Stories from Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Base Primary teacher Kerrie Raines was named the early childhood educator of the year by the Treasure Valley Association for the Education of Young Children on April 17. Raines teaches early childhood special education preschool at the Base Primary school...

An unoccupied single-wide trailer being prepared for removal from a lot at 515 NW Tenant St. was destroyed by fire last Thursday, and authorities suspect children may have set the blaze. Fire crews were paged out just after 10:30 a.m. April 17 with a report that flames could be seen coming from the windows and roof of the trailer...

The Mountain Home School District will ask voters Tuesday for the second time to approve its $37 million bond proposal to complete Phase II of the junior high. Completion of Phase II will turn the junior high into a four-year high school by adding a 28-classroom two-story wing, two computer labs, a professional-technical building, a performance arts wing and a 3,000-seat gymnasium...

On Tuesday the school district will ask voters to approve a $37 million bond to complete Phase II of turning the junior high into a high school. It's an issue that affects everyone and everyone should voice their opinion by voting. It doesn't matter if you have children in the school system or not, this issue still affects you. Are you OK with the school district reaching into your pocket and pulling out money?...

Dear editor: I hope all voters go to their nearest school April 29 and vote their consciences. Either way you vote, do it on the complete facts and not hysteria or sentimentality. If you think you and this almost-depressed community can pay for the bond, vote "Yes." If you'd like the school board to rethink the currently proposed expansion, vote "No."...

Dear editor: As educators, we have often questioned or debated the connection between extracurricular activities and learning. But, there is little left to doubt that the community spirit and support for all students grows around great programs that allow students to participate and apply their books to their lives and develop as people. Sports, performing arts, visual arts and supporters of these events give all students a voice in their school and therefore their learning...

Dear editor: As elected officials, we felt it was important to step forward and express our support for the school district's bond proposal and the benefits it will provide for our students and community. To pass the bond now is a practical choice. The need is there and the costs will only increase if the expansion and improvements are delayed...

Dear editor: So far, you've heard all about the great things that will happen if the school bond passes next week. However, you have probably NOT heard what will happen if the bond DOESN'T pass. As the technology coordinator for the district, I am here to tell you that for the state of technology in our district, if the bond doesn't pass, the coming years will be grim...

Magistrate Court Patrick L. Carney, 26, was found guilty for causing malicious injury to property (3/13/04). Carney was sentenced to 30 days in jail (20 days suspended, two days credited), placed in a treatment program, placed on one year probation and fined $500 ($500 suspended) plus $740.50 in court costs...

Arrests Noe Hurtado-Gomez, 23--failure to purchase drivers license. Carlos Baltazar Maldonado, 55--failure to purchase drivers license. Casey Matthew Sosa, 19--contempt-criminal. Billy Charles Williams, 24--probation violation. Michael Alan Richardson, 43--reckless driving...

Gayle Whitlach of Bakersfield, Calif., and Gene Whitlach of Meridian, have announced the engagement of their daughter, Susan Allene, to Wayne Victor Lasuen, son of Leanna Whitney and Larry Lasuen of Mountain Home. Susan graduated from Borah High School and Boise State. She is currently employed as an accountant for WHPacific...

Donna V. Knudsen, 76, of Mountain Home, died Monday, April 21, 2008, at a Boise hospital. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

Ida F. Everett, 95, of Mountain Home, died Thursday, April 17, 2008, at a local care center. A memorial service was held Monday, April 21, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. A private family inurnment will be held at Mountain View Cemetery at a later date...

Beulah V. Leonard, 98, of Mountain Home, died Saturday, April 12, 2008, at a local care center. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 25, at The Cottages of Mountain Home at 2 p.m. Burial was held on April 22 in Farmington, Wash. Arrangements were under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, and Kramer Funeral Home in Tekoa, Wash...

David Clyde Cox, 58 of Hammett, died Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at his home, following an illness. In celebration and memory of his life there will be a potluck lunch/dinner and music (bring your own instruments) for everyone at the family home in Indian Cove on Saturday, April 26, at noon (follow Highway 78 from Hammett to Indian Cove, between milepost 94 and 93, turn onto Browns Creek Road, first farm on the left)...

Maxine M. Van Tassel, 75, of Mountain Home, died Thursday, April 17, 2008, at a Boise care center. A memorial service was held Tuesday, April 22, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel. Maxine was born on Feb. 18, 1933, in Campbell, Minn., the daughter of Edward and Blanche Rossow. She was raised and schooled in Minnesota. The family later moved to Illinois...

Grover "Sib" C. Sibley, 99, of Mountain Home, died Sunday, April 20, 2008 at a local hospital. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, April 25, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Sib retired as a Chief Master Sergeant from the US Air Force in August of 1967 after serving in World War II and Vietnam. He later also retired from Civil Service at Mountain Home Air Force Base...

Litton Dennis Thomas, 89, died April 20, 2008, in his home. A graveside memorial service will be held on Friday, April 25, at Mountain View Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. Known later in life as "Papa" or "Tommy," he was born on Feb. 20, 1919, in the Tennesse farmhouse of his parents, Sadie Hyder and Samuel Thomas...

Richard and Marsha Wells of Buhl have announced the engagement of their daughter, Peggy Lynette, to, Eddie Welsh son of Robert and Judy Lemieux and Ed Welsh, both of Bruneau. The bride-to-be is a 2005 graduate of Gooding High School and is currently attending Idaho State University, majoring in Elementary Education...

Team Impact, some of the strongest men on the planet, will be making several public appearances, Thursday through Saturday evenings, May 1-3, at 7 p.m. at North Elementary school. With demonstrations of "astounding feats of strength" -- such as shattering five feet of concrete with one blow from their massive arms and snapping baseball bats in half with their bare hands -- Team Impact members will demonstrate their skills while sharing "an inspiring message of hope."...

Coach Mike Hedrick's U13 Boys delivered a 7-0 knock out punch over Kuna on Saturday, with Brenden O'Neill sending in the first goal for the Tigers, followed by Francisco Corona's four-goal performance and Ricardo Araujo adding the final two tallies...

The Elmore County Babe Ruth Girls Fastpitch Softball season opened with a flurry this week as the Mountain Home STING teams played eight games in six days. As a combined league (10U, two 12U and a 14U team) they started the week with a record of seven wins, one loss and one win by forfeit...

This past weekend the Mountain Man Wrestling Club hosted the Mountain Man Challenge. Wrestlers from all over the Treasure Valley, along with wrestlers from eastern Idaho and Nevada, showed up to compete. Tournament champions for the club for the Friday night Greco Roman segment were: Midget Class Nicholas Shoemaker, Novice Class Tanner Sessions, Schoolboy Austin Lucas, Cadets Ryan Goldsby and Junior Ty Kleffner...

The Mountain Home JV Tigers have been playing well of late, as they improved their conference and season records both to .500. Tigers 14 Skyview 4 Tom Hennessey had three hits and Gabe Anderson shut down Skyview as the Tigers beat the Hawks, 14-4, in five innings...

The Mountain Home Tigers dropped a couple conference tennis matches in tough battles with Columbia and Skyview. Tiger Boys 3 Columbia 4 Tiger Girls 1 Columbia 6 The Tigers traveled to Columbia last week where the Tiger boys had strong performances against the Wildcats. In boys singles, Ricky Guadarrama lost the #1 match in two, 6-7 (TB 7-9), 2-6, Chris Oswald dropped a tough 4-6, 6-7 (TB 3-7) #2, and Andrew Martin lost at #3, 4-6, 6-7 (TB 0-7)...

The Mountain Home Tigers boys golf team came away with a first-place finish among three SIC 4A conference teams that competed at Broadmore Country Club on April 15. The Tiger girls finished third out of the four teams competing there. Mountain Home won the boys competition with a 194 total, two shots better than Nampa, and five shots better than Columbia's 199...

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers JV softball team started the week off with a loss to Kuna, but battled to beat Columbia and swept two from Burley to close out the week. Kuna 11 Mtn. Home 4 A nine-run fourth inning helped Kuna down Mountain Home 11-4 in JV softball action Tuesday at home...

The Mountain Home Tiger track team finished second in the girls competition and fifth in the boys competition at the Vallivue Invitational Track meet at Vallivue on Friday. Vallivue won the girls competition with 127.5 points, Mountain Home was a close second with 119, Capital was next with 98, Skyview had 80, Kuna, 64, Caldwell, 56, and Greenleaf Friends Academy, 7...

The Mountain Home Tigers won three games last week to extend their win streak to four straight. Tigers 9 Vallivue 4 The Tigers started the week off on the right foot, taking a 9-4 non-conference win at Vallivue against the Falcons on Tuesday. Mountain Home scored two runs in the top of the first. Vallivue got one back in the bottom of the first and tied it with another run in the second...

Mountain Home runners, Dave Weiss and son Eric Weiss competed in the Race to Robie Creek on Saturday, finishing in the middle of the pack of the 2,431 runners of the "toughest 1/2-marathon in the Northwest." Eric, a senior at Mountain Home High School, finished in 2:20:24 and Dave finished the 13.1 mile race in 2:23:51...

After seeing their win streak snapped at 10 by Kuna on Tuesday, the Lady Tigers returned to the win column with a win at Columbia and a doubleheader sweep of Burley at home. The win streak ended at 10 for the Mountain Home Lady Tigers when they dropped a 4-0 S.I.C. 4A conference softball game to Kuna Tuesday night at Eastside Park in Mountain Home...

Pat and Stacy Dickson of Hammett have announced the birth of a daughter, Shelby Dean Dickson on March 12, 2008, in Boise. She weighed 10 pounds and was 21 inches long. Shelby's grandparents are Tim and Trudy Jess of Hammett, Dave and Kim Dickson of Wilder and Linda Dickson of Kuna...