Here in Blaine County, we bear the toxic burden of Cold War nuclear weapons production and testing. Nuclear waste from atomic bomb production … Read more

Has anyone noticed how terrible our highway is from Bellevue to Ketchum, or is it just me? I've lived here for 50 year, and I haven't seen our… Read more

I recently read this joke: "I didn't think setting clocks back to Standard Time would put us in the Twilight Zone." But that's where we are. T… Read more

Let’s time-travel onto the bridge of the unsinkable Titanic. We’ll warn the captain to slow down, but he replies, “We like traveling fast! I d… Read more

To be an effective recycler, it is arguably more important to know what cannot be recycled than what can be. “Wish-cycling” might feel better … Read more

Dear fellow citizens of Carey, Read more

I would like to compliment the Mountain Express for publishing a reprint of a Wall Street Journal editorial from Dec. 22 ("Manchin offers Demo… Read more

Our congressional delegation—Sens. Risch and Crapo, and Reps. Fulcher and Simpson—should be ashamed of themselves for not attending the gather… Read more

Bluebird is going to cost a lot more than we were told. The 2018 estimate was $20-25 million. My estimate is that it will be more like $30 mil… Read more

Tom Blanchard’s well written letter to the editor ("Don't let recreation destroy our environment," Wednesday, Dec. 22) inspired me to write. N… Read more

Steve Hartgen was a colleague and friend who served with distinction in the Idaho House of Representatives. He was a steady leader and icon of… Read more

Back in 2008, Idaho Power had over 50% of its power generation coming from coal-fired power and wanted to build a new coal-fired power plant i… Read more

In response to the letter regarding community ownership of Galena Lodge (What if you could own a share of Galena Lodge?" published Dec. 8): Read more

Ben Long, a self-described responsible gun owner, expressed his contempt for other gun owners in a rant published on the opinion page ("Respon… Read more

This holiday season, I'd like to take a moment to remind both new and born-and-raised members of our community that our valley is special not … Read more

For many around the world, the year-end holidays are considered a season of unity and peace, less encumbered by divisiveness. Can humankind ma… Read more

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) was a committed and respected conservative leader. As both a cherished member of Congress and a veteran of the… Read more

It was a sad day earlier this month when I took a hike out Slaughterhouse Canyon. It was appalling to see the extreme hillside scaring that re… Read more

Most everyone watching the dam/salmon drama will be surprised to learn that the litigants in the decades-long case, have never asked for dam b… Read more

Helios Corporation bought Warm Springs Ranch many years ago at an inflated price with the intent of developing the property with a high-end ho… Read more

On Nov. 30, the Ketchum P&Z voted to pass the Marriott onto the next step in the process. At no point in the meeting did the commissioners… Read more

The recent expansion at our airport's southern border was not mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate Friedman. The additio… Read more

Warm Springs Ranch is more than a recreation site or a dog park. Living close to national forests, we can forget the importance of neighborhoo… Read more

When I first visited Galena Lodge one winter in the 1980s, I remember the floor was heated to 85 degrees and I took a nap on their couch. It w… Read more

President Joe Biden signed the largest infrastructure bill in over a decade. This bill stretches from bridges and roads, to schools and hospit… Read more

Greg Dunfield of GMD Development, developer of Northwood Place and Bluebird, informed the City Council on Nov. 18 that “if household income increases above the income limitation the household will be allowed to remain a resident. This is an important standard provision of the federal tax cre…

Mortality reports show quite clearly that nearly a third of Idaho’s wolves have been killed so far this year. As of Nov. 15, 347 wolves have been killed. 166 were classified “general hunt,” 132 died a cruel death in traps, 21 for “predator control,” 26 by USDA Wildlife Services, one was road…

Some of you may have Zoom watched the recent Sun Valley Economic Development Conference (partnering with Visit Sun Valley): a series of presentations by well-meaning people with some interesting data. We were educated about our lack of affordable housing, lack of affordable office space, Cov…

I found Tony Evans' article "Moving Into Blaine County" in your Nov. 10 Economic Almanac alarming--especially how many restaurants have closed or are on the brink of closing (13). One thing it did not mention, however, is that our hospital here has only 25 beds, which given how many retirees…

For some time now, northbound commuters to our valley have chosen to use Broadford Road instead of state Highway 75 because the traffic north to Hailey on state Highway 75 is backed up and very slow from 7-8 a.m. and later. I counted 200 cars in 15 to 20 minutes on one typical work day. What…

On Nov. 3 the Idaho Mountain Express ran a letter about lower Snake River water temperature's being high the last 20 years 64% of the time. Hogwash. Here is what they were before Ice Harbor was opened in 1964. The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers did a study from 1952-57 at Sacajawea, Washington…

The letter in the Nov. 10 Express ("Free press is essential, but should know its readership") from a person saying this paper’s opinions should not be so “exclusively left leaning” intrigued me. I consider myself to be an independent and not leaning left or right, and I have for years very m…

In response to the captioned letter in the Nov. 17 Express ("Money cheapens our valley") alleging that trophy homes will soon contaminate our hillsides thanks to "venal" Sun Valley public officials approving "butchering" our precious hillside ordinance my reply is:

We are honored to have been appointed by city administration to serve on Ketchum’s Historic Preservation Commission, which has been meeting regularly since April. Meeting agendas and minutes are all found on ketchumidaho.org under the “Historic Preservation Commission” tab.

What would we see if we traveled into a green future? It might not look that different. Perhaps we’d notice things more by their absence: The sky is clear. No more open fires polluting the air we breathe, no more smoke burning our eyes and nostrils, no more haze dimming visibility. Instead, …

This past weekend, I visited Ketchum with a friend and her two dogs, Macey and Missy. One of the highlights of our trip was going to be visits to the Dog Park. So, you can imagine her shock as we drove across the bridge. “Oh, no! We have become such a greedy society!!”

All the money has certainly cheapened the character of our fair valley, soon contaminating our hillsides with trophy-homes thanks to venal public officials in Sun Valley approving the butchering of our precious Hillside Ordinance.

Sun Valley Company has taken two more measures this season to be less of a “locals" mountain. As if joining Vail’s Epic Pass wasn’t bad enough, now they have both dramatically raised the price for seasonal kids programs as well as reduced the uphill/downhill skinning hours by 25%.

Idaho is the third largest water consumer in the U.S., with 19.5 billion gallons of freshwater used daily across the state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Despite the onset of an environmental and economic toll from a recent historic drought, water usage has still been at exponenti…

I seldom agree with your opinion pages, however this time I do ("Local news hangs in the balance," published as a guest opinion by Steve Waldman on Nov. 5). Freedom of the press is an essential right in the United States and a core principle of democracy. Protected by the First Amendment to …

Because Americans are now addicted to online shopping, our nation's delivery-related resource consumption has sky-rocketed. Plus, because many people can't be bothered to break down/flatten a cardboard box (or remove other garbage) before tossing it into a recycling dumpster, enormous, gas-g…

It's extremely difficult to hear what extra work we low income people need to do for our community. "It's your responsibility to vote." "You should speak up at a town hall meeting!" We're done with being told about community responsibility. When is it going to be the community's responsibili…

Lower Snake River water temperature during the summer is too hot for salmon migration. For the last 20 years, over 64 percent of the time during the summer, water temperature is too hot and exceeds 68 degrees. Higher water temperatures during migration increases prespawning mortality and dep…

Local governments are responsible for protecting and promoting the health and welfare of its residents. The city of Hailey has done just that in prolonging the requirement that all people aged five and older wear face coverings in indoor public spaces, with certain reasonable exceptions. The…

At a time when the world is discussing climate change efforts at the U.N. summit, our community has an opportunity to speak up for establishing local solar energy opportunities for residential and commercial purposes. The Idaho Power Company is starting a public study that will greatly influ…

I served Ketchum for 19 years, three on the P&Z and then 16 on the Ketchum City Council. Serving our community is a tough job and almost every decision has controversy. When I left the council four years ago, I felt that the city was in good hands with Neil Bradshaw as mayor. The city ne…

As a Ketchum voter, there is no one I’m more excited to vote for this November than Courtney Hamilton for Ketchum City Council. Courtney is dedicated, thoughtful, and kind—all qualities that make for a superb city council member. She brings to the table considerable civic experience, a prove…

I proudly support Courtney Hamilton for re-election to City Council. Courtney is deeply rooted in this community and continues to prove her commitment to helping it grow in a positive way. Courtney demonstrates her passion for Ketchum through countless efforts outside of the job description …

I urge all Wood River Valley residents to get out and vote, either early—all this week—or on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at your normal polling place. Nonpresidential years always seem like “off” years, but there are many important issues for you to weigh in on: city council, mayor, school district, fir…

I am a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Group for the Wood River Fire Protection District’s new fire station. As a member of this group, I have seen firsthand the limitations of the current situation and its impact on response times. And as a homeowner in the district, the first thing I want…

While I am not a Ketchum voter, I do observe the actions of Ketchum City Hall. The current mayor and city council members have displayed a “We’re from City Hall, and we know what’s best for you” attitude. Whether it is the controversial Bluebird Village concerns ranging from parking issues, …

I wholeheartedly endorse Blanca Romero Green for school board trustee, representing Woodside and adjacent neighborhoods. I know Blanca because of her involvement with the census. She was helpful in ensuring that hard-to-count populations were included in our local count.