Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
April 20, 2023 |Vol. 143 No. 16
$1.00
Boy Scout Troop 1776 flanks the crowd at the capacity Lincoln Day Dinner event last Friday
Lincoln Day Dinner Returns
For the second year in a row, the Republican Lincoln Day event made its return to Malad. The event was sponsored by the Republican Central Committee, and Chaired by Matt Wray, whose committee included Dave Colton, Karen Kerr, Paula Romrell, Jane Ann Ward, and Travis Whipple. The night featured Idaho GOP Chair Dorothy Moon and 2nd District Congressman Chris Stewart from Utah. The event was held on April 14, and was well-attended by many members of the public, as well as public figures. Dinner was catered by the Iron Door Smokehouse. The evening was opened by a flag ceremony from Boy Scout Troop 1776, as well as members of the NW Liberty Academy. Following the flag ceremony, Toni Werk of the Interfaith Council provid-
ed the invocation, which invited the spirit of goodwill and collegiality. David Teeples sang “Proud to be an American.” Matt Wray, who emceed the event, read a selection of cowboy poetry to the audience, including “The Scent of the Sage,” a poem about his mission in Oklahoma and missing Idaho. The poem was inspired by a sprig of sagebrush his mother had sent him while on his mission. As he explained, “That smell is so unique to our part of the world.” Before the primary speakers for the evening, dinner was provided by the Iron Door Smokehouse, and served by the Boy Scouts and academy members. Dinner featured spaghetti, salad, and dinner rolls, as well as a strawberry dessert. Proceeds from the evening, includ-
ing the concurrent silent auction, will go to send members to state meetings and pay for media/advertising and other expenses incurred by the event, as well as the committee’s operational costs. Following an introduction by Matt Wray, Idaho GOP Chairman Dorothy Moon briefly addressed the crowd. Dorothy Moon was first elected to the Idaho State House of Representatives in 2016 to represent District 8B, which includes Boise, Custer, Gem, Lemhi and Valley Counties. She was elected to serve in 2022 as chairman of State Republican party in a contest against Tom Luna. In 2022 she lost an election against Phil McCrane to serve as Secretary of State. Moon recounted some of what she saw as successes of the Idaho Legislature over the last several years, includ-
Townhall: Officials Answer Questions On April 12, the County officials of Oneida County hosted a Townhall meeting to allow the public to bring their questions, concerns, and ideas into a public forum. County departments all hold public meetings which are open to anyone to attend, but often must be held during business hours for a number of practical reasons. This evening townhall gave an opportunity to those unable to attend morning and afternoon meetings to share their opinions. In attendance were County Clerk Lon Colton, Commissioners Bill Lewis, Ken Eliason, and Brian Jeppsen, Treasurer Leigh Love, County Assessor Kathleen Atkinson, County Attorney Cody Brower, Probation Officer Gabe Jimenez, Hospital Director John Williams, Planning and Zoning Administrator Rhonda Neal, Road and Bridge Director Dianna Dredge, and Sheriff Arne Jones. The meeting lasted several hours, and at times dealt with individual concerns rather than general questions. The questions tended to fall into one of a few categories: Planning and Zoning (Development Code) issues, Law Enforcement issues, and a number of other miscellaneous concerns. Without a doubt, questions about the recently implemented Development Code dominated the meeting. One of the first questions of the evening highlighted a number of related issues. As one citizen asked, “why has the development code gone from 30 pages to 300?” At heart, the question gets at some of the purpos-
ing the recent bill restricting access to gender-confirming surgery for minors. Moon also announced the appointment of a Hispanic outreach administrator. “We have a crazy guy in the office,” Moon said. “But make no mistake, I work for you, and your voices have to be heard.” Matt Wray introduced U.S. Congressman Chris Stewart from Utah as a representative of the event. Stewart was then introduced by his brother-inlaw Anton Jensen, who took the opportunity to poke some fun at his relative, but also sing his praises. Chris Stewart, representing Utah’s Second Congressional District, began his remarks by noting “If you don’t like what I say, that’s okay because you can’t do anything about it. You LINCOLN DAYS On Page 11
NEWS IN BRIEF 13 year old freed from claw machine
In Charlotte, North Carolina, 13-year-old boy had to be freed from a claw machine after he climbed inside hoping to grab a prize, according to the Carowinds Amusement Park. Officials were alerted Sunday afternoon that the boy was inside a park claw machine containing plush prizes, according to a spokesperson for the park south of Charlotte. The medical response team unlocked the machine and the boy was able to get out, she said. He was treated and released from first aid to his guardian. The boy has been banned from the park for one year for attempted theft, Weber said.
County officials gathered last week to answer questions from the public
es of the revised Planning and Zoning approach over the last two or so years, as well as some of the headaches that have come along with it. As Cody Brower explained, “in the past, we’ve had struggles with loopholes and inaccuracies. A lot of the additions are devoted to definitions, which were missing in the prior version.” The previous 30 page development code left a lot of questions ambiguous as a result of not clearly defining the terms governing the ordinances that could be applied to various building situations. The current code, it was stated, provides a stronger basis for making decisions on the basis of how the various terms involved are defined legally.
Many of the issues raised by individuals questioners at the townhall have been raised in separate meetings over the last year or so with the Planning and Zoning and County Commission bodies deliberating them. The point was made during the meeting that “it seems a lot easier to deal with a question like this once to 150 people than 150 times to different people,” and that certainly captured the value of an exercise like the townhall. County officials were able to address widely shared concerns in a more efficient way than through the individual results of multiple smaller meetings. COUNTY TOWNHALL On Page 10
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE THIS WEEK FFA State Convention..........................Pg.2 DYW.......................................................Pg.4 Looking Back....................................... Pg.7
Puzzles..............................................................Pg.9 Lincoln Day Dinner, cont'd...............................Pg.11 Sports...............................................................Pg.12
Antlerless hunts eliminated in East Idaho this year
As a result of the difficult winter weather for breeding populations of deer and elk, Idaho Fish and Game has chosen to eliminate antlerless hunts for the 2023-2024 season. The pause in antlerless hunting will allow the herds—especially of mule deer—to rebound after an especially long winter season. Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado have seen similar issues with herd numbers and imposed similar strictures.
Montana bans TikTok
Montana became the first state in the country to ban the social media app TikTok from all personal devices, sending the bill to Governor Greg Gianforte’s desk. If the governor signs the bill, it will take effect in January 2024. The bill would prohibit app stores from selling the app within the state boundaries, and would penalize them, rather than individual users. TikTok is seen by some security analysts as a threat, due to its data-mining potential and Chinese authorship. The bill likely faces a number of first amendment challenges if passed.