Dangerous drug hits the region
A recreational drug is gaining in popularity as a painkiller, and police warn that U-47700 is dangerous. Also known as “pink” or “pinkie,” this synthetic opioid is similar to fentanyl or morphine but is eight times more powerful. It produces effects similar to those of other potent opioids, including strong analgesia, sedation, euphoria, constipation, itching and respiratory depression, which could be harmful – and in some cases, fatal.
In fact, a Davis County, Utah, man overdosed Monday afternoon. This comes just a week after two Park City, Utah, 13-year-olds died as a result of overdosing from using U-47700 in separate incidents.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Wednesday, Sept. 7 that it intends to temporarily list the synthetic opioid known as U-47700 on Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act because it poses an imminent threat to public safety. Nearly eight times more potent than morphine, U-47700 comes in various forms and can be injected, snorted or taken orally. It’s usually found as a loose, pinkish powder, but comes in pill form as well.
Although it has never been approved for human consumption, U-47700 is available on the Internet, primarily from Chinese suppliers. It has been growing in popularity with recreational drug users.
Earlier this year, three states – Ohio, Wyoming and Georgia – took action to ban U-47700 after it was connected to overdoses.
The compound was patented in the 1970s by the Michigan-based pharmaceutical company Upjohn as a potential painkiller but never sold as such.
Blankenship pleads guilty to one charge
Keith Eric Blankenship, a Hailey man charged with felony counts of second-degree murder and evidence concealment in the shooting death of neighbor Stephen Michael Romanchuk at Blankenship’s home on Deer Creek Road north of Hailey, entered a plea deal with the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.
The guilty plea is for one count Failure to Notify Coroner or Law Enforcement of a Death with Intent to Prevent Discovery of the Manner of Death, a felony under Idaho Code Section 19-4301A(1)(3). In exchange for the guilty plea, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office dismissed one count of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Destruction of Evidence.
Blankenship was accused of shooting and killing Romanchuk on or about Jan. 20, 2014. He claimed self-defense, but, according to a recent news release from Blaine County prosecuting attorney Jim Thomas, there was little evidence that would support the claim, since Blankenship took steps to conceal the body from authorities. Blankenship has been incarcerated since May 14, 2014.
According to the release, the agreement was reached “following a lengthy investigation and careful deliberations within our office including consultation with the victim’s family, law enforcement and experts.”
Community School grad to compete on Jeopardy!
Josiah Drewien, a 2004 Community School graduate, will compete on Jeopardy!
Wednesday, Sept. 28. The episode will air in January 2017. Drewien played on the Community School’s Knowledge Bowl team for three years, winning the Idaho state championship INL Scholastic Tournament in 2003 and competing in the National Science Bowl. Following graduation from Johns Hopkins University, where he majored in materials science and engineering, Drewien moved to north Idaho where he lives off the grid and works as an engineer in the aerospace industry. He hosts Pub Quiz at the Moose Lounge, an award-winning weekly trivia night at a local pub in Coeur d’Alene.
Learn to cook with lamb
The best in American lamb will be showcased at various ‘lambtastic’ events held during the 20th Annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 5-9, in the Wood River Valley. Foodies will delight in the many special culinary lamb events, including the For the Love of Lamb Foodie Fest, Cooking with Lamb classes, lamb specials at local restaurants, a Lamb Fest at the Sheep Folklife Fair and a Lamb Picnic.
This year, eight Cooking with Lamb classes will feature hands-on learning from five local area chefs, who will teach how to prepare lamb with a focus on the use of local, natural foods. Wines from Sawtooth Estate Winery will be paired with each class’s dish for an extra special delight. Featured 2016 chefs are: Chris Kastner of CK’s Real Food, Laurent Loubot of Michel’s Christiania, Brent Rasmussen of Iconoclast Books & Café, Jim Roberts of Jim Roberts Catering at the Wood River Sustainability Center, and Sean Temple of Warfield Distillery & Brewery.
For information, a detailed schedule of events and to register for classes, visit www.trailingofthesheep.org.
Syringa Mountain School to hold Harvest Gala
Syringa Mountain School will hold a Harvest Gala fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 14 at River Run Lodge in Ketchum. The event will include music by the Portland, Ore.-based hip-hop/soul fusion band Dirty Revival, with additional music spun by DJ Johnny V; a live auction, raffles, and paddle raise. The event will cost $175 per person or $1,300 for a table of 8 and will include drinks, wine, appetizers and a three-course dinner prepared by the chefs at Sun Valley.
“Music and food often bring joy and often bring people together and we value those traditions as part of the Waldorf-inspired education; indeed, we want to pass that joy on to the children in the Wood River Valley,” said Nigel Whittington, Harvest Gala committee member. “The focus of the auction will be raising funds to complete our music space, purchase instruments, and make our gardening program more robust and sustainable.”
Syringa Mountain School is also seeking businesses and individual underwriters for the event. For more information on becoming a business partner, please contact Stefanie O’Neill at (208) 721-1881.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.syringamountainschool.org.
Don’t use turning lane for passing
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office announced it will enforce the law regarding misuse of the turning lane occurring on Highway 75 near the intersection of Hospital Drive, south of Ketchum. The current issue has resulted from lane constrictions due to the construction at Hospital Bridge, north of the intersection. When the northbound lanes of travel back up, some drivers are using the turning lane as a passing lane, shooting by other cars and intersections, and circumventing the law.
“This is a dangerous situation,” said Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey. “It’s an accident waiting to happen and we’ve had complaints.”
In a press release, the sheriff’s department said that drivers are so “intent on getting where they are going they are not aware of other vehicles attempting to either lawfully cross the turning lane to enter the highway from a side street or vehicles traveling south making a legal left-hand turn.”
Upon entering the turning lane, drivers should turn at the first available intersection. The turning lane is not intended for extended forward travel.
“Just because you see other drivers doing this does not make it legal,” said Ramsey. “The turning lane is not an express lane to the hospital.” The area is marked with road signs indicating that the center lane is for turns only. Blaine County sheriff’s deputies have begun enforcement of this illegal lane usage. Drivers are also asked to be considerate of others when merging in the construction zone.
Flourish Foundation seeks applicants
The Flourish Foundation’s Compassionate Leaders Program is now accepting applications from high school juniors for the 2016-2017 school year. This program engages participants in weekly meetings that focus on secular ethics, community service, fundraising skills, and developing healthy habits of mind through contemplative practice. Along with becoming more involved locally, students will participate in global service projects to Asia, Africa and North America.
If you are interested in transforming yourself and the world around you through Compassionate Leadership, visit www.flourishfoundation.org and fill out an application by Oct. 1. Email applications to noah@flourishfoundation.org or fax to (208) 788-9777.
Hailey Fire Department receives grant
The Hailey Fire Department is one of 25 organizations to receive a $2,500 grant from SelectHealth. The Hailey Fire Department will use the Select 25 grant to teach CPR to all high school juniors within Hailey.
Hailey Fire Chief Craig Aberbach and Assistant Chief Mike Baledge attended the award ceremony, at which a video was presented. You can watch the video at Hailey’s website, visit www.haileycityhall.org.
Hailey was selected from 180
applicants. The grantees include organizations such as Meals
on Wheels, Girls on the Run, Boys and Girl Club, Boise Rescue
Mission and Crisis Center of Twin Falls.
The Select 25 grant was created by SelectHealth in 2008 as a way to recognize organizations that improve health or serve individuals with special needs.
River Street design workshop to be held
The City of Hailey will host a public workshop, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 to brainstorm design ideas for North River Street (between Galena Street and McKercher Boulevard). Led by Harmony Design and Engineering, a transportation planning firm, the workshop will include bicycle pedestrian planning, business parking and other design elements to improve River Street.
BCSD parents to receive wellness surveys this week
In 2014, the Blaine County School District passed a Student Wellness Policy that includes goals for nutrition, physical activity and social/emotional health. As a result of the policy, a District Wellness Committee was formed to make recommendations to the district and implement the policy.
In order to gauge awareness levels about district wellness efforts and the Student Wellness Policy, the District Wellness Committee will survey all BCSD parents. The Wellness Committee is soliciting feedback regarding the effectiveness of the policy.
“The committee would like to know whether parents are aware of the Wellness Policy and how it may affect their children,” said District Wellness Committee Chair Kris Stoffer. “We also would like to know about parents’ priorities for their children’s health and wellness.”
Parents will be emailed or they can access the survey at www.blaineschools.org under District News. Paper surveys are available by request at the front desk of every school. The survey is available in both English and Spanish. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 3.
Conservation detection dog demonstrations to be held
Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C), the world’s leading conservation detection dog organization, will bring Pepin, their most experienced and well-traveled dog, to Ketchum, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24, for two demonstrations. The first will be for Community School students and faculty, and the second will take place in conjunction with the Environmental Resource Center at Rotary Park in Ketchum, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. This all-ages event will feature detection demonstrations, information and refreshments.
Pete Coppolillo and Megan Parker, WD4C’s executive director and director of research (respectively), will accompany Pepin and demonstrate how detection dogs can contribute to conservation by helping to stop elephant and rhino poaching, prevent smuggling of illegal ivory and rhino horn, keep invasive plants and invertebrates out of Western ranchlands, and protecting threatened and endangered species all over the world. Parker will also discuss her time working in Idaho, and how it led to the first conservation detection dog program, now over two decades ago.
Pepin, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, has worked all over North America, and in Africa and Asia. He is trained on over two dozen different scents, including wolf, grizzly bear, wolverine, cheetah, lion, leopard and wild dog. Pepin was the first dog ever trained to detect illegal wire snares in Africa, brook trout in streams, and he is one of the first dogs trained to detect the disease brucellosis in wild elk droppings.
The ERC will partner with the WD4C on this event due to its environmental education mission and the Pick Up for the Planet (PÜP) program, said WD4C spokesperson Molly Goodyear.
Since 2005, the ERC, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other user groups, has worked to facilitate dog waste pick-up at trailheads throughout the Wood River Valley. The PÜP program provides educational signage, dog waste bags, and bin servicing at no charge to the community, with the goal of lessening the aesthetic, environmental and health impacts of unattended dog waste. For more information on the ERC’s PÜP program, visit www.ercsv.org, call (208) 726-4333 or contact Hadley DeBree, hadley@ercsv.org.
Ketchum moves to monthly utility billing
Starting in October, the City of Ketchum will mail utility bills monthly instead of quarterly. The change is to help customers better understand their monthly water usage, particularly during the irrigation season.
“With quarterly billing, water customers are too often surprised by water usage in the third quarter – June, July and August,” said Robyn Mattison, public works director/city engineer. “With the change to monthly billing, water customers will be able to see how much water they are using earlier in the irrigation season and be able to make changes.”
The city bills in advance for base charges and flat rates and at the end of the month for water usage. The utility bill mailed to water/sewer customers in October will contain one month of flat rates and base charges, and water usage charges from July, August and September. Starting in November, utility bills will contain charges for one month only. Late charges are added if payments are not made by the 20th of the month that bills are mailed.
The city has partnered with Xpress Bill Pay to make it easier for customers to pay their utility bills. Using Xpress Bill Pay, customers can make one-time or automatic payments using credit cards, debit cards or electronic fund transfers. To create an Xpress Bill Pay account, go to xpressbillpay.com.
The city also has partnered with WaterSmart, an online platform that allows customers access to a detailed analysis of their water use and money-saving recommendations. WaterSmart now allows users to add secondary users to their account, such as property managers and landscape contractors, so they can view water usage data.
To register with WaterSmart, go to www.ketchumidaho.org/watersmart.
Family Wellness Weekend to be held
A group of local organizations will host a Family Wellness Weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15-16, at the Community Campus in Hailey. Parents, educators and healthcare professionals will offer lectures on the social, emotional and behavioral wellbeing of the Valley’s youth and community during three extraordinary lectures with well-known author, Kim John Payne, M.Ed.
The event is sponsored by a collaboration of 18 local schools and organizations, including College of Southern Idaho, The Sage School, Trinity School, Community School, Pioneer Montessori School, Syringa Mountain School, Sweet Clover School, Wood River Homeschool Co-Op, Sun Valley Wellness Festival, St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, The Advocates, Flourish Foundation, The Drug Coalition, The Y of the Wood River Valley, Blaine County Recreation District, Local Food Alliance, Wood River Sustainability Center, and Idaho Association for Marriage and Family Therapists.
For more information and to register for the weekend, contact event coordinator Carrie Thomas Scott, LCPC, Simplicity Parenting Family Life Coach, (208) 721-0531 or carriethomasscott@gmail.com.
Snake River Alliance names new executive director
The board of directors of the Snake River Alliance, an Idaho environmental nonprofit, announces the appointment of Wendy Wilson as executive director. Based in Boise and Pocatello, the Snake River Alliance serves as Idaho’s nuclear watchdog and advocate for clean energy.
Wilson is a longtime resident of Boise and founder and former executive director of Idaho Rivers United. She led the successful statewide river protection group for 10 years before joining the River Network, a national environmental organization. In that position she built programs throughout the country to help communities improve water quality, reduce energy use and address climate change. From 2013 through 2014, she led the Idaho-based Advocates for the West.
“Thirty-seven years ago the Snake River Alliance was founded when it became known that radioactive waste was being dumped into the Snake River Plain aquifer,” Tim Andreae, president of Snake River Alliance, said. “From nuclear contamination to dirty coal, the organization has tackled the tough issues. Wendy is a big thinker with an unwavering confidence in citizen activism – the perfect person to inspire a new generation of activists and our membership.”
Wilson said working with the Alliance “makes me smile every day. I want to build on our successes protecting Idaho. Going forward, people want to have more access to local, clean energy – and that time can’t come soon enough.”
Snake River Alliance is nationally recognized for forcing the cleanup of nuclear contamination at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and stopping the shipment of nuclear waste to Idaho. Snake River Alliance was responsible for halting the construction in Idaho of two nuclear bomb plants and a nuclear waste incinerator. The Alliance works closely with regulated utilities and public agencies to promote renewable energy, retirement of coal-fired power plants and wider use of electric vehicles.
For more information visit, www.snakeriveralliance.org.