A new law passed this legislative session may allow Idahoans to have a larger voice in federal land management. This law, deemed the, “Federalism Bill,” appoints a group of legislators to help chart a better path for cooperative efforts between the federal government and its citizens. I have…
There are so many good things in this large county, but I want to give a shout out to the GHS FFA that hosted a plant sale, Saturday, May 11.
On April 7, Todd Hudson was involved in an injury at the IFG-Grangeville. This was a pretty serious injury, requiring surgery. From the moment the accident happened, the IFG staff went out of their way to ensure he was receiving the needed assistance. Tracy Seubert and Fred Smith have been a…
To confuse you, dam proponents, including some in Congress, tout Columbia Basin’s Snake River per-dam juvenile salmon survival rate as if it applied accumulatively to the entire waterway.
A new law passed this legislative session may allow Idahoans to have a larger voice in federal land management. This law, deemed the, “Federalism Bill,” appoints a group of legislators to help chart a better path for cooperative efforts between the federal government and its citizens. I have…
This weekend, Riggins is literally at center stage, and White Bird will be off like a shot.
Like most stories, there are two sides. Having watched the school board meeting when the levy amount was decided, I’d like to testify that we have a fiscally conservative board that struggled with deciding to run the levy at $3 million. Being aware of the tension between conservative constit…
As the levy vote approaches many folks are contemplating on how they will vote. I would like to share with you my research and the how it impacted my personal decision.
What is wrong with having a Syringa Hospital Board candidate with real life business experience serving on the hospital board?
From a family that’s been on the Camas Prairie for a century, with 29 years of experience in the health care industry, supporting 18 excellent employees through his Grangeville Irwin Drug store, a service-oriented, always thinking, always innovative, always positive, always conservative, Cha…
Neighbors helping neighbors: One of the great things about living in rural communities is folks’ readiness to jump up and assist those in need. That compassion and concern is exemplified in our emergency medical technicians – EMTs – who are being recognized as part of National EMS Week, May 19-25.
Spring brings new life and beauty to Idaho County. It is also the time that the board of trustees at Mountain View School District starts looking at our budget for the next year. Per the state constitution, funding for public schools is supposed to be provided from state tax collections, but…
I have served on the Syringa Hospital and Clinics Board of Trustees for just over nine years. Due to that service I feel I am in a very good position to know what the Board will need to see as new trustees following the upcoming elections. My votes will go to the following candidates and I u…
I am supporting Barbara Essen in the upcoming Syringa Hospital Board election. She has shown her commitment to Syringa Hospital by her frequent attendance as a guest at board meetings and her eight-year service in the chaplaincy program.
Kooskia voters, please vote no on the recall of Mayor Schilling. She deserves our backing. When a small group of troublemakers tried to take over our ambulance service, Mayor Schilling, along with the city council, made it clear that the ambulance belonged to the city and would stay that way…
It is inspiring and amazing to spend time in the classrooms at Grangeville Elementary Middle School, where I work part time as a reading interventionist with kindergarten students. I also volunteer several hours a week in kindergarten and second grade classrooms. I interact on a daily basis …
Late last year, the local union representing the teachers of Mountain View School District sued “We the people” through the local school board. The suits were “violation of public records” and “violation of First Amendment rights.” Both appear to me to be nothing more than an embarrassment t…
It may be a silly, rhetorical question for me to ask, but perhaps it is necessary-- "Do we value the children of Grangeville receiving a great education?" I undoubtedly believe it is 100 percent yes.
Laura A. Smith has lived and worked in Grangeville most of her life. She knows the people of this area and their needs very well. She and her husband, Randy, intend to spend the rest of their days here in the country they love with their friends and neighbors. She knows firsthand how impor…
Too bad Mary Ann Blees [May 8 issue] couldn’t make it to the last negotiations session. She would have a harder time hanging onto her ill-informed notions about the teacher negotiators (one of whom was the same Mrs. McKinney she took to task in a letter to the editor).
I would like to encourage the patrons of District 244 to get out and vote “yes” for the upcoming school levy. I attended Grangeville public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating in 2010. I was fortunate to have had many great teachers during those years. Their skills, coup…
A good choice for hospital board to represent veterans would be retired Col. Preston Funkhouser. He is aware of the problems they have faced with the V.A. and the transition of veterans over to Syringa Clinic. If he is elected, he will be a voice with experience.
It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve our community and to help prepare our children for their lives as adults. I’m able to do this through teaching at Grangeville Elementary/Middle School (GEMS). This year, to accommodate the desires of the students, we added several new electives…
This year the teacher’s union became quite indignant in their quest for higher pay and increased benefits. They filed several lawsuits against the district and hit MVSD trustees with a vote of no confidence. Now they want you to give the school district $3,090,048.
Being a member of the Syringa Hospital District Board is a commitment Barbara Essen is eager to make. This is evidenced by the number of Syringa board meetings Barbara has attended as a guest. She is a retired minister, and elementary teacher, a mother and the daughter of an Army Master Serg…
It is with a deep and poignant sense of sadness that we prepare to move from Grangeville. Over the 20 years we have lived here you have endeared yourselves to our hearts, and we are deeply grateful. We are grateful for the many gifts of life you have shared with us. Though some of the journe…
I am confused, as carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming and is 60 percent heavier than oxygen and so won’t be absorbed into the atmosphere. Forest burning is the major source of carbon dioxide. Why are they doing prescribed burns other than money for Forest Service employees?
With 40% of Idaho covered in trees, the management of our forests affects us all.
On Sept. 14, 2001, Congress wrote what would prove to be one of the largest blank checks in our nation’s history. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against terrorists gave President Bush authority to attack the Taliban, the Sunni fundamentalist forces in Afghanistan and the…
When it comes to growing the economy, we often focus on job growth through starting a new business. However, there is also a lot to be said about job retention and growth through transitioning current businesses to the next generation.
It’s a local issue if freedom of press, speech, religion, to peaceable assemble, and redress of grievances are valued liberties. The 1st Amendment contains these five liberties, grouped together because they affect/depend on each other. Can you have freedom of speech without freedom of press…
There but for the grace of God….
I have said that I would never write a letter to the editor…. But, it’s a matter of death and life.
Beware of candidates with an axe to grind; once it’s sharp they may use it to chop off your voting hand.
It is clear that Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are a super valuable commodity. There are few of them compared to the demand, that demand being overlooked daily, until crisis hits.
How does such a basic tenet of faith be overlooked, or is it lip service? Families with children attending BYU-Idaho have to decide this week whether to travel to school for the first day of classes, the day after Easter, or spend time with family and worship together the day of Easter. Adm…
The 2019 legislative session tied for the third longest session in Idaho’s history. But it likely broke the record for the worst damage to the faith of people in their government.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa.
Last year, nearly 10,000 Idaho high school seniors applied for admission to our state’s public post-secondary institutions. That fall, 2,600 recent graduates did not show up. That is why we have drafted legislation known as Idaho Promise to remove the barriers that prevent Idahoans from obta…
A new effort has arisen in the Pro-Life movement. Focus on the Family is currently planning an event in Times Square involving thousands who will gather on Saturday, May 4, to view a live 4-D ultrasound of a baby inside the womb. For those of us unable to attend, there are plans to live stre…
To me, true, inherent liberties of an individual are not granted by government, the Constitution, a legislature, or a person in power. If they were, they are not liberties but favors bestowed upon individuals by those with ‘more power’. And if the practice of bestowing favors by those with…
I applaud the school board for standing firm on their conviction that the fiscal path MVSD 244 is on is unsustainable. To me, it means they have a deeper understanding of their mandate to ensure the district is financially viable now and in the future. It takes guts to take the heat they are…
Dave Rauzi’s editorial of March 24 was his opinion of the Idaho Legislature’s Senate Bill 1159 which would place restrictions on the citizens’ initiative process. It included an error that should be corrected.
Our neighbors to the north and south play an integral part in Idaho’s economy.
Thank you for publishing the story about the 9-year-old girl who had her emergency laparoscopic appendectomy in Orofino (4B, March 27th issue of Idaho County Free Press). The article was a perfect example of how knowing the people one works with truly improves the quality and experience of care.
On April 5th, this Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon, the Idaho Supreme Court will convene a session at the Lewiston courthouse, room 1. This rare occurrence provides an opportunity for y'all to see Idaho’s highest judiciary in practice.
When it comes to a proposal for a walking/biking path in Grangeville, we have this to say:
Think back on your favorite teacher. We all have one.
When Idaho’s founders drafted our state’s Constitution, they went to great pains not to forget the source of their authority—the people. While Idaho is set up like most other republican forms of government with three co-equal branches, it also provides a system of checks and balances by the …
At Monday’s night’s school board meeting, I saw anguish, sadness and honest soul searching on the faces of each of our school board members as they wrestled with trying to come up with a compromise that would satisfy the teachers and how raising the levy amount could have a negative financia…
Kudos to Senator Crabtree. I bet this not insignificant development may have slipped by most people in State District 7 (Idaho, Clearwater and Shoshone counties), and I think it's worth drawing your attention to.
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