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Railroad Newsline for Saturday, March 03, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

BNSF SUFFERS DERAILMENT AT NOLAN, NORTH DAKOTA

At 14:00 CT, Friday, March 02, 2007 BNSF Railway Company train S SEALPC1 27 derailed the head car and the trailing unit blocking single main track at Nolan, North Dakota. This location is approximately 40 miles west of Fargo, North Dakota.

The current estimate for restoring main track back to service is 01:00, Saturday, March 03, 2007.

Customers may experience delays between 12 and 24 hours on traffic moving through this corridor. - BNSF Service Advisory

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COLORADO LAWMAKERS PUSH TO HAVE TTCI IN SECURITY PLAN

Photo here: [www.chieftain.com]

Caption reads: A GM Electro Motive Division locomotive makes a test run at Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo in 2004. Members of the Colorado delegation want to add the TTCI to the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium because none of the other facilities in the consortium trains people for rail disasters or terror attacks.

PUEBLO, CO -- The Transportation Technology Center complex sprawls out of sight in the prairie northeast of Pueblo, but the rail-testing center is the focus of a concerted effort by Colorado lawmakers in Congress.

Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, are pushing in the Senate this week for an amendment that would make the test center part of an exclusive National Domestic Preparedness Consortium - a group of five universities and federal test centers that shared $145 million in federal training grants last year.

On the House side, Reps. John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter, both Democrats, are trying to accomplish the same thing. Perlmutter, who serves on a House subcommittee on homeland security, added the test track amendment to railroad security legislation that was approved by the panel Thursday.

"There is opposition to this," Allard explained in a telephone press conference. "I've talked to lawmakers from states that already are part of the consortium and there is a concern that federal training money would be spread too thin."

The consortium was created to provide anti-terror training programs to federal and state agencies, but the Office of Domestic Preparedness limits where those grants can be used to the consortium. The current members are: Center for Domestic Preparedness, Anniston, AL; Louisiana State University; Texas A&M University; New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; and the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site.

Transportation Technology Center, Inc., is the railroad testing center for the American Association of Railroads and is one of the premier rail-testing centers in the world with its 50 miles of track and its prairie location, where trains and railcars can be tested and even wrecked under all kinds of conditions. TTCI officials began lobbying Colorado lawmakers in 2005 to be included in the federal training consortium, maintaining that none of the other facilities can train people for rail disasters or terror attacks.

This week, the Senate is debating a wide-ranging homeland security bill and Allard and Salazar are backing an amendment this week to put TTCI in the consortium. That hasn't happened yet.

"But if we can't get it attached to this bill, we will make it part of a railroad security bill," Allard said Thursday.

Ken Salazar said much the same thing in talking to reporters Wednesday.

House Democrats passed their version of the homeland security bill during the first 100 hours of the new Congress in January. John Salazar offered TTCI legislation last year but said he was unable to attach the test center amendment to that bill because the House Democratic leadership was not allowing amendments to the six major pieces of legislation they had pledged to pass in their first two weeks.

Earlier this week, Salazar said he would get the legislation moving on other routes and Perlmutter did the job Thursday in the House subcommittee on transportation security. He added the TTCI amendment to the Railroad Security Act being drafted by the panel.

"Going through the House Committee on Homeland Security was the route to go with this amendment because Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) is very supportive," Salazar said Thursday, adding that he did not expect any serious opposition to the measure in the House.

Salazar said that adding TTCI to the federal training network filled an important gap because none of the other consortium facilities address terrorist threats to railroads and trains. - Peter Roper, The Pueblo Chieftain

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PICKUP BLOCKS FREIGHT TRAIN FOR HOURS IN RENO

RENO, NV -- An eastbound freight train was blocked for several hours Thursday night by a pickup stuck on tracks between Woodland Avenue and Mayberry Drive.

Reno police Lt. Ron Donnelly said the truck was reported on the tracks, away from any grade crossing, by a passerby about 19:00. The waiting train was stopped west of Woodland Avenue.

Donnelly said a second pickup tried to pull the first one from the tracks but failed. The second truck ran out of gas and was parked near the tracks.

A tow truck that tried to remove the pickup blew a tire and was being removed by a Union Pacific Railroad truck.

"It's out in the total boondocks," Donnelly said. "There's no reason for the truck to be out there."

The driver of the stuck pickup did not provide a clear story as to what happened. Donnelly said alcohol was involved.

Names of the drivers were not released.

"Not unless we arrest them, and at this time, it doesn't look like it," Donnelly said.
He said the railroad could charge the motorist with trespassing. - The Reno Gazette-Journal

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TRAIL PROJECT BACK ON TRACK

Photo and map here: [www.freenewmexican.com]

SANTA FE, NM -- A new paved trail between Siringo Road and St. Michael's Drive should be built by August -- the first extension of the city's south-side hike-and-bike system in a decade.

Work on a half-mile section of what is known as the Santa Fe Rail Trail should begin April 2 and finish in 120 days.

During construction, pedestrians will be warned away from a dirt path that runs through the area which is now an urban refuge for rabbits, coyotes, dogs, walkers, joggers, trail bikers, truants, vagrants and substance abusers.

"Right now, it's not officially open to the public anyway," Project Manager Eric Martinez of the city Public Works Project said. During construction, however, "there will be some signage there saying it's a work zone, 'We don't want you here.' "

About $260,000 of the $468,478 cost will be covered by a state Department of Energy and Natural Resources grant with the rest coming from city funds.

A contract awarded to A.S. Horner, an Albuquerque-based road-construction firm, calls for:

· Building a half-mile-long, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail, similar to the 3.5-mile Arroyo Chamiso Trail south of Siringo Road.

· Installing two prefabricated metal, pedestrian bridges across channels of El Arroyo de los Pinos, similar to those on the Arroyo Chamiso Trail.

· Planting dozens of trees and shrubs.

· Installing at least one "dog station" with a plastic-bag dispenser and a receptacle.

The city already holds a trail easement from the state on a portion of the 18-mile railroad right of way that runs between the Santa Fe Railyard near the downtown and the village of Lamy.
The new paved section of the trail will follow part of the proposed route for the state Department of Transportation's Rail Runner commuter trains between Santa Fe and the Albuquerque area, scheduled to start running next year.

The city originally planned to stretch in 2004. The work was delayed several times, however, most recently when Richard "Dickie" Martinez died in September 2005 without signing over an easement on 7 acres west of the trail. A new easement has been negotiated with Robert Frank of Santa Fe Properties, who bought the land from Montoya's heirs.

Chris Dietrich, a project engineer for A.S. Horner, expects a crew of about four people and up to four machines to begin working on the project by early April. New bridges should be in place by May, he said, and the final paving of the trail should be finished by late July.

Construction work will be just beyond the backyards of dozens of homes facing Camino Lado and Camino Lorca. During a La Farge Library meeting hosted Tuesday night by the project's engineering consultant, Parson Brinckerhoff, neighbors had different ideas about how the construction would affect their lives.

Maureen Montclair said she moved to Camino Lado four years ago because she needed a quiet place so she could work at night and sleep during the day.

"I'm not trying to object to the presence or the functionality of the project," she said. "I'm just talking about my personal life. I can't take the constant noise. ... I'm going to hear every machine, every little hammer, every guy calling out, 'Hey, have
you got that?' "

Peter Debenedittis, who has lived on Camino Lado 11 years, said he's excited about the project because he thinks it will raise property values. He said he recently put a gate in his back wall to allow better access to the trail. But Debenedittis said he plans to approach city councilors soon to ask if they would consider putting in some lighting along the new paved path to help prevent accidents.

Another Camino Lado resident, Frank L. Sena, said that when the paving project was considered a couple of years ago, many neighbors opposed it unless the city also put up new walls to protect their backyards from trail users. Sena said some of the wood fences or cement block walls near the trail are decrepit. But he added, "I love the trail because that's where I go every morning for my walk."

On Wednesday, Amanda Turrieta of Camino Lorca and Ray Jojola of Airport Road were cutting through the area on foot on their way downtown.

They said they regularly take walks across the property and agreed the paving will be good.

"They should-this is awful," Jojola said. "With all this (mud and ruts), you can sprain your ankle." - Tom Sharpe, The Santa Fe New Mexican

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TRAINS DISRUPTED AS PICKERING DERAILMENT CLEARED

PICKERING, ON -- Disruptions to train service were expected to continue Friday in the aftermath of a train derailment in Pickering, Ontario where dozens of cars came off the tracks.
Crews sent out to clean up the mess had originally hoped to have the rail line clear by Friday morning. But that target has been pushed back until the afternoon.

Photo gallery here: [toronto.ctv.ca]

The affected rail line is a busy stretch that carries freight, regional commuters and passenger trains.

GO Transit reported that one of the tracks it uses to bring commuters in and out of downtown Toronto remained open after the incident. But delays were experienced on the Lakeshore East line on Friday morning, due to what GO Transit called "operational problems."

Passenger rail service between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa was also affected by the incident. VIA Rail had to bus passengers around the accident site.

The eastbound Canadian National freight train went off the tracks in an area known as Pickering Junction shortly after 11 a.m. on the railroad's line between Toronto and Montreal. The company said that 32 of the 105 cars in the train came off the rails.

Despite the incident and resulting mess, there were no reports of injuries. Two of the containers on the train were carrying dangerous materials, including acids and batteries, but there were no reports of leaks.

The crash did sever a gas line which ran parallel to the tracks. Emergency crews quickly evacuated the area while the broken line was capped.

Thursday's derailment came as CN was trying to clear a backlog of freight after the two-week strike by conductors. - CTV, Toronto, ON

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STATE SAYS NO TO HERBICIDE USE ALONG ALASKA RAILROAD'S TRACKS

Photo here:

[www.adn.com]

ANCHORAGE, AK -- State environmental regulators this week rejected the Alaska Railroad Corp.'s controversial proposal to spray herbicides on about 500 miles of track and 100 miles of rail yard in Alaska.

It was a blow to the railroad but good news to people like Tom Kluberton, who lives 200 feet from the track.

Kluberton was worried the chemicals used to control weeds and shrubs along train tracks would leak into a spring in his yard and kill fish in nearby streams. He said he "clicked his heels" when he ran back to his Talkeetna home to tell his wife the state's decision.

To control weeds, the state-owned railroad asked regulators last year for permission to spray three herbicides, which included the active chemicals glyphosate, 2,4-D and sulfometuron methyl. But the herbicides are labeled with the prohibition: "Do not apply directly to water," state regulators said Thursday.

That was one of several reasons the proposal was rejected, said Kim Stricklan, pesticide program manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Another reason was the hundreds of streams and rivers that lie next to the rail line, not including thousands of other water resources, such as drinking water wells, wetlands and springs. The 10-foot buffer proposed by the railroad wouldn't keep chemicals from leaking into the water, regulators said.

In addition, the railroad failed to identify all of the potentially affected water bodies in the area, regulators said.

The railroad has struggled on and off for years to regain the state's permission to spray herbicides along its track. It was blocked in a federal court and by the late Gov. Jay Hammond, who banned state agencies from using herbicides.

To control vegetation along tracks, the railroad has used machines, laborers, steam and burning since 1983, according to its Web site.

The railroad's chief executive said Thursday he has no trouble accepting the state's decision, published Wednesday. Pat Gamble called it "clear and concise."

The railroad will study the decision in more depth before deciding its next tactic to combat weeds, Gamble said.

"We still need to kill (them)," he said, noting that just whacking off the tops of the weeds isn't enough. Erosion around the roots growing under the tracks undermines the rail bed and could cause a train to lose a wheel, he said.

More than a thousand people and organizations wrote letters last year, in large part opposing the spraying, according to state officials.

"This is a big victory for people who have fought the railroad's use of herbicides for several decades," said Pamela Miller, executive director of the environmental watchdog group Alaska Community Action on Toxics.

"We felt the chemical mixture proposed by the railroad would harm water quality, salmon habitat and people's health," Miller said.

Local governments and tribal associations opposed to the railroad's proposal included Anchorage, Eklutna, Seward, Talkeetna, Birchwood and the Montana Creek Native Association. The Kenai Peninsula, Mat-Su and Denali boroughs also opposed it. - Elizabeth Bluemink, The Anchorage Daily News

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EXPERTS TOUT COAL GASIFICATION

CASPER, WY -- Several coal-gasification experts gathered in Casper, Wyoming on Wednesday and shared a common frustration: There's a misconception that the technology is not ready to deploy commercially, and that Wyoming can't play a major role in such an industry.

"There is a frustration. ... There's a disconnect between what's possible today commercially and what people think is possible," said Eric Redman. "If we use (coal) right, we've got enough to last us forever."

Redman, environmental attorney with Seattle-based Heller Ehrman, was the keynote speaker at the "Coal Gasification: What Does It Mean For Wyoming?" conference on Wednesday. It was sponsored by the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources.

Redman said the conventional wisdom -- that there's a 20 percent premium cost for the coal-gasification process called integrated combined cycle, or IGCC, over the cost of pulverized coal power plants -- is simply false.

"It's not real. I don't believe it's real. Privately, GE (Energy) and Siemens will tell you they expect the cost to build IGCC will be less than (pulverized coal)," Redman said.

With a world focus on global warming, coal gasification processes may be the key to keeping the lights on in America in the not-so-distant future. But so far there's been some question about whether Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal will be a major player in that future "clean coal" power industry.

Conventional wisdom has been that Eastern coal, with a higher heating value, holds a competitive advantage over Powder River Basin coal. Truth is, the coal from northeast Wyoming has many advantages, according to one industry expert.

"It has more virtues than vices," said Richard Boardman, a senior researcher at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The short answer is that Powder River Basin coal is more reactive in the gasification process than Eastern bituminous coal, and that makes up for the Western coal's lower heating value. The proof is that right now Tampa Electric is building a fluidized-bed coal gasifier in Florida, and the operators already know they're going to haul coal all the way from Wyoming's Powder River Basin to fuel the plant.

Boardman explained that the current models for IGCC technology are largely put together by major utilities and coal interests in the East, and they simply haven't focused on Western coal. But a detailed analysis of Powder River Basin coal yields more positives than negatives for gasification processes, he said.

"IGCC is not as bad (for the Wyoming coal industry) as some would believe," Boardman said. "We can do it better if we focus some of our attention on this. We shouldn't be discouraged that (pulverized coal plants) seem to rule the day."

He said there's been much talk that the Powder River Basin will lose its low-sulfur content advantage over Eastern coal because sulfur is easily removed in the gasification process. However, that also means that there's eight times more sulfur material to deal with in the process, and that's an added expense over Powder River Basin coal.

Mine-mouth electrical generation is thought to be the cheapest, but skeptics have long noted that IGCC plants would be more costly to operate at Wyoming's relatively high elevation, where air pressure is generally lower. But Boardman said that view doesn't take into account that Wyoming's average annual temperature is 40 degrees, and that colder temperature makes up for air density lost due to elevation.

Technologies exist to overcome higher altitudes at much more reasonable costs than once thought, Boardman added.

Laramie-based Western Research Institute is one group that's already working to prove how IGCC can achieve commercial success in Wyoming. WRI Vice President Vijay Sethi said the science shows that Powder River Basin coal is a prime fuel for IGCC, but there's a lot of work left to in both finding efficiencies in the process and educating the public.

The coal industry itself has many questions that need to be answered, because coal gasification is more complex than the pulverized power plant regime that has proven profitable and effective for so many years.

"Utilities are not sold on chemical plants," Sethi said. "We have a lot of work to do -- educate the public, educate utilities and developers of the technologies. These are things we can do..." - Dustin Bleizeffer, The Casper Star-Tribune

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AMTRAK NAMES ANNE WITT VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

WASHINGTON, DC - Amtrak Thursday announced the appointment of its former executive Anne (Hoey) Witt, as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development.

Witt rejoins Amtrak after serving as Director of the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles and on the board with her state partners in the American Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators. Prior to her work at the DMV, Witt held the position of vice president in a number of Amtrak Departments including Service Standards; Service Operations; Reservations, Sales and Customer Relations; Customer and Corporate Communications; and Corporate Management.

The newly formed Strategic Partnerships and Business Development department focuses on Amtrak's growth strategy and is charged with finding synergies and mutually beneficial expansion opportunities to increase ridership and revenue. The department will absorb the pre-existing Contract and Business Development; Corridor Project Planning; Real Estate Development; and Host Railroad Contract Administration groups.

Assistant Vice Presidents reporting to Witt include Gil Mallery, spearheading client-focused approaches for developing and delivering state-supported services; Paul Nissenbaum, providing national leadership on corridor expansion; Paul Vilter, enhancing freight railroad partnerships; and Bruce Looloian, maximizing Amtrak's real estate potential.

Witt received her master's degree in city planning from Harvard University. - Amtrak News Release

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JUDGE EXPECTED TO RULE SOON ON TRAIN DISPUTE

ORR, MN -- A federal judge is expected to rule soon on a dispute over train speeds in Orr, Minnesota.

At issue is a city ordinance that requires trains to slow down to 30 miles per hour within city limits. Canadian National Railway, which claims that the law is unconstitutional, filed suit against the city in December 2005.

The railroad recently filed a motion for summary judgment to have the city's rule declared unconstitutional. CN's suit claims that the city speed limit isn't permitted under the Federal Railway Safety Act and adds that it imposes an impermissible burden on interstate commerce.

Oral arguments were made before U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis on Feb. 2. Although the judge is under no time constraints to issue a ruling, decisions are usually rendered within 90 days.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson said the state filed a brief challenging the railroad's claims because state legislators crafted the law that empowered the city to impose a speed limit.

"We absolutely believe in the law," Swanson said, adding that the law grew out of safety concerns that arose after CN increased train speeds to 60 mph in December 2003.

She said communities are allowed to impose restrictions on railroads to eliminate safety hazards. "This rule is compatible with federal regulations and does not put an undue burden on commerce," Swanson said, adding that local government best understands the safety risks involved. "We feel we made very good arguments and are hopeful."

CN consultant Kevin Soucie declined comment on a pending case. "We're waiting for the judge's decision," he said.

In the meantime, the railroad doesn't appear to be complying with the city's speed limit. St. Louis County authorities have been reluctant to take action while a court case is pending and have said they were unsure of their jurisdiction in the matter.

Asked about compliance with the speed limit, Soucie would only respond that the railroad "is complying with federal safety regulations for the safe operation of our trains."

History of dispute

Since 2003, CN has invested more than $40 million in maintenance an upgrades to its corridor between Duluth and Ranier. The improvements were designed to get more trains on the tracks and speed the shipment of goods, but Soucie says safety was a priority, too.

The Federal Railroad Administration approved the railroad's request to increase train speeds from 49 mph to 60 mph in late 2003. Orr citizens started a petition to reduce the train speeds, citing the tracks' close proximity to the Orr School and the dangers posed by a derailment of cars that sometimes contain hazardous substances.

Area legislators entered the fray when they attached an amendment to the 2005 transportation bill that allowed the city to prohibit trains from exceeding 30 mph in city limits. Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, authored the House version of the amendment while Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, penned the Senate version. Both cited safety concerns for their action and said the action took place only after negotiations to achieve a compromise with the railroad were unsuccessful.

In August, the Orr City Council agreed to impose the speed limit. In December, CN filed suit against the city. The state agreed to represent the city in the dispute.

Attorney General Swanson inherited the case after replacing Mike Hatch as attorney general. She felt some additional pressure to defend the city ordinance.

"My mom actually graduated from Orr High School," said Swanson. "And I have visited the area a lot. She would never forgive me if I didn't fight for the city." - Tom Klein, The Timberjay Newspapers, Ely/Tower/Cook, MN

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ELINOR'S HISTORY OF CANYON LAKE - THE EARLY YEARS

The following information and photos are provided by Canyon Lake resident Elinor Martin, whose family ranched in the area of Canyon Lake and Menifee Valley since the late 1800s. Elinor's pictorial book, "Images of America: Canyon Lake," is on sale for $19.99 at the Canyon Lake Market, Pepe's Restaurant and Pack, Wrap and Post, as well as at the POA Member Services desk.
Elinor also has copies of the book for those who would like to call her at 244-9497. She will be signing books Saturday, March 3, from 14:00 to 16:00, at Pepe's Restaurant in the Towne Cente

Photo here:

[www.thefridayflyer.com]

Caption reads: California Southern Railroad built a line from Perris to Elsinore in 1882; but it was washed out so often by the force of heavy winter rains flowing through the San Jacinto River, it was eventually abandoned. After Temescal Canyon Water Company of Corona bought the right-of-way, it built the dam that created Railroad Canyon Reservoir.

Elinor writes about "The Early Years" after her grandfather, Henry Evans, moved to the Menifee Valley in 1890, eight years after California Southern Railroad built a line from Perris to Elsinore through what became known as Railroad Canyon. The railroad's first station was at Pinacate St., now the location of the Orange Empire Railway Museum and home to the Perris Valley Historical and Museum Association.

The railroad line was later sold to the Santa Fe Railroad and became part of its transcontinental line. Troubles with flooding beset the railroad almost from the beginning. On February 16, 1927, the railroad experienced its third washout since it was built. Pictures in Elinor's book show how the bridge washed out from under the tracks at the southern end, where I-15 meets Railroad Canyon Rd.

"In the narrow canyon north of the bridge the force of the water ripped the tracks from their bed," says Elinor. "The damage was great - this was the third washout the railroad had experienced since 1882, and the decision was made to abandon the line."

After Santa Fe Railroad abandoned the line, Temescal Water bought the right-of-way and construction of the dam for a reservoir began. The project faced opposition from the citizens in Elsinore, and eventually an agreement known as the Tilly Agreement was reached and construction continued.

Dry winters followed the completion of the dam in 1929 and the resulting empty reservoir became a source of amusement among the Temescal Water Company's board members. They called it "Jamison's folly," after Joy Jamison, then president of the company. Later, however, the reservoir became a lifeline for Temescal Canyon. - The Friday Flyer (Canyon Lake, CA)

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PROPOSED ETHANOL PLANT NEAR WAGNER TO BECOME A REALITY

WAGNER, SD -- A proposed ethanol plant near Wagner, South Dakota will become reality following the state's sale of a railroad spur line to local investors, according to the project's founder.

Wagner Native Ethanol LLC will build the plant about a mile east of town along the rail line, retired Wagner banker Don Juffer said Thursday. The construction work is slated for next year, he said.

The plant will produce 50 million gallons of ethanol annually, using more than 18 million bushels of corn from an anticipated 40-mile radius, he said. In addition, the plant will produce 150,000 tons of dry distillers grain (DDG) annually. The DDG will be offered to area livestock producers in a wet or dry form.

State officials helped clinch the deal by selling a section of the Napa rail line to Wagner Native Ethanol for $1.4 million, Juffer said. The rail segment had operations restored intermittently between 1985 and 1989 but has not operated since then.

"The State of South Dakota and Gov. Mike Rounds have signed an agreement to sell the rail line from Napa Junction (near Yankton) to Wagner to serve the plant," Juffer said.

"Gov. Rounds was really receptive (on the sale). We worked with the division of railroads in the Department of Transportation. They were cooperative with us 100 percent of the way."

Besides making the Wagner ethanol plant a reality, the rail sale will provide opportunities for a number of communities in southeast South Dakota, Juffer said.

Not only will the rail line go back into operation, but Wagner Native Ethanol officials plan to upgrade the rail segment, Juffer said. The cost of the upgrade has not been determined and is above and beyond the sale price, he said.

"We will bring the rail line back into service and handle heavier rail. We will upgrade (the line) so we have a better rail system," he said. "Additionally, other shippers in Avon, Tyndall, Wagner, Dante and Tabor who didn't have a railroad before will benefit from the line being brought back into service."

The railroad will also help create an economic jolt to the entire region, Juffer said.

"This will create railroad jobs where there weren't any before, and this (plant) will also have an impact on trucking jobs," he said. "You also have the feedlots that will hire more people."

The plant will employ as many as 35 people with an annual payroll of more than $1.5 million, Juffer said.

"The area here, with the Yankton Sioux Tribe and Charles Mix County, is an area of the state that is in need of these quality, well-paying jobs," he said.

Project coordinator Bill Riechers of Value Add Venture (VAV) of Volga is organizing the Wagner project. VAV has organized and raised equity for 10 plants in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska.

Riechers was traveling Thursday and could not be reached for comment. However, he told the Mitchell Daily Republic this week that the Wagner Native Ethanol plant stands out in one way from others he has worked with.

Riechers said the Wagner project is unique because, to his knowledge, there has never been an ethanol plant built "on or near (an American Indian) reservation, and this one will be."

"We have forgotten these (Indian) people in all the excitement that we have had in the ethanol industry," Riechers said. "We're excited to bring this to the community."

The project's reach will be felt far beyond Wagner, as the plant will exert a regional economic impact of millions of dollars, Juffer said. Besides the direct impact of the payroll, the plant will result in other jobs and services whose wages will circulate in the community, he said.

"The dollars will turn over four, five and six times in the economy," he predicted.

Fagen Inc. of Granite Falls, MN, will act as the design/builder for the Wagner site. Fagen is considered America's premier ethanol plant design/builder, according to Wagner officials.

ICM, located in Colwich, KS, will provide the technology for the Wagner plant.

"We are delighted to get on Fagen's construction schedule and to have the Fagen/ICM team build our project," said Charles Colombe, one of the project founders.

The Fagen team has scheduled Wagner for a summer 2008 construction start date.

Plans call for dirt work in spring 2008 with concrete work hopefully starting in June 2008, Juffer said. "But we would like to get started this fall if possible," he said.

But first, project organizers are slating a late spring or early summer equity drive this year which they anticipate will raise $45 million from local investors, Juffer said.

Project organizers are optimistic about the Wagner plant based on a study completed by the national firm PRX Geographic Inc. of Chelsea, MI. The study showed the region could provide the corn supply needed for another ethanol plant.

Other regional ethanol plants are in operation or under construction at Scotland, Chancellor, Marion and Meckling.

"(PRX) looked at the regional corn study, and they were very positive about it. They gave us the go-ahead to do this," Juffer said. "We needed this study before Fagen or any of these other people would even look at (the project)."

That confidence will roll into the upcoming equity drive, Juffer said.

"We didn't think we would have trouble raising equity once we completed the corn study," he said. - Randy Dockendorf, The Yankton Press & Dakotan

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SIX FLAGS PLANS NEW ATTRACTION WITH TRAINS

VALLEJO, CA -- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom plans a new attraction that includes a train ride based on the popular children's character "Thomas the Tank Engine."

"Thomas is ever so popular," said Six Flags spokeswoman Nancy Chan. "Everyone knows Thomas from TV, video, and books," she said. "Thomas characters are as popular as any of the 'Looney Toons.' Thomas is this generation's Bugs Bunny."

A half-acre attraction called Thomas Town also will offer two other rides, Harold the Helicopter and Bertie the Bus.

Starting Memorial Day weekend, Thomas Town visitors also will be encouraged to pose for photographs with characters such as Sir Topham Hat and tour life-size model homes on the Island of Sodor, a fictional island in the Irish Sea featured in the "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" television series.

Chan said the park, which recently changed its name, expects the new attraction to draw parents and children since the Thomas & Friends brand strikes an "emotional chord because of its familiarity."

Thomas & Friends is the tale of an imaginary railroad. The first book, published in 1945, was a children's fantasy written by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry for his son Christopher. By 1972, Awdry had published 22 books. By 1983, his son had added 14 more. In 1984, the British Broadcasting Corp. adapted the stories for TV.

Six Flags will be open for spring break, from 10:30 to 18:00, March 24-31. Starting April 15, it will also be open weekdays until 19:00.

For more information visit [www.sixflags.com] kingdom. - William Roller, MediaNews Group, The Woodland Daily Democrat

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TRANSIT NEWS

MANROSS VOWS TO KEEP LIGHT RAIL OUT OF DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Mayor Mary Manross vowed in her State of the City address Thursday to keep light rail out of downtown and called for a 2008 bond election to fund "strategic projects."

Manross, who is expected to face tough competition for her third mayoral campaign next year, said bonds would finance projects such as a Western museum and a desert discovery center.

The bond election, she said, would "keep Scottsdale one of the most successful cities in the nation."

On transportation, which Manross called the "Number 1 issue" in the city, the mayor endorsed bus service on high-occupancy vehicle freeway lanes.

While taking a wait-and-see approach to light rail, Manross promised to keep it out of downtown.

She also proposed adopting a ban on signs in public rights of way, a controversial issue that passed the Planning Commission on Wednesday and is set for a council vote on March 20.

Manross emphasized the success of redevelopment efforts begun during her first two terms that poured $2.8 billion of investment into downtown Scottsdale.

Her opponents have complained the redevelopment projects have threatened the character of the city.

The mayor countered that reaction in advance, saying "We have an Old West and new West vibrancy that is the envy of the nation."

During the 50-minute address, Manross also summed up efforts to halt the deterioration of south Scottsdale since she assumed the mayor's seat in 2000.

"We didn't wait for the future to come to us," she said. "We went out and created it." - Lesley Wright, The Arizona Republic

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VINEYARD TO SPROUT HOMES

Map here: [www.sacbee.com]

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Cows -- not cars -- are more likely to be found on the properties surrounding the intersection of Excelsior and Florin roads in the unincorporated area south of Sacramento.

Sacramento County officials, however, have been slowly clearing the way for a vast new suburban community with more than 20,000 homes, along with new parks, schools and shopping centers.

In recent years, 3,000 suburban-style homes have joined the ranches and large lots that dominate the area known by the county as the Vineyard.

The Vineyard has been in the works for more than 20 years. The first land-use plan for the 37-square-mile area south of Highway 16 and north of Calvine Road was approved in 1985. More detailed plans followed.

Now, individual subdivision designs within Vineyard Springs and North Vineyard Station go before the Board of Supervisors almost weekly.

Plans for the property around those two areas, commonly referred to as "the gap," are still under environmental review.

Developers hold the rights to build thousands of homes on 11.2 square miles targeted for housing, provided that needed new roads, drainage systems and water requirements are met.

The area largely missed the last housing boom, partly because of infrastructure needs. That isn't likely to recur the next time the market heats up.

County officials said they can't say when those homes will materialize. Market forces will have a lot to say about that.

But the development's design and density are criticized by some who say the building pattern now taking shape reflects old neighborhood design, not today's standards.

Peter Detwiler, who teaches a graduate course on state land-use policies at California State University, Sacramento, sees the pattern of development as an opportunity lost.

"It's more of the car-oriented sprawl development. It probably represents 1980s thinking," Detwiler said. "A quarter century later we think differently about land use."

While the area will have a mix of housing sizes and types, several Vineyard subdivisions will offer more elbow room compared to other developments under construction and in the pipeline.
Whether that is a good thing is debatable.

Some, such as Detwiler, say it doesn't make sense to build half-acre and 1-acre lots so close to the urban core.

Supervisor Roger Dickinson said he voted against the plans for Vineyard Springs and North Vineyard Station.

"Personally, I think we made some very serious mistakes in planning," said Dickinson.

He said the street pattern forces people to use major thoroughfares to reach stores, schools or other amenities.

The pattern of development almost guarantees the area will not be served by light rail, despite the fact that unused train tracks cut diagonally through the area.

Regional Transit's master plan calls for a light-rail line along the Central California Traction Railroad -- although more recent plans never identified money or set a timetable for the line.

Future extensions will be one of the questions on the table as RT embarks on an update of its master plan, said Mike Wiley, RT's deputy general manager.

Approved plans for the Vineyard call for three to five units an acre around the train tracks.
To support a light-rail stop, Wiley said, lots of residences should be within walking distance -- 30 to 50 units an acre.

Board Chairman Don Nottoli said he thought the rail corridor might be more suitable for a dedicated bus line or a walking trail, not light rail.

He added that while the board has been wrestling with density issues, all in all the project is turning out "pretty well."

Stuart Helfand, who raises fowl on 4 acres there, has been a member of the local planning advisory group since it was formed in 1979.

He said he wouldn't have a problem with developers building smaller town homes at higher densities but objects to developers asking to add more single-family homes to subdivisions already starved for green space.

He said the old guard wasn't thrilled about growth in the first place, and now that there is a plan in place, developers should stick to it.

"The developers are coming in and saying they want to change everything. They want more density and we are saying no," Helfand said.

He said the current zoning was designed to gradually decrease density so new homes could blend in with existing residences.

"The Vineyard has always been a rural area," said Helfand. "We don't want to be a Marconi or an El Camino avenue." - Ed Fletcher, The Sacramento Bee

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MUNI VOWS TO IMPROVE LAGGING J-CHURCH LINE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The city's worst streetcar line when it comes to keeping on schedule will get extra attention from city officials who vow to boost on-time performance, Mayor Gavin Newsom told The Chronicle Thursday.

The J-Church, which runs between Balboa Park and the Embarcadero, is on time just 61.9 percent of the time, the most dismal rate among all Metro lines.

Starting Monday, the Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates San Francisco's public transit system, will make a concerted effort to improve service on the J-Church, Newsom said.

That means the line will be fully staffed to assure that no scheduled runs are missed, parking control officers will be deployed to make sure the tracks aren't blocked by trucks and cars, and the traffic signals may be retimed to keep the streetcars moving.

The pilot project is expected to last 120 days.

It will be modeled after another trial that looked to improve service on the 1-California. That 3-month project, which ended last month, resulted in an 88 percent on-time performance rate, up from 81 percent. The cost of the 1-California enhancement program was $168,000 over 90 days.
Officials didn't know how much the J-Church initiative will cost. - Rachel Gordon, The San Francisco Chronicle

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LAGNIAPPE (Something extra, not always railroad related, for Saturdays only)

INCHING UP AN ICE HIGHWAY IN A 70-TON TRUCK

ON THE ICE ROAD, Northwest Territories -- Elden Pashovitz eased his big truck and 28 tons of aviation fuel onto the ice of Tibbitt Lake and set out in low gear for his destination, dozens of ponds and lakes away.

Ahead, the scene was bleak, white and flat. The temperature was minus 10. The ice crackled under the 30 tires of his tandem rig.

Photo gallery here:

[www.washingtonpost.com]

Pashovitz moved his vehicle to its place in a caravan of heavy trucks, one of many processions now crawling across frozen tundra and iced-over lakes in the grip of the Canadian winter. Their mission is to deliver a year's worth of supplies to remote sites -- mines and drilling rigs and small native villages -- that depend on the ice road for all their needs.

The trucks ply the wilderness along a tenuous artery. Maintenance crews work in the bitter cold to flood the road, continually thickening it. The drivers watch for buckling ice rising as pressure ridges on the road. And the heavy trucks bend the ice sheet, creating waves underwater that can blast through the surface in a "blowout," making treacherous holes.

But there's no turning back.

"Once you're on the ice, you're committed," said Pashovitz, 35. "You've got to keep going. If you stop, little by little the weight of your truck would sink into the ice."

There are many winter roads through Canada, and some in Finland, Russia and Alaska, short-lived lifelines to places that otherwise can be reached only by plane. But at about 360 miles, this road is the longest in the world that runs almost entirely over water -- 85 percent of it is on ice. It also carries the heaviest traffic.

On a typical day, the cold winter sun struggles to the horizon to reveal an unending line of fuel tankers, flatbed trucks and tractor-trailers, all huffing exhaust into the cobalt sky.

This ice road was first built in the winter of 1983 to service the Lupin Gold Mine, 250 miles north of Yellowknife. The gold mine is now closed, but four diamond mines have been opened along the route, each requiring huge construction equipment, vast quantities of fuel and supplies, and thousands of bags of cement for mines and dikes.

"The economic lifeblood of the Northwest Territories depends on these roads," said Erik Madsen, director of winter road operations for Diavik Diamond Mines, which shares with Billiton BHP most of the cost of getting the road built each year.

This year, the companies hope to send a record 10,500 truckloads out from Yellowknife on this road. The trucks leave in groups of four, every 20 minutes, night and day.

But that is only a hope. Last winter, one of the warmest on record, the road opened late and melted early, stranding tons of needed supplies. Mining companies spent $100 million trying to airlift the cargo. Diavik cut a 500-ton excavating shovel into pieces and rented the world's largest helicopter from Russia to lift the pieces to its mine site.

"We can't afford another season like the last one," Madsen said.

So far, this winter has allayed fears that global warming will make last year's weather the norm. The winter road opened early, on Jan. 28, after a sustained cold snap, and has strengthened with steady arctic temperatures. Road controllers use ground radar and boreholes to monitor the thickness of the ice, gradually letting heavier trucks onto the road as the ice grows to 40 inches, at which point it can support a 70-ton vehicle.

But the road's hard appearance is deceptive: Ice bends, cracks, becomes brittle, flows and shrinks in unexpected ways.

"Ice is really kind of funny stuff. We really don't know" anything about it, said John Zigarlick. That's quite an admission from the man who built the first road as president of the Lupin mine, retired, then started Nuna Logistics, a company that does arctic drilling and construction, and rebuilds this road every year for the diamond mines.

Zigarlick's 140 employees here carve an eight-lane-wide path on the ice, build express bypasses for the returning empty trucks, and mend cracks and holes with water.

"We've gotten better at it," said Zigarlick, 69, who leaves his yacht parked in Vancouver to prowl the ice road. "But I think we're starting to push the limits of what this road will take."

The radios in his pickup yap away: the truckers on one VHF channel, nudging each other along and chatting to keep awake; the road crews on another, including the squad of retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who spend their winters patrolling the ice road to keep the truckers' speed down.

The radio barks out news of an accident on portage 27.

"I hope there's no fuel spill," Zigarlick said with a sigh. "If you spill fuel, you have to dig up the ground, and it will take six weeks of explaining."

Zigarlick said no truck driver on the road has ever been lost to the ice, though the dangers are there. Several trucks have sunk, but their drivers scrambled out. In 2000, a snowplow operator died of a heart attack after his machine plunged into the frigid water. In 2004, the son of one of Yellowknife's major trucking company families drowned while clearing another short ice road near this one.

The drivers, however, say the biggest problem is tedium, as their loaded vehicles crawl along at mandatory speed limits of 6 and 15 mph to keep from damaging the ice.

"It's a different way of driving," Pashovitz said. "It's slow and long. You have to keep occupied." The radio chatter gets annoying. He has satellite radio and a CD player; others watch movies on mini-DVD players. Pashovitz swears he has seen drivers reading, and one serenaded his pals with a fiddle on the long straightaways.

The radio chirps with drivers reporting a rare sighting of a timber wolf. Caribou cross the road sometimes. Red fox dart tentatively amid the snowdrifts, searching for jack rabbits or ptarmigan. Ravens will fly idly beside the trucks or perch on the big rearview mirrors as the vehicles move, demanding a bite of a trucker's sandwich.

Pashovitz and his father run an organic grain farm in central Saskatchewan. There is not much to do in the long winter, so he has been coming north every year for 10 years. He works seven days a week for about 10 weeks, sleeping in a bed behind his seat in the roomy cab, with the engine running. He stops at the camps set up along the road to shower and eat, watch some television or call home.

Many of those plying the road are like Pashovitz: farmers or construction workers looking for winter work, or retired hands seeking the novelty and beauty of working in a subarctic winter. And the money: Pashovitz said he can earn $800 for the two-day trip to the BHP mine, more if he goes farther up the road. In a season, he can earn enough to help ease the squeeze on his family farm.

It also gives him some bragging rights, Pashovitz acknowledges. "Nobody back home has done anything like this." - Doug Struck, The Washington Post, courtesy Dick Seelye

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THE DEMISE OF THE AMERICAN FORK CANYON RAILROAD

PROVO, UT -- From 1873 through 1877, tourism continued to thrive in American Fork Canyon, and each of those years, the canyon attracted important men like a magnet.

Utah artist George M. Ottinger and prominent photographer C.R. Savage visited the canyon in 1874, accompanied by Savage's son. Their train car ran smoothly up the track behind the small engine referred to as the "iron colt."

During the daytime, Mr. Humphries, the railroad's superintendent, put a handcar and a man to run it at the trio's disposal, so they could roam the canyon at will. In the evening, the cool August nighttime air encouraged the party to sleep under three blankets.

The two artists tarried in the canyon in search of views -- and they found them. Ottinger painted what he labeled "Lone Peak," while Savage photographed the artist. The photographer also took pictures of Hanging Rock, the "old tumble-down saw mill" and other canyon scenery. Many prints from these glass plate negatives survived to provide us with a view of what the men saw.

The pleasures and scenery in American Fork Canyon continued to thrill rusticators in 1876. In August of that year, a party of 30 or 40 campers from Salt Lake City traveled to the canyon to escape the rat race of city life, much the same as we do today. Included in the group were Chief Justice Michael Schaeffer, Judge Hemingray, Postmaster Moore, District Attorney Howard, Capt. Parsons, Court Clerk S.C. Hill, Fred Lockley and their families.

The pace of life slowed, and responsibilities changed in the canyon. A vacationer who returned from American Fork Canyon reported to the Salt Lake Tribune that the last time he saw "Chief Justice Schaeffer, he was toting two buckets of water to the camp for the ladies to boil potatoes in, while District Attorney Howard was fattening the trout on bait, and Judge Hemingray was looking for two or three lost grizzlies up in the mountains."

Some hunters actually succeeded in bagging their bear, but few of the animals were grizzlies. In August 1876, three Salt Lake City men killed a small bear near a sawmill in the canyon, traveled to Salt Lake City, donated one of the bear's hindquarters to the Tribune and returned to the hunt.

Regardless of whether tourists stayed a day or a week, the return ride to the valley provided sightseers with a thrilling conclusion to their trip. The locomotive went down the canyon first and the rolling stock followed later, drawn by gravity. No engine obstructed the view of the tourists.

A Salt Lake Herald reporter left the following first-hand account of the trip back to the valley:
"The cars are impelled by their own weight, the momentum increasing rapidly as they descend.

They wind smoothly over serpentine track, now seeming to be on the point of driving full face against a perpendicular mountain of rock, but gracefully escaping a catastrophe by gliding round a curve, through a narrow gorge, only to repeat the action within a hundred yards; rolling across a bridge thirty feet above the dancing, dashing, foaming stream, and finally emerging into one of the prettiest valleys of the earth ... Mr. Smails stands with hands on the brake, and not only regulates the speed, but inspires one with perfect assurance."

From 1873 through 1877, the canyon railroad began operating in the spring as soon as the snow melted off the track. Until tourist season began, trains ran "semi-occasionally," or only when they were needed to service the canyon's industries. American Fork Canyon became a popular tourist destination in 1873. People preferred it to Lake Point and other resorts on the Great Salt Lake.

This tourist trade stimulated business in the town of American Fork. Some visitors bought lunch there, and others stayed a night or two. This commercial activity usually extended into the fall. Late in September 1876, the Salt Lake Herald reported concerning the seasonal bustle in American Fork, "Parties of tourists pass through the place daily."

At the beginning and toward the end of tourist season, trains operated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sightseers usually crowded the canyon during July and August, and trains made daily trips up and down the canyon, except on Sunday.

During the summer of 1874, 10 to 15 small railroad cars loaded with charcoal, bullion, ore and lumber made the trip down the canyon each day. That same year, some of the mines in the canyon began to peter out, and for the next several years, prospectors located new finds, but these claims proved unprofitable to mine.

Railroad traffic generated by the mining industry declined, even though tourism continued to increase. Without business from the mines, the little canyon railway did not make enough money to justify its existence.

Near the end of the 1875 tourist season, probably the busiest year the canyon saw until it was opened to automobile traffic, the Salt Lake Herald predicted, "We foresee the time when every body will visit American Fork Canyon, and its railroad will pay handsome dividends."

Half of this prognosis failed miserably. Tourists continued to visit the canyon, but in 1878, the American Fork Canyon Railroad Co. became the first Utah railway to go out of business. That railroad season began early in April when a horse-drawn train moved laboriously up the canyon.

Little more than a month later, newspapers received the word that starting on May 27, regular trains would run into the canyon, not to bring in tourists, but to remove the track, starting from the top and working down the canyon.

This information caused the Salt Lake Tribune to lament, "It is a great pity that the mines in American Fork have not proved sufficiently rich and extensive to warrant the continuous operation of the canyon road."

Salvagers removed all the switches and sidings first, and then they tore up the track. By July 20, 1878, the railroad was gone, but the Tribune was careful to report that the scenery, cold water and trout fishing were still there.

The canyon railroad company stored the salvaged ties and rails in American Fork. The Tribune reported the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad Co. bought many of the rails to use in their extension up Big Cottonwood Canyon. The Salt Lake Herald said the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway also used many of the rails and ties on the railroad it constructed in Spanish Fork Canyon.

A good wagon road replaced the railroad track. Most of the current North Fork road now covers the old railroad grade. Stephen Carr states in his book, "Utah Ghost Rails," that where the highway begins its steep climb to Tibble Fork Reservoir, the old track bed can still be seen following the course of the stream to the east of the road.

Robert Keppernick, proprietor of the American Fork House Hotel in American Fork, planned to run a coach and saddle train up the canyon on this wagon road for the use of tourists who stayed in his establishment.

N.C. Heiselt soon started an express carrying passengers and mail from the Utah Southern Railroad tracks in American Fork to Forest City. He drove up the canyon on Mondays and Thursdays, and returned to American Fork on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Heiselt charged $3 for the round trip.

How did the mine owners get along without the railroad to haul their ore? Toward the end of September 1878, the Tribune reported: "Ore shippers from the Fork don't seem to feel very bad over the railroad's removal, as they get ore down by team very reasonably."

After half a decade, American Fork Canyon's little locomotive fell silent in 1878, and its track disappeared faster than boiler steam dissipates on a hot, dry day. Mediocre mining success, not lack of tourists, hobbled Deer Creek's iron horse, and the state of Utah fell heir to its first "ghost railroad." - D. Robert Carter, The Provo Daily Herald

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EX-INTERNEE RECALLS HART MOUNTAIN

POWELL, WY -- Bill Hosokawa's journalism career took him to East Asia, to war, and finally to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. During World War II, his racial heritage landed him in an internment camp in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming.

Hosokawa, 93, now lives near Denver, Colorado. He was a pioneer in Asian-American journalism. He was also one of 10,000 Japanese-Americans sent to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center between Powell and Cody.

On Feb. 19, 1942 - about two months after Pearl Harbor was bombed - President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the government to move tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans into internment camps.

In a telephone interview, Hosokawa shared memories of life in the Heart Mountain camp.

The camps were created because of wartime fears that Japanese-Americans on the West Coast might aid Japan if that country tried to invade America. The executive order applied to "aliens" and "nonaliens," Hosokawa said. Most "nonaliens" were U.S. citizens.

"Our rights as American citizens were suspended," Hosokawa said.

While Hosokawa grew up in Seattle, Asian-American journalists were almost unheard of. A professor at the University of Washington advised him against trying to land a newspaper job.

Hosokawa worked at a small Japanese-American paper in Seattle. He helped establish an English-language newspaper in Singapore.

Shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he said, "it was obvious out there that something bad was going to happen, so I hurried home."

Hosokawa, his wife and young child and thousands of others were forced to move to a temporary internee camp in Puyallup, Washington, with "quarters that looked like chicken coops."

Issues of the Powell Tribune from 1942 reported Roosevelt's order and the building of the camp in the shadow of Heart Mountain.

"The conventional cabin - 120 feet long and built to house three family units - is mushrooming over the landscape by the dozens," the Tribune reported.

At its peak, the camp, which the newspaper referred to as Wyoming's own "Little Tokyo," was the third-largest city in the state. The first groups of internees, including Hosokawa and his family, arrived at Heart Mountain in August 1942.

"There was nothing but desolation there," Hosokawa said. "Nothing but sagebrush."

Internees staffed their own hospital and had their own schools. But families ate meals in a mess hall and used a communal restroom.

"It wasn't bad if you were a young man in the military," Hosokawa said. "But it was awfully hard for families and little children."

Hosokawa wrote a column for the Cody Enterprise. Other internees, starting with author Mary Oyama, wrote a column for the Tribune called "Heart Mountain Breezes." Oyama occasionally railed against "reactionary politicians and demagogues" who demonized Japanese-Americans.

Despite anti-Japanese sentiment, neither writer faced censorship, Hosokawa said. He wrote about camp life as it was - the cold, the frozen water pipes and the homesickness.

Hosokawa also wrote for the Heart Mountain Sentinel, the camp's weekly tabloid newspaper. He wrote about congressional decisions, high school activities, the War Relocation Authority and social news.

Local high school teams played sports against Heart Mountain's high school, and the Sentinel covered the games. The camp's teams usually won in football. In basketball, when internee boys took on "big, tall Mormon kids," they usually lost.

Hosokawa and his family moved out of the camp in September 1943. The War Relocation Authority helped him find a job with the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa.

"The government suddenly realized it couldn't keep us in these camps forever," he said.

Internees trickled out of the camp over the next couple of years. World War II ended in September 1945, and the camp closed for good not long afterward.

After about three years in Des Moines, Hosokawa went to work for the Denver Post as a copy editor. About 30 years later, he became editor of the editorial page. He was also a war correspondent in Korea and Vietnam. For several years, he was an ombudsman for the Rocky Mountain News.

The Post had once printed hostile editorials about Japanese-Americans, but the paper changed its tune after the war. Hosokawa said prejudice has mostly disappeared from journalism since his professor told him he would not have a career.

"Things have changed over the years," he said. "I got to the point where I was doing the hiring."

From time to time, minorities in America feel the brunt of wartime hysteria, he said. After the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a climate of fear turned on Arab-Americans.

Though Hosokawa has long since moved on, he is quick to point out the injustice of the camps.

"(The camps were) contrary to everything this country stands for," he said. "The sad part of it is that very few Americans protested it. They simply accepted it." - The Associated Press, The Billings Gazette

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THE END