Caribou County, Idaho
April 11, 2024 | Vol. 1 No. 10
City donates Spark! photos to Caribou Historical Society; New clerk Haderlie sworn in The Soda Springs City Council met for a regular meeting on Wednesday, April 3. The new equipment, recently installed in the City Council Chambers, appeared to be up and running for the meeting, which allowed Council President Mitch Hart to attend remotely. Other than some audio issues, the meeting was able to be conducted with minimal technical issues. During the course of the meeting, the wall-mounted monitor and individual member tablets were used to good effect during the meeting to facilitate conversation on a number of topics. City Superintendent Alan Skinner found the display very useful in discussing current projects within the city, including construction related to the new Maverik location. Mayor Austin opened the meeting with some reflective comments in tribute to City Attorney Gregg Haney, who unexpectedly passed away on March 17. The mayor paid respect to Haney’s contributions to the city, and honored his life as a man. He reminded those in the room that life is finite, and advised them not to take it for granted. Newly appointed City Clerk Andrea Haderlie was then sworn in by Mayor Robinson, and officially took on the mantle of an often difficult job. Councilmembers expressed their appreciation for her well prepared minutes from the last meeting, at the end of which she was officially offered the position. Haderlie is a life-long resident of Soda Springs, and has worked in the city office for the last five plus years. The photo displays created for the Spark! Innovation Smithsonian exhibit were officially donated by the city to the Caribou Historical Society, which, along with Chelsey Davids, Andrea Haderlie, Robin Thomas, and others, was involved in their creation and display. The Spark! exhibit, which was covered by the Caribou County Sun during its stay at Enders, was designed to highlight the often ingenious innovations created by small towns and cities in order to solve problems that are often spent out of existence by larger municipalities. Of particular interest to the CHS was the Last Chance Canal, a story of using a combination of craftiness and hard work to adhere to the letter of the law when the spirit alone wouldn’t suffice. The photos were received by Bill Horsley and Jerry Stoor representing the CHS, and will be displayed at the Caribou Historical Museum in the future. Debbie Dumont updated the Council on the progress of a draft docu-
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Jerry Stoor and Bill Horsley accept the donation of photos from the Spark exhibit, with City employee Chelsey Davids, who helped put the exhibit together.
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NEWS IN BRIEF Developments in Gaza
Sunday marks six months since the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. Since then, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has left more than 33,000 dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis. Israel says it has withdrawn its forces from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, but that a “significant” force remains elsewhere in the strip. Israel announced that it would attend negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage deal in Cairo. A Hamas delegation is also taking part. Ahead of the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no truce without the release of hostages. In further developments, new details have emerged about Thursday’s phone call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. A source told CNN that Biden demanded Netanyahu do more to allow in aid.
Body discovered at Willard Bay
Andrea Haderlie was sworn in as the new City Clerk by Mayor Austin Robinson.
ment for a public interest survey concerning Enders Hotel. The Council has been in discussions about the hotel in the majority of its meetings this calendar year (and before), and it was felt that additional input from the public on the subject would be a matter of due diligence. The issue has been discussed many times in open public meetings, but the planned survey would be distributed to as many residents of the city as possible directly. The wording of the questions on the survey, as well as the mechanism for delivering and collecting them, are issues yet to be resolved, and it is likely the process of finalizing the survey will be a slow one out of an abundance of caution and a desire to do it to everyone’s satisfaction as much as can be possible.
The upcoming Main Street project was discussed, and it was stated that a contractor should be in place by the end of April. Councilmember Rod Worthington expressed gratitude to Mitch Hart, Alan Skinner, and Gregg Haney for their work on the donation of 608 acres of property from Nutrien. A motion to permit the mayor to sing the final agreement was passed. Plans for the Spring Cleanup were discussed, including the scope and duration of the event, as well as potential restrictions on what types of material will be suitable for consignment to the landfill. When the details are completed, they will be made publicly available.
Mother’s Day Spotlight
Mother’s Day is approaching quickly. The Idaho Enterprise likes to spotlight a couple of moms each year in our Mother’s Day edition. If you would like nominate your mom or suggest someone, please contact Shelly Williams at 208-7664773 or email shelly.w@idahoenterprise.com. Please submit by April 19 to get information on how it works.
INSIDE Caribou Historical Society..............................Pg.2 Ready for Kindergarten in Bancroft.............Pg. 3 Puzzles...........................................................Pg. 6
Looking Back................................................Pg. 7 Legislative Update.................................Pg. 10 Sports.................................................... Pg. 11-12
The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that the medical examiner has identified the human skeletal remains found in Willard Bay on March 30 as Elijah Peck, 42, of Garland, Utah. Deputies are investigating the death as suspicious, because the cause of death was not immediately clear. Chief Deputy Sheriff Cade Palmer said on Facebook that investigators believe Peck was last seen in May 2023 and was not reported as missing. “However, as this is an ongoing investigation, these details are subject to change,” Palmer wrote. Peck’s remains were found in a remote wetland area within the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on the northwest side of Willard Bay last Saturday. Anyone with any knowledge of the case that could help the investigation is asked to call 435-734-6530.
Absentee Ballots Mailed out
Idaho county election offices are starting to mail absentee ballots ahead of the May 21 Idaho primary election. Voters who requested an absentee ballot should receive it in the mail within a week, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced in a Friday news release. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the May primary is 5 p.m. May 10. Voters can request absentee ballots at VoteIdaho.gov, a website of the Idaho Secretary of State. “Whether you plan to vote absentee, vote early, or vote on Election Day, have a plan to vote in the Idaho May primary,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said in the news release. “The Idaho primary includes races for Congress, state legislators, and local races that impact your community. Every vote counts, so ensure your voice is heard by participating in this important election.” All 105 Idaho legislative seats are up for election this year. More than 14,000 absentee ballots have been issued initially, according to an absentee ballot tracker on VoteIdaho.gov. More than 9,700 ballots were issued to Republicans, according to the tracker.