Murder cases led top ten stories for 2005

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Three murder cases were wrapped up in Elmore County during 2005, leading our list of the top ten stories of the year.

Larry Severson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife nearly three years earlier. He had been convicted in late 2004 of the Feb. 15, 2002, murder of his wife, Mary, by either poisoning her or suffocating her.

Albert Ciccone was tried, found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his pregnant wife of less than three months, Kathleen, after he had run her over with his car on Ditto Road in 2004 following an argument.

And Jon Valen received a 40-year sentence for the murder of his wife of only a few months, Jodi Lynn. Valen had killed her in March of 2005 by repeatedly stabbing her, then setting her and their house on f ire. He later pleaded guilty to the charge. The other two killers were found guilty following lengthy jury trials.

In a related move, the FBI placed Jorge Alberto Lopez Orozco on it's Top Ten Most Wanted List, three years after he allegedly shot his girlfriend and her two toddlers to death, then set fire to their car in the desert south of Mountain Home. That murder case remains outstanding on the county's books.

Behind the murders, and second on our list, were more tragedies involving the deployment of local National Guardsmen to Iraq. The community was rocked by the death of Virgil Case, who died during the 116th Brigade's year-long deployment, and the severe wounds suffered by another Guardsman, James Donaldson, who lost portions of both legs when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.

Third on our list of top stories was the announcement by Marathon Cheese, the nation's largest cheese packagaing company, that they would build a $127 million plant in Mountain Home. The plant, whose construction is scheduled to begin soon (site work in the area already is underway), will begin hiring 250 of an eventual 500 employees this spring, in anticipation of opening the facility in the fall of 2006. It will automatically become one of the area's largest employers, and its move here prompted the city to make arrangements to remove a number of facilities at Optimist Park, near where the plant will be located, and to create an Urban Renewal District for the city to help pay for its infrastructure improvements.

Fourth on our list of the top stories for 2005 was the lengthy -- and still ongoing -- debate over the establishment of several new dairies in the county. The debate had cost one county commissioner his job in the 2004 elections and the new board of commissioners were much more reluctant to approve any dairies. Hundreds of opponents to the dairy industry packed various county P&Z and county commissioner meetings on the subject. By mid-year the commissioners put in place a temporary moratorium on new proposals until they could rewrite their CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) ordinance. That work is expected to be completed early in 2006.

Fifth on the list was the surprise announcement that Mountain Home AFB had been placed on the Base Realignment and Closure List. The Air Force proposed, and Congress and the president eventually accepted, the BRAC recommendation that an extra squadron of F-15Es be added to the base in 2009, and then the F-16 and F-15C squadrons be moved to other bases in 2011. There were indications the Air Force had other plans to keep the squadron strength of the base full, after 2011, by assigning F-35 squadrons there, but so far Congress has not approved construction of the F-35.

The golf course controversy ranked sixth on our list of the top ten stories in Elmore County for 2005.

Changes in the management and operation of the course made by the mayor came under increasing criticism, until, by fall, golfers were in open revolt. A series of public hearings drew hundreds of people to comment on the changes, and in the end, the city council acted to restore much of the status quo of the course, canceling most of the changes. The council is still working out the details of how the course will be run in 2006.

Seventh on our list of top stories was the fire season that ravaged lands in the Mountain Home News coverage area. Several major fires, including one that threatened and forced the evacuation of Tipanuk, kept local and state fire crews busy most of the summer.

Eighth on our list was the visit of President George Bush to Idaho. Although he never visited Elmore County, as many as 2,500 people from the town and base attended his only public appearance, in Nampa, where he made a major policy speech on the war on terrorism and offered his high praise for the men and women of the 366th Wing and the Idaho National Guard, both of which were actively involved in the war in Iraq.

Ninth on our list was a story that reminded everyone of some of the consequences of drinking and driving during the holiday season -- the arrest of Police Chief Tom Berry on a DUI charge. Berry is on administrative leave until his case is resolved, at which time his future fate will be decided by the mayor and city council.

Last, but not least, in our top ten stories of the year was the construction of the new Mountain Home Public Library. Many area residents would go out of their way each week to drive past the site and see the changes that had take place as the old library is being doubled in size. The library is expected to be back in operation in two months, about 19 months after voters approved the $1.5 million bond for the expansion project.

Next week the Mountain Home News will take month-by-month look at the top stories found in the year's issues.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: