Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
October 30, 2025 |Vol. 145 No. 44
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF
Teenager Accused of Blackfoot Murder Arrested in Pocatello
After a long Cardinal reign at the top of the District, the Malad men’s and women’s cross country teams both took District Champion honors in last week’s meet.
Double District Champs! BY ALLISON ELIASON
The Dragon Cross County team has been chasing a dream for years, a dream of becoming the District Champion team in both the men’s and women’s division. The competition at the district meet has been challenging with fast, strategic and powerful racers. The Soda Springs teams dominated the district, placing in the top two spots for more than a decade. But after the 5th District 3A XC meet results were tallied Wednesday, October 22, it was the Malad Dragon team that was crowned victorious, ending the long Cardinal reign. Five years ago, the Dragons came in last place for both the men and women teams, and since then have been working to change their story. Slowly their times became faster, their scores improved and they pushed the competition in new ways. In 2023, the MHS men’s team pulled ahead of the Soda Springs
team to win the district meet, winning 29-47. They team repeated the feat in 2024, the young team now having gained crucial experience. In a similar way, the MHS women’s team made great strides to improve over the season to finally reach the goal to outrun the Cardinal team. The final district meet of the 2025 season was held in Soda Springs on the challenging trails at Kelly Park. Having had ample experience running the course, the Dragon XC team was well prepared for what it would take to win the race. The MHS women’s team lined up at 3 pm to begin the day’s races. Knowing they would have to jump to an early start on the narrow course but reserve enough strength and stamina for Heartbreak hill, the Lady Dragons took off to the head of the pack. Despite the burn of their screaming muscles, the team pushed past the discomfort to outpace most of the competition for the 5K race.
Aezlyn Summers led the MHS pack, finishing second with a time of 20:58.70, just 9 seconds behind first place. Kaycee Venable followed close behind in third place. The three final racers that would contribute to the team score cross the finish line in succession, beginning with Ellie Angell in sixth place, Kallie Talbot in seventh place, and Brielle Bastian in eighth. With their top five runners placing in the Top 10, it was no surprise that the Lady Dragons were announced as the 2025 champion team. Following the women’s race, the 3A men followed. Malad’s Boston Burbidge outshown the competition as he placed first and claimed the district title with a time of 16:47.11. Less than a minute later, Jace Nalder and Levi Angell finished the race. Braun Nalder slipped in at ninth place with Carter Smith CROSS COUNTRY On Page 12
Woodruff Bridge open for traffic; commission report On Monday afternoon, the Woodruff bridge at the south end of the valley near Exit 3 was officially opened for business after several months of work to complete the project. The bridge was in need of repair in order to make it suitable for car and truck travel. The bridge structure was rebuilt and reinforced over several months as a part of a grant-supported funding project. Following the meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, the bridge was officially ribbon-cut, and is now open for all traffic. Asphalt is the only remaining part of the project left to complete, which will be done in the coming months, weather permitting. The opening is the culmination of a long process, which involves the bimonthly oversight of the commis-
sioners. Commission meetings are held every second and fourth Monday of the month, with a small number of exceptions. The meeting of October 14 was one of those exceptions, as the regular day fell on the Columbus Day holiday. A selective report from that day follows. The report is adapted from notes recorded by Deputy County Clerk Shanci Dorius, and is not itself the official record.
Malad Valley Welsh Heritage Festival Changes As discussed in last week’s Enterprise, Luke Waldron and Jean Thomas presented Commissioners with the upcoming changes to the Malad Valley Welsh Festival, which is in its 20th year (excluding one year that was missed
due to COVID-19). As the current Malad Valley Welsh Festival Board has decided against continuing to lead the event, the Malad Valley Heritage Square Board has agreed to assume responsibility, with Luke Waldron chairing the new committee. The Festival will be a smaller, shorter event held at the Heritage Square in Samaria during the third week of September each year, replacing the Harvest Festival. The new event name will be “Malad Valley Welsh Festival at Heritage Square”. The committee will use several platforms to notify the public regarding the name, date, and location changes. BRIDGE On Page 9
Members of Road and Bridge and the County Commission attended the ribbon cutting on Monday at the Woodruff Bridge. Lance Leavitt was on the far side, holding the ribbon, but no matter what we tried we couldn’t make the original picture work in this space, and I apologize.
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE
Bike Rodeo..........................................Pg. 2 Paint Night...........................................Pg. 3 Puzzles................................................Pg. 6
Looking Back.......................................Pg. 7 Obituary...............................................Pg. 9 Sports.......................................... .Pg. 11-12
A 16-year-old boy accused of a homicide in Blackfoot was arrested early Friday morning in Pocatello, according to law enforcement officials. Police say the investigation began Thursday after a body was discovered at the south end of Blackfoot. The suspect, identified as Bobby G. Jackson, had been on the run since the incident. Authorities described him as 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and warned the public that he was considered extremely dangerous. After a multi-agency search, officers located Jackson around 2:30 a.m. Friday and took him into custody without incident. Authorities say there is no longer an active threat to the public. The Blackfoot Police Department continues to investigate the case and has not yet released additional details about the victim or possible motives. More information is expected as the investigation progresses.
Federal Workers Miss Payday Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown
Thousands of federal employees expecting a paycheck this week are instead receiving nothing, as the government shutdown stretches into its 24th day with no resolution in sight. According to federal data, about 670,000 civilian workers have been furloughed, while roughly 730,000 deemed “essential” continue to work without pay. Many agencies, including the Social Security Administration and TSA, remain operational but short-staffed as employees struggle to meet expenses without income. Some furloughed workers have applied for unemployment benefits, but those still working are ineligible — leaving families across the country facing mounting bills, missed rent, and uncertainty about when they’ll be paid again. Lawmakers in Congress remain deadlocked over a budget deal, with no clear timeline for reopening the government. For many federal workers, today’s empty paycheck marks a growing sense of frustration and financial anxiety as the shutdown drags on.
Utah Family traded their dream home for the open road all to help their autistic son thrive
A Utah family has traded their suburban dream for life on the road in hopes of helping their autistic son thrive. The Brittney Clark and Preston Clark family left their Farmington home and even tried settling in St. George before choosing a nomadic lifestyle to better serve their 8-year-old son Hyrum Clark, who has Level 3 autism. Travelling in an RV throughout the western U.S., they discovered Hyrum flourishes in remote “dispersed camping” locations away from crowds and stimuli. The move has not only eased his anxiety, but also brought renewed hope to the whole family.