Caribou County Caribou County, Idaho
December 5, 2024 | Vol. 1 No. 48
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF Political toplines
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus were at the heart of Teuscher Square's holiday pavilion on Monday.
Tis the Season!
Across the county, the Christmas season is well and truly underway, with the annual lighting of Teuscher Square and Santa’s visit to the Grace Fire Station taking place since last week’s paper, and the Festival of Trees and Community Concert scheduled for the end of this week. Teuscher Square “This is our biggest event of the year—we all look forward to this,” Bancroft City Clerk Debbie Swensen said while filling cups of homemade hot chocolate for the large crowd that gathered in the middle of town for the seasonal lighting of Teuscher Square. While a Bancroft tradition, the celebration is open to everyone in the surrounding communities, and even further afield. Swensen shared the story of one year she had been purchasing items for the Lighting and been asked by another shopper why she was buying so many items. After learning that the materials were for the city celebration in Bancroft, the family (who was from Blackfoot) learned that a wheelchair-accessible Santa would be available for free to havbe pictures taken, and decided to make the
trip down. “It was amazing. Their daughter had always been afraid of Santa, and had never had a chance to visit with him before. But it worked out here, and it was a great experience!” The welcoming feeling of the Bancroft city celebration is pervasive. When people rhapsodize about the advantages of small towns over cities, this is the kind of thing they probably have in mind. It feels like everyone is out on the street to share in the moment, and everyone is just as excited for their neighbors kids as their own to visit with Santa. The Grinch and Frosty mingled with the crowd, handing out chocolate “coal” and chocolate coins respectively. Kids played night games on the well-lit, closed off street to a backdrop of Christmas music and convivial conversation. The light pavilion itself is spectacular, with the interior being created by the 2nd grade students at North Gem, and other students at the school responsible for ongoing care and replacement of bulbs throughout the season. A nativity manger rests to the side of the pavilion, in homage to the more serious origins of the holiday.
Elton John loses eyesight in one eye
Lights were everywhere in downtown Bancroft.
Burn barrels kept the crowd warm and provided an easy, comfortable place for meeting up with neighbors, friends and family. Spudnuts were homemade by Larue Workman from Soda Springs, and, to break journalistic neutrality, were amazing! “Everyone comes together. We have a lot of volunteers, and the city TIS THE SEASON! On Page 3
“Light the World Initiative” underway President Richard Evans of the Soda Springs Idaho Stake marked the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Light the World” event, which officially began on December 1. “We would like to invite our friends of all faiths to join us in celebrating the Christmas season by lighting the world around them; through Christlike words and acts of service,” President Evans said. The overall idea behind the project is to focus on spreading goodwill and joy around to those around you as much as possible during the season through a variety of ideas, from large to small. Members, and everyone who participates whether church member or not, are encouraged to perform acts of service, donate to local and global charities, and attend a variety of events virtually or in person.
The hub for activities can be found at LightTheWorld.org, which gives users access to inspirational videos, links to charitable donation sites, project ideas, and a number of other tools including a “kindness randomizer” that lets people randomly generate a person and an activity to direct an act of kindness toward. The project also looks to reach out to younger, and international audiences who use social media and other online services for information and communication. Texting “light” to
71234, for instance, will provide responses that suggest service ideas based in Jesus’ teachings. Ideas can also be found on WhatsApp and GivingMachine.org. A link on the page also provides a playlist of devotional songs performed by the world famous Tabernacle Choir, and an interactive map of local meeting places for the Christmas, December 22 service can be used at any time to find the nearest church. The campaign was introduced by a video filmed around the world, and featuring the collaborative efforts of individuals from London and New York to Tokyo and Sydney, among others. The idea is the make this season one of brotherhood and shared purpose for making the world a better place. Find more information at LightTheWorld.org.
IN THIS EDITION Memorial Tree...............................................Pg. 2 Puzzles..........................................................Pg. 5 Looking Back.................................................Pg. 7
It’s the holidays, so to be as brief and painless as possible: among the most pressing political headlines for the week are the Biden pardon of his son, and more of Trump’s controversial cabinet picks. Presidential pardons are always a bit of a delicate storm, but Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter for federal charges related to federal gun and tax laws is sure to cause an ongoing, now familiar, level of churn in the political seas. This is especially true following Biden’s pledge to “de-politicize” the DOJ. Coupled with Trump’s continual nominations of cabinet officials that Republican leadership has been expressing reservations about (to put it mildly—the “former Trump administration official” cable news guests have been apoplectic in cases), it’s all but certain that this will continue the “rule of law” and “independent justice system” argument that has dominated the discourse since at least 2016. Kash Patel, Trump’s selection to take over the FBI, will replace his appointee from 2017, Christopher Wray. Part of the reaction against the selection is due to Patel’s vow to “dismantle” the FBI, while also “coming after” those who disagree with the Trump administration. The confirmation hearing is likely to be heated, which is a phrase that can be copied and pasted for many of the other major nominations to important positions.
Obituaries......................................................Pg. 9 Festival of Trees......................................... Pg. 10 Sports.................................................... Pg. 11-12
Singer and songwriter Elton John, 77, reported that his eyesight has still not returned after an infection he experienced several months ago. The infection caused his vision to fail in one eye, and his vision has not returned following treatment for the infection. John officially retired from touring in 2023 after doing so for almost sixty years. He has written the music for the musical version of “The Devil Wears Prada” and was not able to see the performance, but expressed the opinion that it “sounded good.”
Missing hiker found dead in Oregon; husband charged Susan Lane-Fournier was reported missing on November 22 when she failed to show up for her work shift. Her vehicle was spotted near a trailhead, and she was presumed to be hiking, and potentially lost. An intensive search was launched for the woman with the support of volunteers and Clackamas county officials during intense winter conditions. Her body was eventually found after more than 800 search hours near Highway 26. After an autopsy determined that the manner of death was homicide, and confirmed the deaths of her two dogs, her husband Michael Fournier was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. According to crime reporting statistics from the Department of Justice (remember them from the first story?), homicides are generally highest in the summer months, but domestic violence as well as suicide tends to spike around the holidays due to a number of stressors and pressures.