In Brief

5Point On The Road to screen

Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center will present the 5Point On The Road Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. The Haven food truck will be on hand for food and refreshments starting at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

This ‘bring on winter’ gathering is brought to you by Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, the nonprofit group that provides 50 percent of the annual operating budget for the snow-loving, hard-working crew of Sawtooth Avalanche Center forecasters. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will be on hand as the official quaff sponsor of 5Point.

Going on its 10th year, 5Point sponsors filmmakers and screens films long before they reach mainstream audiences. The hand-picked short films to be shown at the Liberty were culled from the best of the 5Point flagship festival held each spring in Carbondale, Colo.

For more information, visit 5pointfilm.org.

In one film, by Matt Hardy, Wood River Valley native McKenna Peterson and Marcus Caston explore Iceland, the land of ski-to-sea, and elevate skiing, literally, to an art form.

Tickets are available at Backwoods Mountain Sports and The Elephant’s Perch in Ketchum, Sturtos Hailey, and at the event. Adults are $15 and Blaine County students are $10.  Thanks to a generous donation from Frank Gould underwriting the Hailey 5Point event, all proceeds will support the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, helping our mountain community stay informed and safe each winter

For additional information on this and other Friends of the SAC events and SAC information, visit sawtoothavalanche.com

Let There Be Snow

On Sunday night, Bald Mountain received 6 inches of snow. The Sun Valley Company is naturally thrilled with this and says it’s “looking forward to our 81st winter season.”

Sun Valley’s 2016-17 ski season officially opens on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24.

Singers sought for holiday shows

After many years, two popular musical traditions – “The Promise” and Handel’s “Messiah” – will be reinstated for the enjoyment of residents and visitors for the holiday season. All interested singers or would-be singers are welcome to participate. Rehearsals begin Monday, Oct. 24, and will continue every Monday at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood choir room in Ketchum, from 6-7 p.m. for “The Promise” and 7-8 p.m. for Handel’s “Messiah.”

Guest soloists include Carolyn Parsons Cutler, Joyce E. Greene,

Steve Antry, and Ken Cutler on trumpet.

“The Promise” will be presented Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-18,

and the “Messiah” will be presented Thursday, Dec. 22. Both programs will feature the Sun Valley Hallelujah Chorus and the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood Choir. Footlight Dance Centre will also perform during “The Promise.”

For more information, call music director Patty Parsons at (208) 721-0133.

Community Library to host presentation on Historical Museum

The Community Library in Ketchum will present an update on the new Idaho State Historical Museum, a legacy project of the State of Idaho, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20.

To RSVP, contact patricia.hoffman@ishs.idaho.gov, or call (208) 334-2682. For more on the museum, visit https://history.idaho.gov.

Ketchum resident named Commended Student

Last month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Community School senior Kiran Merchant, of Ketchum, as a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. According to a press release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Commended Students are recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry.

Merchant is among 34,000 Commended Students in the 62nd Annual National Merit Scholarship Program throughout the nation who are recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition based on their results in the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

  “I am extremely proud of Kiran’s accomplishment being named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student,” said Ben Pettit, Community School head of school. “More importantly, I want to thank Kiran for his insatiable curiosity, thoughtful and patient approach in the classroom, and his passion for ideas, all of which make him a treasured member of our school community.”

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For the month of October, Expedition Inspiration is partnering with Atkinsons’ Markets for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Patrons can make a donation upon checkout at each of Atkinsons’ three locations to Expedition Inspiration in various levels, either $1, $5 and $10 in honor of, or in memory of, a loved one affected by breast cancer.

Laura Evans founded EI in Ketchum in 1995, to inspire hope and raise funds for breast cancer research to find a cure. The funds raised will be used to support the Laura Evans Memorial Breast Cancer Symposium and Open Forum, to be held in Sun Valley in March, after a fundraising dinner in Boise on Saturday, March 4.

An essential aspect of EI’s mission is to increase awareness for breast cancer in the community. One in eight women and one in 1,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. On a more local level, Idaho has the second lowest breast cancer screening rate in the nation, with an estimated 1,110 new diagnoses in Idaho this year. Expedition Inspiration hopes that the presence in Atkinsons’ Markets will not only honor those who have fought the battle against breast cancer, but will remind and encourage people how important it is to get a mammogram as recommended.

For further information about EI, call Hailey at (208) 342-6065 or email hailey@expeditioninspiration.org, or visit expeditioninspiration.org.

DMV to update, with closures first, in November

The Blaine County Department of Motor Vehicles offices will close for half-day increments to install software in conjunction with new driver’s licenses and identification cards. The DMV worked with a new vendor to design the cards using leading-edge security features including blue/red colors that are the hardest colors to counterfeit; translucent window with a ghost image; and an optically variable ink image of the state insect.

If you already have a license or ID, you don’t need to replace it at this time. The temporary card is good for driving and ID purposes, and includes your photo and the same information that appears on the permanent plastic license or ID.

If you plan to fly commercially using the temporary card, you may be asked to provide a second form of photo ID to the airline and the Transportation Security Administration.

The permanent licenses and ID cards are produced at a central location and mailed to you within 10 business days. Mailing may take slightly longer during the initial implementation stages of the new license and ID card. Providing an accurate address is essential to receiving your license in a timely manner. Permanent licenses and ID cards will not be sent to a forwarding address because they are a secure document.

ERC to Host Philippine Eagle Lecture at The Community Library

Join the Environmental Resource Center on 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 for a special presentation on Philippine eagles at The Community Library in Ketchum. Cordi and Joe Atkinson of the nonprofit “Philippine Eagle Forest Watchers” will introduce participants to these magnificent birds through photos and short videos and will discuss the incredible threats they currently face.

The Atkinsons were so deeply touched by these birds that they started their own nonprofit to raise funds to support “The Forest Production and Management Projects” developed by the Philippine Eagle Foundation. With only 300 Philippine eagles left on the planet, a worldwide effort must be made to save them; otherwise, they may be gone forever in the next few decades.

For more information on this event, call (208) 726-4333 or email hadley@ercsv.org, or visit ercsv.org, Facebook and Instagram @ERCSunValley.

Crisis Hotline’s Teen Suicide & Awareness Program to begin

Idaho is fifth in the nation for teen suicides, with suicide being the second leading cause of death for all Idaho teens. The Crisis Hotline’s goal is to reduce this statistic. Suicide is almost always preventable with early identification of risk and proper intervention.

In cooperation with the Blaine County School District, the Crisis Hotline’s Teen Suicide & Awareness Program will be held at Wood River High School from Oct. 25 through Dec. 13 during school hours.

The program will provide students with real-life intervention strategies with a focus on suicide awareness and prevention that includes depression and/or suicide warning signs; options to acting on thoughts of suicide; how to help someone who is experiencing hopelessness; and steps to take to protect oneself or someone you know.

Students will be given a list of community resources, including the Crisis Hotline phone number, in a take-home packet.

The program facilitator and trained counselors will present this “curriculum” in a PowerPoint presentation followed by a question and answer session.

High school students interested in these classes should call the Crisis Hotline office at (208) 788-0735.

Work comp rates to decrease for 2017

The Idaho Department of Insurance has received a proposal from the National Council on Compensation Insurance for an overall rate change of -1.2 percent to workers’ compensation insurance to become effective January 1, 2017.

  “The change in the 2017 workers’ compensation rates is a reflection of the stability of Idaho’s worker compensation system,” says Dean Cameron, director of the Idaho Department of Insurance. “Frequency of claims for lost work time claims has remained consistent, and the average costs of those claims have declined. Medical cost per case has leveled off.”

  The workers’ compensation benefit system is designed to cover medical costs associated with workplace injuries, as well as provide wage replacement benefits to injured workers for lost work time. NCCI collects information about the workers’ compensation system in Idaho and submits proposed rates to the Department of Insurance for review and approval.

Idaho granted REAL ID extension as implement work continues

Idaho was granted a REAL ID extension by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security earlier this month and is close to meeting final requirements for the issuance of a REAL ID in January 2018. The extension ensures Idaho’s current driver’s licenses and identification cards are accepted at federal facilities and military bases.

Airline travel is covered under a separate provision that guarantees DHS will accept current Idaho driver’s licenses and identification cards. Airports will accept a passport in lieu of REAL ID.

“Our primary goal in asking for the extension was to minimize any inconvenience to our customers who need access to federal facilities and military bases as part of their daily lives. This extension covers that and allows us to work on meeting the requirements to issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards – something we are very close to achieving,” said Alan Frew, Division of Motor Vehicles administrator.

ITD has completed all but five of the 39 REAL ID requirements and has received three extensions from DHS since 2005.

Idaho had a moratorium on REAL ID compliance in place until the Legislature lifted it during the 2016 session. The law was signed by Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter in March 2016.

The REAL ID Act of 2005 was enacted by Congress as a result of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s license.” The Act established security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting cards from states that do not meet those standards.

Idaho residents aren’t required to get a REAL ID. REAL ID requirements also do not apply to federal facilities that don’t require identification, voting or voter registration, federal benefits, a license to drive, health services, law enforcement activities or proceedings or constitutionally protected activities.

Medicare Annual Open Enrollment to begin

The Idaho Department of Insurance reminds Medicare beneficiaries that the annual enrollment period began Oct.15 and will continue through Wednesday, Dec. 7. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries can change, drop or enroll in a prescription drug coverage plan or a Medicare Advantage plan. Annual enrollment does not apply to Medigap.

Reviewing a Medicare plan annually helps consumers ensure they have coverage that meets current needs, including current prescription drug coverage and health coverage that works with preferred medical providers.

The Department’s office of Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors is available to help consumers with free, unbiased counseling. Only an Idaho licensed agent can recommend coverage or sell insurance. 

“I strongly encourage consumers to seek assistance from a licensed agent or counseling from our SHIBA program,” said Department Director Dean Cameron.

To make an appointment with a counselor call (800) 247-4422.