June 2024

Locals endure during 9 to 5 race

Yadi and Payette Spangenberg shared a fun moment Saturday when the mother and daughter combined to win the 9 to 5 at Jug Mountain Ranch, a cross country mountain bike challenge put on by Twisted Turtle Racing.The Spangenberg duo, 46 and 15 years old, picked up the victory in the two-person women’s division, taking turns circling a 8.3-mile loop a total of nine times in 7 hours, 33 minutes, 13 seconds to reach the top of the podium.Saturday’s event asked riders to complete as many trips around the loop as possible from 9 a.m.

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Public urged to use caution with fireworks

Recreate Responsibly Idaho is reminding all residents and visitors to take precaution to avoid sparking wildfires while enjoying Fourth of July festivities.A wet spring across the state has nourished grasses and plants that are now beginning to dry out, creating an abundance of fuel for wildfires to feast on.“The greater McCall area is ranked in the top 150 places out of over 7,000 across the West with a high potential of devastating impacts from wildfire,” said Payette National Forest Public Information Officer Brian Harris.Setting off fireworks or possessing fireworks is not allowed on all federal public lands, including the Payette National Forest under state and federal laws.Starting a wildfire with fireworks is considered negligence.

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Valley County approves Samson Trail storage condos

A denial of plans for 37 storage condos on South Samson Trail near McCall was overturned earlier this month by Valley County commissioners.The application by Carmello Echanis of Boise calls for three buildings containing 37 storage condos to be built on 2.8 acres at 450 South Samson Trail, or near Krahn Lane.The county commissioners on June 17 reversed an April 29 denial of the application after Echanis requested a reconsideration of the decision.The commissioners initially denied the application amid fears that trucks pulling larger trailers would not be able to safely turn out of the complex onto South Samson Trail.That fear was alleviated, however, by the revelation that the storage condos would not be large enough to store large travel trailers.In March, the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the proposal, citing worries about traffic and compatibility with nearby homes.The 2.8-acre parcel planned for the storage condos is zoned for community commercial development, which allows storage condos as a permitted use.Abbey Germaine, a Boise lawyer who represented Echanis at last week’s meeting, noted that the parcel is adjacent to a 109-unit storage unit complex at 400 Krahn Ln.

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Cascade wins health award

The City of Cascade was awarded the Community Health Champion Award last week at the Association of Idaho Cities annual conference.The award comes with $5,000 that the city can use towards a program or project that promotes community health.This is the first year the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health has offered the Community Health Champion Award.

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Brundage Fire to come online by September

A newly established fire department at Brundage Mountain Resort expects to be operational by the end of August, Adams County Commissioners were told on Monday.Travis Smith, who was hired earlier this year as chief of the Brundage Mountain Fire Protection Association, is currently training 19 Brundage employees to be firefighters.“We’re really close,” Smith said of the timeline for the department to be operational.

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Viewpoint: Know the rules

As another 4th of July approaches, your friends at the Valley County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone that it is possible to have fun and to do it safely.Remember that there will be a lot of traffic not just on Idaho 55 but also on all local streets.

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