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Lincoln County Approves New Commissioner Districts
At their regular January meeting preceding each general election, county commissioners are required to divide their county into commissioner districts, with each district being as nearly equal in population as possible. In Lincoln County, the current districts have been in place for over 40 years and the population of each district is significantly out of balance: District 1, 2502 - District 2, 1171 - District 3, 1535. Last Monday, January 22nd, the Lincoln County Commissioners unanimously approved a re-districting map. The new district #1 (primarily the City of Shoshone and the southwest corner of the county) has an approximate population of 1706; District #2 (the northwest corner of the county across to and including Richfield) has a population of 1611; and District #3 (includes Dietrich, Owinza, Kimama, and the rest of the county) has 1891. The actual map was created by Quadrant Consulting using census numbers. Along with balancing the populations, one of the primary objectives of the county was to keep each of the three main cities in separate districts. In order to achieve this, the area north of Shoshone and east of Highway 75 and over to about 500 E. (approx. 8 miles by 5 miles) is included in District #3. This was not without some controversy (accusations of gerrymandering have been made), but the Commissioners felt this was the only way to balance the districts.
South Fork Boise River Road ~ Open House
An Open House will be held this Thursday, February 1st, at 6 pm at the Camas Senior Center, 129 Willow Avenue West in Fairfield Idaho, to provide information regarding the South Fork Boise River Road Relocation Project. The Fairfield Ranger District and Camas County propose to relocate segments of the South Fork Boise River Road (Forest Road 227) out of the floodplain around existing washouts. In addition, the Fairfield Ranger District is accepting scoping comments on the proposed project. The public to participate and provide feedback. Please refer all comments on this proposal to: Fairfield Ranger District, Attn: FR 227 Relocation Project; PO Box 189, Fairfield, ID 83327; by FAX at (208) 764-3211; by email in a format (pdf, txt, rtf, or document compatible with Microsoft Office applications) to: commentsintermtn-sawtooth-fairfield@fs.fed.us; or you may hand-deliver your comments to the Fairfield Ranger District Office in Fairfield.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding s ntain i u o M The pen Now O
January 31, 2018
Vol 42 ~ Num 5
USDA Helps Fund Local Food Bank
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced that USDA invested in nearly 400 projects to provide essential services for more than 7 million people in rural areas across the country in Fiscal Year 2017. “Partnering with our small towns and cities to support essential services that rural residents need is one way USDA is facilitating prosperity in rural America,” Perdue said. “USDA’s investments will help communities significantly improve their schools, hospitals and public safety facilities, and improve the quality of life.” USDA infused $1.5 billion into rural areas in 2017 through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program for projects such as schools, libraries, municipal centers, first responder vehicles and equipment, social service buildings, recreational activities and other community needs. These investments are helping nearly 7 million rural residents. “The heartfelt gratitude that I hear from rural Idahoans, including state and local government leaders with regard to Community Facilities programs gives our staff great pride and a sense of accomplishment as we deliver these vital programs in support of true and lasting prosperity,” said Layne Bangerter, USDA Rural Development State Director for Idaho. Local Idaho projects that USDA helped finance in 2017 includes Benevolence & Beyond Inc., a non-profit food pantry in Shoshone, Idaho. They received a $30,000 loan to purchase the building they were leasing, and make much needed improvements to the building. The improvements consisted of providing a new roof and accessibility upgrades to the front entrance of the building. The purchase and improvements will allow the non-profit to continue providing individuals and families in the area with access to emergency food.