Idaho State Police Troopers arrested a California man last night after he failed to yield for a traffic stop. The driver is now in the Ada County Jail on several felony charges included being a fugitive from California.

At approximately 7:15 p.m., January 17, 2022, on eastbound Interstate 84 in eastern Ada County, an ISP Trooper attempted to stop the driver of a Mercedes sedan for expired registration. The driver failed to stop and continued eastbound into Elmore County, at points reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Deputies with the Elmore County Sheriff's Office assisted with spike strips that helped stop the vehicle. Mountain Home Police also assisted.

Jan. 10, 2022 - Boise, Idaho – During his State of the State and Budget Address today, Governor Brad Little reflected on the strength of Idaho’s economy and state budget before detailing his LEADING IDAHO plan to put more money back in the pockets of Idahoans and make strategic investments in education and other areas to propel Idaho even further ahead.

“Idaho’s success is no accident,” Governor Little said. “While other states liquidated their rainy-day funds and begged politicians in Washington, D.C., for a bailout, together we rolled up our sleeves, made tough decisions, and led Idaho.”

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Boise, ID – January 12th, Idaho Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Fred Cornforth issued this statement.“Today, I have some difficult news to share with you. I am facing a medical condition that will preempt me from functioning as chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. Currently, I am working with Party staff and leadership to transition out of my role as Chair effective January 15th. I am full of gratitude for all we’ve done together and I’m frustrated that the fire burning inside of me to serve you and our fellow Idahoans, doesn’t have a clear direction right now. I do know this: the momentum that many of us have observed or have been a part of the last few years is strong and growing in every part of Idaho. The people in the Idaho Democratic Party today are bringing leadership and a commitment to our values as Idahoans to a state where it is long overdue. Keep being a part of the dramatic changes we are bringing to our communities and our party and our state. It has been a privilege and one of the greatest honors of my life to serve you as the chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and notes. You’ve touched me and my family in ways that words fail to show you how much each of you means to me.”“The Idaho Democratic Party owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Chair Cornforth for his incredible leadership and the energy he has brought to our party in the past year. While he focuses on his health and his family, we will continue to work hard everyday to make Fred’s vision of a ‘better Idaho for everyone’ a reality,” said IDP Executive Director Jared Deloof

As we begin the start of 2022 here in Elmore County we have had several snow-heavy precipitation events this winter, as you have noticed while plowing/shoveling your driveways and sidewalks. This might be even more evident if you make the commute to surrounding cities such as Boise or Twin Falls. The same goes for the Boise Water Basin Range, which encompasses surrounding mountain ranges that help drain into the Elmore County reservoirs and associated irrigation districts. Our main reservoirs include Anderson Ranch, Little Camas, Long Tom and Mountain Home with some parts of Arrowrock and Lucky Peak reservoirs extending into Elmore County as well.

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Mountain Home's Urban Renewal Agency held its monthly meeting in December. A quorum was established with Commissioner Randy Valley, Hampton Wright, Skylar Jett, and Alan Bermensolo in attendance. Commissioner Hailey Owen was not in attendance. Guests Brock Cherry and Paul Lyons were also in attendance.

They approved the minutes for the Oct 19, 2021 meeting, the Special Meeting on Dec 3rd to sign the contract with Musgrove Engineering to bury power lines, and paid bills for $14,722.19 for general business.

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Starting the year with passages and ending with a changing of the guard, the first City Council meeting of the year started well. Rep. Matthew Bundy stepped down as Councilman to focus on his elected position of State Representative. Mayor Sykes discussed his relationship with Rep. Bundy and how he mentored the Mayor. Bundy will serve on five committees, including the Joint Finance Appropriations and Judicial Rules and Local Government Committees at the statehouse.

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1.13.22 - WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases.

Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease staff shortages due to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Speaking at the White House, he said six additional military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.

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January 11, 2022

Mountain Home News – Publishers Note

This story is shared with permission for publication. This message is worth sharing over and over again as we keep our readers informed of the critical water issues our county faces. Every perspective is worth the read whether repeated information or not and we appreciate the deep dive Sr. Reporter Margaret Carmel provided

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