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An estimated 90 percent of Idaho businesses were allowed to reopen May 1, according to Gov. Brad Little, with another 5 percent getting the green light this past weekend.
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When the second phase of Gov. Brad Little’s plan to reopen Idaho businesses went into effect Saturday, allowing restaurants and gyms to open their doors to the public, so did another development: a relaxing of social distancing guidelines for out-of-state visitors.
Trail Creek Road is open this weekend, Blaine County announced on its website, allowing access to the summit a week before expected.
Blaine County Commissioners Angenie McCleary and Jacob Greenberg are among 112 elected officials representing counties, cities and tribes throughout the West who have signed a letter asking Congress to fully fund the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund as part of the next economic recov…
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Idaho is moving into the second phase of Gov. Brad Little’s plan to reopen businesses, the governor announced Thursday, giving local restaurants the go-ahead to reopen their dining rooms this weekend.
Suspended since late March, Blaine County’s recycling program was restarted last week.
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The COVID-19 Response Group suspended its free coronavirus antibody testing project in Ketchum three days after its launch, the group said in a Tuesday statement.
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According to the World Health Organization, 9 million more nurses and midwives will be needed by 2030 to meet the goal of universal health coverage. For that reason, WHO has declared 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. Particularly now, nurses play a vital role on the f…
The two-week hospital closure in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Blaine County left many families and expecting mothers confused about where to go for care, such as maintaining their children’s vaccine schedule and giving birth.
Blaine County leaders are looking ahead to what is expected to be a tight budgeting year, as questions remain about the potential economic impact of COVID-19.
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Blaine County added seven new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the local total to 496 lab-confirmed and 10 probable cases of the coronavirus as of 5:17 p.m. on Monday. But, lately, a southern neighbor has taken over as the health district’s hot-spot. Plus, St. Luke’s makes a big …
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Effective today, St. Luke’s has expanded its criteria for testing COVID-19.
The Blaine County DMV will be opening its doors next Monday by appointment only.
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A free finger-prick test yielding coronavirus results within minutes will be available to Blaine County residents starting Saturday, a new organization called the COVID-19 Response Group announced this week.
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As of Wednesday evening, Blaine County had only added one new case of COVID-19 in the past week, according to the South Central Public Health District, bringing the total to 489 lab-confirmed and 10 probable cases of the disease.
The Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) will likely receive $18.4 million in relief funds from the federal CARES Act Airport Program, it was announced during a regular Friedman Memorial Airport Authority meeting Tuesday.
Though unemployment numbers have skyrocketed in Idaho and the Wood River Valley due to COVID-19, the Blaine County Housing Authority says it hasn’t seen an increase in people reaching out for help paying their rent or mortgage—but that could change in the coming months.
About 23 percent of Blaine County households have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census so far, giving the Wood River Valley a census response rate much lower than Idaho’s rate as a whole.
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The first stage of Gov. Brad Little’s plan to reopen Idaho began Friday, allowing churches, daycares, and youth camps to open their doors to the public for the first time since March.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Wood River Valley chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness observes it every year without fail. The challenging circumstances brought upon the valley by COVID-19 have not stalled the nonprofit on its mission, alongside the nationwide St…
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Recent elk-crossing activity near Peregrine Ranch on state Highway 75 north of Hailey has caused “significant” traffic backups and may require hazing, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said.
Blaine County will open its facilities to the public May 18, county commissioners decided Tuesday, though some departments may adjust their operations to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Businesses statewide began opening up over the weekend, stage one of Gov. Brad Little’s phased reopening of Idaho’s economy. Meanwhile, COVID-19 antibody testing launched in Ketchum on Monday—the same day its city council opted to extend the city’s public health emergency order until May 16.
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Idaho began to re-open today as the first phase of Gov. Brad Little’s four-stage easing of coronavirus restrictions replaced the state’s stay-at-home order—but questions remain around what the roll-out may look like for some workers. Meanwhile, the Forest Service preps for a strange summer i…
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A mountainous pile of discarded potatoes near Picabo went viral on Twitter last week, highlighting the struggles of some large farms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Wildfire season began in Blaine County this weekend with two blazes sparking almost simultaneously about 3 miles apart south of Timmerman Junction on Saturday afternoon.
The Blaine County Recreation District board voted on Monday to cancel all summer programs at the Aquatics Center, citing uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traffic stalled for nearly two hours on state Highway 75 Saturday afternoon as two wildfires started within miles of each other south of Timmerman Junction.
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The city of Ketchum is preparing to get construction workers and landscapers back to work on Monday, pending approval from the City Council during a special meeting Friday.
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With questions looming about the potential economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Blaine County School District Board of Trustees voted this week to take a plant facilities levy request off the table this year.
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With Idaho’s coronavirus stay-at-home order extended to the end of the month, some of those isolated at home continue to face mental health challenges in navigating the day-to-day anxieties and stresses amid a pandemic that has impacted the lives of everyone—children and adults.
Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday extended Idaho’s statewide self-isolation order through the end of the month—though some businesses previously considered nonessential will be allowed to open if they meet certain criteria.
It’s been nearly one month since the Idaho State Legislature adjourned for the year, wrapping up budgeting and bill-writing just as the novel coronavirus arrived in Idaho.
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Crews eased back onto the job on Monday in Sun Valley after Mayor Peter Hendricks announced that the city would allow its strict isolation orders to sunset Sunday night.
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When Jeffrey Jones learned he’d be out of work for a while, the news didn’t come as a surprise.
As testing becomes more streamlined, with new equipment allowing for faster turnaround and large quantities of samples being tested on a daily basis, questions remain about the accuracy of COVID-19 testing and what questions antibody testing can answer.
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In recent weeks, local nonprofit organizations and the donors who fund them have been responding to the COVID-19 crisis in multiple ways. Some organizations are pushed to the limit while covering immediate frontline expenses for those in need. Others are facing uncertainties over the schedul…
A cleaning company in the Wood River Valley has opted to use its disaster restoration and biohazard cleanup equipment to say thank you to those fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed every aspect of daily life in the Wood River Valley, and continues to do so in new ways with each passing day. Health and economic concerns are mounting, people are learning to adapt and are helping each other, and through all this, everyone has a had a diff…
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When Emily and Landon Knowles opened the doors of their farm store last month, their vision was simple: to create a place where friends and neighbors in Carey could go for fresh food.
Spiritual leaders in the Wood River Valley have been moving sermons, shabbats and Sunday-school classes online in recent weeks due to the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Thanks to online streaming technologies, it has never been easier to church-hop.
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The Senior Connection’s Meals on Wheels team set out Thursday morning to bring hundreds of meatloaf lunches to elders around town, complete with red potatoes, peas, a green salad, fruit and cake for dessert.
Residents of Hailey, Ketchum, Bellevue and unincorporated areas of Blaine County are now prohibited from leaving the county for nonessential reasons, after local governments voted earlier this week to add their own restrictions to Idaho’s statewide shelter-in-place order.
With bars closed, events cancelled and social gatherings on hold, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office says that a statewide self-isolation order is not only helping to flatten the curve of coronavirus. It’s helping to flatten the county’s crime rate, too.
As the tourist destinations of the northern Wood River Valley gain national attention as a hotspot for the COVID-19 coronavirus, nearby communities to the south are also proving vulnerable to the spread.
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It’s been nearly two weeks since Blaine County residents were ordered to stay home when possible, and one week since the rest of the state followed suit.
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This chart will be updated as new numbers are released.
With questions looming about what the rest of the school year might look like, the Blaine County School District board of trustees will meet Monday, March 30, to discuss next steps.
The Bellevue City Council voted unanimously Monday to declare a disaster emergency to open up a channel for federal funding in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
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As drive-thru testing centers pop up throughout the country, St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center was the first to appear in Idaho.
As of Thursday, Blaine County had the most COVID-19 cases in the state. Amid the spread of the virus and increasingly restrictive guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cities throughout the Wood River Valley continues to reassess and respond accordingly.
Grocery stores in the Wood River Valley are among many across the country that have implemented new policies to make sure that shelves remain stocked and at-risk populations can buy what they need.
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