Stories from Wednesday, August 31, 2011

It took just a few moments for the smoke from the blaze to completely fill the rooms. Interior heat quickly reached temperatures hot enough to instantly blister the structure's exterior paint. One by one, teams of novice firefighters made their way through the compact structure trying to battle the flames. With the smoke reducing visibility to practically nothing, they relied heavily on their training to help them fight the flames...

One year after a local family chose to restart their furniture business in town, a fire caused severe damage to their store Monday afternoon.

An 18-year-old Filer youth was taken into custody in Elmore County Sunday after a 70-mile high-speed chase on I-84 that began in Jerome. Jerome Police Chief Dan Hall said the incident began when David J. Miller called the dispatch operators there at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, telling them that he'd stolen his mother's car and wanted to turn himself in. He said he'd be waiting for officers at Exit 168...

Two Emmett residents escaped injury when the light plane they were flying crashed at the unimproved airstrip at Atlanta Monday morning. According to the Elmore County Sheriff's Office, Lan and Pamela Smith were aboard the Cessna 172F flying in from Emmett to Atlanta that came in too high on final approach. The were unable to lose altitude quickly enough to make a safe landing, so Lan Smith attempted to throttle up and gain enough altitude to make another approach...

A Mountain Home woman drowned Saturday afternoon in what sheriff's investigators are calling a swimming accident near Anderson Ranch Dam. Anne L. Butler, 46, was swimming in a cove near the recreational area when she reportedly starting having trouble making it back to shore...

A faulty test indicating possible water contamination prompted Mountain Home officials to issue a statement this week to reassure people that the city's water remains safe to drink. An advisory sent to local residents in this month's water bills highlighted a recent series of tests that initially showed signs of coliform bacteria...

Dear editor: I'm Kacee Lou Cameron, and this summer I went to Australia. I went to Australia with the Down Under Sports group. I got to represent the USA and Idaho in two 5K races. In the first race, "The Gold Coast Marathon," I placed 132 out of over 3,000 people. In the second race, "USA vs. Australia," I was put on a team made up of Idaho, Oregon and Washington. I placed 15th overall, my team, both boys and girls, winning first place...

Dear editor: Referencing the headline used last week concerning the expensive lawsuit to the city, I would expect less bias from the Mountain Home News. It was worded as if the cost to the city was caused by the church's lawsuit. Who really was the perpetrator and who was the victim?...

Dear editor: Thank you Mountain Home City Council and Mayor Rist for selecting Nick Schilz as our new police chief. I am absolutely thrilled with your decision. He is a wonderful choice. I had the pleasure of working with Nick at the county and he is so talented and has really outstanding administrative skills. He is pleasant to work with and really knows Mountain Home and its citizens...

Dear editor: Last week's front page story about a lawsuit settled out of court against the City of Mountain Home has the ripple effect of a very smooth stone thrown by a Chicago law firm. I have learned the spokesman for the No Limits Christian Ministries Church is our former mayor of Mountain Home and not a member of this church!...

Dear editor: What an absolute shame to waste around $81,000 of the taxpayers' precious money over something that could have be resolved over a cup of coffee. There was no intent by the mayor and city council to discriminate against the No-Limits Christian Ministries church, or any other church for that matter over the past 11 years, by requiring them to obtain a Conditional Use Permit as required by City Ordinance...

Eddie and Sharly Cantrell of Mountain Home have announced the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter, Courtney Sue Gist, to Jacob Ira VanMeer, son of Chuck and Tammy VanMeer of Mountain Home. The bride-to-be graduated from Mountain Home High School and currently is studying in the medical specialties program at Steven-Henagar Collage. She works at A.J's restaurant...

Pete and Verna Merrick of Bruneau will celebrate 60 years of marriage on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011. The Merrick's were married Oct. 14, 1951, in Parma, Idaho. They were sealed in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple eight years later. Pete and Verna farmed in Nysaa and New Plymouth before moving to the Grand View area in 1960. In 1964, they moved to Bruneau, where they farmed with their family in Little Valley...

Larry and Kay Heinen celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 29. The couple were married in a double wedding in Algona, Iowa, with Larry's brother and his brother's bride. The couple have one child, David Heinen. He and his wife, Kimberly, have provided the couple with three grandchildren, Krystal, Michael and Megan, all of Mountain Home. In addition, the couple have two great-grandchildren, Clayton and Kirsten Long, who live in Warrensburg, Mo...

John and Lisa James of Pinedale, Wyo., have announced the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Julie James, to Mark Black, son of Jay Black of Hammett and Penny Black of Mountain Home, The groom-to-be graduated from Glenns Ferry High School and the College of Idaho. He is an independent pipeline inspector and is currently employed by Zephyr Enterprises, Inc...

August 24 • 00:05 Motorist Assist, N18• 00:11 Vehicle Stop, Beaman• 00:36 Assist, S3W• 00:40 Assist, E15N• 01:36 Traffic, I-84 EB• 01:46 Hazard, I-84 WB MM78• 04:50 Hazard, I-84 WB MM82• 05:23 Vehicle Stop, Hwy 30• 06:05 Break-In• 06:05 Traffic, I-84 WB MM139• 06:46 Break-In, Garfield• 06:54 Extra, Hamilton Rd• 07:42 Collision, Personal Injury• 07:42 Traffic, I-84 WB MM90• 08:33 VIN Inspection, N3E• 10:24 Assist, Hammett• 12:01 Motorist Assist, I-84 WB MM79• 12:41 Collision, Property Damage, Hwy 30• 13:33 Collision, Property damage• 15:02 Paper Service, Alpine Cir• 15:06 Paper Service, Pine• 15:18 Collision, Property Damage, I-84 WB MM103• 15:20 Hazard, I-84 WB MM103• 15:21 Collision, Property Damage, I-84 WB MM103• 15:24 Collision, Personal Injury, Hwy 20 MM129• 15:38 Motorist Assist, I-84 EB MM104.5• 15:52 Collision, Property Damage, I-84 WB MM103• 16:02 Collision, Unknown, I-84 EB MM112• 16:39 Traffic, I-84 EB MM87• 16:54 Motorist Assist, Hwy 20• 17:45 Vehicle Stop, MH• 18:12 Dog Bite, McMurtrey Rd• 19:34 Collision, Property Damage, I-84 EB MM105• 20:19 Motorist Assist, I-84 MM107• 20:22 Assist, N3E• 20:44 Vehicle Stop, I-84 EB MM109• 21:07 Hazard, Hammett• 23:09 Motorist Assist, I-84 WB MM101.5• 23:34 Assist, Sunset Strip. ...