Murders lead top stories of 2002

Crime, politics and war led the top ten stories of 2002 in Elmore County.

Crime stories led the first five spots on the list of the top stories.

The Mountain Home News covered four murders, including a triple homicide during the year, as well as a major rape case, the county's largest heroin bust ever, and a series of vandalism attacks that damaged both public and private property.

The triple homicide involved a woman and her two children who were shot and then burned in a car in rural Elmore County. The suspect fled to Mexico and remains at large.

A local man was charged with murder by poisoning his wife. A young woman from Mountain Home was shot and killed, allegedly by her boyfriend, also from Mountain Home, at a Taco Bell in Boise.

And another young woman, also from Mountain Home, was one of the first victims of the Washington, D.C.-area sniper. The crime stories of the year ended with a recent allegation of a gang rape at a party in Mountain Home.

Sixth on the list of top ten stories involved the results of the primary and general elections, that ultimately saw all the incumbents replaced, one way or another.

Sher Sellman defeated incumbent senator Robbie King- Barrutia in the primary, then lost to Democrat Fred Kennedy in a late-night nailbiter in the general election for the senate seat. Pete Nielsen beat Democrat Dave Phillips for the legislative seat B, and Rich Wills was elected to seat A, while Mary Stanek won election as the first woman to sit on the county commissioners seat.

Seventh on the list of top stories was the retun of the composite wing from the war in Afghanistan. The wing lost one person in the war.

Eighth on the list involved the reorganization of the wing, from a composite force to a fighter wing, a move that resulted in the loss of the KC-135 tanker and B-1 squadrons.

The ninth story on our top ten list concerned the long-running controversy over what the county should do about confined animal feeding operations, which generated a division between the county P&Z and the county commissioners and resulted in numerous public hearings as the commissioners worked to define what would and would not be allowed.

The tenth story on the list is one that will have a major impact this year, 2003, when the new addressing system for Mountain Home is finally implemented, after more than six years of effort. Although quiet for much of the process, the system is beginning to generate increasing opposition and controversy.

Also considered for the top ten list were the underpass project, the success of the girls basketball team and the boys football team at Mountain Home High School, and the long-awaited dedication of the Juniper Butte training range.