Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
February 9, 2023 |Vol. 143 No. 06
VALENTINE’S SWEETHEARTS 2023
Marv and Sondra Ekstrom
Who said high school relationships never last? These two are a great example of how love can last when you marry your best friend. Marv and Sondra went to the same schools but were never more than just acquaintances. It wasn’t until a couple of mutual friends got them together that a friendship started and quickly turned into a relationship. Sondra was at the Halloween carnival with her friend and afterward was going to hang out for a while. They ended up with her friend's younger brother who happened to be with Marv that night. The group ended up spending some time together and basically after that first meeting, Marv and Sondra spent all their time together. Who knew Halloween time could be so romantic! They were married on June 21, 1980, at a small ceremony held at Sondra’s childhood home in Arbon Valley. It has now been almost 43 years of marriage and this couple is still as fun, crazy, and loving as they ever were. Soon after their marriage, the couple moved to Phoenix, Arizona for a year while Marv went to school. After he completed his program, the couple moved back to their hometown. In 1981 Marv started working for his dad at Albert’s Service and has dedicated countless
Ken and Kristy Eliason
Thousands dead after earthquake in Turkey
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the border of Turkey and Syria over the weekend, killing an estimated 2,300 people as of the most recently available figures. Hundreds more are assumed to be trapped in rubble across the affected areas. The numbers are expected to rise considerably as the rescue efforts continue. The area has been struck by a number of large earthquakes over the years, including a massive quake in 1999 that resulted in 18,000 deaths. Thousands of buildings collapsed over a nearly 200-mile area.
The unfolding drama of Chinese spy balloons has created increased tensions with China, who claims that the U.S. “overreacted” to their presence in U.S. airspace. After taking heat for not reacting sooner, the Biden administration ordered one balloon shot down over the weekend, after it had cleared areas which may have created potentially dangerous wreckage in inhabited areas. It has since been revealed by the Pentagon that such balloons were observed during the Trump administration as well. Investigation of the balloon’s remains is ongoing, to determine what exactly they had been collecting.
AMC begins charging more for better seats
Good news for those who prefer to sit closer to the screen, but bad news for everyone else. AMC, one of the largest U.S. movie theatre chains recently announced new pricing models for its theatres. “Preferred” tier seats will cost more and occupy the middle seats of the theatre, while rear and side seating will fall into the “Standard” tier. “Value” seats will be reduced cost, and include the rows closest to the screen. This new system will only be in effect for showings after 4 p.m.
Several WMAs closed for the winter
While Kristy happily accepted his offer of marriage and the condition of living on the family ranch, there was one important step that the pair felt had to be done right away, and that was for Ken to ask Jim Anderson, Kristy’s father, for his blessing. Looking back, Kristy says she doesn’t remember ever seeing Ken so nervous. The couple had always enjoyed Ken and thought that he was a good match for their daughter, but there was something about the official ask that left Ken anxious. No parent can deny that a proposal so young, even before graduating high school, to a man nearly six years older than their daughter, with the intentions to live in the middle of nowhere, with a livelihood that was physically demanding and historically offered little pay might cause some concern. But not KEN AND KRISTY ELIASON On Page 2
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE THIS WEEK Sweethearts, cont'd..............................Pg.2 Lions Club 100th Year..........................Pg.4 Looking Back.........................................Pg.8
NEWS IN BRIEF
Chinese spy balloon raises new international stakes
MARV AND SONDRA On Page 2
It may seem like a simple love story, but nonetheless, Ken and Kristy Eliason’s story is one that has lasted for nearly 40 years. After building a life filled with five sons, welcoming five daughters-in-law, chasing dreams on and off their cattle ranch, and enjoying the crowning glory of grandparenthood, that love story has proven to pass the test of life. In this day and age, maybe such a love story isn’t so simple after all. Ken and Kristy first met at an adult church singles activity near Logan, Utah. At the time, Ken, finished with his mission and college experience, lived in Holbrook working on his family ranch while Kristy lived in Bothwell, Utah and had just finished her junior year of high school. At seventeen, Kristy really wasn’t old enough to attend the singles activities, but went anyway to tag along with her older sister. It was at the dance near Beaver Dam where the Idaho cowboy first caught her eye. After seeing each other at just a few activities, Ken plucked up the courage to ask Kristy to join him for a first date. Not having Kristy’s number, he worked through friends to learn her sister’s number to finally get a hold of her. That first date must have gone well because after that day the two began dating, spending nearly every weekend together. Kristy tells the story that after months of dating, she was asked to prom by someone that wasn’t Ken. Since they had never talked about dating exclusively, Kristy accepted the invitation, informing Ken that she would be busy on prom night. There must have been something about Kristy going out with another man that spurred Ken into action to move things along, because it wasn’t long before he pushed their relationship to the next stage. Not long after her 18th birthday and just weeks before graduating high school, Ken surprisingly proposed to Kristy. After hearing the story so many times, their children recall, “Mom said dad’s proposal was kind of an accident. They were sitting in the old red 6.2 in front of mom’s house when all of the sudden he said something like ‘Well, I guess, do you want to get married?’” Ken explains that the proposal had been on his mind and really hadn’t intended to ask her that night but the conversation had turned that way so he just threw caution to the wind and asked. And nearly as quickly as he had asked her to marry him, he tagged on, “And we will live in Holbrook, of course.” Not a question, but a direct and simple statement. Kristy laughs when she thinks back, how he put it all out there, his loving ultimatum of a proposal.
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Legislative Update Kelly Anthon........................Pg.9 Puzzles.............................................................Pg.10 Sports..........................................................Pg.11-12
Several Wildlife Management Areas in the southeast Idaho region will be closed until further notice to protect big game animals from the stress of winter feeding and sheltering conditions. The areas in question include the Portneuf, Georgetown, and Montpelier WMAs in Southeast Idaho, and the Tex Creek and Market Lake areas in the Upper Snake Region. The move is designed to allow big game animals reduced stress to conserve energy in order to thrive until the breeding season begins in the spring.
Six more weeks of winter predicted
Whether the estimate is exact or not, both Punxsutawney Phil and the National Weather Service see at least several more weeks of very wintery temperatures. Statistically, the famous groundhog’s shadow is roughly a coin flip’s percentage reliable in terms of long-term weather forecasting. However, advanced computer modeling does tend to support the call this time, with most experts explaining that the trends throughout the season so far lead them to believe that the in many cases historically low temperatures will continue at least through February.