Labor Day Weekend Tallies Six DUI Arrests
Over the Labor Day weekend, officers from the Blaine County Sheriff ‘s Office, the Hailey Police Department and the Idaho State Police participated in a joint DUI Emphasis Patrol to remove impaired drivers from Blaine County roadways. The coordinated effort brought a total of six DUI arrests in Blaine County over the holiday weekend.
Another felony DUI arrest was made on Sept. 12, at approximately 8:21 p.m., when deputies with the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office performed a traffic stop on State Highway 75 and Serenade Lane in Ketchum,
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes every day that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. That is one death every 50 minutes. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is widely known as the “100 Deadliest Days” for motorists, since larger numbers of people are on the road during that time and some of them drive under the influence after summer celebrations.
“Keeping our roadways safe is a high priority,” said Blaine County Sheriff Steve Harkins. “In Blaine County, we have zero tolerance on this subject. A drunk driver is a dangerous driver. If we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you.”
BCSD Pros, Cons, What Say You?
The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees is seeking the community’s feedback as it begins its search for the district’s next superintendent.
Specifically, the board wants to hear community members’ thoughts on the district’s strengths and most pressing challenges, what the new leader’s priorities should be and the professional and personal characteristics the next superintendent should possess.
Incidentally, a survey sent out last school year asking similar questions about district strengths and weaknesses made it clear that communication between superintendent GwenCarol Holmes and a significant portion of district stakeholders was perceived as an enormous weakness and put an exclamation point on the discord circulating around the district for much of Holmes’ tenure. In March of this year, Holmes ultimately decided not to seek an extension of her current contract, thus triggering a search for a new superintendent.
This go-around, the board has retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), a firm that specializes in assisting boards with the identification and selection of potential superintendent candidates. HYA launched a community-wide online survey on Sept. 21. The survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, will close at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 4. Once launched, the survey will be available at surveymonkey.com/r/bcsdsearch.
In addition, HYA hosted a virtual community forum on Tuesday with a follow-up session next week. Below is the specific date and time, as well as how community members can participate:
- Wednesday, Sept. 30, 6-7:30 p.m. Join via Zoom from a computer or mobile device at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88920646585. Join via phone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering this code: 889 2064 6585.
HYA will compile feedback from the survey and forums to prepare a Leadership Profile Report that will be presented at the Oct. 13 Board of Trustees meeting.
Suicide Stigma Prevention Seminar Set For Thursday
Idaho has the fifth highest death-by-suicide rate in the nation, according to the most recent statistics on record from 2017. And those numbers are not decreasing, St. Luke’s Hospital leaders say.
To help the community have a better understanding so they can best support loved ones who may be suffering thoughts of suicide, St. Luke’s is hosting a free, community-wide webinar on suicide awareness and prevention. Participants will learn how to more comfortably talk about the issue of suicide, identify who may be at risk, and find out specific signs to watch for in friends and family. Most importantly, people will learn what they can do to help someone experiencing suicidal ideation.
The webinar is Thursday, Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. and will be hosted by St. Luke’s psychologist Dr. Christopher Edwards. His goal is to help loved ones have a better understanding of suicide so they can best support loved ones who may be suffering thoughts of suicide.
This is an information-only session and will not provide treatment or recommendation for any individuals. If you need treatment, please contact your primary care or behavioral healthcare provider. If you need immediate support, call or text the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline: (208) 398-4357.
The webinar is free and will last one hour. People can register online to reserve their spot:
Photo credit: Ali Dee
According to a post on the neighborhood communication app Nextdoor, an adult moose is exploring the residential areas of the Valley. This image was taken by Nextdoor user Ali Dee around Buckskin Drive and Deertail Drive in Hailey on Sunday.
Retired Judge Joins Hospice Board
Judge Robert Elgee (retired) has joined the Board of the Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley. Judge Elgee is a fourth-generation Idahoan. After private practice in Boise from 1978-1992, he was appointed Blaine County Magistrate in 1992. He was appointed in 2004 as a district judge by Governor Dirk Kempthorne. Judge Elgee retired in 2017 after 25 years as a Blaine County judge.
His wife Jayne retired in 2020 from St. Luke’s Wood River, having worked as an OR nurse, charge nurse and manager. They raised five children here, all Wood River High graduates.
Wood River Hospice was established in 1984 as a community nonprofit. Generous community support allows the organization to provide hospice services at no cost to patients and their families. Current Board members include Micki Chapin, Pam Fairfax, Bruce Collier, Robert Reniers, Lynn Campion-Waddell and Al Stevenson.
Ketchum Residents Open To Closing 4th Street
The City of Ketchum released the results of a new survey finding that most respondents are in support of the concept of closing 4th Street to motorists.
The survey was launched at the city’s Feedback on 4th event on Sept. 2, using a QR code for touchless access. It was also distributed via the city website, in Word on the Street and in the Idaho Mountain Express.
Of the 365 respondents, the primary benefits raised were the creation of additional public outdoor gathering space and increased safety for bikes and pedestrians. The primary concern cited was traffic flow and circulation. Overall, the results showed support for the “concept of closing 4th” with over 50 percent being supportive or very supportive.
“We had great participation in this survey and will continue to involve the public as we evaluate options and discuss next steps,” said Mayor Neil Bradshaw. “I am delighted with the creative ideas we heard and the encouragement we received.”
“Closing the road to vehicles served more than just bicyclists and pedestrians this summer,” Bradshaw added. “With COVID, we need more space around us, so we used this opportunity to provide greater outdoor space for the community and visitors.”
Presentation boards at the event revealed the early ideas to utilize 4th Street as a place for pedestrians, dating back to Ketchum’s first Community Plan in 1975. Since then, creating a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly downtown has remained a consistent community priority for Ketchum, as stated in the 2001 and 2014 Comprehensive Plans and the 2006 Downtown Master Plan.
Steps the city has taken toward the temporary 4th Street closure to vehicles began with the creation of the 4th Street Heritage Corridor, Ketchum Town Square and the installation of walkable Ketchum wayfinding signs. The city gained support from the community for the temporary closure at Fair on the Square in 2018 and 2019, and through City Council approval.
The city also described how walkability reinforces community, increases vibrancy, improves health and safety, is good for retail sales, creates character and builds sustainability.
The full presentation and survey can be found at ketchumidaho.org/4thStreet.
Two SVCS Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced Sun Valley Community School seniors Jett Carruth and Jackson Giles as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Carruth and Giles are among approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Over 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
Carruth is vice president of Student Senate and a member of the varsity soccer team. He was a competitive alpine skier for many years, and is currently a skiercross student-athlete with Sun Valley Ski Academy, SVCS’s partnership with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, and he is also a dedicated tutor for the I Have a Dream Foundation. Giles is a member of the tennis team as well as the varsity soccer and basketball teams, and is also the editor of the school newspaper, Cutthroat Underground.
