Issuu

HOLIDAY NEWS

EDUCATION NEWS

4th Of July Still Happy PG 5

SUN VALLEY

KETCHUM

HISTORICAL NEWS

School District Passes New Budget PG 4 HAILEY

Tiny Town of Soldier Grows, Changes PG 9 BELLEVUE

PICABO

CAREY

WOOD RIVER WEEKLY YOUR VOICE IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY

Free | July 1 - 14, 2020 | Vol. 1 - No. 16 | woodriverweekly.com

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” ~Thomas Paine

Everyone enjoy a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend. Photo credit: Adobe Stock

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Wood River Weekly

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July 1 - 14, 2020

YOU CAN FIND IT IN BLAINE!

GREAT GARDENS

SUN VALLEY 3D PHOTO 3D Virtual Tours Real Estate Interior Design Vacation Rentals Architecture SCAN FOR 3D VIRTUAL TOUR

Looking for a fun, creative & experienced gardener? • Spring Cleanup • Composting • Mulching • Edging • Planting • Design

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Call Christopher 720-5127

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Shop Local

CLASSIFIEDS FINE FINISH CARPENTRY Custom Cabinetry • Interior Finish Remodeling • Kitchen • Baths CAD Cabinetry Design Mike @ (208) 720-7250 Check out our Facebook page www.ffcid.com

Mandi 208.721.7588

PRICING

Advertise on this page for ONLY $35/week.

Text (up to 25 words): $5 Additional Text: 20¢ per word Photos: $5 per image • Logo: $10 Deadline: Monday at 1 p.m Space reservations: classifieds@woodriverweekly.com

CROSSWORD

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RETIREMENT HORSE BOARDING

Retirement horse boarding for geldings. Limited vacancy. Small family farm environment with excellent facilities. Experienced geriatric care. Veterinarian references. Text or call (208) 720-7252

HOUSEKKEEPING

Responsible, experienced & great references, housekeeper now accepting new clients. Free estimates available for: homes, condos & offices. beatrizq2003@hotmail.com, (208) 720-5973

HANDYMAN

Jack of all trades. Reliable, insured, clean. Small jobs to large remodel projects, or the “honey-do” list. Call Mark, (208) 573-1784

Publisher’s Note:

Our initial plan was to resume publishing the paper on a weekly basis starting in July. Unfortunately, the current economic climate is still very difficult, with events being cancelled or postponed, and many businesses struggling to recover from the shutdown and difficulty of re-opening. Our plan is to continue publishing every second week. So, for July the schedule will be: July 1st, July 15th & July 29th. Thank you for your understanding and support. ~Mandi & Chris

Wood River Weekly

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July 1 - 14, 2020

WRW STAFF

PUBLISHER Christopher Seldon (208) 788-4789 publisher@woodriverweekly.com MARKETING & SALES Mandi Iverson (208) 721-7588 mandi@woodriverweekly.com Jennifer Simpson (208) 721-0658 jennifer@woodriverweekly.com NEWS EDITOR Eric Valentine news@woodriverweekly.com

ARTS & EVENTS, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Dana DuGan dana@woodriverweekly.com COPY EDITOR Patty Healey PRODUCTION & DESIGN Mandi Iverson mandi@woodriverweekly.com Christopher Seldon chris@woodriverweekly.com ACCOUNTING accounting@woodriverweekly.com DEADLINES Display & Classified Ads, Monday 5 p.m. Calendar Submissions — Friday 5 p.m. CONTACT Wood River Weekly P.O. Box 3483 Hailey, Idaho 83333 (208) 788-4789 woodriverweekly.com

Small Business Administration FORGIVENESS APPLICATION Form 3508

SUMMER 2020

These Classes Still Have Openings! YOUTH CLAY CAMP August 3-7, August 10-14 TEEN THROWING CAMP Call and get on the waiting list! FAMILY CLAY Cookie Jars August 5

ONE DAY WORKSHOPS Mugs with Handles July 6 Flower Pots July 27 Garden Ornaments August 17

GUEST ARTIST WORKSHOP Tom and Elaine Coleman August 3-6

TUSCANY ON TENTH FUNDRAISER July 22nd 6:00-9:00 PM at Sawtooth Botanical Garden

REGISTRATION REQUIRED 208-726-4484 bouldermtclay@gmail.com www.bouldermtnclay.org Boulder Mountain Clayworks is a 501©3 nonprofit organization Partial Scholarships Available

Celebrating Our Country’s Freedom With You

Happy Fourth of July!

Ask Me How greg@cpastrust.org www.cpastrust.org

208-720-4926 Your Independent Insurance Agency That Serves You First

Call us today!

www.woodriverinsurance.com

Wood River Weekly

•

July 1 - 14, 2020

Kiki Tidwel l

Blaine County Commissioner Candidate

NEWS

New BCSD Trustees Bring New Ideas To 2020-21 Budget

T • Reliable backup power • Proactive contact tracing & testing health measures to keep us from shutting down again • Economic survival for all residents • Prioritization of spending scarce County dollars on vital county services tidwellcommissionercampaign.com (208) 578-7769 • twitter: @kikitidwell Paid for by Citizens for Kiki Tidwell, Cynthia Mann Treasurer

Harrison Insurance

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jane’s artifacts arts / / crafts / / papers / / office / / party

We have great picnic and 4th of July supplies.

Check out Holiday House Gift Shop, STILL 50% OFF!!

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patio & Dining Room Open 11 am — 8 pm Tuesday to Saturday Draft beer $2 - Bottled Beer $3

315 S Main St., Hailey, Idaho 83333 • (208) 788-0772 • thesmokeybonebbq@gmail.com

EDUCATION

By Eric Valentine

he COVID-19 pandemic made its impact known on local public schools during budget sessions in June. At a special Blaine County School District board meeting June 18, trustees passed a $56.9 million budget that will have to pull from its rainy day fund to make sure all the bills get paid. All that was expected. Less expected— and for some BCSD stakeholders very much hoped for— was the impact the reconfigured school Trustee Lara Stone. Photo credit: Blaine board had on the de- County School District cision-making process. The district will have to pull roughly $3.5 million from its reserves to make the 2020-21 budget whole, but it could have been worse were it not for a proposal by Zone 5 trustee Lara Stone. “I do have an idea,” Stone told her fellow trustees at the June 18 session. “My suggestion would be to eliminate the communications department. The HR department is already handling all internal communications. … With only a $60,000 budget shifted Trustee Dan Turner. Photo credit: Blaine over to HR we could County School District hire a consulting firm … that could function as a communications department for us.” The idea represented a cost savings of $165,000 for salary and benefits for a communications director, $55,000 for a communications specialist position, $17,000 for contract work, and $4,000 for employee travel. Stone said she researched a firm that could provide the essential services for $36,000. After some discussion, trustees voted 4–1 to approve the amendment to the district’s draft budget. Zone 2 trustee Kelly Green was the lone dissenter. “It’s pulling the rug out from someone … but I do understand the aspect of savings. I wish there were a way we could allow for some preparation,” Green explained. During the discussion, board president Keith Roark noted the frustration some district parents expressed with the district. He said it was made clear that BCSD has “a communications problem.” Over the last couple of school years some stakeholders have claimed the communications department served as a PR department for BCSD and its administration rather than an instrument for keeping parents informed. Recently appointed Zone 4 trustee Dan Turner had additional cost-savings ideas that did not move forward, at least for now. Turner urged trustees to consider a reduction in its PERSI contributions. PERSI is the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, the pension program for teachers and other public employees. “The PERSI contribution the district makes on behalf of the employees is generous at the very least. For somebody who’s just been around for a week, that’s probably sticking my neck out there a little, but I think this is an area we have to really consider.” Of note during the board discussion on communications was what didn’t get heard. Multiple times Superintendent GwenCarol Holmes raised her hand to speak on the matter. Roark did not call on her and initially explained why. The new board president said that once a motion is made, it’s the board who needs to discuss it and if any trustee had a question for staff, they could ask it. However, staff is expected not to contribute to direct board discussion. “I don’t want to be rude about that. I want to follow parliamentary procedures,” Roark told the superintendent.

Wood River Weekly

NEWS

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July 1 - 14, 2020

HOLIDAY

Reconfiguring The Fourth

Antique ‘show will not go on’ but parade and fireworks will

By Eric Valentine

et’s have a patriotic-themed party while the country is protesting itself during a pandemic that is affecting America more than any place else. What could go wrong?! That’s not the way anyone ever wanted to look at the Hailey Days of the Old West celebrations that go along with Fourth of July, one of the biggest Valley events of the year that has been acclaimed by organizations like the Los Angeles Times, who recently described it as the “maximum fun for your Fourth of July.” From city officials and law enforcement to the chamber of commerce and individual businesses, all are doing everything they can to keep the day as fun as any other year. “Just because some of the main events have changed doesn’t mean we can’t have a lot of fun,” Mike McKenna, executive director of The Chamber – Hailey & The Wood River Valley, said. What follows is the fun still to be had. No Rain On This Parade The focal point—other than the fireworks that fill the nighttime sky—every July 4 is the Main Street parade in Hailey, packed with people alongside the road and large flatbed floats and horseback riders on the road. The event is still taking place but, due to physical distancing guidelines, it will look significantly different. Here’s what has changed: The route—Typically, the Hailey Days of the Old West Parade travels along Main Street. This year it will begin at the Community Campus, travel up Buckhorn Drive to Quigly Road, turn right up to Bullion, head over to 2nd Avenue and make a right where it will head past the middle school to McKercher Boulevard before heading south via 1st Avenue, Myrtle Street and 5th Avenue on its way back to the Community Campus. The horses and floats—Floats and horses make a parade, but when a parade has a route going through residential streets with lots of turns, large vehicles with flatbeds aren’t the most conducive. Decorated pickups, cars, bicycles and folks on foot, however, are allowed to be part of the parade. For $10, anyone can register and

be more than an onlooker. McKenna explained that the changes decided on by the city will also cut down on the amount of people packed in along Main Street as in normal years. “We’re hoping people participate in the parade and we’re hoping people in the neighborhoods step outside and watch,” McKenna said. “There’s also opportunities to watch the parade from parks and other spots along the route where it’s easier to social distance.” The theme—Technically, between slogans and grand marshals, the theme always will change. This year, however, special focus will be placed on local healthcare workers, grocery store workers, and other essential service providers who worked the “front lines” during the lockdown. “Despite being the hotbed of the virus at one point, our community has risen to the occasion and we have much to celebrate,” the City of Hailey said in a statement. The rodeo—Since 1947, the Sawtooth Rangers Riding Club has held a July 4 weekend rodeo event. The organization said what a lot of organizations have had to say recently: “We are saddened to announce that the 2020 Days of the Old West Rodeo has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.” The antique show—Due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the region, city officials decided in recent days that the popular Hailey Art & Antique Fair would be cancelled, after all. The annual event, which curates vendors of antiques as well as food and beer, will be put on hold until next year. As of last week, it was still a go. Here’s what hasn’t changed: The fireworks—Fireworks will cap off the daylong festivities by sundown. According to Visit Sun Valley, KECH 95.3 will broadcast a soundtrack for the Hailey Fireworks. The music—Sawtooth Brewery will be sponsoring live music at Hop Porter Park. The everything else that’s great about the Valley this time of year—McKenna described the weekend as a “choose-your-own adventure” affair, noting that the weather is forecast to be gorgeous. Highs are expected to be in the mid-80s and Saturday and Sunday are expected

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LEGEND North Bound South Bound 1

Park

School

http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html

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Image credit: City of Hailey

A young girl enjoys last year’s Fourth of July parade. Photo credit: Carol Waller

to be sunny. “Ketchum and Hailey have a lot of outdoor patios for dining and live music. And there’s always fishing and hiking and camping if you’re not feeling like you can socially distance in town,” McKenna said.

FOURTH OF JULY PARADE

Salutes Hailey’s Heroes The Special Parade through the back streets of Hailey will kick off at noon. • Open to anyone in a vehicle or bicycle • Suggested donation of $10 for registration. • Register at HaileyIdaho.com

Please be conscious of social distancing and wear a mask if necessary

HAILEY 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS July 4th, 9:30 PM - 11:00 PM

2020 Fourth of July

EVENTS EVENTS PARADE ROUTE

RIVER FEST RE-IMAGINED with “Story Stations” - July 4th, all day

JULY 4, 5, 6 JULY 4, 5,McKercher 6 Antique Market at Roberta Park

SAWTOOTH BREWERY’S 4TH OF JULY PARTY IN THE PARK!

Main Street Antique Art & Craft Market Antique Market at Roberta McKercher Park Main Street Antique2, Art3, & Craft JULY 4 Market

July 4th Hop Porter Park 12-4pm There will be beer, food truck and live music! Lots of space to spread out so bring your lawn JULY 4, 5, 6 chair, blanket, family & friends. PHOTOS: CAROL WALLER

Start

JULYRangers 2, 3,Rodeo 4 Sawtooth Sawtooth Rangers Rodeo

JULY 4 JULY 4

7:30-10:00 am

LEGEND North Bound South Bound 1

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Wood River Weekly

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ART GALLE

July 1 - 14, 2020

Kneeland Gallery

Mark Gibson, Eric Jacob

orn and raised in Montana, Mark Gibson originally trained in architecture. This formal training had a direct effect on the architectural forms of the teepees that characterize his work. Gibson has been pushing himself to focus on purity of color and masterful composition, working to move the viewer’s eye around the entire piece. Most recently he has been working on increasing the scale of his works, which has contributed to his achievement of creating a powerful mood and atmosphere in each painting. Plein-air painter Eric Jacobsen is widely appreciated by fellow painters and collectors alike. Growing up in New England, Jacobsen feels a kinship with the maritime and landscape artists of his hometown, yet it is the

Seth Winegar, “April Bloom”, oil on panel, 42” x 48”

MARK GIBSON ERIC JACOBSEN SETH WINEGAR Reception: Thursday July 9th, 5-7pm

Eric Jacobsen, “The Neighbor’s Place,” oil on panel, 16” x 20”

271 First Ave N, Ketchum, ID 83340 • PO Box 2070, Sun Valley, ID 83353 • 208.726.5512 email: art@kneelandgallery.com • website: www.kneelandgallery.com

Mark Gibson, “Mou on canvas, 16” x 14”

Maria Sv Featured Arti

ilman Contemporary presents Maria Svarbova – Yesterday’s Future. The exhibition will feature photographs from Slovakian artist Maria Svarbova’s Swimming Pool series and will include work from the more recent Lost in the Valley. On view June 15–July 30, 2020. Renowned for her Swimming Pool series, which launched in 2014 and continued through 2018, Svarbova’s aesthetic has become instantly recognizable. Her style departs from traditional portraiture and focuses on experimentation with space, color and atmosphere. Taking an interest in Socialist-era architecture and public spaces, Maria transforms each scene with a modern freshness that highlights the depth and range of her creative palette.

Maria Svarbova, ‘Harmony,” archival pigment photograph

Contact the galleries for their opening times and protocols.

MESH GALLERY 208.309.3200 meshart.net

K 2 k

WOOD RIVER FINE ARTS 208.928.7728 woodriverfinearts.com

B 2 b

FRIESEN GALLERY 208.726.4174 friesengallery.com

F 2 b

ERIES

Wood River Weekly

•

July 1 - 14, 2020

y July Exhibition

obsen and Seth Winegar

Northwest he now calls home. A plein-air painter in its purist sense, Jacobsen paints almost exclusively in the outdoors, commenting that, “I want to be right there, interacting with the scene… I don’t want any rehearsals in my life.” Utah artist Seth Winegar paints unique tonalist landscapes of the West, marked by broad brushstrokes and subtle colors. Having overcome severe health challenges in his youth, Winegar has immersed himself solely in his artwork and, when asked why he paints, he responds, “That’s like asking me why I breathe... it’s instinctual.” The gallery will host a viewing reception for the new show on Thursday, July 9, from 5-7 p.m.

untain Splendor,” oil ”

Seth Winegar, “April Blossoms,” oil on panel, 42” x 48”

varbova ist At Gilman

Moving beyond the swimming pool, Svarbova continued to apply her signature style to other locales. She released Lost in the Valley in 2018 where carefully composed figures continue to create thematic, dreamlike scenes, but this time in Death Valley. Regardless of the location, each image holds a silent tension that is modern and fresh. In 2018, Svarbova was recognized as a Hasselblad Master. Her work has been featured in publications ranging from CNN and The Guardian to Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Gilman Contemporary will also exhibit new paintings by artist Kelly Ording and the hyperrealist painter Pauli Belivéau.

Maria Svarbova, ”Balance,” archival pigment photograph

KNEELAND GALLERY 208.726.5512 kneelandgallery.com

GAIL SEVERN GALLERY 208.726.5079 gailseverngallery.com

BROSCHOFSKY GALLERIES 208.726.4950 brogallery.com

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY 208.726.7585 gilmancontemporary.com

FREDERIC BOLOIX FINE ARTS 208.726.8810 boloix.com

SUN VALLEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 208.726.9491 sunvalleycenter.org

NEWS

Sawtooth Botanical Garden 25th Annual Garden Tour A Go

The Sawtooth Botanical Garden (SBG) will be proceeding with its 25th Annual Garden Tour scheduled for Saturday, July 25. The tour of private gardens includes properties in the Golden Eagle, Gimlet and Aspen Hollow neighborhoods and includes a stop at Sawtooth Botanical Garden itself. Tickets to the Garden Tour are $30 for SBG members and $35 for non-members. The prices increase by $5 two days before the tour. The garden noted that strict adherence to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines will be followed. Hand-wash stations and hand sanitizer will be found at each stop along the tour, and each “ticket” holder will receive a commemorative 25th anniversary bandanna which they are encouraged to wear as a face mask during each stop. “We feel that six locations in all-outdoor and wide-open settings is ideal for following COVID health and safety guidelines,” said SBG executive director Jen Smith. “We are just thrilled to offer up an event that allows for social-distance gathering while still socializing in gorgeous landscapes.” She added that the garden’s planning committee includes two medical professionals. Tickets are available online at sbgarden.org, by calling SBG at (208) 726-9358, or visiting the Sawtooth Botanical Garden in person at 11 Gimlet Road, just four miles south of Ketchum. The annually published Garden Tour booklet will be printed soon and includes information about each of the gardens, a map to follow, a listing of advertisers and sponsors of the tour, and artwork by local artist Poo Wright-Pulliam.

Ketchum Arts Festival Set For July 10–12

Ketchum Arts Festival is an annual celebration of Idaho art held in the shadows of Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain. And now, in the shadow of coronavirus lockdowns, the event will carry on. This year’s dates and times are July 10 and 11

IN BRIEF from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and July 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers confirmed there will be food and beverage vendors in addition to the 100 Idaho-based artists who will be showcasing and selling their work there. Masks and distancing are advised. “Even Fido (your dog) will enjoy visiting with his buddies from the safety of his leash,” the festival said. More information can be found at ketchumartsfestival.com or on the KetchumArtsFestival page on Facebook.

Luke’s Pharmacy Launches Mask Fundraiser For Mental Health

Luke’s Family Pharmacy will be selling surgical masks through July 4 to raise funds and expand access to mental health support groups for the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Wood River Valley (NAMI-WRV). Luke’s Family Pharmacy is partnering with NAMI-WRV on the initiative to raise awareness of mental wellness practices in Blaine County. “I’m very concerned for the mental health of our community as this pandemic continues to have profound effects on our lives. It’s important for our community to know that we have a great resource in NAMI for mental wellness and free support groups for families, adults and teens faced with mental health challenges during these trying times,” said Luke Snell, owner of Luke’s Family Pharmacy. “We are most gracious for this donation and community partnership,” said Christina Cernansky, executive director of NAMI-WRV. “Shedding the shame and stigma associated with getting help from peers can be difficult. We are here to say that you are not alone and appreciate Luke’s Pharmacy standing with us in this endeavor.” The masks are surgical ear-loop masks available in blue, black, pink and white colors in both adult and kid sizes. Each mask is $1. All profits will be donated to NAMI-WRV.

COMM ENT ARY Wood River Weekly

Fishing R epoRt

•

July 1 - 14, 2020

NO BONES ABOUT IT

THE “WEEKLY” FISHING REPORT FOR JULY 1 - 14 FROM PICABO ANGLER

other Nature seems to be having a little fun with us lately. While this past Friday and Saturday saw highs in the upper 80s, we woke up to rain and 36 degrees this morning. Isn’t it almost July? Unstable weather certainly impacts the fishing on area waters. The bad news is that drastic shifts in the thermometer and barometer take the fish off the bite for a bit. The good news is that we are seeing a much-needed influx of moisture, and we’ll have more stable, normal weather conditions by the middle of the week. With that, consistent fishing conditions will follow. On Silver Creek, we’re seeing a smattering of different bugs lately—BWOs, PMDs, Callibaetis, and even a few Damsels. None of these hatches has been very strong recently, but we expect to see more consistent Callibaetis activity and likely Tricos with the return of better weather. The Big Wood River has been a shining star recently. The Green Drake has been strong on the river from Bellevue to Ketchum, and the fish have eagerly taken a variety of Green Drake nymphs, emergers, and duns. Throwing a Hairwing Drake with a Poxyback Nymph dropper has been a winning combination. There have also been some PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, and caddis on the Big Wood, and the dry-fly fishing has been excellent. The upper Big Lost River system is coming into shape nicely, and it’s worth a visit to Copper Basin right now. Attractor dries and the dry-dropper technique is the way to go. The lower Big Lost below Mackay Reservoir is still a bit high, but select fishing opportunities exist. On the South Fork Boise River, it’s Salmonfly time! The upper Salmon River has fished well recently. Flows at the Yankee Fork USGS gauge are just below 1700 CFS, a great floating flow on the river between Clayton and Challis. The river’s Westslope cutthroat and rainbows are looking up and eager to hit big bushy dries, mayfly imitations, and flashy nymphs. Don’t fish the upper Salmon without Chubby Chernobyls in a variety of sizes and colors. We’ve noticed quite a few baby grasshoppers around Silver Creek, and a few fish have been looking for them. We are fully stocked with a fantastic selection of hopper patterns here in the shop, so please stop by and check it out. Happy fishing, everyone!

Hwy 20 in Picabo info@picaboangler.com (208)788.3536 www.picaboangler.com

FRAN JEWELL

Leash Training Without A Leash

By Fran Jewell

he best time to start leash training is the day you bring your puppy home. Many have thought that you cannot begin leash training until a puppy is six months old. By then, most puppies have learned that if they pull, they get more. So stop it at the start. Prevention is always our best tool. When I have a litter of pups, I start training as young as four WEEKS old. At that age it is incredibly easy to use almost all positive reinforcement. It becomes much harder to train once the puppy has gotten inadvertent positive reinforcement for behaviors we don’t like and now they have become habitual behaviors. I would say leash training is one of the most difficult things to teach dogs. The earlier they learn it, the easier it is. For leash training, there are many, many different ways to train and it will depend on your puppy and your abilities. As an example, I like to train larger breed puppies because bending over to reach a tiny puppy is very hard for me. So, some- Here, Pele is taking a treat from my hand times, I will choose a turned backwards, right near my leg. It takes practice for both of you to get really good at different method, or this. Photo credit: Fran Jewell move very quickly to train, so I spend less time bending over. Some people resort to holding the leash very tightly so the dog must stay next to them. This, however, inadvertently teaches the dog that being next to their person is uncomfortable and very unpleasant. Of course, there are some dogs that are naturally respectful of the leash and need very little training. It does happen, but it may take some time to find that dog. I would guess as many as 10 percent of the dogs out there will naturally walk next to you without pulling on a leash. This method can be used with older dogs, too, but may take longer

SCIENCE OF PLACE

and depends on your commitment and consistency. Here are some guidelines: 1. Find a safe, contained place without other dogs. A fenced-in yard or inside your house are good ideas. This way you can work with the dog off-leash without the chance of your dog getting hurt. 2. Have a hungry puppy or dog. 3. Find a treat that your dog adores that is not too small. 4. Stuff your left pocket or a treat bag on your left with the treats. Use the left because that is the traditional side on which to teach the command “heel.” If you prefer the right, that is okay; however, you must choose one side to avoid too much confusion for your pup. 5. Pick a marker word or noise. One person I know uses the word “ding.” I use the word “yes” because it means exactly what it says. Sometimes I use a clicker as a noise marker. 6. Pair your marker, word or noise with food. This is classical conditioning. Yes equals treat. Practice about five times. 7. Now walk holding your treat between your fingers with your hand facing backward. Slide your hand down your left pant leg to lure your puppy with you. 8. When your puppy comes to your left side to sniff or take the treat, say “yes!” or “ding!” or use your clicker. Then give the treat. 9. Don’t feed your puppy if she comes around to the front of you. The reason is simply so you don’t have to step through her to start going again. 10. If she is doing this easily, try to keep walking while giving her the food. If you keep your hand facing backward, chances are she will learn not to forge ahead of you or walk in front of your steps. 11. Do only a few steps at a time, then stop and reward your puppy for sitting. Don’t try to take long walks doing this. Work up to longer walks over a period of time. 12. Eventually, add steps between treats so you are giving fewer and fewer treats while your puppy is still able to perform the behavior. When a puppy learns from the start that walking next to you is a fun thing, it can imprint a long-lasting, lifetime behavior. Fran Jewell is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit www.positivepuppy.com or call (208) 578-1565.

Micronutrients

BY HARRY WEEKES

e are in a global pandemic. Stories of systemic and structural racism build and thrive. The economy, with many of its various sectors in shambles, seems precarious at best. Latest long-term climate projections are grim. And I cannot get earthworms off my mind. It might actually be because of all of these things that they are even on my mind. You see, I have been stewing, and brooding, and spending more time looking at the ground than looking into the sky (there is an interesting psychological piece in here: “Why do people tend to look down when they are worrying over something?”). At first, the dark little mounds emerged as a kind of mottled backdrop to where I was walking. My attention to them moved up in various levels. Initially, I simply wondered if they were artifacts of recent rain, or some kind of critter footprints left in the soft dirt. Their spacing changed something, though. Relatively uniformly spread out, I went from “stuff on the ground” to “hmmm, what is that stuff on the ground?” It was obvious, even at my loping gait, that the little mounds were excavations—little piles of dirt displaced from the holes. What also became obvious, the mounds were pushed out, not dug out. In other words, this was something coming up from inside the earth, not trying to get back in. “Aha! Earthworms!” Regularly spaced throughout the little trail were tiny mounds of fresh dirt pushed to the

surface by earthworms. These mounds are called castings, and mark the handiwork of a thriving earthworm population, whose geophysical impact is nothing short of astonishing (a low estimate on the number of worms I saw was five or so per cubic foot. This many worms bring up hundreds of pounds of topsoil every year, moderate the pH of and aerate the soil, and are responsible for the churning of all sorts of micronutrients and macronutrients throughout the closest horizons.). All of this, and these muscular little tubes are constantly working in the lightless world beneath our feet, literally chewing (this might not be the best verb for something that doesn’t have teeth) their way through the ground. Just as I started wondering about the other complexities of their lives, there they were— two worms, each stretched out of its tunnel, glued together in the most descriptive and simple biological term I have come across recently—a slime tube. Earthworms are hermaphrodites—having both sexes present— and they are sexual, so rather than breeding with themselves, they breed with any other worm of their species they come across (a pretty sensical strategy in the world in which they live). There they were, wrapped in an amorous slime tube, oblivious, I thought, to my appreciation. My next footfall arrived with all of its associated tremors, and the worms vanished—two rubber bands snapped into their holes. Gone in an instant. I stood and looked, the holes no longer empty in my mind. Needless to say, my thoughts gradually

HARRY WEEKES

An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the class Clitellata, order Oligochaeta, phylum Annelida. Photo credit: Aruna, released under the GNU Free Documentation License accessed via wikipedia.

turned back to the human world and all that we are going through. The worms smoothed an edge, though. They gave me a glimpse into something outside of all of my worries. It is for this micronutrient, one I keep forgetting, that I am most grateful. Harry Weekes is the founder and head of school at The Sage School in Hailey. This is his 48th year in the Wood River Valley, where he lives with Hilary and two of their three baby adults—Penelope and Simon. The other member of the flock, Georgia, is currently fledging at Davidson College in North Carolina.

Wood River Weekly

MONEY MATTERS

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July 1 - 14, 2020

SUZANNE HAZLETT

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

By Suzanne Hazlett

ow would you define financial independence in retirement? Would the ability to make earning income an option define your notion of autonomy, or do you aspire for unlimited funds for unrestrained lifestyle spending? Financial independence will have a different meaning for everyone. Here are some thoughts and considerations to help you figure out where you are on your path to financial independence. •

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Get the big picture. How do you envision your retirement? On what types of experiences or things do you want to spend your money? Create a budget. If you plan to travel extensively, for your first 10 years of retirement, you may need the same annual income you had during your peak earning years. Tally your guaranteed retirement income. The most common source is from Social Security. You can open an online “My Social Security” account to access your benefits information by visiting ssa.gov. Other income sources with varying levels of certainty are pension plans and annuity income streams. Begin mapping out your plan for life after work by using noncommercial tools like worksheets available through aarp.org/retirement. Worksheet templates can bring to your attention essential questions you may not have considered. Assess your credit and debt. Do you want to be debt-free before you retire? If so, have you mapped out how much debt you need to retire annually?

VISION 2020

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How much are you earning today? Have you explored other opportunities to increase your income before you retire? How much are you spending now, and on what? If you were to redirect some of your current spending toward investing and saving, would you miss those expenditures today if you knew you were moving closer to your dreams? If you are within three to five years from retirement, are you closely monitoring your variable investments and beginning to align them with your future life transition? As we have more birthdays, we tend to view our investments less as growth assets and more as sources of total return and income. Different investment tools or strategies may be appropriate to consider.

Having a plan will enhance the choices available to you along the way. Award-winning and acclaimed choreographer Twyla Tharp said, “The life we choose will pay dividends. The life we let choose us will bankrupt us.” Suzanne Hazlett, MBA, CIMA®, CFP®, is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM. HAZLETT WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC is independent of Raymond James and is not a registered broker/dealer. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. 675 Sun Valley Road Ketchum, Idaho, 208.726.0605. HazlettWealthManagement.com

WELLNESS

More Than Masks And Memes

By Eric Valentine

s the data shows daily that COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, you may find yourself frustrated that beyond wearing a mask while social distancing and sharing a meme while social media-ing, there’s not much you can do. In my case, I even feel silly complaining about it: I never contracted it, no one in my immediate circle of love died from it, and the only real loss I suffered was the experience of taking the trips I had planned to Paris, New York and Germany. Now imagine being a retired doctor like Valley resident Scott McLean who spent 40 years specializing in internal medicine, 30 of them here in the Wood River Valley—a one-time epicenter of the coronavirus inside the nation that is the all-time epicenter of coronavirus misinformation. You can multiply the frustration by 100. McLean’s diagnosis: Too many people providing misinformation or misinterpreting accurate information. His prescription: Provide the information and interpret himself, on Facebook. “I used to use Facebook somewhat, to keep track of old friends, before the pandemic,” said McLean, who described himself as “not a daily user.” “I initially started posting to give accurate info to my old patients, friends and family in light of the amount of disinformation that was being put out. Today (Tuesday) will be post 105,” McLean said. McLean’s posts are not shared memes or pithy one-liners reminding people to wear a mask. Post 104, for example, was a 1,000-word analysis on a recent study suggesting there are far more carriers of the virus walking around than we had previously imagined. I learned about McLean’s page (a private group page on Facebook called “Dr. McLean’s

Retired medical doctor Scott McLean. Photo credit: Scott McLean

COVID-19 updates”) while interviewing healthcare professionals in the Valley who are on the front lines here. They said the page has been extremely helpful in digesting the latest COVID-19 information quickly. “I try to frame the post for non-science people to read. I try to decode medical articles and put them into English,” McLean said. “I also try to debunk disinformation as it becomes popular.” So the question had to be asked: If he had to chose a “popular” idea to debunk, what would it be. “The two messages I’d like people to get: wear a mask in public, no matter what; isolate yourself as much as possible if you are at risk,” was McLean’s reply. “Have a good day. Back to work. Fauci et al. are testifying before the Senate in 30 minutes,” he added.

NEWS

HISTORY & CULTURE

Soldier: Small Town Booms Despite Smallpox Gloom Part 2 of 3 By Karen Crowson

Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of 3 articles on the south Valley area known as Soldier. We left off as the little town was starting to bloom big. With booms, what often follows is bust. Enjoy!

oldier’s progress didn’t make it immune to scandal. On June 17, 1895, the Wood River Times reported this juicy news: “‘John Phillips shot and wounded W.Y. Perkins because of a dis- Signage marks the landmarks of agreement over a card game at Soldier, the ghost town of the south Soldier. Note: Phillips was arrested Valley. Photo credit: Karen Crowson and tried in Hailey but the first jury disagreed 6-6. Nothing further is known but I think the case is dismissed. Perkins was a Soldier businessman, owning and operating W.Y. Perkins Hardware and W.Y. Perkins Flour Mill.” There Flows The Neighborhood The scuttlebutt didn’t stop the town from developing. On June 24, the Wood River Times noted that O.B. Sidell, an attorney from Denver, had taken over the Texas Star Mine on Soldier Mountain and would begin work in one week’s time with the intention of putting in a hoist and pump on the property so it could be thoroughly developed. By 1896 there were three doctors’ offices in Soldier, doctors Purdy, Kingsley, and D. and Ayre Higgs, as well as a pool hall, a saloon, W.W. Leeks Meat Market, the Idaho Hotel, the Boyce Hotel, Dave Harness’s Livery Stable, Teen Harness’s Real Estate Office and Fix it Shop, and Bashford’s Warehouse. During the last year of the 19th century, Soldier built its first jailhouse and welcomed to its community Methodist preacher W.W. Switzer, who had recently moved to the town. Reverend Bowler of the Baptist church shared the pulpit with Switzer. Smallpox, Big Deals The start of the 20th century in Soldier began with fearful and uneasy times. In 1900, Soldier’s population was reported to be 340, and at the start of the new year, a smallpox epidemic struck the town. By the middle of January, the town of Soldier was quarantined. The epidemic sparked a revival among the churches in town when Rev. Mr. Bowler, Rev. Switzer and Rev. Helman conducted services. The church was full nightly, the paper reported. When the services were over, the crowd would go to the dance hall and dance until morning. Misfortune struck Soldier again on Feb. 7, when the Boyce Hotel and Saloon of John Finch were consumed by fire. The reported loss for the Boyce Hotel and Saloon was $3,000 and for the Finch Saloon about $1,000. A shortage of carpenters pushed the rebuild of the properties into spring. Even with the smallpox epidemic, by April, residents William G. Gulliford and Mary Gulliford were able to sell 171 acres of land near Soldier for $600 to Leo Spangler. Later that month, A.C. Floyd took ill and Larry Bannon took over the stage route between Hailey and the Camas Prairie. By May, things seemed to be turning around for the town of Soldier when a much larger version of the hotel was opened. Developers also erected a saloon at Soldier by mid-August, when the Boyce Hotel held a dance in honor of its resurrection. And so, Soldier continued on. Changing Times The flour mill did not continue. On Oct. 13, the Wood River Times announced that 11 farmers, each with a four- or six-horse outfit, arrived from Camas Prairie to haul away the two carloads of machinery for the flouring mill at Soldier. “It looked like a circus had come to town,” the paper said. And by the end of November, the flouring mill began to struggle with making its payouts competitive. In Hailey, farmers could receive roughly 33 percent more for their product. Shortly after, D.P. Higgs took and passed the examination for a teacher’s certificate and became the first teacher of the first high school in Soldier. In December, the town lost a matriarch when Sarah Severe Phillips passed away. It made history on the Camas Prairie as it was the first Mormon funeral that took place there. The corpse was interred in the Soldier Cemetery. In 1902, Rev. Switzer was able to leave the Baptist church on the east side of town where he had been sharing the pulpit with Rev. Bowler, and began preaching at the newly built Methodist church on the west side of town. By 1906, the town got its second editorial publication with the inception of The Camas County Courier. Editors were McCaw, Baird, D.H. Guinn and Edgerton. Soldier also introduced Settlers Day to the community, and in the following year, a Mr. and Mrs. Lowery Barkley moved to Soldier and opened up a drugstore on Main Street. By 1909, 15 years after the first weather station was installed at Soldier, the weather station was moved up Soldier Creek and became known as the Soldier Ranger Station.

Wood River Weekly

COFFEE CHATS WITH KIKI

KIKI TIDWELL

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July 1 - 14, 2020

ADVERTORIALS BETTER HOMEOWNERS NEWS

ANNA & MICHELLE

Homebuyers Are In The Mood To Buy Today

the only thing hovering near all-time lows; homes available for sale are too. With housing inventory as scarce as it is today—a nearly 20 percent year-over-year decline in available homes to purchase—keeping buyers in the purchasing mood may be tough if they can’t find a home to buy (see graph below):

Taxpayers – Hold On To Your Hats!

BY KIKI TIDWELL

laine County property taxpayers, hold on to your hats; you may be paying significant increases in property tax amounts in the next few years. It is my understanding that there have been County Commissioner meetings with Idaho Power to discuss financing the undergrounding expense of a new transmission line. But the public has not been allowed to attend these sessions, so we can only make guesses at this time what the proposals are. Idaho Power has told us that undergrounding a line from Hailey to Ketchum may cost somewhere between $30-$35 million. The Blaine County property tax total levy was $11,131,873 last year, and the county is currently paying about $555,000 per year on a $6,120,000 General Obligation bond it issued in 2015, so a $35 million bond would be roughly 5-6 times this annual expense for county taxpayers, or property taxes going up by about 25 percent to pay for this new bond. And what do taxpayers get for that? If we were taxpayers in any other state than Idaho, we might be getting up-to-date technology that is truly resilient and can really provide backup power if the lines fail into Hailey again. Other states are rapidly installing batteries and solar farms instead of transmission lines. “Cumulative distributed energy resource capacity in the United States will reach 397 gigawatts by 2025, according to a new Wood Mackenzie report. …Cumulative U.S. DER investments will eclipse $80.6 billion between 2020 and 2026.” 1 Other states are also recognizing the vital role that building renewable energy projects in their states can provide in aiding in economic recovery. “Minnesota Public Utilities Commission COVID-19 Dockets. Previously, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (the “Commission”) initiated its own investigation into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on utility service… At the same hearing, the Commission also responded to a policy memorandum circulated by Commissioner Sullivan. In the memorandum, Commissioner Sullivan requested that the Commission open a new docket to explore various ways utilities may “accelerate investments” and aid recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” 2 For our cities that have lost LOT revenue from loss of tourism business, a project sited within the city can potentially add to the property tax base revenues. The state statute limits them to 3 percent increases on the prior tax levy, but also allows base increases by the value of new construction. Alternatively, at this time of cost-cutting by cities, the large electrical costs of running a city sewer plant could be significantly reduced if the city owns its own solar plant next to the sewer plant, and there are options right now for cities to build these solar plants with no money down. Increased revenues, decreased expenses, economic recovery, and secure electricity for our residents come not from spending $35 million on a 1950’s-technology transmission line, but building our own renewable energy next to where we use it.

ccording to the latest Freddie Mac Quarterly Forecast, mortgage interest rates have fallen to historically low levels this spring and they’re projected to remain low. This means there’s a huge incentive for buyers who are ready to purchase. And homeowners looking for eager buyers can take advantage of this opportune time to sell as well. There’s a very positive outlook on interest rates going forward, as the projections from the Freddie Mac report indicate continued lows into 2021: “Going forward, we forecast the 30-year fixedrate mortgage to remain low, falling to a yearly average of 3.4 percent in 2020 and 3.2 percent in 2021.” With mortgage rates hovering at such compelling places, ongoing buyer interest is bound to keep driving the housing market forward. Rates also reached another record low last week, so homebuyers are in what Freddie Mac is identifying as the buying mood: “While the rebound in the economy is uneven, one segment that is exhibiting strength is the housing market. Purchase demand activity is up over 20 percent from a year ago, the highest since January 2009. Mortgage rates have hit another record low due to declining inflationary pressures, putting many homebuyers in the buying mood. However, it will be difficult to sustain the momentum in demand as unsold inventory was at near record lows coming into the pandemic and it has only dropped since then.” There’s no doubt that even though buyers are ready to purchase, it’s hard for many of them to find a home to buy today. Mortgage rates aren’t

Kik i Ti dw e l l

Paid For By Citizens For Kiki Tidwell, Cindy Mann Treasurer.

What does this mean for sellers? If you’re thinking of selling your house, know that the motivation for buyers to purchase right now is as high as ever with rates where they are today. Selling now before other sellers come to market in your neighborhood this summer might put your house high on the list for many buyers. Homebuyers are clearly in the mood to buy, and with today’s safety guidelines and precautions in place to show your house, confidence is also on your side. Bottom Line Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, there’s great motivation to be in the housing market, especially with mortgage rates hovering at this historic all-time low. Let’s connect today to make sure you’re ready to make your move.

BLAINE BUG CREW

Russian Knapweed A Formidable Foe

1 https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/coming-wave-of-der-investments-in-us

www.tidwellcommissionercampaign.com twitter: @kikitidwell

What does this mean for buyers? Competition is hot with so few homes available for purchase and low mortgage rates are helping to drive affordability as well. Getting pre-approved now will help you gain a competitive advantage and accelerate the homebuying process, so you’re ready to go when you find that perfect home you’d like to buy. Working quickly and efficiently with a trusted real estate professional will help put you in a position to act fast when you’re ready to make your move.

WEED OF THE WEEK

2 Stoel Rives EnergyRegulatoryUpdate_June222020.pdf

Blaine County Commissioner Candidate

BY ANNA MATHIEU

By Blaine County Bug Crew

ussian knapweed is a perennial plant that reproduces mainly by creeping roots. In addition, a single plant is capable of producing more than 1,200 seeds. These seeds vary in color from gray to ivory and are produced from August through September. The erect stems are openly branched and typically 45 to 90 cm tall. The leaves are oblong on the upper part of the plant and become deeply lobed the closer they are to the root crown. Russian knapweed produces many flowers that range in color from pink to blue. Flowering typically begins in June and continues through September. Russian knapweed forms dense infestations across habitat types in the arid West. It is a significant pest of rangelands, roadsides and waste areas, and can invade grain and other crops. Recently, JAIV and AUAC were approved for release by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. Establishing SIMP sites for baseline monitoring data prior to agent release is necessary in order document biological control agent impacts.

Rhaponticum repens, with the common name Russian knapweed.

Wood River Weekly

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July 1 - 14, 2020

NUESTRA VOZ CUENTA

DACA IS STAYING! OUR VOICE COUNTS

NUESTRA VOZ CUENTA

“DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] is staying! Look, turn on the news! Turn on the news!” My grandma laughed with joy. I couldn’t believe it. I did as I was told and turned on the news, shocked, relieved and about ready to burst out in tears. This was June 18. Now, I am here, the beginning of July, excited for what my future could hold as an undocumented student even while living in a very Republican state. After hearing that DACA remains in place, I began to brainstorm ideas with former Nosotros United members about creating a fund specifically for undocumented families and students here in Idaho. This could include DACA renewal scholarships and/or a stimulus-like check for families that are in need during this difficult time. We’ve been working alongside one another, tossing ideas left and right, these past few days, trying to figure out what requirements would fit well into this idea we’ve got brewing inside of our minds. And although the lines are blurry in some places, we are excited about what’s to come for this fund, and for DACA especially. I can’t even explain how important it is to include all immigrants into our community and I know this program will do just that for Idaho. Because home is here! We are here to stay.

“DACA [acción diferida para los llegados en la infancia] se queda!! Mira, enciende las noticias! ¡Enciende las noticias!” Mi abuela se hechó a reír de alegría. No lo podía creer. Hice lo que me dijo y encendí las noticias, sorprendida, aliviada y lista para estallar en lagrimas. Esto fue el 18 de junio. Ahora, estoy aquí, a principios de julio, emocionado por lo que mi futuro podría tener como estudiante indocumentado, incluso mientras vivíendo en un estado muy Republicano. Después de escuchar que DACA permanece en su lugar, comencé a intercambiar ideas con ex miembros de Nosotros United sobre la creación de un fondo específicamente para familias y estudiantes indocumentados aquí en Idaho. Esto podría incluir becas de renovación de DACA y/o un cheque de estímulo para familias indocumentados que lo necesitan durante este momento difícil. Hemos estado trabajando junto a otro, lanzando ideas de izquierda a derecha, estos últimos días tratando de descubrir qué requisitos encajarían bien en esta idea que tenemos en mente. Y aunque las líneas son borrosas en algunos lugares, estamos entusiasmadas con lo que vendrá para este fondo y para DACA, especialmente. Ni siquiera puedo explicar lo importante que es incluir a todos los inmigrantes en nuestra comunidad y sé que este programa hará exactamente eso para Idaho. Porque nuestro hogar esta aqui! Estamos aquí para quedarnos.

THE SENIOR CONNECTION

REOPENING

Senior Connection To Reopen Dining Room On July 6, 2020

The Senior Connection will reopen their dining room on Monday, July 6, with their Phase One Reopening Protocols in place. These protocols include health screenings before entering the building, face masks required until a diner reaches their assigned table, and mandatory hand washing. They have divided their lunch service into two time periods and reservations are required. Full details on the Senior Connection’s Phase One Reopening Protocols can be found at https:// seniorconnectionidaho.org/reopening-july-6-phase-one-protocols/ When the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced in Blaine County, The Senior Connection immediately closed their facility and converted to their no-contact service plans. Throughout the months of isolation orders, they grew their home-delivered meal service from 125 meals per week to 600. They also added new services to assist seniors staying safe at home such as curbside to-go meals (with over 150 picked up per week), supplemental food bags, grocery and prescription pick-up and a Senior Friend Line that people could call in and chat to a staff member. “Though our service model changed, our mission did not,” says Teresa Beahen Lipman, executive director. “We have always been a community that supports our seniors, and they have needed us this year more than ever.” The Senior Connection has scheduled moving to their Stage Two Protocols on August 3, but all plans are subject to change in response to infection rates in Blaine County.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE

OPINION

Real Revolution Means Expanding Consciousness, Both Outwardly And Inwardly

by Caitlin Johnstone

he fight to liberate humanity from oppression, exploitation, butchery and madness is really a fight to expand consciousness. The existential threats our species now faces are ultimately due to the fact that powerful people advance omnicidal, ecocidal, oppressive, violent and exploitative agendas behind veils of secrecy and propaganda distortion. They do evil things while deliberately keeping people unconscious of those evil things, so that the people will not use the power of their numbers to stop them. The people do not use the power of their numbers to force a change into a healthy paradigm, which puts human interests first because their perception of the world is aggressively manipulated by power structures that have a vested interest in keeping that from happening. Wealth and power are kept in the hands of elites and their underlings by propagandizing people into believing the current status quo is the only way things can be. War agendas are consented to because people are propagandized into believing this or that boogieman poses some imminent threat and needs to be eliminated. Surveillance, censorship, government secrecy and police militarization are tolerated because people are manipulated into believing they need these things. And so on. In all cases, the key-carrying agent for all of these toxic agendas is unconsciousness. If people were conscious of the real nature of these agendas and how badly they’re being robbed in order to advance them, they would refuse to consent to them and force them to stop. So they are kept unconscious of their reality by perceptual manipulation like propaganda, government opacity, Internet censorship, and the war on adversarial journalism. The fight against these malignant power structures is therefore a fight to increase public awareness of their toxic agendas, and of the perceptual manipulation tactics that are being used to prevent that awareness from being spread. It’s a fight to expand collective human consciousness of what’s really going on in the world. But unconsciousness of abusive power structures and their perception of manipulation tactics are not the only way in which humanity is unconscious. In exactly the same way that we are collectively unconscious of the reality of external events, we are individually unconscious of the reality of internal events, as well. Generally speaking, humans are confused about the nature of experience and their thoughts and actions are largely governed by unconscious conditioning patterns.

Rather than experiencing life as it actually shows up, we tend to experience it through layers of mental narratives about what’s really going on, which distort our ability to experience things lucidly. Becoming conscious of your inner world brings clarity to your internal dynamics in exactly the same way that becoming conscious of your external world brings clarity to world dynamics; you are able to see what’s really happening. This can take the form of realizing unhelpful thought patterns in yourself which had been subconsciously running on autopilot your whole life, or unhelpful beliefs about yourself that you formed in early childhood and came to take for granted. If you take the inward expansion of consciousness even further, you can come to see that the thing you’ve always thought of as “you” is actually a misperception based on a faulty assumption about the nature of experience, and your true self is more accurately described as a boundless field of space-like awareness to which no mental narratives can apply. But you need to become fully conscious of the fact that this is what’s really happening before it—and the peace and lucidity that comes with it—can be your lived experience. The inward and outward expansions of consciousness exist on the same continuum, and neither is more important or more valuable than the other. People who are more interested in politics and government might see the exploration of the inner dimensions as airy-fairy bullshit, and people who are more interested in spirituality and enlightenment might see the exploration of international power dynamics as deluded nonsense for muggles. But, objectively, they hold the same value. Someone engaged in relentlessly honest self-enquiry is doing something that is just as valuable as someone who is engaged in investigative journalism. Going to therapy and having transformative personal breakthroughs is as valuable as making a viral video exposing the reality of police brutality. All expand consciousness, so all are facilitating the revolution. In this particular sense, there’s no fundamental difference between someone like Julian Assange and someone like Eckhart Tolle. You might object that one of these men is in prison and the other is enjoying what appears to be a fairly cushy and unmolested life, but there’s a reason for that: our rulers don’t understand just how threatening the expansion of inner consciousness is to their empire. If they did, old Eckhart would be rotting in a prison cell just like Julian. Sociopaths don’t understand the inner dimensions. They don’t really have the cognitive software for it.

They have an acute understanding of how to manipulate language and information in order to get what they want, but the notion of honest introspection with the goal of truth for truth’s sake is wholly alien for them. Someone who sees the world as a field of potential assets to be exploited will never think to look inside themselves and consider how they might be misinterpreting reality, but they will see attempts to interfere with their toxic agendas in the world as direct threats to their ability to get what they want. Which is why Julian Assange is in prison and Eckhart Tolle is not. This inability to perceive the other half of the revolution will be their undoing. It is our ace in the hole. Because it turns out that expanding one’s consciousness inwardly greatly enhances one’s ability to expand consciousness outwardly. Once you succeed in loosening the grip of mental narrative upon your experience, you become much more difficult to propagandize and much more adept at noticing narrative manipulation. Propaganda relies on people buying into their narratives, as well as fear and greed, to effectively manipulate public perception. Someone who is inwardly very lucid will have none of these hooks, and will have a much easier time becoming conscious of the outer world if they choose to do so. For this reason, the most effective rebels in this revolution engage in both inner work and in outer work. They fight the revolution on both fronts, which instead of dividing their effectiveness actually makes them more effective at both. Honoring the reality of both humanity’s inward and outward adventures helps bring clarity to each of them. The sociopaths who rule our society are only capable of fighting us on one front, while we appear to be gaining ground on the other. The phenomenon commonly known as spiritual enlightenment appears to be becoming more and more common (Tolle again repeated his belief that this is the case in a recent interview with Russell Brand), and if you’re paying attention, you’ll see other unusual phenomena emerging in the collective consciousness, as well. The lights are turning on everywhere, more and more abusive and unwholesome dynamics are being brought into consciousness around the world, and it’s only a matter of time before we collectively cough up the whole disgusting furball and move together into a healthy and harmonious world. Caitlin’s writings can be found at caitlinjohnstone.com

Wood River Weekly

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July 1 - 14, 2020

wood river weekly summer + fall 2020

Hard way Pipeline

101 things to do Day Trips | Summer Checklist | Free Fun | Family Friendly | Start Your Story Here...

MAGAZINE

Steel Fencing

Kelly Wardell 208-309-0916

How To Play Sudoku

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The Classic Sudoku is a number placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

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CLASSIC SUDOKU See answer on page 2 THE Insider’s Guide To The Best Kept Secrets Of The Wood River Valley & Beyond Explore: Bellevue, Carey, Hailey, Ketchum, Stanley, Sun Valley & Everything 5B

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the home

509 S. Main Street • Bellevue, Idaho

Wednesday through Saturday Thursday Wednesday - Friday Wednesday - Friday 11:00to to 5:00 ednesday - Friday 11 to 611 to 6 available by appointment 11 to 6AlwaysSaturday Saturday Saturday and if we’re here. Saturday 11 to 4 11 to 11 or to 788-0216 44 720-9206 11 to 4

Always available by appointment and if we’re here.

509 S. Main Street • Bellevue, Idaho Always available by le by appointment andappointment if we’re here. and if we’re here.

720-9206 or 788-0216 or S. 788-0216 -9206 or720-9206 788-0216 509 Main Street S. Main Street 09 S. Main509 Street Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue, Idaho

See answer on page 2

THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY 7-DAY WEATHER FORECAST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sunny 0%

high 68º

low 40º WEDNESDAY

Sunny 0%

high 74º low 51º THURSDAY

Partly Cloudy 10%

high 80º low 52º FRIDAY

Sunny 0%

high 83º low 53º SATURDAY

Sunny 0%

high 82º low 52º SUNDAY

Sunny 10%

high 80º low 51º MONDAY

Sunny 0%

high 81º low 52º TUESDAY

SKI. BIKE. LIVE!

Elevate your experience. 340 N Main Street in Ketchum sturtevants-sv.com • 726-4501