SALT LAKE CITY — People can provide Utah's Wolf Working Group with their issues and concerns about wolves, and advice on how to manage wolves that may find their way to Utah from surrounding states, at a series of public meetings in March.

"This is the best opportunity people will have to provide input into a plan that will guide the management of wolves in Utah for years to come," said Craig McLaughlin, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "We encourage everyone who is interested in wolves to attend. Input from the public is vital in ensuring the group drafts a plan that addresses the concerns of people across the state."

The meetings, which will focus on one of the most controversial wildlife issues in the state's history, will begin at 7 p.m. and last for two hours. "It's important that people arrive on time, so they can participate fully in the public input process," McLaughlin said. Meeting dates and locations are as follows:

• ROOSEVELT
  March 8, 7 p.m.
  Utah State University Extension (Multi-purpose Room), 987 E. Lagoon St.

• VERNAL
  March 9, 7 p.m.
  Uintah County of Western Park (Room 3), 302 E. 200 S.

• SALT LAKE CITY
  March 10, 7 p.m.
  Department of Natural Resources (Auditorium), 1594 W. North Temple

• OGDEN
  March 11, 7 p.m.
  Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave.

• LOGAN
  March 12, 7 p.m.
  Bridgerland Applied Technology Center (Rooms 1513 and 1514), 1301 N. 600 W.

• CEDAR CITY
  March 15, 7:00 p.m.
  Cross Hollows Intermediate School, 2215 W. Royal Hunte Dr. (Up the hill behind Wal-Mart)

• RICHFIELD
  March 16, 7 p.m.
  Sevier County Administration Building (old Court House), 250 N. Main St.

• MOAB
  March 17, 7 p.m.
  Moab Senior Center, 450 E. 100 N.

• PRICE
  March 18, 7 p.m.
  Castle Valley Center, 755 N. Cedar Hills Dr.

• SPANISH FORK
  March 19, 7 p.m.
  Spanish Fork Veterans Center, 400 N. Main St.

Each meeting will begin with a member of the Wolf Working Group welcoming those in attendance. After the welcome, McLaughlin will give a brief update about the status of wolves in surrounding states. After his presentation, those in attendance will be invited to share their views and concerns about wolves in Utah, and provide suggestions for managing wolves in the state. Near the end of the meeting, participants will get to review and rank the evening's results.

Professional facilitators from the Dynamic Solutions Group in Wyoming will facilitate the entire process.

"After the meetings, all issues and ideas generated will be given to the Wolf Working Group," McLaughlin said. "Group members are looking forward to receiving this input from the public."

At the direction of the Utah Wildlife Board, the Wolf Working Group was assembled by the DWR in October 2003. The group consists of 13 people who represent various wolf interests, including livestock owners, hunters and environmentalists. The group will identify issues that are important for managing wolves in Utah and draft a plan that includes several objectives and strategies to support a single management alternative.

The group's draft plan should be complete by May 1, 2005. The DWR, the Utah Wildlife Board and the Utah Legislature will then review and modify the plan so it adheres to state statutes and policies.

People can stay updated on what the group is doing by visiting wildlife.utah.gov/wolf on the Internet.

For more information about the upcoming meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700. Also see the wolf section of this Web site.

6:49:45 AM    

After a few false starts, Utah music lovers will finally get their money from an antitrust settlement with major music companies. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced today that nearly 30 thousand Utahns will each get $13.86 checks within the next few weeks.

But wait, there’s more. The settlement will also bring 43,762 compact discs to 59 Utah public and university libraries in late April or early May.

"This is one time that I don’t mind saying ‘The check is in the mail,’" says Shurtleff. "We are extremely pleased our efforts helped the music industry change its ways and money will be going back directly to consumers."

The money and the music was supposed to go out last summer but several appeals delayed the delivery. The appeals have been resolved and now 3.5 million individuals, including 28,549 Utahns, will be getting their settlement checks. Recipients had to file a claim by March 3, 2003 stating they had purchased a compact disc, cassette or vinyl album between January 1, 1995 and December 22, 2000. One out of every 125 Utahns filed a claim.

Utah and 41 other states sued five of the largest music distributors and three of the largest retailers for conspiring to artificially hike their prices. The lawsuit claimed that policies requiring a "Minimum Advertised Price" on prerecorded music violated federal and state laws. The defendants settled the suit and agreed to change their sales practices, pay $67 million in cash and distribute CDs worth $77 million to charities and libraries.

"This is a tangible example of how enforcing antitrust laws helps consumers directly. This lawsuit helped bring lower prices, more choices, some extra cash and lots of CDs to Utah," says Wayne Klein, the assistant attorney general who represented Utah in the lawsuit.

6:24:48 AM