Highway construction work will be suspended statewide for the three-day Memorial Day weekend, which starts Saturday.
The Idaho Transportation Department reported in a news release that some maintenance work and off-road work will be permitted as long as it doesn’t impact traffic.
There are a few exceptions. Work can continue on a road already closed and with a designated detour route, on roads with “very low traffic volumes,” and in an emergency situation where the roadway has been damaged.
Organizers of a proposed state-funded charter school for Blaine County will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 30, to explain Waldorf teaching methods and answer questions from the public.
The meeting for the proposed Syringa Mountain School will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Distance Learning Room at Wood River High School.
For more information, call 788-3170 or 720-6327.
Discount tickets for the 36th annual Northern Rockies Music Festival are now available online at www.northernrockiesmusicfestival.org.
Headliners include Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster, Hayes Carrl, The 44s, and Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams. The music festival will be held Friday, Aug. 2, and Saturday, Aug. 3.
The best deal is online, where tickets cost 15 percent less than they will be at show time. Online tickets cost $17 for Friday shows, $28.50 for Saturday and $38.25 for both days.
At Shelley’s Deli in Hailey or Nourish Me in Ketchum or at the gate, tickets will cost $20 for Friday only, which features Up A Creek, Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams and Hayes Carll. Saturday’s show starts with Paddy Wagon, Captain Dano & the Nobodies, Steph Sloan & Elephant Parade, George Devore and the Electric Cigarettes, The 44’s and headliner Ruthie Foster. That show will cost $30 at the gate. People can also get a weekend pass at the gate for $45.
In response to questions raised by a Ketchum citizen as to why the city charges water fees for properties that are not using any, Water Division Supervisor Dave Rambo said at a City Council meeting Monday that such properties connected to the city’s water system must contribute to the system’s financial and physical health.
“I got a complaint from a property owner that even though his building was unoccupied, he still had to pay [for water],” Mayor Randy Hall said at the meeting. “I asked Dave to take a quick review of it.”
According to a staff report, water service to properties connected to the system—even if they are not using water—must be maintained by the city to provide potable water “when it is next needed” and to provide fire protection.
Rambo said that if a property’s water service is not properly maintained, it could contaminate the water flowing to other properties in the city. City Administrator Gary Marks said the base fee exists “so the system is there for the community,” whether a property uses it or not.
“It’s your election whether you use [water] or not, and if you do, your bill is higher,” he said. “Just because your water is off doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility to the rest of the community to pay for your part of the system.”
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation’s board of directors and the Harvey Gray family have awarded the 2013 Carl A. Gray Memorial Award for nursing excellence to Leslie Chapman, a nurse in St. Luke’s Wood River’s mother-baby unit.
“Leslie exemplifies compassion and has an exceptional nursing practice,” said foundation spokeswoman Megan Thomas. “We are fortunate to have such high-caliber nurses at St. Luke’s Wood River.”
The annual award’s recipient is selected by the hospital’s nursing staff and goes to a nurse who exemplifies excellence in his or her practice. The Gray family established the award to honor Carl A. Gray, an avid Sun Valley Ski Club member.
The foundation also gave awards to several other nurses for distinction in specific areas of their field. Those honorees include Melissa Webb for Exemplary Professional Practice, Correy Shanahan for Transformational Leadership, Kerry Renner for Empirical Quality Outcomes, Deborah Hartmann for Knowledge, Innovations and Improvements, and Angela Brady for Structural Empowerment.
The MASSV music festival (Music and Art Showcase Sun Valley) is seeking food and merchandise vendors to participate at the event on Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
All food vendors must be licensed and carry insurance, according to a recent Sun Valley Marketing Alliance news release. Interested vendors should call Jordan Hawkes at 323-574-6657. For the latest lineup, ticketing and camping information, visit www.massvmusicfestival.com.
Idaho Public Television and the Sawtooth Society will host a free screening of “A Sawtooth Celebration” on Thursday, May 30, at 6 p.m. at the Community Library in Ketchum.
Forty years ago, legislation was passed to create the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, encompassing the Sawtooth, White Cloud and Boulder mountains.
“How this came to be is a story worth telling,” said Executive Producer and show host Bruce Reichert. “As we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Sawtooth NRA, it’s fair to ask what was gained, what was lost and what is yet to be considered?”
After the screening, a reception will be held at the library. Present will be Matt Leidecker, author of “Exploring the Sawtooths—A Comprehensive Guide,” and photographer James Bourret, whose limited-edition Sawtooth NRA images commemorate the area’s 40th anniversary.
The Sawtooth National Forest began selling “fuelwood” permits today, May 24, for $12.50 per cord with a two-cord minimum and a 10-cord maximum per household.
Purchasers need to have an approved fire extinguisher, shovel and bucket.
For more information, contact the Ketchum Ranger District at 622-5371, the Fairfield Ranger District at 208-764-3202, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area at 727-5013, or the Stanley Ranger District at 208-774-3000.
