Opinion

A story in The Star-News last week did not accurately describe a claim by a citizens group in its draft complaint to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office about the McCall Memorial Hospital District.

Each of us has a stake in our national public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. As American citizens, we are granted ownership of these lands where generations of families and individuals hike, hunt, fish, recreate, and explore. Despite America’s love of our national public lands, misguided elected officials continue their attempts to undermine our public lands heritage and legacy.

There are some facts that need to be shared for an informed society living under our current elected administration. Under the guise of Make America Great Again (MAGA), Trump has taken a chainsaw operated by an inexperienced sawyer to shred the United States Aid for International Development (USAID). No priority plan, just chaos cutting. The results are 300,000 dead children and rising on this measurable parameter. He has made massive employee cuts to most Federal Agencies i.e. Forest Service, IRS, Veterans Affairs, etc. to save money. However, He chooses to spend $45 million dollars on a parade to honor the 250th year of our Army in conjunction with his own 79th Birthday Party! His Big Beautiful Bill axes the Public Broadcasting Corp., provides higher percentage tax cut to the top 10% of earners ($700,000+/year) than all others, we have lost respect from our neighbors and world allies with his dynamic tariff policy. Diversity, equal employment ppportunity, affirmative action are among unaccepted words in his dictionary. Trump needs to correct his acronym to Make America Racist Again (MARA). It is a downward spiral and not the democracy I want for America.

After reading the letter to the editor, “The Complicity of Silence” from May 29, I could not remain silent. While compassion for civilian suffering is essential, the author’s commentary demands a response grounded in facts, not rhetoric, and in moral clarity, not selective outrage. His portrayal of the conflict strips away the truth, ignores the atrocities committed by Hamas and distorts dangerous falsehoods in the language of justice. In the interest of truth and conscience, it is necessary to expose both the factual errors, and the moral hypocrisy embedded in his claims.

The American Red Cross would like to thank those who donated blood in the recent McCall blood drive. We had 117 donors and collected 126 units of blood. Also, 78 people signed up for the next blood drive.

The Star-News would like to thank the dedicated volunteers who take the time to send photos of local student athletes throughout the year.

Let’s face it. Valley County and Payette Lake are being literally sold down the river. If you have any doubt, just look at the unending commercial eyesores being slammed in along the Idaho 55 Scenic Byway all the way to Lake Fork and beyond as new groundwater test pits are peppering open ground all the way south. We need your help, at least at the scheduled meeting July 7, to help us in preserving the McCall City Area of Impact (AOI) and keeping it under the control of the City of McCall.

United Payette wants to hear from you about your endowment lands! The fate of endowment lands around Payette Lake remains in doubt, with multiple management options available from the Idaho Department of Land’s (IDL) 2021 Payette Endowment Land Strategy (PELS) plan on the table.

The staff at Donnelly Elementary School would like to take a moment to recognize and honor our two retiring teachers, Melissa Maini and Traci Stanley.

In recognition of the importance of mental health and the need to support those living with mental health conditions, the Valley County Board of Commissioners has officially proclaimed May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Valley County.