Save the date for the Y benefit
The 2011 YMCA Classsic with Club 10 benefit will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 3. The major fund-raising gala will include the Golf Classic at Elkhorn Golf Course and dinner and auction at Trail Creek Cabin in Sun Valley. The evening will include live and silent auctions with music by the MVPs.
Tickets for golf are $1,250 a player and $5,000 for a foursome. One dinner ticket per person is included. Tickets for the dinner are $300 and $3,000 for a table of 10. Valet parking is included. For details, call 727-9196 or 928-6706.
Community Library elects trustee
Leslie Silva has been named to the board of trustees of the Community Library Association.
Leslie and her husband, Timothy Silva, vice presi-dent and general manager of Sun Valley Resort, re-turned to the Wood River Valley in 2009 after living in Truckee, Calif., for the past 18 years. Since their arri-val, she has volunteered throughout the community, serving on the YMCA board and the Big Brother Big Sister Advisory Committee. She also has been a Big Brother Big Sister mentor.
Driver's license transition complete
Idaho's transition to a new and more secure driver's license is now complete, the Idaho Transportation De-partment has announced.
The new driver's license was introduced across the state in phases beginning in May and was completed in June. Almost 30,000 driver's licenses and identification cards were issued during that period.
The cards have a new look and state-of-the-art secu-rity features. They now are issued from a central, se-cure location rather than over the counter.
Customers leave county licensing offices with a temporary paper license or ID card, valid for 30 days. The new plastic cards are produced at the central facil-ity and mailed within about 10 business days.
Idaho drivers with current licenses can wait until their licenses expire to renew.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the system, visit itd.idaho.gov/dmv/centralissuance.htm.
National honors for St. Luke's
Avatar International, which specializes in healthcare quality improvement services, has given two awards to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center, the Exceeding Patient Expectations and Overall Best Performer awards.
The Overall Best Performer is presented to facilities ranking in the top 5 percent of Avatar's national data-base with the highest overall combined score for inpa-tient, outpatient, emergency department and ambula-tory surgery. The award represents the top 5 percent in Avatar's National Database.
These awards are based on the hospital's 2010 pa-tient surveys.
"We are thrilled to once again be honored with these awards," said John Kee, CEO of St. Luke's Wood River. "St. Luke's prides itself on quality patient care."
Trail Creek chip-sealing begins
The Blaine County Road and Bridge Department will begin chip-sealing Trail Creek Road on Tuesday, July 19, and the department is asking residents to keep cars off the roadways while work is being done.
Chip-sealing is a process done to protect the roads. A tar-like substance is spread on the road and covered with rock chips, which adhere to the surface. Char Nelson, the county's director of operations, said this process makes for a durable road surface.
< The shoulders on Trail Creek Road will not be chip-sealed, in order to make access easier for mountain bikers.
Blaine County kids eat free
The Hunger Coalition and the Blaine County School District are co-sponsors of The Lunch Connection this summer. The Lunch Connection will offer free hot lunches at Woodside Elementary School in Hailey weekdays beginning Monday, July 18. In addition, breakfast will be included 7:30-8:30 a.m. through Fri-day, Aug. 12.
All meals will be served at the school, located on Woodside Boulevard between Berry Creek and Cherry Creek roads in Hailey. The Lunch Connection will of-fer lunch weekdays from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 19. On Tuesday, July 12, and Thursday, July 14, the Bellevue Public Library hosts a special Story Time for all ages. Adults accompanying their children to The Lunch Connection can purchase a meal for themselves for $3.25.
Woodside Elementary School can be reached on Mountain Rides with a northbound stop at Berry Creek and southbound at Cherry Creek. For details, call 788-0121.
Register for Bellevue Labor Day Fun
Bellevue Labor Day festivities will include the sec-ond annual Bellevue Labor Day 5K Fun Run/Walk, with proceeds supporting the Bellevue Fire Depart-ment.
The event will begin at Bellevue Memorial Park, Fourth and Cedar streets, on Monday, Sept. 5, at 9 a.m.
Registration is available online at imathlete.com for $11.50 or registration forms can be requested via email at bellevuelaborday@gmail.com. Registration is $15 in advance, or $20 the day of the event.
Kids 12 and under get in free. The event will be stroller and dog-friendly.
Cox Communications will provide gift-bags for the first 100 paid participants.
The easy, flat route starts and ends at the park.
Last year, approximately 70 people participated, raising $765 for the fire departments. This year's goal is at least 100 participants and a donation of $1,000.
The Bellevue Labor Day Celebration begins on Sun-day, Sept. 4, with a parade on Main Street at 1 p.m. It will be followed by music in the park by Up A Creek, Dallas Alice, X-Latino and Olin & The Moon.
On Monday, starting at noon, there will be more music in the park with Good Ju-Ju, The Kim Stocking Band, New Transit and Kole Moulton & Lnly Road.
Both days will feature food and arts and craft ven-dors in the park.
More information can be found at www.facebook.com/bellevuelaborday or by contacting bellevuelaborday@gmail.com.
Idaho celebrates beef
In recognition of the summer outdoor barbecue sea-son and the contribution Idaho's cattle ranching fami-lies make to the state, Gov. Butch Otter has declared July to be Idaho Beef Month.
Today's U.S. farmer feeds about 144 people here and abroad each day, compared to 46 in 1960.
For healthy grilling, the Idaho Beef Council recom-mends selecting beef with less than 10 grams of total fat per serving. This includes top sirloin, New York strip and T-bone steaks. Use marinades with little or no sugar, instead bringing out the meat's flavor with acidic ingredients such as citrus juice or balsamic vinegar.
The council also warns against pressing or flatting meat while on the grill. This causes the juices to run out, taking the flavor with them.
Dollar Tree stores help military kids
Operation Homefront, an advocacy group for mili-tary families, has announced its 2011 Back-to-School Brigade program to provide backpacks full of school supplies to local children of military personnel. Dona-tions can be made through July 25 at Twin Falls Dollar Tree stores or online at OperationHomefront.net.
The effort is part of the fifth annual nationwide campaign by Operation Homefront to save military families a major education expense.
Dollar Tree has three stores in the Twin Falls area. Contributions can be made online at OperationHome-front.net.
In 2010, the Back-to-School Brigade program raised more than $2 million in school supplies nationwide through its partnership with Dollar Tree.
