City Council actions have cleared the path for a new development project in Driggs.   They approved the annexation of another lot in the Valley River Centre.   Plans call for a King’s Department Store to be built there beginning immediately.  

 

For the first time ever, the number of Americans traveling this 4^th of July is expected to be down from previous year numbers.   In fact, Idaho Triple A spokesman Dave Carlson says it’ll be about one point three percent less. A little better than 178 thousand Idahoans are expected to be among the road-bound. That’s down about four thousand from last year.

Air fares this summer are about 13 percent higher than a year ago…and car rental rates are up about 12 percent….but, hotel rates, on average, are unchanged.

 

State and local lawmen have launched a special DUI emphasis patrol thru the 4^th of July weekend.   Participating agencies include the Teton, Madison and Fremont County Sheriffs Departments and Rexburg Police. Madison County Sergeant Cameron Stanford says they’re hoping to reduce some of last year’s numbers. Statistics indicate that 31% of the drivers involved in weekend traffic fatalities were DUI impaired.   Idaho doesn’t fool around with DUI’s. On your first offense you’ll lose your license on the spot in addition to other penalties.

 

850 homeowners have now been evacuated from the Big Sur, California area…after a lightning caused fire jumped fire lines Wednesday.   The Idaho National Guard is sending a Blackhawk helicopter and ten Department of Lands fire engines and firefighters to help man fire lines there.

 

A variety of Teton Valley non profits participated in the Teton Springs Foundation’s annual grant awards ceremony last night (July 1).   Operations Director Jon Pinardi says grants are funded by donation and from the proceeds of real estate sales and activities. $40 thousand was awarded last fall and $140 thousand this spring making it the largest grant cycle in the Foundation’s history. One of the big winners was the Teton Valley Education Foundation. It was awarded 25 thousand dollars outright for elementary school equipment…as well as a 50 thousand dollar matching grant that’s good thru the Tin Cup Challenge later this month.

 

There are a number of public and private agencies providing some level of public transportation in the region. Yellowstone Business Partnership executive director Jan Brown is facilitating an effort aimed at somehow coordinating it all into a viable public system. The Idaho Transportation Board awarded YBP a small grant to come up with a concept plan by the end of the year. A variety of public and private transportation providers are holding a roundtable discussion at Yellowstone Park today (July 2).

There have been numerous reports of grizzly and black bear activity in the Island Park and Mack’s Inn area this summer.   Idaho Fish and Game Department spokesman Gregg Losinski says most of them, though, are sticking to the high country. A wet spring has created good natural forage and an expected bumper choke-cherry crop should salve some grizzly appetites. 

The Tri-County Grizzly Bear Committee…that’s Fremont, Clark and Teton counties… is scheduled to meet in St. Anthony this week. One of the group’s initiatives is to move towards bear-resistant trash receptacles in bear-prone areas. But, Losinski says that’s a fairly expensive proposition and requires coordination with sanitation efforts involving commercial trash-haulers. The first focus of that effort has been in the Island Park area.

Several state, federal and private agencies have helped secure funding to buy bear resistant food storage containers for Boy Scout camps in the region.   36 were recently delivered to Island Park and another 36 to the Treasure Mountain Camp near Driggs.

 

A 16 year old boy was injured Monday after taking a 30 foot fall from a zip-line at Grand Targhee Resort.   Teton County, Idaho authorities say the boy was transported to Teton Valley Hospital for treatment shortly after 1 p.m.   His name and hometown were unavailable.   Officials say he was apparently a guest at the resort.

 

Idaho State Police have now identified the driver of a motorcycle struck by a pickup in Victor Saturday afternoon as 49 year old Brett Nelson of Jackson.   He was injured when 41 year old Richard Gower of Williamsport, Pennsylvania attempted to turn left onto State Highway 31 at the intersection with State Highway 33.   Nelson’s motorcycle slid about 69 feet.   He was transported by Air Idaho to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with severe injuries. He was wearing a helmet.   Gower was cited for failure to yield.

 

Teton County, Idaho commissioners are interviewing candidates to ultimately take the helm of the county’s planning department.   The list began with 25 candidates and was pared to 14.   Five are in Driggs this week for interviews. The process began yesterday and is likely to continue thru today (July 1).

 

A 23 month old Tetonia girl was killed in a tragic accident at her home at 1115 West and 1200 North Saturday. Idaho State Police say Mary Garner apparently crawled under a pickup parked in the family’s driveway just as her brother…16 year old Joshua Garner began to drive forward.   The drivers’ side rear tire rolled over her.   The young girl died in an ambulance near the scene.

 

A 45 year old Victor man is being held in the Madison County jail in Rexburg on charges of grand theft and burglary following a search-warrant search of his residence Saturday.   The Teton County (Idaho) Sheriffs Office says Alan Viets was arrested after over four thousand dollars worth of over the counter medications and beauty products were recovered. The items were allegedly taken from Broulim’s in Driggs where Viets worked.   The warrant was issued after investigation by the sheriffs office and the multi-county major crimes task force.   He’s scheduled for arraignment today.

 

Four Idahoans were among those honored by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee for their work in getting the bear off the endangered species list.   They were current and former Caribou-Targhee National Forest supervisors Larry Timchak and Jerry Reese, Caribou-Targhee biologist Mark Orme, and Idaho Fish and Game Communications specialist Gregg Losinski.   Others honored included Frank and John Craighead, Chuck Jonkel, Dick Knigh, Chuck Schwartz, and Chris Servheen.

 

The Teton Valley Health Care board of directors got its first detailed look at its financial condition this week…and the news was not good. After losing money for the past five consecutive years, CEO Floyd Bounds says the total anticipated loss this fiscal year will be nearly two million dollars. Through natural attrition, he says some cuts have already been made in staff, but he says that will not be enough to keep the hospital afloat.

 

 Board chair-person Nancy McCullough-McCoy says there are a couple of predominant reasons the hospital will fall nearly two million dollars in debt by the end of the current fiscal year.   One is a poor collection rate on self-pay clients (26% of TVHC patients) and growth that’s created more demand for expensive services.   Over the past three years, the hospital has also written off about two point four million dollars in contractual adjustments…the difference between actual expenses and the amount paid by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health insurance plans.

 

County commissioners turned down a request to pump one point nine million dollars into the hospital this year.   They say they can afford about $30 thousand.   In the short term, the TVHC Board hopes the community will help. In the long term, they’re looking at other options which may include efforts to pursue creation of a health care taxing district. That would require a two-thirds majority vote in a general election.  

 

To encourage development that addresses the ecosystem as a whole…the Yellowstone Business Partnership has launched a new framework for sustainable development.   Sustainability Programs Manager Heather Burdette says it goes beyond the familiar LEED building program to include the overall environmental impact of a new development.   

One of the first pilot projects is the Mountainside Village Development in Victor.   They’ll be hosting a public open house there from 3 to 7 today (June 27).

 

No one was seriously hurt when a vintage 1948 bi-plane crashed at the Driggs’ Reed Memorial Airport Thursday morning.   It happened shortly after 11:15 when the plane’s pilot Dr. Brent Blue of Jackson said the plane caught a wind gust and flipped onto its top.   He and a passenger were un-hurt. 

 

As Congress considers an emergency supplemental appropriations bill…Idaho Senator Larry Craig is pushing to make funding for counties impacted by federal land part of the bill.   Craig says some Idaho school districts are laying off teachers because they don’t have money to pay them.   The Senate is expected to consider the emergency appropriations bill this week.   It includes money for disaster relief and additional war funding.   

 

The growth of diabetes in Idaho threatens to become a public health crisis. Between 1994 and 2004, the number of adult Idahoans with diabetes increased 48 percent. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reports 87 thousand Idaho adults are diagnosed with diabetes and another 56 thousand have pre-diabetes.    It’s largely blamed on obesity and inactivity. Tomorrow (June 27) , the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will release a five year plan outlining strategies to address the issue.   Mimi Hartman-Cunningham helped write it. The plan will look at access and the quality of health care, as well as public policy on diagnosis and prevention.