August 2024

The Boulder Fire continues to actively burn about 11 miles southwest of Cascade, but the flames and smoke are mostly contained within the fire perimeter with little expansion expected.The fire was caused by lightning on July 24.

Six endowment land parcels around Payette Lake that are currently leased as cottage sites are set to be sold at public auction later this month by the Idaho Department of Lands.The public auction will begin on Friday, Aug.

A new city council chambers and public meeting room in the former McCall Public Library building will be outfitted with furniture that can be reconfigured for various uses, the McCall City Council decided last week.Council members approved spending $102,000 on tables, chairs, and other furnishings that can be rearranged instead of buying a $75,000 package that could only be arranged for use by the city council.The flexible public meeting space has long been envisioned under plans for the library expansion project and subsequent renovation of the former library building, which the meeting room will be in.Council members were expected to face a choice to stick to the original plans or switch to the cheaper furniture package to stay within the city’s budget of $75,000 for the purchase.The McCall Public Library Foundation, however, told city staff before last Thursday’s meeting that it would be willing to pay for up to $30,000 in cost overruns for the flexible furniture.“We saw that investing in flexible furniture options was crucial to creating a dynamic and adaptable community space that would honor the wishes of voters and donors while meeting the needs of the city,” said Amy Rush, the foundation’s development director.The new council chambers and public meeting room will be opened in the former library building, which is currently being remodeled.The remodel began after the doors were opened in May to a new two-story library building built in front of the former library.The furniture will mostly be positioned for use as a city council chambers, with a dais and chairs for council members and audience seating, Library Director Meg Lojek said.“When the library has an event or another community event is happening, the library staff will be trained to move the furniture and then put it back, depending on the group that’s using it and what needs to happen,” Lojek said.The package includes furniture for a second public meeting room, known as the Hershberger Meeting Room, that will be in the remodeled library building.

A law that bans recreational trapping in McCall City Limits was unanimously adopted last week by the McCall City Council.The law makes it illegal to set traps anywhere within city limits, except for removing nuisance animals.Anyone caught violating the law could face a $100 fine for the first offense.