text stringlengths 237 126k | date_download stringdate 2022-01-01 00:32:20 2023-01-01 00:02:37 ⌀ | source_domain stringclasses 60 values | title stringlengths 4 31.5k ⌀ | url stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ | id stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The community is invited to the library's summer reading program kick-off party at 2 p.m. June 7.
Marshall Public Library’s ‘An Ocean of Possibilities’ summer reading program kicks off Saturday
By Marshall Public Library
POCATELLO — The Marshall Public Library is looking to make a “splash” by launching its all-ages 2022 summer reading program. This year’s theme is “An Ocean of Possibilities.”
Head over to the MPL from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday for the summer kick-off party. People in the community can sign-up for the summer reading program at the event. And the kick-off party wouldn’t be complete without a bounce house, free treats and food trucks. Everyone who registers will get a fun prize (while supplies last).
“We are so excited to have patrons of all ages back in the library for summer reading because we can’t let kids have all the fun. That’s one of the things I love about our summer program — we have one for all ages from babies to grown-ups,” said Becky Hadley, the Marshall Public Library adult program coordinator.
As participants complete challenges all summer long, they’ll earn entries into our grand prize raffle where they could win some awesome prizes. Some of the prizes include a Kindle Fire, gift cards, Geronimo jump passes and so much more. We hope you’ll join us as we start our summer of fun.
Becky Hadley | 2022-05-31T23:19:50Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Marshall Public Library’s ‘An Ocean of Possibilities’ summer reading program kicks off Saturday | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/marshall-public-library-s-an-ocean-of-possibilities-summer-reading-program-kicks-off-saturday/article_13f4e05e-d4a6-5fdf-ae92-6fb709ed96c9.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/marshall-public-library-s-an-ocean-of-possibilities-summer-reading-program-kicks-off-saturday/article_13f4e05e-d4a6-5fdf-ae92-6fb709ed96c9.html |
Biden wants to end coal
The Biden Administration is determined to destroy America. They have a war against coal. Coal is the cheapest energy source for electrical generation in the country and the President wants to eliminate it even before we have enough wind and solar to make up the difference.
Not only that at the present time wind and solar provide about two percent of our electricity. Imagine what the country will look like when it is 100 percent. Not only that both wind and solar are very impractical as the wind often does not blow and the sun does not shine at night.
Many of the products used to make these machines and batteries are very rare and most come from countries that are not friendly to America.
Surely there are a few Democrats who have enough common sense to know that all these energy policies are foolish. Thus we have $6.00 gasoline when just a couple of years ago it was under $2.00.
It is time for congress to act against this foolishness with more coal and more oil and natural gas.
Jim Hollingsworth,
Hayden, Idaho | 2022-05-31T23:19:57Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Biden wants to end coal | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/biden-wants-to-end-coal/article_031571a9-cf72-5672-b9f2-2b5378267979.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/biden-wants-to-end-coal/article_031571a9-cf72-5672-b9f2-2b5378267979.html |
Good citizen with a vote
The Idaho Capital Sun, a Gem State nonprofit news organization, reports that in the first four months of 2022, political action committees in Idaho took in more than $4 million in donations and spent more than $3.3 million on campaigns across Idaho.
In Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court in 2010 asserted that corporations are people and removed reasonable campaign contribution limits, allowing a small group of wealthy donors and special interests to use dark money to influence elections. Groups in Virginia and Washington, D.C., poured money into Idaho advertisements and mailers leading up to the May 17 primary — and thousands more are expected in the months before November elections. Much of the funding comes from groups with ties to billionaires who are well-known in conservative politics and filter the funds through national PACs to state-level chapters such as Idaho Freedom Foundation. Are candidates loyal to these funders?
Ordinary Idaho people have little voice and little to spend on influencing elections – except one thing. The only thing that can stop a bad politician with a vote is a good citizen with a vote.
Larry Gebhardt, | 2022-05-31T23:20:03Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Good citizen with a vote | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/good-citizen-with-a-vote/article_9a778dd4-1b78-5fb4-a8e3-8b2adeebf078.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/good-citizen-with-a-vote/article_9a778dd4-1b78-5fb4-a8e3-8b2adeebf078.html |
A Pocatello police SUV blocks South Sixth Avenue on Tuesday afternoon after a man cutting down branches fell out of a tree along the street and suffered a serious head injury.
Pocatello man hospitalized with serious head injury after falling from tree near ISU
POCATELLO — A local man was seriously injured on Tuesday afternoon when he fell from a tree near Idaho State University.
The 1:30 p.m. incident occurred on the 400 block of South Sixth Avenue while the man was up in a tree using a chainsaw to cut down branches.
The man was more than 15 feet off the ground when he fell onto the street below and suffered a serious head injury, Pocatello police said.
The man was rushed via Pocatello Fire Department ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment.
His name and an update on his condition have not been released.
The man is a Pocatello resident and was paid by the homeowner to cut down the tree branches, police said.
Police shut down South Sixth Avenue for over 30 minutes because of the incident. | 2022-05-31T23:20:21Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Pocatello man hospitalized with serious head injury after falling from tree near ISU | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-man-hospitalized-with-serious-head-injury-after-falling-from-tree-near-isu/article_40812e40-38a5-5bb0-9c5d-d889f1f0bd11.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-man-hospitalized-with-serious-head-injury-after-falling-from-tree-near-isu/article_40812e40-38a5-5bb0-9c5d-d889f1f0bd11.html |
Think about this stuff
I am writing for several reasons. The first is about the Pocatello City Council and the council members who apparently got mad and left a council meeting during a council session. This is total disrespect for all who attended the meeting. I have grandchildren going to school in Pocatello. What does this teach them? I guess the lesson is "If you get mad -- take your ball and go home". These people work for the taxpayers. If they are sick and can't attend a council meeting they should be paid. If they leave on their own they should volunteer their money for that meeting. The council members were elected to represent us and the majority rules and if you can't live with it resign and move on. If you disagree with the Mayor then run against him as one member did last election. We pay you to represent us --not leave meetings.
The second reason for this letter is in reference to all the shootings recently. I suggest the Journal contact a police representative and research and understand the laws on "mental protective custody" for a person who may harm himself or others. Look at the whole process. I believe the laws need to be changed for police, health and welfare, designated examiners, school systems and the court system. We waste a lot of money on projects and it seems as if we as a nation should be spending money on protecting our children rather than some of the boondoggles we fund as taxpayers. Any time this happens our nation's lawmakers want to hold a hearing or a meeting. Let's act and do something.
The third reason is a familiar one to all who follow the news. We see many people tried and convicted of crimes and put on probation and then reoffending whether it be someone who flees in a car, someone who sells drugs or commits other crimes. Criminals need to be held accountable to protect the rest of us.
Think about this stuff.
Mo Canfield, | 2022-05-31T23:20:28Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Think about this stuff | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/think-about-this-stuff/article_161135a8-213c-51c3-8419-e134cd63b992.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/think-about-this-stuff/article_161135a8-213c-51c3-8419-e134cd63b992.html |
Pictured are members of the Pocatello Police Department's recently revived cadet program with the program's leaders.
Pictured are Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei, left, and Cpl. Sean Peterson.
Pocatello Police Department brings back cadet program
POCATELLO — The Pocatello Police Department has restored its cadet program following more than a decade-long pause after a veteran officer who benefited from the program years ago decided he wanted to help bring it back.
The program has the goal of encouraging local youth to learn more about law enforcement as a career, as well as giving prospective future applicants to the department opportunities to make connections and gain hands-on experience.
Pocatello Police Cpl. Sean Peterson was a cadet in the Pocatello Police Department's cadet program before he joined the force 11 years ago.
Peterson said he and Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei, who also got his start in policing as a cadet in San Diego, both agreed in 2020 that they would work to restore the program here in Pocatello. The program was paused more than a decade ago amid leadership and staffing changes at the department.
While the pandemic complicated Peterson and Schei's initial efforts to restore the program, the police department finally welcomed a group of cadets in April and continues to add to the class as word about the program spreads.
"It was a program that I enjoyed before I started working (at the Pocatello Police Department) and it helped me get to know a lot of the officers and get some good experience before applying here," Peterson said. "I love my community and want quality police officers here, whether they're working for us or Chubbuck or Bannock County. That's the ultimate goal is just to get quality police officers that are applying and working in our community."
The newly reestablished cadet program has about 12 cadets ranging in age from 14 to 19 years old. The cadets participate in classroom education, ride-alongs and firearms training, among other field-relevant exercises.
The program costs the Pocatello Police Department less than $200 a year to operate. The money mainly goes to a nonprofit organization called Public Safety Cadets that accredits cadet programs across the country and helps to train mentors and organize training and networking events for cadets.
"I think in the world that we live in right now, not as many people want to be police officers just due to the scrutiny and some of the violence that's going on in our career," Peterson said. "So, this program will help us get new and quality candidates to serve this community. I think it's going to pay off."
There is no set admission cycle for the cadet program. The police department is always taking applications and admitting new cadets. Cadets can be between 14 and 20 years old. All applicants are subject to a vetting process.
For more information or to submit an application, visit https://www.pocatello.us/828/Cadet-Program.
Sean Peterson | 2022-05-31T23:20:46Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Pocatello Police Department brings back cadet program | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-police-department-brings-back-cadet-program/article_9495ee1b-7494-5a3e-a4bc-4fbaff5b67e1.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-police-department-brings-back-cadet-program/article_9495ee1b-7494-5a3e-a4bc-4fbaff5b67e1.html |
A semi-driver walked away from a rollover crash on Interstate 86 near American Falls with no injures Sunday morning.
Semi driver uninjured in Interstate 86 rollover crash near American Falls
A semi-driver walked away uninjured after high winds blew his truck and trailer over on Interstate 86 near American Falls Sunday morning.
The Power County Sheriff’s Office around 10:39 a.m. was dispatched to mile marker 37 on Interstate 86, about two miles west of American Falls, for the report of a single-vehicle accident involving a semi-truck.
Upon arrival, officers observed that the truck and trailer had blown over, and made one full rotation before coming to a rest, deputies said. The truck landed back on its wheels and the trailer came to a rest on the driver's side at an angle, deputies said.
The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured in the crash and was driven away from the scene by an Idaho State Police trooper.
The Power County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash. | 2022-05-31T23:20:52Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Semi driver uninjured in Interstate 86 rollover crash near American Falls | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/semi-driver-uninjured-in-interstate-86-rollover-crash-near-american-falls/article_93ec1297-52e1-583a-887b-8dae457dc972.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/semi-driver-uninjured-in-interstate-86-rollover-crash-near-american-falls/article_93ec1297-52e1-583a-887b-8dae457dc972.html |
An official at the Carlsbad Desalination plant fills a cup with filtered water made from ocean water on May 26 in Carlsbad, California. The facility is the Western hemisphere's largest desalination plant, which removes salt and impurities from ocean water.
A man performs maintenance work in the reverse osmosis building at the Carlsbad Desalination plant on May 26 in Carlsbad, California. The facility is the Western hemisphere's largest desalination plant, which removes salt and impurities from ocean water.
San Diego County's water is among the most expensive in the country, costing about 26 percent more at the wholesale level in 2021 than the Metropolitan Water District's, which serves Los Angeles and surrounding counties. Now, two rural irrigation districts in San Diego County, home to large avocado industries, want to break away from the regional water supplier, saying they can purchase cheaper water elsewhere. If they succeed, water in San Diego County could grow even more expensive.
San Diegans didn't always rest easy during drought. In the 1990s, a severe dry period cut the region's water supply by 30 percent. At the time, almost all of its water came from the Metropolitan Water District, the country's largest water provider. That experience and a tense, dysfunctional relationship — California water experts say — with water officials in Los Angeles spurred San Diego County's aggressive, decades-long pursuit of water self-sufficiency.
So in 2003, the water authority cut a deal to get water from the single largest user of the Colorado River, the Imperial Irrigation District, in Southern California. San Diego County funded repairs to leaky canals belonging to Imperial and signed a historic water transfer deal. Today, it receives about 55 percent of its total supply from Imperial as part of the deal.
In 2012, San Diego County forged a deal to get 10 percent of its water supply from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant for the next 30 years. The plant produces 50 million gallons of drinkable water — enough for about 400,000 people — every day and is by far the region's most expensive water source.
While those efforts took hold, demand steadily fell, even as half a million more people moved to San Diego. Statewide water cuts during drought, more efficient showers, toilets and taps, rebates to tear out grass and the use of recycled water did what they were supposed to do — steeply reducing per-person water use. By 2020, San Diegans used 30 percent less water than in 1990.
Thanks to selling less water, San Diego County has raised rates — by an average of 4 percent for each of the past five years — to cover fixed costs including the San Vicente Dam and desalination plant. Such costs make up the lion's share — roughly 90 percent — of the agency's annual expenses. | 2022-05-31T23:20:59Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | How San Diego secured its water supply, at a cost | National | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/postregister/farmandranch/national/how-san-diego-secured-its-water-supply-at-a-cost/article_bbf2eafb-29ba-512a-9d53-bad83fe7452e.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/postregister/farmandranch/national/how-san-diego-secured-its-water-supply-at-a-cost/article_bbf2eafb-29ba-512a-9d53-bad83fe7452e.html |
DAR celebrates national Flag Day
By Wyeth Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution
POCATELLO — The Wyeth Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution encourages flying our national flag with pride and unity this June 14. Flag Day is celebrated annually on June 14, commemorating the American flag and the day it was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, patriot forces fought under many different flags, such as colonial banners or special unit guidons. To represent the united 13 colonies, the Congress specified that the new flag would have 13 stripes of alternating red and white with a union of a field of blue (the upper left corner, the position of honor) with 13 white stars. But the Congress did not specify the number of points on the stars, the layout for the stars on the field, or the width of the field or the stripes. When Vermont and Kentucky became states in 1791 and 1792, respectively, a new design, with an additional star and stripe for each of the new states, was adopted. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was in this design.
Five more states had been admitted, and the flag had grown to 20 stars and stripes when the Flag Act of 1818 returned the number of stripes to 13 in honor of the 13 colonies. The act also directed that an additional star would be added to the flag on the first July Fourth after a new state was added to the union. The Idaho star was added July 4, 1890, one day after official statehood as the 43rd of the United States of America.
Flag Day was first observed nationally on June 14, 1877, the 100th anniversary of the Stars and Stripes, and continues today through presidential proclamations.
For information about DAR, contact Verna at 208-237-3527.
Information is from the National Defender, May-June 2022 National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. | 2022-06-01T17:20:29Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | DAR celebrates national Flag Day | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/dar-celebrates-national-flag-day/article_1e3aa4c5-b7df-5ac5-8395-2fd5e3017b01.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/dar-celebrates-national-flag-day/article_1e3aa4c5-b7df-5ac5-8395-2fd5e3017b01.html |
19 more children murdered
I realize that many readers believe strongly in their belief that they have a right to own a gun. I recognize the vast majority of gun owners are responsible people. I also understand some people are avid hunters that don’t just kill for trophies and they feel the need for a firearm. I get it. It’s a part of some people’s culture and lifestyle. But think about this...
Is your right to own a firearm worth the life of a small child? Would you stand by and allow someone to shoot a child in front of you in order for you to keep your firearm? If you have a child, would you sacrifice the life of your child in order for you to keep your firearm?
I urge all gun owners to take a serious look at the question of their 2nd amendment right versus the right of a child to live. Let’s have a debate on that one question. Until we all agree that our children are more important than our right to own a firearm, children will continue to be murdered by someone with a firearm.
All other conversations on firearm ownership are meaningless. We are all to blame for every single child that died from someone’s right to own a firearm no matter which way you feel about firearm ownership.
I am a firearm owner and I would gladly give up my firearm and my right to own a firearm if it would save even one child. Would you?
Steve Dixon, | 2022-06-01T19:53:00Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | 19 more children murdered | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/19-more-children-murdered/article_c57191c9-3f18-5461-9f8a-d7f1186daea6.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/19-more-children-murdered/article_c57191c9-3f18-5461-9f8a-d7f1186daea6.html |
Constitutional American
I note that the press seems to have very little understanding of what it means to be a Constitutional American. Kootenai County, voted differently than did the rest of the state of Idaho. Generally the people of Kootenai County supported very conservative candidates who recognize America is a Republic and who support reliance on the U.S. Constitution.
I think much of the credit goes to the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee which has worked hard to open the eyes of many voters who did not get involved in politics in the past. They have helped them see that if we continue on our present path we will soon be a country of tyrannical measures.
America is at a crossroads. We must elect representatives all over the country who place America first, and who work to support the U.S. Constitution. Many people are thankful to receive government handouts, but neglect to recognize that at some point we have to pay for such handouts.
The fact that Southern Idaho voted for Governor Little and others shows how much difference there is between the north and the south.
Jim Hollingsworth,
Hayden, Idaho | 2022-06-01T19:53:12Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Constitutional American | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/constitutional-american/article_aa9d62b7-27a7-5797-a6ef-9bd683d385de.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/constitutional-american/article_aa9d62b7-27a7-5797-a6ef-9bd683d385de.html |
Forrester Blake
We are seeking information regarding Forrester Blake, a writer and Idaho State University professor who lived in Pocatello from the late 1940s until his death in 1978. We are preparing a study of Dr. Blake’s work as a novelist of the American West for presentation at a conference and publication in a literature journal. He wrote historical fiction and biography centered on the major themes of the Spanish American Southwest and early American incursions into the Rocky Mountains. If you knew Professor Blake or have recommendations of possible contacts, we would appreciate any help. We have learned that when he died, Dr. Blake had several unpublished manuscripts, including the final novel in his Mountain Man trilogy (Johnny Christmas; Wilderness Passage). If you have any ideas about possible locations for his papers we would appreciate learning about this possibility. Material provided to us will be acknowledged and cited appropriately.
Please send information to brant.short@nau.edu.
Brant Short,
and Nile Spears, | 2022-06-01T19:53:18Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Forrester Blake | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/forrester-blake/article_85a4c43b-4258-54b3-946e-583bd69e42cc.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/forrester-blake/article_85a4c43b-4258-54b3-946e-583bd69e42cc.html |
In the introduction to his 1998 essay collection, “The Woven Figure: Conservatism and America’s Fabric”, George Will quotes the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan on the difference between conservatism and liberalism: “The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society, and the central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.”
Asked what the Republican platform might be should they win majorities later this year, Mitch McConnell offered nothing. And now, amid more fresh gun violence horror, an incredulous and righteously indignant Senator Murphy asks his Republican US Senate colleagues, “What are we doing?”.
As Moynihan noted years ago, the conservative answer to this question is – nothing. Why? Because to them it is not the responsibility of politics to solve the problem. Culture, not politics, is responsible. Fox News hosts and others on the right are now suggesting that if America returned to its religious roots, we would not have crazed shooters shooting people. But could this even happen, and even if so, would it offer real solutions?
Religious affiliation in the United States has declined significantly. According to Gallup, US church membership fell to less than a majority in 2020. I have five brothers, four of whom served Mormon missions, but none remain Mormon, nor have they joined another church. In 1981 I attended a missionary training class where Legrand Richards, a beloved Mormon general authority and author of “A Marvelous Work and a Wonder” predicted that the number of Mormons would reach 30 million in the US by the turn of the century, and well over 50 million by now. But this obviously did not happen. The story is much the same for other religions. On average, American Christian faiths are shrinking, especially relative to overall population growth.
To insist that mass shootings should only be addressed by cultural or religious solutions is out of touch with American reality. America is more than ever multi-cultural while fewer people than ever are actively religious, and there’s no clear evidence that religion, even if we could somehow return to it, would help. Most nations with lower rates of gun violence are not more religious than the US.
Culture and religion have failed here. My message is to legislators and other with the most power in Idaho and across America. Yes, there are issues that belong to culture, not politics, and in many cases, conservatives may be right to criticize liberal overreach into cultural issues. There perhaps are new secular cultural measures that can be taken, but they will continue to be insufficient. It is time to add gun violence to the list of issues that belong in politics. There really is no other choice.
Blake Isaacs, | 2022-06-01T19:53:24Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Gun violence | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/gun-violence/article_e74f0ba3-7f8a-577d-95e0-1eca4cc64475.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/gun-violence/article_e74f0ba3-7f8a-577d-95e0-1eca4cc64475.html |
Parliament of Whores
In his 1991 book author P.J. O’Rourke described what he called a “Parliament of Whores” to examine, with some humor, how our elected officials and non-elected bureaucrats corrupt our political systems.
The US Senate Republicans are now that “Parliament of Whores” and their pimp is the National Rifle Association. Unfortunately, some Idaho legislators are attempting to join that ignominious group.
The Republican senate, under Mitch McConnell, will not even allow debate on any bill which might impose meaningful background checks for someone wanting to get an arsenal of weapons solely designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest possible time – even a person who is mentally unstable. In doing so, they turn their back on the vast majority of Americans who want tighter gun controls and meaningful background checks.
Senators Crapo, Risch, Romney, et al, how many innocent people & school children must be murdered before you decide to regain some sense of morality, decency and backbone and quit prostituting yourself just to get votes, or is that simply part of the cost of getting campaign support?
Your standard “thoughts and prayers” statement may assuage your conscience but it is, as you well know, a hollow phrase which allows you to move right along without having to confront the issue at hand. Instead, how about Republican members of the Senate go to the scenes of these mass shootings and share in the grief of parents and others who will never again experience the joy of having a loved one in their life.
If that option is too difficult, please consider fulfilling your numerous promises to work in the best interest of the country and the American people. | 2022-06-01T19:53:31Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Parliament of Whores | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/parliament-of-whores/article_f4803798-1abf-584c-b4fe-872b20d5be64.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/parliament-of-whores/article_f4803798-1abf-584c-b4fe-872b20d5be64.html |
The first four words
The first four words of the 2nd Amendment say it all; “A well regulated Militia . . . “. Why these introductory words to the amendment? The Continental Army was disbanded in 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the Revolutionary War. The US Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788. A permanent army was not established until the 1790’s. Note the timeline. A militia was all there was to protect the colonies. The militias that now exist in America are anything but “well-regulated”; quite the contrary! The majority of them are extreme far right groups that thrive on hate and in spite their pro-democracy propaganda, they clearly do NOT support The Constitution. The egregious interpretation of the 2nd Amendment has allowed an almost unlimited number of assault firearms and high-capacity magazines to be in the hands of people who should have absolutely NO right to their access. The mass murders in our shopping centers, schools, places of worship, work places, etc., go on and on and on with no end in sight because, for the most part, republicans are afraid of the gun lobby, the NRA, fear they might be taking away some of the assault weapon owner’s “rights”, and for republican office holders, perhaps their biggest FEAR, they may not get re-elected! And of course, they would not want to support anything democrats support! Those against any new gun legislation don’t care one iota about the “RIGHTS” of all the kids and adults that are killed by these weapons on a daily basis, but their “thoughts and prayers” go out to them and their families. What a bunch of ____! A large dose of reason, common sense and sanity is long overdue, particularly in republican legislators at all levels of government regarding the passage of assault firearms laws. Continuous republican roadblocks against any type of guns legislation that keeps assault weapons out of people’s hands is akin to their pulling the trigger themselves and leaving nothing but BLOOD on their hands! They can only be characterized as sickening and disgusting individuals who have extremely misplaced priorities and values! To put a little perspective on all of this. Republican legislators claim to be anti-abortion and pro-life. How can they be pro-life for all ALL the people when they allow thousands to be killed by assault weapons? What type of convoluted reasoning is this? Once again, it’s the abundant hypocrisy in the party! | 2022-06-01T19:53:43Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | The first four words | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-first-four-words/article_e8ba5990-2c7a-5a97-9559-f053ca09ea46.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-first-four-words/article_e8ba5990-2c7a-5a97-9559-f053ca09ea46.html |
Vote on November 8
I remember watching with horror decades ago the reversal of women's rights in Afghanistan. Doctors, teachers, etc, were being relegated to their houses, required to wear burkas, stripped of their rights, simply because they were female. I couldn't wrap my head around how they must feel. How could this be allowed to happen in the 20th century???!!!
And now in the 21st century, in the United States of America, women are being told that if they end a pregnancy or maybe even if they take a pill to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching, they will be prosecuted for murder. Even if they are raped or victims of incest. Even if their health and perhaps their very lives are at stake. That is why I was delighted to find that Pocatello was holding a rally on May 14th and why my husband and I drove 400 miles to be there.
And I am so glad we did. We were gratified to find that the response of passing motorists was surprisingly positive.
Our message: We will NOT go back. We will fight like Ukrainians.
Next action? Vote on November 8th!
Dorinda Glennon,
Dorinda Glennon | 2022-06-01T19:53:49Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Vote on November 8 | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/vote-on-november-8/article_06f32da4-a120-56e7-bef9-fa8dd82edb0b.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/vote-on-november-8/article_06f32da4-a120-56e7-bef9-fa8dd82edb0b.html |
A Canada goose wanders a Logan, Utah, field in 2018.
According to a news release Thursday from the DWR, the 10 HPAI positive birds have been located in Cache, Weber, Salt Lake, Utah, Tooele and Carbon counties. The birds include Canada geese, turkey vultures, great horned owls, hawks, pelicans and ducks.
Earlier this month, the first confirmed case of HPAI in a wild bird was confirmed in a great horned owl found dead near Lewiston.
Two pelicans and a single Canada goose are of the most recent birds confirmed to have died the virus. The pair of pelicans were found on May 13 on the shore of Scofield Reservoir in Carbon County, according to the release. The goose was found in the same area three days later. | 2022-06-01T19:54:33Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | More wild birds in Utah counties test for avian influenza | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/more-wild-birds-in-utah-counties-test-for-avian-influenza/article_8c240988-6c80-5519-ac60-da260c2fbf90.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/more-wild-birds-in-utah-counties-test-for-avian-influenza/article_8c240988-6c80-5519-ac60-da260c2fbf90.html |
The EBR-I Atomic Museum has opened for the season.
Photo courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory
EBR-I Atomic Museum opens for first time since before pandemic
The Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I) Atomic Museum, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls on U.S. 20/26, launched its 2022 season on May 27. The museum will be open every day until Labor Day, Sept. 5.
“We have been closed the past two summers because of the COVID-19 pandemic so we are especially happy to welcome people back to the museum this year,” said Shelly Norman, tour ambassador at Idaho National Laboratory. “People visit from all over the world. I talk to people who are on the road between Craters of the Moon and Yellowstone National Park, and they see the signs and just stop in. For other people, it’s been on their bucket list for 30 years and they finally made the trip.”
New this year in the museum’s parking lot is a memorial plaque to honor the men who died in January 1961 at Stationary Low Power Reactor (SL-1).
EBR-I was completed in 1951. On Dec. 20, 1951, it became the first nuclear reactor to produce a usable amount of electricity. EBR-I was operated until late 1963 and decommissioned in 1964. It was dedicated as a registered National Historic Landmark on Aug. 25, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No reservations are necessary and there is no cost. Tour guides will be on hand to provide tours and there is a self-guided tour option. Download the TravelStorys app before you leave home to take an on-demand tour of INL as you drive across the desert. If you have questions or want more information, check our webpage at inl.gov/ebr.
Ebr-i
Atomic Museum | 2022-06-01T22:12:13Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | EBR-I Atomic Museum opens for first time since before pandemic | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/ebr-i-atomic-museum-opens-for-first-time-since-before-pandemic/article_de02aa29-13cc-5026-9192-ae1015ee45f4.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/ebr-i-atomic-museum-opens-for-first-time-since-before-pandemic/article_de02aa29-13cc-5026-9192-ae1015ee45f4.html |
A Pocatello police SUV blocks South Sixth Avenue on Tuesday afternoon after a man cutting down branches fell out of a tree along the street and suffered a serious head injury.
POCATELLO — A local man who fell from a tree near Idaho State University and was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon has died, authorities say.
Darin Williams, 35, of Pocatello died shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday following the 1:30 p.m. incident that occurred on the 400 block of South Sixth Avenue while Williams was up in a tree using a chainsaw to cut down branches.
Williams was more than 15 feet off the ground when he fell onto the street below and suffered a serious head injury, Pocatello police said.
He was rushed via Pocatello Fire Department ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment.
Williams had been paid by the homeowner to cut down the tree branches, police said. | 2022-06-01T22:12:32Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Pocatello man dies after falling from tree near ISU | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-man-dies-after-falling-from-tree-near-isu/article_40812e40-38a5-5bb0-9c5d-d889f1f0bd11.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-man-dies-after-falling-from-tree-near-isu/article_40812e40-38a5-5bb0-9c5d-d889f1f0bd11.html |
POCATELLO – The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is hosting an open house from June 6 - 13 to share information and gather public input about designs to widen I-15 between the Northgate Parkway Interchange (Exit 73) and Blackfoot.
“Most of I-15 was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and it is aging and nearing capacity in some areas,” said ITD District 5 Engineering Manager Eric Staats. “We are excited to be moving forward with a planning and design process to improve safety and capacity on I-15 between Pocatello and Blackfoot.”
The same information will also be available online at https://itdprojects.org/projects/i-15northgatetoblackfoot/ between June 6 – 13. Participants can review materials online and submit comments.
Elements of this project are being funded with Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds as part of the Leading Idaho TECM Program. To address the state’s rapid growth, the legislature passed a historic transportation revenue package that Governor Little signed as part of his Leading Idaho initiative in May 2021. House Bill 362 raised the percentage of sales tax going towards transportation from 1 percent to 4.5 percent, with bonding authority granted to ITD to invest in safety and capacity needs across the state. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build.
For more information, please visit the project website at https://itdprojects.org/projects/i-15northgatetoblackfoot/
A PDF fact sheet is available at this link: https://itd.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/KN23345-I15-Northgate-Blackfoot-factsheet.pdf
I-15 Northgate
Blackfoot Project | 2022-06-01T22:12:56Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | ITD to hold open house on I-15 planning project between Northgate and Blackfoot | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/itd-to-hold-open-house-on-i-15-planning-project-between-northgate-and-blackfoot/article_4d11581c-ec60-54be-a8a9-e0ca5d9355f8.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/itd-to-hold-open-house-on-i-15-planning-project-between-northgate-and-blackfoot/article_4d11581c-ec60-54be-a8a9-e0ca5d9355f8.html |
Zoo Idaho has postponed its free day from June 4 to a date that is still to be determined sometime in August.
POCATELLO — The annual Free Day at Zoo Idaho is being postponed. Originally scheduled for Saturday, June 4, 2022, the date will be re-scheduled sometime in August 2022. Zoo Idaho is working in partnership with Connections Credit Union to make this year’s free day possible.
“The annual Free Day is one of my favorite days of the year for Zoo Idaho. This year, we are having to move the event to August. We are still working on a day, but will make the date public the second we have one,” said Peter Pruett, Zoo Idaho Superintendent. “It was a hard decision to postpone but we are excited to see everyone come August.”
— June Birthdays at the zoo:
— Athena, red tailed hawk, June 1
— Thrud, pronghorn, June 4
— Apple, elk, June 6
— Misty, mule deer, June 8
— Izzy, pronghorn, June 17
— Sabrina, mule deer, June 17
— Rogue, bobcat, June 24
— Lamb Chop, big horn sheep, exact June date unknown | 2022-06-02T00:23:02Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Zoo Idaho annual free day postponed, date to be determined for August | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/zoo-idaho-annual-free-day-postponed-date-to-be-determined-for-august/article_d5e1f28a-e7f8-58b8-b1d5-ae5a659b3efb.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/zoo-idaho-annual-free-day-postponed-date-to-be-determined-for-august/article_d5e1f28a-e7f8-58b8-b1d5-ae5a659b3efb.html |
POCATELLO — Idaho State University recently initiated the process to terminate one of its assistant football coaches following his arrest in Pocatello.
ISU defensive backs coach Davonte’ Neal, who joined the team in January with the rest of the Bengals' new coaching staff, was arrested last week on Union Pacific Avenue by Pocatello police on an extradition warrant from Arizona’s Maricopa County, which includes the metropolitan Phoenix area.
So far the university has not indicated the charges for which Neal was arrested on May 25.
Neal remains incarcerated at the Bannock County Jail. He no longer appears on the ISU football roster on the school's website. | 2022-06-02T05:23:11Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | ISU assistant football coach Davonte' Neal arrested in Pocatello | Pocatello | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/pocatello/isu-assistant-football-coach-davonte-neal-arrested-in-pocatello/article_e38a3e54-4db0-5a97-8fe1-760a0065b5c4.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/pocatello/isu-assistant-football-coach-davonte-neal-arrested-in-pocatello/article_e38a3e54-4db0-5a97-8fe1-760a0065b5c4.html |
Idaho State Police are investigating a collision that occurred on May 31, 2022, at approximately 4:43 p.m. on US Highway 12 near milepost 34 in Clearwater County, Idaho.
The 36 year old driver from Juliaetta, Idaho, was driving westbound on US Highway 12 near milepost 39 when she was stung on her face by a bee. The driver approached milepost 34 and lost consciousness.
The driver drove the vehicle off of the right shoulder and crashed into a tree. The tree blocked the vehicle from falling into the Clearwater River.
The driver was transported by EMS to a nearby hospital where she was treated for her injuries. The driver was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and there was no indication that the driver was driving impaired.
Both lanes of travel resumed to normal traffic flow approximately an hour and a half later. The incident remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police. | 2022-06-02T14:14:19Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Police: Bee causes crash on Idaho highway that sends woman to hospital | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/police-bee-causes-crash-on-idaho-highway-that-sends-woman-to-hospital/article_e0e605dd-bf55-5180-8584-5f9931bcc283.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/police-bee-causes-crash-on-idaho-highway-that-sends-woman-to-hospital/article_e0e605dd-bf55-5180-8584-5f9931bcc283.html |
Idaho State Police are investigating a two vehicle collision that occurred just before 1:02 p.m. on June 1st, 2022, in Idaho County, Idaho.
The crash occurred on State Highway 13 near mile post 23, just south of Kooskia. An 83 year old male, from Stites, Idaho, was driving a white 2002 Dodge Ram southbound on State Highway 13, when he attempted to pass in a no passing zone. A 19 year old female, from Stites, Idaho, driving a gray 2012 Nissan Altima, was traveling northbound on State Highway 13.
The two vehicles collided head-on on a curve in the roadway.
Both drivers succumbed to their injuries at the scene. The driver of the Dodge was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the Nissan was wearing a seat belt.
Evidence was found at the scene to indicate alcohol may have been involved in this crash. The crash remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
Notifications have been made to both families.
Assisting agencies: Idaho County Sheriff's Department, Idaho Transportation Department, Kooskia Ambulance, and Kooskia Fire Department. | 2022-06-02T14:14:20Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Young woman, elderly man die in head-on crash | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/young-woman-elderly-man-die-in-head-on-crash/article_66d030bd-dcc4-5bf3-8479-65c148d272a0.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/young-woman-elderly-man-die-in-head-on-crash/article_66d030bd-dcc4-5bf3-8479-65c148d272a0.html |
Pictured is the interior of the new Valley Wide Co-op in American Falls. Within its 15,000 square feet, it’ll be host to a new farm and ranch hardware section, a selection of camping and outdoor supplies, a convenient store, a full-service deli, and more. It’s expected to be complete in October.
Pictured is the exterior of the new Valley Wide Co-op in American Falls.
AMERICAN FALLS — For many years, the building at 2775 Neu Road in American Falls did little favors to attract out-of-town visitors. Sitting vacant ever since discount department store King’s closed its doors in 2012 due to a corporate cut, it has remained an empty husk that sits in direct view of the freeway, welcoming those getting off Exit 40 with all the luster of a ghost-town saloon.
Yet now, construction crews are stirring up the dirt and whipping the vacant building into something that’s promising to the agricultural and ranching communities in the area — a new Valley Wide Cooperative retail store.
The Nampa-headquartered business is updating the building site and moving in, where it’ll put all 15,000 square feet of the interior to use as it stocks the store with a farm and ranch hardware section, an outdoor and camping section, a convenience store, a full-service deli and more.
Outside, six bays for fuel will pull passing traffic from the freeway, although the main concept of the store is to provide a one-stop-shop for any customer who walks in the doors, says Vice President of Retail Gaven Gregory.
“When we talk about our stores we talk about them as lifestyle stores. They basically provide everything you’ll need in a one stop-shop,” explained Gregory. “So if you need off-road diesel, a sandwich and a pair of boots, you can get it at our stores. And I think that’s the key thing about them. They provide a little bit of everything that you’ll need in that community.”
Valley Wide Cooperative provides stores that focus on four different divisions, including agronomy, energy, feed and farm supplies and has served Idaho and surrounding states for nearly one hundred years.
The existing — and vacant — buildings in American Falls and Valley Wide’s appreciation for the community stirred the cooperative’s interest enough that they committed to plant a location in the area. And they’ve already seen interest from locals, Gregory said.
“We’ve got a lot of good feedback from the community,” he said. “So we’re hoping that they appreciate it as much as we are excited to open it for them.”
While construction is well under way, the store isn’t slated to open until October. But Gregory said they are taking applications for management roles now and will begin posting more jobs by the tail end of summer.
“If I was to sum it up I’d say it’s a one-stop shop for the local community to get everything they need,” he said. “For the home, for the ranch, for the farm, that’s our value proposition for sure.”
Retail Gaven Gregory | 2022-06-02T17:30:16Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | ‘A one-stop shop’: Construction crews converting old King’s building in American Falls into Valley Wide Cooperative | East Idaho | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/a-one-stop-shop-construction-crews-converting-old-king-s-building-in-american-falls-into/article_e45fc299-e7d6-5c48-895e-b07bc14732a7.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/a-one-stop-shop-construction-crews-converting-old-king-s-building-in-american-falls-into/article_e45fc299-e7d6-5c48-895e-b07bc14732a7.html |
POCATELLO — The annual Free Day at Zoo Idaho is being postponed. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the date will be rescheduled sometime in August. Zoo Idaho is working in partnership with Connections Credit Union to make this year’s free day possible.
“The annual Free Day is one of my favorite days of the year for Zoo Idaho. This year, we are having to move the event to August. We are still working on a day but will make the date public the second we have one,” said Peter Pruett, Zoo Idaho superintendent. “It was a hard decision to postpone but we are excited to see everyone come August.”
Zoo Idaho is currently open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With around 25 acres of land, visiting Zoo Idaho gives park-goers a chance to meet almost 100 animals at the park.
— Athena, red-tailed hawk, June 1.
— Thrud, pronghorn, June 4.
— Apple, elk, June 6.
— Misty, mule deer, June 8.
— Izzy, pronghorn, June 17.
— Sabrina, mule deer, June 17.
— Rogue, bobcat, June 24.
— Lamb Chop, bighorn sheep, exact June date unknown. | 2022-06-02T17:30:21Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Zoo Idaho's annual Free Day postponed, date to be determined for August | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/zoo-idahos-annual-free-day-postponed-date-to-be-determined-for-august/article_9493093d-5d9a-5494-87be-f967ad39dde1.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/zoo-idahos-annual-free-day-postponed-date-to-be-determined-for-august/article_9493093d-5d9a-5494-87be-f967ad39dde1.html |
Hoobastank, Lit and Bryce Vine are set to perform at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre in September.
Images courtesy of Idaho Summer Concert Series
POCATELLO — Three more artists to perform at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre this summer were announced this week.
Go Out Local’s Summer Concert Series — which brings nine classic rock, alternative rock, hip-hop and other artists to both Boise and Pocatello — announced Wednesday it's hosting Lit and Hoobastank on Sept. 16.
Additionally, the Summer Concert Series announced on Thursday that viral sensation Bryce Vine will play at the amphitheater on Sept. 23.
With a genre-bending, East Coast-meets-West Coast sound all his own, Bryce Vine’s extensive catalog of catchy hits have accumulated more than 720 million streams and have opened the door to performances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Wendy Williams, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Live with Kelly and Ryan. Bryce Vine hasn’t slowed down since his breakthrough success with the two-time platinum “Drew Barrymore,” embarking on sold-out headline tours across the U.S. and earning further hits with the platinum “La La Land” and “I’m Not Alright.”
Tickets for these shows will be available soon at idahoconcertseries.com.
Pocatello Summer Concert Series | 2022-06-02T20:24:25Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Hoobastank, Lit, Bryce Vine set to perform at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre in September | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/hoobastank-lit-bryce-vine-set-to-perform-at-the-portneuf-health-trust-amphitheatre-in-september/article_c12a335e-6992-5b41-8a5b-31e658b26415.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/hoobastank-lit-bryce-vine-set-to-perform-at-the-portneuf-health-trust-amphitheatre-in-september/article_c12a335e-6992-5b41-8a5b-31e658b26415.html |
Darin Williams is pictured with his family. Williams was killed in a tree trimming accident on Tuesday.
GoFundMe new release
The Pocatello community is rallying to support a widow and her three now fatherless children who lost their husband and father in a tragic tree trimming accident Tuesday. Darin Williams had just celebrated his 35th birthday when he went to help a friend cut down some branches. Sadly Darin fell from the tree and didn't survive.
"He leaves behind a wife and 3 young children that are absolutely heart broken, and can’t imagine their lives without him by their side," Terrica Hildebrandt, a close family friend, said. "Darin would do anything for anyone, all those who knew and met him know that."
Hildebrandt started a GoFundMe to help Darin's family recover from this tragedy. In less than a day the community has raised nearly $10,000.
To view the GoFundMe, please visit https://gofund.me/1d4319c7. | 2022-06-02T20:25:02Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Fundraiser launched for family of local man who died in tragic tree accident | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/fundraiser-launched-for-family-of-local-man-who-died-in-tragic-tree-accident/article_c0c284ab-9e41-5ac5-b909-96a17dc00155.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/fundraiser-launched-for-family-of-local-man-who-died-in-tragic-tree-accident/article_c0c284ab-9e41-5ac5-b909-96a17dc00155.html |
New Horizon High School graduate Marius Bache-Sam celebrates graduating high school during a graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Pocatello.
New Horizon High School graduate Marius Bache-Sam holds up his diploma during a graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Pocatello.
Amy Prescott, principal of New Horizon High School, addresses the school's 2022 graduates during a graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Pocatello.
New Horizon High School students celebrate during their graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Pocatello.
A New Horizon High School student walks the stage during a graduation ceremony for the high school on Wednesday in Pocatello.
A New Horizon High School student receives their diploma during a graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Pocatello.
POCATELLO — New Horizon High School held its graduation ceremony on Wednesday, awarding diplomas to nearly 100 students who will now set off on a variety of paths.
This spring's graduating class comprised about 90 students. The students and their loved ones filled rows of chairs at the Portneuf Wellness Complex Amphitheatre for the school's graduation ceremony on Wednesday evening.
Amy Prescott, principal of New Horizon High School, said she's proud of this year's graduates because they've overcome pandemic driven challenges to be able to complete high school and finally receive their diplomas.
"I just think that collectively these students have been through an awful lot," Prescott said. "What they've accomplished as a group is pretty amazing."
The students are headed into futures that involve continuing their education in college, joining the military, taking up a trade or pursuing other areas of work.
"At Highland High School when I used to go there, I was about a whole year behind in grades and credits," said Marius Bache-Sam, a student who graduated on Wednesday. "I thought of myself as a super senior, but I graduated a whole three months early and I can show that to everyone who ever doubted me."
Bache-Sam is headed to serve in the infantry of the U.S. Army National Guard. His goal is to eventually get into Idaho State University's auto mechanics program.
The mood at New Horizon's graduation ceremony was excited and inspired.
Many of the students had similar experiences to Bache-Sam's, doubting that they would graduate high school on time, or in some cases, ever. New Horizon guided this group of students to success, and Prescott has high hopes for them.
"My hope for these students is that they live happy, healthy, successful lives," Prescott said.
Horizon High School
Marius Bache-sam
Amy Prescott | 2022-06-02T20:25:15Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | New Horizon High School graduates nearly 100 students | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/new-horizon-high-school-graduates-nearly-100-students/article_50876d47-4e0b-5b64-8ed5-4aa8ec34d412.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/new-horizon-high-school-graduates-nearly-100-students/article_50876d47-4e0b-5b64-8ed5-4aa8ec34d412.html |
Idaho State Police troopers are investigating a crash on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 at milepost 58 near Inkom.
State police say a truck pulling a trailer crashed around 11:40 a.m. and came apart, spreading debris over both lanes of travel.
A secondary crash about a mile down the road occurred because of the trailer crash and is also being investigated, state police said.
Nobody was injured during the crash.
The crash is currently blocking all lanes and traffic is being diverted onto U.S. Highway 91.
Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area or to expect delays. | 2022-06-02T20:25:21Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | State police investigating crash on Interstate 15 near Inkom | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/state-police-investigating-crash-on-interstate-15-near-inkom/article_2e6051eb-abab-54d1-a9f4-f656da7b83c3.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/state-police-investigating-crash-on-interstate-15-near-inkom/article_2e6051eb-abab-54d1-a9f4-f656da7b83c3.html |
Mary Swore, front center, is one of the first girls in the region to earn her Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank attainable in Scouts BSA.
Photo courtesy of Mary Swore
Elise Whitworth works on her Eagle project, restoring shabby picnic tables to a usable and more aesthetically pleasing state.
Photo courtesy of Elise Whitworth
Elise Whitworth
Two girls from Pocatello are the first in the Scout Mountain District of the Grand Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America to earn their Eagle Scout rank.
Elise Whitworth and Mary Swore, both 18 years old and new graduates of Pocatello High School as of Thursday, have earned the highest rank attainable in Scouts BSA after spending nearly two years each working toward that goal.
The Scout Mountain District to which their troops belong includes scouts from Pocatello, Soda Springs, Malad, American Falls and surrounding communities.
Whitworth joined Scouts BSA in 2019, the first year the organization opened up to girls. She said she wanted to join because she had a desire to do all the fun activities that she watched her siblings do as scouts.
Whitworth's Eagle project was to repair, rebuild and paint eight out-of-shape picnic tables used at the Pocatello Community Charter School. She said the most important skill she gained from scouting is the ability to lead.
"I was the senior patrol leader of my troop for two years, and that gave me a lot of insight into how to lead people, how to help people get along and work together," she said. "Those leadership skills were probably the best thing that I could have come out of scouting with."
Swore also joined shortly after Scouts BSA opened to girls. She had grown up watching her brothers scout and wanted to be included in their activities.
"I grew up watching my three brothers do scouts and not being allowed to join them. In girls camp, we would go paint our nails and boys camp they would go camping and kayaking," she said. "I wanted to be able to do all those same things and not be treated differently. Once I joined, I had a great time."
For her Eagle project, Swore worked to donate more than 20,000 pounds of potatoes from her family's farm, Swore Farms, to the Idaho Foodbank.
Both girls said they hope their earning their Eagle Scout rank will inspire other young girls in the region to join Scouts BSA and follow in their footsteps.
"My advice to other girls would be to just go for it and become a scout," Swore said. "Don't be scared that other people are going to judge you because this is going to change their life and they're going have so many new experiences."
Mary Swore | 2022-06-02T20:25:33Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Two Pocatello girls first in region to earn Eagle Scout rank | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/two-pocatello-girls-first-in-region-to-earn-eagle-scout-rank/article_ebf4e2b8-7310-5f66-af5c-679b56fca13f.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/two-pocatello-girls-first-in-region-to-earn-eagle-scout-rank/article_ebf4e2b8-7310-5f66-af5c-679b56fca13f.html |
Pocatello police say Neal was indicted by a grand jury in Maricopa County on May 16. The Idaho State Journal attempted to obtain a copy of the grand jury indictment against Neal on Thursday, but was told it has been sealed via judicial order.
Pocatello police learned Neal was living at an apartment on the 100 block of South Union Pacific Avenue and waited there until he left the apartment and entered a vehicle, said police, adding that a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. Neal was subsequently arrested without further incident.
Neal, who joined the team in January with the rest of the Bengals' new coaching staff, was arrested on May 25 on Union Pacific Avenue by Pocatello police on an extradition warrant from Arizona’s Maricopa County, which includes the metropolitan Phoenix area. | 2022-06-02T20:25:39Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | ISU assistant football coach Davonte' Neal charged with first-degree murder in Arizona, arrested in Pocatello | Pocatello | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/pocatello/isu-assistant-football-coach-davonte-neal-charged-with-first-degree-murder-in-arizona-arrested-in/article_e38a3e54-4db0-5a97-8fe1-760a0065b5c4.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/pocatello/isu-assistant-football-coach-davonte-neal-charged-with-first-degree-murder-in-arizona-arrested-in/article_e38a3e54-4db0-5a97-8fe1-760a0065b5c4.html |
According to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa were among the 15 fastest-growing large cities in the country between July 2020 and July 2021.
Otto Kitsinger/For the Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho’s 15 largest cities, as of July 2021.
Courtesy of the Idaho Department of Labor
According to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, three Idaho cities were among the 15 fastest-growing large cities in the country between July 2020 and July 2021 — Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa.
By contrast, Boise itself grew by just .68 percent between July 2020 and July 2021, an increase of 1,625 people.
The population in Meridian and Caldwell increased by 5.2 percent each, according to the data, and Nampa’s population increased 5 percent. Meridian had one of the largest numeric increases in population in the country, with 6,234 new people moving in and a total population of 125,963. Meridian edged out Nampa as Idaho’s second largest city in 2014.
Growth rates for Idaho’s top 15 fastest-growing cities ranged between 20.3 percent to 5.7 percent from 2020 to 2021, according to the release. The larger cities experiencing high growth were Post Falls and Kuna at 8.7 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively. Star, Rathdrum and Middleton, which are classified as mid-sized towns, had growth rates of 10 percent, 8.6 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.
Eight of Idaho’s cities lost population, the largest of which was Garden City with a loss of nine residents. Nine smaller population towns experienced flat or zero growth, and Idaho’s overall population increase from 2020 to 2021 was 2.9 percent, according to the release.
Census data also showed a 2.5 percent increase in the number of housing units across Idaho over the same time period, which was the second fastest growth in the country. Housing inventory in Idaho is key to cooling home prices, experts say, particularly in the Treasure Valley. Utah edged out Idaho with a 2.7 percent increase in housing units, while Texas came in third with 2 percent. | 2022-06-02T20:25:46Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | U.S. Census Bureau estimates show Idaho’s urban areas continue to grow | Statistics | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/townnews/statistics/u-s-census-bureau-estimates-show-idaho-s-urban-areas-continue-to-grow/article_505c8b97-1389-5d5d-8090-d2e877eed740.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/townnews/statistics/u-s-census-bureau-estimates-show-idaho-s-urban-areas-continue-to-grow/article_505c8b97-1389-5d5d-8090-d2e877eed740.html |
POCATELLO — A 35-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning after police say he sexuallly abused an underage girl and paid her in money and alcohol.
Daniel Andrade, most of recently of Arizona, has been charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor, one count of enticing a child over the internet and one count of procurement for prostitution, all felonies, for engaging in sexual abuse acts with a 14-year-old girl, court records show.
The incident began to unfold around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday when Pocatello police received the report of a suspicious circumstance unfolding at the Best Western Inn at 1415 Bench Road in Pocatello, according to a police report obtained by the Idaho State Journal on Thursday.
Upon arrival, police met with a man in the parking lot who said he received a Snapchat message from a girl who could be heard saying a woman’s name three times before indicating that she was really drunk and that she had been raped, police said. The man provided the officers with an audio recording of the content on the Snapchat message.
Officers were able to locate two underage girls who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, police said. The location where the girls were located had been redacted from the police report obtained by the Journal.
One of underage girls denied being the victim of rape but the other told police that sexual acts between her and who she believed to be a 25-year-old man with a different Snapchat name than Andrade’s occurred on Wednesday evening at the Best Western Inn.
Police then learned that the 25-year-old man was actually 35-year-old Andrade and that he and the underage girl had been communicating on Snapchat for the past four weeks.
The underage girl allowed police to take photographs of her Snapchat conversation with Andrade, said police, adding that numerous messages contained references to sexual acts. Additionally, the conversation contained messages sent from Andrade offering the girl money and alcohol, particularly a unique brand of pink vodka, to perform sexual acts, police said.
Officers then reviewed security camera footage from the Best Western Inn and observed Andrade and the girl standing next to each other at the check-in counter, police said. The Best Western Inn employee provided police with Andrade’s room number at the hotel.
Police came into contact with Andrade at the room number provided by the employee and Andrade agreed to come to the Pocatello Police Department station for an interview, said police, adding that before the door closed officers observed a near-empty bottle of the unique brand of pink vodka.
During the interview with police, Andrade denied any sexual acts with the girl occurred on Wednesday but did admit to engaging in sexual acts with the underage girl about three weeks ago in a car he had rented, according to the police report. Andrade also admitted to paying the girl to engage in sexual acts and to using a Snapchat username that was different from his actual name, police said.
Andrade was subsequently arrested and booked into the Bannock County Jail around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
He appeared in front of 6th District Judge Todd Garbett on Thursday, during which prosecutors requested he be held on a $75,000 bond.
Andrade is due back in court on June 15 for a preliminary hearing in which prosecutors will attempt to prove there is enough evidence against him to elevate the case from the magistrate to district court level.
If convicted of all four felony charges against him, Andrade faces no less than two years and up to life in prison as well as a fine of up to $200,000 in fines. | 2022-06-02T23:01:07Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Police: Man sexually abused underage girl at local hotel, paid her in money and alcohol | Crimes & Court | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_court/police-man-sexually-abused-underage-girl-at-local-hotel-paid-her-in-money-and-alcohol/article_70d947f4-6d44-5d4d-be22-7a2103e70c3c.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_court/police-man-sexually-abused-underage-girl-at-local-hotel-paid-her-in-money-and-alcohol/article_70d947f4-6d44-5d4d-be22-7a2103e70c3c.html |
"My sophomore year, I was enjoying every aspect of my life, but everything changed on March 16, 2020, when schools shut down," said Century graduate John Kaiser. "Things that I was passionate were taken away from me. I lost all motivation in school. I struggled to finish ... but I'm so proud of how far we have come." | 2022-06-03T01:24:52Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | 2022 graduates reflect on high school, prepare for future | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/2022-graduates-reflect-on-high-school-prepare-for-future/article_b3c6de11-bd81-57e5-8fcb-9d1f3eda5f3f.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/2022-graduates-reflect-on-high-school-prepare-for-future/article_b3c6de11-bd81-57e5-8fcb-9d1f3eda5f3f.html |
Palmer, Myrna Louise
Myrna Palmer Louise Palmer Myrna Louise Potter Palmer completed her mortal journey on Friday, May 27, 2022, at age 87. Her life was characterized by love, service, faith and steadfastness. Throughout her life she continually served her family and those around her. Her husband, children, and grandchildren were her greatest joy and they always knew by her words and actions that they were loved and cherished. Myrna was the third of five children born to Lawrence and Zenneth Potter on July 12, 1934. She grew up in Pocatello, Idaho, where childhood days were spent in the house, yard and neighbors, playing with friends and cousins. She enjoyed train rides which were available through her father working for the Union Pacific Railroad. As a youth, Myrna enjoyed singing in the Glee Club, taking tap dancing, and baton lessons. She learned to play the French horn and enjoyed performing at the Junior Music Club. She would pick potatoes by day and go to parties and play games in the evenings. She enjoyed her life. She graduated from Pocatello High School in May of 1952. She attended many teas, parties and proms. After graduation she spent the summer working at Big Springs, Idaho, for a local doctor's family, housekeeping and fixing meals, with some time for relaxing on the lake. She learned how to square dance and round dance. She worked as a car hop at the Stauffer's Drive In. She then started working for the TB Mobile, and eventually for the Ralston Purina Company, typing and bookkeeping. Around this time, she met a wonderful, tall guy from Inkom, Idaho, named Earl Palmer. She met him at a dance at Deleta. After their engagement, Myrna and Earl were married in the Idaho Falls Temple August 20, 1954, an experience she said she would never forget. Earl was offered a job by the General Electric Company at the Hanford Project and they moved to Richland, Washington, in January 1956. Myrna and Earl raised five children. Myrna was happy to be a stay-at-home mom to be there to support her husband and raise her children. Myrna is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held several callings, including Relief Society President. She spent many years working with the Young Women's Program, which she loved. Through her callings she became an expert of the 72-hour emergency preparedness program, which she presented at a convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also served a mission with her husband in Romania from 1994-1996. She is also a life-long member of the Daughter of Utah Pioneers - Camp Sage & Sand, Benton Company, Richland. She has persevered through many health issues over the last two decades and is now resting peacefully. And while we will miss her, she has returned to a happy reunion with friends and relatives on the other side. Myrna is survived by her husband, Harvey Earl Palmer. Also her children, Dirk Palmer, David Palmer (Vicki), Cindy Bricker (Ed), Linda Peterson (Gary), Nancy Brigman (Rick), and brother, Rick Potter (Leah). And also 26 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Lawrence Joseph Potter and mother, Zenneth (Campbell) Potter; brothers, Donald Potter, Lawrence LaMar Potter, and Sister Leona (Potter) McKee. A viewing will be held Friday, June 3, 9:00-10:30 am, followed by funeral services at 11:00 am, both at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Thayer Chapel, 1720 Thayer Dr, Richland, WA. Also, on Monday, June 6, 10:30 am, a brief memorial service will be held at the Inkom Chapel, 801 N Rapid Creek Rd, Inkom, ID, followed by interment at the Inkom Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Fund or Missionary Fund. A link to view the funeral services will be available at: www.sunsetgardenstricities.com | 2022-06-03T09:36:39Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Palmer, Myrna Louise | Obituaries | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/palmer-myrna-louise/article_59e75aff-7928-5c36-931e-69ee5b729991.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/palmer-myrna-louise/article_59e75aff-7928-5c36-931e-69ee5b729991.html |
• Today at the fairgrounds in Pocatello, kids 19 and under can compete to qualify for the Mike & Sherrylynn Johnson’s Vegas Tuffest Jr. World Championship. Contestants will compete in breakaway roping, barrel racing, goat tying and tie-down roping. A schedule of events can be found on johnsonsportline.com/events.
• The Party Barn will host a “Find the Fun in Art!” event from 5 to 8 p.m. today. The entrance is on the exterior of the back side of the Westwood Mall. Admission is $5 for an individual or $20 for a family. Entry covers all games, activities, take-home art and entertainment. Authors and artists will have their work on display and will be ready to talk to anyone about their craft.
• The June First Friday Art Walk will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. today throughout downtown Pocatello. Admission is free.
• The Pocatello Mystic Market will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. today at the downtown pavilion, 420 N. Main St. in Pocatello.
• The June First Friday Pub Crawl starts at 7 p.m. today at The Union Taproom where you get your event wristband. Then the next stop is at the Pocatello Elks Lodge, then to Star Route Brewery and ending at Oasis Sports Bar.
• The Rock'n Hillbilly Band will perform from 8 p.m. to midnight today and Saturday at Portneuf Valley Brewing, 615 S. First Ave. in Pocatello.
• The Malad Classic Car & Bike Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on Main Street in Malad. The show is open to all year custom and restored vehicles along with pre-1977 vintage campers, trailers & unique vehicles for judging. There will be local vendors, food, raffle prizes, and music.
• The Southeast Idaho Pride Foundation is searching for the "Face of Pride" 2022. Bring your best talent (five minutes maximum), your personal/professional biography, and a completed application to The Warehouse, home of the Westside Players, 1009 S. Second Ave in Pocatello, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. For more information and the application, contact the SEIPF at info@southeastidahopridefoundation.org or message them at facebook.com/SEIPF.
• The Idaho High School Rodeo Association State Championships will be held Saturday through June 11 at the Bannock County Event Center. The public can attend for a $6 admission fee. For more information, visit the IHSRA website at ihsraidaho.com. | 2022-06-03T15:46:47Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Community calendar: June 3-4 | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/community-calendar-june-3-4/article_e736ca05-5956-5872-8019-7d88ddd3459f.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/community-calendar-june-3-4/article_e736ca05-5956-5872-8019-7d88ddd3459f.html |
“Children having their tomorrows taken away.
Small sacrifice if we can keep our assault rifles.
” — Eminently Ironic Maureen Dowd, “America’s Human Sacrifices”
In his inaugural address, arguably the worst by any American president, Donald Trump vowed that “the American carnage stops right here, right now.” He pointed to crime in the inner cities, drug trafficking and gang violence. He said nothing about gun deaths, which reached their highest ever under Trump at 45,222 — 124 per day.
At the NRA’s convention in Houston less than a week after the Uvalde massacre, CEO Wayne LaPierre claimed that “each year, over 1 million law-abiding men and women use a firearm to save their own lives and the lives of their loved ones.”
Meticulous work done at the Harvard Injury Control Research Center reveals that an armed household is much more likely to be the scene of gun murders (especially of women), suicides and accidental gun deaths (eight per day among children and teens). The leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. is a gunshot.
From 2007 to 2011, according to a Department of Justice report (May, 2013), “less than 1 percent of victims in all nonfatal violent crimes reported using a firearm to defend themselves during the incident.”
A week before the mass shooting in Uvalde, Gov. Abbott signed a bill reducing the age for buying rifles from 21 to 18. As soon as Salvador Ramos reached that age, he spent $4,000 to buy two AR-15s, body armor and over 1,000 rounds of ammo. Loading seven magazines with 210 .223 caliber bullets, Ramos was then ready to put his deadly plan into action.
Harvard professor David Hemenway states: “If you compare the United States to any other high-income country, say Germany, a police officer in the United States is 30 times more likely to be killed on the job than a police officer in Germany. Why? Because we have lots of guns. Also, a civilian in the United States is 30 times more likely than a German civilian to be killed by a police officer and it's just the guns.”
It is instructive to contrast our “accursed land of locked and loaded,” as one author quipped, to other countries. The latest data from 2019 shows the U.S. at 12 gun deaths per 100,000 compared to our closest peer nations with high gun ownership Finland at 3.5 and Switzerland at 3 gun deaths per 100,000. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most Western European countries are in the 1-2 gun homicide range.
Conservatives propose that America’s gun carnage is the result of a general break up of families, declining church attendance and, of course, immigrants. Germany, however, has absorbed nearly 1 million Syrians since 2015 and it has seen no appreciable crime increases and certainly not renegade shooters.
Nick Gier of Moscow is a professor emeritus at the University of Idaho. Email him at ngier006@gmail.com for discussion and sources. | 2022-06-03T15:46:59Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Gun deaths: The real American carnage | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/gun-deaths-the-real-american-carnage/article_1301b5de-0bbb-54cc-a3e7-7218e4e954e1.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/gun-deaths-the-real-american-carnage/article_1301b5de-0bbb-54cc-a3e7-7218e4e954e1.html |
By Holy Spirit Parish
Proceeds from this year’s festival will go toward the beautification of Holy Spirit Catholic Church, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, in its location at 455 N. Hayes. Ambitious landscaping and remodeling of the entryway to the historic church are planned to begin this year.
Every year for the past 23, Holy Spirit parishioners have prepared foods from their various ethnic origins and served them up from booths set up in the block surrounding the parish office building and St. Anthony chapel. The street is closed off in front of the church and parish offices to accommodate the food booths and entertainment, which will include Filipino dancers this year.
There will be eight booths available this year, including Filipino (pancit, adobo with rice, veggie and meat egg rolls), Hispanic (enchiladas, rice and beans), Colombian (empanadas), the Sisters of the Eucharist will bake fresh apple pies and cinnamon rolls, parish youth will have a hamburger and hot dog stand; and the Knights of Columbus will sponsor the beer garden.
Deacon Scott Pearhill will staff the Ask a Deacon booth from 1 to 3 p.m. You can ask him any question you may have about the Catholic Church or Holy Spirit Parish. Father Constance Swai, who has served Holy Spirit for the past several years and is being reassigned to Boise, will be available at a table from 1 to 3 p.m. for parishioners to bid him farewell. And there is even a rumor that Pastor Henry Carmona, who is originally from Colombia, may be putting his salsa dancing skills on display.
“Everybody always has a great time,” said Debbie Gallegos, who is organizing the fair this year. “Some people come at 11 a.m. and stay all day.”
The cost for the fair varies by the number of booths each person wants to sample, but generally runs from $3 to $10 a person.
For more information, contact the Holy Spirit Parish office at 208-232-1196.
Scott Pearhill | 2022-06-03T18:10:24Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Holy Spirit Parish to host annual international food fair | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/holy-spirit-parish-to-host-annual-international-food-fair/article_34d5577a-ce75-5204-9930-17e707631c39.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/holy-spirit-parish-to-host-annual-international-food-fair/article_34d5577a-ce75-5204-9930-17e707631c39.html |
So, with this backdrop, don’t expect Congress to come up with common-sense gun laws — or common-sense anything for that matter.
Norman, a 25-year teacher, slams 2nd District Congressman Mike Simpson for “kowtowing” to the gun lobby. “The gun lobby likes to say that restrictions like the 1994 assault weapons ban didn’t work, but it did. Gun massacres of six or more decreased by 37 percent for the decade the ban was active, then shot up to 183 percent during the decade following its expiration.” | 2022-06-03T18:10:26Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Don’t expect ‘common sense’ to prevail | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/don-t-expect-common-sense-to-prevail/article_41db971b-e6c1-5a19-b8b1-9bae02bfafaa.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/don-t-expect-common-sense-to-prevail/article_41db971b-e6c1-5a19-b8b1-9bae02bfafaa.html |
Brianna Shetler
FMC's hazardous waste storage: A human, environmental and legal story
By Brianna Shetler
After plant operations ceased in 2002, Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) decided not to pay the annual $1.5 million they owed to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. In doing so, they reneged on a legally binding agreement they signed in order to continue to store their massive amounts of hazardous waste on Tribal land. FMC claimed that the Tribes had no authority and no jurisdiction to enforce civil regulatory action over a non-Indigenous corporation and refused to pay the fee that had been so clearly outlined in their earlier agreement.
However, the hazardous waste remains long after the plant ceased operations, actively posing a threat to the Tribes and the surrounding communities, as well as the environment. The Tribes believed that this continued storage of the hazardous waste — which is poisonous, carcinogenic and radioactive — meant that FMC was still obligated to pay the agreed upon amount; unfortunately FMC disagreed.
The agreement the FMC signed was negotiated in 1997 after the Environmental Protection Agency charged FMC with violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The enforcement action required FMC to pay approximately $170 million in fines to the EPA. It was also ruled that FMC would pay fees of $2.5 million on June 1, 1998, and then $1.5 million annually to the Tribes as long as the waste continued to be stored within the reservation.
In refusing to pay the fees and instead meeting the Tribes in the courtroom, FMC was effectively questioning if the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes had the authority to force them to honor the agreement. But in a not entirely surprising turn of events, FMC decided that they would rather risk the courts. FMC’s choice to abdicate their responsibility resulted in a multi-decade legal battle that eventually ended in the Supreme Court.
To preface the journey of FMC vs the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes through the various courts, Lead General Attorney for the Tribes Mr. Bill Bacon explained that as a general rule Tribes do not have jurisdiction over non-Indigenous people or corporations even while they are on reservation land; hence FMC’s willingness to take their chances in court.
However, according to Mr. Bacon there are two notable exceptions to this rule, the first being if a mutual agreement exists and the second being if the action of the non-Indigenous threatens the health and welfare or political integrity of the Tribes.
These exceptions originate from the 1981 Supreme Court Case Montana vs United States and are often referred to as the Montana exceptions. That case focused on the jurisdiction over the riverbeds in the Blackfeet Reservation and ultimately established the precedent for Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indigenous actions on reservation lands
So, in 2005, FMC vs the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes started in tribal courts, where the burden of proof regarding the Montana exceptions fell upon the Tribes. In 2012 the Tribal courts ruled in favor of the Tribes under the second exception but not the first, as the initial agreement was not codified in tribal ordinance, and the Secretary of the Interior had not approved the $1.5 million annual fee.
FMC appealed to the Idaho District Court, which not only upheld the Tribal court decision but ruled in favor of the Tribes under both Montana exceptions in 2014.
In 2017, FMC tried again, this time appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, continuing to argue that the Tribes lacked jurisdiction under the Montana exceptions. For the first exception — which requires a consensual legal agreement — FMC argued that the EPA coerced its consent to tribal jurisdiction and for the second exception — which requires a threat to health and welfare — FMC argued that they had taken remedial actions to clean up the site.
The Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the Tribes under both exceptions, stating that FMC’s decision to enter into a legal agreement constituted a “business decision” to avoid the costs and hardships of litigation, and that the remedial actions were not sufficient to reduce the health and welfare risks to acceptable levels.
In 2019 in a last-ditch effort to get a ruling in their favor FMC petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit's decision, but on the 11th of January 2021 the Supreme Court declined the petition, effectively upholding FMC’s obligation to pay back all of the annual permitting costs. A grand total of approximately $19 million was ordered to be paid from FMC to the Tribes for the annual fees not paid and they must pay the $1.5 million annual fee henceforth.
The Tribes won the case and the case sets a precedent that will help protect Native American Tribal Lands. The victory of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes over FMC reinforces an essential precedent that will help protect other Tribes across the nation. The victory is bittersweet because although FMC was eventually forced to pay up, there remain tons of hazardous waste on Tribal land at Fort Hall, still posing a very active threat to the health and welfare of our wider community. A threat that “Sustainable Idaho” will explore in next week’s column.
To listen to the entire three part series on FMC, go to kisu.org/show/sustainable-idaho and scroll to the April 27, 2021, through May 12, 2021, episodes.
Brianna Shetler is host of “Sustainable Idaho,” an award-winning radio show produced at KISU on Idaho State University's Pocatello campus. The show is supported by the Portneuf Resource Council, ISU Sustainability Club and ISU Office of Research. "Sustainable Idaho" airs every Tuesday at 7:35 a.m. and Thursday at 4:20 p.m. on KISU FM 91.1 Pocatello, 91.3 Idaho Falls and 88.1 Rexburg. The show is also available on Spotify and the KISU website, KISU.org/podcast/SustainableIdaho.
Food Machinery Corporation
Sustainable Idaho | 2022-06-03T18:10:28Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | FMC's hazardous waste storage: A human, environmental and legal story | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fmcs-hazardous-waste-storage-a-human-environmental-and-legal-story/article_efdc6f12-b793-519e-bc1c-bb55d3eb4cc5.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fmcs-hazardous-waste-storage-a-human-environmental-and-legal-story/article_efdc6f12-b793-519e-bc1c-bb55d3eb4cc5.html |
Idaho Falls firefighters extinguish a blaze at a feedlot on Kathleen Street in Bonneville County. This is the second fire in as many weeks at the feedlot, which is under investigation by the Idaho Department of Agriculture.
Photo courtesy of Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS — Just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, the Idaho Falls Fire Department and Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Jennifer Lane and Kathleen Street in Bonneville County for a report of a vehicle fire.
An engine, the ladder truck, battalion chief, and a couple of water tenders responded. On arrival, firefighters noted fire in a large pile of hay and rubbish, as well as in the engine compartment and cab of a pickup truck. There were several outbuildings nearby, none of which were threatened by the fire.
There were no injuries to civilians, first responders, or livestock. | 2022-06-03T18:10:49Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Second fire in two weeks breaks out at local feedlot under investigation by Idaho Department of Agriculture | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/second-fire-in-two-weeks-breaks-out-at-local-feedlot-under-investigation-by-idaho-department/article_e17fe6e4-6610-534e-94ae-a941ec964706.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/second-fire-in-two-weeks-breaks-out-at-local-feedlot-under-investigation-by-idaho-department/article_e17fe6e4-6610-534e-94ae-a941ec964706.html |
A boy with a gun
Recently, there was a chilling comment on the morning news. The city of Uvalde, Texas, scene of yet another mass shooting at a school, was asking for blood donors, but not for the recent tragedy involving guns — but for the next one.
The next one? Has mass murder become that routine? Are articles about gun control, at least regarding assault rifles, become so familiar as to be meaningless — just another dull story? Perhaps this could apply to my article.
This time, it happened at Robb Elementary on the morning of the school's second to last day of the semester. An 18-year-old gunman, who evidently shot his grandmother, "was shooting everybody" including second-, third- and fourth-graders. At least 19 children were killed and two adults, both teachers. The shooter was armed with a weapon of choice for mass killings, an AR-15 with a large capacity magazine and high velocity rounds.
President Joe Biden, who has outlived two of his children, had poignant comments:
"I had hoped when I became president, I would not have to do this — again," the president said. "Another massacre. Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, innocent second-, third- and fourth-graders. And how many scores of little children who witnessed what happened — see their friends die, as if they're in a battlefield, for God's sake. They'll live with it the rest of their lives."
He is right that the surviving children will live with this horrific memory.
Actor Matthew McConaughey spoke out about the tragic mass shooting. The small city is the actor's hometown.
"Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," McConaughey wrote in a statement just after midnight that appeared on his social media platforms.
Another Texas citizen whose hometown, El Paso, suffered from a mass murder is Beto O’ Rourke, who confronted the governor at a press conference. Gov. Greg Abbott was passing the microphone to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, when O' Rourke stood up. "You are doing nothing," O' Rourke said, adding that the shooting was "totally predictable" because gun laws were not strengthened following other shootings in the state. Patrick told O' Rourke to "sit down. ... You're out of line and an embarrassment" and called on O' Rourke to leave the auditorium. Then, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin shouted over O' Rourke, "I can't believe you're a sick son of a b.... to come to a place like this to make a political issue."
Law enforcement officers escorted O' Rourke out of the news conference afterward. This illustrates the current anger and confusion stemming from seemingly never-ending gun violence with the horrific loss of children and their teachers, like Irma Garcia.
Can we focus on the shooter and find a way to deny that lone assassin, however disturbed, his lethal weapon, or will politicians continue to run from questions about gun control and assault rifles when the next mass murder occurs? | 2022-06-03T18:10:56Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | A boy with a gun | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-boy-with-a-gun/article_e7221b9b-f748-5bc2-897d-bf16bf47aac1.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-boy-with-a-gun/article_e7221b9b-f748-5bc2-897d-bf16bf47aac1.html |
A cataclysmic event
In basic terms, geology is the study of the earth. That is a simple definition for a complex subject that fascinates me. I enjoy hiking and have taken many walks along the Portneuf River, the lava flows from McCammon into Pocatello, and in the Portneuf Gap.
The lava flows offer stunning though treacherous scenery and originated from the Bancroft area approximately 600,000 years ago. Many petroglyphs can be found carved on the basalt from McCammon all the way to the west end of Pocatello. Exemplars of some of these carvings were placed onto the face of the petroglyph bench on the Pocatello Greenway near Taysom Rotary Park. Those images can be viewed from the highway as you drive by the bench.
Beautiful rock specimens were carried into the Portneuf Gap and Pocatello valley. These stones tell many tales, and we placed plenty of them in the Kizuna Garden at the Pocatello Airport thanks to permission from the Bureau of Land Management and Ed Quinn’s generosity.
Walking along the Portneuf River is usually peaceful. That hasn’t always been the case. There was a brief period when the largest flash flood in world history (outside of Noah’s biblical deluge) flowed through our valley. This cataclysmic event occurred from the partial draining of Lake Bonneville approximately 14,500 (radiocarbon) years ago — practically a day in geologic time for a planet that is billions of years old.
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is still the largest lake west of the Mississippi River and is all that remains of what was Lake Bonneville, a water body that once covered most of Northwestern Utah and extended into Idaho and Nevada.
The breach that resulted in this roaring flood and shrinking of Lake Bonneville occurred at Red Rock Pass in Idaho. Drive south past Downey on highway U.S. Route 91, and you will eventually reach the spot which has a historic marker. Heading into Utah, you can view the Wasatch Mountains where prior shorelines from Lake Bonneville are evident.
When Lake Bonneville breached at Red Rock, 350 feet of the lake dropped in a matter of eight weeks. The flood moved toward Downey, Marsh Valley and into the Portneuf Gap, before flowing through the Pocatello Valley. The wall of water then moved westward overpowering the Snake River. At its height, the water flowed 500 times larger than the highest recording for the Snake River at Idaho Falls.
I try to imagine what that looked like when hiking mountains in the Portneuf Gap, which is the narrowest spot on the water’s journey before reaching the Snake River. It was hundreds of feet deep — a flow that boggles the mind. The force ripped away parts of the lava ridges that originated from near Bancroft.
The Amazon River (the world’s largest by far) averages a discharge of 170,000 cubic meters per second at its outlet, while the Bonneville flood flowed at about a million cubic meters per second for several weeks. This behemoth roared through Pocatello, dwarfing the world’s largest river. That’s pretty cool stuff, although the loss of animal and plant life was likely catastrophic.
Many area residents generally know this history of when Lake Bonneville broke out toward the sea. Evidence exists throughout Pocatello in the giant boulders that were rolled into our valley. They are often unearthed when people excavate for construction projects.
My former law firm owned a building on Arthur Street that we expanded, and our contractor encountered a Bonneville “pebble” so large that the only option for its removal was using dynamite. Lawyers being risk averse, we opted to construct the corner of our building on top of the rock as the safest course of action.
Some of the boulders and gravel that flowed into Pocatello continued onwards toward Michaud Flats where a “flat-topped delta” was deposited. A quarry close to the Pocatello Airport was supposedly created when the airport was constructed. It is partially filled with gravel and boulders excavated when the airport was built. Stones were also placed in the Kizuna Garden from this quarry, courtesy of the Bonneville flood.
The information for this column was drawn from numerous sites, but primarily from the book “Rocks, Rails & Trails” by Paul Link and Chilton Phoenix. Their book offers fascinating insights into local geology, and details how Pocatello’s valley once briefly hosted the greatest “river” on earth. That had to have been quite a show. | 2022-06-03T18:11:02Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | A cataclysmic event | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-cataclysmic-event/article_f5d293eb-abe9-5d39-bc12-c6506d0e07ef.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-cataclysmic-event/article_f5d293eb-abe9-5d39-bc12-c6506d0e07ef.html |
I have always said that there are only three men I want to be proud of me when I die: my Dad and my two older scrutinizing brothers. But I suggest there are only two people whom you need to be proud of you. Not your mom, not your dad, not your spouse or siblings. It should be your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self.
When I was 8, I wanted to be a professional athlete. Baseball, football, basketball, it didn't matter which. Heck, why not be all three? I seldom read a book that was not about sports. I was always throwing a ball, catching a ball or kicking a ball. If I couldn't find a ball, I would throw rocks at the cats prowling around the granaries, cows in the pasture or the metal roof of the farm shed. (It made such a cool sound when I hit it.) I may or may not have broken the window on the back porch door in a failed attempt to eclipse the distance from the shed out back, over the entire house. Since I was throwing from west to east, I’ll blame that on the morning sun being in my eyes! I remember Mom telling me that I must have “thrown every rock on the place from one end to the other.” Well, it's obvious I didn't become a professional athlete. Played lots of ball games, on lots of teams through my college years, but that is where it ended. Getting into tussles and fights at the annual high school alumni basketball tournaments in my early 40s taught me it was time for retirement. So I am guessing 8-year-old Todd is most likely a little disappointed.
However, I have some consolation in that a couple other 8-year-olds have been proud of me: my two grandsons, Braxon and Peanut. When Brax was 8, he loved my cooking so much, especially the orange chicken with quinoa, that he stated, “Grandpa should open a restaurant!” Peanut will tell me that I am the fun, silly grandpa and he loves pulling pranks with me. He is my sour cream and onion potato chip eating lap buddy. They are both older than 8 now, so I am not sure what two budding teenagers think of their grandpa and his antics. But I feel confident that at age 8, they were proud of me. My newest grandson Tater-bug, is only 2. That gives me six good years to impress him with my buffoonery and cooking.
Now let's talk about my 80-year-old self. That is a little under 20 years away. If I do better with my cardiologist-recommended diet and exercise I may see 80. I came close to not seeing 60 but miracles do happen at the hands of heart surgeons. I will surely be retired by the age of 80. The goal is to still have enough health and memory to remember those grandsons’ names, my own name and walk around without falling. I hope to have the cognitive skills to look back on my life, my career, my family, my friends, etc., and feel pride. I will then make a self evaluation on criteria I have thought about, but won’t reveal at this time. I wonder whether what is important to me now will be then. The criteria is dynamic and flexible but it will be of a high standard I promise you that much.
So much changes between 8 and 80. Unanticipated, unexpected and unpredicted. I guess it's only natural that 8-year-old Todd could not have imagined what grown up Todd might eventually do for a living or what grown up Todd’s children might be like. He most likely never thought about where grown up Todd may live throughout his adult life. I would love to have a conversation with 8-year-old Todd and explain my decisions, my choices and hopefully chase away some of his disappointment in me. I hope we would be friends.
I am hoping that if I pass these self evaluations with high marks, then I won't be the only one proud of me. The list will include my mom, my dad, my brothers, my spouse, my children, my grandchildren, my friends and my Heavenly Father. I hope they all can say to me, “Hey, Todd! Job well done!” | 2022-06-03T18:11:14Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Be proud | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/be-proud/article_4a9a16cc-0821-54ae-ad36-441eb428db2f.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/be-proud/article_4a9a16cc-0821-54ae-ad36-441eb428db2f.html |
Beto O’Rourke at the press conference
On May 25, Beto O’Rourke, who is currently the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas, attended a press conference regarding the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The meeting was called by Greg Abbott, the current governor of the state, who is running for re-election. With the governor were his lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, the mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, and Sen. Ted Cruz, among others. After listening to the proceedings for 10 minutes, O’Rourke left his seat in the audience, approached the stage and addressed Gov. Abbott directly.
According to the New York Times report, O’Rourke said roughly this: “The time to stop this was after Santa Fe (referring to the Texas high school at which a shooting took place in 2018). The time to stop this was after El Paso (referring to the Texas mass shooting at a Walmart in 2019). The time to stop the next shooting is right now, and you are doing nothing. You are offering us nothing. You said this was not predictable — this is totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”
The response of those on the stage was surprise and indignant anger. Dan Patrick yelled, “You’re out of line and an embarrassment!” Cruz said, “Sit down and don’t play this stunt.” Mayor McLaughlin shouted at O’Rourke that he was a “sick son of a b…. that would come to a deal like this to make a political issue”.
Subsequent commentators, especially Republicans, were similarly outraged. Monica Crowley, of FOX News, accused O’Rourke of political grandstanding; “The murder of children is a singular evil. Beto O’Rourke saw it as an opportunity to score political points.”
A columnist for the Idaho State Journal wrote, “If hell exists, I’m reasonably sure that there’s a special place in it for the likes of Beto O’Rourke, who used the Uvalde mass shooting to curry favor with the left….”
The assumption of these critics is that O’Rourke’s actions were self-serving, inappropriate and morally reprehensible; that the event he interrupted was one of somber reflection upon the dead children and teachers of Uvalde; that it was a non-political event totally dedicated to honoring those whose deaths had shocked and saddened Texans and all Americans, and that O’Rourke had used it as an opportunity to get T.V. time in furtherance of his political campaign for governor.
But this narrative and judgment are themselves politically motivated, as well as impossible to substantiate without mind-reading, and there is an alternative account that is entirely plausible, in fact, far more likely to be true.
By the time the press conference occurred, O’Rourke had been to Uvalde and talked to many of the parents of the victims of the shooting. He knew first-hand of their suffering, and of not merely their grief, but their anger at what had transpired. As we now know, parents gathered at the school had pleaded with the police to attack the gunman and stop the killing, but they had refused to do so for more than an hour. Lives could have been saved, perhaps, had they not failed to take action as soon as the situation became clear.
The press conference called by the governor was just that, a press conference. It was not a memorial service for those who died, it was a report to the press and the citizenry about what had transpired and, as it turned out, it was an inaccurate account at that. In case you wish to review it, a video of the event is available at youtu.be/2TGoreFWJH8.
The governor spoke first, took note of the sorrow caused by the shooting, and seemed to feel genuine anguish in doing so. But that isn’t all he did. He also provided an account of events on the day of the shooting and took time to praise all of the public officials, including the various branches of law enforcement, that had responded to the event.
The governor described the shooter as a “demented person,” though he also said that he had “no known mental health history.” Additionally, Abbott reported that he had, just before the news briefing, asked a collection of local officials the question: “What is the problem here?” and they had responded, “We have a problem with mental illness in this community.” The governor went on to give details regarding mental health services that would be available for those who suffered losses in the shooting, at which point he ended his remarks and yielded the microphone to the lieutenant governor. It was then that Beto O’Rourke approached the stage.
What, then, is a plausible guess as to what motivated O’Rourke to confront the governor after hearing his remarks? My conjecture is that it was primarily anger. O’Rourke would have been struck by the fact that Abbott proposed no measure whatsoever that could have prevented such an attack, except treatment for mental disorders, and the killer never sought mental health care, nor probably would ever have been forced to receive it. Moreover, as O’Rourke said later, the governor had failed to fund mental health care in the state adequately and refused to expand Medicaid.
More to the point, O’Rourke, and everyone else at the press conference, knew of other preventative measures that had been talked about in Texas and elsewhere for years. O’Rourke himself had talked about them when he ran against Ted Cruz for senator in 2018. He was notorious among Texans for recommending the passage of a law to prohibit anyone from purchasing guns designed specifically to kill people, like the AR-15 that the Uvalde shooter had used — guns for which large magazines were available; that fire quickly and repeatedly; and that propel bullets with great force, such that they do far more damage within the human body than any other gun would produce.
As for the supposition of his critics that O’Rourke was seizing an opportunity to bolster his campaign for governor, that’s highly questionable. O’Rourke knew perfectly well that reminding Texans of his previous stand on preventing mass shootings — especially his intent to forbid the purchase of AR-15-type weapons — would backfire, and, indeed, the consensus of knowledgeable commentators in Texas was that O’Rourke’s performance at the press conference had damaged his chances of beating Abbott rather than improved them.
Anger, justifiable anger, is what impelled O’Rourke’s action. Hell is not the appropriate place for Beto, it’s the governor’s office.
Conjecture | 2022-06-03T18:11:20Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Beto O’Rourke at the press conference | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/beto-o-rourke-at-the-press-conference/article_2129ddc4-8f6a-59f7-894e-e3c2cb5edbc3.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/beto-o-rourke-at-the-press-conference/article_2129ddc4-8f6a-59f7-894e-e3c2cb5edbc3.html |
Ram Eddings
Change, when?
By Ram Eddings
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Just 10 days before, we dealt with the death of 10 Black American citizens murdered in a grocery store. They were gunned down by an 18-year-old young man with a semi-automatic rifle who drove three hours to commit this crime. It was a hate crime, that we know. His actions were based on learned beliefs and ideologies of hate from parents and others racist. There was no justification for his actions besides hate.
Then, on May 24, 2022, we heard of an estimated 19 children and two teachers shot and killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Their young lives were cut so short for no justifiable reasons either. What possible reason could the murder have had against these children and teachers? It really does not matter to me his reasons or any other comments about him, it is simply an 18-year-old with a semi-automatic weapon shooting people.
The man who sold the 18-year-old the gun in New York is also to blame. The time for making excuses is over. The facts are, 10 innocent people in Buffalo and 19 innocent children and two teachers in Uvalde are DEAD. Now what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sit on our butts and again do nothing? It is time for change in the gun laws and they need to change NOW. Those in Congress who refuse to vote for change played a role in the death of the Black citizens and the children. They are responsible and there should be NO sugar coating their roles. We need to attack every one of them and call them out by name who voted against changes in the gun laws. They should not be able to sleep at night and “We the People” need to make sure they don’t. Let's NOT leave out gun lobbyists who fight against change, they are just as guilty. We need to make sure our voices are heard and condemn all of them.
This is not about the right to bear arms; it is about those who can get guns by any means necessary and carry out these types of mass shootings. We need change. The Bushmaster XM-15 and AR-15 are weapons used for mass shootings and in the hands of 18-year-olds should never be allowed. In the wake of the shooting in Buffalo, New York, was a travesty on the principles of this nation. The shooting of children goes beyond travesty. I am tired of being a hostage in my country because of guns, unsure if I will become a victim every time I leave my house. Don’t think it can’t happen in Idaho: Remember Rigby, Idahoans? We were lucky.
It is time we all take a stand and quit hiding behind the Second Amendment about our rights. If we can’t distinguish between the right to bear arms and positive gun control laws to stop mass killings then we all should be ashamed. Are we really that ignorant, stupid or don’t give a rat’s butt? I remember a man a few years ago, a man with an automatic rifle standing on the Idaho State Capitol steps with his young daughter declaring his Second Amendment rights. The truth of the matter is this type of display was one of the concerns our forefathers had when they drafted the Second Amendment: Militia's ideology, deciding they could do as they pleased when things did not go their way. The Jan. 6, 2021, actions gave credence to our forefathers' concerns. Ironically, the Second Amendment rights were no concern when our Congress members (Republicans and Democrats) were running and hiding fearing for their lives.
No one is trying to take guns away, the Second Amendment gives us that right, but it dose not give us the right to murder people. There needs to be controls that guarantee the safety of all American people and especially children, who know nothing about the Second Amendment. That is not happening. What happens when it hits your home and community?
The quote above by Dr. King is true, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” That silence is us.
If we do not take a stand now, it will happen again. We need to send a very strong message to Congress that we are tired of them not protecting us. The majority of Americans have spoken on this matter and Congress needs to do what the people want. Stand up, America. Do what is right — if you still know what that is.
Ram Eddings of Pocatello is the former coordinator of the Idaho State University Diversity Center. | 2022-06-03T18:11:27Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Change, when? | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/change-when/article_45a785ea-0ae3-5ccb-8fcc-cda605f753bc.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/change-when/article_45a785ea-0ae3-5ccb-8fcc-cda605f753bc.html |
Michael Strickland
The more things change, the more they stay the same, or so the saying goes.
On Jan. 9, 2021, I wrote a column for the Idaho State Journal called “Talking to your kids about recent mob violence.” The recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, brought on the sad occasion to write this piece again. I need to repurpose suggestions I’ve gathered during my 30-plus years in education about how to talk to your kids about scary things. I wish we didn’t have to continually rewrite such tips.
School shootings, something that once seemed unthinkable, now happen with a degree of regularity. A devastating reality of raising children in America today is that parents must be prepared to talk to their kids about mass murders. Here are some suggestions about how to approach the topic.
Let your child’s questions guide the conversation. The best way to figure out how much information kids need is to listen to them. They often ask, who is to blame? What could have been done to prevent this horrible situation? Could it happen at my school? Truthful answers help build trust. Unfortunately, you must state that although school is typically a safe place, there are risks.
In the days and weeks that follow a tragedy, parents should talk to their children about how to cope when they feel concerned or anxious. Remember that less is more. A child may think we are at war because they saw armed guards on TV. Explain that those people work to keep everyone safe. Always keep your answers basic and at your child’s developmental level.
Provide reassurance. Kids are often concerned about personal safety for themselves and their family. How they react to various news stories and questions that arise will give you an idea about their specific concerns. You can offer comfort such as: “We are all safe.” You can’t promise that their school will never have a shooting, but you can communicate truthfully that school shootings are, in fact, very rare. Remind them that they have protocols and drills at school to keep them safe. Avoid graphic details. Do your best to actively listen, rather than trying to take away children’s pain.
I recommend the book “Once I Was Very Very Scared,” by Chandra Ghosh Ippen, for the preschool set. In the story, many animals go through scary experiences, but each reacts differently and has their own way of coping. Parents of older children can Google “Helping Students After a School Shooting” for a list of resources from the American School Counselor Association. Parents are sometimes afraid to bring up school shootings with their children because they don’t want to scare them. But children will often have heard about a school shooting from friends and the media. So bringing it up can actually alleviate any anxiety they might be feeling. Avoiding potentially scary topics can make them scarier to children.
It will take time for parents to comfort children and help them process such tragic events. We need to be patient. Sometimes, especially with young kids, we need to have these conversations over and over. Proceed in little chunks. They might not be able to digest everything in one sitting.
For young children, limit screen time to non-news coverage programming. Also, the younger the child, the more likely they are to see each broadcast as a new attack. Many children saw the broadcast of the Sept. 11 plane crashes as “hundreds of planes crashing again and again." School shootings are horrific, scary and important. Thus, they dominate the media. As a result, we can think of them as a much bigger threat than they really are. The more we watch them, the greater probability our minds create of them occurring.
Statistically, school shootings actually are not very common. So while they are a threat, the likelihood that one will personally affect any of us individually is slim. Some anxiety is warranted; debilitating anxiety is not. If you feel that you are more anxious than you should be, a good first step is always to take a break from any media that might be focusing your attention in an unhealthy direction. Learn and understand some coping strategies for yourself, then help your child understand their emotions. But if you're just watching the same coverage over and over again and it's not offering anything new that's important to your family, then disconnect.
Anxiety is meant to prepare us for action, so channel the worries you are feeling into something proactive you can do. Paint. Write poetry. Volunteer in the community. Donate to relevant causes. Stick to routines. The unpredictable is scary for children, and a predictable routine is especially reassuring when children are frightened or unsure. Even if kids are anxious or fearful, there's a benefit to going to school and maintaining daily activities.
Finally, create a strong community. In any time of unrest or crisis, gathering friends and family provides much needed support for grown-ups and children alike. Having more people around also means that you will have more resources to share with your children.
Michael Strickland of Pocatello teaches at Idaho State University and Boise State University | 2022-06-03T18:11:33Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | How to talk to kids about tragedy | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-tragedy/article_66b5b4b9-92cf-5ae9-984c-da037ace9645.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-tragedy/article_66b5b4b9-92cf-5ae9-984c-da037ace9645.html |
Facts about guns
Here are some facts about guns. Before you turn away, this is not an attempt to change your, or anyone else’s, opinion. Rather, it is intended to inform those who are willing to listen.
Suicides, not homicides, are the leading cause of gun deaths in America. More than half of all suicides in the US in 2020, the last year for which there are complete records, were committed using firearms. Over 24,000 Americans shot themselves to death that year.
More than 20,000 Americans died of non-suicide shooting deaths in 2020.
The gun homicide rate per 100,000 people in the U.S. declined from 7.2 in 1975 until increasing dramatically during the pandemic. In 2020, the rate was 6.2.
That’s still 14 percent lower than in 1975. Meanwhile the national suicide rate has increased to roughly 12 per 100,000 people.
Between suicides, homicides, law enforcement shootings and accidents, firearms killed about 45,000 Americans in 2020. For perspective, that’s about as many as the number of us who die in auto accidents, or from falls and other mishaps, every year.
School shootings in the US get the most press, as they should, and they must stop. I’ll address that topic in a separate piece because they are so important.
Meanwhile, Wyoming, Louisiana, and Mississippi reported the highest rate of gun deaths in the US in 2020, more than 25 per 100,000 residents. California and New York were among the lowest, with fewer than 10/100k. Idaho was in the middle range at 15.1-20/100k.
Americans bought almost 23 million guns in 2020. That’s according to Forbes magazine.
A number of sources, including Gallup, and the Pew Research Center, agree that about 40 to 44 percent of Americans either own a gun or live in a home where guns are owned. Collectively we own at least 400 million guns.
For Americans overall guns are well down the list of causes of death, ranking below 15th among the reasons we die, as reported by the federal government. That changes dramatically, however, for the young.
For kids 5 to 14 guns rank fourth as a cause of death. Between ages 15 and 24 they’re the second leading cause of death. Only accidents cause more deaths in that age group. From ages 25 to 34, just accidents and drugs are more deadly.
A study published in The American Journal of Medicine summed this up graphically. Among all the developed countries on earth put together, 91 percent of kids younger than 15 killed by guns were Americans.
There’s a powerful correlation between the statistics about gun deaths and suicides between the ages of 5 and 34. It’s even stronger in the ages between 10 and 24.
What does all this add up to? Remember the second paragraph? The one that points out that suicides are so often accomplished with a gun?
There are two things at work here. For those familiar with guns—predominantly boys and men or those who have served in the military—a gun is the means of choice for suicide.
Committing suicide isn’t easy. Overall, there are more than 20 attempts for each completed suicide. When a gun is used, however, the result is far more lethal.
Studies have shown very clearly that if no gun is available, the odds of a suicide being committed are dramatically lower. Studies estimate that guns removed from the home or secured in safes — without the key or combination available to those at risk — could reduce America’s rate of gun suicides by a third.
Think about it. It wouldn’t require passing a single law or regulation. Nobody’s gun rights would be restricted. The direct action could save 8,000 lives a year, immediately.
Dave Finkelnburg is a longtime Idahoan, a former newspaper journalist, and is currently semi-retired from an engineering career. | 2022-06-03T20:20:56Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Facts about guns | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/facts-about-guns/article_834fb8ca-7abc-502a-8d79-2e5b7f980fb2.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/facts-about-guns/article_834fb8ca-7abc-502a-8d79-2e5b7f980fb2.html |
Guns, cops and culture
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” — John Adams
I was a little more than a month away from graduating high school when the first modern mass school shooting happened at Columbine High School in Colorado in April of 1999. Since that time, there has been a drastic decline in the American culture, and we’ve seen similar school shootings repeat at least once every few years as a result. Record high suicide rates and opioid overdoses, as well as record-low birth rates, marriage rates and church attendance, highlight a general collapse of the family and America’s cultural centers.
Last week saw yet another mass school shooting, this time in Uvalde, Texas. Before the scope of the tragedy had been identified, pundits and politicians were out in full force selling their legislative remedies to our continued cultural decline. Perennial Texas political candidate Beto O’Rourke intruded on a press conference with Gov. Greg Abbott to score political points, juxtaposing his opponent’s position on gun control. Amidst the chaos and confusion, politicians once again danced on the graves of the dead.
I am of the mindset that the Second Amendment is non-negotiable, and for myself, I have moved beyond this debate. I refuse to dignify arguments that the state is here in our best interest and I only need to submit my sovereignty to them. Gun control advocates know that opponents have both statistics as well as the moral high ground on their side, and so proponents must rely on exploiting the tragedies of the few to enact their control schemes on the many.
International government responses to COVID offer a foretaste of what is to come for those who acquiesce their arms to governments. Australia’s forced quarantine camps, and Canada’s seizure of peaceful protesters' assets demonstrate what awaits America as the last gun ownership holdout in western society. This is not new. James Madison boasted of the advantages that an armed America held over every other nation of the world.
Proponents of gun control often suggest that our founders couldn’t have envisioned the types of weaponry we have today, which is both false and also a red herring. Fully automatic weapons like the puckle gun existed at the time of the founding, and the Continental Army relied heavily on privateers to lend their heavy weaponry like cannons to the cause. This suggestion itself fails the purpose of the Second Amendment entirely.
James Madison fully explained the rationale of the Second Amendment in his Federalist Paper No. 46, where he illustrates an armed populace opposing every standing army of the world and outnumbering them by many factors. Today, if you only armed every eligible man in the United States, they outnumber the US Army by a factor of 50 to 1. That is the purpose of the Second Amendment.
Where the public consistently fails in debates about gun violence or any other number of side effects of our cultural decay, is introspection. Recently, the press caught up with the parents of the Uvalde shooter, who unsurprisingly came from a broken home. Both parents pleaded with the press in defense of their mass-murdering son that he “had his reasons” and was “not a monster.” I’m not sure what planet these folks came from but attempting to garner sympathy for your deranged child days after they slaughter innocent children is exactly the kind of deflection we’d expect to see in an immoral society. Whatever image they’ve built up in their head of their offspring, your son was a monster.
A recent article from a local news publication highlighted one law enforcement agency’s adoption of less-stringent dress code requirements such as allowing tattoos and piercings to attract much-needed labor. The social media comments that followed identified a flurry of law enforcement failings: we need to defund the police, we need better training, a better focus on mental health, better pay to attract better labor, etc. Perhaps there is some truth to all of these things, but what part do the commenters play in all of this? How should the general population interact with law enforcement and live their daily lives to lessen the demand for law enforcement?
I can’t think of any reason that a rational human being would sign up to be a cop right now. In many locales, criminals act with impunity while those who attempt to enforce the law operate with zero room for error. They’re dealing with an increasingly immoral population, under an increasingly hostile microscope, and I believe as a result are attracting lesser qualified candidates for the job. That may begin to explain why in each of these mass casualty scenarios, law enforcement is consistently delaying action that results in more death.
As far back as Columbine, law enforcement was criticized for a failure to act, which resulted in the creation of Immediate Action Rapid Deployment tactics precisely for these school shooting scenarios. More than twenty years later in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, law enforcement and resource officers sat idly outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while another deranged shooter made victims of fellow students. Now it has come out that the shooter in Uvalde was unimpeded for the better part of an hour as he murdered students and teachers, while law enforcement handcuffed parents in the parking lot who attempted to run in to save their own children.
Gun control proponents often suggest that the general population doesn’t need firearms because it’s the job of law enforcement to do what they are consistently failing to do: protect the public. This failure demonstrates precisely why we should never cede the rights to firearms, and the courts have only reinforced that law enforcement has no obligation to the safety of the public. In 2018, a group of students sued Broward County, Florida, for its failure to protect the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The courts held that the government had no obligation to protect the students because they weren’t considered to be in the custody of the state. This mirrored a similar ruling from a disparate suit in Colorado, in 2005.
John Adams famously wrote that our Constitution was written for a moral and religious society, and critics would suggest that our moral decay demands revocation of our Constitutional rights until a future point when we have returned to our moral state. I would argue that the Constitution exists so that, God willing, we have the freedom to pursue a moral and religious state. Historical examples have shown that the Godless state views the Church as competition for the allegiance of its people, and not a purveyor of the morality required to maintain a moral society. | 2022-06-03T20:21:14Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Guns, cops and culture | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/guns-cops-and-culture/article_dc5e10f6-5a55-53cd-ae5a-79ed83d352f5.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/guns-cops-and-culture/article_dc5e10f6-5a55-53cd-ae5a-79ed83d352f5.html |
Photo courtesy of the Custer County Sheriff's Office
The Gray family is asking boaters to keep a lookout for their dad's remains. Robert Gray died on the Middle Fork River and his body has not yet been recovered.
Photo courtesy of Robert Gray family
Family of boater who drowned on Salmon River asking for public's help in recovering body
The family of Robert Gray, who drowned in a boating accident on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River on May 24 is asking for the public’s help in locating his body or any of his equipment.
The family has also launched an online fundraiser to assist in the recovery efforts. Accessible by visiting, gofund.me/8479516e, the fundraiser has earned over $31,000 since it was launched on May 28.
"Our greatest concern is that Dad’s body will float farther down the river and become lost before it is retrieved," the family wrote on the GoFundMe page. "We want to be able to actively track his body to determine if it moves or stays in place. While the local search and rescue department has been very helpful, they do not have a helicopter that can go out on a regular basis. They need to hire one from Boise."
Here is a statement from the Gray family:
We are hoping you can help us spread the word for anyone boating or hiking the Middle Fork of the Salmon River to keep an eye out for Robert or any of his equipment.
Recovery of Robert’s body continues to be too dangerous due to high water conditions. A helicopter recently searched the logjam Robert was originally spotted in, as well as 40 miles downstream river, but was not able to find him. Because of this, we are hoping to enlist the help of the Middle Fork and Salmon River boating and hiking communities to keep an eye out for any sign of Robert, his white helmet, his red life jacket or his black wetsuit.
As we continue to work with the Custer County Sheriff search and rescue and the forest service, we have been told that our best resource is the boating community, who can spot and report anything they see. If they launch from Marsh or Boundary Creeks (we had Boundary Creek plowed, so its boat launch is now open), we ask that they report anything around the logjam to the forest rangers or Custer County Sheriff’s Office as soon as possible. Additionally, if they will be rafting the Middle Fork and/or Salmon, we ask that they keep an eye out and report anything they see.
For reporting GPS coordinates or location please call 208-879-2232. Pictures can be texted to 208-993-9391. The Family email is recoverourdad@gmail.com. GPS coordinates of the logjam are N 44.32.31 W 115.17.26.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could help us spread the word in an article so that we can reach as many people in the boating and hiking communities as possible. We have also attached the flier we have been passing out, as well as a picture of our family. Robert was an amazing husband and father. We want to bring him home.
Lastly, we would like to emphasize how much we appreciate all the efforts of the Custer County Sheriff, search and rescue, and the forest service in helping us find and recover Robert.
The Gray Family | 2022-06-03T22:27:09Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Family of boater who drowned on Salmon River asking for public's help in recovering body | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/family-of-boater-who-drowned-on-salmon-river-asking-for-publics-help-in-recovering-body/article_159e9659-4f4c-54e9-a894-e68301ee7c87.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/family-of-boater-who-drowned-on-salmon-river-asking-for-publics-help-in-recovering-body/article_159e9659-4f4c-54e9-a894-e68301ee7c87.html |
INKOM — Idaho State Police troopers are investigating two crashes that injured two and resulted in Interstate 15 near Inkom being shut down for about four hours on Thursday.
The first crash occurred around 11:40 a.m. on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 at milepost 58 near Inkom, state police said.
An SUV pulling a trailer crashed around 11:40 a.m. and came apart, spreading debris over both lanes of travel, according to state police.
Nobody was injured in the SUV crash, but traffic was diverted from Interstate 15 to U.S. Highway 91 for several hours as crews worked to clear the roadway.
A secondary wreck about a mile down the road occurred because of the trailer crash and is also being investigated, state police said.
Two people were transported to a local hospital via Pocatello Fire Department ground ambulance as a result of the second crash with minor injures, state police said.
Idaho State Police are continuing to investigate both crashes. | 2022-06-03T22:27:25Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Two people injured in one of two crashes that shut down Interstate 15 near Inkom for hours | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/two-people-injured-in-one-of-two-crashes-that-shut-down-interstate-15-near-inkom/article_2e6051eb-abab-54d1-a9f4-f656da7b83c3.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/two-people-injured-in-one-of-two-crashes-that-shut-down-interstate-15-near-inkom/article_2e6051eb-abab-54d1-a9f4-f656da7b83c3.html |
A hiker views the Milky Way from the Spatter Cones Trail at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in this Aug. 18, 2017, photo.
Craters of the Moon launches summer programs, events
By Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
ARCO — Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve has begun its summer hours, lasting through Sept. 30.
Bookstore and museum: The Craters of the Moon Natural History Association Bookstore and park museum will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Park films are available on request.
Ranger Visitor Center Information Tent: The information tent, in front of the visitor center, will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Park rangers will be on duty and will provide trail information, maps, park and area information, free cave permits and free backcountry permits.
Campground: The 42-site Lava Flow Campground is open on a first-come, first-served basis. The water is currently not turned on but will once weather conditions allow.
Ranger programs: A variety of free ranger guided hikes, talks, astronomy programs and campground evening programs will be available beginning June 6. Call or check the website for details.
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. | 2022-06-04T00:24:39Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Craters of the Moon launches summer programs, events | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/craters-of-the-moon-launches-summer-programs-events/article_2798e29e-557e-5c7a-90dd-44eafb72135b.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/craters-of-the-moon-launches-summer-programs-events/article_2798e29e-557e-5c7a-90dd-44eafb72135b.html |
Pocatello resident Naomi Wilde is celebrating her 107th birthday.
Photo courtesy of Dean Wilde
POCATELLO — Naomi Wilde, a longtime resident of East Idaho, is celebrating her 107th birthday on Monday, June 6.
Her son, Dean Wilde, explained that Naomi will be celebrating by riding a camel at Grace Assisted Living.
"When she turned 104, someone asked her what she wanted, and she said she wanted to ride an elephant," he said. "This year, she was asked the same thing, and she said, 'how about a camel?' She was joking, but now that's going to come to pass."
The celebration will be held outside of Grace Assisted Living due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the camel, Dean explained that the party will have portable fish tanks that guests will be able to fish in.
"She enjoys fishing," Dean said. "It should be a lot of fun."
Dean explained that Naomi's secret to her longevity is her love for meeting new people and her love for life.
"She can't hear or see very well," he said. "But she always tries to get to know people. She has a tremendous positive outlook on life. Also lots of diet Coke."
The celebration will begin around 1:30 p.m. with the arrival of the camel. Dean explained that it will likely last until 3 p.m.
Naomi was born on June 6, 1915, on a farm in Cleveland, Idaho. She was the oldest of six children. In December of 1941, she married Merlin Wilde. The two were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married for about 66 years until Merlin's death in 2007. Naomi moved to Grace Assisted Living at age 101.
During their marriage, Merlin served in World War II. While he was away, Naomi worked as a telephone operator in Pocatello. After the war ended, they moved to a farm in Mink Creek where they raised their three sons, Ross, Van and Dean. After their retirement, they lived on their farm during the summers and St. George, Utah, in the winters.
Dean Wilde | 2022-06-04T00:25:04Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Pocatello woman has plans to ride a camel on her 107th birthday celebration | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-woman-has-plans-to-ride-a-camel-on-her-107th-birthday-celebration/article_114aeb20-30a3-594e-b925-3da254e301b1.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-woman-has-plans-to-ride-a-camel-on-her-107th-birthday-celebration/article_114aeb20-30a3-594e-b925-3da254e301b1.html |
Study suggests compression garments likely don't facilitate muscle recovery
Recovery after exercise is big business. Not only is it a profitable industry, but it is truly the secret to successful exercise. Many items, modalities, supplements and drugs have been designed to or claim to improve recovery. Several of them work very well, and I can likely do a series of articles on them.
Today, I want to discuss one that is incredibly popular, but does not work. My goal is to prevent further money being spent in hopes of finding a better recovery solution.
Compression garments are an elastic cloth fitting that people wear on their arms, legs or hips during or after physical exercise. They have been thought to help with the recovery process, but an article in Sports Medicine on April 27, 2022, says otherwise.
Researchers from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to assess whether compression garments assist with muscle recovery. Systematic reviews identify and synthesize data from all relevant studies and sit at the highest level on the evidence-based medicine pyramid.
Contrary to results found in individual research, the meta-analytical evidence suggests that wearing a compression garment during or after training does not facilitate muscle recovery.
I do agree that compression garments during and after exercise look good, slipping into the impressive realm of exercise wear. If your goal is to look good while exercising, compression garments are effective. Recovery from said exercise, however, would be more easily found with a different approach. | 2022-06-04T17:31:01Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Study suggests compression garments likely don't facilitate muscle recovery | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/study-suggests-compression-garments-likely-dont-facilitate-muscle-recovery/article_643603f4-70fd-5648-99a8-e6790d0e6c6c.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/study-suggests-compression-garments-likely-dont-facilitate-muscle-recovery/article_643603f4-70fd-5648-99a8-e6790d0e6c6c.html |
By JAKOB THORINGTON . jthorington@postregister.com
Martin was the district’s superintendent in May 2021 when a 12-year-old shot two students and one adult at Rigby Middle School. The victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Sgt. Bryan Lovell, the sheriff’s office public information officer, said six school resource officers and two DARE officers patrol District 93’s schools. The sheriff’s office has practiced active shooter drills for decades and will train in school buildings when school is out of session.
Mass school shootings are not a new phenomenon, according to k12academics.com.
The first known mass shooting in the U.S. where students were shot was on April 9, 1891, when 70-year-old James Foster fired a shotgun at a group of students in the playground of St. Mary’s Parochial School in Newburgh, New York, causing minor injuries to several of the students.
The majority of attacks during this time period by students on other students or teachers usually involve stabbing with knives or hitting with stones.
Gordon Howard | 2022-06-05T03:22:45Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Are local school districts prepared for an Uvalde-like event? | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/are-local-school-districts-prepared-for-an-uvalde-like-event/article_fa4a3e79-b66d-5327-add8-27bbafbe6195.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/are-local-school-districts-prepared-for-an-uvalde-like-event/article_fa4a3e79-b66d-5327-add8-27bbafbe6195.html |
New Highland coach Matt Stucki in his playing days at ISU.
ISU Media Relations
New Highland girls soccer coach Savannah Rose.
Matt Stucki remembers the play like it was his wedding day. He drove by his defender, slithered into the lane and got ready to flip a layup off the glass. Except Stucki was a 6-foot-5 Idaho State guard. The rotating defender was a 6-foot-10 Kansas State center. So Stucki’s shot ended up in the crowd.
Here’s the line that Stucki loves delivering: “I was on the Top 10.”
That’s Stucki’s claim to fame, the night he ended up on ESPN highlights for all the wrong reasons. He laughs when he shares it. He’s clearly at peace with his college career, which ended after that 2009 season, and his entire playing career, which came to an end after he played one year in Germany.
In the years that followed, Stucki’s life changed directions in a few different ways. The Pocatello native trained youth basketball players in Utah. He went to law school. He teamed up with his wife, Chelsey, to open Hoops Academy, a basketball training facility in the Gate City.
As of this week, Stucki’s latest venture is another new one: Highland boys basketball head coach.
“I just want to be in the lab, working on stuff. I’m really about that portion,” Stucki said. “For me, I love to see what I can get out of a kid, and I love to see kids have success. I think the rest of the stuff takes care of itself. At the end of the day, you’re gonna win some, you’re gonna lose some. But if I see kids are progressing, and I see a lightbulb go off in their head, that’s what makes it worth it for me.”
What makes the news of Stucki’s hire so noteworthy, in part, is because he’s from Pocatello. He knows this town like the back of his hand. He went to Century. Won state his senior year. Played at ISU. Earned all-conference honors two seasons there. Name a local coach and he’s probably played with them in some capacity. He knows Pocatello basketball like few others do, intertwined with hoops here in ways that made him a logical next coach at Highland.
That’s the thing, though: He’s never been a head coach. He does have some coaching experience on his resume, one year of assistant coaching at Century soon after he graduated, but he’s never been the head honcho.
So why become one now? He answers that question like this: He’s always loved basketball, but across the past six years guiding youth players at his academy, he realized he liked coaching too. Plus, now that his kids have gotten older and he cherished that time with them, the timing lined up as well.
“I thought this would be an opportunity to get into it at a higher level,” Stucki said. “So it’s one of those things that kinda came together. It wasn’t like I was out there actively looking for different jobs, but it’s something that just came together. For me personally, it was the right time.”
The other part that makes this such interesting news is because of Stucki’s predecessor.
Ty Pearson coached the Rams for the past six seasons. Last season ended in remarkable fashion: The team put their heads together and decided that unless Pearson resigned and the two assistant coaches took over, they would sit out the final few games of the season, explaining they felt Pearson’s coaching style was preventing them from reaching their potential, both as individuals and as a collective.
Only that boycott lasted just one game. The Rams returned to play their final game of the regular season, plus four in the district tournament. They finished the season with a 9-16 record, failing to reach the 5A state tournament for the sixth straight year.
That spelled the end of Pearson’s Highland tenure. He has since relocated with his family to teach and coach in Prosper, Texas, which is about a half-hour outside of Dallas.
Like with most everyone who’s coached basketball here, Stucki is good friends with Pearson. There’s no bad blood between the two. Stucki calls himself a forward-looking guy. So that’s the approach he’s taking with the Rams’ program.
Now he just has to implement it.
Rose taking over Highland’s girls soccer team
Savannah Rose recalls it so clearly: As a high school senior, sitting in front of a computer, trying to find the right thing to say to a college coach. What should she say? If she went on a visit, what would be the right things to ask?
“Not only have I seen that side of it, I saw the youth sports side of it, but I also saw the college recruiting process side of it,” Rose said. “So I have a pretty good idea of what coaches are looking for at different levels, and what kids need to do in order to get there.”
In part, that’s what led her to become Pocatello’s head coach a few years ago. It’s part of what led her to her next venture, which is Highland’s head coach.
Rose is stepping into a set of lofty expectations. The Rams have advanced to the 5A state tournament five of the last six years. The good news for her is this: She’s plenty experienced. In school, she played at Murray State. In 2017, when she moved to Idaho, she coached at Pocatello. She did that for three seasons.
Then, in 2019, she realized something: Then-Idaho State women’s soccer head coach Debs Brereton used to coach under Jeremy Groves, who coached the Racers when Rose was on the team. Groves gave Rose a strong recommendation. So Brereton brought her on as a volunteer coach.
All that has prepared Rose for her latest challenge yet.
“I knew the caliber of the girls,” Rose said, “and I was like, I’m gonna be excited to take on this opportunity.”
Savannah Rose
Matt Stucki
Ty Pearson
Jeremy Groves | 2022-06-05T03:22:52Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Meet Highland's new coaches: Matt Stucki for boys hoops, Savannah Rose for girls soccer | Preps | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/preps/meet-highlands-new-coaches-matt-stucki-for-boys-hoops-savannah-rose-for-girls-soccer/article_34e73094-9af2-55ed-b594-2379763fed1a.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/preps/meet-highlands-new-coaches-matt-stucki-for-boys-hoops-savannah-rose-for-girls-soccer/article_34e73094-9af2-55ed-b594-2379763fed1a.html |
The label for a bottle of melatonin pills is seen in New York on Thursday. Melatonin is a hormone that helps control the body's sleep cycle.
Patrick Sison/Associated Press
“But really it’s a medication that has the potential to cause harm, and should be put away in the medicine cabinet,” Lelak said. | 2022-06-05T10:16:02Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Melatonin poisoning reports are up in kids, study says | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/melatonin-poisoning-reports-are-up-in-kids-study-says/article_4658e6d9-0758-5230-85da-d40aabeee709.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/melatonin-poisoning-reports-are-up-in-kids-study-says/article_4658e6d9-0758-5230-85da-d40aabeee709.html |
Arntzen Murlaine Arntzen Murlaine (Mimi) Arntzen, our dear mother, passed away on May 26, 2022, in Pocatello, Idaho with family by her side. She was born in 1934 in Willmar, Minnesota and moved to Colorado Springs with her husband (the late Randy Arntzen) and her 2 children in 1965. She is survived by her daughter, Renae Salazar (Gary) and her son, Regan Arntzen (Sue), 2 granddaughters and 4 great-grandchildren. Mimi worked for Mountain Bell/AT&T for 35 years. She was a member of 1st Presbyterian Church where she served as a deacon. She joyfully volunteered for many years in their Get Set program and was a long-term member of the Pathfinder Sunday School class. She attended Bible Study Fellowship for many years. Mimi loved her church, playing tennis and hiking, but her greatest joy was her family. At her request, cremation has taken place and no public services will be held. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cornelison Funeral Home, 431 N. 15th Ave., Pocatello. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.cornelisonfh.com 208-232-0542 | 2022-06-05T10:16:08Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Arntzen, Murlaine | Obituaries | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/arntzen-murlaine/article_ce5adb83-51b3-5254-af6e-b901b59f689c.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/arntzen-murlaine/article_ce5adb83-51b3-5254-af6e-b901b59f689c.html |
• Goody’s, 905 S. Fifth Ave. in Pocatello, will host DJ trivia at 6:30 p.m. today.
• The Idaho High School Rodeo Association State Championships will be held today through June 11 at the Bannock County Event Center. The public can attend for a $6 admission fee. For more information, visit the IHSRA website at ihsraidaho.com.
• Al-Anon, a group for friends and family members of alcoholics, meets at noon Mondays at Bru House Galilei, 502 N. Main St. in Pocatello, and at 7 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 5147 Whitaker Road in Chubbuck. For more information, call 208-232-2692.
• Old Town Actors Studio, 427 N. Main St., Suite G, in Pocatello, will put on a production of “The Revolutionists” at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Playwright Olympe De Gouge, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, loose their heads and try to beat back the extremist insanity in the Paris of 1793. What was a hopeful revolution for the people is now sinking into hyper violent hypocritical male rhetoric. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/PokyOTAS. | 2022-06-05T16:47:28Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Community calendar: 5-6 | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/community-calendar-5-6/article_333b634e-6f15-5222-b3d8-8799944b609d.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/community-calendar-5-6/article_333b634e-6f15-5222-b3d8-8799944b609d.html |
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Photo
Lincoln County, Montana, Sheriff's Office News Release
On Friday at approximately 4:53 PM, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a concerned neighbor of a possible missing child in the Bull Lake area, south of Troy, Montana. Lincoln County Sheriff's Office deputies and David Thompson Search and Rescue responded.
An initial clothing description provided to searchers proved to be inaccurate. It was unknown what clothing or footwear the child was wearing. The child was last seen Friday afternoon playing with the family dog in the yard outside the home near the 18 mile-marker of Highway 56 south of Troy on the east side of Bull Lake.
On Saturday two Montana Air National Guard helicopters and drones from Flathead County and Spokane Police were able to respond, in addition to more dog teams and continued ground and ATV searching. It was extremely difficult to get the additional air assets into the Bull Lake valley due to very poor weather conditions which consisted of rain, low visibility, and low ceiling. These resources continued to monitor weather for additional flight openings.
The dense vegetation in the area proved to be extremely difficult to search.
A Code Red Alert was sent out to all neighbors in the vicinity of the point last seen, asking that they search their own properties and structures.
On Sunday approximately 53 personnel were actively searching the area when they were notified that the child had possibly been found. Deputies responded to Pine Ridge Road off South Fork Bull River Road in Sanders County and determined that it was Ryker, who was in good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty and cold.
Bull Lake Volunteer Ambulance responded to assess and transported Ryker to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for evaluation.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, David Thompson Search and Rescue, Bull Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Bull Lake Volunteer Ambulance, Flathead County Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police Department, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, North Valley Search and Rescue, Two Bear Air, Montana Air National Guard, Libby Volunteer Fire Department, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the large group of experienced outdoorsmen and families who responded from Sanders County.
Additionally, thanks to Malmstrom Air Force Base, Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane County Sheriff's Office for attempting to respond with additional aircraft. Thank you to the Halfway House, Stillwater Christian Church, Rosauers and many others for the meals and support provided. | 2022-06-06T06:38:43Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Missing 4-year-old boy survives two nights in Montana backcountry before being found | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/missing-4-year-old-boy-survives-two-nights-in-montana-backcountry-before-being-found/article_d643188f-fd6e-573b-9eb5-a0961b5b4190.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/missing-4-year-old-boy-survives-two-nights-in-montana-backcountry-before-being-found/article_d643188f-fd6e-573b-9eb5-a0961b5b4190.html |
POCATELLO — The citywide celebration of last year‘s Juneteenth holiday was a huge success, so the Pocatello branch of the NAACP intends to build on that momentum in its planning for the 2022 event.
The Pocatello branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will celebrate Juneteenth from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 18 at the Pocatello Senior Activity Center, 427 N. Sixth.
Juneteenth tickets are available by emailing pocatellonaacp@live.com, calling 208-478-2150 or writing Pocatello branch NAACP, P.O. Box 4192, Pocatello, ID 83205. Like us on Facebook. | 2022-06-06T18:58:02Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Pocatello NAACP wants 2022 Juneteenth celebration to build on last year’s success | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/pocatello-naacp-wants-2022-juneteenth-celebration-to-build-on-last-year-s-success/article_e2c4e479-4593-5616-9aa9-974a9e9ccd46.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/pocatello-naacp-wants-2022-juneteenth-celebration-to-build-on-last-year-s-success/article_e2c4e479-4593-5616-9aa9-974a9e9ccd46.html |
Exposed lakebed now stretches several hundred yards past the Spiral Jetty along the shore of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County. The lake level dropped to a new low in October 2021 and is expected to fall farther this year. The Spiral Jetty was submerged under the lake’s surface for most of the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
A former state legislator and current candidate for elected office in Box Elder County, Utah, has an idea that he and county officials believe could make bringing in seawater to replenish the Great Salt Lake much more feasible, at least from an economic standpoint.
With the Great Salt Lake already at a record-low level and expected to drop further this year, Utah officials are entertaining virtually any idea that could help reverse the decline. One of those ideas — piping seawater from the Pacific Ocean to replenish the lake — has been floated before and is now being both praised and panned after resurfacing at a recent meeting of a legislative panel, which took up the idea at the urging of Lee Perry.
“I don’t suspect this would come easily,” he said. “We need to get all the brightest minds together. … Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” | 2022-06-06T22:40:03Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Officials consider using existing natural gas pipeline to bring seawater into Great Salt Lake | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/officials-consider-using-existing-natural-gas-pipeline-to-bring-seawater-into-great-salt-lake/article_7b37e9e6-5511-5e09-9f43-8c899c69334a.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/officials-consider-using-existing-natural-gas-pipeline-to-bring-seawater-into-great-salt-lake/article_7b37e9e6-5511-5e09-9f43-8c899c69334a.html |
Darin Williams Chad Williams It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend Darin Chad Williams, 35, of Pocatello, Idaho. On May 31st, a day after his 35th birthday, he tragically suffered life ending injuries while helping a friend. Darin was born 5/30/1987 in Rupert, Idaho to Morgan and Sharon Williams. He graduated from Kuna High School in 2005 and went on to graduate from Idaho State University as an electrician. Subsequently he worked 13 years for Lamb Weston and Dean Fluor for 1 year and made many friends in the process. Darin met the love of his life, Jessica, while they were in high school. Both were athletes on the Idaho State University track team and were inseparable. They were married in 2008 and have 3 children; Sophia (10), Isaiah (8), and Oliver (5) who were his greatest joy. He could be heard loudly cheering them on during their ball games, he was their biggest fan. For the past 13 summers Darin played softball, something he really loved doing. He was a big fan of Boise State football. When watching games at home and after a Boise State touchdown he would run through the house cheering and giving high fives to everyone. He also loved playing video games with the kids and with anyone who dared to challenge him. Darin was always cheerful and fun, quoting movies and telling jokes. He was a big kid at heart, making him a favorite with his nieces and nephews. He enjoyed spending time with his brothers on backpacking trips keeping them laughing as he attempted to catch something while fly fishing. But most importantly, he was frequently found helping family and friends, always giving of his time and many talents. Because he was so kind to everyone, he had many friends and touched many lives. He was a true friend and was loved by many. He will be greatly missed; we are all richer for having him a part our lives. Darin is survived by his wife and three children; parents Morgan and Sharon Williams of Kuna, ID; seven siblings, Adrian (Julie) Williams Huntsville, UT; Jonathan (Kimberli) Williams Blackfoot, ID; Loralee (Shawn) Patterson Gooding, ID; Jason (Jan) Williams Fruitland, ID; Celena (Josh) Hughey Meridian, ID; Clarese Pyne Kuna, ID; and Adam (Heather) Williams Kuna, ID. A funeral service will be held in his honor at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2022 at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 West Chubbuck Road Chubbuck, Idaho. Viewings will be held at the funeral home from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, 2022, as well as prior to the service on Friday from 10:00-10:45 a.m. The "Darin Williams Memorial Fund" has been created at Idaho Central Credit Union; account #732670656. A GoFundMe has also been created. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family online at www.wilksfuneralhome.com | 2022-06-07T09:49:56Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Williams, Darin Chad | Obituaries | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/williams-darin-chad/article_111c2164-23e6-526c-8edb-2b6e64b74e53.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/obituaries/williams-darin-chad/article_111c2164-23e6-526c-8edb-2b6e64b74e53.html |
Elder David A. Bednar addresses members of the National Press Club at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 26, 2022.
Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Bednar tells the National Press Club about the Church of Jesus Christ
By The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
At the beginning of his speech before nearly 100 journalists at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 26, 2022, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles briefly addressed the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“We mourn with those who mourn and pray for all those impacted by this senseless act of violence,” Elder Bednar said. “My prayer and my blessing is that we will be guided, comforted and helped in our important work, and that victims, families and nations might be granted the peace that surpasses all understanding — the peace that comes from Jesus Christ.”
The balance of the Apostle’s remarks provided an overview of the mission and work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Bednar — the first to address this group since Church President Gordon B. Hinckley (see C-SPAN video below) did so in 2000 — detailed the what and the why of the Church of Jesus Christ’s global humanitarian, welfare, educational, temple, missionary and genealogical initiatives.
“The basic purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help people learn about the nature and attributes of God, to love God, to become disciples of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love and serve our brothers and sisters,” Elder Bednar said. “We believe God can change our hearts and make more of us from the inside out than we can ever make of ourselves. And we also believe that change many times is required from the outside in.”
Humanitarian Aid and Welfare
The Church’s humanitarian work is a significant part of that “outside in” change. Elder Bednar shared details from the recent 2021 Annual Report of the faith’s humanitarian support (which included $906 million in expenditures and 6.8 million hours of service). He also mentioned that the Church is helping those displaced by the conflict in Ukraine and those in 27 neighboring European countries. Much of this outreach is done in collaboration with other global organizations.
“We certainly do not have all of the answers,” Elder Bednar said, “but we do lock arms with the global community to eradicate hunger, administer lifesaving immunizations, provide wheelchair mobility for those who are immobile, and train health care professionals to provide physical, mental and emotional support.”
The Apostle also spoke of the Church’s spiritual and secular education initiatives. These are core to how the Church helps people help themselves. In 2021 alone, Elder Bednar said, the Church put more than $1 billion toward education. This includes funding for four universities and college campuses, 645 institutes of religion and a global seminary program for teenagers.
“We have learned that a person with a new heart, a person changed from the inside out, serves and blesses family, friends, neighbors, congregations, and communities in powerful ways,” Elder Bednar said. “They learn to see each other for who they are and therefore treat each other accordingly.”
On the topic of race relations, the senior leader noted the collaboration in recent years between the Church and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“We are working together to support community projects in major U.S. cities, provide academic scholarships for underserved populations, and initiate this summer the first-ever Amos C. Brown Fellowship to support approximately 50 young people for travel to and work in Ghana to gain greater insight into racial harmony,” Elder Bednar said.
The LGBTQ Community
Elder Bednar also mentioned the Church’s bridge-building effort with the LGBTQ community in the United States. This includes support for religious freedom and non-discrimination bills in Arizona and Utah, as well as a federal bill currently under consideration.
“We are proud to stand with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters — some of whom are with us today — in this important effort,” he said. “It is hard work — and an objective worth fighting for. While we may not agree on everything, we surely are building a foundation of mutual respect and understanding.”
The Washington D.C. Temple
Elder Bednar invited journalists to tour the renovated Washington D.C. Temple (the open house ends on June 11) to better understand the heart and mind of a Latter-day Saint.
The ceremonies within the house of the Lord “lift, inspire, ennoble, and change participants as they accept the individual responsibility to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ,” Elder Bednar said. “Much like the children of Israel with their tabernacle and King Solomon’s temple, we are a temple-building and a temple-loving people. And the spiritual promises we make in our temples today are fundamental to changing people.”
Elder Bednar touched on a variety of other topics. He said women make up a majority of the Church and participate in many ways. Some 93,000 of them lead local congregation Relief Societies (the faith’s organization for women). He said the Church’s combined 91,000 missionaries learn the “life-changing lesson that he or she is part of something greater and more important than self.” He said the Church’s annual (and free) RootsTech genealogy conference — which served more than 3.1 million people this year — helped participants “discover their ancestors, share their memories and make meaningful connections.”
Why do Latter-day Saints do these things?
“We are the Church of Jesus Christ, reestablished or restored upon the earth in the latter days in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Elder Bednar said. “We do all of these things because as His disciples we love Him and want to follow His example in our lives.”
After his speech, Elder Bednar answered more than a dozen questions. Several of these questions (edited for concision and clarity) and his responses are below.
Why is the Church growing so much in Africa?
“Africa has been influenced in many parts of the continent through early Christian missionaries. When you go to visit with a congregation there and you recite a verse from the Bible, everyone in the congregation, without looking at a text, can recite it with you. There’s a very strong Christian tradition. So, the message of the restoration of the primitive Church strikes a resonant chord with these people. They come, they see our congregations, they participate, and they desire to join.”
Many Church leaders, including you, have deep business administration backgrounds. What are some of the advantages of so much business acumen at the Church’s highest levels?
“I have tried really hard not to let my academic training influence what I do as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Book of Mormon, there’s a verse that says ‘when they are learned they think they are wise and hearken not unto the counsel of God.’ So I do not take my academic background and experience and impose that on the Church. I let the doctrine of Christ influence how I see things So, certainly there are practical advantages in knowing about how organizations run and budgeting and so forth. But I view that really as secondary. I try to view what we do and the mission we fulfill through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
With over $100 billion in funds and assets, the Church has more capability than any other church in the country to help eliminate poverty. What more could the Church do in terms of humanitarian efforts?
“People want to bang on the Church and say, ‘Well, you’ve got all that money in reserve.’ Yeah, and it’s a good idea for other people to follow that example. You can read in the Old Testament about seven years of famine and seven years of plenty. It’s a good idea to prepare. These undertakings that I’ve described are resource consuming, not resource generating. And a lot of people depend on the resource that we provide. And if things are different in the future than they are now, we think it’s provident and wise to prepare to maintain that kind of support in an uncertain economic environment.”
Can you envision a day when LGBTQ Church members can marry and be sealed within the Church?
“We believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and that the family is central to the Father’s plan for the eternal destiny and happiness of his children.”
You mentioned that women lead within the Church in many ways. Will there ever be a female president of the Church?
“We follow the pattern of the ancient church. We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administering the ordinances thereof. The pattern anciently was that the apostles were men.”
How would a transgender person be treated if they had already completed their transition before exploring membership in the Church?
“We welcome all and strive to love them. Now, I use the word strive because we don’t do that perfectly. And so people have stereotypes, they have misconceptions, they have biases and they have prejudices. We strive to love everybody.”
Given the significant financial strain that tithing is for those in war or in abject poverty, is there any discussion within the Church about not requiring that for people in those situations or at least tithing only what is left after paying for housing, food and other necessities?
“President Hinckley stood at this pulpit in 2000 and made reference to the law of tithing. I remember watching him teach in impoverished areas of the country and promising the people: the pathway out of poverty is keeping the commandments of God, including tithing. The Church doesn’t need their money, but those people need the blessings that come from obeying God’s commandments.”
Where do you see reporters misreporting?
“You always lose something in the generality of a stereotype. ‘Latter-day Saints are like this or they all do this.’ I think there needs to be a little more precision. There needs to be a little more listening and asking. We wouldn’t ever ask for the right to be able to review it. But I think they could do a little more than just take somebody else’s secondhand view and push it along. There’s a little homework that ought to be done to find out what’s really taking place.”
Can you talk about the decision to really emphasize the full name of the Church as opposed to calling yourself Mormon or LDS Church?
“I think that President Russell M. Nelson will be known forever as a man of remarkable courage to say we will no longer use a nickname, pejoratively attached to our Church by our enemies, anymore. And we’re inviting other people to call us what we are called: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You know, we live in a world where everybody is offended about almost everything. And we don’t take offense. We just ask people to respect what to us is very sacred. The name of the church was revealed. We didn’t have a task force and test it with focus groups. It was revealed by the head of the Church, who is Jesus Christ. And we simply are asking people to respect that and call us what we are.” | 2022-06-07T18:10:13Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Elder Bednar tells the National Press Club about the Church of Jesus Christ | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/elder-bednar-tells-the-national-press-club-about-the-church-of-jesus-christ/article_6d83412a-b8db-5fd6-ab48-108331e3cf75.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/elder-bednar-tells-the-national-press-club-about-the-church-of-jesus-christ/article_6d83412a-b8db-5fd6-ab48-108331e3cf75.html |
Family Fun Day attendees and “Star Wars” re-enactors pose for photos during the free Family Fun Day at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in 2017. This year's event will take place Saturday at Tydeman Park next to Pocatello City Hall.
POCATELLO — The annual Family Fun Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Tydeman Park next to City Hall in Pocatello.
Family Fun Day is the largest free family event in Pocatello will feature booths, face painting, food, activities, bounce houses and so much more.
The event is presented by Bingham Healthcare Pediatrics and sponsored by the Idaho State Journal and Westmark Credit Union.
Bingham Healthcare Pediatrics | 2022-06-07T18:10:24Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Family Fun Day set for Saturday in Pocatello | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/family-fun-day-set-for-saturday-in-pocatello/article_d25f8a4f-ecfb-5213-8fcc-26689ed8aaa2.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/family-fun-day-set-for-saturday-in-pocatello/article_d25f8a4f-ecfb-5213-8fcc-26689ed8aaa2.html |
POCATELLO — NeighborWorks Pocatello is hosting its 9th annual Pay-It-Forward BBQ on Thursday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the pavilion located at Caldwell Park (on the corner of E. Lewis and S. 7th) in Pocatello. The event features live music by Shandi Michelle and Jason Greene, food, informational booths and an opportunity to receive potted flowers or herbs in exchange for pledging to do something positive for the community.
For more information, contact NeighborWorks Pocatello at 208-232-9468.
Neighborworks Pocatello | 2022-06-07T18:10:30Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | NeighborWorks Pocatello to hold Pay it Forward BBQ on Thursday | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/neighborworks-pocatello-to-hold-pay-it-forward-bbq-on-thursday/article_25c3ad50-772a-5a4c-8540-b95dd14b721e.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/neighborworks-pocatello-to-hold-pay-it-forward-bbq-on-thursday/article_25c3ad50-772a-5a4c-8540-b95dd14b721e.html |
The search for the missing woman via boat, drone, helicopter and by emergency services was unsuccessful Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. The woman’s body is believed to have traveled into the Yellowstone River, Smith said.
“The river’s not even safe for us to be on right now,” Smith said. The Stillwater River is also running high due to spring runoff and recent heavy rains, he said.
Randy E. Smith | 2022-06-07T18:10:36Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Woman missing, 4 rescued after Montana rafting accident | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/woman-missing-4-rescued-after-montana-rafting-accident/article_19d8c3de-fbcd-593a-8132-dfd63d9c4feb.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/woman-missing-4-rescued-after-montana-rafting-accident/article_19d8c3de-fbcd-593a-8132-dfd63d9c4feb.html |
Image courtesy of Old Town Actors Studio
"The Revolutionists," written by Lauren Gunderson and produced by Old Town Actors Studio, is an astounding piece of art. Directed by Ted Bonman, with assistance from Michael Fornarotto, the play encapsulates the difficulty of women leaving a mark on history in a male-dominated world.
The play revolves around Olympe de Gouges (Abigail Newell) as she struggles to write a play during the French Revolution. She soon meets Marianne Angelle (Mia Crutch), Charlotte Corday (Gabrielle Joan) and Marie-Antoinette (Elissa Jones). It is a play within a play within a story within… you get it. There is a decent amount of meta comedy, which consistently lands with lines shouted to the audience such as “we need to do some character development,” or by reminding the audience this isn’t a musical about the French Revolution… that has been done before. The play focuses on these women’s attempts to leave an impact in a society that would prefer that these women “know their place.”
All of these characters are fictionalized versions of the real women for whom they are named, with the lone exception of Marianne Angelle who is instead based on the Hatian freedom fighters who won independence from France. Many of the events and trials the women endure are based on real events, and each woman’s final words are in fact their actual final words. That being said, it’s clear from the opening line that while history may not be clean it can be very funny.
Bonman is a master of comedy and it is clear throughout the entirety of the piece as the pacing, timing and delivery is top notch. There are several moments where the actor’s natural comedic timing is greatly amplified by the staging of the scene. It isn’t all laughs though as the tone takes a dramatic shift in the second half. The comedy is used as a way to butter the audience up so the ending lands a much greater punch.
The set and costumes are simple, but great at keeping the focus on the words and the action. The set consists of a handful of chairs and a single desk, which are used very effectively by the actors. The door frames are dressed as guillotines which act as stark reminders of the grim fate that these characters will eventually endure. The costumes help aid in the transportation of the times and serve as a thankful reminder that we don’t use wigs that are quite that extravagant anymore. The lighting rotates between a nice general wash and a harsh sharp light that often is a symptom of a small theater space, but in this case it feels like a feature to drastically change the tone for the audience.
Newell is relatively inexperienced on stage, but you would never know that. Her comedic timing is beyond belief and only matched by her ability to showcase true fear and courage in the face of certain death. Her relationship with each woman is clear and distinct. Joan is a beautiful switchblade between a comedic ingenue and a woman struggling with her fate. Her obsession with her goal is both admirable and hilarious. Jones plays a ditzy Marie-Antoinette to perfection, and when the mood turns it feels like a knife twisting into an open wound. Crutch enters with a delightful energy and adds a great deal of heart to the show. She often acts as the grounding source of the play to bring us back into the somber dark realities of what “freedom” really meant during the French Revolution. Each character has a stunning and haunting swan song that sends a shiver down the spine.
The only thing the show is lacking is a weak performance. I could write another thousand words and it would hardly do this play justice so instead see it for yourself. The show dates are June 10, 11, 17 and 18.
Elissa Jones
Mia Crutch | 2022-06-07T20:51:11Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Old Town Actors Studio's production of 'The Revolutionists' is astounding | Arts & Entertainment | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/arts_and_entertainment/theater/old-town-actors-studios-production-of-the-revolutionists-is-astounding/article_28f12f63-0821-563c-85ac-66052433b357.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/arts_and_entertainment/theater/old-town-actors-studios-production-of-the-revolutionists-is-astounding/article_28f12f63-0821-563c-85ac-66052433b357.html |
Lou Lou Bell's Cakes and Shakes staff pictured left to right: Cade Rhodes, Nicolas Olea, Caleb Arnaud, Amelia Brown-Olea, Kendalyn Brown-Olea, Brian Olea, Robin Olea, Lauren Olea and Breanna Hobbs.
Maddy Long/Idaho State Journal
POCATELLO — Cakes and Shakes near Idaho State University has recently been purchased by new owners and has been renamed Lou Lou Bell's Cakes and Shakes.
Amelia Brown-Olea, the new owner of the bakery, explained that she and her husband Brian decided to purchase the business and lease the building because it has always been her dream to own a bakery.
"She's been baking for as long as we've been together," said Brian. "The idea was to have a family-run business that would become a bakery and an ice cream parlor."
Lou Lou Bell's Cakes & Shakes is located at 624 E. Benton St. The bakery will be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. They will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Before operating this business, Brown-Olea worked as a nurse. She describes her new bakery as a "career change."
"I've been a nurse for 22 years," she said. "When this came up for sale, I thought 'Why not.'"
Brian explained that Brown-Olea bakes everything in the mornings and the bakery opens in the early afternoon.
"She takes polls asking people what they like and what they want," he said. "We try to do something different every week."
Brown-Olea explained that the most popular menu items so far have been the Brownie Shake and the Oreo Shake.
"I've also had a lot of requests for gluten-free Oreo Shakes," she said. "We're trying to do more gluten-free items. I'm trying to get more information about diabetic dietary needs."
Brown-Olea explained that her favorite part about operating a bakery is the creative aspect and making people happy.
"When I hand them a shake and it has a mountain of whipped cream and a cherry," she explained, "without even tasting it, they just smile, and they're so happy. That makes me happy."
Brown-Olea explained that she hopes to give back to the community with her business. All Lou Lou Bell's goods are locally sourced. They also offer discounts for teachers, first responders and people in the military.
"We try to have events to support the community," Brown-Olea said. "We have Teachers Week and Nurses Week."
Recently, Lou Lou Bell's had a graduation event where graduates were given free cupcakes and a 10 percent discount on shakes.
Brown-Olea is also having the building remodeled. The walls have been repainted, and one of the walls now features a mural that was painted by Nick Hottmann. Brown-Olea also hopes to have new flooring in by the end of the summer.
More information about the business can be found at facebook.com/eastidahocakesandshakes.
Amelia Brown-olea
Lou Lou Bell | 2022-06-07T20:51:13Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | New owners take charge of Cakes & Shakes | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/new-owners-take-charge-of-cakes-shakes/article_81d646bd-2ce5-578b-a8a5-458cf6a1440e.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/new-owners-take-charge-of-cakes-shakes/article_81d646bd-2ce5-578b-a8a5-458cf6a1440e.html |
Movies, concerts and a play at ISU this week
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in romantic comedy "Marry Me" this Wednesday at 5 and 7:30 p.m. in the Bengal Theater at the ISU Pond Student Union. When a famous singer leaves her cheating fiance, she surrenders and cynically decides to marry the first person she sees, who happens to be a school math teacher, and the result is a collision between two clashing worlds where both must decide whether there is a way to bring those worlds together. Admission is $1 for ISU summer movies. For trailer and more information, go to www.isucinema.com/marryme.
The Idaho State University Summer Concert on the Quad series kicks off Thursday at 6 p.m. with returning favorite John Rush, the Human iPod. According to press releases, John Rush takes you on a musical journey like no other one-man show can. Rush performs a blend of original music and well known songs. Wowing audiences with his guitar work and capturing them with his voice and lyrics, John Rush won Campus Entertainer of the Year and Campus Awards Musician of the Year. All are welcome to attend.
"Urinetown: The Musical!" is at the Stephens Performing Arts Center this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. Tickets run $9 to $14 and can be purchased online at www.idahostatetickets.com.
Sundance Film Festival winner "Safety Not Guaranteed" will be the movie next Wednesday, June 15, at 5 and 7:30 p.m. in the Bengal Theater. Three Seattle magazine writers take a road trip to investigate the author of a classified ad seeking someone to travel back in time with, but what starts as a skeptical trip eventually has the writers second guessing their perceptions on what is possible and what is not. Admission is $1. For trailer and more information, go to www.isucinema.com/safety.
And J.D. Eicher will be featured at the ISU Concert on the Quad on June 16 at 6 p.m. Eicher is a Youngstown, OH-area born and bred musician known for dynamic vocals and meaningful, carefully-crafted lyrics. He possesses “an original voice, both literally and figuratively.” With a lyrical talent culled from the great tradition of American singer/songwriters, Eicher also brings the melodic sensibility of great British songwriters such as Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello. All are welcome to attend.
Bob Devine is the coordinator for the Pocatello Film Society. If you would like your campus related information posted in future columns, please send information to Bob at devirobe@isu.edu.
John Rush
J.d. Eicher | 2022-06-07T23:10:44Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Movies, concerts and a play at ISU this week | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/movies-concerts-and-a-play-at-isu-this-week/article_20fb8616-f6aa-53fa-a6fd-9b124c412e37.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/movies-concerts-and-a-play-at-isu-this-week/article_20fb8616-f6aa-53fa-a6fd-9b124c412e37.html |
NeighborWorks Pocatello will host its ninth annual Pay-It-Forward BBQ on Thursday at the pavilion at Caldwell Park. The event features the opportunity to receive potted flowers or herbs in exchange for pledging to do something positive for the community.
• Revive @ 5 takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Downtown Pavilion in Pocatello. Crush will be live on stage, and Thanks A Brunch and Angel’s Tacos will have food available.
• Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in the romantic comedy “Marry Me” playing at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Bengal Theater at ISU. Admission is $1. To view a trailer and find more information, go to www.pocatellofilmsociety.com/marryme.
• The Creative Kids Summer Art Program at the Pocatello Art Center, 444 N. Main St., begins on Thursday with a Kids Origami class. The class cost is $3 per student. Class times are 10:30 a.m. to noon for ages 7 to 10 and 1 to 2:30 p.m. for ages 11 and up.
• NeighborWorks Pocatello is hosting its ninth annual Pay-It-Forward BBQ from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the pavilion at Caldwell Park (on the corner of East Lewis Street and South Seventh Avenue). The event features live music by Shandi Michelle and Jason Greene, food, informational booths and an opportunity to receive potted flowers or herbs in exchange for pledging to do something positive for the community. For more information, contact NeighborWorks Pocatello at 208-232-9468.
• Summer concerts on the ISU Quad are back starting at 6 p.m. Thursday with returning favorite John Rush, The Human iPod! The Corndog Company Foodtruck will be onsite during the concert.
• American Falls will kick off this year’s Music in the Park from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday with music by country performer Cale Moon. Food vendors Grandmas Pantry and Anthonys Navajo Tacos will be onsite. The event takes place at American Falls City Park.
• Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck will host a Summer Carnival this week. It will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot. There will be rides, games, prizes, food and more. A wristband for unlimited rides is $30, or individual tickets are $1. Rides take three to five tickets each. Tickets and wristbands can be purchased in person.
• Cover bands Faux Fighters and Nirvanish will be bringing their grunge-infused, hit-packed party to Pocatello for the Summer Takeoff as the Summer Concert Series continues at Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre in Pocatello on Friday. Tickets are available for just $10 at idahoconcertseries.com, and an exclusive drone show will immediately follow the performances. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m.
• The Pocatello Art Center will host a special Visiting Artist Reception to meet Ken Spencer and Torgesen Murdock from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Historic Firehouse at 210 N. Arthur Ave. in Pocatello. Both artists will give a presentation about art and they will have several pieces of their work on display.
• JJ Jones will perform an acoustic set from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Off The Rails Brewery, 228 S. Main St. in Pocatello.
• The Brewery Comedy Tour returns to Star Route Brewery, 218 N. Main St. in Pocatello, at 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $13 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/2p8app3r.
• The Concert for Ukraine will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium, 501 S. Holmes Ave. It will be livestreamed as well. There will be live and video performances of Ukrainian music and “Ukrainian inspired music and dance,” according to the Facebook event page. The concert will fund charities helping Ukrainians. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3PUKhQU.
• ISU dance instructor Lori Head will provide swing dance lessons with a mix of country swing, two-step and other swing dance styles intermixed with line dance lessons from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at Portneuf Valley Brewing, 615 S. First Ave. in Pocatello. From 10 p.m. to midnight they will be playing a mix of country/rock music to practice the dance steps for the remainder of the evening. Classes are free and open to all ages.
• Old Town Actors Studio, 427 N. Main St., Suite G, in Pocatello, will put on a production of “The Revolutionists” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Playwright Olympe De Gouge, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, loose their heads and try to beat back the extremist insanity in the Paris of 1793. What was a hopeful revolution for the people is now sinking into hyper violent hypocritical male rhetoric. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/PokyOTAS.
• "Urinetown: The Musical!" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday at the Stephens Performing Arts Center in Pocatello. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. Tickets run $9 to $14 and can be purchased online at www.idahostatetickets.com.
• The annual Family Fun Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Tydeman Park next to City Hall in Pocatello. Family Fun Day is the largest free family event in Pocatello and will feature booths, face painting, food, activities, bounce houses and more.
• The 23rd annual International Food Festival at Holy Spirit Catholic Parish, North Seventh Avenue and East Wyeth Street, will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. The cost for the fair varies by the number of booths each person wants to sample, but generally runs from $3 to $10 a person. For more information, contact the Holy Spirit Parish office at 208-232-1196.
• The Alliance Academy of Dance will present the full-length ballet “The Sleeping Beauty'' on Saturday at Pocatello High School. Don’t miss this beautiful fairy tale classic staged by ballet masters Sergiu Brindusa and Beth Moore. Suited for all ages, tickets can be purchased at www.alliance academyofdance.com and clicking tickets. The performances are at 2 and 7 p.m.
• On Saturday, the Nashville duo Lakeview will be bringing their party-charged atmosphere and catalog of hummable hits to the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre in Pocatello as the Country Concert Series continues. Tickets are available for just $10 at countryconcertseries.com, and an exclusive drone show will immediately follow the performance. Doors open at 6 p.m., the opening act performs at 7 p.m., and Lakeview takes the stage at 8 p.m.
• The Party Barn, inside Westwood Mall in Pocatello, will host an adult prom event with live hip-hop and a throwback to the ’90s. It is open to anyone 18 or older. Doors will be open from 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple and can be purchased at pocatelloevents.ticketspice.com/2022-adult-prom-come-raise-the-roof. Tickets include entry, entertainment, games and refreshments. BYOB with ID at the door. For more information, call or text The Party Barn at 208-705-8978.
• Country rock band Hired Gun will perform live from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday in the Loft at Portneuf Valley Brewing, 615 S. First Ave. in Pocatello.
• The Black Rock Gold Prospectors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial Building, 300 N. Johnson Ave. in Pocatello. The meeting will be downstairs. The back door will be open at 6 p.m. For more information, text 208-244-2633. | 2022-06-07T23:10:50Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | What to do this week in East Idaho | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/what-to-do-this-week-in-east-idaho/article_d9e7d44e-e897-5327-8b15-e23d3c3a45b4.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/what-to-do-this-week-in-east-idaho/article_d9e7d44e-e897-5327-8b15-e23d3c3a45b4.html |
Lookout Credit Union CEO Doug Chambers, left center, and Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 superintendent Doug Howell, right center, cut the ribbon for the new Pocatello High School Stadium at Lookout Field Tuesday morning.
Members of the Pocatello-Chubbuck community toss dirt during a groundbreaking for the Pocatello High School Stadium at Lookout Field on Tuesday morning.
POCATELLO — Pocatello High School senior linebacker and tight end Julian Caldwell will never forget his sophomore season home game against the Highland Rams, specifically because the away team actually had the home-field advantage.
“I remember our sophomore year home game against Highland we had to go play them at their own stadium,” Caldwell said. “That sucked. It was supposed to be that they came to our field but we didn't have one so it wasn’t really a home game for us.”
Chances are high, however, that Caldwell and the entire Pocatello High School community will soon have a facility capable of producing much more positive, long-lasting memories.
Tuesday marked the ribbon cutting and groundbreaking event for Pocatello High School Stadium at Lookout Field, located outside of Hawthorne Middle School, which is expected to be completely renovated in time for the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District’s 2022 fall sports season.
“Our level of excitement is through the roof right now,” said Lookout Credit Union Chief Executive Officer Doug Chambers. “It’s one thing to put everything down on paper and hammer out all the logistics but to be there on the field today and see the possibilities was unreal.”
The upgrades to the Pocatello stadium at Hawthorne are part of District 25’s five-year, $5 million outdoor athletic facilities plan first announced in September 2020.
The Pocatello stadium at Hawthorne already has lights, bleachers and a ticket booth that were completed in the summer of 2021, but the work this summer will include the addition of a turf field, more bleacher space, concessions, restrooms, locker rooms and a new video and sound capable scoreboard. Lookout Credit Union secured the naming rights to the new stadium with a $1 million donation in August 2021.
At Century, a video and sound scoreboard, and bleacher space for about 1,200 more spectators is also on the agenda this summer.
Highland’s Iron Horse Stadium had its concessions, restrooms and press box constructed this past spring and will see an overhaul of its baseball field this summer as well.
The football fields at Century and Highland are expected to be converted into turf within the next three years. Naming rights for both Highland and Century’s fields are still available.
In addition to Lookout Credit Union’s $1 million donation, the district has received other sponsorships from community partners including Idaho Central Credit Union, Westmark Credit Union and Connections Credit Union.
School District 25 Athletic Director Tonya Wilkes, who spearheaded the effort in 2019 along with members of the district’s Outdoor Athletic Facilities Planning Committee, said she was thrilled to finally see elements of the project coming to fruition.
“By the end of this summer this will be a fully functioning facility,” Wilkes said. “Truthfully I think the biggest accomplishment was developing a solid plan and getting the community through those initial growing pains. I am so anxious to see the level of excitement when the community sees the progress we’ve made at the end of this summer.”
Both Pocatello High School, who recently became the home of the Thunder with a bison mascot, and Lookout Credit Union, known formerly as Idaho State University Federal Credit Union, have undergone massive rebranding campaigns. The Thunder capped off a 2021 season with a 4A state playoff appearance, falling to Skyline High School in the state semi-finals matchup. In addition to the $1 million donation for the new Pocatello High School stadium, Lookout also jumped at the opportunity to contribute over $1 million to help fund a new park, playground, and concert stage in Historic Downtown Pocatello
“There are pains that go along with a rebranding and Pocatello High School was going through a bit of that same process that we were,” Chambers said. “That made this a perfect match for us. To be able to be part of a new field for a school who hasn’t had their own true space for the past 100-plus years is awesome.”
Several members of the Thunder coaching staff and players were in attendance for the groundbreaking event Tuesday and are stoked about what the future holds.
“We are so appreciative of all the people and hard work in this effort to get a new stadium,” said Pocatello High School Thunder defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Willie Walker. “It means a lot to our kids, the community and to the alumni. The school goes back over 100 years and there will be people that are really proud of what we are doing here and the success that we’ve had since the rebranding. We made it to the semi-finals last year and our program is continuing to grow and get better.”
Rick Call, a special teams coach for the Thunder football team and the school’s track coach, said the stadium served as the practice facility for the girl’s state-championship winning team this past spring. He loves that the new stadium unites the school’s baseball, soccer, football and track teams, and is also looking forward to the field contributing to the school’s trophy case in the future.
“When I played at Pocatello High School years ago we were bussed from the school over to the church by Hawthorne and then rode the bus back all sweaty and stinky,” Call said. “So this is not really any different than what we have been doing for a while.”
As construction crews surrounded the field Tuesday ready to get right to work after the groundbreaking, Chambers had a warning for the teams who have to play Pocatello High School on its own field this upcoming season: “Lookout.”
“Pocatello High School has not had a football field to play home games and I have heard from a lot of people that this year the team’s going to win state so I want this field to be a terrifying place for opponents to come and play," Chambers said. "So, no pressure fellas.”
Pocatello High School Stadium
Julian Caldwell
Lookout Credit Union | 2022-06-07T23:11:09Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | 'TERRIFYING PLACE': Lookout Credit Union CEO hopes new field for Pocatello Thunder instills fear in opponents | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/terrifying-place-lookout-credit-union-ceo-hopes-new-field-for-pocatello-thunder-instills-fear-in/article_5ff63a36-353a-5352-8e8d-5a3374470261.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/terrifying-place-lookout-credit-union-ceo-hopes-new-field-for-pocatello-thunder-instills-fear-in/article_5ff63a36-353a-5352-8e8d-5a3374470261.html |
Some gas prices in the Treasure Valley have now topped the $5 mark as seen at this Chevron station along Eagle Road near the Interstate 84 interchange in Meridian on Monday afternoon.
By the Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
Idaho Democratic lawmakers have delivered a letter to Governor Brad Little requesting a special legislative session to consider a 6-month tax holiday on gasoline.
“(House and Senate Democrats) are proposing a special legislative session to consider a 6-month gas tax holiday,” the letter reads. “Taking this action in the coming weeks would give everyday Idahoans relief at the gas pump totalling 32 cents a gallon.”
The request comes as the price of food has risen by 10% in the last 12 months and gas prices rose 18% in a single month in 2022, according to the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy. As of June 8, the average price of gas in Idaho is more than $5 a gallon.
Democratic lawmakers noted the state is projecting a $1.3 billion surplus and a 6-month gas tax holiday, or its equivalent rebate, would cost the state a projected $180 million.
The Idaho Constitution requires the governor to call a special session, which historically has been done for a very limited scope of legislation. Accordingly, Democrats are proposing only one bill for consideration, with the intent of giving Idahoans tax relief at the pump during this difficult time.
“The state has the money to provide gas tax relief and the need is clear,” Sen. Nelson said. “The only thing that remains is the will to do it.” | 2022-06-08T19:24:21Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Idaho Democratic lawmakers call for a gas-tax holiday in a special legislative session | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/idaho-democratic-lawmakers-call-for-a-gas-tax-holiday-in-a-special-legislative-session/article_eabe9051-1f83-5990-b8c2-20c87f7ccfee.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/idaho-democratic-lawmakers-call-for-a-gas-tax-holiday-in-a-special-legislative-session/article_eabe9051-1f83-5990-b8c2-20c87f7ccfee.html |
'Top Gun' dominates box office again with $86M in its second weekend
The high-flying "Top Gun: Maverick" continued to soar in its second weekend, dropping just 32 percent from its opening with $86 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Paramount Pictures release, with Tom Cruise reprising his role from the 1986 original, is holding steadier than any film of its kind has before. Its modest drop — 50-65 percent is more typical for blockbusters — is the smallest decline for a movie that opened above $100 million. "Top Gun: Maverick" debuted with $124 million last weekend, scoring Cruise's biggest opening yet.
Overseas, director Joseph Kosinski's film is performing even better. In 64 overseas markets, "Top Gun: Maverick" dipped only 20 percent in its second weekend with $81.7 million. | 2022-06-08T19:24:33Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | 'Top Gun' dominates box office again with $86M in its second weekend | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/top-gun-dominates-box-office-again-with-86m-in-its-second-weekend/article_29ecca68-b36a-5738-8043-682c7b1bcaa7.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/top-gun-dominates-box-office-again-with-86m-in-its-second-weekend/article_29ecca68-b36a-5738-8043-682c7b1bcaa7.html |
United States gymnasts from left, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols, arrive to testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington.
Simone Biles, other women seek $1B-plus from FBI for failing to stop Nassar | 2022-06-08T19:24:45Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Simone Biles, other women seek $1B-plus from FBI for failing to stop Nassar | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/simone-biles-other-women-seek-1b-plus-from-fbi-for-failing-to-stop-nassar/article_7a9d112c-2fc2-5d12-b9e9-be1f8abbd873.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/simone-biles-other-women-seek-1b-plus-from-fbi-for-failing-to-stop-nassar/article_7a9d112c-2fc2-5d12-b9e9-be1f8abbd873.html |
In recent years, the debate has picked up as several states across the country, including neighboring states of Washington, which has had a shot clock for a decade, and Utah and Montana, which are both instituting a shot clock beginning next season. According to an article published last month by the NFHS, the IHSAA will become the 18th association in the country to approve the use of a shot clock, in either a full or limited capacity. | 2022-06-08T22:31:51Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | IHSAA approves use of shot clock in basketball | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/ihsaa-approves-use-of-shot-clock-in-basketball/article_5abc4217-293d-5856-a9a2-544b6ae97864.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/ihsaa-approves-use-of-shot-clock-in-basketball/article_5abc4217-293d-5856-a9a2-544b6ae97864.html |
Kitchen manager Dan Balzer serves up a pizza from Villano's Italian on the outdoor patio of Star Route Brewery, the restaurant's new home.
Star Route Brewery is located at 218 N. Main St.
Villano's Italian Greek pizza with chicken on half.
POCATELLO — Six months after shuttering its doors, a local eatery has found a new home and it’s still located in Historic Downtown Pocatello.
Villano’s Italian closed down at its former location at 165 N. Main St. in Pocatello on Jan. 1. This month, the eatery opened just one block away from its old home and is now serving pizza, sandwiches and salads from inside Star Route Brewery at 218 N. Main St.
Brandon Burtenshaw, the co-owner of Mama Inez on Yellowstone Avenue, has had a longstanding relationship with the former owners of Villano’s, Lisa and Aaron Villano, and worked with the couple to keep the eponymously named restaurant alive.
“It was definitely pretty cool to find a way to keep Villano’s going for sure,” Burtenshaw said. “Lisa and Aaron are huge family friends, in fact Lisa is like my older sister. She was once a general manager at Mama’s and actually met Aaron, who was a bartender, at the restaurant back in the day. Our goal is to get the place running strong and make their son, Trystan Villano, the majority owner.”
Villano’s closed after the building it called home was sold and the restaurant’s lease was not renewed. Lisa and Aaron vowed the eatery would return and that promise was fulfilled this week.
Current kitchen manager Dan Blazer said Villano’s held a few soft-opening events last week to get the team back in gear after the brief hiatus. The restaurant officially opened on Wednesday.
The kitchen space and equipment is fairly limited at the moment, so Villano’s won’t have its entire menu at launch, but Balzer said the many popular pizzas, sandwiches and salads have been a huge hit.
“One of our best sellers right now is the PBR pizza, which has pickles, bacon and ranch,” Balzer said. “It's crazy and unique but people absolutely love it. We have also had several orders for our meatball and sausage subs.”
The Idaho State Journal in preparation for this article sampled Villano’s Greek pizza, which included the eatery’s traditional robust tomato sauce, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, a six-cheese blend and chicken as an optional topping. The crunch of the pizza crust was superb and the ingredients created a perfect marriage of flavors in your mouth. With the new location, Balzer is also trying out a new technique that involves braiding the pizza crust, which he said allows for the brushed-on garlic butter to adhere to the pizza better.
Balzer, who has been making pizzas for the past few decades, said the six-month break was both somewhat of a nice reprieve but also pretty stressful. He went and worked for a corporate pizza place and said he couldn’t wait to get back in the Villano’s kitchen.
The owner of Star Route Brewery, Chris White, said getting Villano’s to serve food inside the brewery is a huge win for him, mostly because he didn’t open the business to sell food, his true passion is making craft beer.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Villano’s in here serving food,” White said. “Now I can dedicate all of my time to doing what I want, which is making great beer. And honestly, what goes together better than pizza and beer? It’s a perfect combo.”
Burtenshaw said the goal moving forward to to secure additional kitchen equipment that will allow for the return of pastas, particularly the lobster mac and cheese, which was a mainstay at the former Villano’s location. Additionally, Balzer said he is hopeful to land a few more employees over the coming weeks. Those interested in applying are encouraged to bring a resume into the restaurant or visit to fill out an application.
Villano’s will be open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. You can check out daily specials and the updated menu on Villano's Facebook page, facebook.com/VillanosItalian.
Aaron Villano
Balzer
Brandon Burtenshaw | 2022-06-09T01:16:51Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Villano's Italian officially open inside Star Route Brewery | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/villanos-italian-officially-open-inside-star-route-brewery/article_b9ade30b-18c8-58fc-bda1-9b259ff1e251.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/villanos-italian-officially-open-inside-star-route-brewery/article_b9ade30b-18c8-58fc-bda1-9b259ff1e251.html |
Bannock County News Release
A missing fugitive is back in police custody.
Rafelita Miguelita Gallegos of American Falls was arrested following a high-speed chase on Monday, June 6, 2022. She was admitted to the Portneuf Medical Center to be medically cleared before being booked into the Bannock County Detention Center.
The morning of Tuesday, June 7, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Gallegos had left the hospital.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pocatello Police located Gallegos and arrested her on seven bench warrants.
Police returned Gallegos to the Portneuf Medical Center, where she remains in the custody of Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies until she can be cleared to transfer to the Detention Center.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a review to determine the circumstances that led to Gallegos’ ability to leave the hospital.
More information will be released as the investigation allows.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Pocatello Police Department and the staff of the Portneuf Medical Center for their assistance and cooperation. | 2022-06-09T03:48:57Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Fugitive recaptured after fleeing PMC following arrest | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fugitive-recaptured-after-fleeing-pmc-following-arrest/article_668a75fb-6fe7-55b2-b8e7-6888aa4bf4e5.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fugitive-recaptured-after-fleeing-pmc-following-arrest/article_668a75fb-6fe7-55b2-b8e7-6888aa4bf4e5.html |
Idaho State Police are investigating a fatal vehicle collision that occurred at 6:56 P.M. on June 8th, 2022, on Interstate 15 at milepost 140 in Jefferson County.
A 35-year-old male from Idaho Falls driving a Chevrolet Silverado was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near milepost 140 where he encountered a juvenile driving a GMC Sierra pickup. The vehicles collided.
The GMC came to rest on its roof in the middle of the lanes. The Silverado came to rest in the median.
The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado was pronounced dead on scene. He was wearing his seatbelt. | 2022-06-09T08:18:31Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Police: Wrong-way driver dies in crash that left juvenile injured and partially blocked I-15 in East Idaho | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/police-wrong-way-driver-dies-in-crash-that-left-juvenile-injured-and-partially-blocked-i/article_a9055276-0b0d-5582-9a6e-ccfc7d8cd281.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/police-wrong-way-driver-dies-in-crash-that-left-juvenile-injured-and-partially-blocked-i/article_a9055276-0b0d-5582-9a6e-ccfc7d8cd281.html |
By Arbor Day Foundation
LINCOLN, Neb. — Chubbuck was named a 2021 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.
Chubbuck achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program's four requirements: forming a tree board or department, creating a tree-care ordinance, having an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
"Tree City USA communities benefit from the positive effects that an urban tree canopy has year after year," said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "The trees being planted and cared for by Chubbuck ensure that generations to come will enjoy a better quality of life. Additionally, participation in this program helps cultivate a sense of stewardship and pride for the trees the community plants and cares for."
Planting trees in an urban space comes with a myriad of benefits past the recognition of this program. Urban tree plantings help reduce energy consumption by up to 25%, which will reduce general energy costs and help with the overall cooling of the city as well. In addition, members of the community benefit from properly placed trees, as they increase property values from 7%-20%. Trees also positively affect the local ecosystem by helping to clean water and create animal habitats to encourage biodiversity.
More information on the program is available at https://arborday.org/TreeCityUSA. | 2022-06-09T17:57:12Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Arbor Day Foundation recognizes Chubbuck as a Tree City USA® | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/arbor-day-foundation-recognizes-chubbuck-as-a-tree-city-usa/article_f0c0153e-761b-56a8-ac9e-5ac3d9b1c500.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/arbor-day-foundation-recognizes-chubbuck-as-a-tree-city-usa/article_f0c0153e-761b-56a8-ac9e-5ac3d9b1c500.html |
Ed Jordan
Have you been singing lately?
By Ed Jordan
How is your life going? That is a rhetorical question. Our budgets are being strained as we are paying more for energy, fuel, food, products, travel, and everything else. Businesses are struggling too. With a brutal war in Ukraine, increasing violence in the States, and constant bad news, life is getting tougher all the time.
So here is another rhetorical question. What have you been singing lately? Are you singing: “I never felt more like singing the blues?” Or, “Those were the days my friend?” How about “It is well with my soul,” or “Have Faith in God,” or “Through it all?” Spirituals, perhaps? “Swing Low,” or “Soon I will be done with the trouble of the world,” or “I got shoes, you got shoes, all God’s children got shoes; when I get to Heaven goin’ to put on my shoes and walk, all over God’s Heaven?”
God has given to us three gifts to help us get through hard times. One is the truth of God’s word, seen in the history of God’s involvement in rescuing and protecting His people. In the Bible we can read about times when God intervened and took care of people under impossibly bad situations. In the Bible we have a storehouse of God’s promises, given to those who love Him.
A second gift is the Spirit of God, who is the Comforter of God, who comes into the heart of every believer and is a constant source of comfort and strength.
A third gift that God has provided us is music or songs. Music has a healing quality, if the music is written for that purpose. The darkest day can brighten, as our heart sings a song that helps us know that we are not alone, that others have felt like we now feel, or that God is with us through it all.
In Psalm 119:54 (NRSV), King David told God: “Your statutes have been my songs, wherever I make my home.” David was a songwriter, a prolific one. Many of the Psalms in the book of Psalms are songs, written to be sung. David had a tough life. He had stress from being king, and had the former king Saul frequently trying to kill him. His kingdom expanded, but he spent many years militarily protecting the kingdom. He lost loved ones, experienced betrayal, battled giants, and his own sin. Through it all, David affirmed God’s instructions for life, and these became the themes of his songs.
Wherever I have served in ministry, I have been involved in leading people in singing. In the youth group in Las Vegas, we sang a lot of scripture songs, i.e. putting verses of scripture to music. God often gave me melodies and paraphrases that fit the verses. One such song was Joshua 1:9, which says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous too. Do not tremble or be afraid. For the Lord your God will be with you!” A song based upon Psalm 42 is in many hymn books today, which says: “As the deer pants for the waters, so my heart pants after You.”
God inspired a lullaby I wrote and recorded for a child whose family had barely escaped a fire which burned their house to the ground. The child was having difficulty sleeping after the fire, so I put music to my paraphrase of Psalm 4:11: “I will lie down and will sleep. Lie down and sleep in your peace. For You are my God and You’re always with me, filling my heart with Your peace. I will lie down and will sleep, sleep that is restful and sweet. I will awaken a new day to see, because You are living in me.”
One last verse that I sing to myself quite frequently is from Ps. 56:3-4: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. I will not fear what man in the flesh can do.”
Do you have a song to sing? That is the starting point. Find a song, or some songs, that lift your spirit when you are discouraged. Sing them frequently enough that they become second nature for you, so that whenever you need a song, you can bring the tune and words to mind and sing! Sing a song in the morning to get your day off to a good start! Sing one while you are pumping gas, and pray for a better life soon, in the future. Sing a tune that quiets your spirit and mind, to set the mood for a good night’s sleep.
Have you been singing lately? If not, why not start today!
Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA. He can be reached at szent.edward@gmail.com.
Paraphrase | 2022-06-09T17:57:25Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Have you been singing lately? | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/have-you-been-singing-lately/article_43e63fae-c56c-5d15-b704-1f2dbb68ee34.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/have-you-been-singing-lately/article_43e63fae-c56c-5d15-b704-1f2dbb68ee34.html |
Crosses bearing the names of the victims killed in the school shooting are seen through a balloon at a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on June 1.
SIPH promotes free online training that aims to prevent school shootings
Southeastern Idaho Public Health is urging local residents to take part in a free online training aimed to prevent school shootings.
The 30-minute course released by the QPR Institute, an organization dedicated to preventing suicide, is based on the “see something, say something model,” and it aims “to prepare everyone to recognize and respond to red flag warning signs of a possible school shooter,” according to SIPH press release.
The course is available 24/7 and can be accessed via any computer, tablet or smartphone. Participants who complete the training will receive a certificate.
The QPR Institute recently stated, “We feel it’s our responsibility to make available lifesaving resources whenever possible.”
“We, like so many others, are tired of waiting for change,” SIPH said in the press release. “By taking this training, you can become some of the change you have been waiting for. You can learn to identify developing violence toward self or others and, in the case of most school shootings, become part of the solution to the early risk identification and intervention necessary to avert another tragic loss of life.”
The training can be found at https://lnkd.in/g_9ecEap.
Qpr Institute | 2022-06-09T17:57:31Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | SIPH promotes free online training that aims to prevent school shootings | Community | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/siph-promotes-free-online-training-that-aims-to-prevent-school-shootings/article_1e7d4f5b-da1e-5700-974d-c8da0cd0bf21.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/community/siph-promotes-free-online-training-that-aims-to-prevent-school-shootings/article_1e7d4f5b-da1e-5700-974d-c8da0cd0bf21.html |
Owner of Bishop’s Gun Barn Merissa Bishop, middle, with her employees Chris Robbins, left, and Butch Robinson stand in front of the Gatling gun piece that greets customers when they first walk in the door of the Pocatello shop. The Gatling gun is for sale.
POCATELLO — A month into the grand opening of her gun shop, Merissa Bishop explained that business traffic has been booming in all the right ways.
“People are stopping and doing U-turns when they see the (open) sign,” said Bishop, a 62-year-old California native who moved to Pocatello in September. “We’ve even had a person stop and get rear-ended because they saw that we were open and wanted to come in. Reception has just been incredible.”
Some may say that the inventory of Bishop’s Gun Barn itself is incredible — as well as the custom services that Bishop and her employees provide. Along with selling guns and ammunition, they also manufacture both, and offer custom-build services for many types of firearms.
Whether it be an AR-10 cerakoted in whatever technicolor tint a customer wants (although not bubble-gum pink, though Bishop explained she might be swayed if one presses enough), or a .458 SOCOM bolt action rifle that doesn’t jam, Bishop is eager to help out any customer with their firearm interests.
“Say you want a .270 Remington, but you want it the way you want it, not the way it comes from a factory,” Bishop said. “I’ll put it together for you.”
If you want a threaded barrel so you can put a muzzle break on it? Done. You want a specific type of stock, laminated, and you want to have it magazine fed? That’s an option as well, explained Bishop. And if you ask, she will take you behind the scenes and guide you through the process of putting all the pieces together.
“You and I will sit down and we’ll go through and pick the stock out, pick out the barrel profile you want, pick out the muzzle break you want, bring it here and when the action comes back from the barrel maker … then you and I can put it together,” she said. “I’ll actually have you in the back there if you want. I can teach you how to build your own rifle.”
Bishop is no stranger to building and designing guns and ammunition. Originally starting out as an ammunitions manufacturer in California, she added making firearms to her repertoire after she got into competition shooting with an AR-15 3G18 competition rifle, which she manufactured herself.
“That was the very first one that we did, and it took off from there,” she said.
Since then she’s designed the 475 Bishop Short Magnum, also known as the AR475GAR, which is an AR-10 style rifle that was named one of 2020’s Best New Guns and Gear at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show by the Field & Stream Magazine editors.
Described by the editors as a “custom-fit work of art”, the AR475GAR’s name originated from a joke.
“I literally named it the way I did as a part of a joke,” she said. “Everyone at SHOT Show asked what does the GAR stand for? And my response was ‘Godzilla Auto Rifle’, because there’s nothing bigger or badder than this thing. The AR500 used to be the most powerful AR-10 on the planet until we came out with this. We beat them by 400 feet per second and a thousand pounds of energy.”
In addition to this creation, Bishop and her team also developed their own cartridge for this rifle, a .475 Magnum.
“This monster throws a 390-grain bullet at 2,500 feet per second,” she said. “It’s twice as heavy as a .308 and shoots just as fast. I’ve shot through a 20-inch pine tree with this and it keeps going.”
The 475 Bishop Short Magnum is available for sale and takes roughly six to nine months to custom-build. It — along with many other guns — also has finish options, which include cerakoting, a ceramic protective coat.
“Cerakoting makes it almost impervious,” she said. “I could take this rifle, drop it in the ocean and a year later, rinse it off and shoot it. That’s what cerakoting does, it protects the guns.”
Bishop, who practiced law for 30 years and is a veteran who served as a combat military police officer, said that although they’ve only been open for several months, the outpouring of interest from the local community — and outside it — has been phenomenal.
“I’m glad to be here,” she said. “The reception is overwhelming. It’s hard to get used to the fact that I go to places and people recognize me. It’s not unnerving, it’s just something that I’m not used to. I’m humbled by it.”
Bishop’s Gun Barn has seen residents from Lava Hot Springs to Atomic City to Boise visit the former Doc’s Gun Barn, many of whom explain that the business had a lasting positive influence on them even after it closed several years ago.
When past customers heard that the shop front was passed into good hands, they began flocking to the store that held good memories to see that the interior’s rustic personality remained unchanged, and that the shop offers a large inventory of more than 200 guns.
“I’m like, guys, there’s all types of gun stores between here and there, and they’re like, ‘yeah, well it’s not Doc’s … they’re not like you,’” Bishop said.
Moving to Pocatello has been a breath of fresh air for Bishop and her spouse, as she explained that California’s progressively shifting leftist policies were what drove them away.
“We got tired of California, the laws were crazy,” she said. “If the politics weren’t so Orwellian, I would probably still be there. … We came here and I felt like I stepped back to Orange County in 1978 where I graduated from high school. People are polite. People are courteous. The drivers aren’t lunatics.”
Pocatello was just one of several potential locations Bishop intended to settle, and it was Doc’s shop that sold her on the area.
“We came here and I fell in love with the building and I talked to Doc and we came to an agreement and he decided to sell to me,” she said.
Bishop intends to maintain that friendly neighborhood vibe that Doc’s Gun Barn so well established to many of its customers. She plans to install a wood-burning stove and create a casual coffee sitting area in the front of the store.
“We’re going to put a wood burning stove over there by the Gatling gun, and we’re gonna have a pot of coffee on it,” she said. “If you want to come by and just sit and have a cup of java with me … you just bring your mug in with your name on it, put it on a hook and be responsible for cleaning your own mug. If you want to contribute (to the purchase of the coffee), you contribute. But the idea is that you can come sit and relax.”
She added, “You don’t have to buy anything. It’d be nice if people do, but I want this as a kind of place for the community. I tell the parents I’m a grandmother and this is a safe place for kids. I mean, where else can kids go where they know they’re going to be safe? We’re all armed. You know if someone’s in trouble, come here. I’m a former military police officer. My manager is former (military police). The other gentleman who’s a salesman is also former military. We’re all U.S. army. We’re all combat veterans. No one’s going to get hurt around us. That’s the whole idea, is to have a safe place.”
For anyone interested in learning more about the firearms, ammunition and services Bishop’s Gun Barn provides, visit their Facebook page, call 208-233-3912 or stop by at their shop at 305 Jefferson Ave. Veterans, law enforcement and first responders will be offered 10 percent off their purchases.
Merissa Bishop | 2022-06-09T21:52:01Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Bishop’s Gun Barn sees success manufacturing ammunition, custom firearms | East Idaho | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/bishop-s-gun-barn-sees-success-manufacturing-ammunition-custom-firearms/article_f435bc4d-d64b-5ab4-af8a-12b903776021.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/bishop-s-gun-barn-sees-success-manufacturing-ammunition-custom-firearms/article_f435bc4d-d64b-5ab4-af8a-12b903776021.html |
A jet prepares to disembark passengers at the Pocatello Regional Airport in this 2018 photo.
Stephen Van Beek, the airport consultant who will be speaking to the community on Monday.
Photo courtesy of MiaKate Kennedy I
POCATELLO — Bannock Development Corp. is going to host a meeting with Stephen Van Beek, BDC airport consultant and expert, at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
MiaCate Kennedy I, CEO of Bannock Development Corp., explained that at the meeting Van Beek will discuss the next steps for economic development at the Pocatello Regional Airport, as well as answer questions from the public.
"He's agreed to come meet the public and answer their questions and help them understand why the airport is so vital," she said.
Kennedy explained that she has worked with Van Beek previously after meeting him through a colleague at the Spokane International Airport. Another reason he agreed to visit Pocatello is the potential that the airport has.
"We have an amazing airport," Kennedy said. "That's why he took this on. He said, 'What you have is really incredible and you should not let it go.' It could generate good revenue for the city."
Kennedy explained that Van Beek's plan will be implemented in different phases. Each phase will cost about $10,000. The whole plan will cost around $40,000 to $50,000 and should take about two years to complete.
"With each phase, he gives us plans and goals," she said. "We work with him overtime to make sure those plans are implemented."
Kennedy encourages everyone in the community to attend the meeting, regardless of their opinion about the airport.
"Everyone should attend," she said.
The meeting will be held at the Training Level of Portneuf Health Trust’s City Center Campus at 1001 N. Seventh Ave. in Pocatello. Those planning to attend should RSVP at shelley@bannockdevelopment.org or by calling 208-233-3500. Refreshments will be provided.
Stephen Van Beek
Bannock Development Corp. | 2022-06-09T21:52:07Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Consultant to discuss economic development plan for Pocatello airport | East Idaho | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/consultant-to-discuss-economic-development-plan-for-pocatello-airport/article_0010e3ac-d489-5915-9898-61999a979434.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/east_idaho/consultant-to-discuss-economic-development-plan-for-pocatello-airport/article_0010e3ac-d489-5915-9898-61999a979434.html |
Pocatello police and Pocatello Fire Department emergency medical personnel responded to Mandarin House in Pocatello Wednesday evening after a local man allegedly battered two employees.
The alleged attack occurred around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when employees of the Mandarin House restaurant on Yellowstone Avenue overheard a man, later identified as Vinson, and a woman arguing in the parking lot of the former location for Senor Garcia's Puerto Vallarta on Cedar Street, according to a police report the Idaho State Journal obtained Thursday.
"We want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to Pocatello Police Department/EMT’s for their quick (response) to our 911 call at 826 p.m., when a mad individual came in, physically assaulted two of our employees, and damaged our property,” the Facebook post read. “Everyone is getting better emotionally, some of our front staff/customers are still very traumatized from this violent experience. Once again, thank you for being there in a time of need.”
Vinson was transported to the Bannock County Jail following the incident. He appeared in front of 6th District Judge Paul Laggis for an arraignment hearing Thursday, during which his bond was set at $75,000 an no-contact orders were issued between him and the victims, court records show. | 2022-06-09T21:52:26Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Police: Local man charged with felony for battering staff inside Mandarin House restaurant | Crimes & Court | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_court/police-local-man-charged-with-felony-for-battering-staff-inside-mandarin-house-restaurant/article_3976eef4-ee0d-5cfb-a74b-43e522a61d8d.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_court/police-local-man-charged-with-felony-for-battering-staff-inside-mandarin-house-restaurant/article_3976eef4-ee0d-5cfb-a74b-43e522a61d8d.html |
Sherman was transported to the Caribou Medical Center via ground ambulance and subsequently flown by helicopter ambulance to Portnuef Medical Center in Pocatello, but she succumbed to her injuries later that morning, the sheriff's office said.
A 35-year-old man from Idaho Falls was driving a Chevrolet Silverado southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near milepost 140 when he collided with a juvenile driving a GMC Sierra pickup truck, state police said.
The 35-year old man driving the Chevrolet Silverado was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing his seatbelt. As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Jefferson County Coroner had been unable to reach the man’s next of kin.
Lance Bateman | 2022-06-09T21:52:45Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Three people die, one injured in three separate East Idaho crashes Wednesday | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/three-people-die-one-injured-in-three-separate-east-idaho-crashes-wednesday/article_b054ae8d-cb04-5185-bbce-d71ad0114b34.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/three-people-die-one-injured-in-three-separate-east-idaho-crashes-wednesday/article_b054ae8d-cb04-5185-bbce-d71ad0114b34.html |
Gem Prep Charter School students Lydia Knapp, Carter Johnson and Isaac Robinson will present their history projects at the National History Day competition this coming week in Maryland.
Lydia Knapp's history project focused on dancers sent abroad by the CIA during the Cold War.
Three local eighth graders will represent Idaho at the National History Day competition, which will be hosted virtually June 12-18.
Lydia Knapp, Carter Johnson and Isaac Robinson — all students at Gem Prep Charter School in Chubbuck — spent all year engaged in a program that focuses on historical research, interpretation and creative expression.
After participating in a regional competition where they advanced in the competition that included 238 students from East Idaho and 185 projects, they advanced to the state competition that included 345 Idaho students and 241 projects.
In the end, Carter and Isaac’s project about Woodrow Wilson and Lydia’s project about dancers sent abroad by the CIA during the Cold War are two of 47 projects from Idaho students that will be judged at the national competition this coming week, hosted virtually by the University of Maryland.
“It’s pretty hard to describe,” Isaac said when asked about moving to the national level. “I really enjoy science and math. History is a little outside my comfort zone. So, It’s a boost of confidence for sure.”
According to a press release from Gem Prep, “More than half a million students participate in the competition every year, conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website.”
Having been friends and classmates for the past five years, Carter and Isaac decided to submit a joint project. They chose to create a website focused on the topic, “Woodrow Wilson: Reformations and Neutrality.”
Carter said they didn’t expect to even get past the regionals to compete at the state level.
“Going to state was the last of our concerns,” he said. “We were focusing on our school work and what we needed to do for our history class.”
Both students hold a 4.0 GPA and were doing their best for their project not necessarily for the competition.
On the other hand, Lydia is an avid history buff and was excited to delve into such a project.
“I’ve loved dance since I was little. I wanted a topic that had to do with dance,” she said. “I talked to (social studies teacher Sara) Olds and she was very helpful. I was actually surprised she knew how to advise me on dance as diplomacy. She mentioned that during the Cold War there were dancers who were sent abroad by the CIA. And that started my research.”
Lydia decided to present her project as a documentary and says that she spent hours in the Idaho State University library trying to find articles and books on the subject.
“If I hadn’t chosen a topic that I feel passionate about, it would have been much harder to stick with it,” she said. “There was very little reference material available on this subject.”
The three students have one piece of advice that they all agreed on for students considering following in their footsteps: “Don’t procrastinate.”
Isaac added, “Don’t overthink your project. You need to be able to do the best you can and trust your work. Try not to change every little piece. There will be flaws, but if our project is an example, it doesn’t have to be perfect to get to nationals.”
Carter also added that when you’re choosing a topic, try to choose something original, even though there may be more difficulty finding sources.
“One of the judge’s comments on our project was encouraging: ‘Very nice. Original topic. Couldn’t wait to hear more,’” Carter said.
For teacher Sara Olds, seeing her students succeed is a proud moment.
“This was the first time our scholars leaped into NHD,” Olds said. “This rigorous experience requires research — finding both primary and secondary sources, creating historical arguments, critical thinking and rolling all of this into a finished product and then creating an annotated bibliography. It's a massive undertaking. Because it's their first year doing this, it was sort of like dropping them into the ocean and telling them to paddle back to shore. With great determination, moments of discouragement and flashes of triumph, every scholar grades seven through nine in Gem Prep's whole network participated in the journey. We're so proud of them!”
Isaac Robinson
Lydia Knapp
Sara Olds | 2022-06-09T21:52:51Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Three Pocatello area students to represent Idaho in national history competition | Local | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/three-pocatello-area-students-to-represent-idaho-in-national-history-competition/article_7253e734-b55d-5c54-8e0b-dbc189d9ee20.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/three-pocatello-area-students-to-represent-idaho-in-national-history-competition/article_7253e734-b55d-5c54-8e0b-dbc189d9ee20.html |
A Delta jet prepares to taxi at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport in this 2018 file photo.
IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA), along with aha!, powered by veteran ExpressJet Airlines, announced new airline service between Idaho Falls and Reno, Nevada, commencing on Aug. 11, 2022.
“We are excited to welcome aha! and add another nonstop destination to our airport,” said Idaho Falls Regional Airport Director Rick Cloutier. “This addition is another option to serve the people of eastern Idaho. Both Reno and Idaho Falls travelers are eager to explore the great recreational opportunities of both communities.”
The new aha! route will fly to IDA two times a week with 50-seat Embraer ERJ145 regional jets. Flights will operate each Thursday and Sunday, departing Reno-Tahoe International Airport at 7:40 a.m. PT and arriving at IDA at 10:15 a.m. MT. Return flights will depart Idaho Falls at 10:55 a.m. MT and arrive in Reno-Tahoe at 11:30 a.m. PT.
“We are thrilled to offer Idaho Falls residents with the opportunity to explore the incredible outdoor recreation, dining and culture of Reno and Lake Tahoe without lengthy drives or layovers,” said Tim Sieber, head of ExpressJet’s aha! business unit. “Idaho Falls is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and provides Reno travelers with easy access to iconic destinations like Yellowstone National Park and the Idaho Falls Greenbelt.”
In the past two years, IDA has added three new airlines and numerous nonstop destinations, including aha! The airport also sits in the top third of the busiest commercial airports in the nation for the percentage of available seats filled. IDA also had a record setting first quarter in 2022, with over 105,000 passengers making their way through IDA. This record setting upward trend is expected to continue, despite challenges faced across the aviation industry.
“The addition of aha! to the Idaho Falls Regional Airport exemplifies the success of our region and airport,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “It’s perfect timing to add to our choice of flights to give greater connections for our residents and visitors alike.”
IDA just recently completed a $12 million, 38,000-square-foot expansion project that has allowed IDA to bring more flights to the airport. The expansion project was funded entirely by the Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Improvement Program.
Book the new flights at www.flyaha.com or through the aha! contact center at 775-439-0888. | 2022-06-10T01:20:48Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Airline announces nonstop flights between Idaho Falls and Reno | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/airline-announces-nonstop-flights-between-idaho-falls-and-reno/article_ff293b7d-fcf6-5687-a1f1-1f2b84e7eb01.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/airline-announces-nonstop-flights-between-idaho-falls-and-reno/article_ff293b7d-fcf6-5687-a1f1-1f2b84e7eb01.html |
A 36-year-old local woman is now jailed in Bannock County after being involved in a high-speed chase Monday and escaping from Portneuf Medical Center early Tuesday morning.
Rafelita Miguelita Gallegos of American Falls had been arrested following a police pursuit through Pocatello, into Chubbuck and back into Pocatello on Monday.
She was then admitted to PMC to be medically cleared but around 6 a.m. Tuesday walked away from the hospital. Pocatello police then arrested her again around 1:55 p.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of Wayne Avenue.
Gallegos was transported again to PMC where she received medical clearance before being incarcerated at the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a review to determine the circumstances surrounding how Gallegos was able to leave the hospital Tuesday morning, according to a news release from Bannock County spokesperson Emma Iannacone.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office extended thanks to both the Pocatello Police Department and the staff at PMC for their assistance and cooperation.
Gallegos has not been charged with any additional crimes as a result of the chase on Monday, but was arrested on seven outstanding warrants for failing to appear for her numerous active felony court cases.
The Idaho State Journal reported in April that Gallegos was charged with battery on certain personnel and possession of a controlled substance, meth, with the intent to distribute, of which both are felonies, following an incident on April 20 on the 800 block of Alameda Road.
Gallegos refused to allow officers to place her into handcuffs during the April 20 incident and began twisting and turning in an attempt to get away, the Journal reported. The officers were able to get Gallegos on the ground but she continued resisting and kicked one of the officers in the chest, police said. Eventually officers were able to secure her in handcuffs.
She had been released from jail last month after her Bannock County Public Defender, Ashley LaVallee, successfully argued to have Gallegos’ bond reduced to $5,000 for each of the four felony cases despite objections from Bannock County Deputy Prosecutor David McNeill, court records show.
The felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute charge Gallegos faces carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. | 2022-06-10T01:20:54Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Fugitive involved in Monday high-speed chase recaptured after fleeing PMC following arrest | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fugitive-involved-in-monday-high-speed-chase-recaptured-after-fleeing-pmc-following-arrest/article_668a75fb-6fe7-55b2-b8e7-6888aa4bf4e5.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/fugitive-involved-in-monday-high-speed-chase-recaptured-after-fleeing-pmc-following-arrest/article_668a75fb-6fe7-55b2-b8e7-6888aa4bf4e5.html |
Marsh Valley graduate Hunter Roche wrestles a steer to the ground Wednesday evening at Pocatello Downs.
Marsh Valley graduate Hunter Roche dismounts his horse and gets ready to take down a steer Wednesday evening at Pocatello Downs.
Hunter Roche hardly had to think. Here he was, outside a set of stalls at the Pocatello Downs, the place where another round of the high school rodeo was unfolding Wednesday evening. The word he kept coming back to was adrenaline. There’s nothing like it, he says, describing the rush he gets from his best event, steer wrestling.
But Roche, who just graduated from Marsh Valley, starred on the Eagles’ basketball and football teams each of the past two seasons. So how does the adrenaline compare? How similar are rodeo and his other two sports?
Here, Roche smiles: “They’re not even close.”
You understand the more you learn about Roche’s rodeo savvy. On Wednesday, when he bolted out of the gate, dismounted his horse and took down a steer in 4.26 seconds, good for a win in the event, it became clear. It all happened so fast: The race out of the gate, the way he jumped off the horse and wrangled the steer to the ground.
In that way, he says, football and basketball just aren’t the same. He can’t get the same feeling from making a tackle or scoring a basket. He can come close — “it’s kinda like knowing you’re gonna get hit,” he says — but there’s a distinct difference.
“I mean, you wreck and you won’t even feel it for 10 minutes,” Roche says. “It’ll just hit you afterward. You’ve got so much adrenaline, you’re not even thinking, almost.”
That only means something because when he looks back at his career as an Eagle, Roche will realize he’s left a meaningful footprint. Marsh Valley’s basketball team reached the 3A state tournament each of the three years Roche played at the varsity level, including a state championship in 2021. The Eagles’ football team made state two of the last three years, advancing as far as last season’s quarterfinals.
In that stretch, Roche quarterbacked the football team, using a sharp arm and natural instincts to steady the Eagles’ offense. “We have a lot to prove. I feel like there’s a lot of doubters,” Roche said before last season. “There are people thinking like, ‘They didn’t do great last year, what are they going to do (this year)?’” Marsh Valley may not have won state, but a quarterfinal finish isn’t bad either.
Then there’s Roche’s role on the basketball team.
“Started at post,” he says.
Wait, this 6-foot-even guy played the four?
“Yup,” Roche says. “We just had a lot smaller kids.”
All of which makes Roche’s accomplishments at this rodeo more remarkable. He’s been rodeoing most of his life, and he’s made the finals each of the last four years. At last year’s rodeo, Roche captured state titles in the steer wrestling and calf roping. “It was pretty good,” Roche said.
For Roche, things haven’t gone as swimmingly this summer. He did capture another state title in the steer wrestling, but the calf roping title eluded him — “I was super long. I bobbled my tie, and it just wasn’t a super great run,” he says. “It’s kinda just been a rough week overall.”
Thing is, he can’t describe his Marsh Valley career the same way. In truth, it’s been an impressive one, an all-around stint that will make him hard to forget in Arimo. That prompts what feels like a fair question: How does he want to be remembered? What kinds of memories will stick with him in the future, after he completes his two-year mission and he starts the rest of his life?
“So many memories,” Roche says. “State title, obviously. Just any of the high school things we’ve always done. Marsh Valley is kind of a party place, and they like to have fun. There’s a lot of good people out there. It’s been a blast for me. I’m happy to graduate, move on with my life.” | 2022-06-10T01:21:13Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Marsh Valley's Hunter Roche is riding off into the sunset — literally | Preps | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/preps/marsh-valleys-hunter-roche-is-riding-off-into-the-sunset-literally/article_10d4f336-9d61-5b5f-afd7-d2fd18876aa6.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/preps/marsh-valleys-hunter-roche-is-riding-off-into-the-sunset-literally/article_10d4f336-9d61-5b5f-afd7-d2fd18876aa6.html |
The Bengal statue at Idaho State University overlooks campus.
Photo courtesy of Idaho State University
The headline popped up about a week ago: “ISU football coach arrested in connection with 2017 Arizona murder.” I immediately sent a text to a friend: “ISU can't catch a break with a parachute.” As far as I'm concerned, that's completely true. ISU has a knack for making headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
My favorite saying from a former ISU president: “I don't care about making headlines in the Idaho State Journal, I want to make them in the New York Times.” That, he sure did. Just not quite in the manner that he'd intended.
As I've heard from people around town about this latest incident, I'm struck by the degree to which many are writing this off as yet another in a long line of screw ups from a dysfunctional institution run by players who are not ready for prime time. And though I have some general sympathy for this point of view, based on decades of experience at ISU, I'm not ready to go straight to harsh in this particular instance. At least not yet.
I know; why don't you lay down and let me fan you gently so that you don't go into shock.
First, a disclaimer. I don't know much about ISU football in the here and now. I was once a member of the ISU Athletic Board for a few years, but it's been roughly a quarter century since I've attended an ISU football game. I don't know Coach Ragel, athletic director Thiros or the arrestee, Mr. Neal. My opinion about this is formed strictly from a distance.
Nonetheless and for what it's worth, I'm going to cut ISU some slack on this one. I think that they are getting a bad rap.
I don't need to know Coach Ragel to comprehend that no coach, especially one new to head coaching would deliberately make a move to place himself behind the 8-ball by bringing along an assistant coach sitting on a time bomb. It makes no sense to do such a thing when you are trying to build a new culture better than the old culture.
Everything that I've been able to find about Coach Ragel suggests to me that he's a pretty good man who's sincere in trying to turn ISU football around. Until circumstances provide me with a better reason to think otherwise, I'm sticking with that.
I think that a lot of what motivates people who are down on ISU is the bitter taste from years of both poor administration and lack of meaningful or productive engagement with our community. ISU was mismanaged for virtually my whole time there. It was far more unusual to meet someone at ISU who was at or near the top of their game than it was to meet someone who was in way over their head — and oblivious to it.
ISU is surely in the running for the worst college town experience on the planet. ISU has made little effort to work with the community — at least for the 30 years I've been here. And it shows up in mockery and disdain when things at ISU go sideways.
Back in the 1990s, I was the chair of the Community Development Commission for a few years. At one point, ISU came to a planning meeting with members of the CDC, city council and department heads, asking for an exception to an ordinance. The problem was that it was less of a request than it was a demand presented in a most arrogant and condescending manner.
When the ISU contingent left, I remember everyone else in the room turning to look at me. One person finally voiced the universal thought out loud: “You actually work with those people?”
Then there was the RISE. RISE was supposed to be an enormous jobs and regional influence generator for Southeast Idaho. The “Gallium Valley of Pocatello.”
Everything about RISE, even the acquisition of the building that housed it, was controversial. And in the end, when it sank into ignominy like a lead balloon on Jupiter, its progenitors and cheerleaders slunk off into obscurity. ISU still has some explaining to do about exactly where the tens of millions of dollars that went into the RISE debacle ended up, with nothing to show for any of it. No cloaking devices, no magic batteries, nothing. When student employees are being paid late, and in cash, you should know that you have a problem. And many of us are having a hard time believing that all of this was the result of malfeasance from a single low-level administrator.
Many of those who supported this debacle are still at ISU, still running things. I, and I daresay others, wonder why.
But that was then, this is now. The current ISU president, Kevin Satterlee, is, as far as I can tell, a considerable upgrade from both ISU presidents under which I served. He seems to be well-liked by most of the faculty and staff. There's no doubt that the guy bleeds orange and black. AD Thiros, similarly, seems competent. And Coach Ragel deserves a fair chance to get the football program going in the right direction.
So I'm going to cut ISU some slack on this one. It's up to you, but you might want to think about doing the same.
Associated Press and Idaho Club award-winning columnist Martin Hackworth of Pocatello is a physicist, writer and retired Idaho State University faculty member who now spends his time with family, riding mountain bikes and motorcycles and playing guitars. His writing on Substack, “Howlin' at the Moon in ii-V-I” may be found at martinhackworth.substack.com
Ragel
Thiros | 2022-06-10T19:37:42Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Cutting ISU some slack | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/cutting-isu-some-slack/article_7499cd93-f0b6-553e-a237-b0ba0d5e9466.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/cutting-isu-some-slack/article_7499cd93-f0b6-553e-a237-b0ba0d5e9466.html |
Muddling toward a goal
What word explains nearly all of society’s evils? What motivates violence and crime, explains radical extremism, corporate greed, the federal deficit, pollution and drugs. That word is “impatience.”
Every worthy end has a means, a process or journey that achieves the desired goal. Evil happens when we impatiently jump the line and bypass the necessary steps.
The good feeling of a comfortable, well-provided-for life surrounded by the companionship of loved ones is a widely held desirable goal. Such a goal is frequently achieved after years of hard work coupled with sincere selfless service to family and friends.
But it is the immediate “good feeling” of a dopamine rush that hooks drug addicts. Immediate vengeance or “validation” or societal attention propels most mass murderers. The desire for immediate un-earned material wealth motivates theft, embezzlement and fraud.
Impatience even explains why we don’t make hearty meals from home-grown vegetables, and we clothe ourselves in fabrics spun from petroleum-derived plastic fibers. Carding and spinning and weaving, once an essential part of “life,” are now just too time-consuming.
In the corporate world, the fixation on immediate spectacular return is almost synonymous with poor management. Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history, regularly preaches the value of patience. He famously said, “If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes.”
Companies can now be sued if they act impatiently, failing to disclose and account for long-term supply chains, down-stream product stewardship and future liability for waste and emissions.
But it is in public policy that impatience is most devastating. No dictator was ever installed for the “long slow deliberate improvements” they promised. Dictators are created by impatience: the demand for immediate change achieved through concentrated power. In the entire history of human civilization, this “short-cut” has been deemed “successful” exactly zero times.
Politicians, who are frequently begging voters to re-elect them and need “results” on an election timetable, are notoriously impatient. Why save for a future crisis when we can spend money we don’t have now and worry about who will pay for it after the election is over?
An exception was Idaho’s United States Sen. Steve Symms. In 1981 Symms staged a competition between the U.S. Postal Service and a volunteering group of endurance riders organized to imitate the Pony Express. The riders delivered the letter 48 hours sooner than the Postal Service.
“So did this help in an effort to abolish the Postal Service?” I asked the senator. “No,” he replied. “That would be highly disruptive, put thousands of people out of work and destroy entire businesses built around mail ordering. My goal is just to chip away at the monopoly and allow private carriers to provide competitive services.”
What the senator understood was that, in a truly free society, sudden swift decisive action is unnatural and costly, riddled with innocent bystander victims. He frequently quoted Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman who believed “muddling toward a goal may be the best thing society can do.”
This is especially true when what society needs is to alter the nature of human beings themselves. Laws, jails, police and punishments are historically poor at changing human nature. But knowledge, diffused throughout the population, permits individuals to chart their own paths to change.
Such “change of heart” doesn’t happen all at once. It happens as people realize a truth and apply it in their lives. A chart tracking this change will have no straight lines, depicting acceptance through lulls and spurts, giving the chart the appearance of “muddling” toward a goal.
With apologies to Margaret Mead, do not be surprised that great good happens when free humans “muddle” toward common betterment. Indeed, no other path has ever taken us there.
Steve Symms | 2022-06-10T19:37:48Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Muddling toward a goal | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/muddling-toward-a-goal/article_76a83ce5-e484-5dbe-aa35-2117da172215.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/muddling-toward-a-goal/article_76a83ce5-e484-5dbe-aa35-2117da172215.html |
Dr. Kenneth Krell
The consequences of an activist court
By Dr. Kenneth Krell
We will suffer the consequences of Donald Trump’s federal court and Supreme Court appointees for a long, long time.
The litmus test for Trump appointees when he succeeded in packing the federal bench involved two areas — ending abortion rights and dismantling the “administrative state.” Shockingly, the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade seems to confirm the end of women’s right to choose, and the consequences for Idaho will be devastating.
Not only will abortion be entirely illegal in Idaho, but our Legislature’s copycat of the Texas ban will also make any health care provider subject to a felony conviction, with a two- to five-year sentence for performing an abortion, a remarkable intrusion on a woman’s right to choose. That felony may cross state lines, such that a provider in Oregon, for instance, may be subject to prosecution in Idaho under this statute. Even if that doesn’t hold, poorer women without the means to travel will not have access to legal, safe abortions, and we will see a rise in maternal deaths, as before Roe v. Wade and Casey.
In addition, Idaho lawmakers, emboldened by the leaked Supreme Court decision, are now contemplating restrictions on contraception. House State Affairs Committee Chairman Brent Crane has indicated he will hold hearings on legislation banning emergency contraception and termination pills prescribed up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, further restricting women’s options.
He also stated he wasn’t certain whether IUDs ought to be banned, then seemed to back away from that statement. Crane stated he’d heard safety concerns and “complications” caused by morning-after pills and Plan B (which medically aborts early pregnancy) despite years of safe use clearly demonstrated in the medical literature. With remarkable arrogance, he is suggesting substituting his uneducated opinion for that of medical professionals.
If Idaho lawmakers prevail in banning some methods of contraception, women will die — particularly those with limited financial means to travel. White old men will have their way with telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies, invading their right to privacy and dictating morals in what ought to be a private matter between a woman and her physician.
But the other area the Trump appointees advocate, with serious consequence, is in the area of administrative regulation: prohibiting federal agencies from adequately interpreting statutes relating to public health and welfare, all part of the far-right effort to dismantle the federal government. Beginning with Neil Gorsuch, conservative judges openly advocated for abandoning the “chevron deference,” based on a unanimous 1984 Supreme Court decision that said judges must defer to reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes by federal agencies.
As a result, a Texas federal judge recently overturned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask mandate for public transportation. In the Health Freedom Defense Fund Inc. v. Biden, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle declared the CDC had no authority under the 1944 Public Health Services Act to issue the mask mandate. In fact, the CDC had only temporarily extended the mask mandate and in all probability would have soon ended the mandate. But the larger issue surrounds the ability of the CDC, and other federal agencies, to institute public health measures when necessary to save lives.
Interestingly, this “defense fund” advocacy group was founded by Hailey, Idaho resident Leslie Manookian, who has also sued the city of Hailey and Ada County for their mask mandates. The group chose a plaintiff in Texas specifically, since Judge Mizelle was known to be vehemently opposed to any federal regulatory rules, including public health regulations. Mizelle, who was appointed by Trump after he lost the election, was opposed by the American Bar Association as unqualified, but nonetheless appointed.
Nevertheless, Mizelle ruled that the PHSA, despite a laundry list of restrictions the federal agencies could institute, including “inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination and destruction” and “other measures” excluded a mask mandate. Mizelle concluded that sanitation didn’t include masking and that somehow “other measures” didn’t apply — a decision clearly reaching for a rationale to invoke a predetermined judicial philosophy.
Mizelle even admitted the value of the mandate, stating “the court accepts the CDC’s policy determination that requiring masks will limit COVID-19 transmission and will decrease the serious illness and death that COVID-19 occasions … but that finding by itself is not sufficient to establish good cause.”
Just imagine if we had an Ebola outbreak in this country and this ruling prevails and the CDC is powerless to intervene, even though massive deaths could occur, since “that finding by itself is not sufficient to establish a good cause.” Again, remarkable arrogance in substituting this judge’s unschooled opinion for that of the professionals at the CDC, who are charged — by law — with protecting public health.
Both judicial philosophies — opposition to reproductive rights and the attempts to dismantle the federal government’s regulatory ability — will have far-reaching and long-lasting deleterious effects on the public health and welfare — the most basic responsibility of the federal government. Frighteningly, one can only imagine what other rights these appointees could restrict next, such as the right to marry whomever one wishes, and what other risks to public health the courts could next inflict.
Dr. Kenneth Krell is an intensivist at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
Krell is an intensivist at EIRMC. | 2022-06-10T19:38:00Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | The consequences of an activist court | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-consequences-of-an-activist-court/article_42c66b8e-d44c-53af-846e-390fa757ac2a.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-consequences-of-an-activist-court/article_42c66b8e-d44c-53af-846e-390fa757ac2a.html |
The unacknowledged victims of school shootings
Meghan Hollingsworth, with the help of little Jacob Hall, the smallest student in her class, was holding open the door from her classroom to the playground. As her students filed by, they took a cupcake from the tray she held, treats to celebrate the birthday of one of the first-graders.
Jacob was 7-year-old Ava Olsen’s best friend. Less than a month before, she had written him a note asking him to come to her house. “You can play with my cats. Do you want to get married when you come? My mom will make us lunch.”
Ava was already walking down the sidewalk with her chocolate cupcake when she saw a black pickup rolling up to the playground fence. Even before it quit moving a tall boy stepped out of the truck. That’s when she saw the gun. Her cupcake fell from her hand.
The shots were loud. Her teacher was shouting, screaming for the kids to run, as they had been taught to do.
Ava, too far from the door, ran for the back of the building and safety. Collin Edwards, dashing into the classroom, felt a fiery pain in his right foot. Meghan barely noticed the bullet that struck her left shoulder.
Jacob crumpled onto the carpet. “Miss Sanchez,” he said to Pamela, the teacher’s aide, “My leg hurts.” By the time the classroom door was locked, and all the students had been moved to a room where they could not be seen from outside, Jacob was already unconscious. He died three days later.
You’ve probably never heard of the elementary school in Townville, South Carolina. There was a story on this shooting, written by reporter John W. Cox, published in the Washington Post, and later retold in his book, “Children Under Fire: An American Crisis.” This account is condensed from that book.
In the book, Cox wrote that, despite the damage to his foot and ankle, with rest Collin can run again. He, and Meghan, too, have also gone back to Townville Elementary. Ava has not.
The death of Jacob “was an act of violence … few outside South Carolina remembered for long ...,” Cox wrote. “…until I traveled to Townville and immersed myself in the lives of children who, though they did not die or wear even a single scar from the shooting, had been shattered by it. That trip made me realize … even those of us engaged on the issue of school shootings, fail to comprehend the devastation they truly leave behind.”
“My real epiphany came during a conversation with” the Baptist pastor “who counseled children for weeks after the attack,” wrote Cox. “The kids who came to him … in fifth or sixth grade … none had seen any of the violence on the playground. …Yet they, too, struggled with sleeplessness, nightmares, incessant fear that the gunman would return.”
This was the work of a 14-year-old boy. He fired five shots over a span of 12 seconds before his pistol jammed.
When Cox’s book was written, more than two years after the Townville shooting, Ava was still in counseling. She was prescribed medication to let her sleep at night, and to deal with her overwhelming sadness, and her unpredictable outbursts of violent anger.
Meanwhile, Collin appears to cope reasonably well. His father reports being more likely than Collin to suffer from reminders of the shooting.
Ava and others like her have experienced crippling PTSD from exposure to violent trauma. Why some individuals, including Collin, are more psychologically resilient than others is one of the puzzles revealed by school shootings in particular, and gun violence in general.
Cox summarized what numerous studies have shown. Just the sound of gunshots in a violent shooting is enough to damage many lives. The damage is terrible, and it’s lasting.
Cox and a colleague investigated school shootings back to Columbine High in 1999. As of 2018 in this country inside schools during shootings there had been more than 240,000 students. That’s more than the entire population of Boise!
Those witnesses to gun violence are a tiny subset of the number of Americans harmed, though not shot, by the epidemic of shootings we are witnessing. When will we muster the courage to face this?
Dave Finkelnburg is a long-time Idahoan, a former newspaper journalist, and is currently semi-retired from an engineering career.
John W. Cox
Ava Olsen
Meghan Hollingsworth
Collin Edwards | 2022-06-10T19:38:06Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | The unacknowledged victims of school shootings | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-unacknowledged-victims-of-school-shootings/article_ec37ab92-267e-5111-bceb-5485721f451a.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/the-unacknowledged-victims-of-school-shootings/article_ec37ab92-267e-5111-bceb-5485721f451a.html |
At its June 6 meeting, the board asked its interim superintendent (the last one had effectively resigned in protest when the new board took over) to develop over the next two to three months a process for getting rid of books the board, or maybe certained listened-to parents, disapproved of. | 2022-06-10T19:38:19Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | A process for banning books | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-process-for-banning-books/article_9429e9b4-ea6f-51fb-a599-00aac31cd2c8.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/a-process-for-banning-books/article_9429e9b4-ea6f-51fb-a599-00aac31cd2c8.html |
I would feel a lot more comfortable about all the states that have lately passed new highly restrictive abortion laws, along with the other states just waiting for Supreme Court’s shoe to drop, if we weren’t just talking about women.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, 13 states, including Idaho and Utah, have so-called “trigger” laws in effect. These already-passed abortion-ending bills are set to become law the minute Roe v. Wade vanishes.
In previous columns, I’ve stated that I am not a fan of abortions for both religious and personal reasons. But I realize that the decision to have an abortion is extraordinarily personal and not subject to one-size-fits-all boiler-plate pronouncements.
Meanwhile, you and I, sitting in our comfortable kitchens on Sunday morning, tsk-tsk the whole thing, with that ugliest of platitudes: If she didn’t want to get pregnant, she should have kept her knees together.
But so far, I haven’t heard of a single legislature moving in this direction. I’ve also noticed that the state legislators who would be writing these laws are still overwhelmingly male, although I’m sure this is just coincidence.
None of this is the child’s fault, by the way. We can complain all we want how awful it is that people have sex before marriage, that men are too-often happy to lie about their undying devotion to the woman of the month in order to you-know-what, that women without support can be forced into decisions that will predictably make them lifelong takers in society instead of givers — none of this is the fault of child, who arrives simple, pure and greatly in need of devoted love, nourishment and a steady, gentle, guiding hand. | 2022-06-10T19:38:25Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Finding My Way: Abortion and the male escape clause | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/finding-my-way-abortion-and-the-male-escape-clause/article_cffb0dfd-81f8-5e0e-81f8-873b432331bd.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/finding-my-way-abortion-and-the-male-escape-clause/article_cffb0dfd-81f8-5e0e-81f8-873b432331bd.html |
Gun versus environmental control
The Second Amendment is the third shortest article and only contains 27 words. Yet it is the most hotly debated portion of our constitution. I feel brevity is usually best. But friendships are being tested over whether your own interpretation is of an originalist or textualist foundation.
An originalist would believe all the amendments are absolute rights versus privileges. There is a basic and simple difference between the two concepts of right versus privilege. A right cannot, should not be, infringed upon as the Second Amendment clearly states. It is intended to be permanent and eternal. A privilege is what your parents or government grant to you and can be, should be, removed or temporarily adjusted if the responsibility that accompanies it is abused, neglected or in any way misused.
With every all too frequent mass shooting, my thoughts dwell on the possible solutions to the problem of the right to bear arms. I will admit that I do not grasp the reasons for owning an assault style rifle aside from the military or law enforcement ranks. But I defend and agree with their constitutional right to own and bear such a weapon if they so choose. My son owns a 9 mm pistol. Hobby interest and self protection are his motivational reasons. I do not disagree with him either and pray daily he handles it wisely.
Where my thoughts seem to land include a few principles I would like to pontificate on briefly:
1. We should avoid “infringing” on the Second Amendment right to “bear arms.” That is the actual wording, “the right to bear arms shall not be infringed upon.” The definition of infringement is: ‘to encroach, hinder, defeat or frustrate in a way that violates the law or the rights of another.” So with that being said, does a waiting period, background check (found to be unconstitutional by SCOTUS in 1997) or requirement for extra training prior to purchase such a weapon infringe that right? I suggest it does only for those who have other nefarious intentions. The Brady Law, passed in 1994 following the attempted assasination of President Ronald Reagan required a waiting period for the purchase of handguns. Evidence is sketchy as to whether or not a decline in gun violence was produced by this requirement. But my spidey sense says that it should have an effect. A law-abiding citizen should be understanding and patient enough to negotiate those standards that are meant for public and personal safety.
2. The example of the extra steps to secure a hunting license or driver's license are applicable to the discussion because those two things are privileges, not constitutional rights. Therefore, I would not label those requirements as infringements. Privileges can be restricted or removed by those giving the privilege but a right should not and cannot be infringed upon, if you are an originalist in constitutional interpretations.
3. Control of our environment seems to be the paramount and least controversial aspect of the discussion of what is right. Why are we not enforcing the multitude of laws already on the books? Why are courts and prosecutors so reluctant to charge, prosecute and enforce violations of a felony nature that involves guns? Any law enforcement officer can tell you of dismissed or reduced charges in cases that resulted in potentially violent personalities maintaining their gun rights. Only to see repeat offenses leading to death or injury. Why are our schools so unprepared by not conducting more frequent safety drills for both students and staff? I am not speaking of the old fashioned fire drills, which are mandated by Idaho state law (Idaho code 16.03.22.410), but of the more intense and detailed lockdown evacuation drills designed for active shooter scenarios. Good training is available and if more funding is needed, then that should be priority No. 1 for the next session of the Idaho legislative session. No more excuses. Do the training and install the recommended physical environmental measures designed to increase safety and decrease unfettered access, or lose the funding!
I hate to say this, but it is somewhat quixotic to expect complete elimination of such events. I do, however, predict that a significant reduction in the frequency of such massacres would be seen over time if our environment, not guns themselves, was controlled more efficiently. Whether we are gun owners or not, we need to accept the fact that with both rights and privileges, comes responsibility. Let's do a better job of being responsible.
Let's remember, the men who wrote the Second Amendment did not just return from a hunting trip. They just finished liberating a nation. | 2022-06-10T19:38:31Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Gun versus environmental control | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/gun-versus-environmental-control/article_1157d138-caf9-5bab-a50c-d2953cae0f8a.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/gun-versus-environmental-control/article_1157d138-caf9-5bab-a50c-d2953cae0f8a.html |
Jan. 6, 2021: 'Your dishonor will remain'
The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol presented their first public hearing revealing their evidence. All networks broadcast the hearing except Fox News. Particularly disturbing was the new footage of the assault on the Capitol Police, four of whom died. How could misguided American citizens surrender to a mob mentality and attack their own iconic Capitol and the outnumbered police guarding it?
The testimony of Republican Liz Cheney included a strong attack on former President Donald Trump. She listed the things he didn’t do. For the first time in American history, it was a vice president, Mike Pence, who called law enforcement agencies to protect the Capitol.
Here is part of what Liz Cheney said:
"Not only did President Trump refuse to tell the mob to leave the Capitol, he placed no call to any element of the United States government to instruct that the Capitol be defended. He did not call his secretary of defense on Jan. 6. He did not talk to his attorney general. He did not talk to the Department of Homeland Security. President Trump gave no order to deploy the National Guard that day. And he made no effort to work with the Department of Justice to coordinate and deploy law enforcement assets. Vice President Pence did each of those things."
What is particularly troubling is that despite evidence indicating there was no fraud in the 2020 election and Joe Biden won by 7 million votes, many still believe President Trump’s statement that the election was stolen. I know statistics are boring but here are a few. Nearly 52 percent of Republicans still remain loyal to Trump, and 21 percent consider investigating the attack on the Capitol “not important.”
How can a violent insurrection be dismissed as “not important”?
During the Watergate hearings, President Richard Nixon was asked to resign by members of his own party. How times have changed. Liz Cheney had a chilling warning for Trump supporters who still cling to their adoration of the former president:
I think history will prove her right. President Trump could be listed by future historians with Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr.
It is hard to understand the “Trump factor,” a man who still has a devoted following and power over his party, despite consistently low ratings.
One explanation may be found in the last scene of the film “Gettysburg,” when against all advice, Robert E. Lee ordered what became known as Pickett’s Charge, the desperate attack of the rebels through enfilading fire. It was the turning point of the Civil War. Pickett never forgave Gen. Lee for that blunder. At the film’s end, Gen. Lee is about to vacate the field, his army diminished, when his surviving soldiers begin cheering. At that moment, the myth of “The Lost Cause” possibly began. William Faulkner in his novel “Intruder in the Dust” has a young boy thinking about that fatal charge, which hasn’t begun, yet.
“For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863….” (Faulkner).
Perhaps former President Trump has become something of a mythical figure, but I think Liz Cheney is right, the Republican Party may lose credibility with each revelation of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. | 2022-06-10T19:38:37Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Jan. 6, 2021: 'Your dishonor will remain' | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/jan-6-2021-your-dishonor-will-remain/article_9a4e8740-a243-5cf3-bff1-9f642c5d8287.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/jan-6-2021-your-dishonor-will-remain/article_9a4e8740-a243-5cf3-bff1-9f642c5d8287.html |
Love and loss
Recently I had a conversation with a family member who was emotionally struggling through her dog’s bout with cancer. It was inoperable and pretty much just a matter of time before the end. Like many of us who have gone through, will go through, or are going through this again, she agonized over determining the appropriate time for euthanizing her dog. As was explained by her veterinarian, dogs and cats really don’t have a concept of “time.” They live for the “good days.”
When pet owners are struggling to make a humane euthanasia decision there are two essential questions: 1) When does a pet’s pain outweigh the comfort our love provides and “good days” become too few; and, 2) When is keeping a suffering pet alive about staving off owner loss rather than care/concern for our pet?
Every individual who has given their heart to a four-legged companion may eventually face these questions. From the first joyful days with a new pet, the loss-clock is ticking. Every experienced pet owner dreads the near-certainty of eventual emotional pain, tears, and that dreadful ache of emptiness in the pit of your stomach.
Here is what I imagine life with a living owner looks like from a dog’s perspective. Perhaps, this passage will help when the dark days come.
I sat in the kennel on the cold concrete floor not understanding why I craved human touch and attention. A set of big green eyes outlined in golden hair pierced the chain link of the kennel. Her little fingers penetrated the fence and I licked them, and she talks good to me. Her fingers tasted sweet but then she left. She came back with a big man and a leash, and they took me to another room where I was able to lick and rub on the golden-haired girl. Her and the big man put me in their car where the golden-haired girl held me tight….it was a “good day.”
Yes! The open soft ground, grass as far as you can see, and the little green ball which I diligently chase down for the golden-haired girl. Will I ultimately tire of running after the ball or will she tire of throwing? It doesn’t matter…it was a “good day.”
The sound of the car door opening and the call of my name. I jump into the back with the golden-haired girl, and she holds me tight as we set off on another adventure…it was a “good day.”
Why am I forced to wear this “cone of shame?” All the other guys in the room turn and bark at me when I’m led through the doors by a stranger. On the other side is the golden-haired girl who kisses me on the nose…it was a “good day”.
The golden-haired girl sits on the porch and calls to me. My legs hurt to run but I know the reward is sweet. I cannot jump onto her lap, so I’ll have to rely on my sad look to get her to bring me up to her for the reward of affection…it was a “good day.”
I’m so tired and the pain is so bad. But the soft hands of the golden-haired girl keeps me close to her. My eyes are closed but I can see the grass and that damn ball, and the golden-haired girl. The pain is going away, I can still see the golden-haired girl, now on the other side of a rainbow. I run on the grass, chasing a ball, while I wait for the golden-haired girl…it was a “good day.”
When a pet dies, it’s natural to question the meaning and purpose of pets. I’ll never forget a book I read many years ago. It started: “Why would God allow us to give our hearts to those who have such short lifetimes?” I ask myself this question every time I lose one of my four-legged companions.
The relationship you shared with your pet is a special and unique bond some find impossible to fathom. They may negate the validity of your loss as they try to comfort you saying, “it’s just a cat” or “just a dog.”
Your grief is not “crazy.” The relationship you shared with your pet needs to be mourned. Your sense of loss/grief is your final testament to the relationship you and your pet shared. It gives voice to their worth and power in your life.
As with treasured humans, our memories allow pets to live on. Embracing memories is often an incremental process that ricochets between sorrow and joy. For some, sharing photos of the “good days”, writing a pet tribute, creating a goodbye ritual, or talking with other pet owners who have experienced loss helps.
Whatever you need to do to cope with the loss of a pet, do it! How you and your pet end your physical relationship is between you just as the “good days” were! You don’t “get over” grief. Over time you learn to cope with it as part of the fabric of your life. | 2022-06-10T19:38:44Z | www.idahostatejournal.com | Love and loss | Columns | idahostatejournal.com | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/love-and-loss/article_aab4c775-afd0-5a3e-92d0-6a98b2f4963b.html | https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/love-and-loss/article_aab4c775-afd0-5a3e-92d0-6a98b2f4963b.html |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.