The Courier NEWS

New Life at Business Park

About twenty years ago, a small busines park was built four miles north of Shoshone at the corner of Highway 75 and 420 North. Being across from Johnny's County Store, the location seemed to be a great place to serve the needs of the growing population of northern Lincoln County. But, it struggled to find tennets.

This past weekend, two new businesses open their doors at the "Midway" - the Tumbleweed Cafe and the Building Material Thrift Store.

News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding

February 15, 2023

Fire Department Helps

Other Fire Departments

With the help of extra grant money, the Gooding Fire District recently upgraded their extraction equipment.

The owners of Tumbleweed Cafe - Richard and Wendy Haselip - have spent the last several months getting their restarant ready for customers.

For now they are open for breakfast and lunch serving breakfast burritos, sandwiches and bowls, along with biscuits & gravy. For lunch try their great selection of deli sandwiches. A few doors down, the Building Material Thrift Store has opened a second location to find good used items to help build or remodel your home. Started over twenty years ago in Bellevue, BMTS is committed to reclaiming, recycling, repurposing and reusing building material and other household goods to provide an affordable means for families to build homes. As local nonprofit organization, they are also dedicated to giving back to communites by supporting other nonprofits, and assisting families and organizations fulfill emergency needs, such as emergency shelters, families starting over again after a fire, youth centers, police/fire departments, etc. BMTS is hold a drawing through the end of the month for a $100 gift certificate. Bring in your Tumbleweed cafe receipt to the Thrift store to enter.

A Grand Opening is being planned for early March and they hope to have another business join the family of businesses at the Midwaywatch for the annoucement. And coming soon...

Johnny's County Store

For several years, the Gooding Fire district has used hydraulic rescue equipment to deal with situations where individuals are trapped inside automobiles. This equipment is used to cut and spread open various parts of vehicles that can not be opened due to damage. These tools often makes the difference between life and death.

Older tools are powered by a small hydraulic pump mount on a fire trucks, with the fluid supplied by hoses to the tools. While these tools work well, they are limited by the length of the hose and the amount of pressure that can be generated.

As with most power tools, the age of battery power has changed everything. Construction workers no longer need multiple power cords strung across work areas with the danger of tripping, or air hoses running from a compressor. Instead, a worker can carry a cordless drill or saw anywhere they want to.

For rescue workers, battery powered extraction equipment is a huge advantage - no more pumps and hoses. This saves time and a lot of weight. Cordless equipment can also go places other equipment can't and... these new tools are faster - 10 times faster than the old tools.

But despite their limitation, older extraction tools work well and save lives. So the Gooding Fire District donated their old tools to the Elk Bend Fire Protection District. Elk Bend is a small community just south of Salmon and their fire district covers a 35 mile stretch of Highway 93 between Salmon and Challis. When accidents happen in this area, rescue crews with extraction equipment are often a half hour or more away.

Elk Bend Fire Chief, Taylor Peterson, was able to get training on the equipment with Gooding Fire Chief Brandon Covey and the crew at the Gooding Fire District before heading home with the valuable rescue tools.

Notices of Upcoming Events & Meetings Tree Sale

Camas Conservation District will be having their tree sale this spring. Please contact Megan Tews at 208-789-0653; camasscd@ yahoo.com or on our website http://www.camasscd.com to order your trees. first come, first serve, while supplies last.

Camas 4-H Beef Club

Interested in Beef Club? Please contact Danyon Fontenot and/ or the 4-H extension office. Beef weigh-in will fall before the 4-H open house at the school this year. Spread the word!

Community Breakfast at the Wendell Senior Center

380 1st Ave. East - Wendell (across from the city offices)

Breakfast 4 All

This Saturday, November 16th, 8 to 10

Adults - $5.... Under 12 - $3

Tire Lube & Wash

217 South Idaho -- Wendell, Idaho

Oil & Lube starting at $40

208-536-5022

Dietrich Girls Head to State

On Thursday the Dietrich Blue Devil Girls took the 1AD2 District Championship with a 37 to 26 victory over the Richfield Tigers. Dietrich will face off against Leadore this Thursday at 5 p.m. at Nampa High School. The State Championship game will be held on Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.

In boys 1AD2 basketball, the Camas Mushers finished the regular season #1. On Monday Camas defeated Hagerman 61 to 44 in the district tournament, while #2 Richfield took the win over Dietrich 74 to 68. Camas played Richfield last night at Gooding High School. The winner of that game will advance to the District Championship game to be played next Wednesday, February 22. Also last night, Dietrich played Hagerman. The winner of that game will play either Camas or Richfield next Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the championship game.

In 2A basketball, the Declo boys defeated Wendell 55 to 51 in overtime. They play again tonight in Wendell. If Wendell wins, they will play again on February 23rd to decide who goes to state. In 3A basketball, the Senator boys lost their first game of the district tournament to Kimberly 70 to 41. The will play Filer tonight (February 15) at CSI starting at 6 p.m.

Bunco is Back... for real

Lady's Bunco Night at the Community Church in Fairfield has was postponed to basketball tournament games. The new night of fun will be Monday, February 20th, starting at 6 p.m. So bring a friend (or two) and enjoy!

NRCS Idaho - February 2023 Water Supply Outlook Report

The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Idaho has released the February Water Supply Outlook Report for the 2023 water year (WY23).

Although January was a dry month with below normal snowfall north of the Snake River, increases in SWE (snow water equivalent) were measured at every SNOTEL site across Idaho. The snowpack is still above normal throughout Idaho except in the Panhandle and Clearwater basins where snowpack remains below normal.

“Water supply conditions differ across the state and could still change by the end of winter,” said Erin Whorton, Water Supply Specialist for USDA-NRCS Idaho. “Water supply conditions are favorable in the Boise River, Wood and Lost basins, and for Lake Owyhee and Bear Lake water users. Areas with low reservoir storage, like the upper Snake River, Salmon Falls, and Goose Creek basins need the snowpack to continue to increase to well above normal conditions to meet water supply demands this spring.”

Several soil moisture products indicate soil moisture is drier than normal in many parts of the state; notably drier areas include the Snake River headwaters, northern Idaho, and central Idaho extending south through the Wood basins. Many of these data products are showing below normal soil moisture at the ground surface and down into the root zone (3-feet depth). We are concerned these dry soils will lead to less runoff into reservoirs and streams this spring as the soil absorbs a portion of the snowmelt.

Current streamflow, snowpack, and precipitation data for Idaho can be accessed on the NRCS Idaho Snow Survey Webpage. For information on specific basins, streams, and reservoirs, please view the full report online at February Water Supply Outlook Report. Do

1 Yr - $25.00

2 Yr - $45.00

Camp Rainbow Gold ~ Share Your Heart Ball Saturday, February 18, 2023

Limelight Ballroom, Sun Valley Inn

It's almost here! This Saturday, Camp Rainbow Gold will celebrate their 2023 "Share Your Heart" Ball - Legacy of Love. This night is sure to be full of excitement, celebrations, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. as they celebrate 40 years of Camp Rainbow Gold!

Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. at the Sun Valley Inn with dinner and live auction at starting at 7:30 p.m. Valet parking and coat check will be provided. If you're unable to attend but are interested in bidding on any of the auction lots, please contact them to arrange for a proxy bidder. You can also support Camp Rainbow Gold programs by making a donation today.

Single Tickets are $195. All proceeds benefiting Camp Rainbow Gold's annual programs and help keep every program free for the families they serve.

For more information on the event, tickets or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.ShareYourHeartBall.org or contact Christl Holzl at 208-928-7820.

Simpson Secures Funds for Little Wood River Project After 20 Years of Effort

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today highlighted major progress on the long-delayed Little Wood River project in Gooding, Idaho through his efforts secured in the FY23 Omnibus package and the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 that were signed into law on December 29, 2022, and December 23, 2022, respectively.

The project was included in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill at Congressman Simpson’s request through Community Project Funding (CPF), and through WRDA Congressman Simpson included options to help the city finance their portion of the non-federal share of the project.

“The Gooding Wall is a great example of how CPFs benefit Idaho. This project, needed to repair dilapidated sections of the Gooding Canal that put the community at higher risk of flooding, was authorized with language I included in a 2007 bill. But without the opportunity to request the funding needed to carry out the construction, this flood control project, so critical to an Idaho community, languished on the shelf for decades. Congressional action was needed to finally get it underway, and I was able to use the CPF program to direct funding to get it started again,” said Simpson.

The project will receive $2.6 million to begin replacement of the walls of the channel that flows through the city of Gooding, Idaho, which was constructed in the 1930s. Many sections of the wall have failed, leading to an increase in localized flood risk and threat to adjacent public infrastructure and private property. It is also leading to long-term undermining of the public roads along its corridor from subsurface erosion. The City of Gooding has been seeking funds for this project for nearly twenty years.

“The City of Gooding has been waiting a long time for this project to be completed, with the threat of major flooding looming every year,” said Simpson. “This is something I’ve been working on since I came to Congress two decades ago, and, after several starts and stops, I am greatly encouraged that we are finally seeing momentum on this important flood control project.”

“The city of Gooding is extremely grateful for the effort put forth by Congressman Mike Simpson to secure funding for the replacement of the failing ‘River Wall’ that goes through our community. This project has been repeatedly delayed for over twenty years due to underbudgeting — but Congressman Simpson offered intelligent solutions in the House bill that was signed by the president that will allow the project to finally be successful! In addition, several other conditions of the bill allow us to bring down the 10 percent cost share by participating in the work and making the remaining payments more manageable by repaying over 30 years. Congressman Mike Simpson has been in our corner and looking out for us, thank you Congressman Simpson!”

-Larry Bybee, City of Gooding Public Works Director

Need help getting your equipment to the auction? MVA may be able to help.

This Week’s Sudoku Puzzle Answers

Puzzle #1 - Easy Puzzle #2 - Hard