Grand Jury Investigations Win Nod as Top S.L. Story in 1948 Lee Triumph at Polls, Delle Bus Crash, Kennecott Strike, Record Snowfalls Rate Mention as Years News Yarns By Oliver Smith Investigations and trials conducted by the Salt Lake County grand jury took first place among the top ten news stories in Utah during 1948. Other big local events and developments which made headlines during the momentous year came from the fields of politics, traffic, industry and oh, yes, the weather. These are the big ten stories as selected by staff writers and editors of The Deseret News: 1. Grand jury investigations and trials. 2. Lee elected governor; Truman, other Democrats win. 3. Bus crash at Delle and the states new record of 219 traffic deaths. 4. Kennecott Copper strike. 5. Record snowfall in December. 6. New oil well and refinery developments. 7. Tolls of 21 deaths in private plane crashes. 8. Conversion of Ft. Douglas, Remington Arms Plant, and Camp Kearns to post war uses. 9. Hiram BeBee case and commutation of death sentence. 10. Series of prison breaks and captures. Activities of the grand jury hit the headlines from March through December, and turn up sensational indictments in liquor and gambling scandals. The defeat of Gov. Herbert B. Maw by J. Bracken Lee on Nov. 2 climaxed a red hot politlca campaign that simmered most of the year. Utah crossed up most of the pollsters by swinging solidly behind Truman in the presidential vote. The states new toll of 219 traffic deaths for 1948 was reflected in tragic headlines during every month of the year. The most dramatic accident occurred at Delle, Tooele County on Dec. 18 when 14 were killed in the collision of two transcontinental buses. More than 5000 Utahns were idled by the Kennecott Copper strike which began Oct. 25 and was still deadlocked at the years end. The years close was alos marked by the heaviest December snowfall on the books for Utah. Development of new oil fields in Utah and completion of a 10,000,000 pipeline and refinery headed the years industrial news. In the same picture Remington Arms Plant was converted for use by 16 firms and a 14,000,000 housing project began at reconverted Camp Kearns. Ft. Douglas was awarded by the WAA to University of Utah, Salt Lake City and other agencies. Crashes of private aircraft bringing death to 21 persons during the year projected the airway toll into one of the years top new stories. Another composite story was formed by the startling series of prisoner escapes from Utah prisons and the subsequent manhunts and captures. The repreated postponement of the execution of Hiram BeBee, convicted slayer of Mt. Pleasant marshal, was climaxed with the commutation of his sentence to life imprisonment on Nov. 23 Scores of other stories during the year were big enough to crowd the top ten fairly closely. A chronological list of covering important news stories presents a graphic review of the highlights of 1948 in Utah. See BEST STORIES on page B 6