turn themselves Victorville parole unit supervisor Dan Mendez said' Fugitives wanted for parole violations comprise the bulk of those profiled thecolumn and the publicity often helps bring them to justice Mendez said very beneficial to he said "The High Desert's Most Wanted has been a vehicle that's helped Mibeck said arresting people wanted for parole violations often helps reduce crime overall we're still looking for them they're committing more primes" he Said "The sooner we get them into custody the safer we can make it for everyone" While tips from the public often help lead law enforcement to the fugitives sometimes the publicity makes the wanted person think twice about being on the lam "We do have a lot of people who turn themselves in just because they are Mibeck said informant get life ing and the judge told Jose Ibarra 21 Michael Martinez 22 and Florence Noriega 30 cm Friday never going jo get the judge told the trio The three were convicted Oct 18 of killing Chad MacDonald' 17 of Yarba Linda and raping and shooting his 16-yearold girlfriend who survived and testified against them legate Board of Supervisors on Thesday will consider directing its lobbyist in Sacramento to promote legislation that would create such a zone County effidal hope a spaceport incentive zone would attract a VentureStar spaceport to Harper Dry Lake located north of Barstow The VentureStar will take off like a rocket deliver cargo into space and land like an airplane at a fraction of the cost of space man By SCOTT VANHOMIE Siaff Writer More than 60 percent of the fugitives profiled in the Press High Most Wanted column last year were apprehended because of reader tips a San Bernardino County Sheriff Detective said "Half these people be in jail if it weren't for the High Most Detective Bryce Mibeck of the Victor Valley sheriff station said There were 63 people profiled in the column last year which normally appears in Sunday edition of the Press Dispatch Of those 39 fugitives or 62 percent were arrested after their pictures and profiles appeared in the newspaper The column also helped deputies solve three cases in which the identities were not known Mibeck said Calls sometimes come from people seen the wanted person in their neighborhood and even from family members of the fugitive "The family says wanted and we want the police kicking down our the detective said One man living in Wyoming and wanted for violating his parole here turned himself in after a family member called him and' said he was profiled in the news- Killers of drug Associated Press NORWALK As they smirked smiled and sqmetimes yawned a judge sentenced three people to life in prison without parole for killing a teen-age drug informant Judge Dewey Falcone said he tpished he could have sentenced them to death "I see no remorse I see smil Ridership on public transit increasing By CRAIG JOHNSON Staff Writer Aa the new year begins more and more people are riding into it in a city bus According to the most recent numbers from the Victor Valley Transit Authority ridership cm city buses in November had jumped by 16A1 percent over -November 1998 And since 1996 the service has experienced steady in- creases each yean In 1996 540541 riders were -n lUluwith a pjjiHui Walton of Victorville rides the route Si bus Walton has been using thc servica for about four months counted as a rider each time he able for 1999 come more Kane said growing population and bicycle or she boarded a bus Kevin Kane administrative "I can't think of much else be- racks recently added to the city That number jumped 159 general manager of the authori- yond that we busts The bike racks may have percent 10626467 in 1997 It ty said he cant point to any one changed our schedules in sev- attracted bus riders who nor- rose again to 68204 in 1998 reason ridership has gone up 'eral mally would have driven he Final figures yet avail- "I think our service has be- Possible reasons include a Please see TKANSiX AS new trades obtain college and receive their high diplomas At the same time are paid $50 a week to newly acquired skills to' low-income housing in the are YouthBuild programs the United States funded grants? The local is operated through the Excelsior Education Center charter" in Victorville judge gave Turner a second dSTOEf! BusinassB6 CaHfomiaA4 DearAbbpAJ mmwnmmnnu MghDtfartBt LotteryfA2 MovWsD2 -ObNuartos(B2" OpMonB4 SpOrtsCI WfaatfmClO once pursued and now laments "It feels good being clean been totally different man how my life was before" TUrner succeeded thanks to a Superior Court judge'll willingness to give him a second chance family and support and the Youth Build Excelsior program Last May TUrner stood before Victorville Judge Margaret Dowers -and expected to get three years in state prisoo for a methamphetamine possession charge- Powers listened as pro gram instructor Ken Larson told her about YbuthBuild and what it could do for TUrner struction credits school participants use their build HighDesert There all over Development chapter school The would PROGRAM: Alternative to jail does the trick in turning hits life around ByKMSliNAWBlS Writer Michael TUrner reinvented himself And it took only seven months The 23-year-old Adelanto man kicked a drug habit and now em- braces sobriety- He served time in county jail for a drug charge never missing a 'Weekend Andhe graduated high-school in less than one year studying diligently even while serving his sentence the chance I probably have went to Jail and would have gotten he said probably would have come out and tried Please see YOUIHBUBA AS "I never really planned on getting The YouthBuild Excelsior pro-a riipinmft I Hnd of give up on it1 gram is designed to help offenders he said reflecting on the life he straighten out tiieir lives learn con- 4 Mkhad Tinner of Addanto standi front of a r- I i a a 1 VKl Ik MHyVXMT URNiyllW sign at tha YouthBuBd EacaMor Program a fiiv alfei i i.