Thursday 090723
Fire damaged a Jerome home yesterday morning. Fire crews were called to the 800 Block of East J. When they arrived they found heavy smoke coming from the front of the residence. Crews were able to quickly knock the fire down. The family was displaced and the Red Cross is assisting. The Fire Marshall is investigating according to Fire Chief Mike Harrison.
Lori Vallow Daybell is formally appealing her convictions and sentencing relating to the deaths of JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell. An Ada County jury found her guilty of all charges against her in May 2023, and she was sentenced to three consecutive fixed life sentences in late July. Vallow Daybell's attorney brings 16 issues forward including whether or not Vallow Daybell was competent to stand trial in the first place after spending nearly a year in a state mental health facility.
Good news travelers. There are two flights arriving and departing daily from the Magic Valley Regional Airport. There’s a 7:30 a.m. flight to Salt Lake, 12:16 p.m. arrival in Twin Falls a 1:10 p.m. flight to Salt Lake and a 9:56 p.m. arrival to Twin Falls every day.
New court documents show U.S. attorneys believe 56-year-old Yvonne St Cyr should spend nearly three years in prison for her role in the capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. A jury found St Cyr, who is from Idaho, guilty of six charges last spring. Attorneys also recommend three years of supervised release and $2,000 in fines.
Idaho Senator Mark Harris said the Idaho Senate has achieved 60% support needed to convene and call itself back in to special session. All eyes turn now to the House of Representatives to wait and see if they will achieve the 60% support needed as well. Harris is pushing to consolidate all primary elections to the May primary date during the First Regular Session. The consolidation would save approximately $2.7 million in taxpayer funds".
Lewiston Police Department Capt. Rick Fuentes has been placed on paid administrative leave after he was charged with indecent exposure at a Coeur d’Alene hotel. After reviewing the alleged incident, the Lewiston Police Chief recommended Fuentes be placed on administrative leave.
SPORTS
Boise State is looking to have a big turnaround after a huge loss against Washington in Seattle for their season opener. This week's opponent, UCF won't be easy either. The Golden Knights come in off of a 50-point win in their week one game against Kent State. Lucky for the Broncos, they'll be home at Albertsons Stadium. A place players say has a special energy about them.
Looking at the scores from yesterday. First for boys soccer where Mountain home defeated Burley 1 to 0. For the Girls Twin Falls outlasted Jerome 3 to 0. Mountain Home defeated Burley 9 to 0.
In Volleyball action, Wood River said no to Mountain Home 3 to 0. Butte County outlasted Carey 2 to 0. It was Wood River 3 Jerome 0.
Here is today’s local high school sports schedule. First to Football where Melba will host Gooding. For boys soccer, Declo will travel to Buhl, Bliss heads to Kimberly, Gooding heads to the Sun Valley Community School and Filer goes to Wendell.
For girls soccer games, Declo travels to Buhl, Shelley heads to Burley, Bliss goes to Kimberly, and Gooding boards the bus and heads to the Sun Valley Community School. Filer goes to Wendell.
On the volleyball schedule, locally, Jerome travels to Mountain Home and the Sun Valley Community School will travel to Carey. Twin Falls will play Canyon Ridge and Kimberly will be on the road to play Snake River. Hansen travels to Camas County. Castleford will play Dietrich and Hagerman will be in Twin Falls to play Lighthouse Christian and Wood River will travel to Burley and Glenns Ferry will head to Wendell.
WEATHER
Today: Sunny, with a high near 86. East wind 3 to 7 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. East southeast wind 5 to 8 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.
Wednesday 090623
The Payette county sheriff’s office say they are grateful for the quick thinking hospital staff that came to the aid of a deputy when he was attacked by an inmate who was attempting to escape during a medical evaluation. Police said that 37-year-old Kyle Lewis from Ontario, Oregon, was transported to a hospital for an evaluation on Sept. 2, when he attacked a deputy who was guarding him. Hospital workers quickly subdued the inmate and treated the deputy for his injuries.
The Idaho State superintendent of public Instruction has submitted her budget request to the governor’s office. Debbie Critchfield is adding about $120 million dollars for K through 12 education.
Attorney General Raúl Labrador said investigators with his Idaho Internet Crimes against Children Unit arrested a Twin Falls man on Thursday for alleged sexual exploitation of a child. 36-year-old Nicholas G. Baker was booked into the Twin Falls County Jail. He is alleged to have possessed sexually exploitative material.
According to AAA, Idaho’s average price for a gallon of regular is $4.16, which is a penny more than a week ago and 15 cents more than a month ago. Meanwhile, the national average currently sits at $3.81, which is a penny less than a week ago and two cents less than a month ago.
Some lawmakers think a bill should be introduced this year that would regulate concert ticket sales. It started with the Taylor Swift debacle when millions were unable to make a purchase after Ticketmaster’s website crashed. It’s been suggested that ticket sellers disclose the full cost of tickets including fees up front. It would also ban speculative ticketing a practice which resale companies sell tickets they don’t even yet own.
Eleven organizations, including the Idaho Association of Public Health District Directors, signed on to a letter to Idaho’s Congressional delegation supporting legislation that would expand Medicaid access for people in jail and in prison in hopes of reducing overdose deaths. The letter called out two bills, the Reentry Act and Due Process Continuity of Care Act, that “have the ability to reverse the increasing trend in overdose rates and save lives in our state.”
SPORTS
Some big changes how local school sport teams are classified have been made. The Idaho High School Athletic Association conducted a meeting of member schools yesterday morning to review the results of the superintendents’ votes on the 2024-26 classification cycle. 100 members voted to change the proposal. 52 member schools wanted to keep the existing classification. Now Canyon Ridge will be the standalone in District 4 in 6 A. Twin Falls will be in 5A with Jerome, Burley, Minico, Wood River and Mountain Home. Wendell, which, before Tuesday’s vote, was set to move to 3A with Buhl, Filer, Gooding and Kimberly, would have avoided a two-school conference in many sports with Declo.
Taking a look at local sports from yesterday, First to Volleyball, where Burley took the win against Twin Falls in a 5 set win. Canyon Ridge defeated Minico 3 to 0. Kimberly outlasted Gooding 3 to 1. Lighthouse Christian defeated Raft River 3 to 0 and Richfield took the win over the Sun Valley Community School 3 to 2.
In boys soccer, Buhl took the win over Filer 2 to 1 and Wendell for the win over Gooding 5 to 0.
In Girls Soccer, Buhl and Filer tied it up 2 each. Wendell outlasted Gooding 3 to 2. Kimberly took the win over the Sun Valley Community School 7 to 1.
Here is today’s schedule of games. First for Boys soccer, where Wood River will travel to Minico and Jerome heads to Twin Falls. For the Girls, Twin Falls heads to Jerome, Burley to Mountain Home, Canyon Ridge to Preston and Minico heads to Wood River.
WEATHER
Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 82. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly clear, with a low around 54. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southwest after midnight.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Tuesday 090523
Authorities in Blaine County continue to investigate a shooting that left one person injured. It happened at Lion’s Park on Friday morning. 72 year old William R Butler of Hailey was taken into custody. Police were called to the area to check on someone yelling for help. 34 year old Michael Bosse of Hailey was taken to the University of Utah hospital for Treatment.
Idaho State Police are investigating a head on two-vehicle fatality collision that claimed four lives which occurred Friday just before 10 pm near Driggs in Teton County. The driver of a car crossed the center line and collided with a semi-truck. All 4 people in the car were killed. All lanes of State Highway 33 were blocked for 8 hours while crews worked to clear the scene.
Two semi’s collided Friday afternoon just before 4 near the Kimberly exit along I-84 killing one of the drivers. Police say one truck was slowing in the eastbound lane for traffic when another semi collided with it. Eastbound traffic was blocked for about 4 hours.
The Treasure Valley YMCA school bus rollover that left 8 people seriously injured last month was caused by the driver losing control. The 64 year old female driver from Caldwell was one of those injured. There were 28 passengers. Police have forwarded the results of their investigation to the Boise County Prosecuting attorney’s office.
A 19 year old Idaho Falls teen was arrested over the weekend and charged with Felony vehicle Manslaughter. Emerson Caleron’s blood alcohol was .21. That’s well over the limit for a driver under the age of 21. He crashed into another vehicle near Idaho Falls on May 28th that killed one person.
The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners met briefly Friday morning to acknowledge and cure a violation of Idaho’s open meeting law. To remedy the violation, the land board voted to void the Aug. 15 executive session and re-do the motion. The land board then went into an executive session. When the board members returned to open they announced they took no action.
In just one week, Boise Pride will light the capitol building. But this year, festival organizers needed some financial help. It typically costs about $5,000 to light the building. Now, it costs about $15,000 because they have to set up lights across the street. Lime, the company that places electric scooters throughout the Boise said they would fill the gap.
SPORTS
The state rodeo queen is a Magic Valley Native. Lydia Rose Miller of Buhl will represent Idaho. That was announced during this year’s Twin Falls County fair and Rodeo. Miss Rodeo Idaho competes on a statewide and national level. To be a representative of rodeo and each must embody sportsmanship, and high moral and ethical characteristics just to name a few. Miller is an advocate for her platform titled “ride with me” to show people they’re never alone.
And she partnered with “No More Empty Saddles” which is a suicide prevention program. Their focus is to improve mental health in rural communities and in rodeos. Miller has been involved in horses and in 4h since she was a young girl.Boise State head coach Andy Avalos wanted a fast start from his team to start the season and they delivered. Unfortunately it wasn't sustained when No. 10/11 Washington responded in the second quarter as the Huskies claimed a 56-19 win Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium. The visiting Broncos struck first and held a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to Ashton Jeanty's seven-yard run that capped an explosive 10-play, 90-yard drive. The sophomore tailback finished the game with 153 total yards thanks to a career-best 109 receiving yard performance.
Taking a look at some local high school football games from Friday, Kentrick took the win over Oakley during the battle in Boise 44 to 22. Camas County took the win over Garden Valley 50 to 12. It took overtime for Dietrich to take the win over Rockland 56 to 50. It was Butte County 42 over Carey 8. Canyon Ridge defeated Wood River 21 to 7. Declo defeated Aberdeen 55 to 28 and it was Homedale 42 over Gooding 6. Lighthouse Christian defeated Grace 34 to 28. It was Hagerman for the win over North Gem 46 to 12. It was Twin Falls overpowering Idaho Falls 55 to 15. It was a shutout for Jerome as Kimberly took the win 44 to 0. There was another shutout game when Murtaugh took the win over Hansen 48 to 0. Snake River took the win over Filer 27 to 8. Wendell defeated Marsing 22 to14 and it was Valley 42 Wilder 6. Burley defeated Vallivue 65 to 30.
On today’s schedule, for both boys and girls soccer, Declo travels to Bliss, Buhl travels to Filer, Gooding heads to Wendell. For the girls, Kimberly travels to play the Sun Valley Community School.
WEATHER
Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 77. East wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. South southeast wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 82. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast around 6 mph in the evening.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 84. East southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Friday 090123
This week the Cassia County School District held a special board meeting to discuss sex offenders on school property or activities. When three sex offenders in Cassia County submitted their applications prior to making their first visit on school grounds, as required by state law, the board granted their requests, much to the dismay of the committee. After much discussion the group decided to amend the motion and re-instate the old policy for a case by case basis.
University of Idaho President Chris Lynne and chief academic officer and provost John Woods are making two things very clear. The Purchase of the online University of Phoenix could help convince more Idahoans to attend college. The group said the $685 million purchase of the for-profit online giant carries little risk for the University of Idaho, and Idaho taxpayers.
Idaho is experiencing significant corrections in home prices as a result of the increasing impact of rising mortgage interest rates. Zillow‘s housing economists have revised their estimates for 2024, forecasting a 6.5% surge in U.S. home prices from July 2023 to July 2024, up from last month’s 6.3% prediction. Home sales are up 8.8 percent in Twin Falls.
After seven years, the family of a hiker who went missing in 2016 now has closure. Crews found the remains of Jack Thomas in Boise County. Thomas disappeared in the Sawtooths in Elmore County. Crews found his remains seven or eight miles away from his last phone ping in 2016.
The Union representing the workers of Amalgamated Sugar voted to approve a new five year agreement. Negotiations between Amalgamated Sugar and the union had been ongoing since the end of May. Wednesday, employees voted to approve the new collective bargaining agreement.
Ann Morrison Park is hosting the 32nd annual Spirit of Boise beginning Friday for the Labor Day weekend, weather permitting. The Events continue through Sunday.
SPORTS
Boise State's football season kicks off Saturday against Washington and ahead of the game, fans can get their hands on Bronco trading cards. For the second year in a row, Jacksons Food Stores will begin selling trading cards tomorrow featuring BSU's 2023 football team. Every student-athlete on the roster is included and one in 10 packs will feature a limited-edition autographed card from team standouts, including DJ Schramm, Taylen Green, Ashton Jeanty, Markel Reed, and George Holani, among others. Each pack will contain 14 cards and retail for $12.99 at Jacksons and Extra Mile locations in the Treasure Valley. They can also be purchased online.
From the scoreboard, for Boys Soccer, Bliss took the win over Buhl 2 to 0. Wendell was victor over Declo 8 to 1. It was Kimberly 1 Gooding 0. Wood River defeated Thunder Ridge 1 to 0. For the Girls, Wendell outlasted Declo 2 to 1. Buhl for the win over Bliss 4 to 0.
On today’s local high school football schedule, Kendrick and Oakley will be at BSU. Dietrich travels to Rockland. Carey goes to Butte County. Aberdeen goes to Declo, Homedale to Gooding and Lighthouse Christian goes cross town to play Grace. North gem travels to Hagerman and Twin Falls travels to Idaho Falls. Kimberly travels to Jerome. Mountain Crest hits the road to play Minico. Hansen travels to Murtaugh. Richfield goes to Shoshone. Richfield travels to Shoshone. Filer travels to Snake River. Marsing will be in Wendell and Valley travels to Wilder. Burley plays Valleyvue as part of the battle in Boise.
WEATHER
Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. South southwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 8 to 13 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind around 8 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Light and variable wind becoming west 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Labor Day: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Thursday 083123
A 32 year old Burley man is facing serious charges after he allegedly attempted to exchange money and drugs for sex with a minor. Oliver Encinas was taken into custody in Rupert after he allegedly planned to meet up with the minor.
A hearing scheduled to address the defense Motion for Dismiss today in the case against Bryan Kohberger has been vacated and rescheduled for later in the month. A hearing to rule on whether or not cameras are allowed in the courtroom is still scheduled for tomorrow.
The names of those killed over the weekend in car accidents have been identified. 24 year old Iziah Humberto Rodriguez of Buhl lost control of his vehicle just after 2 am along Golf Course Road in Jerome. He and his passenger 23 year old Daniel Martinez o Jerome died from their injuries. Later Saturday 34 year old Oscar Tenorio Aragon of Wendell died when he crashed while traveling westbound on I-84 just outside of Twin Falls.
Ammon Bundy is scheduled for a new trial without a jury starting Oct. 2 on contempt of court stemming from a lawsuit from St. Luke’s Health System. If convicted, he could face no more than up to six months in jail. Bundy did not accept or deny the charges against him and questioned how many he faced.
With the passage of House Bill 92 the Idaho legislature said schools need to teach personal finance literacy. With that, First Federal bank has teamed up with the Idaho High school activities association to provide education assistance to member schools.
The Eastern Idaho State Fair will be returning in September, and fair officials say it’s one people won’t want to miss. Just like every year, the fair will be held on the fairground in Blackfoot. It will last from Friday through Sept. 9.
Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, has begun circulating what he said is the first of two petitions to call the Idaho Legislature back into special session to consider legislation related to the presidential primary election that legislators eliminated earlier this year. The Idaho Legislature has the new power to call itself back into session upon a written petition signed by at least 60% of the members of the Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho Senate.
SPORTS
National Football League rosters were finalized for the opening week of the 2023 season Tuesday and Boise State unsurprisingly led the Mountain West with 11 former Broncos on NFL rosters. Of those 11 players in the NFL ranks, seven of them led their respective teams to the NFL Playoffs last season. The 11 former Broncos not only leads the Mountain West Conference but is also more than several Autonomous 5 schools, beating Arizona State (10), Colorado (10) and Arizona (4), to name a few.
From High school soccer games played yesterday, first for the boys, Canyon Ridge Defeated Twin Falls 4 to 0 and Burley outlasted Jerome 1 to 0. For the Girls, Jerome took the win over Burley 2 to 1. Mountain Home shut out Wood River 1 to 0 and it was Twin Falls 2 Canyon Ridge 0.
In Volleyball play, Richfield took the win over Raft River 3 to 2. Kimberly 3 Century 0 and Liberty Charter outlasted Glenns Ferry 3 to 1.
Today for boys and girls soccer, Bliss travels to Buhl, Wendell goes to Declo, Kimberly to Gooding and Thunder Ridge travels to Wood River.
On the volleyall schedule, Jerome boards the bus and heads to Twin Falls, Declo travels to Firth. Sugar Salem will be in Gooding to take on the Senators and Canyon Ridge heads to Mountain Home. Camas County goes to Glenns Ferry and Richfield will travel to Twin Falls to play Lighthouse Christian. Dietrich goes to Rockland, Minico to Burley and Wendell travels to Hansen.
There is one football game scheduled. Buhl travels to Mountain Home.
WEATHER
Today: Patchy smoke. Sunny, with a high near 88. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Tonight: Patchy smoke. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 5 to 11 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Breezy, with a southeast wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. East southeast wind 7 to 13 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Sunday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Labor Day: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Wednesday 083023
Voters in several local school districts went to the polls yesterday to decide school funding. In the Valley School district, in Jerome county the 600 thousand 2 year levy passed with 60.6 percent. It was for salaries and benefits. The Shoshone school bond for 8-point 2 million dollars failed. The Castleford school district levy passed with 75 percent saying yes.
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer travel, and as many Idaho families head out on one last road trip, they’ll need to plan on paying more at the pump. According to AAA, today’s average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the Gem State is $4.15 per gallon, which 24 cents more than a month ago. The national average currently sits at $3.82.
Today is the first day of the Twin Falls County Fair and Rodeo. There will be a junior rodeo tonight. The main rodeo is Thursday through Saturday. Sunday a concert with Mitchell Tenpenny and Ned Ledoux and the carnival kicks of today and runs through labor day Monday. The Monster trucks are Monday.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has been disqualified from his open meetings lawsuit against the State Board of Education. Labrador has until Sept. 5 to find new counsel.
The largest wilderness area in the Lower 48 got a little bit bigger in Idaho this month after The Wilderness Land Trust purchased a former mining claim and transferred it to public ownership. In 2021, the Wilderness Land Trust purchased the 38-acre Surprise Lode property within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness from a private owner. By later selling it to the Forest Service, the land will be protected from development.
The Idaho Department of Lands sold four endowment-owned lakefront lots at Priest Lake for deeded ownership during a public auction. One unleased lot did not sell. The public auction generated $6 million, which is $1 million over the appraised value. The competitive bidding resulted in a 120% overall increase above the appraised value. All four leased properties auctioned had homes on them.
Land managers are considering adding fees to access a popular recreation site distinguished by its 60-foot waterfall in Owyhee County. The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a day-use fee of $5 per vehicle at Jump Creek Falls, or $25 for an annual pass. The BLM is also evaluating making Jump Creek a day-use-only site and eliminating camping. the BLM says operational and maintenance costs at the site have nearly doubled in the past six years, as an estimated 40,000 visitors visit Jump Creek annually.
SPORTS
The Idaho High school football rankings are out following last week's first full slate of games. There were many changes noted in most all classifications. In its 2023 debut, Mountain View handed conference foe Meridian its second-straight loss. The 31-26 win catapulted the Mavericks into this week's 5A top five and dropped the Warriors out of the rankings.
Post Falls also made its debut in the media poll after defeating Sandpoint 41-21. Rocky Mountain's 16-0 victory over Coeur d'Alene – who upset Rigby in Week 0 – moved the Grizzlies up, but they are still ranked behind another Southern Idaho Conference squad.
In the 4A classification, three teams jumped into the rankings ahead of Week 2, creating a three-way tie for the No. 5 spot. Burley, Emmett and Twin Falls each claimed a spot in the top-five rankings following 1-0 starts, while Sandpoint hung around despite the loss to Post Falls.
Burley came in 4th place in 4-A. Kimberly is ranked 4th in 3A. Declo is ranked 5th in 2A.
Both 1A DI and 1A DII levels welcomed two new faces to their top fives on Tuesday. Despite the movement in the rankings, Oakley and Kendrick maintained their No. 1 status with 13 first-place votes each.
Lighthouse is tied with Butte County for 5th in the 1A D1 category. In 1A D2 rankings Camas County is 2nd and Castleford 3rd.
From the soccer fields yesterday first for the boys, Bliss took the win over Filer 7 to 1. Gooding defeated Declo 3 to 1 and it was a tie with 2 each in the Buhl Kimberly game. The Sun Valley Community School outlasted Wendell 4 to 1.
For the girls, Bliss defeated Filer 3 to 1. It was Kimberly 3 Buhl 0, The Sun Valley Community School for the win over Wendell 12 to 1 and it was Declo 5 Gooding 0.
As for Volleyball from yesterday, Grace Lutheran defeated Sho-Ban 3 to 0. Twin Falls outlasted Wood River 3 to 0 an it was Minico 3 Mountain Home 0. Lighthouse Christian outlasted Oakley 3 to 2. Murtaugh took the win over Rockland 3 to 1.
On today’s sports schedule, for soccer, for the boys, Twin Falls will go cross town play Canyon Ridge and Burley is in Jerome. As for the girls, Jerome goes to Burley, Wood River heads to Mountain Home and Canyon Ridge will be cross town to play the Twin Falls Bruins.
For volleyball games, Challis will travel to Carey, Highland from Pocatello will play Twin Falls in Wood River. Challis plays Camas County in Carey and Richfield will be on the road to take on Raft River. Shoshone will be at the Valey Schools. Oakley goes to Declo, Century will travel to Wood River to play Kimberly, Hansen goes to Hagerman and Glenns Ferry travels to Liberty Charter.
WEATHER
Today: Patchy smoke before noon. Sunny, with a high near 75. West wind around 11 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. West northwest wind 6 to 10 mph becoming south southwest after midnight.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 59. East northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Labor Day: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78.