The Republican National Convention, a humbly massive celebration of the awesomeness of President Donald Trump, is scheduled for August in North Carolina, but it may have to relocate.
Blaine County residents have a reason to smile after crushing the infection curve of the coronavirus COVID-19. However, the hardest parts of surviving are ahead with the virus hanging darkly over the future.
The universality of the coronavirus is showing why we should find better ways to think about how divides like race, geography and economics really affect all of us, and how we might think differently.
The ongoing coronavirus crisis has underlined just how important community organizing is to the Wood River Valley, one of the hardest hit areas of the state. It’s more important than ever to create opportunities to connect and get involved to build a collective future where we all benefit. O…
The federal disaster relief received by businesses to date will not come close to keeping the nation’s economy from going splat. Unless Americans are willing to face social and economic wreckage on a scale never seen before, more is needed.
With the introduction of the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the Wood River Valley, many of us are experiencing greater fear and anxiety just to accomplish our daily routines. All that we remember is the comfort of being with others who validate our experience with mental illness and …
On May 13, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game closed fishing for spring Chinook along the Clearwater River due to very low returns. The very next day, the department closed or restricted the season on parts of the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. Tragically for all Idahoans, this has been…
Let’s cheer the work of Michelle Griffith, ARCH’s executive director, and ARCH’s board. ARCH, with Michelle’s vision, skill and perseverance, has done more to provide affordable housing in Blaine County than anyone else.
Thank you to the Wood River Y for being such a role model for the rest of our community! We are so thankful for the care that is taken by your staff to ensure our health and safety. The direction the Y has taken in regard to social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, offering hand sani…
These so-called “bike paths” are in actual fact multi-recreational paths.
Memorial Day is next Monday. It will be strange with no local ceremonies to honor military veterans who served in America’s conflicts. All were canceled because of the coronavirus, which can spread in large groups.
Americans are facing the most urgent economic crisis since the Great Depression. Small businesses are shutting down by the thousands, unemployment has rocketed into double digits and the virus causing this mayhem is far from contained.
The Blaine County School Board of Trustees would like to share some facts about the recent decision to consolidate the dual immersion (DI) program at Ernest Hemingway STEAM School (EHSS) with the DI magnet school Alturas Elementary. The decision was made by the board with regret due to an on…
“Commissioner Dick Fosbury said the decision to suspend the program was not widely publicized because the commissioners wanted the pubic to maintain recycling habits.” (“County restarts recycling,” published May 14.)
I have been an angler from the Wood River Valley who has also fished on the Salmon River for over 20 years. I have seen directly the way salmon and steelhead are very important to the river communities of Idaho. Anglers, outfitters, guides, Native Americans and local businesses are all great…
Esther Irene Boyd’s 100th birthday! A great big thank-you to everyone who helped this precious woman celebrate 100 years safely! If you have posted on the Fans of Esther Facebook page, we will be sure that she gets the message. If you came to the parade, please feel free to view and share ph…
If it weren’t for Covid-19, we would have said personal goodbyes to our friends in Blaine County, both individually and collectively. We anticipated hugging those we were closest to and shaking hands with all who express friendship in that once-traditional way. However, with a pandemic hangi…
As we go into our summer season, the world has changed, and so must we. We have two major issues to address: our financial position and our branding as a tourist town. If we do it right, each will complement the other.
“Don’t get mad. Get even.” The saying attributed to the father of one U.S. president has become the mantra of another. It is no way to serve the American people.
Now that 25 of 28 public comments oppose a new 195-foot cell tower near Redfish Lake, will the Idaho Land Board pull the plug on it? It’s doubtful unless the opposition grows stronger.
Now that 25 of 28 public comments oppose a new 195-foot cell tower near Redfish Lake, will the Idaho Land Board pull the plug on it? It’s doubtful unless the opposition grows stronger.
COVID-19 is a tough challenger, in part, because it’s an invisible virus. Some people have minimal to no symptoms, or assume they’re just suffering from allergies or a cold, yet they shed the virus and spread it around our community. Others end up so desperately sick they require critical ca…
A U.S. president, a vice president and an administration of men and women willing to act as toadies to one man’s ego have proved themselves more than incompetent in this pandemic. They are personally dangerous. That is neither a political statement nor fake news.
Hello, and welcome to the White House, where everything is fine and we are encouraging Americans to be warriors and get out there, get back to work and face the coronavirus head-on. Please excuse this recorded message. We are currently experiencing a coronavirus outbreak that is being handle…
Gov. Brad Little’s staged reopening plan for Idaho bets lives on the idea that one size fits all, which is never the case.
There’s a longing these days for a return to normal—to the days when we were regulars at restaurants, rec centers and coffee shops; back when we were hugging and hanging out freely.
Americans are paying a fearsome price for the government’s strict lockdowns of American life and commerce, and now comes evidence that targeted lockdowns aimed at protecting those who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus would be better for public health and the economy.
The U.S. Postal Service has been a part of American life since there first was an America. If the Trump administration has its way, the Postal Service won’t survive the pandemic.
Next to isolating ourselves at home, the next best thing we can do to halt the spread of this coronavirus is to wear a mask when we venture out. Granted, cloth masks or other non-N95 masks do not do that much to protect the wearer, but they do provide a significant degree of protection to pe…
Mandating something for individuals who have different experiences with the same virus (May 1 editorial, “Make face masks mandatory”) goes into a category of control that in itself is scary. Others making decisions for me that go against my own understanding and logic is not a path I would t…
In the midst of a pandemic that has dominated the national and local news cycle for more than six weeks now, it’s easy to miss other events of significance. This week, Blaine County will say farewell to Len Harlig as he and Carol relocate to Scottsdale, Ariz. During my 43 years in this valle…
Businesses and individuals are confused. They want to know what they should do as Idaho and local governments loosen restrictions intended to control the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Those governments could clear up the confusion by publishing health orders and guidelines in newspaper…
It’s high time people start applauding the amazingly successful job President Donald Trump and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner have done handling the coronavirus outbreak in America.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a gaping chasm between local students with access to computers and the internet, and those without.
Transactions seem like a simple and straightforward way get things done. It only works, however, if both sides are willing to deal. Before he hits “tweet” on his phone, President Donald Trump should remember that viruses don’t work that way.
I floated an idea on Facebook last week that got over 100 positive comments. I’d like to throw it out there to Mountain Express readers for wider community feedback.
As we gradually emerge from our “sheltering in place” throughout Blaine County, what a joyful thought it is to imagine seeing the majestic Sawtooth Mountains once again!
President Trump has made an apt analogy indicating that we are fighting a war against an invisible enemy. My service on the Governor’s Coronavirus Work Group has given me an opportunity to see Idaho’s “invisible army” from behind the scenes. I refer to the amazing men and women who serve in …
Thank you. You helped us and your community by staying home and abiding by the shelter-in-place and it made a difference. You saw the significant number of COVID cases in our community and you helped bend the curve. We became the county with the largest per-capita incidence rate of COVID in …
Simply asking people to cover their mouths and noses to stop the spread of coronavirus isn’t working. It’s time to make the use of masks or face coverings mandatory for all.
A quick note to high school seniors across the country:
More testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus are what public health experts say is needed before businesses can reopen, before people safely can go back to their jobs and before the economy can rebound.
COVID-19 is a curse and a gift. Humanity has no choice about accepting the first. Staying at home, as personally frightening and economically damaging as it is, shows us the rewards we can earn if we stop relying on burning fossil fuels.
We are now at a point where we must consider opening up our economy and social life in a responsible way. A way that reassures those concerned over the resurgence of the virus, while allowing others to put food on the table. A way that restores our lives and livelihoods, while managing the r…
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