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…

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.

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. 

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.

I wish to thank the Free Press for taking interest in my talk on Alcohol Use and Use Disorder on March 14. My intention was not to give a diatribe against alcohol use, and I apologize if I gave this impression. My point was that the data suggests that when I choose to enjoy a beer with my ha…

Dear Mountain View School Board,

As a taxpayer, community member and educator, I am troubled to see what school board member, Casey Smith, posted in last week’s [March 13] Free Press. His words make it clear he harbors significant hostility toward the educators of our district, as evidenced by the rancorous tone and the cas…

The Idaho County Commissioners recently sent a letter to the Idaho State legislature asking them to respect the view of the minority of voters in the state and not move forward with Medicaid expansion because 4,000 people in Idaho County voted against it. Sending this letter is in direct con…

I for one want to thank school board member, Casey Smith, for clearing the air in his March 13th letter to the editor that he and the board have taken cuts off the table. I might have missed that message from watching or attending previous board meetings where the subject has come up time an…

MVSD trustees, the community is disappointed concerning the public ads and letters from you this past month.

I just wanted to make folks aware of a great thing that happened this past weekend to our small town.

I’m writing to thank Senator Carl Crabtree for voting “yes” on Marsy’s Law. His vote gives us the freedom we deserve as Idahoans to debate and ultimately cast our vote in favor or against this Constitutional amendment. Thank you for giving the voters the power to make this decision instead o…

Dear People of the great State of Idaho,

Dear board of trustees: It was a tiny, tiny start at Monday’s negotiation meeting. So tiny that it almost felt like you handed the representatives of the Central Idaho Education Association (CIEA) and the community a miniature thimble of food when we were starving. Or a popped tire was hande…

Camas Prairie Food Bank would like to thank Carlene Whitesell for her years of commitment, dedication and enthusiasm to Camas Prairie Food Bank. Her commitment has made the food bank a vital and important part of the community, and her vision for the food bank has inspired the volunteers in …

Why is health care from the Veterans Administration (VA) important to veterans? At the onset of each appointment with a VA health provider, the patient is asked a series of questions -- not just about their health, but about the nature of their service. Did they serve in a combat zone? Were …

In the March 7 issue of the Star News was an article entitled, The Value of Wilderness. I would like to express my views on this article.

Every year without exception, around levy time, we hear the same old propaganda. In the Feb. 27th Free Press, letters to the editor, Jennifer Wolffing expresses her concerns that budget cuts will result in increased class sizes, cuts to art, music, P.E., sports and school concerts. I can ass…

Why is it that Democrats like to predict disaster? The "global cooling" of 30 years ago meant a new ice age, declining ecosystem diversity, death and destruction for mankind. The fix? Stop corporate industry! Then, 15 years ago..."global warming" (oops, our algorithms were wrong). The new pr…

And now from the Great State of Idaho County: The triumvirate of commissioners has decreed its opposition to Medicaid expansion from the stance of sovereignty, sophistry and unbelievable arrogance.  Medicaid expansion (Prop 2) passed in Idaho with an amazing 61 percent of citizen support (35…

As the president continues to deny global climate change, I was pleased to hear Governor Brad Little say in a recent speech that there is no question that climate change is happening, and we’ve got to reverse it. I am glad leadership in Idaho acknowledges climate change, and I believe that a…

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Who won in the Kim-Trump meeting in Hanoi? Who flew halfway around the earth, 8,300 miles, to meet with a dictator, called him “friend,” and came home empty handed? He even gave Kim a pass about the brutal, brain-damaging beating of c…

Civil unrest over process portends a future filled with anxiety. People rally over borders, races, economic disparity, and the endless chaos from the emotional disorders, which surface performing within the bandwidth of rage.

A big round of applause for Sen. Carl Crabtree and his decision to put the power in the hands of the people. Recently, Sen. Crabtree joined 24 of his Senate colleagues in passing SJR101, the proposed constitutional amendment also known as Marsy’s Law for Idaho.

Retirement Spiking, House Speaker, Scott Bedke, and other leaders want legislators to be the only part-time officials to receive full-time retirement benefits. Legislators do not make retirement system contributions to receive full-time benefits. Therefore, the full-time benefits are “unfund…

I’m writing to thank Senator Crabtree for standing up for the rights of Idahoans. Your vote allows us to decide for ourselves whether or not Marsy’s Law should be enshrined in the Constitution. Thank you for recognizing that freedom to choose should reside with the people and should not be d…

Many thanks to Jeff Adams for contacting his high school football players who came to our rescue by shoveling off our garage/shop roof. Thank you, team. Your willingness to give back to the community by volunteering for snow removal was a huge help to us and to others in the community. Dane,…

I agree with the new wording of House bill 127 just passed by committee. The word change is “may” from “shall.” It would read ‘Every county may exercise the powers conferred by this chapter pursuant to section 67-6502, Idaho Code’. Private property isn’t private property unless the owner has…

Our power was out from 6:45 a.m. on Sunday until about 7:00 p.m. Frustrating, cold, and inconvenient. How many times does it take walking into a room, flipping the light switch to no avail, to realize the power is out? Pavlov?