Now Jade Pusey knows he can beat the odds. With the help of the law enforcement community, family, friends and complete strangers, more than $225,000 has been raised to pay for a life saving stem cell transplant for the 30-year-old director of law enforcement at the Attorney General’s Office.

The once seemingly impossible goal of raising that much money was reached Friday night after the "Hearts of Hope" Reception and Silent Auction brought in more than $40,000. One bidder paid $1850 for a 53" television. Three watercolors by Attorney General Mark Shurtleff’ s six and ten-year-old daughters sold for $500. And two currency notes forged by Mark Hofmann were snatched up for a bargain at $400.

"I don’t think Jade or I would have imagined the overwhelming amount of love and support we would be receiving," wrote Tanya Pusey, Jade’s wife, in a letter to employees at the Attorney General’s Office. "I feel like I’m running a marathon trying to save my husband and family and it’s an incredible feeling to know there’s an army behind me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

In March, Pusey was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer called Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Sarcoma. Doctors told him that his only chance for survival was to have a stem cell transplant. But the insurance company said the surgery was experimental and that Pusey would have to come up with at least $200,000 to pay for it.

The donations started pouring in and Pusey says he was brought to tears from a letter he received from someone he had never met. "He wrote that he was out of a job and that he could only send two dollars. He said my problem would be solved if everyone in the state sent in a dollar."

Funds were also raised at a bowling tournament, a garage sale, a car wash, a barbecue and a radio station-sponsored hot dog party. Many people sent in money after hearing about Pusey’s situation in news reports.

"I have been touched by the overwhelming support for Jade. He’s helped a lot of people and it’s wonderful that so many could return the favor," says Mark Shurtleff.

The hospital agreed to cap the costs for the stem cell transplant at $235,000. The donations will be used to pay for the surgery and related medical expenses.

12:30:43 PM    

Four students from Utah State University and the University of Utah were among six selected by the Western Governor's Association to receive training and complete internships in applied earth science including remote sensing. The students, their schools, and the degrees they are pursuing are:

• Douglas Gibbons, Utah State University, Master of Science, Bioregional Planning
• Jenna Ames, Utah State University, Bachelors, Business Management
• Alex Hogel, University of Utah, Bachelors of Science, Geography
• Elizabeth Baliff, Utah State University, Bachelors of Science, Geography

The training and internships are part of the NASA Earth Science Applications Division’s DEVELOP program. DEVELOP, a student applications and workforce development program, focuses on the community benefits of earth science. Student teams research state and local problems and apply earth science research to create computer generated 3-D visualizations to help the public better understand how NASA technology can be applied to issues of community concern.

These visuals demonstrate how NASA science information can be used by state and local governments to address a range of governance challenges including communication, energy development, transportation planning, and natural resource protection. DEVELOP is headquartered at NASA Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, with western projects managed at NASA Ames Research Center in California.

12:28:32 PM    

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) will host an open house on June 19, 2003 at Redwood Elementary School (2650 S. Redwood Road), to seek public input on proposed improvements to the state Route 201 (2100 S. Freeway) corridor.

The hearing will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit comment on the improvements proposed from 5600 W. to the Jordan River and on Interstate 215 from 3500 S. to Interstate 80.

No formal presentation is scheduled, but project staff will be available to explain the findings in the Environmental Assessment (EA) and describe the proposed alternatives.

Those not able to attend the meeting can see the EA online and provide comment at www.udot.utah.gov/sr201. Comments can also be mailed to S.R. 201 Project, HDR Engineering, 3995 South 700 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84107. Comments are due by June 30, 2003.

Additional copies of the EA are available for review at the following locations:

• Salt Lake City Public Library (Main Branch), 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City
• University of Utah Marriott Library, University of Utah Campus
• Salt Lake City UDOT Region 2 Headquarters, 2010 South 2760 West Salt Lake City
• Federal Highway Administration Offices, 2520 West 4700 South, Suite 9A, Salt Lake City

7:26:19 AM