WECRD, AEHI lead 2009's top stories

Debate over the future of the Western Elmore County Recreation District was at the head of the list of the top ten stories in Elmore County during 2009.

Based on the amount of coverage provided, the number of letters to the editor generated, and the "buzz" on the street, few stories generated as much debate as the WECRD did.

Under heavy fire at the start of the year for a community center plan that district opponents thought was unrealistic, the WECRD moved to enter into a partnership with the Treasure Valley YMCA to obtain an independent analysis of its future, a move that stalled the momentum of the district's opponents. The locally based Community Leadership Development Council, which is conducting the analysis, is expected to make a recommendation next year.

Number two on the list of top stories in the Mountain Home News during the year was the equally contentious debate over the Alternate Energy Holding, Inc., proposal to locate a nuclear power plant in Elmore County. The county commissioners ultimately decided not to decide the issue, throwing it back into the lap of the county Planning and Zoning Commission when no one could figure out just exactly what the county's comprehensive plan was designed to allow in terms of heavy industrial development. The county P&Z is now involved in a lengthy process to clear up and redefine what the comprehensive plan should say about future industrial growth in the county. When it completes that work next year, the AEHI proposal should come up for a final decision.

Third on the list of top stories was the economic meltdown. As the national tide of economic collapse washed over the shores of Elmore County area residents tightened their belts and local governments and businesses faced hard budget decisions. Marathon Cheese temporarily laid off 20 percent of its workforce, local governments imposed hiring freezes and cut their budgets to the bone, and layoffs in major Boise businesses such as Micron had a huge effect on workers from Elmore County who commute to jobs in Ada County. It was a tough year in almost every sector of the economy, although state forecasters believe 2010 should show slow improvement.

Fourth on our list was the impact of the H1N1 Swine Flu. Shortages of vaccine and the deadly nature of the virus, which contributed to the death of one woman in Elmore County, created a climate of concern that had everyone taking special precautions to avoid the flu.

Fifth on our list was the reorganization of the school district. Ninth-grade students started attending high school and seventh-grade students were sent to the junior high in order to alleviate overcrowding at Hacker Middle School. Combined with tight budgets, it meant class sizes grew at the secondary level, but despite the fact that half of the students at the high school were new to the school this year, the months of advance planning by the district meant the transition went fairly smoothly.

Sixth on the list of top stories was the spring success of the high school athletic programs, led by the girls softball team, which brought home the first state championship in the more than 100-year history of Mountain Home High School. It was an achievement that brought pride to the entire community.

Number seven on the list was the impact Lady Luck had on the local political scene. Most prominent was the problem generated during the May election for school board, in which C.D. Houston appeared to have won by three votes over William Murray, but a canvass of votes showed three persons had cast ballots who did not live in the appropriate district. Although the school board initially seated Houston, it also filed a challenge to make sure it had done the right thing. The matter eventually wound up months later in the courts where those who had cast the illegal votes were forced to declare how they had voted, which turned out to result in a tie. Under state law, a coin flip determined the winner, with Murray winning the toss and replacing Houston on the board.

Then in November, a three-way tie in the tiny Mellen water district election forced a series of coin flips to decide the winner of a board position, with Bart Eben eventually earning the nod of Lady Luck.

A number of changes on base made the number eight spot in our top ten list. The wing got a new commander, but the biggest change was the arrival of the Republic of Singapore air force squadron, and its 350 personnel and families, that will conduct training here for the next 25 years. In addition, at the end of the year the base found out it was in the running to become home of the first operational squadron of the new F-35 fighter. If approved, the allocation of those aircraft, combined with the RSAF move, would provide the base with considerable stability for decades to come.

Ninth on the list was the arrest of Jorge Lopez-Orozco in Mexico. Orozco had been sought for years in connection with a gruesome triple homicide in 2002. He currently is awaiting extradition back to Elmore County to face the murder charges.

Tenth on our list was the final re-enactment of the Three Island Crossing in Glenns Ferry. Although the celebration of the pioneer crossing is expected to continue, with fewer volunteers attempting the dangerous crossing the committee that organizes the event decided to pull the plug on the actual re-enactment itself next year.

A number of other stories were considered for the top ten, making honorable mention in this year's list, including: the massive flooding this spring that had some residents using watercraft to travel down their streets; the arrest of a department of motor vehicles employee suspected of embezzlement; the long-awaited groundbreaking and reopening of the new Elk's lodge building; the local ceremonies celebrating the appearance of the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" as it passed through the city; the hospital taking over the ambulance service; two major conventions, for the Red Hat Society and the America Legion, being held in town; and the problems the senior center faced when its subsidy for its meals programs ended due to state budget cuts.

All in all, it was a busy year. A month-by-month breakdown of stories as they appeared in the Mountain Home News included:

January

A group of citizens met to begin work to dissolve the Western Elmore County Recreation District.

The group, which called itself the Citizens for the Dissolution of the WECRD, worked throughout the year to collect signatures to dissolve the district, but by year's end had yet to file a petition to do so.

The draft of a new, revised business plan and changes in the developing facilities plan for the WECRD was announced at the end of the month. That new plan called for one full basketball court and a half basketball court, a track that is one-tenth of a mile long and a six-lane swimming pool that would be used to host swim meets, swim lessons and water aerobics.

Throughout the first six months of the year opponents of the rec district filled its meetings, sharply questioning board members in often contentious confrontations.

* * *

John Keith McCaughan, 44, the suspect in a Dec. 8, 2008, robbery of Idaho Independent Bank in Mountain Home, was arrested in Clinton, Ark. McCaughan was charged with a number of robberies around the county and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was convicted and not returned to Mountain Home for trial.

* * *

A major snowstorm kept city crews busy trying to keep the city's streets clear.

* * *

The Air Force selected Col. John D. Bird II, to be the new wing commander for the 366th Fighter Wing. He formally replaced Col. James S. Browne during a Feb. 11 change-of-command ceremony.

* * *

The Mountain Home School Board agreed to re-configure the district based on the overcrowded condition at Hacker Middle School, authorizing a plan that was implemented in the fall to house grades 5 and 6 at Hacker Middle School, grades 7-8 at Mountain Home Junior High School and grades 9-12 at Mountain Home High School.

* * *

A 10-year-old Mountain Home girl, Hailey Elizabeth Woods, was killed when she fell off her bicycle into the path of a teenage motorcyclist, was struck, and died later that night at a Boise hospital. Woods was the daughter of James Woods, Jr., and his wife, Amy, and Christina Cnudde and her husband, Gary. The accident occurred near her home on NW Bradford Avenue.

* * *

Authorities investigated a "home invasion" robbery after two men allegedly forced their way into a home on Highway 51 and robbed a family at gunpoint.

* * *

The Boise VA Medical Center announced that it intended to open an out-patient clinic in Mountain Home, some time within the next year.

* * *

All commercial dumping was banned from the Glenns Ferry landfill, and commercial refuse haulers, as well as building and landscaping contractors were told to haul their trash to the Bennett Road landfill. The move by the county commissioners, after years of trying to get the Glenns Ferry site to come into compliance with federal and state law, effectively closed that landfill.

* * *

Volunteer John Gross and outgoing president Deb Swearingen were named the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce Man and Woman of the Year, respectively, during the annual Chamber installation banquet. Linda Ketterling took the oath as the new Chamber president.

* * *

Gorden Brown of Glenns Ferry, former principal of GFHS, basketball coach, a member of the Idaho Scholastic Activities Hall of Fame and the 1982 National High School Basketball Coach of the Year, died Jan. 25, at the age of 84.

* * *

Another snowstorm triggered scores of accidents in the city and on the interstate.

February

As the economy began to sour at the end of 2008, unemployment numbers in Elmore County rose dramatically, climbing past 7 percent.

* * *

The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Olympic Flame of Hope passed though Mountain Home. Mountain Home was selected as a host city for the games and played host to seven snowshoe athletes, four coaches and two honored guests from Uzbekistan. A series of ceremonies and events where held throughout the city to recognize the local and internationals Special Olympics athletes.

* * *

Two men were arrested following a traffic stop early Thursday morning on charges that they had kidnapped a Mountain Home man who was in the vehicle with them. They were holding the man when Elmore County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Henslee pulled the car over for a speeding violation.

Henslee bcame suspicious, radioed for back up, and after interviewing the occupants of the car learned of the kidnapping.

* * *

A nine-year-old girl fought off a man who allegedly attempted to grab her off the street in Canyon Creek Creek Mobile Home Park. A man who lived in the park was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree kidnapping.

* * *

Darleen Watson was honored as the Person of the Year at the 20th Annual Mountain Home Community Black History Committee Banquet.

* * *

Eleven cases of pertussis (Whooping Cough) were reported in Elmore County, most of them associated with Mountain Home High School.

* * *

The Mountain Home Air Force Base main gate officially reopened after having undergone numerous changes and upgrades over the previous year. The gate had closed April 6, 2008, while the construction was in progress.

* * *

The wreckage of a plane that disappeared enroute from Caldwell to Centerville, Utah, was discovered in a remote section of southeast Elmore County near the Twin Falls County line. The pilot of the plane, Craig Jewett of Utah, did not survive the crash. A subsequent investigation determined the plane broke apart in mid-air.

* * *

A return to self-reliance is the key to surviving the current hard economic times, Gov. Butch Otter told a crowd of Republican faithful at the annual Lincoln Day luncheon, sponsored by the Elmore County Republican Party.

Otter told the gathering of Republicans that "I see our problems as opportunities," a chance to restore the primacy of the individual. In tough economic times, Otter said, both individuals and government have to distinguish "between what is needed and what is necessary."

* * *

The county commissioners accepted a petition calling for the Tipanuk Fire Protection District to be dissolved. In the subsequent spring election, voters disbanded the relatively new agency.

* * *

The Mountain Home School District Board of Trustees began moves that would lead to the closing of the Pine School in the fall. The school had been open since the early 1900s, but was closed due to a lack of students, even though residents of the area pleaded that it stay open despite district policy on minimum attendance numbers (five students).

* * *

Richard McKenna Charter High School held its official ribbon cutting for its new building at 675 S. Haskett St. The school moved from its current location at 1993 E. 8th North St., where it had been sharing a building with the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor office. The project cost $2.3 million, but none of the funds came from local property taxes.

March

Elmore Medical Center officially assumed control of the county ambulance service at the end of March, taking over the service from Northwest Paramedics, which had held the contract with the county for several years.

* * *

The Mountain Home Historical Society recognized three local women as "Stewards of the Land" during its annual Women's History Banquet

The three women honored, West Elementary teacher Rita Olson and ranchers Elsie Mae Riggs and Faye Davison Russell, were cited for their work in the conservation of soil and water, improving the land and sharing their knowledge with children and who tend the land for future generations.

* * *

Elmore Medical Center launched an effort to find a private care provider for its nursing home services. Although it had hoped to find someone by early summer to take over the nursing home operations, by the end of the year no group had come forward with a plan acceptable to the hospital.

* * *

Dee Pate resigned from the three-person Western Elmore County Recreation District board, due to ill health. She was replaced by Marsha Sellers.

* * *

Central District Health Department announced an end to its subsidy of the congregate meals and Meals on Wheels programs at the Mountain Home Senior Center. The move was made because of state and federal funding cutbacks. It forced the senior center to eventually take on the programs itself, and members spent much of the year raising funds to keep the programs alive.

* * *

Bonnie Sharp retired from her position as Director of Growth and Development for Elmore County after 13 years of service in community planning. Brent Butler was selected to replace her, but he resigned after only a few months on the job. Butler was replaced by Alan Christy, a planner Butler had hired.

* * *

An estimated $300,000 damage was caused in a fire that destroyed a garage/workshop structure at 6887 S. 18th West St. As fire crews arrived on scene there was a large fireball explosion from a propane tank that blew up. Four vehicles were parked in the structure, and next to it, parked outside, were a camper/trailer and a boat. Firemen were able to save the boat but not the other vehicles.

* * *

Despite having some "shovel-ready" projects, the city of Mountain Home failed to receive any of the federal stimulus money sent to the state. Gov. Butch Otter released only a portion of the funds available and none went to Elmore County.

* * *

Barbara Cobos of Mountain Home was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in a bank fraud scheme at her place of employment, Zions Bank in Eagle. The sentencing in U.S. District Court Tuesday came following a plea bargain agreement that had been reached in March 2006. Cobos had been a loan officer at the bank who had conspired with developer Christopher A. Upchurch of Meridian to issue 49 residential construction loans for which Upchurch could not qualify.

* * *

Representatives from the Snake River Alliance presented arguments against the construction of a 1,600-megawatt nuclear power plant proposed for Elmore County during a presentation before the Glenns Ferry City Council.

Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc., the group proposing a nuclear power plant southwest of Hammett, quickly followed that move with a major push of its own for community support when it mailed DVDs to every resident of the county explaining its position.

* * *

Dianne Moffet and Don Holloway were selected as Grand Marshals for the 2009 Elmore County Fair and Rodeo.

April

The city formally created the El Rancho Parking lot for public use. The lot was on the historic site of the old El Rancho Restaurant.

* * *

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new Mountain Home Elk's Lodge. The original lodge was destroyed by a fire in September 2007. By late November, the lodge slowly began resuming operations at the new facility.

* * *

A six-hour standoff on I-84 ended dramatically when an armed suspect who had led authorities on a chase from Boise was finally taken into custody. After finally stopping near Mountain Home and holding off officers for hours while negotiators talked to him on his cell phone, authorities finally fired tear gas grenades into his car, then used tire spikes and rammed it to stop the vehicle after he tried to drive away.

More than 40 officers from the Boise Police Department, Mountain Home Police Department, Ada County Sheriff's Office, Elmore County Sheriff's Office and the Idaho State Police were directly involved in dealing with the case.

* * *

After a year of debate, the fate of the Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc., proposal to build a 1,600-megawatt nuclear power plant in Elmore County was expected to be decided following testimony by supporters and opponents before the county commissioners. The commissioners, however, made no decision at a public hearing that night. The process dragged out for months with the commissioners eventually kicking the entire matter back to the county Planning and Zoning Commission, which is still studying changes that would have to be made to the county comprehensive plan if the plan is ever to be approved.

* * *

A total of 157 Red Hat Ladies attended the state Funvention in Mountain Home, the "mature" women (50+) representing 50 different chapters throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was a weekend of fun, laughter and general merrymaking as the group, which describes itself as a "disorganization," with only "suggestions," not rules, celebrated the energy for life that "experienced" women have.

* * *

The Mountain Home Arts Council announced it was facing significant financial difficulties as a result of the faltering economy, and appealed for patrons to come forward with additional donations to help it get through the rest of its fiscal year. The council supports local arts programs and activities and sponsors a number of cultural events, plays and concerts in the community each year.

May

Plans to open a new Republic of Singapore air force training squadron at Mountain Home AFB took a significant move forward when the first of its advanced F-15SG fighters arrived at Mountain Home AFB.

* * *

The May 26 elections for board members of the Mellen Water District and the West Side Sewer District were canceled by the county clerk's office due to a failure to provide proper legal notices. The elections were reset for August.

The West Side Sewer District was created in the mid-1970s and the Mellen Water District in 1993. Membership on the boards had changed considerably over the years, but always the result of appointments by the boards to fill vacancies when no candidates came forward to run for office. The elections were required because they had both failed to provide proper legal notices for elections since their inception.

* * *

The spring sports season was one to remember for Mountain Home Tiger sports teams as the school won district titles in softball, baseball and girls and boys track. The girls softball team went on to win the state championship, the first time in history that a Tiger team had ever won a state title.

* * *

The Treasure Valley Family YMCA and the Western Elmore County Recreation District finalized an agreement to have the YMCA provide consulting services to the WECRD for the planning of a Community Center or a potential Family YMCA in the Mountain Home area. A Community Leadership Development Committee was formed, headed by Mark Hiddleston and Alan Bermensolo, to explore the various options available. The group is expected to make a recommendation in 2010.

* * *

The Mountain Home School District declared C.D. Houston to have been elected to the Zone 4 trustee position, and eventually swore him in and seated him after he apparently defeated William Murray by three votes out of 91 cast. But three invalid votes were discovered to have been cast and the school board eventually filed a challenge to the election, hoping the courts would straighten the mess out for them. The process dragged out for months. After District Court Judge Mike Wetherell ordered the three people who cast the invalid votes to disclose, under oath, how they voted, it was determined the election was a tie.

In September the two men met for a coin toss, as required by law, to determine the actual winner, and Murray won the toss. Houston stepped down from the board and Murray took his place.

June

An Elmore County jury was unable to reach a verdict for the second time in the vehicular manslaughter trial of Mike Martin. Elmore County Prosecuting Attorney Kristina Schindele immediately requested a new trial to try again for a third time. Currently, that trial is scheduled for early 2010.

* * *

The Desert Mountain Visitor Center of Mountain Home received the "Outstanding Visitor Center Award" for the State of Idaho. It is the second time the center had received the award since 1996. The center opened in 1994.

* * *

Richard McKenna Charter High School announced plans to build a wind turbine on its new property, which would not only help provide power to the school but also serve as a teaching tool.

* * *

The city of Mountain Home began drying out after two days of storms brought approximately 2-3 inches of rain and severe hail, causing massive flooding throughout the city.

* * *

A Cessna 182 crashed into the side of a mountain in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area above Atlanta, killing the Boise pilot. Rugged terrain and bad weather resulted in rescue teams not reaching the crash site and recovering the body for several days.

* * *

After a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Lorrie Elmer Mecham, 69, of Mountain Home, of one count of receiving sexually explicit images of minors, and three counts of possessing sexually explicit images of minors. Several months later he was formally sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime.

The investigation began in August 2007 when Mecham's wife found a cooler filled with hundreds of floppy discs and CDs hidden in the crawl space of their home, some of which contained sexually explicit images of children on one of the discs.

Mecham had a long history of child sexual exploitation, including a conviction for child molestation in Georgia in 1987 in which he admitted molesting two girls, ages seven and nine.

* * *

Naudia Moorehead, a third-grade teacher at East Elementary School, was named Teacher of the Year for the Mountain Home School District.

* * *

Despite cold rainy conditions, the annual Relay for Life event drew well over a hundred participants, raising thousands of dollars for cancer research and cancer victim assistance.

July

A 17-year-old Mountain Home youth, Garrett Bradshaw, died when he drowned in the Bruneau River. Bradshaw was one of four youths that were apparently jumping off some cliffs near the highway just above a low retaining dam on the river, in the Indian Bathtubs area, when he and the other youths were swept over the dam.

* * *

The Mellen Water District and Westside Sewer District were both forced to cancel their planned Aug. 4 elections because both districts failed again to provide proper legal notice in time.

* * *

The American Legion Department of Idaho convention met for four days in Mountain Home with a speech highlighted by National Commander David Rehbein. Over 300 delegates attended the convention.

* * *

A rare flying B-17 bomber flew into Mountain Home giving local residents a chance to connect with a piece of WWII history.

* * *

One person died in a rear-end collision on I-84 at Exit 99. The accident occurred within minutes after authorities had closed the interstate at that point due to an unrelated incident at milepost 97. The collision was one of the more horrific among well over a dozen fatalities that occurred on Elmore County roads during the year.

* * *

The construction of a new 1,150-mile transmission line that will make two, two-mile-wide swaths through Elmore and Owyhee Counties, was discussed during a well-attended public meeting. The Gateway West Transmission Line Project is a cooperative effort between Idaho Power Company and Rocky Mountain Power.

* * *

City Treasurer Leanna Whitney resigned after 21 years of service to the city.

* * *

The city of Mountain Home asked residents to begin alternate-day sprinkling after it began experiencing a series of problems with its wells in the middle of hot July weather.

* * *

Two people were arrested in connection with a discovery of a meth lab in southwest Mountain Home.

August

Mava Terhaar, 51, an employee of the Elmore County Department of Motor Vehicles, was arrested on charges related to the alleged embezzlement of more than $270,000 from the DMV office. Her trial is set for early 2010.

* * *

Three dignitaries from the Basque government visited Mountain Home in the week prior to the annual Basque Picnic.

* * *

Thousands of people flocked to Glenns Ferry to witness the 24th and final reenactment of the Oregon Trail crossing of the Snake River during the annual Three Island Crossing. Although the celebration is expected to continue in the future, the actual crossing itself will no longer be held, due to a dwindling number of participants and the dangers involved.

* * *

Air Force Appreciation Day Chairman Randy Valley was named grand marshal for the AFAD parade.

* * *

The third annual Great Basin Blues Festival took place at Optimist Park featuring blues talent from all over the world, including Lara Price, Sirah Storm, Cedric Burnside and Lightning Malcolm.

September

Schools began bracing for both the common seasonal flu virus and the pandemic H1N1 Swine Flu virus. Hundreds of students missed days of school over the next two months. Meanwhile, a shortage of vaccine caused health district officials to sharply limit who could get the swine flu vaccine. Those limitations continued into December.

* * *

Local members of the Idaho National Guard were notified that they will be deployed to Iraq in 2010.

* * *

Near-record crowds flocked to downtown Mountain Home to demonstrate their support for military service members stationed here and across southern Idaho during the 49th annual Air Force Appreciation Day.

* * *

Jim Noland resigned as head of the Elmore County Search and Rescue Unit after 15 years of service with the group. He was replaced by Daryl Page.

* * *

Kelly Smith, 32, of Mountain Home, was killed after a sewer line trench he was working in collapsed in Pocatello. His death hit his fellow employees at Bowman Plumbing hard, but in the following weeks they organized a massive community effort to help make repairs and do fall/winter maintenance for the home where his pregnant wife and children lived.

* * *

Smith's death was part of a week of tragedy in which an airman from base died while deployed to the Mideast, a young woman was killed in a rollover accident on the interstate and a Glenns Ferry woman died in a crash at the "China Wall" area of I-84.

* * *

As the economy continued to sour, the city's Marathon Cheese packing plant temporarily laid off more than 50 of its employees, announcing its intention to rehire them as soon as possible.

* * *

Glenns Ferry celebrated its 100th year of incorporation. The event featured an all-class reunion that attracted hundreds of alumni and their families to town.

October

The May school board election was finally resolved with a coin flip that put William Murray on the board, replacing C.D. Houston. The two had tied for the vote in the May election.

* * *

Jorge Alberto Lopez-Orozco, 33, was arrested in Mexico. He had been on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list since being sought since 2002 in connection with a gruesome triple murder of his girlfriend and two of her young children, whose bodies were found in a burned-out car in rural Elmore County. He currently is awaiting extradition from Mexico to the United States to face first-degree murder charges in Elmore County.

* * *

Arlene Futch was named the 2009 Homecoming Queen during halftime of the MHHS homecoming game.

* * *

A request by the Nazarene Church to connect water and sewer lines to property outside city limits was turned down by the city council.

* * *

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new LDS stake center in Mountain Home.

November

The Air Force announced that Mountain Home Air Force Base is on the short list for consideration of an operational F-35 Lightning II fighter unit. The aircraft is the newest fighter-bomber in the USAF inventory. Public hearings on the proposal will be held in early 2010 with a decision by the Air Force as to where the first of the planes will be based expected later that year.

* * *

Another Mountain Home election was decided by the flip of a coin, this time in the Mellen Sub Water District, where three candidates tied for the fifth position on the board. When the two-phase coin toss was over Bart Eben had won, returning to the board from which he previously had resigned.

* * *

The Central District Health Department announced that the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu virus contributed to the death of an Elmore County woman in her 30s who had underlying medical conditions. It was the first confirmed death associated with the H1N1 flu virus in Elmore County and for CDHD.

* * *

Senior leaders representing the Republic of Singapore, U.S. Air Force and state of Idaho ushered in a new international partnership at Mountain Home Air Force Base during a ceremony Nov. 18. Hundreds of people representing the Air Force and Republic of Singapore air force packed into a hangar on the base's east side to witness the official start of the Peace Carvin V flight training program here, a 25-year relationship to train RSAF pilots at the airbase.

December

Mountain Home's annual creche exhibit drew record crowds from across the region to the Mountain Home LDS stake center to view more than 700 nativity scenes on display.

* * *

Plans to sell the building containing the Mountain Home Youth Center hit a snag after no one stepped forward to place bids during a scheduled auction.

* * *

Five crash victims were taken by ground ambulance to Elmore Medical Center where they were treated and released following a 23-car pileup just east of Glenns Ferry on and near the bridge over the Snake River. It was "the biggest crash I've ever seen," said Trooper Tyler Jussel of the Idaho State Police. Jussel said that while weather was a key factor in the pile-up, excessive speed for conditions and following too close also played a role.

* * *

Michael Martin was bound over to district court to stand trial for felony drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident following a preliminary hearing in magistrate's court.

The charges are in addition to a vehicular manslaughter charge he faces in connection with a 2007 accident in which two of his friends died.

Previously, two separate jury trials resulted in a hung jury on the vehicular manslaughter charge. He will face a third trial on that charge in March.