Newsletter-Early-Week

P&Z shuts down solar farm proposal

A proposal to build Valley County’s first solar farm was denied Thursday by the Valley County Zoning Commission.Commissioners told applicants Kristen and Sean Rogers of McCall that the proposal was not complete and that the little information that was provided would negatively affect neighboring properties.The application proposed to build an array of eight-foot-high solar panels on about 95% of a 15-acre property at 12600 Goode Ln, about six miles south of Donnelly.“The way that I see this is we have an incomplete application.

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Food banks prepare for Thanksgiving as demand rises

As Thanksgiving approaches, food banks across Valley and Adams Counties are working to ensure local families have the supplies they need to put a special holiday meal on the table.This year, the need is even greater than usual due to economic pressures, particularly rising food costs as many families work hard to make ends meet but still find themselves stretched thin.“We’re seeing ever-increasing numbers of families, even more so than during COVID,” said Linda Klind, director of the Heartland Hunger and Resource Center in McCall.Each year, hundreds of families in Valley and Adams counties need help from food banks including the Donnelly Food Pantry, Cascade Food Pantry, New Meadows Food Bank and Heartland.Each organization works to ensure that no one in Valley or Adams counties goes without food.

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Donnelly fourth graders study fire

Donnelly Fire & EMS Captain Nick Landry lit up the table filled with sawdust and wood chips to demonstrate to a group of students how wildland fires can travel quickly.The Donnelly Elementary fourth grade class is currently learning the FireWorks curriculum, a free hands-on interactive program that teaches students the science behind wildland fires, said Melissa Maini, the fourth-grade teacher at Donnelly Elementary.Maini, 58, has taught the program for several before it took a pause during COVID.It is back again this year with a class of 18 students.The curriculum teaches how the local terrain and plants affect wildland fires, said Maini.

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