Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
February 19, 2026 | Vol. 146 No. 8
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF Jesse Jackson dies at 84
The area behind City Hall has been discussed at a number of recent meetings, as a place where feral cats have been increasing. Measures were discussed for dealing with the issue.
Water, Pets, and upcoming projects discussed at City Council It was a busy City Council meeting last week, with a number of issues on the agenda. Several of them—the new playground at the City Park and the FEMA grant that would create a water runoff area at the north side of the park, as well as a bid for contracting on Bannock street—resulted in a need for a special session this week. The issues are presented here, with the understanding that they are ongoing. Youth Council The mayor reported that the youth council has been recruiting and seven new members have joined the council, bringing it to the full number. As part of their bylaws, youth council members are required to attend at least one council meeting a year, which many of them did last week. SICOG Crystal Denny is taking over as the Sicog liaison with Malad. “It’s great to see young faces at city council,” she said, to the assembled youth council. She explained her experience with working in the public sector, adding that “If this is something you like, keep going.” She has been the main point of contact on the wastewater project. Her main reason for attendance was to discuss a potential March 13 deadline for bond language if they want to put it on the ballot for voters this spring. In short, the bond would allow the city to maintain a funding package that has been offered, which would be used to begin the work of bringing the water system up to current needs. The Letter of Intent that was used to seek the funding detailed the uses as performing a leak survey, “looping the lines,” upgrading a well, repairing leaks, updating equipment, and other ideas. It has a June 1 deadline for paperwork. The very latest that it can come in late May. Her recommendation is to do it now, rather than postpone it, or schedule it for a November election.
Water is of greatest importance in Oneida County, as has been proven to be the case many times over the years. It has been noted many times that the current infrastructure is old and in serious need of repair. One estimate that was received is that the city system may lose up to 20% of its water due to leaks and other structural issues. The costs to repair and update the system are quite significant, and the current funding package of over 4.4 million dollars includes a grant to account for a full quarter of that cost. The deadline for candidate and bond election filing is quickly approaching, so the decision needs to be made soon about pursuing that course. Due to the timeframe, another option is called “judicial confirmation,” which gives a judge the chance to determine whether the expenditure is warranted. Crystal Denny said that in her experience, with the money available, they will likely lose the loan dollars. In other words, the city may not be able to do the project if a bond fails. She suggested that they move forward with judicial confirmation. They would lose a quarter of the money/grant otherwise. Councilman John Williams noted that there wasn’t a lot of community support for bonds right now, though it would only require a simple majority. Judicial confirmation could be as quick as six weeks. Faced with a decision about how and whether to pursue a vote or bond, Denny noted that it is common to use judicial confirmation now. Sicog has only done those (rather than bond elections) since 2018, mostly because cost escalation is unpredictable. The language in a judicial confirmation order uses “ordinary and necessary” as a limiter to limit the scope of what can be done under its authority. In a bond election, the limiting language is much looser. CITY COUNCIL On Page 4
Malad FFA Alumni and Supporters Auction Feb 23
The Annual FFA Alumni and Supporters Live Auction and Dinner will take place on February 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include ham and potatoes served by the FFA members. A silent auction will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a Live Auction starting at 6:30 p.m. Dinner is by donation, and all money raised during the event will be used to support the many activities undertaken by MHS’ very active FFA program. In past years, the dinner and auction have been fantastic, well-attended events with a lot of amazing things up for bid, often created by the This year’s FFA leadership invite you to the live auction on FFA students themselves. The event gives the FFA students a chance to meet with Feb. 23! the community that supports them throughout the year on a wide variety of projects, and vice versa. Funds raised Sawtelle Mountain Resort 2-night stay, Milwaukee and during the auction and event are used to support the FFA by Dewalt power tools, toaster oven and air fryer, dutch oven, providing material support for travel. Entrance fees, equip- Cherry Peak Ski passes, hot springs passes, pallets of sod, ment, and other costs that are accrued in the service of water trough, Dewalt chop saw, deep freeze, Minky blankeeping the program vital and moving forward. In the past, ket, Little Giant Ladder, 3-month gym membership, and the auction event has been a fun and well-attended evening, mixed beef box. Anyone curious can find “Malad FFA Chapter” or which is no surprise as Malad’s FFA program is very strong and performs well in district and statewide competitions. “Malad FFA Alumni and Supporters” Social media pages The support from parents, teachers, and members of the for a complete list of donors and items being auctioned at our event on February 23rd. Dinner and silent auction becommunity has been a major part of that success. Some of the items that will be auction off at the event gin at 5:30 pm, and the live auction will begin at 7 pm. “We in include: Student welding projects, Campchef Smoker, hope to see you there!” Advisor Lexie Evans says.
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE School Board Report...........................Pg. 2 Legislative Update...............................Pg. 3 Puzzles................................................Pg. 6
Looking Back.......................................Pg. 7 Obituaries............................................Pg. 9 Sports..........................................Pgs. 11-12
It was reported on Tuesday that famed politician and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson had passed away on Tuesday. Over the last several months, Jackson had been hospitalized for a condition called “progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). A statement from his family read, in part: “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless – from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history.” Jackson was a close aide to Martin Luther King, Jr. and formed the Rainbow Coalition after the King assassination, ultimately running for president twice on the ticket.
Alien confirmation?
Over the weekend, former President Barack Obama peaked the interest of podcast listeners when he appeared to confirm the existence of alien life forms, something which every president in the twenty-first century has so far promised to come clean on. “They’re real but I haven’t seen them. And they’re not being kept in…what is it? Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” he said on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast. Later, Obama clarified that he had meant, “statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low.” Obviously, that put the entire controversy right to bed, right?
Pebble Creek closed for weather
Things may have already changed (again) by the time this paper is out, but early in the week officials at Pebble Creek Ski Area chose to “suspend operations” due to the lack of snowfall and unseasonably warm temperatures. The season, which has been difficult for everyone in the winter recreation field, began later than usual as a result of late snowfall. Some of the larger resorts in the region—Pomerelle, Grand Targhee, and Jackson Hole—are still in full operation, but Kelly Canyon and others remain only partially open, and on a day-to-day basis. Pebble plans to open back up on Wednesday, and Tuesday’s storm should help somewhat, but the calendar for the rest of the season remains unclear.
“Snow Drought”
The NOAA held a news briefing to discuss an “unprecedented snow drought” in place in the Intermountain West. Temperatures this winter have been on average ten or more degrees higher throughout the winter than in past years, making the formation and retention of snowpack impossible.