Stories from Wednesday, February 18, 2004

The Idaho Legislature went on record last week in support of Mountain Home AFB and urged Congresss to "give strong consideration to both increasing the current mission and adding additional missions" to the base. The support was made in the form of a joint resolution of the House and Senate, prepared by state Sen. Fred Kennedy of Mountain Home, which passed overwhelmingly and put the state on record as opposing any reduction of the base due to the upcoming base realignment and closure process...

Randy Valley was selected as chairman and Coleen Swenson as deputy chair of the committee that will organize the June 14-22 appearance of the Moving Wall in Mountain Home. The Moving Wall is a half-scale replica of the national Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. It travels throughout the country allowing citizens to honor the veterans who died in Vietnam...

State Senator Fred Kennedy, (D - Dist. 22, Boise and Elmore counties) announced today that he would not seek re-election to the State Senate. Serving his first term in the legislature, Kennedy said he thought he had reached the stage in life that it was important and necessary to be able to spend more time with his wife of over 45 years and his children and grandchildren...

A plan to reopen the gold fields in Atlanta will kick off with a series of "scoping" hearings in mid-March in Elmore County, that will lead eventually to an environmental impact statement which will approve or reject the proposal. The remote mountain community of Atlanta, today home to about 30 people, was once one of the largest cities in the state during the gold rush heydays of the 1860s, and gold was mined there until well into the 20th century...

J.C. Smith, 72, of Mountain Home died Feb. 11, 2004, at the VA hospital in Boise. At his request, no services will be held. Smith was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, then moved to Ketchum. He entered the service from Ketchum and traveled extensively around the world as an air traffic controller for the United States Air Force...

William Fredrick Spellman, 69, of Mountain Home, died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded at home by his wife, their five children and five of their fifteen grandchildren, on Jan. 31, 2004, after losing a hard-fought battle with cancer. Pastor Truman E. Parker of First Congregational Church will officiate at the memorial service at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, at Summers Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home...

Bruce Ian Chisam, 37, formerly of Mountain Home, died Feb. 10, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nev. Private services will be held at later date for the family. "Bruce had many challenges in his life and he was courageous, and brave in his struggle to overcome them," his family said...

Arthur Joseph Homer, 86, died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, at the Boise Samaritan Village. Memorial services will be held at Liberty Chapel, Mountain Home AFB, on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Arrangements are under the direction of Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home...

W.W. (Bill) Osborn, 83, of Grand View, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at home of natural causes. Private family services were held Monday, Feb. 16, in Grand View. Arrangements were under the direction of Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel. Bill spent his early life in the U.S. Navy and the Air Force. Later, Bill and Roberta owned and operated the Y-Bar and Cafe in Grand View...

Roberta B. Matthews, 84, of Mountain Home, died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004, at the Elmore Medical Center Long Term Care Facility after a long struggle with Alzheimers disease and other health complications. At her request, there will be no funeral services. Arrangements are under the direction of Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home...

Dr. Arthur Spargo Cudmore, 85, died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, from a sudden illness. Arthur was born Nov. 25, 1918 to Arthur and Susie Cudmore in Washington, D.C. He graduated from George Washington University with a pre-medical degree and then completed his education at the Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery in Kirksville, Mo. ...

Mary Alice (Rowell) Tapp, 57, of Mountain Home, died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004, at her residence. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. Burial followed at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Caldwell...

LaVinna "Vinnie" Isabell Sorenson, 95, a community leader known for her charitable works, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at the Elmore Medical Center Nursing Home. Sorenson was perhaps best known as the founder of the Cheer Basket Project, which provides food to hundreds of needy people each Christmas...

Sarah Wurdinger and Brandon Amundson, Mountain Home, announce the birth of a daughter. Lexus Berlin Amundson was born Feb. 4, 2004, at Mountain Home Air Force Base Hospital. She weighed 5 lbs. 15.5 oz. and was 19 ¼ inches long. Grandparents are Dave and Sally Wurdinger and Kelli Wurdinger, all of Mountain Home...

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers fought to the very end, but overcoming a 12-2 first-quarter deficit proved to be too much for Mountain Home last Tuesday night when they fell to Kuna 43-35 in a loser-out game of the District III 4A Girls Basketball Tournament at Bishop Kelly...

The Mountain Home Tigers continued to struggle on the mats last week, coming from behind to beat Jerome, and dropping their final regular season dual match to Vallivue. Mountain Home 43 Jerome 33 The Mountain Home Tigers battled back from a 24-0 deficit to win at home last Tuesday night against a tough Jerome Tigers squad...

The Mountain Home Tigers had to settle for a split with the Emmett Huskies last week, winning at home, but losing at Emmett. Mountain Home 64 Emmett Huskies 61 The alarm clock rang, but the Tigers kept hitting the snooze button until the second half, when they shut down the Emmett Huskies and responded with an exciting come-back effort to win last Wednesday night in Lloyd Schiller Gymnasium...