Courtesy photo by Chuck Pezeshki
The Selway River in northern Idaho.
Court action seeks to prevent logging operations on Selway River
DICK DORWORTH
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about environmental and logging issues along the Selway River in northern Idaho. Part two will focus on the logging industry’s perspective.
Two Idaho environmental groups, Idaho Rivers United and Friends of the Clearwater, are waging war in the federal court system to protect rivers in northern Idaho from logging operations, which the group contends is contrary to protections guaranteed to the rivers through the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
In March, the organizations filed suit to protect the Selway River and the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River from massive clear-cutting that was approved by the U.S. Forest Service in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.
The environmentalists claim in the lawsuit that Forest Service approval of the logging operations violates the Selway and Middle Fork’s protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act by “failing to comply with Forest Plan standards, ignoring well-established science that contradicts their predetermined outcome” and “failing to adequately consider the cumulative impacts of the project.”
In a separate but related lawsuit filed by Idaho Rivers United, U.S. Judge Lynn Winmill ruled on March 28 against the U.S. Forest Service, finding that the agency ignored the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by approving access to a state logging sale in the Selway River canyon.
“The state was proposing to operate a thousand logging truck trips over the road, and the [Forest Service] district ranger had a duty under the act to consider whether this use was consistent with the wild and scenic values set forth in the act,” Winmill wrote in his ruling. “His failure to do so constituted a failure to consider an important aspect of the problem, rendering the decision arbitrary and capricious.”
In early April, Idaho Rivers United and Friends of the Clearwater filed for an emergency preliminary injunction to stop a Selway River salvage logging operation of 34 million board feet of timber on more than 2,000 acres of national forest land.
“The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was born in Idaho and we advocate for more and defend what already exists by reminding the federal government of its own laws,” said Kevin Lewis, conservation director for Idaho Rivers United. “At IRU our last option is litigation, but if it comes to that we won’t shy away.”
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by act of Congress in 1968 at the instigation of former Idaho Sen. Frank Church.
Language of the legislation states that: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.”
This system presently protects nearly 13,000 miles of 208 rivers, which is less than one-quarter of one percent of the nation’s rivers. Included are the Selway and the Middle Fork of the Clearwater rivers.
Courtesy photo by Hilary Maybery Wood River High School senior Indie Landon enjoys community service.
Indie Landon has a passion for helping other people. A Wood River High School senior carrying a 3.6 grade point average, Landon won the Platinum Community Service Award last year for 290 hours of service.
She is also a member of the singing group Colla Voce, co-president of the W.A.T.E.R. Club and a member of National Honor Society. At Wood River High School, Landon has taken Advanced Placement courses in U.S. History, Language, Micro Economics, Macro Economics, Government and Psychology.
While studies are important to Landon, she said she also learns a lot from community service.
“I just love helping people,” she said. “I feel that I could help people around the world, but I want to see direct results, so I want to help people in our community. I started in the eighth grade by working at the animal shelter and the senior citizens’ center and now I help with suppers at the Catholic church.”
Landon also spends a lot of time volunteering as a camp counselor at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church performing arts camps.
“At the animal shelter, I usually walk dogs or groom cats for a few hours a week,” Landon said. “I love animals and I’ve grown up with them. I think that this Valley is a great place for them.
“I also love working with children at the camps. What I like the most is that I’ve been doing it for so long that I have watched the kids grow up and get better every summer. It’s so funny because at that age – mainly first- and second-graders – they’re so brutally honest and they think that everything they say is correct. They are just not afraid to be themselves. I also babysit, so by working at the camps I meet a lot of families.”
Landon said she has a simple answer as to why she loves community service: “I believe that the main way to happiness is by seeing other people happy. By doing community service, I can see their reactions and see them smile.
“It’s also such a great community that it’s upsetting to see people that are down or having a bad day. Giving back to people is my favorite thing to do.”
Landon is also a singer and performer.
“It’s a great love of mine, but I don’t think I’ll pursue it as a career,” she said.
Landon started singing in the first grade.
“In the second grade, my music teacher said I should be in advanced choir, so I moved up. I remember that when we gave a performance to the parents, it was so cool being in an environment where people loved what I was doing. The other children and the audience shared the same passion.”
Landon now sings in the all-women’s group, Colla Voce.
“This is my second year and I tried four times before I was accepted,” she said. “I was so happy because I could see that all the hard work and dedication paid off.”
Members of the Wood River High School Culinary Academy who participated in state competition are, from left, Gustavo Guillen, Omar Salamanca and Marisol Reyes. Weekly Sun photo by Jean Jacques Bohl
BY JEAN JACQUES BOHL
Weekly Sun photo by Jean Jacques Bohl Members of the Wood River High School Culinary Academy who participated in state competition are, from left, Gustavo Guillen, Omar Salamanca and Marisol Reyes.
The next Anthony Bourdain may very well hail from Wood River High School, as students with the school’s Culinary Academy took top honors at the state culinary competition in Boise April 7-8.
The competition, held at the Riverside Hotel, was part of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America State Leadership Conference.
The WRHS culinary team consisted of seniors Gustavo Guillen, Marisol Reyes and Omar Salamanca. They competed against 20 teams from throughout the state, who qualified for the state competition by winning local district events.
The Wood River team competed in the “skills and creativity challenge,” where each team was given a menu to prepare and an hour of completion time. The ingredients were provided, but it was up to the students to bring their own utensils. Three courses made up the menu.
The jury was comprised of three professional chefs, who awarded Guillen, Reyes and Salamanca the “gold” top ranking. The three were also awarded scholarships to help them pursue a post-secondary education. They were also invited to attend the national competition.
There were other accolades for the students, as all three received “on-the-spot” job offers.
After high school graduation, Guillen and Reyes plan to attend the College of Southern Idaho Culinary Arts program, while Salamanca intends to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Guillen, Reyes and Salamanca have belonged to the WRHS Culinary Academy, founded in 2003, for two years.
“These are extraordinary students,” said academy instructor and advisor Joyce Pratt.
She explained that the academy curriculum is challenging and covers diverse types of cuisines as well as food safety. Each student has to pass the National Food Safety Test. Second-year students are employed in the industry to mix instructional theory with praxis.
Pratt said the Wood River Valley is a great place for culinary students to learn. Assistance is provided by Sun Valley Co., which offers students opportunities to learn on the job.
Weekly Sun staff photo
A memorial service was held Sunday on top of Baldy for Bellevue resident Jordan Niedrich, 24. Attendees then skied en masse down Warm Springs Face run and to the Greyhawk parking lot.
BY TERRY SMITH
Courtesy photo by Janet Evans Niedrich was killed Saturday when he crashed a speed wing on Bald Mountain.
A 24-year-old Bellevue man died Saturday, April 16, at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center after crashing a “speed wing,” a device similar to a paraglider, on the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain near Ketchum.
The Blaine County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Jordan Niedrich. Coroner Russ Mikel said Niedrich died of “multiple trauma from the fall that he suffered.”
The City of Ketchum, reporting on behalf of the Ketchum Fire Department, stated in a press release that the accident occurred at about 10:30 a.m., when Niedrich crashed on the Upper Greyhawk ski run. Sun Valley Ski Patrolmen transferred Niedrich by toboggan to the Greyhawk parking lot, where he was transferred to Ketchum Fire Department ambulance.
The city reported that “paramedics and emergency medical technicians attempted to resuscitate the patient while transporting him” to St. Luke’s, where he arrived at 11:24 a.m. Niedrich died later that day.
Niedrich was an avid speed flyer and had to be rescued in 2013 after he crashed on Lookout Mountain south of Bellevue. He was born and raised in the Wood River Valley.
Speed flying differs from paragliding, from the design of the device to the purpose of the flight. Speed flyers are attempting a rapid descent from a high altitude, staying close to the mountainside, while paragliders use wind currents to obtain altitude for extended time and distance aloft.
A memorial service for Niedrich was held by friends and family on top of Bald Mountain Sunday afternoon. Attendees then skied en masse down the Warm Springs side of the mountain.
A viewing is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. on Friday at Wood River Chapel at 403 North Main Street in Hailey. Funeral services are scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 821 Broadford Road in Hailey. There will be a viewing at the church prior to the funeral from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A GofundMe account has been set up at www.gofundme.com/e6zkam9g to help the family with medical and funeral expenses.
How animals and plants react to winter in our region is more confusing than we may realize.
The term “hibernation” is used in a variety of contexts and often is misused or oversimplified because the whole suite of mechanisms that creatures use to, generally speaking, shut down or slow down their bodies in winter and then ramp back up into full metabolism in the spring is incredibly diverse (Bernd Heinrich’s book, “Winter World,” is an amazing resource on the trouble with using a single term to describe all these different biological processes).
Some animals, for instance, lower their body temperatures dramatically in winter (the Arctic ground squirrel is an amazing example of this), but some do not. Some plants show almost no signs of life in winter, but some do. And what is the most fascinating (I think) part of the biology of these seasonal transitions is there is still so much we don’t know about how creatures time their winter adaptations.
Our valley is full of creatures “waking up” from winter, including the aspen trees with new buds and the mammals becoming more active after a winter of patient waiting (and, sometimes but not always, hibernating), but scientists still can’t explain all of this simultaneous renewal of life each year.
My favorite part about science has been the realization that biology has figured out only some – and probably just a tiny fraction, at that – of what knowledge this planet has to offer us. Biologists have sorted out a few of the ways the organisms determine when to put their bodies into modes of winter adaptation and when to “awaken” to take advantage of spring. Some plants, for instance, have been shown to use certain light-sensitive chemicals in their bodies that help them keep track of different amounts of daylight and nighttime hours to trigger seasonal hormonal changes. And some of our local animals have been found to react to temperature changes that either slow down (in the autumn) or speed up (in the spring) their metabolisms to either decrease or increase their caloric demands.
But what scientists know about how creatures match their own internal chemistry to the annual seasons absolutely pales in comparison to what we don’t know. There are many mysteries still to solve about how exactly plants and animals in regions like ours “know” when spring has arrived. These unanswered questions, I often find, are more interesting than the answered ones, and I hope that budding biologists find inspiration in these unknowns.
Courtesy Photo by Fran Jewell
Giselle was one of the most vocal dogs I ever owned. She taught me a lot about how to stop this incredibly annoying behavior.
BY FRAN JEWELL
“What do we bark for?”
“FOOD!”
“When do we bark?”
“NOW!”
“What do we bark for?”
“Attention!”
“When do we bark?”
“NOW!!!”
Sound like the mantra at your house? Truthfully, there is nothing more annoying to neighbors than a dog barking for recreation, or overreacting to people walking by the house, or barking for a plethora of other reasons. I see people with dogs that bark when they are on the phone, or on their computer.
Once a dog learns he gets something from barking, it is incredibly difficult to stop. If the dog wants a cookie and he barks at the cookie jar, and then is given a cookie, it may never stop. You might as well be teaching him to sit.
Every time a dog barks there is something behind it. Once we discover the reason for that particular bark, it becomes easier to stop. But, the best course of action is to never acknowledge barking from a puppy and to REWARD quiet behavior. If a puppy barks to get out of a crate and you accommodate him, you may never get him back into a crate without a temper tantrum. Getting out was the reward for barking. Once a puppy barks for food, and you accommodate him, he will almost always bark for food (a treat or dinner). If a puppy is barking for attention and you merely LOOK at him, you have empowered the barking. At first it can be cute to see a smart puppy telling you what he wants. But, over time, I have never met anyone that truly enjoyed an obsessive barking machine.
Some dogs or puppies are more determined than others when ignoring doesn’t work. This is where stopping becomes very difficult. It requires finding a consequence that is effective for THAT dog, but in a fashion that is not abusive or will require “damage control” afterwards. Consequences need to be swift, confident, fair and consistent, after which the dog must also be rewarded for the correct behavior of NOT barking for him to understand. Many times we forget to reward or we ignore the behaviors we DO want! A dog must have both fair consequences and positive reinforcement that is completely consistent if he will not respond to ignoring for that behavior.
With some dogs, it is very easy to replace bad behaviors with good behaviors. Other dogs are quite convinced that if it worked before, it will work again, and the bad behavior will continue, even escalate, without intervention.
You CAN have a quiet dog. Sometimes it takes a lot of work; other times, not so much. Each dog is individual, both in the reasons he barks and what he needs to learn to stop barking. But, a dog that is quiet and respectful is a JOY to live with!
Fran Jewell is an IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit www.positivepuppy.com or call (208) 578-1565.
Wood River Sustainability Center cook Abigail Daniels presents fillets of wild Alaska sockeye salmon from provider Pride of Bristol Bay during a Community Salmon BBQ fundraiser on Saturday at the Sustainability Center in Hailey.
Wood River Sustainability Center cook Abigail Daniels presents fillets of wild Alaska sockeye salmon from provider Pride of Bristol Bay during a Community Salmon BBQ fundraiser on Saturday at the Sustainability Center in Hailey. Pride of Bristol Bay and the Sustainability Center donated the proceeds from the event to Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and Trout Unlimited.
Assigned with a community service project at Pioneer Montessori School in Ketchum, young Jacqueline Cronin decided to do the project in earnest and organized her own raffle to raise $2,000 for Hailey Ice to benefit the nonprofit organization’s new Campion Ice House in Hailey.
The effort took her more than three months. She, with the assistance of her mother, Michele Cronin, began working on the project last December. The project was concluded on Friday, April 8, when the raffle was held at Pioneer Montessori School and six winners walked away with prizes generously donated by local restaurants and merchants.
To get the project going, Jacqueline and her mother developed a pamphlet explaining the raffle and developed a sales pitch to be used for soliciting prizes. Michele Cronin said she took her daughter to various businesses but that she let Jacqueline do all the talking.
Contributing prizes were Wrapcity, Big Belly Deli, Perry’s, Johnny G’s Subshack, the Pioneer Saloon, Magic Lantern Cinemas, Warfield Distillery and Brewery, Spa Beleza, White Otter Outdoor Adventures and Blaine County Recreation District.
With prizes secured, raffle tickets went on sale in February, at a cost of $2 each, 12 for $20 or 36 for $50.
Michele Cronin provided The Weekly Sun with a list of the raffle winners on Monday. They include Kurt Almquist who won a “winner bunch of lunches;” Carol Matkins with a “winner dinner at the Pioneer and movie;” Frank Tonnemaker with a “winner dinner at the Warfield and movie;” Jackie McRoberts with a “winner facial by Colette Rainey;” Jim Biteman with a “half-day rafting trip for two;” and Tom Downey with a “three month membership at the Blaine County Recreation District.”
In addition to the satisfaction of providing a community service, Jacqueline Cronin, a budding figure skater, will be honored at Campion Ice House, where her name will be placed on a silver plated hockey puck for permanent mounting at the House’s Wall of Pucks.
“The cool thing was that she was really excited to get a puck with her name on it,” Michele Cronin said.
The Keith Blankenship second-degree murder trial that started Tuesday in Blaine County 5th District Court is the fifth trial to be held in a Blaine County murder case in the last 25 years.
The other four involved Sarah Johnson in 2005, David Santistevan in 2004, Michelle Baldwin in 1999 and Mitchel Odiaga in 1991.
Sarah Johnson
The Johnson trial, the most recent of the four, was actually moved to Boise because of extensive pre-trial publicity in the Wood River and Magic valleys. In Boise, a jury found Johnson guilty in March of 2005 of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of her parents, Alan and Diane Johnson, at the couple’s home in Bellevue in September of 2003.
Johnson was subsequently sentenced to two life prison terms without the possibility of parole, and she continues to be an inmate at the Idaho Department ofCorrection women’s prison in Pocatello. She has continued to maintain her innocence, and her latest appeal for a new trial is currently pending before the Idaho Supreme Court.
David Santistevan
Santistevan was tried and convicted in Blaine County in December of 2004 of two counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting two teenage boys, John Marshall Hooten and Tyrel Peak, with a 9mm handgun on March 29, 2004, in the alley behind the Silver Dollar Saloon in Bellevue. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Santistevan claimed that he shot the boys because they were threatening him. Previous attempts for acquittal or for a new trial have been unsuccessful for Santistevan, who remains an Idaho Department of Correction prison inmate and is not eligible for parole until 2026.
The 1999 murder trial was a so-called “shaking baby” case involving Michelle Baldwin, who was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 20-month-old son Anthony Northrup on Jan. 1, 1997 in Hailey.
Baldwin was initially tried in November of 1998 in Hailey but the trial resulted in a “hung jury.” The trial was then held starting in April of 1999 in Minidoka County, where a jury found Baldwin not guilty. Testimony in the case from a radiologist showed that a brain injury the infant suffered may have been the result of a stroke that occurred a week prior to the child being cared for by Baldwin.
One of the more notorious cases involved Odiaga, a Boise man, who was convicted by a Blaine County jury of two counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault for going on a shooting rampage in Ketchum and killing two men and wounding a third.
Dead were Bruce Tate Shafer, a 23-year-old Burley man, and Gerald “Shenandoah” Wright, a 46-year-old longtime Ketchum resident. Injured by flying glass as a bullet entered his vehicle was Jerry Johnson, a 40-year-old Ketchum resident.
Mitchel Odiaga
Odiaga had no prior acquaintance with the victims and told police that he shot the men because “voices” told him to do it.
He was initially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but that sentence was changed on appeal in 1994 to a 24-year-to-life sentence with the possibility of parole. Odiaga was denied parole in 2013 by the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole and was informed then that he would have to spend an additional 15 years in prison before being eligible for parole again.
Odiaga continues to be incarcerated at the Idaho Department of Correction Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Boise.
The Idaho Transportation Department has installed several non-traditional wildlife warning signs along State Highway 75 in the Wood River Valley to increase driver awareness to the possibility of large animals, mainly deer and elk, suddenly darting onto the roadway.
The signs show the outline of a crashed vehicle and a bull elk and have been installed to supplement the traditional wildlife warning sign of a jumping deer. ITD explained the purpose of the non-traditional signs in an April 5 press release:
“In some areas, wildlife crossing a highway is predictable or frequent enough that a driver may lose the urgency to watch for animals crossing a highway. When this happens, traditional methods to alert drivers lose effectiveness. Other, non-traditional methods are then required.”
ITD reported that the new signs will hopefully reduce the number of animal-vehicle collisions. The agency reported that there have been 94 animal-vehicle collisions between Timmerman Junction and Ketchum in the past five years.
The new signs were recommended to ITD by the Blaine County Regional Transportation Committee and its Wildlife Crossing Subcommittee.
“Our hope is that these signs are attention-grabbing to drivers and raise awareness of the wildlife on the roads,” said Blaine County Commissioner Angenie McCleary, who chairs both the transportation committee and its subcommittee.
Other recent measures taken to reduce the number of animal-vehicle collisions are the implementation of a reduced nighttime speed limit on SH-75 north of Hailey and the provision for wildlife crossing pathways under the new bridge that is being constructed across the Big Wood River south of Ketchum.
Richard Whitelaw
COMMUNITY SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HONORED
Community School Athletic Director Richard Whitelaw has been named the state’s 1A-D2 Athletic Director of the Year by the Idaho Athletic Administrators Association. The award was presented at the recent association conference in Boise and is based on nomination and votes from association members.
“I am humbled by this honor,” Whitelaw said. “This is great exposure for our school and athletes. It is truly a team effort. I have received great support from the school, and am surrounded by excellent, caring and dedicated administrators, coaches and faculty. Above all, I work with talented student-athletes, and in the end, I am just doing my job.”
“On behalf of Community School, we congratulate Richard on the award, said Head of School Ben Pettit. “It is well earned.”
Whitelaw has been Community School athletic director for five years and has been the school’s varsity soccer coach for 24 years, accumulating an overall record of 278-120-38.
AMBER LARNA NAMED HEAD OF DRUG COALITION
Amber Larna
The board of directors of the Blaine County Community Drug Coalition has selected Amber Larna is the organization’s new executive director.
Larna is a Wood River Valley native who has been working with the coalition since May of 2015.
The coalition reported in a press release that Larna is “well suited” to the position and that her “determination to prevent substance abuse and unwavering support has enabled the drug coalition to expand their reach and build strong partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals.”
Additional information on the drug coalition is available at www.thedrugcoalition.com.\
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SEEK HALT TO SELWAY LOGGING
Two environmental groups filed for an emergency preliminary injunction in federal court on April 6 to stop logging operations in the Selway River area of North Idaho.
The injunction request, alleging “imminent and irreparable” environmental harm, was filed by the law firm Advocates of the West on behalf of Boise-based Idaho Rivers United and Moscow-based Friends of the Clearwater.
The groups accuse the U.S. Forest Service of infractions of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, National Forest Management Act, Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. The injunction request is intended to stop logging of 34 million board feet of timber on more than 2,000 acres of national forest land.
“Contrary to the Forest Service’s assertions, this huge clearcutting proposal is irresponsible and poses serious risk to water quality and endangered fish habitat,” said Friends of the Clearwater Executive Director Gary McFarlane. “Moreover, the Forest Service’s wild and scenic management plan, which is grossly outdated and in dire need of revision, expressly prohibits commercial logging.”
Advocates for the West Executive Director Laird Lucas, lead attorney in the case, said the “Forest Service is guilty of systematically breaching its legal duties to protect the Selway and Middle Fork Clearwater wild and scenic rivers.”
LUKE’S FOUNDATION RECEIVES CANCER GRANT
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Idaho Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, a grassroots network committed to fighting breast cancer.
The foundation was one of 15 recipients of affiliate grants, totaling $157,500 for the 2016-2017 grant slate. Grants were awarded to specifically address screening and diagnostic services.
St. Luke’s Foundation reported that its grant money will be used for its project “Breast Cancer Screening for the Uninsured and Underinsured Women in the Greater Wood River Region.” The funding will bolster the foundation’s efforts to improve access to advanced breast imaging technology in the Wood River Valley and will “make possible 3-D mammography scholarships for uninsured and underinsured women 25 years and older who are in need of screening and diagnostic” services.
For more information on the scholarships call (800) 720-1478.
RESORT HOLDS POST-SKI SEASON CELEBRATIONS
Sun Valley Resort is celebrating the end of what it calls an “exceptional” ski season with parties this weekend in Warm Springs.
“We had an exceptional winter,” said Jack Sibbach, the resort’s director of public relations and marketing. “We invite everybody to come out and enjoy the festivities.”
A street party is set for 12-6 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Warm Springs base area and Picabo Street. Harry Lee & The Back Alley Blues Band, along with the Emily Stanton Band, will provide live music. Food and beverage specials will be available.
The ski season ends on the Warm Springs side of the mountain on Sunday, April 17. The last day of skiing on the River Run side was Sunday, April 10.
Parties were also held last weekend at both the River Run and Warm Springs lodges.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR SUMMER AND FALL
Fly Sun Valley Alliance reports that “traveling to Sun Valley this summer and fall will continue to be more convenient with a 17 percent increase in airline seat capacity on nonstop flights from five major cities.”
The schedule for the fall and summer is now available for online booking. Additional information can be found at www.flysunvalleyalliance.com.
According to the schedule, United Airlines will offer service between Denver and San Francisco and Sun Valley from June 24 through Sept. 18.
Alaska Airlines will provide service between Los Angeles and Sun Valley from June 10 through Oct. 2. Service between Seattle and Sun Valley will be provided from June 10 through Oct. 16.
Delta Airlines will offer three daily year-around flights from Salt Lake City to Sun Valley for most of the summer and fall seasons and will offer nonstop flights from Los Angeles on Saturdays and Sundays during peak summer season.
“We are continuing to work with our airline partners to strategically increase our air service access and the marketing of that service, a strategy which has proven successful to date,” said Eric Seder, Fly Sun Valley board president. “For example, this past winter season we increased our contract air seats by 16 percent and the bookings for those seats increased by 15 percent.”
KETCHUM SEEKS FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS
The City of Ketchum is seeking applicants for its new fellowship program to help the city with four specific issues. Applicants are being asked to submit proposals to address one of the following:
-–Solution for the Effects of the Short-Term Rental Market on Affordable Housing,
-–Achieving Net Zero Energy Use by City Departments,
-–Interactive Website Enhancements to Simplify Public Access to Useful Information,
-–Furthering the City’s Strategy on a Real Estate Transfer Fee to Fund Community Housing.
“The goal is to get valuable assistance on city initiatives, inject the city with fresh perspectives and introduce Ketchum to a new audience,” said Ketchum Mayor Nina Jonas.
City council has appropriated $10,000 for stipends for the program.
Additional information can be obtained by writing to participate@ketchumidaho.org or on the city’s website at ketchumidaho.org/fellowship.
ARTS CENTER ANNOUNCES CONCERTS AND PLAYS
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has announced its summer concert schedule and upcoming Company of Fools presentations.
Tickets are now on sale for Center members and will go on sale May 2 to the general public. Additional information is available at sunvalleycenter.org.
Concerts for the summer include Mavis Staples & The James Hunter Six on July 29 and Lake Street Dive & Gregory Alan Isakov on Aug. 17. Both concerts will be held at River Run Lodge in south Ketchum. Concerts feature open seating on grass, blankets or low-backed chairs. Picnics are allowed but no alcohol can be brought to the concerts per Sun Valley Co. policy.
Company of Fools presentations include “Grey Gardens” June 28 through July 20, “Art” Aug. 9-13, “Grounded” Sept 28 through Oct. 15 and “A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine” Dec. 14-30.
Company of Fools will present “Constellations” from Feb.15 through March 4 in 2017.
HAILEY STUDENTS SWEEP FICTION WRITING CONTEST
Hailey Elementary School fourth- and fifth-graders took top honors in the youth category of a fiction writing contest at Idaho Magazine. From left are student writers Lella Aicher, Gina Greenberg, Korbin Heitzman and Lucy Pietsch. Courtesy photo from Blaine County School District
Budding fourth- and fifth-grade writers from Hailey Elementary School won all four top awards in the youth category of the 2016 fiction writing contest at Idaho Magazine.
Korbin Heitzman won first place with his story “The Troll and the Giant Hamster.” Lucy Pietsch took second place with “The Trip.”
Third place was a tie between Lella Aicher with “The Elephant’s Feet” and Gina Greenberg with “Strayed from the Herd.”
The students’ stories can be found under the “Contests” tab at the Idaho Magazine website at www.idahomagazine.com.
MUSICAL FUNDRAISER
SET FOR BELLEVUE GIRL
A musical talent showcase is set for Sunday, April 17, to raise funds to help Devon Peterson, a 12-year-old Bellevue girl who has leukemia.
The event starts at 4 p.m. at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus in Hailey. Admission, payable at the door, is $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The event, entitled “Paper Hearts,” was organized by singer-songwriter Tyia Wilson, who describes her music as a “spiritual offering.”
“As a mentor for other musicians, I want to infuse the idea of using musical entertainment for the benefit of others, as well as ourselves,” Wilson said.
Performing in addition to Wilson will be musicians Keith Waller, Leyla Ba, Chloe Vogel, and Deva Burns.
“My daughter Leyla and I will perform a duet to an Alicia Keys song; Keith is paying tribute to David Bowie, among others; Chloe is going to sing a classic song while Leyla accompanies her on piano; and Deva is going to bring some dance music to the scene,” Wilson said. “I also like to focus on songwriting development, so Leyla and Keith will present original material. Many more surprises await.”
Devon Peterson is the daughter of Bellevue residents Tyler and Jennifer Peterson.
The Idaho Transportation Department has installed several non-traditional wildlife warning signs along State Highway 75 in the Wood River Valley to increase driver awareness to the possibility of large animals, mainly deer and elk, suddenly darting onto the roadway.
