UPPER VALLEY HEADLINES

An Interstate 15 traffic stop near Osgood Wednesday night led to the arrest of two Minnesota residents. Idaho State Police troopers found over a pound of marijuana hidden in their vehicle.   Less than 90 minutes later troopers near Pocatello stopped another vehicle carrying over 160 pounds. Because Interstate 15 is rural with relatively light traffic…Sergeant David Peterson says it’s become a favorite corridor route for drug smugglers. Cocaine moves north and east while Canadian marijuana moves south. 

Peterson says the problem has grown so much ISP is considering a major expansion of its existing patrols or bringing in outside resources to help.

Idaho’s new crime statistics are encouraging. Latest stats from the Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification indicate crime is down almost across the board in the past year.    Based on over 83 thousand serious offenses, the overall crime rate is down 7.9%...violent crime is down 4.1%...crimes against persons is down 5.6%...hate crime down 21.1%....and property and crimes against society were both down about 7%.

 

Governor Butch Otter has appointed Sharon Harrigfeld as the new Director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. She’ll succeed Larry Callicutt August 1^st.   Harrigfeld has been administrator of the Community Operations and Programs Services Division since 2007.

Retired 7^th District Judge Brent Moss will serve as Grand Marshall for Rexburg’s Whoopee Days parade Saturday.   After elected terms as Madison County Prosecutor, Moss was named a Magistrate in 1985 before rising to the District Court post.    The parade gets underway at 10 a.m. on Main Street. It’ll also feature the Met Life mascot…Snoopy…invited by Bell Black Insurance to make an appearance in Rexburg.  

Idaho First Lady Lori Otter has been named to the National Board of Directors for the Meth Project.   When Idaho joined the Meth Project in 2007, it ranked #5 in the nation for meth use.   Since the campaign began, 63% of Idaho teens and 77% of young adults now believe there’s a great risk in trying meth.   That’s up 8 and 9 points respectively.

Two Rexburg girls were transported to Madison Memorial Hospital Wednesday after a large tree branch fell onto them.   It happened about 2 p.m. while the girls and their family were sitting under the tree next to the Porter Park Carousel.   Rexburg Police say one young child and a teenager did not suffer life threatening injuries.   They suspect high winds and the weight of the tree may have caused the limb to break.

 

A 26 year old Rexburg man has been sentenced to between two and seven years in prison.   Kurt Gum was charged of felony injury to a child after he was arrested in April.   His one month old son had suffered a skull fracture and bruises.   Gum could be eligible for probation in six months.

 

The Rexburg Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for itself Wednesday.   Executive Director Donna Benfield says the Chamber has moved into new facilities in the middle of Main Street.   They’ll provide additional space …as well as a 24-7 kiosk with local tourist information.  

The new Chamber offices also offer a large conference room…which will be available for rent…and at reduced rates to chamber members.

The Idaho Department of Labor says the national recession has not only reduced migration to Idaho…but it slowed the exodus of people from rural communities.   69 of Idaho’s 200 cities either experienced no population growth or modest population losses. One of the larger cities to show a gain last year was Rexburg. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Donna Benfield credits it, in part, to a large and revolving BYU Idaho student body. Here are the latest population numbers in our region:

Population of Idaho Cities, 2008 and 2007
	2008	Rank	Change from 2007	Growth from 2007	2007	Rank	Change from 2006	Growth from 2006
Idaho	1,523,816		27,671	1.8%	1,496,145		34,962	2.4%
Ammon	13,646	14	800	6.2%	12,846	14	914	7.7%
Ashton	1,073	76	-13	-1.2%	1,086	75	-8	-0.7%
Driggs	1,362	71	60	4.6%	1,302	72	39	3.1%
Drummond	14	198	-1	-6.7%	15	198	0	0.0%
Dubois	616	109	11	1.8%	605	108	-5	-0.8%
Hamer	12	199	0	0.0%	12	199	0	0.0%
Idaho Falls	54,334	5	1,074	2.0%	53,260	5	968	1.9%
Iona	1,331	72	22	1.7%	1,309	71	26	2.0%
Irwin	165	174	7	4.4%	158	176	4	2.6%
Island Park	287	152	7	2.5%	280	153	4	1.4%
Menan	716	99	8	1.1%	708	98	5	0.7%
Mud Lake	286	153	10	3.6%	276	154	7	2.6%
Newdale	349	143	-5	-1.4%	354	143	-2	-0.6%
Parker	315	148	-2	-0.6%	317	147	-3	-0.9%
Rexburg	28,028	10	454	1.6%	27,574	10	516	1.9%
Rigby	3,394	38	84	2.5%	3,310	38	80	2.5%
Ririe	534	118	1	0.2%	533	118	0	0.0%
Roberts	642	107	2	0.3%	640	107	0	0.0%
St Anthony	3,401	37	-6	-0.2%	3,407	37	23	0.7%
Sugar City	1,540	65	19	1.2%	1,521	65	12	0.8%
Swan Valley	244	158	6	2.5%	238	158	6	2.6%
Teton	661	105	-1	-0.2%	662	104	1	0.2%
Tetonia	229	161	-5	-2.1%	234	159	-6	-2.5%
Ucon	1,082	75	12	1.1%	1,070	76	16	1.5%
Victor	1,817	60	124	7.3%	1,693	62	112	7.1%

 

The Madison Memorial Hospital Board is outlining five focal points as part of a long range strategic plan for the facility. They are stewardship, service, people, growth, and quality.   CEO David Rowe says a key objective will be staff education…an effort that met a milestone in June when the hospital won accreditation for Continuing Medical Education by the Idaho State Medical Association. 

Within the next year, Madison Memorial hopes to obtain accreditation as a Family Practice Residency Training Center.   That’s being coordinated with Idaho State University and the University of Washington. The hospital board believes that program will improve clinical services as well as overall health care quality.

 

The Idaho Department of Finance has recovered over one billion Iraqi dinars hidden by a jailed investment promoter.   That’s worth about one million US dollars.   Jack Lee Smiley was involved in an investment scheme in 2004 that bilked investors out of about a million dollars.   The recovered Iraqi money will be used for restitution to about 130 victims.

 

The Island Park Community Bear Proof Container project will host an evening of education, food and bear proof containers tonight.   It’ll get underway at 5:30 at the Flat Ranch Visitor Center on Highway 20 in the Henry’s Lake Flats.

There was another series of minor earthquakes in the Yellowstone Park area Tuesday.   The largest was a magnitude three point three located about 17 miles east-northeast of West Yellowstone shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday.   Three smaller quakes were recorded within minutes. Activity of that nature is anything but unusual there.

Continuing a tradition he started while a Congressman, Governor Butch Otter is leading his annual trail ride this week.   In it, he gathers up natural resource managers for a back country horse ride. This year it’ll travel the area of a 700 thousand acre forest fire in southern Idaho two years ago. The Governor believes state and federal agencies have done a good job of restoring the area for bull trout, sage grouse and other threatened species found in the region.   This year’s trail ride will also cross into Nevada to review that state’s recovery efforts.

After setting a milestone two million hours without a lost workday injury…INL’s integrated waste treatment unit (IWTU) suspended work Tuesday after four minor injuries to workers within the last two weeks. None involved radioactive or hazardous materials. In the latest.. after a worker tripped over rebar and injured his shoulder…CH2M-WG Idaho took a time-out to review safety policies with workers this morning (July 1). 

 

Funeral services are scheduled Wednesday at the Rexburg Stake Center for a Rexburg scout leader. 50 year old Craig McCuiston drowned Friday in a rafting accident on the Snake River near Alpine. The craft launched from the West Table Boat ramp.   McCuiston was thrown from the raft when it hit a rapid and even though he was wearing a PFD was sucked under in the current.   Another scout leader was thrown from the raft, but managed to swim to safety.    

 

An Idaho Falls hunter is recovering after he was attacked by a grizzly bear in the Lyle Springs area.   The Fremont County sheriffs department says Keith Klinger was hunting with his brother and a friend when their dogs alerted to a bear’s scent.   The hunting party then encountered an adult grizzly and her two cubs.   Klinger was bitten on his right arm before his brother fired a shot and the bear let him go.   He was driven to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg for treatment.   Authorities located the site of the incident, but were unable to track the bear or determine if it was shot. Anyone traveling the area is encouraged to be extremely cautious.

 

Like Jackson and Teton County, Idaho before it…the city of Rexburg has joined a national program offering all citizens discounts on prescription drugs.   The free program is primarily aimed at those without health insurance coverage…and offers up to a 20% savings on most prescriptions.   Cards are now available at many area physician offices, local pharmacies or Rexburg City Hall.  

 

Despite threats of a filibuster, Senate supporters aren’t backing down from amendments to the Clean Water Restoration Act. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says it’s a clear grab for federal control of water management. He contends current state water management is quite workable and doesn’t require federal meddling. Crapo put a personal “hold”on the bill after it passed committee last week.

 

Rexburg Mayor Shawn Larsen has been elected as 2^nd Vice President of the Association of Idaho Cities. 350 delegates representing cities from across the state cast ballots at the AIC’s annual conference in Boise earlier this month.   City Councilman Christopher Mann was elected an AIC Director representing the 6^th district.

 

Triple A analysts suspect our rapidly rising gasoline prices may now have peaked for the season.   Prices are up 35 cents a gallon since Memorial Day to an average $2.70 per gallon.   That’s a far-sight better than the $4.08 we were paying a year ago.

Nationwide, AAA projects travel numbers will be down 1.9% this 4^th of July weekend. But, the organization expects the Mountain region to be up 1.2%.

 

The National Weather Service is mounting a nationwide campaign focusing on the danger of lightning strikes. In Pocatello, meteorologist Vernon Preston tells us…each bolt carries an enormous amount of energy. Lightning kills about 70 people per year nationwide.     

His best advice at the first sign of lightning….head for indoors…get off the water…get under a rock outcropping or into a vehicle. Despite the myths…if you can hear thunder, you’re in danger of a lightning strike.