Men with cancer invited to fly-fishing retreat
Men dealing with or recovering from cancer are invited to a fly-fishing retreat through Reel Recovery.
The national nonprofit organization hosts expense-paid retreats for men with any form of cancer or at any stage of recovery or treatment.
"Any man with any kind of cancer is eligible," said Dr. Dick Wilson, Reel Recovery's Idaho state coordinator.
Participants join together for a weekend of fly-fishing in a supportive environment.
There are two local retreats this year: Aug. 3-5 and Sept. 7-9. Both are held at Wild Horse Creek Ranch near Mackay. No fly-fishing experience is required.
St. Luke's Wood River Foundation is a partner with Reel Recovery in supporting the retreat.
Sign up online at www.reelrecovery.org. For questions, contact Wilson at RWilsonID@cableone.net or by phone at 208-866-2415.
To learn about the program, visit www.mtexpress.com and type "Seeking a reel recovery" in the search field.
Video contest winners announced
Friends from Charlotte, N.C., will be given a trip to Sun Valley as winners in a Sun Valley Marketing Alliance video contest promoting the area's mountain biking.
"Zach and Dickey Make a Promo" earned the top spot from 200 entries in the Sun Valley Remedy contest.
Richard Dillon and Zach Avery will be flown to Sun Valley for one week coinciding with the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival, June 29 to July 8.
"The contest takes people's social media prowess into consideration," said Greg Randolph, the alliance's director of public relations and social media.
While here, they'll blog about their experience, then tell their friends back home, he said.
"It's trusted word of mouth," Randolph said. "Third-party endorsement is the most valuable tool you have."
Winners also receive two Scott bikes, two pairs of Smith Optics Pivlock V2 riding glasses and other gear.
View the top 10 finalists on Visit Sun Valley's YouTube channel.
'Nardagani' accepted by state
The Nardagani reading instruction program, developed by Ketchum resident Narda Pitkethly, has been accepted as a recommended curriculum by the Idaho State Department of Education.
Pitkethly developed Nardagani as an alternate form of phonetics. She said it takes about 30 minutes to comprehend. The program uses pictures and symbols to eliminate ambiguities in the English language that have evolved over time. For more information, go to www.Nardagani.com.
Wood River Fire & Rescue gets SMART
A $9,288 grant from the Wood River Women's Charitable Foundation has allowed Wood River Fire & Rescue to buy a SMART Board, a digital whiteboard used in interactive training.
"We truly appreciate the generosity of these very special women and the investment they've made to further the education of our paramedics and firefighters," said Wood River Fire & Rescue Chief Bart Lassman.
Early last year, then-EMT Brian Tuohy presented a grant application to the foundation for a SMART Board, which he said would help create the best possible interactive learning environment for emergency responders.
The board was installed in December, and since has been used during almost every weekly drill class, as well as with the 2012 recruit academy. The department has also been working with the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association to both attend and administer classes on a larger scale through use of the SMART Board.
"We have only scratched the surface of its capabilities and look forward to exploring the many ways it can increase our effectiveness and improve our service within the Wood River Valley," Tuohy said.
Risch welcomes summer interns
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, announced the arrival of his summer interns this week, one of whom is from Ketchum.
Ricki Eshman of Ketchum is a junior at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she is majoring in government and minoring in Chinese. She will be interning in the senator's Washington, D.C., office. After graduation, she hopes to study law or foreign affairs.
Eshman joins five other Idaho natives who will be interning in Risch's Boise, Idaho Falls and Washington, D.C. offices.
Idaho Dems form new platform
Idaho Democrats approved a new platform in Boise the weekend of June 16, focusing on economic goals and individual rights.
Platform Committee Chair Eldon Wallace called the platform a "thoughtful" document that champions strong families and strong communities. Wallace stated in a press release that the party's positions are "responsible."
"Compare that to the rightward drift of the more radical elements of the GOP that would dramatically change our society," he said.
The entire party platform is available at www.idahodems.org/platform
Forest Service adds helicopters to fight fires
The U.S. Forest Service announced last week that it has added four heavy helicopters to its firefighting fleet.
The helicopters will be available this summer for large fire support and initial attack to any location in the U.S. Helicopters are used primarily for dropping retardant or water during wildland fires and supporting firefighters on the ground.
The agency now has 300 call-when-needed helicopters, 950 engines and 15,000 Forest Service and BLM firefighters at its disposal for the season, in addition to a mix of other helicopters.
"The addition of these helicopters to our aviation fleet will increase our ability to respond quickly and aggressively to fight wildfire and protect lives and property," said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell in a press release.
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Car enthusiasts to gather in Ketchum
Hot rods, classic cars and collectible motorcycles will line Sun Valley Road this Saturday, June 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Business hosts Ketchum Pawn and Smokey Mountain Pizza are inviting area car buffs to come down and mingle and admire the finest and most unique rides in the valley. Cars will be gathered at Washington Avenue and Sun Valley Road with reserved parking for show cars.
Participants can enjoy special pizza lunch offerings from Smokey's and check out the brand new Ketchum Pawn shop next door.
For info or to reserve a free spot for your classic or collectable auto, call 726-0110 or visit www.ketchumpawn.com.
Grazing bill passes House
A bill that would extend public grazing permits by 10 years passed the House on a 232-188 vote last Tuesday.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, was included in a jobs and public lands package that Labrador said was meant to create new jobs, boost the economy and protect the environment.
The bill would extend existing BLM and U.S. Forest Service grazing permits from 10 years to 20 years, and reinstate expired grazing permits for 10 years.
Labrador said in a press release that the bill would preserve ranching jobs, give ranchers economic security and reduce a backlog of 4,200 permits currently awaiting renewal from the BLM.
The bill will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Governor appoints Fish and Game commissioners
Gov. Butch Otter announced last week that he is appointing a Buhl businesswoman and a Challis miner to the seven-member Fish and Game Commission.
Joan Hurlock of Buhl will succeed Wayne Wright of Twin Falls. Will Naillon of Challis will succeed Gary Power of Salmon. Both will begin their four-year terms on July 1.
Hurlock is a former forensic chemist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' explosives and arson unit. She was also a member of the U. S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. She currently owns a fitness center in Buhl.
Naillon is a fifth-generation Custer County miner, and has worked for Hecla Mining Co.'s Grouse Creek unit for 18 years. He is a member of the Boone and Crockett Club, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Central Idaho Rod and Gun Club.
Both appointments must be confirmed by the Idaho Senate when it convenes in January.
Wildlife agency launches new website
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has launched a new, web-based interactive site with information about endangered species in each state, as well as species making strides toward recovery.
The site mainly consists of a map, links to the Endangered Species Program's new weekly newsletter and ways to connect through social media. It also includes audio interview and podcasts with agency biologists about on-the-ground conservation.
The site can be found at www.fws.gov/endangered
Fireworks cause fire, injuries
The National Fire Protection Association released its fireworks report last week, which explores fire and injury dangers related to consumer fireworks.
In 2010 alone, an estimated 15,000 reported fires were caused by fireworks and 8,600 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency rooms across the nation.
About 1,1000 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires and 14,100 other fires were caused by fireworks. The fires resulted in eight reported deaths, 60 civilian injuries and $36 million in direct property damage.
"Thousands of people are treated in U.S. emergency rooms each year because of incidents involving consumer fireworks," said James Shannon, president of the organization. "We encourage families to enjoy public displays of fireworks conducted by trained professionals."
Danny Thompson Memorial changes name
The Danny Thompson Memorial has changed its name to reflect and to honor its founder, Harmon Killebrew, who lost his life to cancer last year.
Now in its 36th year, the Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament has hosted more than 40 corporate sponsors and their guests, members of Congress and celebrities from sports and entertainment, all for the common goal of raising funds for cancer research.
According to a press release from the tournament, recipients of the $700,000 net proceeds from last year's event, St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute in Boise and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, use the funds in matching grants that equal three to five times the face value of the donation. According to the release, Mountain States Tumor Institute stated that it is the single largest annual gift that it receives.
This year's event is slated for Aug. 16-18 at the Sun Valley Resort. Chris Berman, Don Felder, Brooks Robinson, Kevin Sorbo, Bobby Grich, Arte Johnson and others will tee up alongside Sponsors US Bank, Sinclair Oil, JR Simplot Co., Alaska Airlines, Washington Companies, Skywest Airlines and Qualcomm.
In addition, the Killebrew-Thompson will kick off on Wednesday, Aug. 15th, with a benefit concert at the Sun Valley Pavilion featuring multi-platinum band Lonestar, whose hit "Amazed" went to the top of both country and mainstream charts at the same time.
Dance foundation names scholarship winners
The Sun Valley Ballet Foundation awarded two young dancers full tuition scholarships created to honor the ballet school's premier director, Paula Caputo.
"The Sun Valley Ballet School has continued the traditions of excellence that Ms. Caputo established during her tenure," said Nadja Hirner, school director. "We are proud to honor her contributions that have benefited so many of our students."
The award was given this season to Luna Doré, 7, a member of the Ballet One class that meets on Tuesday afternoons at the Wood River YMCA dance facility. A second scholarship award, known currently as the "Studio Company Scholarship Award", is made available to all students in the junior and senior companies. These students are predominantly in middle school and high school and meet, on average, 8-10 hours a week in the ballet school's Hailey dance studio facility.
The award this season went to Emily Scott, a Wood River Middle School student and member of the junior company.
