The Courier
NEWS Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo
The 2020 Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo gets started this weekend with Jr. Rodeo and Mini Bull Riding. Friday and Saturday evenings, the arena will again be jumping with miniature bulls doing their best to dump cowboys in the dirt. The beer garden will open at 6:00 p.m. and the riding (or not riding) will start at 6:30. On Saturday morning, come support our younger cowboys and cowgirls at the Ardis Swan JR Rodeo beginning at 10:00 a.m. A “time only barrels” event will be held on Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. 4H/FFA shows will begin Monday, July 20th, with the Horse show at 8:00 a.m. The Dairy show will be held on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday Goat & Sheep will show at 8:300 a.m. and the small animal show will be at 2:00 p.m. The exhibit barns will open on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. and will be open till 10 p.m. Wednesday evening entertainment at the arena will be the ever popular ATV Rodeo - starts at 7:00 p.m.
Rabid Bat in Twin Falls County
A bat, caught in Twin Falls County, tested positive this week for rabies. The South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) urges residents to be extra careful and avoid all contact with bats because rabies can cause a fatal viral illness in both people and their pets. "Normally, bats are not dangerous but it's never a good idea to harass or play with any wild animal," said Tanis Maxwell, SCPHD Epidemiology Program Manager. "If you see an active bat during the day, or any other unusual behavior, it is best to avoid that animal to prevent exposure to diseases like rabies." If you catch a bat and need it tested, please call (208) 737-5912 or (208) 737-5971 to speak with a Health District epidemiologist. SCPHD urges residents to only attempt bat captures if they can do it safely and avoid direct contact with the bat at all times. While most bats are harmless and do not carry rabies, they are the only animal in Idaho to naturally carry the virus. Most animals, including household pets, can become exposed to the virus by playing with sick bats that can no longer fly. "Rabies can be fatal for humans and animals." Maxwell said, "It is crucial you keep yourself and your animals away from any infected bats."
To protect yourself from rabies:
Do not touch a bat with your bare hands. Be very suspicious of any bat active during daylight hours. If a bat attacks you seek medical attention immediately, save the bat in a container without touching it, and contact your district health department to arrange for rabies testing. Always vaccinate your pets, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home. Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintain tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter. Typically bat-proofing is best after most bats have migrated away in the fall.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
July 15 2020
Vol 44 Num 29
Idaho Last in School Funding?
Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency stay to prevent online signatures for Reclaim Idaho’s petition to increase funding for K-12 public schools with higher income tax. The Ninth Circuit court will hold another hearing in August but if electronic signatures are ultimately allowed in the petition process, it will need heightened scrutiny to prevent fraudulent signatures. Also last week, the National Education Association (NEA) released their annual School Statistics report, and for the second year in a row Idaho was last place in spending per student. While this statistic seems to support the need for more school funding in Idaho, the reported numbers do not take into consideration the difference in “cost of living” between the states. When the numbers are adjusted by the current cost of living index, Idaho is still 51st in per-student-funding along with Utah in 50th place. However, there are several surprising states in the under $10,000 per student category: Oregon (45), Nevada (46), California (47), Arizona (48), and Hawaii (49). Most headlines are focusing on per-student-funding, but the real news is teacher salaries. New York pays an average of almost $86,000 per year (highest in the country), but when adjusted for cost of living, that salary is barely $55,000 (the U.S. adjusted average is $56,000). Idaho’s adjusted average teacher salary is $54,000 ($51,000 unadjusted). By comparison, the adjusted salary in Nevada is $51,500, Oregon is $48,500, and Hawaii is $32,000. Teacher salaries in Washington state are 4th in the nation at $65,000. The financial state of education in America may be important to politicians interested in budgets, but... do teacher salaries and per-student-spending have any measurable impact on a student’s educational success? The NEA report has no information regarding that question other than graduation rates. Research by Michigan State University, the Cato Institute and others organizations, show that while the cost of education in the United States has tripled since 1970, national test scores have barely changed. Increased school funding can help individual schools provide better access to educational resources, but there is no clear correlation between increased spending and test improvements. Ultimately, it is not how much money is spent on education, but rather how that money is spent.