The Courier
News
One Football Game Closer to State
It took a Herculean effort by the Gooding community, but they did it. A November snow covered Keller Field last Saturday morning and would have made the 3A Quarterfinal game difficult for either team to do anything. Thanks to the hard work by community members, the football field was ready for the Gooding / Kellogg game. The payoff? The Gooding Senators squeeked out a homefield victory over the Kellogg Wildcats with a score of 21 to 20. Gooding is now 3-0 in conference and 9-1 overall. This Saturday, the Senators will be in Pocatello’s Holt Arena for the semifinal game against Snake River at 2:45 p.m. According to IdahoSports.com Gooding has a Power Ranking of 96.66 giving them an advantage over Snake River’s ranking of 50.16. A win at the Holt Arena will put the Senators up against either Frutland or Shelly next weekend. ---- The Dietrich Blue Devils ended their football season with a disappointing loss to the Butte County Pirates. The final score for the quarterfinal 1AD2 game in Arco was 58 to 12.
Conservation Gateway for Farmers & Ranchers
Access to NRCS conservation programs can be daunting and take up valuable time, time that farmers and ranchers don’t often have. To address the changing needs of modern agricultural business, the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) recently announced their Conservation Client Gateway. The gateway is a secure web portal that lets clients work with NRCS online 24/7, either from a home computer or from mobile devices - no need to get out of the tractor or to get off your horse. Landowners and land managers, whether operating as individuals or authorized representatives of business entities, can track their payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance, and electronically sign documents. Conservation Client Gateway provides users the flexibility to determine when they want to engage with NRCS online and when they prefer in-person conservation planning assistance. Conservation clients are not required to use this service (there’ll still be someone in the office to help you), but for those who want the convenience of online access, the portal is a great tool. Here’s what you need to get started: Go to www.nrcs.usda.gov/clientgateway and follow the step-by-step instructions to sign-up. If you have problems, you can also call 907-372-4200 for personal assistance.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
November 8, 2017
Vol 41 ~ Num 45
Teens, Young Adults and... Opioids
by Ron Larsen, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Optum Idaho
We’ve all seen or heard the headlines: the U.S. is in the midst of a national opioid crisis that claims the lives of 91 Americans each day – one person every 16 minutes. Overdose deaths due to opioids, which include commonly prescribed pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine, are now responsible for more deaths in this country than car accidents or firearms. This epidemic isn’t just happening to other communities – it’s reached Idaho and is threatening the health and wellbeing of our friends, neighbors and loved ones. Drug overdose deaths in Idaho more than doubled between 2006 and 2014 from 111 to 217. More than 200 Idahoans died from overdoses in 2015, with most of those deaths attributed to prescription painkillers and other opioids. Sadly, this epidemic has taken an outsized toll on young people in our communities. Young adults are among the biggest misusers of prescription drugs in Idaho – including opioid pain relievers – and the rate of deaths from drug overdose among 12- to 25-year-olds in our state has more than doubled since 1999. Most people use drugs for the first time when they are teenagers, and drug use is highest among people in their late teens and twenties. Early intervention is critical to preventing long-term addiction issues, and parents are often the “first responders” when it comes to helping their children avoid or overcome a substance use disorder. Fortunately, there are steps that parents and other adults in a young person’s life – including coaches, teachers, and mentors – can take to help prevent opioid addiction or intervene when misuse becomes a problem. October was National Substance Use Prevention Month, but the problems of opioids is year round. I encourage parents and other responsible adults to educate themselves about the risks of opioid use and how to step in and take action if a young person needs help. continued on page 6...