The Courier
NEWS
Dietrich Girls Take Second at State
On Saturday, the Kendrick Tigers defeated the Dietrich Blue Devil Girls 55-53 in overtime for the 1AD2 Championship. Kendrick had 23-14 lead at the half, then ended the third quarter with a 9 point lead, 37-28. The Blue Devil girls finally came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points to tie the game at 49 points each. Kendrick pulled back into the lead in overtime with 6 points over Dietrich's 4 points to end the game 55 to 53. Last Wednesday, the Musher Boys defeated Dietrich 82 to 60. Due to a schedule change, the District Championship game will be played tonight, February 21st, at Gooding High School at 7:00 p.m. The 1AD2 Boy's State Tournament will be held February 29 thru March 2nd at Caldwell High School.
Go Underground for a Closer Look at the Subnivean Zone
Chances are, if you've ever left your elk or deer meat in the deep freezer for too long, a fine layer of ice crystals forms around the vacuum bag. The process—known as sublimation—doesn't just occur in your freezer; you can also find examples of sublimation in nature, which is where you can find this month's edition of Idaho Fish & Game's Wildlife Express. When looking across a field of snow, it may seem like a quiet, deserted space. But the subnivean zone—the area beneath the snow—is a microhabitat beaming with life. Some of the most important creatures living in the subnivean zone you can’t even see. They are billions of tiny organisms. These microorganisms drive the health of the whole ecosystem. The main cast of the subnivian environment is made up of voles, mice, shrews and red squirrels. Voles and mice are the most common mammals living in the subnivean zone. They seek shelter under the snow from freezing temperatures and predators, creating elaborate homes. Since they are active throughout the winter, they need everything that they would need during the summer. Where there's small, plump little prey, there's predators. Weasels, fox and owls all patrol the subnivian zone, looking for frozen little balls of food scurrying beneath the snow's surface. Weasels are the smallest carnivores, more on page 6... or meateating animals, in Idaho.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
February 21, 2024
Vol 48 Num 8
Keeping Libraries Safe?
A petition against SB1289 is at the Camas Public Library (see page 3)
Senate Bill 1289, the "Children's School and Library Protection Act" is nearing approval. This legislation would require public schools and community libraries to take reasonable steps in restricting children's access to obscene or harmful material as defined by Idaho Code 18-1514 (the House of Representatives is working on similar legislation - House Bill 384). As in previous years, there is opposition to the proposed law from many Idaho librarians. One of the primary objections is the provision for civil/monetary damages if librarians or library officials fail to keep obscene material out of the hands of children. This could be very costly for libraries and schools if individuals bring multiple book challenges. Opponents also claimed that a state wide policy is not needed because libraries already have policies in place to address these types of concerns. However, the bigger issue is the lack of consensus on what is obscene. While Idaho Code 18-1514 provides a lengthy definition, libraries in large cities like Boise do not view these materials the same way as libraries in smaller communities. To make matters worse, there are certain political groups arguing that children should have access to these types of books. Understand, obscenity is not always pornography. While a few "challenged books" are pornographic, most are simply promoting sexuality to young adult and elementary readers. This can be obscure such as a minor character who happens to be gay, or the overt promotion of LGBT ideology. It can be difficult for our librarians to distinguish between books that honestly inform and books that promote. Sadly, there are a few librarians who don't even try because they believe it is part of their job to make these kinds of materials available to children. In all of this, there is nothing in Senate Bill 1289 that suggests the banning of books. If a book is determined to be "obscene", it can simply be relocated within the library to make it inaccessible to minors (persons under 18 years of age). Even though most people might agree with the premise of this legislation, will it actually help make our libraries safer, or create more problems? “After years of trying to address this issue, we think that this is probably about as good as it’s going to get for all involved,” said Sarah Bettwieser, a lobbyist for the Idaho Library Association, which is neutral on the bill.