October 2024

Vandals continue district dominance

New head coach, same result.Sebastian Carheden scored a pair of goals and the McCall-Donnelly boys soccer team continued its district dominance by knocking off Weiser, 4-1, last week at the Richard Sabala Athletic Complex.Bogdan Monahan and Toby Klasner also hit the net as the Vandals won a fifth straight district crown with a home crowd cheering on despite cold temperatures and the occasional flurry of snow.But there was a new head coach on the sideline for this one – Forrest Stanley – a long time assistant for the Vandal girls soccer team who took the reins of the boys program this fall when Brad Kindall decided to step down after eight years.Kindall’s teams won four straight district championships and qualified for state six times, bringing home a fourth place trophy last season.

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Monahan becomes National Merit Scholarship semifinalist

McCall-Donnelly High School senior Bogdan Monahan was one of 16,000 students nationwide to be selected as a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program.The nominees will compete for nearly $26 million in scholarships to be awarded in the spring.About 95% of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.Over 1.3 million juniors from about 21,000 high schools nationwide entered the 2025 competition by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of candidates.To become a finalist, the candidate and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application with information about the candidate’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S.

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New Meadows seeks “outside the box” road solutions

Volunteer work, donations, and other “outside the box” efforts could improve decrepit dirt roads in New Meadows, a newly formed committee said this week.The group, called the Streets and Roads Committee, held its first meeting on Tuesday night to brainstorm low-cost ways to improve city streets that are dusty in the summer and plagued by potholes in the winter.“We have a community of lots of experienced people in building roads and maintaining them,” said Josh Carr, a New Meadows City Council member who suggested forming the committee.

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The tax burden: Homes are paying an increasing share of Valley County taxes

Residential properties in Valley County have seen a steady increase in property tax bills, while most commercial properties have paid less and less over the past five years.“We have seen a shift in property tax to residential properties because residential values have increased at a rate faster than commercial properties,” said Valley County Treasurer Johanna Defoort.Over the past five years, residential property values have increased by about 193% on average, from $4.1B to $10.7B in total value countywide.

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McCall sewer rates hiked 5%

McCall residents will pay 5% more for sewer service in 2025 under a rate increase adopted last week by the Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District.The increase will raise the average home’s monthly bill from $52.17 currently to $54.78, or by $2.61, starting Jan.

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2024 general election guide

Valley County Sheriff Candidates: Name: Jason Speer    Age: 50 Occupation:  United Parcel Service driver Where Born/Raised: Akron, OH, raised Florence MT     Education: Community College of the Air Force How Long… Login to continue reading Login…

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Vandals blank Emmett, headed to state

Four different Vandals hit the net as the McCall-Donnelly boys soccer team blanked Emmett, 4-0, during a 4A District III Tournament semifinal played Tuesday at the Richard Sabala Athletic Complex.Jose Manuel, Bogdan Monahan, Toby Klasner and Sebastian Carheden all beat the Huskies goalkeeper under the lights at Sabala Field.The Vandals will host Weiser today at 5 p.m.

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