A group of Teton Valley residents are concerned about decisions to end the OB program at Teton Valley Hospital.   Meeting as a hospital board this week, County Commission Chairman Larry Young says a working group was established to take another look at the numbers and assumptions used to make that decision. They suggest the hospital would save $300 thousand a year by making the cut.   Young says the hospital must cut between three quarters and a million dollars a year out of its expenses in order to break even and maintain its critical access status.     He says once the cuts already ordered take effect the hospital will be on that track.   The board will review the budget again September 5^th.

 

 

MEADOW CREEK

Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire crews flew into action about 3 p.m. Tuesday after a fire on private land threatened to move onto BLM and Forest Service ground near Ririe Reservoir.   It was estimated at 750 acres in steep terrain and farm land and there is no estimate of containment.   Called the Meadow Creek Fire, investigators haven’t determined what started it.

 

BOISE FIRE CLAIMS LIFE/HOMES

Firefighters hope they’ve contained a range fire near Boise that destroyed ten homes.   In one of them…the body of a Boise State University professor was found.   Mary Ellen Ryder was scheduled to teach her first class yesterday. Fanned by winds up to 50 miles per hour, the fire injured 17 police officers and one firefighter were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.

 

GUNBARREL FIRE

Near Cody, the Gunbarrel Fire…between Cody and Yellowstone National Park…has forced evacuation of the Elephant Head Lodge guest ranch. The fire has burned more than 55 thousand acres and fire officials say it’ll likely continue till first snowfall.

 

Teton Valley non-profit agencies learned Monday night that the inaugural Tin Cup Challenge Fun Run was a phenomenal success.   Altogether, Community Foundation of Teton Valley executive director Cathy O’Conner says the fundraiser generated $900 thousand dollars for 37 local non profits.   Their individual fund raising dollar will be matched 50% by the Foundation…meaning a $1.50 for every dollar donated.    That is a better return than they saw in the Old Bills Fun Run last year.   Of 611 Teton Valley donors this year, 221 did not contribute to Old Bills last year.

 

The Teton County, Idaho Board of Commissioners will not seek a supplemental levy in November. It was intended to meet the additional cost of new courthouse construction and over 200 thousand dollars to help match a grant for sheriffs department and emergency dispatch offices.   In the wake of a supplemental levy on behalf of Teton Valley Hospital this month, commissioners felt they couldn’t ask taxpayers for more money at this time. They may reconsider in May.  

 

Teton County, Idaho authorities have completed an assessment of damage caused by a late July hail storm.   And, while severe, county emergency management officer Greg Adams says it appears the loss won’t meet the threshold to qualify for federal assistance programs.   The storm caused significant property damage to siding, roofs and cars in the Driggs and Victor areas. Crop damage alone was estimated at two point eight million dollars.

 

While a group of former owners looked on, a long vacant log home in front of Creekside Meadows in south Driggs was burned to the ground Saturday...but not until it provided some valuable training for firefighters.   In fact, Teton Fire District training officer Mark Anderson said several smaller fires were set on the second floor of the cabin to give firefighters some experience in both search and rescue and hose advancement techniques. There are ten or eleven additional structures in Teton County that’ll be used for similar exercises over the next four to six months.

 

Teton County, Idaho commissioners will bring a 16 point two million dollar budget to public hearing today.   (The hearing is set for 2 o’clock Aug. 25).    The figure is over one million dollars less than the current year’s budget.   County Clerk Mary Lou Hansen says expected revenues won’t change much.   There will be less road and bridge funding due to a shortfall in state gas tax revenues.   But, property tax collections will increase $400 thousand, thanks to new construction property taxes.   The budget also reflects $1.4 million in state money that’ll be used to rebuild 2.7 miles of Packsaddle Road next summer. Commissioners worked to improve the parity of county employee salaries.   They’ve also focused on the Sheriffs Department budget…including funds for two new deputies that will include a school resource officer, animal control and a domestic violence investigator.

 

As the democratic convention gets underway in Denver this week, western state democrats go into the campaign with a good deal of optimism.   Idaho Senate candidate Larry LaRocco believes it’ll be a good year for competition and choice. He says Barrack Obama’s 50-state strategy should bode well for western state democrats.     LaRocco has raised more public campaign funding than any other Idaho democrat ever has…and the party, in general, will receive more state public campaign finance funding than republicans.

 

Teton County, Idaho authorities are looking for the driver of an un-registered, unlicensed, green, 2000 Land Rover.   It rolled over on 525 South near Victor shortly after midnight Sunday.   A man and a woman were seen leaving the scene.  

If you’re interested in buying one of those fancy new UTV…or Utility Type Vehicles….keep in mind they might not be legal on some back country trails. Most of those trails are limited to vehicles with a wheel base no larger than 48 to 50 inches…and most of them measure 50 inches or more.   BLM spokesperson Joanna Wilson says the rules were made before UTV’s existed.   She says land managers will now begin to look at rules establishing trails for them. In the meantime, check travel maps to find out where they are legal.

Grand Targhee Resort set a goal of holding “zero waste” festivals this summer.   Now, after two major music festivals, sustainability director Christina Thomure reports…the resort diverted 47 percent of its waste stream this year.   Virtually all the food and utensils used this year were recyclable or capable of compost conversion.   The resort even provided solar powered cooling tents.

 

Driggs has formally adopted a new budget.   Mayor Lou Christensen says it reflects a couple of large grants and a slight downturn in state revenues. It comes in at $4.2 million.   New annexation and construction increased general fund revenues by about $67 thousand.   Property taxes will go up slightly.   The city is still reviewing water and sewer rates, which may be adjusted later.

 

Teton Valley residents are learning the ropes at the county’s new waste transfer station this month.   Community recycling director Ginny Newsom reports the scale house opened for the first time Monday. Now that all services are under one roof, managers will work on collaborating personnel and equipment to streamline operations.

A couple of tips…make sure you have material sorted and easily spotted…and to avoid long lines….bring it in during weekdays.   For now, the center cannot accept magazines or plastic.

 

By the way…Community Recycling will use an eight thousand dollar grant from One Percent for the Tetons to initiate recycling programs in Teton Valley schools this fall.