Vote now for the Best of the Valley
The Sun Valley Guide has opened voting on its fourth annual Best of the Valley survey. The magazine, owned by Express Publishing, will publish the results in a special edition of the magazine in August.
Visit www.bestofthevalley.org/2012survey to cast your vote in seven categories: Dining, Recreation, Shopping, Business & Services, People and Entertainment.
Several new questions have been added to the 2012 survey, including Best Locally Brewed Beer, Best Smoothie, Best Children's Activity, Best Body Shop, Best Car Wash, Best Pastor, Best Charity Gala, Best Festival, Best Activity and Best Way to Relax.
The deadline for completing the survey is Monday, May 21. For questions or comments, email editor@svguide.com.
District looks at WRMS enrollment
The Blaine County School District board of trustees will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 26, to discuss Wood River Middle School building capacity and enrollment.
The meeting is scheduled to start at noon at the district office at 118 W. Bullion St. in Hailey. The public is invited.
Rep.'s son named USSA officer
Michael Jaquet, son of retiring state Rep. Wendy Jaquet, has been named chief marketing officer for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
Jaquet was formerly vice president of television and properties sales with CBS Sports Network. He grew up Nordic ski racing and alpine skiing in Sun Valley and was a pioneer in freeskiing, founding the U.S. Freeskiing Open.
"Michael brings a lifetime of passion as an athlete and an unquestioned track record of working across all aspects of sales, marketing and media management," said USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt in a press release.
Jaquet and his family are moving to Park City, Utah, where he will begin his new position in May.
Agencies seek comments on mountain biking, paragliding events
The U.S. Forest Service and BLM are seeking public comment on requests for permits to hold the USA Cycling National Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championships, a paragliding World Cup event and the U.S. Open Distance National Paragliding Championships, all on Bald Mountain.
The mountain biking events would be on July 1 and July 4-8. Up to 1,200 competitors and 6,000 spectators are expected to participate.
The paragliding World Cup event is proposed to take place Aug. 18-25 and the Open Distance National Paragliding Championship is proposed for Aug. 27 to Sept. 2. Up to 125 competitors are expected to participate in each paragliding event.
Comments should be sent to the Ketchum Ranger District, Box 2356, Ketchum, ID 83340, attn: Joe Miczulski. Comments may also be e-mailed to comments-intermtn-sawtooth-ketchum@fs.fed.us.
Learn about knee replacements
Find out about when a partial knee replacement might be appropriate during a Brown Bag Health Talk on Thursday, April 26, from 12:15-1:15 p.m. at St. Luke's Wood River's Baldy Rooms. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Judd will share his knowledge and experience of this potential surgical solution. Also called unicompartmental knee replacement, this procedure is less invasive and has a faster recovery than total joint replacement.
Call St. Luke's Center for Community Health for information on this or other educational programs: 727-8733.
Food bank has new home
The Hunger Coalition will move its food distribution center from the Bellevue Community Church to its new warehouse at 121 Honeysuckle Street in Bellevue starting April 30.
The new warehouse offers greater privacy and extended hours, according to a release from the organization. Hunger Coalition clients can visit the warehouse on Mondays from 2-4 p.m. The warehouse is located in the triangle between Gannett and Main streets.
For more information, call 788-0121.
Sun Valley receives safety award
The National Ski Areas Association has named Sun Valley Resort as one of 13 member resorts to receive a safety award.
Each year, the awards recognize resorts that educate employees and guests about skiing and snowboarding responsibly, according to a news release issued by the resort.
Sun Valley Resort was recognized for "Best Community Outreach."
The National Ski Area Safety Award was given as a result of local school projects, rescue dog/guest interaction, on-hill school group safety programs and outreach to local businesses.
"It is an honor to be recognized for our commitment to safety awareness and very rewarding to receive an accolade of such significance within our industry," Bryant Dunn, Sun Valley Ski Patrol safety supervisor, said in the release.
Avalanche Center ends season
The Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center closed its doors for the season last week, finishing off its second fatality-free season.
The center reported that the area's average is typically one to two fatalities per winter.
This year, the center issued 119 daily advisories, 19 fewer than last season due to lack of snow in early winter. The advisories on average received 15 percent more page views than last year.
The center also installed an automated weather station in the Soldier Mountains to better provide snowfall data for that zone. It expanded its education offerings and gave classes to groups such as Blaine County Road and Bridge and the visiting National Brotherhood of Skiers.
For the complete annual report, see www.sawtoothavalanche.com or find the agency on Facebook.
