After more than 40 years as a Lowell/Syringa News correspondent for the Idaho County Free Press, Marie Smith is retiring.

Crash was reported on U.S. Highway 95 at milepost 135. Whoops. That should have been 235.Five miles south of Grangeville, by the way.Sorry about the mistakes. The reporter was “de-thawing.” Oh, that’s more of a slang term and kind of nonsensical.

If it sounds like we’re harping every year to “shop local,” it’s because we are. That’s because we know what it’s like to be a small business that relies on the support of the community to employ its people.

I’ll try not to smile when a raised eyebrow asks me, “why would you buy a newspaper?”

One less gun is in the world. Ask the ocean whether that teardrop made it any saltier.

With the coming of Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, we note that so much has been said and preached on the subject of soldiers, war and sacrifice that any subsequent words add little, and, in fact, seem trite and redundant.

We get asked, “Who do you recommend in this election?” Our answer is usually some variant of, “Choose the boring person.”

Sickening, that’s what it is, that our western senators need to go on bended knee to the federal government to request funding for what should be provided as a matter of duty.

Your cemetery district needs you, and your fire district, and your city council, and your school board.

Should access to medicinal marijuana be allowed in Idaho?

Grangeville steps into the seat of state power next week when Governor Brad Little comes to town for the Capital for a Day event.

Not since Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have we been treated to such a song and dance as the Idaho Department of Labor (IDOL) is giving us as their “Achy Breaky Heart” reasons for shutting down its physical location in Grangeville.

Enough seriousness now. Border Days starts this week.

Ada County and the Idaho State Police are taking flack – unwarranted, in our opinion -- for their enforcement and prosecution of three out-of-state truckers who were transporting industrial hemp through Idaho.

This weekend, Riggins is literally at center stage, and White Bird will be off like a shot.

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.

There but for the grace of God….

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa.

When it comes to a proposal for a walking/biking path in Grangeville, we have this to say:

Voter initiatives are a rarity within Idaho – three within the past 20 years -- yet here the legislature is considering how to make this process more cumbersome and, as a result, discourage citizen involvement in its political process.

Providing coverage to our EMS providers for psychological trauma is not only a good benefit, it’s a public recognition of how we value their service.

Survey says: Half of Idahoans admit they are unwilling to make lifestyle adjustments to stop climate change.

New federal standards for Idaho identification cards have been in the works for more than a decade, but only recently has getting the ID become a pressing priority -- we’re a year and a half out from it being enacted.

Our men and women in the military serve and sacrifice to protect not only the values Americans hold dear, but to protect current and future generations. So, it is ironic that those same individuals – injured as a result of that service -- are not supported by our nation to assist them in bri…

Petitioners have an uphill battle to fight in their efforts to recall Kooskia Mayor Charlotte Schilling.

Although the new federal rule for hospitals to list their prices on their web sites began Jan. 1, this may not be as big of a help to patients as it initially seems.

Governor Little has an exciting opportunity to take fresh eyes and innovation into addressing a long-standing problem concerning marijuana, make a policy that reflects the values and desires of its residents, and lead the nation in how this substance should be handled.

Recently the Moms Demand Action group formed in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, which, according to news reports, is advocating to prevent unintentional firearm deaths among children by educating parents and gun owners about responsible gun storage.

Meetings are most often the drudgery we make of them. It’s time we reinvent how we conduct these to make them more informative, productive and better attended.

When purchasing local, you are essentially supporting yourself and your family. Repeat studies have shown that your local businesses give back to their communities at a far greater percentage than do national chains.

Idaho County is second to none in how it honors and recognizes its veterans; not just on holidays, but every day. It’s easy to be reminded of this during commemorative events, such as Veterans’ Day.

Idaho voters on Nov. 6 will be deciding on Proposition 2, Medicaid eligibility expansion. As part of the voters’ decision-making process, the Idaho County Free Press has compiled guest opinions and press releases from the past few months concerning the proposition.

We, too, favor government cost-cutting, but dismantling the local newspaper business would make local government less accountable to the people, not more. And that would end up costing local taxpayers a fortune in the long run.

Next year, we can get back to party politics … as everyone is so excited about returning to that screaming monkey circus. But this year, let’s set the party names aside and work the 2017 nonpartisan elections together.

You can’t tell us the government doesn’t have $1 million kicking around the treasury somewhere that they could throw a bone to rural law enforcement. Specifically, to reinstate federal grant funding to provide DNA testing for law enforcement agencies across the nation.