Stories from Wednesday, November 28, 2001

It was nearly a year ago when the city of Mountain Home and Elmore County began working toward obtaining judicial confirmation to allow use of certificates of participation to construct a new joint law enforcement/jail facility. When the original request for judicial confirmation was denied, the Board of Elmore County Commissioners tried to address the concerns raised by the court, directing the county's legal advisor, Aaron Bazzoli, to amend the petition. ...

Mountain Home will not get the first wing of F-22 Raptors, the next-generation air superiority fighter of the Air Force. Following more than a year of studies and hearings, the Air Force has decided to award the first 72-plane operational wing of the Raptors to Langley AFB, Va., the site it originally preferred, the home of Air Combat Command, and the traditional first home of all new fighter aircraft in the USAF inventory...

The 2.5 percent holdback of state funds, ordered by the governor this month due to much lower than anticipated tax revenues, will cost the Mountain Home School District approximately $412,000 this year, local district officials say. That's putting the district in a serious financial crunch that could have major consequences if the Idaho Legislature doesn't dip into its "rainy day" contingency fund quickly when it meets in session in mid-January, to provide schools around the state with money to make up the shortfall.. ...