Enterprise The Idaho
Caribou County
Caribou County's Newspaper Since 2024
Caribou County, Idaho
June 4, 2026 | Vol. 3 No. 23
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF Iran War Updates
They came out of the gate quick for the Strides for Strength kids race portion of the Fun Run. The adult run was all seriousness.
CMC hosts “Strides for Strength” fun run Caribou Medical Center hosted a 5K Fun Run, as well as a younger runners’ version, last week to kickstart the summer, promote healthy habits, and bring providers, patients and the public together on a pleasant evening at sunset. May is Mental Health Month for health care institutions across the country, and there is no small correlation between physical activity and mental wellness. Study after study has found the link between the two things to be clear, including a recent massive study of over 1.2 million adults published in The Lancet Psychiatry, which revealed that individuals who exercise have a significantly lower rate of poor mental health days compared to those who are sedentary. Counselor Ashley Wright headed up the effort to promote and coordinate the Fun Run again this year, and she pointed to the impressive number of care providers who were not only proponents of a healthy lifestyle, but also modeling the behavior by participating in the race as runners. As a Fun Run, of course, the primary purpose is to cultivate an en-
joyment of exercise for its own sake, and the mood was light and festive throughout the evening. One of the featured providers at the event was Dr. Kellen Hansen, whose Sports Medicine/Orthopedic skills were exactly the right fit for the situation. Dr. Hansen, who has worked with world class athletes including the US Hockey Team and the San Antonio Spurs, will be starting at CMC fulltime by the next week. Hansen has been a specialist with CMC for some time (and in fact made his way from Texas to Utah as a result of the efforts of CEO Kent Loosle) but will be making his Idaho location a fulltime thing this summer. While again not a hyper competitive race, the top runners were not holding back. Winners of the younger bracket were Aiden Ball, followed by Parker Lindley. The adult run saw the top two finishers on the men’s side as Porter Hatch and James Birch. On the women’s side Cierra Mecham was followed by Brynlee Simmons. While not a strictly timed race, there was plenty of good-natured
jockeying for position throughout, and some small measure of gloating after the fact. Before the race itself started, Jeff Horsley led participants in a spirited stretching and warmup routine. No injuries were reported during the course of the evening’s events. The 5K route heads south toward the reservoir and then west along the shore until it hits the midway point a mile and half or so and then heads back uphill to the finish line. The top adult time was a bit under twenty minutes, which is a more than respectable 5 kilometer (just over 3 mile) time. A number of food trucks joined the hospital information tables around the lawn and hospital complex, and after the physical fitness events a film was screened on the hospital grass. If you missed this Fun Run but you are still hoping to catch a race soon, GOAL (Get Outside and Live) is sponsoring one on June 20 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Bailey Creek water tower parking lot, 802 Old Oregon Rd in Soda.
Preparing for when things go bad… fast
It doesn’t make sense to wait until things are desperate to learn how to deal with them, or that’s the thinking behind the state mandated training for high speed and dangerous traffic situations that members of the Caribou County, Soda Springs, and Montpelier police forces undertook last week. The training involved practicing high speed and skill driving techniques that allow officers to more safely engage in traffic pursuits and to negotiate potentially dangerous traffic situations. In the past, officers have had to head out of town for the instruction, but with recently certified trainer Sergeant Taylor Peck available, law enforcement was able to book the airport to practice the requisite skills before testing for readiness. Deputy Russ Roper of the Caribou County Sheriff’s Office explained some of the course, which he would soon be driving. “That’s a high speed curve – you can see the clear weight shift as they come around the turn,” he noted. “The technique is to control your vehicle through the corner, brake first, and be aware that when you come through the other side there may be an obstruction. You can see how tight this course is.” Roper did however note that while many of the officers would be taking the course in a Dodge Charger, “I’m going to do it in a 350 pickup, so don’t take a picture of that!” Sergeant Peck is happy to be able to offer the instruction to members of local law enforcement. “This is the first time we’ve had our own instructor who can teach this class,” he said. Last spring, Peck took a 40 hour instructor development class where he learned how to teach adults. In the fall, he furthered his portfolio by becoming qualified to teach the high liability course that was being held, dealing with EVO (Emergency Vehicle Operations).
Asleep on the Job
More than 20 officers assigned to protect Britain’s royal family have been placed on restricted duties following allegations that some officers fell asleep while on duty and left security posts unattended at Windsor Castle. The Metropolitan Police said 23 members of its Royalty and Specialist Protection command have been served with misconduct notices as part of an urgent internal investigation launched last month. Of those officers, 21 have been placed on restricted duties, while the remaining two will not be assigned to royal residences during the investigation. Authorities said the alleged behavior falls well below the standards expected of officers responsible for frontline protective roles. The allegations surfaced after reports claimed officers were found sleeping or abandoning their posts at Windsor Castle, one of King Charles III’s primary residences. Police have also begun examining practices at other royal residences as part of the investigation.
Amazing Rescue in Laos
A new Dodge Charger has been purchased for use by the SSPD, and was taken through its paces at training last week.
“What we are trying to do is reduce the officer collisions that happen,” Peck said, as we started around the initial training lap. “That’s one of the biggest causes of officer deaths, along with firearms, so we’re trying to eliminate that. We’re teaching the best way to go around corners where you can still maintain speed, but do it safely. Racing corners are what NASCAR does, but we’re teaching a way to not hio obstacles as they appear in your lane of traffic so you can keep going.” Peck demonstrated the maneuver of driving “outside outside inside,” along with “shuffle steering.” The latter is a way of quickly turning the steering wheel by pulling down from the top of the steering wheel to elimCOPS On Page 3
IN THIS EDITION Traffic Updates.....................................Pg. 2 "Downwinders".....................................Pg. 4 Puzzles.................................................Pg. 5
Negotiations between the United States and Iran have been put on hold after Iran suspended talks in protest of recent Israeli military actions in Lebanon. Iranian officials said Israel’s strikes violated an existing ceasefire agreement and cited the attacks as the reason for stepping away from discussions with Washington. The diplomatic setback comes as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East. In Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Beirut’s Dahieh district, a southern suburb considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. The attack is part of a broader expansion of Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon after Netanyahu announced plans to intensify Israel’s offensive. President Trump reportedly returned proposed revisions to a draft deal, seeking stronger language regarding Iran’s nuclear commitments and assurances that Iran would help guarantee the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Obituaries............................................Pg. 9 Grace Graduation..............................Pg. 10 Sports......................................... Pgs. 11-12
Five villagers trapped for more than a week inside a flooded cave in central Laos made a dramatic and unexpected escape after an international rescue effort spent days preparing a dangerous underwater extraction. The men had entered the cave searching for gold when rising floodwaters trapped them deep underground. Rescue teams from several countries worked around the clock pumping water from the cave and training the men, none of whom had diving experience, to navigate narrow, submerged passages. After one villager was successfully guided out by divers, rescuers expected the remaining four would require similar high-risk missions. Instead, the continuous pumping operation lowered water levels enough that the men were able to walk and scramble out of the cave on their own, stunning rescuers who were preparing for another dive. Emotional reunions followed as families welcomed the survivors home. However, the operation is not yet over, as two other villagers who reportedly entered the cave earlier remain missing. The incident has also drawn attention to the dangers of illegal gold mining in rural Laos, where rising gold prices continue to encourage people to take significant risks in search of income.