Burke Nominates Government Teacher To Hailey City Council
Hailey Mayor-Elect Martha Burke is filling the seat she left vacant with a high school government teacher. Burke nominated Heidi Husbands, a government teacher at Wood River High School who has lived in Hailey for more than 20 years. At its Monday, Jan. 13, meeting, the city council gave their official nod of approval.
Burke held the council position herself since 1994, but vacated it when she was elected mayor in November.
“Husbands demonstrated during an interview with Burke that she has held a lively interest in local government during her residency in Hailey, expressing a sound, balanced knowledge of Hailey politics, both past and present,” city officials said in a statement to the press.
According to the city, Husbands resides in northwest Hailey, which is an area of town currently not represented on any of Hailey’s boards. Prior to living in Hailey, she lived in a 300-square-foot residence in Ketchum.
Other business discussed at the council meeting included Mayor Burke’s nomination of a Planning & Zoning Commission member to fill the seat left open by Sam Linnet, who was elected to council in November. Interviews for that seat are still in progress.
A dozen Hailey residents submitted interest to Mayor Burke to serve on various boards or as a city council appointee, the city said.
Ketchum Fire’s Old Truck Is Mexico’s New
The ladder truck that was at the center of Ketchum’s fire department overhaul dilemmas last year will be an instrumental piece of equipment for a nonprofit out of Jerome.
In 2019, the City of Ketchum purchased a 2019 Pierce Ascendant Aerial Ladder Truck to replace the 1987 Sutphen Aerial Platform Ladder Truck. The 1987 ladder truck was taken out of service when the aerial tower component became inoperable.
Enter Care Convoy, based in Jerome, which is a project of Global Peace Partners, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to bringing improved medical care, training and emergency response teams where they are needed most. They find places for items that are no longer being used. Specifically, the truck is being donated to a fire department in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Keith Potter was a firefighter in Jerome and aware of this organization. Keith made the arrangements for the donation.
Gray V. Gray Will Go Away
According to the Blaine County Courthouse, the case between incumbent Ketchum Rural Fire District commissioner Jed Gray and his challenger Gray Ottley will be dismissed at the request of Ottley’s lawyer. Official paperwork, however, had not yet been filed as of press deadline Tuesday.
Ottley trailed Gray by one vote after November ballots were tallied, but when it was learned that the election had certain anomalies, including incorrect ballots and possible duplicate votes, the challenger felt it appropriate to take the matter to the courts.
“I was pleased that Gray decided to withdraw his complaint. It probably would have led to another election, which would be an expense to the county and the taxpayer,” commissioner Jed Gray said. “I applaud his efforts and thank him for allowing me to move forward in my efforts with the district.”
Gray said he has been working with the county to make certain the election anomalies do not occur in any future election.
“This just goes to show you, your vote counts,” Gray said.
Fish & Game Uses Non-lethal Means To Move Mountain Lion
A large male mountain lion was driven out from the backyard of a Ketchum home using shotguns with non-lethal rubber slugs and buckshot, Idaho Department of Fish & Game reported.
Fish & Game officials said they received reports on Wednesday, Jan. 8, of a mountain lion lying near the backyard of a home in south Ketchum. After monitoring the situation, the lion continued to remain near the home in the backyard, prompting officers on Jan. 9 to make the decision to use non-lethal means to force the lion to move.
According to Regional Conservation Officer Josh Royse, the large male mountain lion was becoming too comfortable living in the urban environment of town and needed to be encouraged to move on.
“We are concerned with what appears to be increasing situations of lions becoming less fearful of humans. When lions don’t react as we would expect them to, there will be times we need to take actions like we did today,” Royse said.
“We want the lion to associate a negative and somewhat painful interaction if they choose to stay within our local communities among people and pets. We hope that by using non-lethal methods we can move these urban mountain lions out into the mountains surrounding the Wood River Valley,” Royce added.
Residents are encouraged to report any sightings of mountain lions to the IDFG Magic Valley Regional Office at (208) 324-4359 during normal business hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Center Focuses Scholarships On Arts, Humanities
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is letting students and families know that applications for its 2020 Scholarship Program are now available; the deadline for submission is Thursday, Feb. 20.
Now in its 22nd year, The Center awards five different types of scholarships to local educators and students (home schooled, public and private) to further their education in the arts and humanities. The scholarship program is made possible through funds raised at The Center’s annual Wine Auction and private donations.
“To date, The Center has given $932,396 in scholarships to enable local students and educators to pursue their artistic passions,” said Katelyn Foley, director of Education and Humanities at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. “Every year I am amazed by the generosity of our donors. It is inspiring to see how this money transforms students’ lives and how thankful the students are for these amazing opportunities.”
Applications and detailed information about The Center’s scholarship program can be found at sunvalleycenter.org/scholarships. Questions about the application process may be directed to Jordyn Dooley at jdooley@sunvalleycenter.org or (208) 726-9491, ext. 126.