Stories from Wednesday, April 7, 2004

Elmore County elected officials have agreed a new jail facility is a necessity and will ask voters this fall to approve a bond for construction of the new facility. The county commissioners asked each of the elected county officials to "go on record" regarding their support of the proposal. The response was unanimous. This brings the 12 year old project to the next step toward building a new jail: securing funds for construction...

Three decades after overwhelming public opposition killed the last attempt to build Idaho's first coal-fired power plant, a California company is raising the prospect again. Sempra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, has an option on land between Glenns Ferry and Bliss, and spokesman Art Larsen said a coal-fired plant is being considered for the site. ...

Two years after leaving the sheriff's department, former deputy Greg Berry hopes to return to the office, this time as sheriff. Berry, a Mountain Home native, already has 18 years of law enforcement service under his belt and will challenge Sheriff Rick Layher on the Republican ballot in the May primary elections...

Esther May Beers, 74, of Kenosha, Wis., formerly of Mountain Home, died Wednesday, March 31, 2004, at St. Catherine's Medical Center in Kenosha. Esther was born Sept. 8, 1929, to Frederick and Susan (Dorrheim) Stroh, in Missoula, Mont., and was educated through the schools of Missoula. She married Shirley M. Beers on Feb. 17, 1951, in Missoula, Mont...

Lowrean M. Stark, 91, Nevada, Mo., and formerly of Mountain Home, died March 8, 2004, at the Barone Alzheimer Care Center. She was born on May 11, 1912, in Nevada, Mo., to James and Elsie McGuire Rutherford. On Sept. 9, 1939, she married John H. Stark. He preceded her in death Feb. 27, 1998...

Joseph Matthew Jewell, 27, of Mountain Home, died March 29, 2004, at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. A Celebration of Life Service was held Saturday, April 3, at Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. "Joseph's first breath in this world began with a struggle between life and death," his family said, calling him a "special special son, brother, uncle and nephew."...

Leo R. Black, 74, of Mountain Home, died Friday, April 2, 2004, at a Boise hospital. Memorial services were held Tuesday, April 6, at Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. Leo Ross Black was born in Coles County, Ill., on April 26, 1929, to I. Cleo Black and Amy Hampsten Black...

George and Mary Withers, of Hammett, celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary recently. Family and friends gathered at a surprise open house to help the couple celebrate. The Withers said they appreciated all those, family and friends, who took the time to join them during the open house and who made their anniversary special...

John and Suzanne Lynn of Mountain Home have announced the engagement of their daughter, Dana, to Dan Rhodes, the son of John and Darla Rhodes, also of Mountain Home. The couple are both employed at AJ's Restaurant in Mountain Home and both also are enrolled at BSU...

Loni Fichter and Dusty Wood were united in marriage March 26, 2004, during a ceremony at the historic depot in Boise. Fichter is the daughter of Rita Everitt and the late James Fichter. Wood is the son of Marlene Smitchger and Dale Wood. The bride is a 1998 graduate of Mountain Home High School and currently is employed as a coach at DirectTV in Boise, where the couple make their home...

The Royals' dugout will be silent this year. Soapy Walborn has retired as manager of the Mountain Home American Legion Baseball team, and with his retirement ends an era in local baseball -- one marked by championships, but more importantly for Walborn, the development of young men who have carried the discipline and self confidence he gave them into their adult lives...

The Mountain Home Tiger boys golf team tied for fourth in the its first SIC 4A golf tournament at the Gem County Golf Course in Emmett last Thursday. The host Huskies won the boys action, shooting a 163 over nine holes, one better than Bishop Kelly...

The Mountain Home Tigers lost a couple one-run non-conference baseball games at Minico Saturday, losing the first game 4-3, in 10 innings, and dropping the second, 6-5. In game one, the Tigers trailed 3-2 in their last at bat in the seventh, but got to Spartan starter Brandon Colwell for back-to-back walks...

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers swept a pair of non-conference softball games from Glenns Ferry last Friday in Glenns Ferry, winning the first game 7-4, and taking the second 10-2. In the first game, Mountain Home broke open the pitching duel between Lady Tiger Ali Hillman and Glenns Ferry's Jessica Simons, getting Simons for three runs in the third inning, getting back-to-back hits from Kristen Brandli, Paula Doerr and Des Walden...

Tiger junior Cory Bernaiche made up for lost time Friday at Mountain Home's only home track and field meet of the season. Bernaiche, due to other commitments, was late turning out for track, and Friday's home meet was his first meet of the season. He gave a hint of things to come, capturing Mountain Home's only first-place efforts of the day, winning the long jump and both the high (110-meter) and intermediate (300-meter) hurdles...

Phillip H. Young and Samantha R. Whittington, Mountain Home, announce the birth of a son.