News

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.

Read MoreNew Meadows seeks “outside the box” road solutions

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.

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

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.

Read MoreMcCall sewer rates hiked 5%

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…

Read More2024 general election guide

MPD ‘patches’ to raise awareness, build community

A pink breast cancer awareness ribbon tattooed on David Ryland’s arm in memory of his late daughter closely resembles pink ribbons placed on two McCall Police Department patrol cars for the month of October.Ryland, who lost his 32-year-old daughter to breast cancer in January, was inspired to share his story with police officers upon seeing the department’s efforts to raise awareness with special patches on patrol cars.“The more it is out there, the more people can be aware of it,” said Ryland, 57, of McCall.

Read MoreMPD ‘patches’ to raise awareness, build community

Stibnite objection period closes Monday

Public objections to the Payette National Forest’s draft decision on Perpetua Resources’ proposed Stibnite Mine are being accepted until MondayThe release of the draft decision opened a 45-day objection period open to anyone who previously submitted a substantive comment on the proposal to the Payette.The draft decision, a final environmental study of the project, and instruction for how to comment online can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50516.Mailed objections should be sent to “Objection Reviewing Officer, Stibnite Gold Project, USFS Intermountain Regional Office, Room 4403, 324 25th Street, Ogden, UT 84401.”Objections should include a “narrative” of how specific issues related to the project would violate environmental law and what could be done to resolve the objection.Anyone who submitted a “substantive” public comment during any previous comment period on the project, including for draft environmental studies in 2020 and 2022, is eligible to write an objection.A “substantive” comment is considered by Payette officials to be those that cite specific elements of the project that need further study or have not yet been considered.

Read MoreStibnite objection period closes Monday