Idaho Senator Larry Craig is not only opposed to Wild and Scenic status for the Snake River headwaters…he’s adamantly opposed.   Craig told Q 102, he’s worried the designation could challenge water flow into Palisades Reservoir. He says Idaho irrigators own the water in Jackson Lake and its possible the designation could allow environmentalists to determine flows in order to protect the quality of water in the river. And, Craig believes provisions in the bill designed to protect Wyoming and Idaho irrigators simply aren’t strong enough.

 

Fremont County has announced that Planning and Building Administrator Jeff Patlovich has been terminated.   The action was effective May 7^th. No other details were released.   The county has also named former Teton County Planning Administrator Kurt Hibbert as interim administrator of the Fremont County department. 

 

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined the US House of Representatives in passing a resolution this week recognizing this as National Teacher Appreciation Week. There’s a national campaign to create a 50 foot wide thank-you card for teachers.   You can be a part of that message on line at (Teacher thank you card dot org)    www.teacherthankyoucard.org    

 

Last week we reported that 37 year old Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez had been charged with rape in St. Anthony involving a young, pregnant child. That ten year old girl gave birth to a baby girl last weekend.

 

Idaho wildlife managers hope to clear up a few misconceptions as they meet with the public in Ashton tonight. The subject at hand…gray wolves.   Idaho Fish and Game spokesman Gregg Losinski says people don’t understand that they now have more latitude to deal with problem wolves than they had when the species was managed at the federal level. In addition, protections for livestock producers still exist. He’d also like to convince residents that the wolves aren’t as dangerous as some might believe.   Tonight’s (May 8) meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Ashton Community Center. Another session is set Monday (May 12), beginning at 4 pm at the Idaho Falls Regional office to talk about the hunting portion of Idaho’s wolf management plan.

 

Senator Mike Crapo’s Owyee Initiative will go to the Senate floor for a vote. The measure would create 517 thousand acres of new wilderness in southwest Idaho and release 199 thousand acres.

 

The South Fremont Cougars are District 6 Baseball Champs…again.   They beat Sugar Salem 11 to 1 Wednesday.

 

Federal officials have released a new salmon recovery biological opinion. This one focused on the operation of Upper Snake River dams and reservoirs. Coalition for Idaho Water Executive Director Norm Semanko says it should give regional water users some relief on three key issues. First, it limits the amount of water that can be diverted from Idaho under existing agreements. Second, water diversions would be contracted with “willing sellers”.   And third, it must follow state law…which contains protections for Idaho water rights. It also provides a 30 year commitment.   Several conservation groups promise to challenge the plan.   Idaho Rivers United spokesperson Amanda Peacher says it provides for habitat restoration, hatchery production, and predator control.   But, it does not consider lower Columbia system dam removal as an option….and she says that is not acceptable.

 

The French nuclear energy company Areva has selected a site about 18 miles east of Idaho Falls to build a new US uranium enrichment facility.  

Areva will use a state approved tax exemption for production equipment and a cap on property tax valuations to build the two billion dollar facility.

It’s expected to bring hundreds of new jobs to the region.   The company will now begin licensing thru the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with hopes to begin construction in 2011.   It should be operational by 2014.

 

Two Idaho Falls men are being held in the Bonneville County jail on 200 thousand dollars bond each.   28 year old Shawn Fahlsing and 32 year old Bodie Sargeant were booked over the weekend for a string of burglaries.   Madison County Sheriff Roy Klingler says they’re suspected of over 30 break-ins ranging from Idaho Falls to Rigby and Rexburg.   Law agencies put together a task force to help round up the suspects. While the burglars made off with thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise…they caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage along the way.

 

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has increased Rocky Mountain Power’s energy efficiency rider to three point 72 percent of a customer’s monthly energy bill. That’s an increase of about $1.56 per month for most residential customers.      PUC spokesman Gene Fadness says the “rider” is used to develop conservation programs that reduce the utility’s need to build or buy new resources. Its also a cost savings for those using the programs.   It took effect May 1^st.

 

Rexburg Police say a local man was scammed last month after trying to buy a car from the Craig’s List website over the internet.   Captain Randy Lewis says the victim sent a $4900 “Moneygram” to cover the purchase…but hasn’t heard anything since. Lewis says it’ll be hard to get that money back.   While “Moneygrams” can be sent to anyone almost anywhere…they can also be picked up by almost anyone almost anywhere. 

 

A Rexburg woman trying to participate in a “Secret Shopper” program has fallen victim to the scam.   Rexburg Police Captain Randy Lewis says she was sent a check for over $3800 and asked to return a few hundred of that as a “membership”.   She waited four days for the check to clear…but, unfortunately, failed to wait for notification from the bank before she sent off the money.   Her “Money-gram” was sent to California and picked up by someone in Brooklyn, New York.   Work from home schemes…like secret shopping… are among the fastest growing scams across the country.

Eastern Idaho Technical College is holding its 2008 commencement ceremonies today (May 6).   Director of College Relations Todd Wightman says it actually got underway last night with pinning ceremonies for 34 nursing graduates. In all, EITC will award 112 health profession program degrees…along with awards in business, trades and industries, truck driving, radiation safety, and 289 GED diplomas.

 

A 25 year old Utah man sustained head injuries when he lost control of his ATV on the St. Anthony Sand Dunes.   An Air Idaho Rescue helicopter was called in to transport him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.   It happened shortly after noon Sunday.

 

The upper Snake River region of the Bureau of Land Management is preparing to launch a three year effort aimed at re-writing the region’s comprehensive resource management plan.   A series of three public meetings will kick off the public side of that effort in June…in Arco, Idaho Falls and Rexburg. 

 

BYU Idaho is reporting summer semester enrollment of 11 thousand 112 students this year. That’s nearly 22 percent higher than the summer semester of last year.   The number of credit hours being taken by students is up by almost 21 percent.    Students come from all 50 states and 54 countries and almost 40 percent of them are returned missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

 

The United States Army is proposing to treat and dispose of radioactive sand from Kuwait in southwest Idaho.   Idaho DEQ officials say they plan strict controls to assure the materials received at the Grandview facility of US Ecology meet the requirements of the company’s waste permits. It’ll be shipped in containers by rail and off loaded south of Boise.

 

Rexburg Police are investigating the theft of two new motorcycles.   The bikes were reported missing from Rexburg Motor Sports sometime between Saturday (April 26^th) and Wednesday (April 30^th).  

 

When bids were opened last year to build a new Madison High School building, the district learned that prices on just about everything had sky-rocketed.   This week, district Superintendent Dr. Geoff Thomas says the school board approved a resolution asking patrons to approve a $19.5 million supplemental bond to complete the $48 million project.  

Ground breaking for high school infrastructure is set next week.   The supplemental bond will go to voters June 5^th.   It needs a two thirds majority to pass.

 

Idaho Senator Larry Craig has endorsed the idea of halting the government’s daily purchase of oil for a strategic reserve.   But, he’s also proposing another step.   He wants an inventory of all our oil reserves…and changes in policy to develop resources.   Craig thinks our policy with Cuba is a prime culprit.   A moratorium on Cuban diplomacy has kept the US out of huge oil reserves there. Craig says the primary blame for today’s gas prices can be squarely place at the feet of Congress and politics of every ilk.

 

The Congressional budget office has given a good review to the bi-partisan “Healthy Americans Act”.    Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is one of seven republicans and seven democrats sponsoring the measure. He says the market based program would achieve universal coverage.   Analysts say that by 2014, the program would be budget neutral and create savings in out years.   Crapo says the bill allows health care plans to transfer with employment changes, promotes proactive wellness plans, and reforms the insurance market so that insurers are forced to compete on price, benefits, and quality.   It also gives all taxpayers a standard deduction for health care costs.