Home Sweet $18 Million Home
Realtors remained tight-lipped about who bought a 14,262-square-foot home in Sun Valley in recent days, but not about how much had to be paid. A contemporary-style sprawling estate reportedly sold for $18 million, the most that’s ever been paid here.
Travis Jones and Svea Grover of Engel & Volkers were the listing agents since 2018.
However, the three-acre property with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms had been on the market since 2015, and at one time had a $20 million asking price.
According to a search on Realtor.com, only one other Sun Valley property has an eight-figure asking price, a $13.5 million estate at 95 Greenhorn Road.
Mama Moose Ain’t Bluffing
On Sept. 4, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game received a report of an aggressive cow moose that bluff charged a family in the Adams Gulch area north of Ketchum.
A family of three with a baby in a stroller and two leashed dogs was hiking along the creek when they were charged on by a cow moose. An adult male put himself between the charging moose, yelling and raising his arms, which stopped its charge, just short of the family.
Fish and Game officials are warning hikers to use caution in the Adams Gulch area. The standard advice is to always give moose a wide berth when you encounter them. Moose, like any wildlife, can become agitated if they feel you are a threat. Residents are also reminded to never allow your dog to have the opportunity to chase a moose. Dogs can be viewed as a threat, especially if they were to try and chase a moose, which is why residents are always strongly encouraged to keep their dogs on leash.
“Moose are very large animals and can be extremely dangerous when agitated,” conservation officer Brandyn Hurd said. “Even though they are large animals they are extremely fast, and will use their front hooves to strike out at whatever they view as a threat.”
When hiking, make noise to announce your presence so you do not surprise a moose, or any wildlife. Do not hike or trail run with headphones or earbuds. Most wildlife will give out some kind of warning sounds prior to an attack or aggression. Wearing headphones or earbuds eliminates your extremely valuable sense of hearing.
If a hiker encounters a moose they should watch the behavior of a moose, looking for signs of agitation or stress. If a moose lays their ears back, that means they are stressed and could charge at any time, as does when the hair on their neck raises. Moose will often snort or grunt, or stomp their hooves if they are stressed or feel threatened. If you see any of these behaviors the best course of safety is to put something between you and the moose – like a tree or a vehicle if you’re near something that could be a barrier.
There are times when a moose might be more apt to charge a person or dog:
Never put yourself between a cow and calf
During the mating rut, males can become very agitated.
In late winter when moose are coming out of a long winter, food is scarce and their fat reserves are depleted. This is a stressful time for moose as well as other wildlife.
Reports of aggressive moose, or any wildlife should be made to the Magic Valley Regional Office at (208) 324-4359. If after hours, reports can be made to the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 788-5555.
District 26 Senatorial Debate Shaping Up, In Secret Location
The Central Idaho for Liberty (CI4L) is inviting the press and a limited audience to its Senatorial Debate between incumbent Democrat Idaho State Senator Michelle Stennett and her challenger, Republican candidate Eric Parker.
The event is slated for Sept. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Hailey. It will be live streamed but the organization hadn’t announced the URL prior to press deadline Tuesday.
Each will provide one moderator. Parker has selected a member of CI4L as his moderator. Sen. Stennett was encouraged to provide a second moderator affiliated with a properly registered political organization, the CI4L said. Each moderator will have time to ask six questions for a total of 12 questions for the debate.
The moderators will flip a coin before the start of the event to determine which moderator will ask the first question. The two moderators will take turns asking questions of the debate participants; they can direct their questions to whichever debater they choose first.
Each debate participant will have up to three minutes to answer the question. There will be no rebuttals. After all of the 12 questions have been asked, each debate participant will have four minutes for a closing statement. The debater whose moderator asked the first question will be the first to give the closing statement.
After the debate is over, the members of the press are welcome to interview those present and willing to do so.
Each debate participant is encouraged to invite up to 12 vetted guests. CI4L will have several volunteers on-site as well. Safety is our priority.
‘Get Flu Shot’ Governor Says
Idaho will remain in Stage 4 of the Idaho Rebounds plan for another two weeks while state officials emphasize the need for Idahoans to get flu shots to protect themselves and their families and lighten the burden on Idaho’s healthcare system.
Overall COVID-19 hospital admissions statewide are still too high to move past Stage 4, but Governor Little said a lot of progress is being made.
“Statewide, our numbers and metrics are looking pretty good. In fact, even in many of the ‘hot spots’ we are seeing encouraging trends. But that is not a reason to let our guard down. As we approach fall, the opportunity for community spread will increase and we need to ramp up our personal actions,” Governor Little said.
Governor Little noted dropping temperatures will drive people indoors where they will be sharing physical space, and he encouraged all Idahoans to take steps to be safe and protect their friends and family. With flu season approaching, the governor urged Idahoans to get a flu shot to free up healthcare resources.
“These variables threaten our healthcare capacity—the very thing we are trying to protect so that our economic rebound can continue and so our students can learn in their classrooms where they deserve to be,” Governor Little said.
Gov. Little Deposits Big Dollars Into Unemployment
Idaho small businesses and employers will not see “huge tax increases next year,’’ according to Governor Brad Little, who approved a $200 million transfer of coronavirus relief funds last week to keep the Idaho Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund solvent. It was in line with a recommendation by the Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee.
“Our move to put even more dollars toward supporting Idaho businesses helps keep jobs and continues our strong economic rebound,” Governor Brad Little said. “Without today’s transfer, businesses would have to pay nearly double in unemployment insurance taxes next year to keep the Idaho Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund solvent moving forward.”
The move is intended to encourage more hiring by preventing tax increases for businesses of more than $300 per employee that could have occurred if Governor Little had not taken decisive action now. The Idaho chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which represents 4,000 small business owners in the state, praised the move.
“The whole art to restoring the nation’s economy begins with luring small business owners back to reopen and re-hire, and one of the most important ways to do that is to not hit them with additional costs,” NFIB Idaho State Director Suzanne Budge said in a letter lobbying Governor Little.
The Governor’s office said the State of Idaho has taken multiple other steps to prioritize Idaho businesses in the allocation of federal relief dollars, including:
Providing Return to Work incentives
Distributing more than $75 million to 8,700 Idaho small businesses in cash payments of up to $10,000
Supporting close to 37,000 businesses with their PPE needs to keep businesses open and workers and patrons safe
Allowing local governments to use relief dollars to support businesses.
In other unemployment news, the State of Idaho will begin making payments this week for the Trump Administration’s plan to offer extended unemployment benefits.
“We chose to participate in President Trump’s new program as part of a comprehensive approach to our economic rebound,” Governor Little said.
The president issued an executive memorandum earlier this month creating the Lost Wages Assistance program and replacing the recently expired Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which paid an extra $600 per week to those receiving unemployment benefits. The Lost Wages program is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
To qualify for the additional $300 per week, claimants must be unemployed due to COVID-19 and receive a weekly benefit amount of at least $100. Payments will be retroactive for the week ending Aug. 1 for eligible claimants and will run as long as funding is available, up to five weeks, ending Aug. 29, 2020.
To ensure individuals who need it most are receiving the new benefit, Governor Little directed the Idaho Department of Labor to make sure the $300 per week in additional benefits is also provided to individuals who receive less than $100 per week in unemployment benefits.
More information on the Lost Wages program can be found at labor.idaho.gov.