Mountain Rides seeks route input
Mountain Rides Transportation Authority will hold two public workshops this month for public input on service and bus routes for 2011.
The first meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Ketchum City Hall. The workshop will be focused on the free Mountain Rides town routes in the Sun Valley-Ketchum area.
The second meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Community Campus in Hailey. The workshop will be focused on the Valley route Mountain Rides operates between Bellevue and the Sun Valley-Ketchum area and the new free town service in Hailey.
According to a Mountain Rides news release, the workshops will consist of a "route-by-route overview and presentation of any adjustments or improvements contemplated for the coming year."
Comments may also be sent directly to Mountain Rides Executive Director Jason Miller at jason@mountainrides.org or Box 3091, Ketchum, ID 83340. For more information, contact Miller at 788-7433, ext. 101.
Green building expo set for Saturday
The 2010 Wood River Valley Solar & Green Building Expo on Saturday, Sept. 25, will bring together architects, energy providers, designers, green building contractors and manufacturers. The expo will provide information and product demonstrations for those interested in energy efficiency, solar heating and power, along with other green building and sustainability technologies for the benefit of homeowners and businesses.
The event will run from 11-5 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 100 Second Ave. in Hailey. Call (208) 320-8627 for more information.
Learn about healing touch
During a Brown Bag lecture today from 12:15-1:15 p.m., Mary Kay Foley, physical therapist and coordinator of St. Luke's Integrative Therapies program, will introduce people to the background and benefits of healing touch and how it complements conventional health care. Healing touch is an energy-based approach to health and healing, aimed at restoring balance in the human energy system.
The event will take place in the Carbonate Rooms of St. Luke's Hailey Clinic.
All Brown Bag lectures are free and no pre-registration is required. For information on this or other educational programs, call 727-8733.
Statewide unemployment still high
Idaho's unemployment rate for August was 8.9 percent, up 0.1 percent from July and almost 0.5 percent higher than the August 2009 rate of 8.5 percent.
However, August was the third straight month that the Boise metro area recorded falling unemployment, from the double-digit levels of February through May with a seasonally adjusted rate of 9 percent, down slightly from 9.2 percent in July. Last year's unemployment rate for the month of August was 9.3 percent.
Eleven Idaho counties posted double-digit unemployment rates for August, with four recording 14 percent or higher. Boundary, in northern Idaho, had the highest at 14.6 percent. In July, 12 Idaho counties posted double-digit rates, with none above 12.5 percent. Last year, 13 counties recorded double-digit rates for August.
P&Z recommends solar ordinance
Installing solar collectors may be easier for Blaine County residents, due to a decision by the Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, Sept. 16, to recommend a new solar power ordinance.
The ordinance has been under discussion since June, and is meant to encourage the installation of solar collectors. The newest version of the ordinance provides guidelines for the installation of solar collectors, including special restrictions for the Mountain Overlay District.
Commissioners also recommended the approval of an amendment to the FEMA flood insurance rate map, according to the latest flood insurance study. The floodplain was also reclassified as a zoning overlay district.
The P&Z will meet Thursday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m. to sign the findings for both actions and pass its recommendations on to the County Commission for approval.
Firearms on federal land?
The Firearms Freedom on Federal Lands Act gained state support on Monday, when Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, signed on as a co-sponsor.
The bill, House Resolution 5523, explicitly prevents the restriction of firearms on federal land, such as national forests or parks. If the bill is passed, regulation of firearms on public lands will be left up to individual states and could not be affected by executive order.
Firearms are not currently restricted by the Forest Service or the BLM, but neither are such restrictions prohibited. The new resolution also prevents the president from banning firearms from national monuments.
The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) on June 15, and subsequently referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture.
Delays on highway north of Stanley
Girders for a new bridge over the Salmon River near Slate Creek are being set this week, resulting in periodic traffic delays on state Highway 75, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. Traffic delays will continue from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 24.
The project is about 24 miles east of Stanley. The existing 314-foot bridge, built in 1934, is showing signs of deterioration. Construction of the new bridge and demolition of the existing structure will take two seasons to complete.
