Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
January 8, 2026 | Vol. 146 No. 2
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF Ongoing situation in Venezuela
A view from looking down at Oneida County as January kicks off a new year.
State of Malad City BY MAYOR JOAN HAWKINS
For this year’s State of the City address, I will focus on the condition of Malad City’s finances, infrastructure, parks and recreation, economic development, and land use and zoning. First, I want to thank our city staff. We are fortunate to have dedicated professionals who know their jobs well and consistently do their best. Susan Wittman serves as Malad City Clerk, assisted by Machelle Neal. They work daily with the public and help keep our city running smoothly and efficiently. Tyler Webster is our Superintendent of Public Works and oversees a staff of four, with additional help during the summer months. Our full-time crew includes Gaylen Garrett, Pat Werk, Clint Price, and Quincy Asay. Former employee Josh Barnes was recently hired to assist on Fridays and some Saturdays as needed. This team maintains the cemetery, city park, city roads, and our water and sewer systems. John Christophersen serves as the City Ordinance Officer, working to enforce Malad City ordinances. Brett Evanson is the Malad City Attorney, along with Fuller & Fuller from Preston, who provide prosecution services. Terrill Schwartz handles the city’s finances as Trea-
surer, and Shelly Williams serves as the part-time administrator for the Planning and Zoning Commission. Law Enforcement is provided by the Oneida County Sheriff, Doug Williams, and his staff. We appreciate our law enforcement officials, our volunteer fire department, and volunteer EMT’s. Our Malad City Council members are Lance Tripp, Tyrell Neal, Jaime Olsen, and newly elected John Williams. This year we also said goodbye to Councilman Larry Thomas, who retired after approximately 28 years of service. Larry’s dedication to our community will be greatly missed, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. As mentioned, Terrill Schwartz serves as our City Treasurer. As a former mayor and banker, he brings valuable experience to this role. He works closely with the council to prepare the annual budget and helps guide both council and staff to stay within its limits. Each year, the council carefully assesses the city’s needs in advance and works diligently to live within that budget. As mayor, I have worked alongside staff, council members, and community partners to secure grants for the city. These grants have been critical in helping us fund necessary infrastructure improvements. One example is the recent Wastewater
State of the County End of Year County Reports Oneida County has a number of large departments, each with its own supervisor and staff. In order to account for the various agencies, an end of the year/last quarter report is included here from each of those departments. Additionally, the most recent county commission meeting report can be found in this issue as well. For the most part, each report is authored by its supervisor/director. Airport Board The board engaged Stephen Freiburger, the county’s engineer, to develop the bid for the runway lighting replacement grant. When the runway was repaved, new conduit was laid underneath in anticipation of a new lighting system. Those lines have been located and mapped. There is no conduit under the taxi way so that information needs to be mapped. Mr. Freiburger also inspected the electrical system due to the need for a new regulator for the updated lighting system. Parker Venable provided a CAD drawing of the runway for measurements. Last month, Parker Venable and his crew spread new gravel around the
airport and fixed the barrow pit for water mitigation. In the last board meeting, it was determined to charge $5 a night for use of the tie downs. There are only a few tie downs available and half of them house derelict planes. If a person purchases fuel, the first night’s fee is waived. Brilee Bastian cleaned the pilots’ lounge the past year. She resigned because she is too busy with school. We asked around for another person to clean. Whitney Cook is the only person who agreed to clean for 2 hours a week. A speed limit sign needs to be placed at the airport. This is a family-friendly airport, but some of the people drive too fast posing a safety hazard. A sign and post are needed as well as advisement on the determined speed. Ambulance Department Not much has changed with the Ambulance department over the past 3 months. There have been some difficult calls and our crews have handled them with the skill and compassion necessary. We are still awaiting delivery of the new ambulance, which is now set for sometime early next year.
Project, completed with the assistance of JUB Engineers, the city’s engineering firm. Coming up this year is the Bannock Street Improvement Project. This project will include reconstruction of Bannock Street, installation of a new stormwater drain, new sidewalks, curbs, and gutters from Four Points to beyond Five Points. Forsgren Associates (now Forsgren, an Apex Company) is overseeing this project. Several grants were secured with their help, along with a Forest Service grant that will also allow improvements and expansion of our city park and walking path. In Parks and Recreation, we have been fortunate to receive grants that fund “extra” projects -amenities that make our city more attractive and enjoyable for residents. I want to recognize Councilman Lance Tripp for his leadership in Parks and Recreation and for organizing special project committees. Through these efforts, we have completed two major projects - the Splash Pad and Pickleball Courts - and are currently working on a third: a new playground. These projects would not be possible without the many community members who serve on committees, seek out grants, and contribMALAD CITY On Page 3
We are possibly going to hold another EMT class this winter for those who have expressed interest. One safety issue is the overgrowth of weeds surrounding the ambulance bay. Volunteer ambulance crew brought in equipment to clear the overgrowth of weeds and is hopeful that an agreement can be reached in the future where the county will manage the spraying. As of July 1, oversight for Idaho EMS has been moved from the Department of Health and Welfare to the Military. This change seems to be positive so far. Assessor The Assessor’s office is doing the normal day to day work. We have not seen the deed processing slow down and we have approximately 40 new homes or buildings to put on occupancy next month [January]. We are trying to learn our new mapping system, but the state has all new people as well, so we are looking at ways to find help in other places so that we can continue to help our customers like we have in the past. COUNTY On Page 4
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE Light Show Update..............................Pg. 2 Les Thompson’s 100th........................Pg. 3 Puzzles................................................Pg. 6
Obituaries.......................................Pg. 9-10 Community Calendar.........................Pg. 10 Sports........................................... Pg. 11-12
Over the weekend, the United States hit Venezuela with what officials termed a “large-scale strike,” which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores under accusations of participating in a “narco-terrorism conspiracy.” This is a dramatic escalation of actions that had been characterized by strikes against small boats said by the U.S. government to be involved in the drug trade, and the interception of oil tankers in international waters. While there is widespread international agreement that Maduro was a negative presence in the lives of Venezuelans and the stability of the region, there is also widespread anxiety and skepticism of the U.S. approach to resolving the situation. The situation is rapidly unfolding and there is certain to be new information and developments even before this paper is able to reach readers, so to try to summarize it in this space would be a fool’s errand. Suffice to say, it will remain a subject dominating the news for months to come. At present, Maduro has been arraigned in U.S. court [to which he and his wife pleaded not guilty], and President Trump has publicly stated that Venezuela’s government is now being administrated by the U.S. Critics from both sides of the aisle have decried entry into a potentially sustained nation-building exercise, as well as statements about Venezuela’s oil, with a recent poll [for what it’s worth] finding that only 1 in 3 Americans supported the move against Venezuela.
Flu worst in years
You’re not imagining that this year’s flu seems worse than usual. The CDC has reported that flu cases resulting in visits to the doctor are at their highest recorded levels since the 19971998. According to the CDC report, around 8.2% of visits to the doctor during the last week of 2025 were for flu-related issues, which is up from 6.7% last year. The biggest factor in flu prevention, annual flu shots, are down this year as are vaccinations across the board. Newly released Dept of Health and Human Services guidelines that make vaccinations less of a priority had not yet been announced during the data collection period. The strength of this year’s flu is attributed to the particular nature of the strain— called subclade K.
Mountain Lions killed in CO
Two mountain lions in Colorado were located and killed Monday, following a New Year’s Day fatal attack on 46 year old Kristen Marie Kovatch on New Year’s Day. The Larimer County Coroner’s Office released a finding that the victim’s injuries—a neck compression resulting in asphyxia—were consistent with injuries caused by mountain lion attacks. Hikers came across Kovatch and a nearby mountain lion, who they scared away with rocks. Two mountain lions were later located and put down, with a third lion sighted but not located. One of the lions was determined to have human DNA on its paws, while the other did not. This was the first fatal mountain lion attack in Colorado since the 1990s.