Wood River Weekly - 26 February 2020

HAILEY NEWS

Hailey Hopes To Go Beyond ‘Sustainable’ PG 5 SUN VALLEY

KETCHUM

VISION 2020: LIFESTYLE

ARTS NEWS

A Getaway For Residents From A Getaway Town PG 10

HAILEY

BELLEVUE

2020 Film Festival Slate Is Slated PG 4 PICABO

CAREY

WOOD RIVER WEEKLY YOUR VOICE IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY

Free | Feb 26 - Mar 3, 2020 | Vol. 1 - No. 8 | woodriverweekly.com

“Music can change the world.” ~Beethoven

For information about this photo, see “On The Cover” on page 3. Photo credit: Nils Ribi

Broadway’s brightest stars...

...on one stage

On sa

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Wood River Weekly

NEWS

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

IN BRIEF

Family Of Slain Horse Offers $3K Reward

• • • •

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue; throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus. SCPHD can also be contacted at (208) 737-5971.

The family whose horse was shot and killed east of Shoshone is offering a $3,000 reward to anyone bringing information to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office that leads to the arrest of whomever “just turned my daughter’s world upside down,” the mother’s social media post states.

Over the weekend, Randi Oneida’s pasture was the setting for a horrific scene she shared in a photo on the Lincoln County ID Rants and Raves page on Facebook. In the image it is clear her daughter’s horse was shot in the chest. Amplifying matters was that the horse’s eye was gouged out.

The Facebook post garnered over 500 reactions and was shared more than 1,300 times.

“There has been a lot of this happening across Idaho and Montana recently. We all need to be vigilant for each other,” commented Scott Denning.

“Listen up, people. Someone knows who did this. Scumbags like to brag cuz they think they are a mighty hunter. Listen to people talking. Be nosey. Eavesdrop. Find this druggie coward,” commented Gail Etchart-Slagel.

Lincoln County Sheriff Renee King said his office currently has no leads, but encouraged people to call in with any information they have. King also cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the gouged-out eye. He said it’s not uncommon for birds to go after the soft tissue of a carcass.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (208) 886-2250.

Zions Bank Advocates For ‘The Advocates’

The Advocates has received a $10,000 donation from Zions Bank, which will support its Safe Housing Capital Campaign to help survivors of domestic violence.

“With the housing shortage in the Wood River Valley, the Safe Housing Capital Campaign will make a tremendous difference to vulnerable members of our community,” said Tracy Groll, region president at Zions Bank. “We believe this project will help many people on their path to healing and personal growth.”

Founded in 1991, The Advocates offers services to survivors of domestic violence that include case management advocacy, life skills training and housing. Its Safe Housing Capital Campaign will construct 18 units of transformative safe housing and a private on-site client and program support center in Hailey. The organization is the only provider of safe housing for abuse survivors in the Wood River Valley and serves clients in Blaine, Camas, Custer and Lincoln counties.

“We are grateful for Zions Bank’s investment in our community,” said Shannon Nichols, director of development at The Advocates. “As we raise funds for our Safe Housing Capital Campaign, we hope their example will help galvanize other organizations to support our efforts.”

Local Health Officials Monitoring Coronavirus

As cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to increase throughout the world and in the United States, South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) is monitoring the situation and working closely with healthcare partners.

“This is something that we plan and train for on a regular basis,” said Josh Jensen, SCPHD public health preparedness program manager. “Public health and hospitals have plans and procedures in place to handle infectious diseases, and we drill those plans on a regular basis so we are ready for outbreaks like COVID-19.”

To date, there have been no cases of COVID-19 in Idaho and 15 confirmed cases in the United States. While it is likely there may be additional cases in the U.S. in the future, actions have been taken to limit the spread of the virus. Locally, SCPHD receives notifications of travelers who return from areas where potential exposure to COVID-19 is high. These individuals are contacted by SCPHD and monitored for 14 days after exposure, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If the exposed person does not develop symptoms within this monitoring period, they are no longer considered to be at risk for having or spreading the virus. Because the 14-day monitoring period starts after the person’s last potential exposure to the virus, for some people, monitoring may not be necessary once they return home.

“We understand people are concerned about this new disease,” said Tanis Maxwell, SCPHD epidemiology program manager. “The risk of transmission within the general public remains low, and there are precautions people can take to minimize their risk of contracting any respiratory illness.”

SCPHD recommends everyday actions to help prevent the spread of all respiratory diseases, including:

Fatal Crash In Gooding County

On Feb. 24, at 8:59 p.m., Idaho State Police investigated a single-vehicle fatality crash near the intersection of 1800 E. and 1725 S., in Gooding County.

Lindia Elting, 38, of Gooding, was driving a 2004 Suzuki Verona and ran off the road for unknown reasons, striking a power pole before overturning.

Elting was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. She was transported by ground ambulance to North Canyon Medical Center and then transported by air ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Next of kin has been notified. Idaho State Police was assisted by Gooding County and Gooding Police Department.

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Wood River Weekly

WOOD RIVER WEEKLY

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

3

CONTENTS

A BARNBURNER OF A PLAY; ONE OF THE BEST PLAYS I’VE SEEN ABOUT WHO GETS TO TELL THE STORY OF AMERICA, AND HOW… — THE WASHINGTON POST

The Argyros Center’s high level of technology makes for an ideal location for classical music. For more information, see story on page 8. Photo credit: Nils Ribi

This Week f e b r u a r y 2 6 - M a r c h 3 , 2 0 2 0 | Vol. 1 No. 8

ADVERTORIALS CALENDAR COMMENTARY Sponsored Opinion, Share Your View PG 14

Arts, Events, Music & More PG 8

Columns, Student Spotlight, Fishing Report PG 12

MATINEE & CHAT BACK

SUN, MAR 1, 3PM

ON THE COVER Members of the Sun Valley Symphony percussion section beat their drums at last year’s Sun Valley Music Festival event. Photo credit: Nils Ribi Local artists & photographers interested in seeing their art on our cover page should email submissions to: mandi@woodriverweekly.com (photos should be high resolution and include caption info such as who or what is in the photo, date and location).

The Niceties is generously sponsored by The Kantor Family Fund, Marcia & Don Liebich, Carol P. Nie and Tedde & Jim Reid.

Community discussion with United Vision for Idaho is generously sponsored by Marcia & Don Liebich.

WRW STAFF

PUBLISHER Christopher Seldon (208) 788-4789 publisher@woodriverweekly.com MARKETING & SALES Mandi Iverson (208) 721-7588 mandi@woodriverweekly.com Jennifer Simpson (208) 721-0658 jennifer@woodriverweekly.com NEWS EDITOR Eric Valentine news@woodriverweekly.com

ARTS & EVENTS, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Dana DuGan dana@woodriverweekly.com COPY EDITOR Patty Healey PRODUCTION & DESIGN Mandi Iverson mandi@woodriverweekly.com Christopher Seldon chris@woodriverweekly.com ACCOUNTING accounting@woodriverweekly.com DEADLINES Display & Classified Ads, Monday 5 p.m.

Calendar Submissions — Friday 5pm CONTACT Wood River Weekly P.O. Box 3483 Hailey, Idaho 83333 (208) 788-4789 woodriverweekly.com

24th SEASON SPONSORS: Anonymous (2), Arrow R. Storage, Linda and Bob Edwards, Shari Friedman and Andrew King, Sue and Mort Fuller, Carol and Len Harlig, Jodie and Dan Hunt and the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, Marcia and Don Liebich, The Kantor Family Fund, Kenneth Lewis, Tedde and Jim Reid, Jane Rosen and Scott Miley—Scott Miley Roofing, Carol P. Nie, Shubert Foundation, Richard Smooke and Family in loving memory of Judith Smooke, St. Luke’s Wood River, Mary Ann and John Underwood, Maryanne and Jerry Whitcomb, Jeri L. Wolfson Foundation, Barbara and Stanley Zax, housing sponsor The Wood River Inn & Suites, media sponsor Wood River Weekly, wine sponsor Stanton Barrett & Barrett Family Wines, and beer sponsor Warfield Distillery & Brewing

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Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

NEWS

ARTS

SV Film Festival To Highlight ‘Ruth’ Film about SCOTUS Justice Ginsberg given first billing

T

By Eric Valentine

he oldest U.S. Supreme Court Justice and the Valley’s own producer/director Freida Lee Mock will be given first billing at the annual Sun Valley Film Festival set for March 18–22.

The 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival, presented by Ford Motor Company, announced its film lineup for its ninth annual event.

The festival will open on March 18 with a special presentation of the documentary RUTH with director and Sun Valley resident Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Photo credit: Mock attending. Ginsberg has Wikimedia Commons been the subject of two high-profile films in recent years: “RGB”—a documentary on the 86-year-old justice, and “On The Basis Of Sex”—a dramatic biopic.

Select films will screen at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum and the Sun Valley Opera House in Sun Valley. Additional films, including the slate of selected short films, will be announced on the festival website at a later date. A rising star on the boutique film festival scene, the SVFF celebrates the art of storytelling with five days of films, panels, parties and more, including two world premieres.

NEWS

IN BRIEF

Police Chief Under Investigation, Retires

Hailey Chief of Police Jeff Gunter announced his retirement from employment with the City of Hailey, which he made effective on Feb. 24. In light of his many years of service to the City of Hailey, Mayor Martha Burke credited Chief Gunter an additional month salary upon his departure.

The announcement comes on the heels of a still ongoing investigation into the chief, which the city has remained tight-lipped about.

Gunter began his long period of service to the community in 1990, starting in the position of patrol officer with the Hailey Police Department and rising through the law enforcement ranks, until being named Chief of Police in 2007. He acted as co-commander under the incident command system with the Hailey fire chief, leading Hailey response teams through city-wide emergency events such as the Beaver Creek Fire and the 2017 Big Wood River Flood. Gunter was assigned the role of Interim City Administrator during a four-month period in 2017, thereafter advising and supporting all city departments.

Jeff Gunter

Gunter had been developing a succession plan with Hailey Police staff in recent years. He looks forward to focusing on family, his personal health, and travel.

Mayor Martha Burke is undertaking a thorough review of the city’s public safety and law enforcement needs, and will be making decisions about future leadership in the coming weeks. Assistant Chief Steve England is currently fulfilling the duties of Interim Chief of Police. Mayor Burke looks forward to a smooth transition and expresses confidence in the department’s ability to serve the public now and in the future.

After meeting with each member of the police department, she said, “This is a diverse group of dedicated personnel, all of whom bring enthusiasm and a willingness to protect and serve that is truly inspiring.”

Mayor Burke, on behalf of the citizens of Hailey and all city staff, accepted the retirement of Chief Gunter, wishing him fulfilling and satisfying future years.

Programs, Panels, Talks An exciting new addition for 2020 is the Ford Pitch Fest. Three finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their film to a panel of award-winning producers, and one will walk away with a $25,000 Ford Producers Grant to take their project one big step closer to reality.

The event will be hosted by actor/producer Will McCormick and the panelists include Jim Burke (Academy Award® winning producer of Best Picture winner Freida Lee Mock. Photo credit: Green Book, The Descendents), Wikimedia Commons Michael Burns (vice chairman, Lionsgate), Heather Rae (Trudell, Frozen River, Tallulah) and Effie T. Brown (Dear White People, Real Women Have Curves, Everyday People). Attendees will get the chance to participate in this typically behind-the-scenes process, including a Q&A with both panelists and finalists. The winner will be announced live at the end of the event.

Variety will once again present the popular Sun Valley Screenwriters Lab with SVSLab host, Academy Award® winning writer Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana, Dolittle), one of the most acclaimed and accomplished filmmakers of his generation. Submittable has teamed up with SVFF to present the High Scribe Award during the SVSLab event, which honors an emerging voice in screenwriting, and now includes a residency and mentorship program.

Awards Bash, Parties The Sun Valley Film Festival will feature three nights of parties with live music, including Sorry I Like to Party Party on Thursday with local rockers El Stash, the Main Street Salutes a Legend street party to celebrate the return of the legendary Ford Bronco and Pioneer Party on Friday night featuring ‘soul clappin’ counterculture sounds of the Kris Lager Band and a high-energy finale with American indie rock band The Unlikely Candidates headlining the Saturday Night Awards Bash, one of the Festival’s most anticipated events.

Supporting Film and Filmmakers The Festival has a long history of supporting and creating career-changing opportunities for filmmakers and independent artists the world over. With over 4,500 yearly attendees, SVFF is quickly becoming known as the Festival for Filmmakers: a boutique event beloved by film fans and auteurs alike.

Over 80 percent of the films in the 2020 SVFF slate will have filmmakers in attendance to participate in Q&As after the screenings. The Festival will also expand its commitment to providing career-changing opportunities for independent writers and filmmakers by awarding over $200,000 in prizes through its new Ford Pitch Fest, Screenwriters Lab, the Film Lab and Wild to Inspire competitions, among others.

Wood River Weekly

NEWS

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

5

HAILEY

Valley’s Most Populous City Takes On Climate Change New staff, new structure, new goals shape Hailey’s environmental efforts

W

By Eric Valentine

hen former Hailey Mayor Fritz Haemmerle announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election, he held what he coined a town hall / open mic to let potential mayoral candidates address the public. No one declared their candidacy that day, but multiple residents as well as a small coalition of local students declared that climate change—and their city’s impact on it and from it— was of utmost concern.

By the time of the next election, Martha Burke declared her mayoral candidacy, ran un- Hailey’s resiliency coordinator opposed and made it clear from Rebecca Bundy and her pup, Izzy. day one that as long as she was Photo credit: Rebecca Bundy mayor, Hailey would be on the cutting edge of eco-friendliness.

Enter Rebecca Bundy, the city’s newly hired resiliency coordinator—a moniker that purposely means something different than “sustainability” coordinator.

“Sustainability is about capping emissions, setting limits about what the planet can handle. Resiliency includes adaptation, energy independence, and preparing for a future where conditions may be different,” explained Bundy.

Bundy says she hates to be pessimistic about climate change, but she says, realistically, humans aren’t going to do enough to avoid a 1.5-degree Centigrade rise in Earth temperatures. According to NASA’s Global Climate Change reports, a 1.5-degree Celsius warming will mean about 14 percent of Earth’s population will be exposed to severe heat waves at least once every five years. At 2 degrees of warming, that jumps to 37 percent.

What does it mean for the Valley? Bundy says one of the most critical things for us would be reduced snowpack in the mountains.

And that means far more than less lucrative ski seasons; it means less available water, too.

“We’re going to be dealing with the effects of whatever we don’t achieve,” Bundy said.

Is There Any Good News?

Bundy is a longtime Valley architect who is known for building one of the first Gold Award residential homes in Ketchum—a designation given by the entity called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which certifies buildings as eco-friendly and sustainably designed. She says the approach Mayor Burke is taking to make sure Hailey does its part is going to be effective.

“It’s about cultural change,” Bundy said.

Not just the kind of cultural change where youth organizations like W.A.T.E.R. (We Appreciate The Earth’s Resources) lead efforts to eliminate single-use plastics from all local events. And not just the kind of cultural change that sees families do “meatless Mondays” since our food chain is a major impact to global warming. But, rather, the kind of cultural change where every city decision, from how to enforce building codes to which fleet of vehicles to buy, has some level of resiliency oversight.

Burke organized the resiliency committee to include the heads of every single city department. So, no longer is it a third party coming in and providing external recommendations. Now, it’s the head of each department vetting their projects and purchases and policies for their level of carbon footprint.

“Mayor Burke has basically made her (environment) team internal,” Bundy observed. “If we want to have a positive impact on this, it has to pervade your entire organization.”

The resiliency committee is only a couple of months under way, so right now the team is still compiling data and drawing up game plans. However, outreach has begun to coordinate with all the jurisdictions around the Blaine County region so the carbon footprint reduction efforts and global warming contingency plans are as seamless as possible. For instance, Bundy sits on Ketchum’s sustainability board, and an elected official from each jurisdiction throughout the county is invited to Hailey’s resiliency committee meetings.

In 2020, Bundy said the group will present the city council with a list of eco-friendly benchmarks and the action plans required to achieve those goals. She said the city already has a robust and progressive set of building and energy codes, but there’s always room for revision, especially when it comes to enforcement.

“There will be short-term and long-term items to consider, and we’re putting together a set of policies that shows the city is ready to lead by example first,” Bundy said.

A bird’s-eye view of Hailey. Photo credit: City of Hailey

What Can You Do About It? Bundy said one of the most effective perspective shifts would be if people, especially anyone building a new project, realized an eco-friendly development is not a more expensive development.

Bundy, who also has her city planner certification,

says that any cost increase on the front end is nominal and that the ROI (return on investment) in doing things like solar installation is significant.

“Retrofitting a building to have solar power can be costly,” Bundy explained. “Setting up a building to be able to run solar now or later, not so much.”

BIG

Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

The

6

Event

NEWS

ARTS

‘Radium Girls’ Lights Up The Stage

IS BACK!

The cast of Radium Girls, a story of conspiracy, intrigue and activism set during WWI. Photo credit: Heather Crocker, Blaine County School District, communications director.

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Big business, working people and white lies

R

By Jennifer Liebrum

adium. Liquid sunshine.

In the 1900s, it was billed as a cure-all for everything from hysteria and hay fever to cancer and constipation. It could polish your furniture, kill mosquitos, and brighten your smile. The very rich flocked to spas to bask in radium waters, or drank it as a tonic.

They were young women, some fresh out of grade school, promised salaries three times that of the average factory worker for a job that required no education or experience, just nimble fingers and stamina. They were hired as dial painters for a watch company seeking to capitalize on a greenish-white luminous paint to boost sales by offering glow-in-the-dark timepieces to the public, and to bolster a government contract as the country prepared to enter WWII. It was honorable work and the girls were mesmerized by the stuff.

They mixed a bit of radium with zinc sulfide to activate the glow, dipped their camel-hair brushes in, passed the brush between the lips to make a fine point, and detailed watch faces and military instrument panels. Hundreds of times a day they would ingest a small amount of radium.

Yet their workplaces were playful as they competed amongst themselves and painted their nails with the leftovers. Dust from the paint hovered over their heads before settling on their hair and clothes, much to their delight.

They were known as the shine girls. They literally glowed. They had no reason to fear the poison flickering inside them.

But within a few years, deeply behind the hype, doctors were educating corporations and the government about how wrong they had been to tout the metal. A New York Times article in 1925 spoke of “radium necrosis.” It literally meant the excruciating process of a jaw disintegrating, pushed apart by tumors. The cancer was incurable.

Five women had already died. They all came from one of the watch factories.

Some of the Radium Girls filed suit. Settlements were reached, but the plaintiffs were dead within a few years.

“Radium Girls,” a play by D.W. Gregory about these women, opens at the Community Campus for a four-night run starting today, Feb. 26. Around 30 actors from Wood River High School will perform the drama.

Sarah Feltman plays New Jersey worker Grace Freyer. Ramsey Marquis plays Freyer’s fiancé, Tom. It is their effort to get compensation for her illness that brings the audience into the story.

“The play is significant because it does portray how working-class people will struggle against bigger corporations that have done them wrong,” Marquis said. “Many people struggle through these life-threatening illnesses, and they have had to cope with them in terms of how it affects their working and family lives. A lot of people can relate to an experience like that.”

Gracie Peterson plays Kathrine Wiley, head of the New Jersey Consumer’s League, which secured legal counsel for Freyer.

“It just shows you how vulnerable workers really are,” Peterson said.

“We have so much blind faith in our employers because we need them.

We think if we do a good job, they will take care of us. But when you hear about the consequences of such loyalty, you really have to stop and take a hard look at what we might not be asking about our food, our water, our schools and workplaces.” “‘Radium Girls’ is quite the opposite from the slapstick comedic nature of our fall play, ‘Get Smart,’” said director Karl Nordstrom. “The student actors and crew have really bought into the story and learned so much about these women’s lives. I know audiences will love this heartbreaking story about these strong women who banded together to pursue justice.”

Where: Community Campus, Hailey When: Wednesday, Feb. 26 and Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 29 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: adults $8; HS students, seniors and veterans $5; MS students $3; children $1.

OPINION

Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

7

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE

Assange’s Persecution Has Exposed Media Depravity The World Over

J

By Caitlin Johnstone

ulian Assange started a leak outlet on the premise that corrupt and unaccountable power is a problem in our world, and that problem can be fought with the light of truth. Corrupt and unaccountable power responded by detaining, silencing and smearing him. His persecution has proved his own thesis about the world absolutely correct.

Power is the ability to control what happens. Absolute power is controlling what people think about what happens. Humans are story-oriented creatures, so if you can control the stories that the humans are telling each other about what’s going on, you can control those humans.

This is the power of narrative management. This is why governments and billionaires use propaganda, advertising, buy up media conglomerates and fund think tanks, employ public relations and spin doctors, buy up troll armies and bot farms: because they know that those who control the narrative, control the world.

You can do whatever you like, as long as you can control what people think about what you’re doing.

No one understands this better than Julian Assange. He famously said that if wars are started by lies, then they can be stopped by truth. That’s the basis of WikiLeaks. Bringing truth to the public in the most pristine and revolutionary way possible. They made it so people could leak documents to them safely, and then they released them with minimal redactions and editorial. Like many online innovations it cut out the middle man, and the middle man, in this case, are the media spinmeisters who normally present information with an overlay of establishment-friendly narrative.

You know the ones. The ones that are like, “Here’s what I found out, but more importantly, this is what you should think about what I found out”.

It had immediate effects. Global reach, exposing the most corrupt roots of the most powerful people in an environment where the growing alarm at the GFC, climate change and endless war meant that people were hungry for the truth about why these things are still happening despite their unpopularity and despite our every effort to stop them.

The spotlight Assange’s persecution has thrown on the institution of journalism is one of the untold stories, mainly because the villains are the journalists–the people we usually rely on to tell us all the stories. This corruption was unearthed not so much through leaked documents, but through what we have been witnessing as the media-driven public mobbing of Julian Assange the person.

The mainstream media, to this day, lies constantly about Assange.

If you pick up any recent story about Assange it will be littered with smears and lies. They’ll say offhand how he colluded with the Russians like that’s true, or that he was ”charged” with rape, or they’ll have a throwaway line about how he smeared poo on the walls of the embassy, or they will say the reason he was granted asylum by Ecuador was to flee rape charges (like that’s a thing).

There are dozens and dozens of lies, and they get repeated as truth throughout any reporting on Assange even after months or years of being debunked. There is a story on The Guardian website right now from November of 2018 that claims that Assange met with Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chair. Can not have happened. Did not happen. The Ecuadorian embassy was the most surveilled building on planet earth at the time. Every single person who went in or out of there had to jump through many bureaucratic hoops.

No video evidence or any evidence at all was ever found for this claim, and there were plenty of people who wanted to find it. It didn’t happen.

And yet, that story is still on The Guardian website today over a year after it was first published. It still comes up as the number one result on Google when you search assange and manafort. There’ve been no retractions. No apologies.

The Guardian. Not New Idea. Not Hello!. Not News of the World.

The Guardian. The bastion of all things worthy and noble.

It has been very revealing.

Assange has only ever been persecuted because he exposed US war crimes. No one has ever gone to jail for those war crimes, but instead of concentrating on that, the press decided to go after Assange.

Let’s be clear: when journalists use their power and privilege to cover up and divert attention from war crimes, they become war criminals themselves.

Journalists today are finally waking up to the fact that the legal precedent the Trump administration is setting by reaching out across the Atlantic, taking an Australian journalist, from an Ecuadorian embassy, in the middle of London, is devastating to journalism all over the world. Not just in the US, not just in the UK, but all over the world. No journalist is safe. Because if they can do that to him, they can do it to anyone.

We also learned that the United States do not consider foreign nationals to have a First Amendment protection, so the US is effectively saying that the long arm of US law can extend to get you anywhere, but they also don’t have to extend its protections.

And journalists are finally realizing that, but still silence is pretty deafening. Australian journalists should be writing furious op-eds vigorously defending Assange and demanding that our politicians act immediately, but at best we are getting tepid, smear-laden, mealy-mouthed wet squibs of copy that try to maintain that they were, of course, correct in the past, but also hit the alarm button.

And it just doesn’t work.

Until journalists admit they were wrong and Assange was right, and the US really did want him in jail for publishing like he said back in 2010, back when they were calling him paranoid, their readers aren’t going to notice that its time to change course. They aren’t going to know to act.

There is a lot of confusion about what to do. Radio host Alan Jones had a very popular Facebook poll going this morning asking whether the Australian government should intervene and bring Assange home. I saw it a few hours ago and it was at 75 percent for “Yes” with thousands of responses already, six days to go, and gathering hundreds of pro-Assange comments. He deleted it. Obviously

that was not the response he was planning on.

So there is confusion, and there is silence. But silence is space. A space has opened up before us. In Australia right now, there are two kinds of people: those who think that Assange should be brought home, and those who don’t want to think about it at all. They’ve gone quiet. And we’re so used to being on the defense, we’ve gone quiet too.

A space has opened up.

The narrative is there for the taking.

All we have to do is to stand up as one and take control of this story.

Let our voices ring out.

This man is innocent.

We must bring him home.

Publishing is not a crime!

Opinion by Caitlin Johnstone. Caitlin’s writings can be found at caitlinjohnstone.com

Demonstration in support of Assange in front of Sydney Town Hall, Australia. Photo credit: Elekhh, accessed via wikimedia.

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CALENDAR Wood River Weekly

EVENT

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

FEATURE

Outwater To Lead Winter Music Festival Sun Valley Music Festival’s Winter Series will be staged at The Argyros

T

EVENTS WED FEB 26

WED F

INTERMEDIATE SPANISH

12-1PM / Community Library / Ketchum Practice Spanish in fun and useful situations. This high-novice to mid-intermediate class will offer you opportunities to converse, read, listen and watch authentic materials in Spanish. Free, and drop-ins are welcome.

BY DANA DUGAN

he Sun Valley Music Festival will present its second Winter Season at the Argyros Performing Arts Center with a series of public concerts to be held Thursday, Feb. 27, through Saturday, Feb. 29.

Launched a year ago, the Festival will present a new, reimagined classical music experience with eclectic musical selections, unconventional seating, unique staging, atmospheric lighting, and an ever-shifting soundscape. The week will also include lectures, demonstrations, and educational events in addition to the performances at The Argyros.

A certain anticipation hovers around these concerts, as the musicians and repertoire will be revealed at the concert.

Winter audiences should anticipate a different kind of classical music experience—an immersive evening that removes the barriers between musicians and the audience.

Visionary conductor Edwin Outwater will join SVMF as curator and conductor. Currently music director laureate of Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Canada, Outwater routinely works with orchestras and institutions throughout the world, creating unique musical experiences.

“I am delighted to welcome my good friend and colleague Edwin Outwater as guest curator of the upcoming Winter Season,” said Alasdair Neale, SVMF artistic director and lead conductor. “Edwin pairs great technical skill with an immensely creative vision and is the perfect artist to help put this season’s performances together.”

Outwater, a California native, produces, curates and conducts unique concert experiences, and is also adept at interpreting canonical works. Last fall he conducted San Francisco Symphony as it joined the band Metallica for the grand opening of the Chase Center.

This season Outwater will again work with the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, and Virginia Symphony, as well as Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Some of his most recent guest performances have been with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, along with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Houston, and Seattle. In Canada, Outwater led the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the symphonies of Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Victoria. International appearances have included the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Kyoto Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic, BBCNOW, the Brussels Philharmonic, the New Zealand Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Malmö Symphony, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa, and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. A prolific opera conductor, Outwater also regularly works with Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

During the week, Festival musicians and guest artists will also spend time with students in the

‘THE N

7:30PM

DROP-IN ACT/SAT STUDY GROUPS

4-5PM / Community Library / Ketchum Sun Valley Music Festival will present its Winter Series this week, which will be curated by renowned conductor, curator and producer, Edwin Outwater. Photo credit: David J. Kim

The Community Library will offer free, drop-in, tutored ACT/SAT study groups. Students meet weekly through April 29 at The Community Library. The study groups will also be offered at the Hailey Public Library on Mondays. For more information, call (208) 788-2036 or The Community Library, (208) 806-2621.

NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT 5:30-7PM / Sun Club / Hailey

Women’s meetings second and fourth Wednesday a month.

Men’s meetings second and fourth Tuesday a month. Both genders are invited to attend on the first and third Tuesday a month. All meetings are held at The Sun Club, 731 N. 1st Ave., in Hailey.

The Argyros Center’s high level of technology makes for an ideal location for classical music. Photo credit: Nils Ribi

Music Institute’s education programs. Their work will include individual and group coaching, demonstrations, technique classes, conversations, and performances.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase before the show and during the intermissions and may be enjoyed in the theater.

For the latest news and information on the Sun Valley Music Festival and the Winter Season, visit the Festival website at svmusicfestival.org.

Details: • Performances: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Admission: Free • Reservations required: svmusicfestival.org • Two reservations are permitted per household for one concert night only, to ensure all those who wish to attend can.

• The same program will be performed each evening.

BUILDING SOIL MICROBIOME

5:30-6:45PM / Hailey Library / Hailey The Upper Big Wood River Grange, Wood River Seed Library, UI Extension, The Hunger Coalition and Hailey Public Library will present a series of gardening classes. The first will address the quality of the soil we need to cultivate so it has a rich microbiome. For more information, contact Sarah at (208) 788-5585, sarahb@uidaho.edu, or woodriverseeds.net.

‘MINIDOKA’ SCREENING

6-7:30PM / Community Library / Ketchum Chief of Interpretation at Minidoka National Historic Site, Hanako Wakatsuki, will speak as a part of the library’s Winter Read. There will be a special screening of the 30-minute film, “Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp,” a National Park Service film, about a group of Japanese Americans and their incarceration by the U.S.

Compa Burgess, COF pro young bl to go ove Revolutio gets to te a convers dangerou $35 SVM over) / $1 MOA.org

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SNOW

11AM /

Free w March. P before ta mining a of the sno Lodge. F

ST. LUK

12:15-1

St. Luk Raynaud circulatio tics in ter Dr. Matth of each, w symptom informati

FRI FE

FRIDAY

4PM / H

Hailey film with (208) 788

jane’s artifac

arts / / crafts / / papers / / office /

WATCH THIS SPACE The easTer Bunny IS COMING!

106 S. MAIN, HAILEY • 208.788.0848 • JANESARTI

Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

M / Liberty Theatre / Hailey

any of Fools will present “The Niceties” by Eleanor with Claudia McCain and Alexis Ulrich, directed by oducing director, Scott Palmer. When an ambitious lack student meets with her esteemed white professor er a paper the student is writing about the American on, the women engage in a discussion about who ell the real story of America. It doesn’t take long for sation about grammar and punctuation to move into us territory for which neither is prepared. Tickets are MoA member / $40 nonmember / $35 senior (62 and 15 student (with student ID), found online at SVg, or (208) 726-9491.

EB 27

WSHOE WITH A RANGER

/ Galena Lodge / Galena

weekly Snowshoe with a Ranger tours run through Participants will meet on the porch of Galena Lodge aking a 1.5-mile, 2-hour tour exploring the history of at Galena Lodge and the winter ecology and tracking owy landscape. Snowshoes can be rented at Galena For more information, call (208) 727-5000.

KE’S BROWN BAG

1:15PM / St. Luke’s WR / Ketchum

ke’s Wood River will offer a brown bag lunch on d’s syndrome and scleroderma, conditions that affect on and sensation, yet each have distinct characterisrms of causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. hew Reeck, dermatologist, will discuss the specifics what someone with a diagnosis can do to manage ms, and what treatments a physician might offer. For ion, call 208) 727-8733.

EB 28

AY FLICKS

Hailey Library / Hailey

Public Library will present a free family-friendly h popcorn every Friday. For more information, call 8-2036 or visit haileypubliclibrary.org.

cts

/ / party

E....

12-5PM / Community Library / Ketchum The private, nonprofit Community Library will now be open on Sunday afternoons. All regular services will be available.

For more information, visit comlib.org.

MON MAR 2

‘AGRIPPINA’ HD MET OPERA

DROP-IN ACT/SAT STUDY

4-5PM / Bigwood4 Cinemas / Hailey Sun Valley Opera and Metropolitan Theatres present “Agrippina,, a production of the 2019/2020 MET HD live opera broadcast from the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. for coffee from Hailey Coffee Company. Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome, “Agrippina” stars mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, with Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power, moving it to “the present.” The allstar cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Lestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius.

Tickets available in advance and at the door for $16.

SAT FEB 29

HCAC: NET ZERO BUILDING

4-5PM / Hailey Library / Hailey Hailey Public Library and The Community Library will offer free, drop-in, tutored ACT/SAT study groups on Wednesdays in Ketchum, and Mondays in Hailey, through April 27.

For more information, call Hailey Public Library, (208) 7882036 or The Community Library, (208) 806-2621.

GREAT DECISIONS: WAR POWERS 6:30PM / Emmanuel Church / Hailey

Great Decisions group will meet every Monday evening though April 20. This week the topic will be War Powers.

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program is free and open to be public during the Lenten season because of the gift from a generous member. Preregistration is helpful but not required; call (206) 618-6671.

TUE MAR 3

5:30-6:30PM / Flourish Foundation / Hailey Hailey Climate Action Coalition’s free Solution Saturday will be on how to have a net-zero home or building with no utility bill. John Reuter, an energy consultant and solar installer, will discuss the advancement of building science and the availability of new technologies. It’s now possible to build homes that produce as much energy as they consume. Specific focus will be put on options for the “thermal envelope,” mechanical systems, and occupant to-dos. The talk will be held at 1030 Airport Way, and is open to all.

TAX ASSISTANCE

11AM-4PM / Community Library / Ketchum

ART THERAPY WORKSHOP

2-3M / SV Museum of Art / Ketchum Stepping out of the Frame: Museum-Based Art Therapy Program, participants will explore SVMoA’s BIG IDEA project through therapeutic art experiences. The experiences will expose participants to and engage them with visual artworks and visual arts directives that are specifically designed to promote individual, social and educational goals for transformation. The winter/spring sessions will take place Tuesdays, through May 12. Preregistration for SVMoA’s museum-based art therapy program is recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. For more information, call (208) 726-9491.

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

Blaine County residents with household incomes of less than $66,000 per year can get free income tax preparation assistance. IRS-certified volunteers will be available every Saturday until April 11. The preparation assistance is part of the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and is spearheaded by local resident Courtney Noble, who ran the United Way of King County’s free income tax preparation campaign in Seattle for several years.

This group meets the third Tuesday of the month. It provides a supportive environment, social engagement, education and networking for people who have been diagnosed with any kind of cancer. Call prior to attending first time, (208) 7278733.

SUN MAR 1

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

6-8PM / Community Library / Ketchum

UNITED VISION TALK

12PM / St. Thomas Church / Ketchum A free lecture and discussion with United Vision for Idaho’s executive director Adrienne Evans and Southern Poverty Law Center’s Lecia Brooks, will be held as part of Company of Fools’ production of Eleanor Burgess’s “The Niceties.”

UVI is a progressive, Boise-based coalition dedicated to social, economic and environmental justice, to host a series of conversations and public engagement events to discuss the important themes presented in the play. Attendees are strongly encouraged to buy tickets for COF’s matinee performance of “The Niceties” at 3 p.m. that same afternoon, as the play illuminates many of the same topics that will be addressed in the noontime lecture and discussion.

LIBRARY OPEN

5:30-6:30PM / St. Luke’s Clinic / Hailey

Free English as a Second Language for adults, cada martes.

Abierto a todos los idiomas que quieren aprender ingles o mejorar sus habilidades. ¡Gratis! Open to adults of all languages who want to learn English or improve skills.

WED MAR 4

NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT

6-7:30PM / Sun Club / Hailey NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition, to gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences.

These monthly meetings will be held at 731 N. 1st Ave., in Hailey.

Prime Rib Friday 5 pm ‘til it is gone

$18.99

w. baked potato & Side call-ins welcome - reserve your prime rib

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IFACTS@COX.NET

9

CALENDAR

FEB 26-SAT MAR 7

NICETIES’

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Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

LIVE MUSIC

FRI FEB 28

FRI FEB 28 & TUE MAR 3

SILVER DOLLAR MUSIC

9:30PM / Silver Dollar / Bellevue Friday night live music will be The Shenanigans at 9:30 p.m. There is never a cover at the iconic saloon. Free lifts home if needed.

THU FEB 27-SAT FEB 29

LIMELIGHT MUSIC

MUSIC AT WHISKEY’S

In the Lounge, enjoy free live musical entertainment with Kevin Ware on Thursday; Mark Mueller on Friday; and Black Willows on Saturday. The family-friendly lounge also offers a play room and games for families to enjoy.

Nappy Roots will perform live Friday. Donovan Frankenreiter on The Record Player Tour will be live on Tuesday. Doors open at 9 p.m. $5 entry at the door.

5:30PM / Whiskey Jacques’ / Ketchum

6PM / Limelight Hotel / Ketchum

WED FEB 26-TUE MAR 3

RIVER RUN

2:30-5PM / River Run Lodge / Ketchum After a lively day on or off the mountain, enjoy live après-ski music in the lodge every weekend. Wednesday, Brian DiJulio; Thursday, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal; Friday, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal; and Saturday, Wyatt Lowe & the Mayhem Kings. There is no cover and everyone is welcome.

COLUMN

LIFESTYLE

Resort Town Residents Need Vacay Options Too

BY ERIC VALENTINE

When you live in a resort town, it’s a matter of time before the scenic getaway is something you need to get away from. Everyone needs a change of pace and space every once in a while, regardless of how lovely the pace and space may be. Here is a vacation option that goes beyond Idaho campgrounds, without going beyond a nominal budget.

Oh Canada!

If you like road trips with lush scenic views, consider taking the 12-hour drive from the Valley to Vancouver.

Not the one in Washington state, the one in British Columbia, Canada. If the drive sounds daunting, you can always stop in Seattle first. It’s less than three hours away—actually just over two hours away if there were no such things as borders—and is cool enough to serve as a fun one-night stop over location, too.

If the drive still sounds daunting, rest assured it’s worth it. And, you can always fly. But with the advent of AirBnb’s with free parking and the convenient public transit system and walkable spaces abundant in Vancouver, driving there is the working-class-budget way to enjoy this world-class city.

When you drive into Vancouver, the skyline is not remarkable in and of itself. Its buildings are monochromatic white and light blue with nondescript architecture. Lots of cylinders, rectangles and the occasional trapezoid. What’s stunning about the skyline is that even though it’s massive, it’s caressed by blue water and dwarfed by purple mountains snow-capped much of the year.

Vancouver is culturally impacted—historically—by the British and the French, so you can and get fresh fish and chips and gravy-covered, cheese curd-packed poutine all in the same day. Vancouver’s more modern day influence is Asian, so a dim sum brunch in Chinatown and a sushi supper in Yaletown are a worthwhile hop, skip, and a jump away.

Where Art Meets Food One of the can’t miss spots of Vancouver is Granville Island Public Market. Not only does this urban waterfront space boast some of the best and freshest foods anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, it also houses multiple regional theatre companies and a wide variety of artisans who have set up shop in the once-vacated industrial shops and warehouses. In the front are their wares for sale—anything from handmade brooms to blacksmithed sculptures—in the back are the artisans hard at work.

Wake & Bake Recreational marijuana use is legal in Canada. Just saying. But you won’t need it to get the morning munchies. That can happen at a spot called Medina Cafe—a Mediterranean-inspired brunch spot embedded with British and Belgian breakfast benchmarks. Mini Belgian waffles tempt you as you enter the restaurant, and the toppings from maple syrup to white chocolate pistachio will likely put Medina Cafe on your list of all-time faves.

Their Canadian bacon and sausage platter, their full-service bar, and their Mediterranean poached egg and spicy lamb meatball dishes are stunning visually

CALENDAR ENTRIES • Send calendar entry requests to calendar@woodriverweekly.com.

• Entries are selected based on editorial discretion, with preference for events that are free and open to the public.

• To guarantee a calendar entry, buy a display ad in the same issue or the issue before you’d like your calendar entry to appear.

Contact Mandi at mandi@woodriverweekly.com or 208.721.7588.

North Vancouver is just a bridge ride away from bustling Vancouver proper. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

and to your palate. And if you really want to add something extra to your lavender latte, ask for the coffee spike—pecan bourbon with butterscotch liqueur and creme de cacao.

Where To Stay Vancouver ain’t a cheap place to live, which means it’s hotel and Airbnb rates can be high. A good hack is to use Hotwire.com and search for your hotel the same day. Getting a four-star hotel for under $80 a night is not uncommon. The border guards prefer when you know exactly where you’ll be staying, but if you explain you’re trying to reduce costs by waiting last minute on Hotwire, they’ll get it.

Oh, and don’t forget your passport.

Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

HORRORSCOPES Pisces: If you continue to tell the same stories, you will continue to attract the same situations in your life. That’s why it’s always good to mix in some new stories. For inspiration, Clouds suggestions reading more, especially authors like fellow Pisces Anaïs Nin. From her writing: 1) “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” 2) “Passion gives me moments of wholeness.” 3) “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

Aries: There’s an old saying that goes, “Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots.” That’s why Aries people hate rumors and often aren’t much for social gossip. To help you avoid these pointless things you don’t need in your life, adopt this as one of your new sayings: “I am learning to enjoy the sound of my feet walking away from things not meant for me.”

Taurus: This much we know is true: Tauruses hate being told what to do! Jesus would have used his turn signal. Sometimes Tauruses just need to be left alone.

A good teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart. Tauruses are great at non-verbal communication even with their clothes on. Wicked hens lay deviled eggs.

Gemini: Geminis are exceptionally capable people. In fact, the only reason you ever fail at anything is usually because you lose interest. But giving into boredom usually short-changes you from any real rewards, like firm buns and big raises. That’s why you might want to embrace this old saying, especially when the overalls are the only thing on: “Opportunity

is missed by most people because it usually comes dressed in overalls and looks like hard work.”

Cancer: They say that the key to making your dreams come to true is to not actually wish for them.

Instead, you’re supposed to visualize yourself already having achieved them. This idea should come in handy for you, especially if you visualize sharing some of your success and shagalicious-ness with people like Clouds.

Leo: The first Mercury retrograde of the year is upon us. That’s why this is a good time to slow down, to double check and to make sure all communications are clam and clear. For example, try not to say things like this, “I’m sorry but you’re not good looking enough to be this dumb.”

Virgo: Virgos aren’t real big huggers. But that doesn’t mean they don’t like trees, or hugs for that matter. They are just selective about who and when they give them. The truth is, Virgos are exceptionally good huggers and inherently understand the power of a good hug. They also tend to like coffee mugs that say things like “I hate it when I go to hug someone really attractive and I smash my face in the mirror.”

Libra: It would stand to reason that most Libras don’t like Airheads candy. That’s because air signs like Libras are actually known for being intellectually gifted. Of course, it takes more than brains and a cute bum to be successful. That’s why your words of wisdom come from fellow air sign, Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED NOW HIRING:

Gold Mine Thrift Store Processing and Retail Associates: The Gold Mine Thrift seeks processing and retail team members to help with donation processing, pricing and assisting with store setup, restock and sales. Full and part-time applicants will be considered. The successful candidates must be professional, hardworking, and able to focus and exercise quick and sound judgment, follow direction, eager to learn, work as team and lift up to 40 lbs.

Pay for these positions starts at $16/hour.

Benefits: Full time positions are eligible for paid time off (vacation, holiday and sick pay), employer sponsored AD&D insurance, 85% employer sponsored health insurance, and retirement match. All positions are eligible for voluntary vision and dental insurance, access to a company ski pass, staff store discounts, and other perks.

Application instructions: Bilingual skills in English and Spanish are highly advantageous. For the complete job descriptions and application instructions, go to comlib.org/jobs.

FINE FINISH CARPENTRY Custom Cabinetry • Interior Finish Remodeling • Kitchen • Baths CAD Cabinetry Design Mike @ (208) 720-7250 Check out our Facebook page www.ffcid.com

RETIREMENT HORSE BOARDING

Retirement horse boarding for geldings. Limited vacancy.

Small family farm environment with excellent facilities.

Experienced geriatric care. Veterinarian references.

Text or call (208) 720-7252

OIL PAINTING CLASSES

With Deanna Schrell, 6:30-9 p.m., Monday nights, Sawtooth Botanical Garden. All levels and mediums welcome. $25/class. January 6 through March 16. Dropins welcome.

Call Deanna at (208) 720-3737

11

by Clouds McCloud Scorpio: Scorpios tend to have great connections with fellow water signs, Pisces and Cancer. That’s because they both tap into strong sides of your personality that you usually like to ignore, things like feelings and psychic abilities. To help, here’s your latest psychic reading from Clouds: “There are many presents for you in the future. But you just can’t open some of them until your birthday or Christmas.”

Sagittarius: The good folks of your sign are sometimes known for being a bit foul-mouthed. But that’s okay. Studies have shown that people who curse frequently are actually more f-ing intelligent. That’s why one of these two lines should be your new motto. 1) From Mark Twain, “Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer. F) “Friday is a my second favorite f-word!”

Capricorn: Caps can sometimes get sucked down into the doldrums in life. This doesn’t make you odd or weak, it simply makes you human. In case you’re feeling stuck in the muck right now please remember that Clouds believes in you, even when you don’t.

That’s why your words of wisdom will come from author Stephen King, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

Aquarius: There’s an old saying that goes, “If you don’t pick a day to relax, your body will pick it for you.” To help prevent your body from having to throw a mutiny, or at least a lot of mucus, please take some down time. You can even use this line to help, “I’m sorry, but I can’t make it in because of an eye problem. I just can’t see myself working today.”

PRICING

Text (up to 25 words): $5 Additional Text: 20¢ per word Photos: $5 per image • Logo: $10 Deadline: Monday at 1 p.m Space reservations: classifieds@woodriverweekly.com

COMPUTER & IT SUPPORT Sterling Davis

Idahome Technical Services (208) 721-7661 Business IT, Home Technology, Computer Services/ Repair

HOUSEKEEPING

m Responsible, experienced & great references, housekeeper now accepting new clients. Free estimates available for: homes, condos & offices. beatrizq2003@hotmail.com, (208) 720-5973

HANDYMAN

Jack of all trades. Reliable, insured, clean. Small jobs to large remodel projects, or the “honey-do” list.

Call Mark, (208) 573-1784

CLASSIC SUDOKU answer from page 16

THE COMFORTABLE CANINE® LLC Workshop

HAILEY TOWNHOME FOR RENT:

741 Willow Drive-Unit #B1. Unfurnished 2BD, 1 BA, all appliances. On one level in small 10 unit complex. Secure garage/w storage & one assigned parking space. Bus stop 50 feet away. References required. 1st Months rent, security/ cleaning deposit. One year lease. No pets, no smoking. $1,595 monthly/plus utilities. Available April 1. Shown by appointment only. Please don’t disturb current tenant. Call Jeannine: (206) 766-0523.

CROSSWORD

JEEP FOR SALE

answer from page 16 From Challenging Dog… To Comfortable Companion Sat/Sun April 4-5, 2020 Hailey, Idaho Learn innovative techniques to improve your dog’s behavior, build calm and confidence, and deepen understanding.

2014 Jeep Cherokee 4WD, 72,000 miles, Black interior/ exterior, $13,500 Call (208) 481-1111

Contact: Clare Swanger, c.swanger@icloud.com, (208) 309-0960 Certified Senior Practitioner, Tellington TTouch® Method Positive, force-free, neuroscience-based training

12

Wood River Weekly

NO BONES ABOUT IT THE “WEEKLY” FISHING REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 3 FROM PICABO ANGLER

S

Happy fishing, everyone!

Hwy 20 in Picabo info@picaboangler.com (208)788.3536 www.picaboangler.com

February 26 - March 3, 2020

C OM M EN T AR Y

Fishing R epoRt

ilver Creek continues to produce solid midge hatches in the afternoon, and we’re starting to see a handful of baetis mixed in. Recently, we have had some calm bluebird days, which has led to lots of rising fish but tougher-to-catch trout. The bright, calm conditions generally mean spookier fish— the fish seem to feed much more cautiously and can be a bit more tricky to sneak up on. In these conditions, focus on moving quite a bit slower and being more discrete. If the fish are being extremely tough on the surface, fishing subsurface with midge or baetis nymphs or swinging midge soft-hackle imitations can produce fish. Leeches and streamers continue to produce fish when nothing is hatching.

The Big Wood River has been great! There has been a very good amount of fish up eating midges in the afternoons and plenty of fish eating nymphs and streamers when nothing is hatching. March is one of our favorite months on this river and this year is shaping up to be another really good one. Try searching with a dry dropper rig until you find rising fish. The midges can vary in size this time of year so having a good assortment of sizes and life stages can increase one’s success.

The Lower Lost River has been fishing really well the last couple of weeks. We have been seeing a good number of midges around as well as more and more baetis getting mixed in. This time of year is definitely worth the trip over as the fish are really putting on the feed with the warming temps and spawn approaching. The baetis hatches should start getting really good over the next couple of weeks.

This hatch can be a blast. Also remember these fish generally spawn earlier than on our other rivers, so be sure to keep an eye out for cleaned gravel or spawning fish.

The South Fork of the Boise River has been fishing fantastic!

We have been seeing plenty of midges around and baetis are starting to show up more and more. Nymphing small midge and baetis nymphs has been producing good numbers of fish.

Also, as the fish are pre-spawn, this can be a great time to fish a streamer like an egg-sucking leech or sculpin. They tend to get more aggressive than normal around this time of year and it can be a great time to find big rainbow!

Remember, the roads can be in pretty rough shape this time of year, so be prepared.

•

T

The Lassie Pill

By Fran Jewell

eaching self-control to a dog is much like having a child and teaching him/ her not to pound their silverware on the table while waiting for dinner, or run up and down the aisle at a restaurant, disturbing the other patrons. It can be very difficult to teach but, in the end, it is very influential in the success of your child in society and gaining friends. Teaching self-control could even mean whether your child finishes school and gets a job! It is exactly the same for dogs in their success with other dogs, with friends of ours, and in their ability to not become a stray at the shelter.

Dogs need to learn self-control, too. The modern jargon used by many trainers is “impulse control.” Impulse control or self-control means a dog’s ability to resist constant out-of-control behaviors, such as jumping on people, barking at everything, chasing cars, and so on.

I see impulse or self-control as a dog’s ability to relax, be comfortable in any situation and defer to its owner’s direction. So many dogs are reeling in undirected energy that it can become anxiety. Not only does lack of self-control become a problem to live with on an every-day basis, lack of self-control can lead to anxiety that, over time, becomes emotional distress for a dog. That may translate into separation anxiety or even aggression, particularly fear aggression, in a dog.

In our modern society, many of us want our dogs to enjoy freedom, running in joy and play times with other dogs. As such, the development of dog parks and doggie day-

SCIENCE OF PLACE

L

care options have sprouted up and become a part of everyday life for many dogs and owners. While we owners have begun to recognize the imperativeness of exercise that the dog parks and daycare situations provide, somewhere along the line we might have lost the concept of a dog’s emotional stability through self-control, or learning obedience.

And, even more critical is that we have lost the joy that obedience or learning self-control brings to our relationship with us and our dogs.

Compounding the illusive impulse control comes the lack of time many of us have to devote to obedience training. Many times, anxiety the dog feels demonstrated by lack of self-control is overlooked until it becomes critical. Then, we want a quick fix or, as I call it, the Lassie pill. We send our dogs out to be trained and returned to us as the angel dog we dreamed of. While this is indeed a good choice for many reasons and people, it may not address the relationship that develops between the owner and the dog when they work together as a team. The owner learns who their dog is, and the dog, in return, learns the comfort of direction and respect for its owner.

Teaching your dog self-control can be so rewarding for both you and your dog. In the long run, it can save your dog’s life when he learns not to chase the squirrel across the street, and can save you the embarrassment when your dog doesn’t jump on your guest’s new white dress! It may even save your dog from freeform anxiety that can be seen as pacing, panting, drooling and reactive barking.

FRAN JEWELL

A dog that behaves like Lassie isn’t born. You are responsible for teaching your dog how to be socially acceptable, not only to other dogs, but to people, too. It takes time and commitment.

Photo credit: Fran Jewell

Fran Jewell is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit www.positivepuppy. com or call (208) 578-1565.

HARRY WEEKES

Love Song

BY HARRY WEEKES

ove is in the air. Actually, it is perched in the naked branches of an aspen tree, 32 feet above me. A male great horned owl is calling. It is a little after 4:30 a.m., there is not a cloud in the sky, and the moon is two days past full—a glowing orb over the bird’s left shoulder.

The call is deep and pure. Across the valley, in a cluster of spruce trees, comes a response—not the resonant “hoo hoooo hoo hoo” of the male above me, but the “other” response, the one of the female. This is written as “guwaay” in my bird book, but sounds just different to me.

Needless to say, I am thinking about owls.

I am thinking about these birds, specifically these two birds, who do most everything at night, except sleep. They rely on stealth, on being quiet, on making no noise, simply because doing so would make it a whole lot harder to eat and therefore survive. And along comes a conundrum, the conundrum of all of the living world—reproduction.

How does the owl solve the problem of finding and attracting a mate, at night, when they want to be as quiet as possible?

Elaborate calls and flashy songs are a non-starter, as are the colorful plumages of their diurnal cousins. About the last things you want to do at night are be really loud and glowing. And the first thing you want to do at a certain time is find a mate.

For about 50 million years or so, nocturnal owls have been solving this problem.

That solution, the distillation, is the call I am hearing.

This call is deep. It is resonant. It is rich. It travels easily over at least two square miles, and it is evocative. What is it saying to something completely and utterly attuned to it? I imagine it conveys everything important— size, age, health, ability to survive and thrive in this environment, knowledge and under-

Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) in flight. Photo credit: Peter K. Burian, accessed via wikimedia.

standing of the local area, strength, agility, and vigor.

It is the bugle of an elk. The antlers of a moose. The howl of a wolf. It is the story of a life, and the fingerprint of an individual.

If I am this bird, it is the story of who I am—a vocal autobiography compressed into a series of notes that undulate across the snow and permeate the woods.

This story is filled with a richness I can easily disregard because of its simplicity. If this were some showy songbird, all yellow and orange, creating a ruckus, I would believe more complex things about bird communication and intelligence. But a couple of “hoo hoos” in the dark of night are easy to overlook, which is why I like the unfolding of a walk and the time to ruminate on such

things.

If I had to distill my life into a song, could I do it? If I had to distill everything into five to seven notes, what would I say? Now, let’s pretend I was able to pull this this off. This is still but half of the equation, as the most important biological question of all is still unanswered- “Would anyone respond?”

Harry Weekes is the founder and head of school at The Sage School in Hailey. This is his 48th year in the Wood River Valley, where he lives with Hilary and two of their three baby adults—Penelope and Simon. The other member of the flock, Georgia, is currently fledging at Davidson College in North Carolina.

Wood River Weekly

ON LIFE’S TERMS

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February 26 - March 3, 2020

JOELLEN COLLINS

Why Is My Post Office Box So Boring?

“You know, the folded paper you send letters in.”

She still didn’t understand, so I took out a pen omething is still special about receiving a and pretended to scribble something, fold a piece handwritten note. I accept this century’s of paper, and put it in an imagined envelope. She amazing ways of communication, but I am was a sweet young woman, and called a friend appreciating anew the joys of the written word, to and told him what I wanted. Then she turned to keep and to cherish. me and said he didn’t know any place that sells Handwriting, of course, takes “stuff like that.” I thanked her and, time and effort in our fast-paced shortly after, discovered a statioworld, but I miss it. At my grandnery store two blocks away. I redaughter’s birthday party yesteralize this isn’t typical, but it noneday, I tried to write little special theless signaled a generation that notes for the guests about the joy probably doesn’t use “slow mail.”

I experienced because they are her Of course, most schools have friends. After 25 minutes and the abandoned teaching cursive writcompletion of just two out of 30 ing, and even some highly intellimessages, I gave up. I could not fingent students taking A.P. exams, ish them before everyone was gone. which I have often proctored, have Later, I examined my efforts and trouble writing out the pledge to was upset at my less-than-perfect honor the rules of the test, an acpenmanship, even printed careful- JoEllen Collins—a longtime tivity that takes longer than all the ly. However, if I ever try this again, resident of the Wood River other filling in of spaces in the preI know the result will be much more Valley— is an Idaho Press test forms. satisfying than sending an email to Club award-winning colum Last week my cousin presenteach of their parents. nist, a teacher, writer, fabric ed me with copies of letters my Of course I am grateful for the artist, choir member and mother had written to her cousin ease of texting, email, and other unabashedly proud grandma in Sweden in the forties. Reading mobile forms of contact, and I to- known as “Bibi Jo.” them, I can almost hear my mothtally understand the reality of the er’s voice and appreciate her lovely disappearance of older devices like land-line tele- way of expressing herself. phones. Many images in the science fiction of deI am trying to simplify and declutter my life, cades ago have been realized, and anyone living but I find it extremely hard to throw away old love today probably has an open mind about the future letters and family mementoes and cards. Somepossibilities of technology. thing about the tangible feel and smell of old paOn the other hand, while shopping in my tem- per and ink, the careful penmanship, and careful porary new neighborhood, I asked a clerk if she crafting of personal attitudes and sentiment move could suggest a place that carried envelopes. She me in ways I can’t imagine hunting down old asked me what I meant. I said something like, emails would provide.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

DAVIS ROS

By JoEllen Collins

INSPIRATIONS FROM MY HEART

Guardian Angels

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DOVE

BY DOVE

e all have a guardian angel. Whether you believe in them or not, you still have a guardian angel.

Your angel never leaves your soul, ever. It is always with you. What good is a guardian angel if you don’t know they are there or you don’t know how to communicate with them and if they can’t fix your life in the places it is broken.

Your guardian angel’s job is to comfort you and give you guidance, which you have free choice to ignore. They will just try and nudge you on to your highest path.

There are some wonderful books out by Lorna Byrne. She has always been able to see angels since she was a little baby. She had no awareness that no one else could see them. Her first book is called “Angels in My Hair.” It is truly worth reading and will give you a much easier way of understanding the roles of angels in our lives.

I saw Lorna speak two years ago in Seattle.

What a lovely, humble person she is. She is very dyslexic and has difficulty with reading. She uses Dragon Speak to write her books, which give great insight.

Why would I encourage you to connect with your guardian angel? You never feel alone once you have made the connection with your guardian angel and you can always ask them to make you aware of your highest path. You don’t have to do this earth journey without help. If you want to know your guardian angel’s name, get quiet and ask. The first name that comes into your heart is the one you use.

I met my guardian angel in person in my hospital room at Seattle General Hospital when I was 35. She appeared in my room in a long white dress that had no seams in it. I am a seamstress and I was looking at her dress trying to figure out how it was made because I could see no seams.

I was having surgery the next day and I had not been given any kind of a drug. This was not a hallucination.

My guardian angel stayed for three hours and talked to me, giving me incredible comfort. I had been praying nonstop for 10 days to decide if I should have the surgery and I hadn’t gotten any guidance. Her appearance put me in a place of peace and calm, for which I was extremely grateful. The surgery went perfect and it was a good decision.

Your angels really want you to connect with them. It gives them great joy and you great peace and comfort. They cannot interfere in your life and they will never give you any negative emotion. They just love you.

We all need as much love as we can get. By the way, there are a lot of unemployed angels who want a job. You can ask them to take care of the wildlife and Mother Earth when there are fires.

Unemployed angels love being given a job. Let them drive with you and keep you aware of all traffic situations.

You will never receive anything but love from your guardian angel. Give it a try. Look for feathers, as that is a sign your guardian angel is near.

Life is a gift. The purpose is joy. Find yours!

Submit A Letter To The Editor

Do you have a response to a story or letter we’ve published, or some new thoughts you’d like to share with the community? Submit a letter to the editor. Please include your full name and in which city you reside (unincorporated Blaine County if you live outside city limits). Published letters don’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the Wood River Weekly or any of its staff members. Email letters to publisher@woodriverweekly.com.

Wood River High School senior Davis Ros. Photo credit: William Penrose

Unique x 2

D

By Eric Valentine

avis Ros says his parents couldn’t be more different. One has climbed the corporate ladder, the other has launched a cosmetology business. So it’s natural to see irony in that their pairing created Davis, a twin.

“One thing that makes me unique is being a twin. I know that on a large scale twins aren’t extremely unique, but it is a key part in defining who I am today. Brogan, my twin, is the cause for two of my best traits—a strong competitive nature and a forgiving one, which counter each other nicely,” Ros observed.

Because of this, the Wood River High School senior says he is able to strive to be the best while not letting the small things affect him or destroy relationships. It’s a skill Ros says has flourished as he and his twin have gotten older.

“It has helped shape me and will continue to help me grow into a valuable part of whatever community I will reside in after college,” Ros said.

With a course load that includes A.P. Statistics, A.P. Human Geography, A.P. Government and College English, Ros is bound for college—specifically, a smaller college on the East Coast, most likely either Plymouth State, University of New England, or Bates College.

“I would love to major in sports management,” Ros said, “which would set me up to be an athletic director or sports agent.”

Ros is involved in both basketball and track-and-field at WRHS. He says the bonds he created with his basketball teammates and the healthy competitiveness instilled by his track-and-field cohorts are embedded in his character now.

“The bond we’ve created through all the ups and downs has the strength to continue even after we all go our own ways,” Ros said.

Ros also coaches and counsels a basketball camp in the summers that he says allows him to connect with the younger generation and provide them with positive energy as they grow up.

“Also, it gives me the opportunity to promote an active life despite the overwhelming amount of things that are keeping kids inside,” Ros said.

Outdoor life has been instrumental to Ros’s development.

“My favorite part about living in this Valley is how connected I can be to the outdoors, whether it’s going skiing in the winter, exploring the mountains while camping with my friends, or hiking/biking all the trails our Valley has to offer with my family. I am able to enjoy the amazing and beautiful Valley I call home,” the lifelong Valley resident said.

That indelible feeling is something Ros takes outside the Valley, too.

“One thing I would improve in our world is how people feel about our environment. It would be more than just increasing the awareness that we are hurting our planet but growing the respect people have for it. This is important because I want future generations to be able to experience how beautiful our planet is and that starts with changing current generations’ views of our world,” Ros said.

One similarity between Ros’s parents, he says, is their love for the mountains.

“Not only did it bring them together but it is a huge part of me. As for my brothers, our bond has gotten stronger with age. My twin and I could possibly head to school together next year,” Ros said.

Editor’s Note: Anyone who would like to recommend a Blaine County School District student for the Wood River Weekly’s “Student Spotlight” feature should contact news@woodriverweekly.com.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Wood River Weekly

KIKI TIDWELL

Commissioners Should Operate Under Their Own Laws

Dear Editor, I have had affordable housing, Agave Place, in my backyard since 2005 and haven’t had any issue with it. The Valley Club provided these 12 units of Agave Place as part of developing its PUD [Planned Unit Development] plat of The Valley Club West Nine subdivision in that year.

I have long wanted to provide play equipment on the PUD’s Parcel C, “The County Recreation Parcel,” for the children living at Agave Place and for kids riding to it on the bike path. It was supposed to be developed in coordination with the [Blaine County] Rec District. It is a stream-front parcel that could provide the public with picnic tables and a rest stop from a bike ride, or destination waterfront recreational fishing spot for people with mobility issues.

I and my neighbors have previously offered Blaine County Housing Authority [BCHA] and ARCH [Community Housing Trust] many tens of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions to fence Parcel C off from illegal truck parking and commercial operations that were causing a fire hazard, and to rectify the failure of ARCH’s Parcel B installation to meet the design criteria publicly agreed to (matching Agave Place). The public no longer has use of Public Use Parcel B as there has been a house moved to it, it has been sold off to private individuals, and it is fenced off.

I did have an issue with Blaine County in February 2018 issuing a building permit on this PUD’s Parcel C Open Space Recreational Use park, without following their own county laws to work with the developers to replat the piece legally. This is like someone getting an apartment building permit on county-owned Rotarun grounds without any public process or notice. It is dangerous to a democracy to have government officials believe that one can act above the law; the U.S.A. is based on equal laws for everyone and ‘no special above-the-law deals to cronies.’ This building permit for a duplex on the substandard-sized .67-acre Parcel C lot was issued to a private, nongovernmental entity, ARCH, which didn’t have an active lease on the property at the time.

I believed that the county issuance of a building permit was not legal and so instituted an action with the county in 2018 to contest it. ARCH and BCHA requested to be allowed into the case. The county has been pursuing expensive litigation in several instances in the county where I believe it could reach a mediated solution with homeowners; Flying Heart, Lees Gulch, and potentially now Greenhorn Gulch. Unfortunately now in our case, we are going to trial.

I am not against affordable housing; I had lived quite peacefully with a well-designed project in my neighborhood now for 15 years. I also submitted my résumé to the Blaine County Commissioners to serve as a volunteer on the Blaine County Housing Authority, but the commissioners refused me even an interview for the position, although the board position was open. I have offered to become a Yes-In-My-Backyard-charitable-donation–level member of ARCH, but ARCH has refused me membership. ARCH does not hold publicly open meetings and can keep a closed membership.

I have been hopeful that the County Commissioners would recognize that they need to operate under their own laws. They still can.

Sincerely, Kiki Tidwell Blaine County resident

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

ADVERTORIALS NUESTRA VOZ CUENTA

NOELLE LAFLEUR

Local Teens Make Positive Impact

NUESTRA VOZ CUENTA The Advocates enseña a personas de todas las edades cómo construir y mantener relaciones saludables y positivas con sus compañeros y socios. Sabiendo que la educación es una forma segura de lograr un cambio, The Advocates comenzaron los pasantes de Every Teen Counts (ETC). Los pasantes de ETCs aprenden herramientas para prevenir el abuso en las relaciones de los jóvenes, como promover relaciones saludables, y enseñan a los jóvenes de todo el valle.

Una de las actividades más importantes en las que enseñamos es la Actividad de Componentes Saludables. Aquí, mostramos los 11 componentes más importantes de una relación: seguridad, honestidad, confianza, igualdad, equidad, comunicación, individualidad, respeto, apoyo, espacio mutuo y aceptación.

Esta actividad me ayudó a darme cuenta de que comprender y crear relaciones saludables entre adolescentes es algo que me apasiona.

Esta simple actividad ayuda a los estudiantes a considerar lo que quieren en una relación y también los hace pensar en lo que hace falta en sus relaciones.

Es fácil para los adolescentes detectar una relación poco saludable, pero es mas difícil para ellos comprender cómo es una relación saludable.

Estoy orgulloso de ser una ETC. Me apasiona transmitir el valioso mensaje de The Advocates de construir y mantener relaciones saludables y positivas con sus compañeros y socios a otros en nuestra comunidad. Unanse a nosotros a nuestro evento “Rompiendo el Molde” el Sábado 29 de Febrero de 4-6 en el Limelight Hotel.

El evento promueve la individualidad y rompe los estereotipos.

OUR VOICE COUNTS The Advocates teaches people of all ages how to build and maintain healthy, positive relationships with peers and partners. Knowing that education is a sure way to bring about change, The Advocates started the Every Teen Counts (ETC) internship program. ETC interns learn tools to prevent teen dating violence, to promote healthy relationships, and teach youth all across the Valley.

One of the most important activities we teach is the Healthy Components Activity where we put up the 11 most important components of a healthy relationship. These include: safety, hon-

The 2015 Every Teen has a Choice (ETC) awareness campaign. The 2019-2020 ETCs (from top left): Joseph Melgar, Diana Muñoz, Marcella Fisher, Ethan Hunt, Noelle LaFleur, Anabelle Rust, Jenny Jordan; from bottom left: Priscilla Meza, Amy Aranda, Maya Lizano, Diego Rosales.

esty, trust, equality, fairness, communication, individuality, respect, support, mutual space, and acceptance. This activity helped me realize that understanding and creating healthy teen relationships is something that I am passionate about. This simple activity helps students consider what they want in a relationship and also makes them think about what is missing in their relationships.

It is really easy for teens to spot an unhealthy relationship, but it is much harder for them to understand and articulate what a healthy relationship looks like. My mission as an ETC is to teach people how to spot healthy relationships, understand boundaries, and learn more about the people around you.

I am proud to be an ETC. I am passionate about bringing The Advocates’ valuable message of building and maintaining healthy, positive relationships with peers and partners to others in our community. Please join us and attend our event, “Breaking the Mold,” on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 4-6 p.m. at the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum. The event promotes individuality and breaking stereotypes.

Nuestra Voz Cuenta (Our Voice Counts) is a guest advertorial hosted by Herbert Romero and sponsored by Kiki Tidwell.

KIKI TIDWELL

COFFEE CHATS WITH KIKI

$1 Billion Slated For Clean Energy Projects – Maybe Ours!

T

hese past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to be on the Stanford University campus for several different reasons; threads from one of these events are interesting for our isolated Wood River Valley.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business held its 2020 Climate, Business, and Innovation Summit, with top-level speakers sharing their thoughts on the business opportunities in climate change, as well as the risks for businesses that ignore it. (One audience member I met is raising a hedge fund just to short stocks of those companies that don’t realize their exposure.)

If one of the top business schools in the country is hosting a climate and innovation summit, two things in the conversation have changed. First, extremely talented people who have the pick of where they want to work are deciding to work at companies that are making things better for the planet, not worse. And, secondly, there is real money to be made here, solving those problems.

One of the speakers was Scott Jacobs, co-founder of Generate, a leading sustainable infrastructure platform delivering affordable, reliable resource solutions to companies, communities, and cities. His résumé exemplifies the top level of talent being attracted to this field; among other achievements, Scott received his MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was named a George F. Baker Scholar, and his B.A. cum laude from Dartmouth College. Prior to Generate, in 2007, Scott joined McKinsey & Company to co-found its global CleanTech practice, advising companies, institutional investors, NGOs and governments around the world on the economic imperatives of resource productivity and climate solutions. Prior to that, Scott spent over a decade in technology and venture capital, helping start grow a number of companies.

I was connected to him in 2014 when he and co-founder Jigar Shah started their first capital raise at Generate.

They saw then the $100 billion opportunity in new ener-

gy asset finance but realized that these long-term assets needed to be matched with long-term capital. Their investors are pension funds and family offices who share their perspective of investing for generations. Dang, I should have invested in their first raise of 2014 because, fast-forward to today, Generate just recently raised $1 billion after deploying $1 billion of sustainable infrastructure in its first five years.

As we know, investing in renewable energy is working out well financially for investors or Generate wouldn’t have been able to raise this large amount of additional capital.

Where this gets interesting, especially for Hailey, Ketchum, Bellevue, and Blaine County, is that someone like Generate could build and operate renewable energy projects for us, paid only out of a cut of the energy cost savings and no or minimal upfront costs to us for a project. We could get that 1-megawatt solar farm at Poverty Flats on county-owned land and save energy costs for the county. Hailey could get solar on its buildings and parking lots and have carbon-free energy for all of its holiday lighting and city operations. Our Mountain Rides buses can go electric and charge their batteries at a solar farm and spew no pollution into the lungs of our children and grandchildren. Bellevue can have less expensive power for its residents by using community solar.

Scott was gracious enough to sit down with me after his talk and go through a map of our Valley. I showed

him where our substations are, where solar farms could be sited mid-Valley (Ohio Gulch and the base of River Run), where a microgrid should be installed (hospital and Ketchum wastewater plant), and where all of our electrical substations are (none of which currently have a backup generator), all constrained by 12.5-MW distribution line circuits. He went through my estimates of costs and enlightened me on their and others’ model of building solar farms as basically free to us. Conceptually, we can provide backup batteries at our substations and build solar farms for the same $65 million, which is on the table for a buried transmission line between Hailey and Elkhorn (and which doesn’t help us if the power doesn’t get to Hailey).

It is an opportune time here in 2020, with the costs of renewable energy and batteries having dropped so incredibly much, the right long-term investors at the table eager to invest and finance these projects, and companies like Generate ready to help our community transition to clean energy sources that provide us true resiliency.

Blaine County Commissioner Candidate

www.tidwellcommissionercampaign.com twitter: @kikitidwell

Kik i Tid w ell

Paid For By Citizens For Kiki Tidwell, Cindy Mann Treasurer.

Wood River Weekly

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

ST LUKE’S WOOD RIVER

HEALTH BEAT

Healthy Eating To Ward Off Colds And Viruses

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15

BETTER HOMEOWNERS NEWS ANNA MATHIEU

Haley Willison, M.S., R.D. St. Luke’s Wood River Nutritional Services

ust because it’s getting warmer doesn’t mean the colds and viruses are gone. Good nutrition is essential for a strong immune system yearround. A balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and lean protein help us stay healthy and happy! Complex carbs, such as whole grains that are high in fiber, can help to boost serotonin levels. Healthy fats should comprise about 30 percent of our total daily calories.

Including fats with omega-3 fatty acids that are found in cold-water fatty fish, nuts, seeds and plant oils can help to fight inflammation. Lean protein, such as seafood, poultry, eggs, beans and nuts, are important to assist with healing and recovery.

Eating a balanced diet with adequate calories is one of the easiest ways to support your immune system and metabolism year-round. Studies show that eating a very low-calorie diet and eating a very high-calorie diet both increase the risk for infectious disease.

Antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E, A and zinc, are important to obtain from food to help us combat colds, allergies, and to promote healing. During sickness, your body has excess free radicals, which can reduce immunity and cause inflammation in the body. Antioxidants neutralize these free radicals, which reduces their capacity to cause damage.

Antioxidants such as vitamin C are not made in the body, so we must get this nutrient from our food. Vitamin C is important for immune function and iron absorption, as well as for healthy bones and skin. Citrus, red bell pepper, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach are delicious ways to get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 90 milligrams (mg) for men and 75 mg for women.

Vitamin E, another important antioxidant, is found in foods such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanut butter and sunflower oil. RDA

NEWS

for vitamin E for adults is 15 mg.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that keeps skin and tissues in the mouth, stomach, intestines and respiratory system healthy. Eating sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, red bell peppers, apricots, and eggs are all wonderful ways to reach the vitamin A RDA of 900 micrograms (mcg) for men and 700 mcg for women. Zinc is also very important for immune system function, helping to fight infection. Lean meats, whole-grain products, beans, nuts and seeds are also excellent sources to fulfill the RDA of 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.

Consuming locally grown food, within 100 miles of home, is picked at peak nutrition value and does not have far to travel. Non-local food is picked before it is fully ripe, then transported an average of 1500 miles from the farm to the store in environments that lower the foods’ nutritional value and can often be more expensive, depending on how far it was shipped. Produce begins to lose its nutrients within 24 hours of being picked. Both canned and frozen produce are always picked at their peak nutritional value and are an easy and affordable way to get a variety of nutrients during every season.

It is recommended to check with your medical provider before beginning a new exercise or dietary routine. To find a doctor or to learn more about our dietitians and clinical nutritional services, contact St. Luke’s Center for Community Health at (208) 727-8733 or visit stlukesonline.org.

It’s your life.

We help you live it.

Too Great For Hate License Plate Passed on Senate Floor

Idaho State Capitol – On Monday, a bill to create a Too Great for Hate license plate passed the Senate floor with 28-7 vote. The legislation now heads to the House for a full hearing in committee. The revenue from the license plate will go to the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights to expand and sustain educational programs at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights memorial.

“This license plate helps to fund educational programs including docent tours, maintenance, and any expansion of the Anne Frank Memorial.” Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb/ (D-Boise) explained. “Educating each other on the human rights issues that affect our communities, our state, the country, and the world is essential to furthering our understanding of the past and creating a more equitable future for all. Men and women, from the early days, have found opportunities in

IDAHO

Idaho. Individuals, families, and groups have been and continue to be drawn to Idaho for many reasons. The Too Great for Hate license plate stands as a testament to the Idaho we love, serve, and have chosen for our homes. ” “The Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is one of Idaho’s treasures, the memorial is the only Anne Frank memorial in the United States and one of the very few places in the world where the entire Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on display. This license plate will serve as an important reminder that Idaho is Too Great for Hate. This license plate is more than a slogan - it is symbolic, inspirational, aspirational, and it is a representation of my Idaho. The license is a reminder of who we are and how we will walk in the world.

Idahoans can trust that they will be investing in a valuable resource for the state.”

Distracted Driving Ban Passes the Senate Floor Idaho State Capitol – On Tuesday, a bill to ban distracted driving passed the Senate floor with a 30-5 vote. This legislation would prevent drivers from using their cell phones, computers or any other electronics while driving. Under this bill, a distracted driving violation would result in a moving violation and subsequent fines.

“The use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving poses a significant danger to other drivers, pedestrians, and anyone else who is on or near a roadway.” Explained Sen. David Nelson/(D-Moscow). “There was a 16% increase in distracted driving fatalities from 2013- 2017 alone.

This legislation protects Idahoans and their families from unnecessary accidents that result from distracted motorists.”

“At highway speeds, just a single text message

can take a driver’s eyes off the road for more than the length of a football field. Anything can happen in the length of a football field if a driver is not paying attention to the road. We know something needs to be done to ensure everyone’s safety.” Sen. Ward- Engelking/ (D- Boise) said.

“The current texting and driving laws simply do not encompass the vast amounts of device usage that is happening on our roadways. Emailing, social media, streaming and other device enhancements are not being addressed in the current laws.” Explained Sen. Buckner- Webb/(D-Bosie).

“As technology advances, our laws also need to advance to continue to protect Idahoans. This legislation is comprehensive and will make our roads and our families safer.”

What Kind Of Properties Are These?

I

t is the way the property is used that determines the type of property it is, not what it looks like. Based on the intent of the owner, the property could be a principal residence, income property, investment property or dealer property.

A principal residence is a home that a person lives in. There can be only one declared principal residence. It is afforded certain benefits like deducting the interest and property taxes on a taxpayer’s itemized deductions, up to limits. Up to $250,000 of gain for a single taxpayer and up to $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly can be excluded from income if the property is owned and used as a principal residence for two out of the previous five years.

And the Home Owner’s Exemption of up to $100,000 from the assessed value (you must file for the HOE with the assessor’s office before April 15th).

An income property is an improved property that is rented for more than 12 months. The improvements can be depreciated based on a 27.5-year life for residential property or 39 years for commercial property. This is a non-cash deduction that shelters income. When the property is sold, the cost recovery is recaptured at a 25 percent tax rate.

An investment property could be an improved property or vacant land that does not produce income and is not eligible for depreciation or cost recovery. The gain on both income and investment properties are taxed at a lower, long-term capital gain rate and are eligible for a tax-deferred exchange.

Second homes are properties that a taxpayer primarily uses for personal enjoyment but is not their principal residence. For IRS purposes, it is treated as an investment property in that the gain is taxed at preferential long-term rates if it is held for more than 12 months. However, it is not eligible for exchanges because personal-use properties are excluded from that benefit.

Properties that are built or bought to make a profit are considered inventory and are labeled dealer properties. The gain is taxed at ordinary income rates and they are not eligible for section 1031 deferred exchanges. The financing available differs considerably based on the intent of the owner, which determines the type of property. Owner-occupied homes, used as a principal residence, are eligible for low down payment mortgages like VA, FHA, USDA and conventional ranging from nothing down to 20 percent.

A second home, in most cases, requires a minimum of 10 percent down payment. Investment and income properties, generally, require 20 percent or more in down payment with some possible exceptions. There is not any long-term financing available for dealer property.

ANNA MATHIEU

Realtor®, Associate Broker, GRI, MBA 2018 & 2019 Best of the Valley 1st Place Gold: Best Realtor.

Windermere Real Estate/SV, LLC (208) 309-1329 AnnaMathieu@ Windermere.com 5b-realestate.com

16

Wood River Weekly

CHAMBER CORNER

•

February 26 - March 3, 2020

MIKE MCKENNA

Hard way Pipeline

‘Gravity & Grace’

By Mike McKenna

“Gravity is the force or energy that we deal with every day. We just don’t pay attention to it because it’s invisible. Grace attracts things to you and opens the window into intuition.”

This is how author and world-renown yoga instructor Peter Sterios explained the tenets of his new book, “Gravity & Grace: How to Awaken Your Subtle Body and the Healing Power of Yoga.”

Peter is in the Wood River Valley this week promoting his book and will lead a workshop at Pure Body Bliss studios in Hailey this Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m.

The recently published book is receiving rave reviews, including one from Sun Valley favorite, musician Michael Franti, who said “Gravity & Grace” is “an inspiring read for yogis who’ve practiced for decades, and those just beginning.”

Peter’s long journey into yoga and writing his book has often wandered through the Wood River Valley.

Raised in Fresno, Calif., Peter began visiting Sun Valley to ski when he was a kid. After studying architecture in college, he decided to move here during the ill-fated drought season of 197778, before skipping town for greener—or at least snowier—pastures.

Peter was first exposed to yoga during his college days, when he stumbled across a yoga class and was so taken aback by it that he rudely interrupted the class, asking, “What is that?” The teacher invited him to join and soon thereafter he went to his first yoga class.

“That split second of seeing it gave me the feeling that this was a nice and safe place,” he recalls.

“I was a stiff guy from years of playing sports and sitting at drafting desks. At that first class I realized, this was great, this was something I could use.”

A gifted rugby player, Peter’s career led him to call New Zealand home for nearly a decade. Before moving back to the States, he made a detour to India and was lucky enough to spend time practicing at The Yoga Institute. His time there “completely dismantled this strong attachment to who I was,” he said. “I became more mindful.”

Back working as an architect in San Luis Obispo, Peter was asked to teach yoga at a senior cen-

Steel Fencing

Kelly Wardell 208-309-0916

How To Play Sudoku

The Classic Sudoku is a number placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

CLASSIC SUDOKU See answer on page 11 Peter Sterios shares their secrets at Pure Body Bliss.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Peter Sterios

ter. Within months, the class sizes and offerings grew and before he knew it he opened the first yoga studio in that city. He has been teaching in SLO and around the world ever since.

“The practice of yoga allows us to surrender and fully embrace life’s perfection. It opens up our inner teacher and our intuition,” Peter said.

A father and husband whose wife’s family roots run five generations deep in Idaho, Peter always enjoys spending time locally and is looking forward to sharing his passion for yoga here.

“Everyone that has an interest in yoga is capable of doing it. If something interests you, it is your grace calling to you. There’s a reason you’re reading this story, “ Peter said. “Yoga begins where you are, regardless of your physical ability.”

To find out more, go to LevitYoga.com.

CROSSWORD SPONSORED BY

THETRADER TRADER THE THE TRADER Consignment for the home

Consignment for the home

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Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 to 5:00 Always available by appointment and if we’re here.

ent for the 720-9206 or 788-0216 signment forhome the home

720-9206 or 788-0216 509 S. Main Street Bellevue, Idaho

the home

509 S. Main Street • Bellevue, Idaho

Wednesday through Saturday Wednesday Wednesday - Friday Wednesday - Friday 11:00to to 5:00 ednesday - Friday 11 to 611 to 6 available by appointment 11 to 6AlwaysSaturday Saturday Saturday and if we’re here.

Saturday 11 to 4 11 to 11 or to 788-0216 45 720-9206 11 to 4

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509 S. Main Street • Bellevue, Idaho Always available by le by appointment andappointment if we’re here. and if we’re here.

720-9206 or 788-0216 or S. 788-0216 -9206 or720-9206 788-0216 509 Main Street S. Main Street 09 S. Main509 Street Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue, Idaho

See answer on page 11

THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY 7-DAY WEATHER FORECAST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Partly Cloudy 10%

high 36º

low 17º WEDNESDAY

Partly Cloudy `10%

high 39º low 20º THURSDAY

Sunny 0%

high 43º low 24º FRIDAY

Partly Cloudy 10%

high 42º low 25º SATURDAY

Partly Cloudy 20%

high 37º low 19º SUNDAY

Partly Cloudy 10%

high 38º low 23º MONDAY

Partly Cloudy 20%

high 39º low 19º TUESDAY

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