In the past three months, the Legislature has moved to grab power for itself, and done so despite the express will of Idaho voters.
Yes, now that I have a broken ankle and other ailments due to my very recent unfortunate cross-country ski accident, I have noticed that there are some kind people in our area. But I’ve also noticed those who are not so kind—those who look at me limping, stumbling about perhaps ladened with …
The Wood River Valley is just down the highway from an environmental catastrophe that touches not only Idahoans, but the entire nation. Just north of Galena Summit, the headwaters of the Salmon River, Idaho’s salmon and steelhead are sliding toward extinction.
Ketchum faces an imminent capital need of $2 million to buy firefighting apparatus. Without the purchase, we face the risk that our ISO safety rating will be downgraded, leading to a substantial increase in insurance premiums for Ketchum residents and businesses. The proposed contract for em…
Working Idahoans believe in receiving a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. If you agree to do a job for an agreed-upon wage, that money should show up in your paycheck. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. For reasons innocent and sinister, hundreds of (if not more) Idahoans g…
Medicaid expansion in Idaho is officially under attack. Just this week, Treasure Valley Rep. John Vander Woude proposed a laundry list of restrictions—including very unpopular forced work restrictions—designed to deny thousands of working Idahoans health-care coverage. His bill, essentially,…
Our names are John Milner and Kim Taylor, and you might have read about the avalanche on the night of Feb. 25 that struck our home at 137 Audubon Place. Our home has been severely impacted by it, as have we and other homeowners on our street.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is proposing to lengthen the wolf trapping season in areas of the Magic Valley Region where it is already allowed on public land and to initiate a trapping season on private land where no season currently exists, including in Units 48 and 49, which surro…
Here’s the problem in a nutshell: The democratic process is broken in our school district. School board trustees are elected to represent the public, yet once again they are ignoring their constituents in order to carry out the superintendent’s wishes.
I am a both a Ketchum and Blaine County property owner and landlord. I read with interest the opinion piece by Liz Rossman on affordable housing in the Feb. 13 issue of the Idaho Mountain Express (“Not all can afford to live in a resort community”).
In order to make the Wood River High School soccer team, you must show up several weeks before classes begin. On your first day, you must be able to run 2 miles in under 12 minutes—before “training” has begun. You must go through double sessions and demonstrate a host of skills. Then, the co…
Will the next move by the mayor of Ketchum be a call for a “local” emergency to secure approval and funding for affordable housing? The mayor and City Council and the P&Z are not getting what they want the way they want it.
Like thousands of families across Idaho, Vicki and I raised our children, and now our grandchildren, to enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing and recreation. Some of our best memories together have been spent on public lands across the state, which helped me develop a deep appreciation…
The people of Idaho have spoken on access to health care through Medicaid expansion, and they will not rest on this issue until they are sure the Legislature respects the will of the voters.
I have been a part-time homeowner in Ketchum for several years. I came for the excellent recreation, culture and beauty that our wonderful resort area offers. Over the years, I have followed, with dismay, the ongoing discussions on the need for affordable housing for Ketchum-area workers.
One thing I learned in my first term as an Idaho state legislator is that once in a while, I have an opportunity to vote in favor of a public policy simply because it’s the right thing to do.
Over the holidays, I did some blue-sky thinking about many of the crucial, positive things that have occurred with the management of our water and the challenges that lie ahead. Water is the lifeblood of Idaho, and careful management and conservation of our water resources will be paramount …
Re-enlisting in the Idaho National Guard to deploy to Afghanistan to fight terrorists was a source of pride for me and my family. I sacrificed a lot, leaving my children behind in Boise and trading in my financially comfortable mortgage and home-building career for combat boots and a dusty t…
A recent Idaho Mountain Express article, “Report: Ketchum is mismanaging Fire Department,” painted a troubling picture: a group of dedicated and talented firefighters, struggling with an overbearing city government that believes it knows best.
For the fourth year in a row, Boise State University’s School of Public Service has performed a public policy survey for the state of Idaho. The general takeaway is that Idaho is moving in the right direction—overall 59.5 percent of respondents are feeling good about it. Currently, the top 1…
Deciding between the two proposed school-year calendars was not an easy choice for me. Almost a year ago in February 2018, the Blaine County School District calendar committee began creating two three-year school calendars for the trustees’ consideration. During the December 2018 regular sch…
The Idaho Mountain Express story “Bill could ramp up sale of BLM ‘disposable lands’ in region” (Jan. 2) detailed how the proposed HEARD Act could affect BLM lands in the Wood River Valley. I’d encourage anyone interested in learning more to look at the excellent story map (ourland.arizona.ed…
I want to voice my concerns about the passing of the new school calendar for the next three years, a decision that was less than well-received by the community.
The phrases “Happy Dance” and “State of the State” don’t often appear in the same sentence for Democratic legislators who are dedicated to empowering all Idahoans, bringing security to our families and cultivating a state where opportunity and well-paying jobs are the norm.
Deciding between the two proposed school-year calendars was not an easy choice for me. Almost a year ago in February 2018, the Blaine County School District calendar committee began creating two three-year school calendars for the trustees’ consideration. During the December 2018 regular sch…
The Idaho Mountain Express story “Bill could ramp up sale of BLM ‘disposable lands’ in region” (Jan. 2) detailed how the proposed HEARD Act could affect BLM lands in the Wood River Valley. I’d encourage anyone interested in learning more to look at the excellent story map (ourland.arizona.ed…
I want to voice my concerns about the passing of the new school calendar for the next three years, a decision that was less than well-received by the community.
The phrases “Happy Dance” and “State of the State” don’t often appear in the same sentence for Democratic legislators who are dedicated to empowering all Idahoans, bringing security to our families and cultivating a state where opportunity and well-paying jobs are the norm.
I have had the privilege of working, over the past 35 years, with many dedicated and devoted local residents. Most utilized much of each day, which would usually have gone to business, family and personal time, to perform important public service for our Blaine County community. Few public s…
Blaine County and its cities have demonstrated model leadership for the entire West by tackling one of the West’s oldest public land use conflicts—the love of wildlife and support for our ranching heritage. A love critical to our economy and way of life. Our residents have risen above partis…
It is difficult for me to celebrate a joyous new year when harsh immigration policies have created a humanitarian crisis at our southern border. There, children were being separated from their parents, detained in camps, and now two Guatemalan children have died.
As Idaho faces a $500 million request to expand prisons that primarily house drug offenders, and ranks in the top three states in America for portion of the population in prison, we can no longer afford to ignore the simple truth: Mass incarceration is a costly and ineffective way to deal wi…
Fourteen years ago, Ketchum residents took to the polls and overwhelmingly passed an initiative that effectively launched the Wood River Community YMCA. The initiative directed the city to lease a portion of the Park & Ride lot on Saddle Road to the Y. Therein was unleashed the most succ…
The U.S. Department of Energy has a proud history of sites across the country that helped win World War II and the Cold War through nuclear weapons production and are helping keep the peace today.
I have been on what is now the Y’s board for about 25 years. I’ve had the amazing experience of being part of the entire process that led to the creation of our wonderful YMCA. When I was first asked to help, I remember thinking I could probably spare some time for a year or two. I find myse…
The salmon that spawn in the Sawtooth Valley travel farther and higher than any other salmon on earth. Miraculously, they swim 900 miles from the Pacific, fighting the current the entire way to their spawning streams.
Veterans serve on the front lines of our national defense, sacrificing for country, community, family, friends and fellow soldiers. Many people’s thoughts may go directly to how we can honor this service by better supporting our troops in combat or in memory; however, there is another compon…
It is tempting to assume that the beneficiaries of affordable workforce and senior housing are the residents who reside in that housing. That is not the case—the community at large benefits from affordable housing, and the community at large has a responsibility to support affordable housing…
I would like to address where the Salmon-Challis National Forest is with the “species of conservation concern” process in forest plan revision and ensure accurate information is available to the public. I have not made my recommendations to the regional forester yet for her decision on any s…
In 1997, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed Snake River basin steelhead as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Both A-run and B-run wild steelhead are federally protected. A-run steelhead spend one to two years in the ocean before attempting to return to their spawning g…
As the California wildfires reach containment, we must focus on the devastation of so much property and the tragic loss of so many lives. My prayers go out to those victims and their families, now irrevocably changed. Brave men and women serving as first responders, including fire crews from…
I would like to voice my concerns regarding the decision to approve the recently submitted lot-split made by our neighbors the Bittons on Fisher Creek Road in the Sawtooth Valley.
For the many wild animal species that live in small, widely dispersed social networks (apes, wolves, whales, etc.), outsiders are typically dangerous, feared adversaries. Survival for such animals, therefore, requires not just the relative safety of one’s own group, but also a keen sense for…
The Sun Valley City Council is proposing Ordinance 528 to expand bike path use to Category 3 motorized scooters, skateboards and higher-speed eBikes that can weigh more than 70 pounds and operate by throttle without rider assist up to 20 mph, and up to 28 mph (and higher downhill) with r…
Veterans, by putting their lives on the line for their country, communities, fellow service members and fellow Americans, represent the ultimate sacrifice, which is at the core of their service. We honor veterans this Veterans Day by recognizing the foundation of their service and helpi…
Approximately two years ago, we provided public comment on Idaho Power’s proposed, and still controversial, power line. As mid-valley homeowners, Blaine County taxpayers and Idaho Power customers for more than 20 years, my wife and I are still opposed to the proposed power line. Though o…
It’s important at this election time to call attention to the serious imbalance of power that exists in the Idaho Legislature—75 percent Republican and 25 percent Democrat. How much equitable legislation is possible in a 75/25 percent environment?
When Miss Lori and I learned back in February about a ballot initiative committed to reviving Idaho’s horse racing industry, we jumped at the chance to sign the petition. Truth be told, we were the first two people to ink our names on the petition to Save Idaho Horse Racing.
Back in the early 1960s, when I was studying political science at the University of Oregon, I first encountered the term “Yellow Dog Democrat.” Those were Southern Democrats who would vote for a yellow dog rather than a Republican. Since that time, the parties in the South have switched posi…
A basic question confronts voters each Election Day: What kind of country do you want for yourself and your children?
I am pleased to see the Express joining the conversation concerning the use of our local bike paths (Oct. 17 editorial, “License bikes and scooters”). Publicity is a vital tool in informing the public of the ramifications of the pending ordinance amendment affecting first the Sun Valley bike…
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