Stories from Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Holiday Parade of Lights was a resounding celebration of holiday cheer for the city of Mountain Home, organizers said after the Friday night event was concluded in bitter cold weather. The parade was sponsored by the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce/Retail Merchant Committee. The theme for the parade, was "Follow The Star," a theme created by 6-year-old Kyle Crockett, winner of the Chamber's Christmas Parade of Lights Theme Contest...

The holiday programs for the Mountain Home School District have been announced:...

Students from Richard McKenna Charter High School have again donated their time to help a local citizen come into compliance with city ordinances being enforced by Janice Kelly. With Kelly helping, the group worked for three hours and cutting tree branches, raking the entire property, trimming the shrubs, and doing other work on the property...

Mountain Home Arts Council will present a slide show presentation and lecture by Marty Zajanc. an Alaskan explorer, at Mountain Home Junior High School, Dec. 4, beginning at 7 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public. Zajanc began with nothing in Alaska but the desire to follow beauty, detour for adventure, and search for the hidden path of knowledge, a spokesperson for the council said. ...

Dear editor: "To protect and serve," the motto of our "finest" in blue. I have for a long time wondered if our police officers ever stop and analyze exactly what that statement means? I do. To me it means the well being of all citizens of Mountain Home. It means finding and keeping the dangerous criminals off our streets...

Dear editor: This letter is in response to Emil Gasior's recent letter to the editor concerning the dog ordinance in Mountain Home (Stricter rules needed to deal with area dogs, Wednesday, Nov. 21). I agreed with most of Mr. Gasior's points concerning dogs in small towns. Right up until he stated that the city should make it illegal for any person to own a vicious dog, "namely a pit bull or rottweiler."...

Dear Citizens of Mountain Home: What a jolly ole' time riding in this year's Christmas Parade of Lights. Our way was guided by 'Following the Star' on the many merchant and organization floats, your cheers and all the new lights on the tree. The Retail Merchants Committee, D&D Trees, Girl Scouts, Elmore County Search and Rescue and the City of Mountain Home worked really hard to make Triangle Park light up with holiday cheer...

Dear editor: I agree with Pen A. Bidwell in his letter to the editor in the Nov. 21 edition. I agree with letter entitled "Religion not appropriate for subject in schools. However, I think a person's religion should be respected. I think parents should teach a child there is a supreme being that they can pray to. I do not think a person should be, as Pen said, forced brainwashed. They should just be taught that they can pray and ask God what is right...

The Zeta B civic group held a yard sale in September and recently donated the proceeds, $950, to the Elmore County Domestic Violence Council. The money helped pay expenses for the council's recent Harvest for Hope Benefit dance.

Jon and Jennifer Sowers, owners of the Dusty Rose Inn, recently donated a nickel plated circa 1900 "National" cash register to the Mountain Home Museum. "We were told it has always been in a Mountain Home barber shop," said Jon Sowers, "and we felt it would be a fantastic piece for the museum so everyone can enjoy it."...

MHHS "Danceline" dance team and Methods of Movement Studio won first place in all divisions entered at the Western States Dance Competition held Nov. 16 --17' at Century High School in Pocatello. The Western States Dance Competition is a regional competition and is unusual for the fact that it is sanctioned by the Idaho High School Activities Association and also hosts a private studio competition at the same time...

James H. Blackman, 55, of Mountain Home, died Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007, at home, with his family by his side. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the American Legion Hall, 515 E. 2nd South St., in Mountain Home. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel...

Deborah Joyce Lindsay Copeland, 58, of Mountain Home died Friday, Nov. 23, 2007, in Boise. Deb was born May 7, 1949 in Fresno, Calif., where she was raised. She graduated from Herbert Hoover High school and Fresno City Community College with an Associates Degree in Business...

Doris Louise Arnett, 53, of Mountain Home, died Nov. 22, 2007, at a Boise hospital, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Private services will be conducted at a later date. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel...

Gregory Frank Gosser, 34, of Mountain Home, died Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 at a local hospital. No services are planned at this time. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

Orville E. Greer, 85, of Mountain Home, died Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007, at a Boise hospital. At his request, no services will be held. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

A donation jug to assist with the Elk's Lodge reconstruction efforts has been set up at the Mountain Home News. Insurance will not cover all the costs associated with rebuilding the lodge, which burned down last month. Donations also can be sent to: Elks Lodge #2276, c/o Mountain Home News, P.O. Box 1330, Mountain Home, ID 83647...

Arrests David Christopher Martin, 22 ­-- probation violation. Tehran Michael Brown, 27 -- soliciting without a license. Debra Lorraine Byerly, 43 -- contempt-criminal. Jose Luis Hernandez, 19 -- minor consumption of alcohol,; obstruct or resist officer; assault/battery peace officer...

Magistrate Court Richard A. Bernt, 49, was found guilty for an amended charge of use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia (amended to Controlled Substance-frequenting place used, etc. - 5/15/07 case). Bernt was fined $150 plus $82.50 in court costs...

As we went to press Tuesday morning we were working a story of another tragedy on local roads, a triple fatality in which slick roads were almost certainly a contributing factor. This time of year the roads are becoming increasingly treacherous. The speeds drivers were used to during the summer and fall no longer apply, especially early in the morning, when fog and black ice can make the roads particularly dangerous. ...

The "Friends of 4-H" award was presented to D & B Supply and the "4-H Family of the Year" was presented to the Jeff Cook Family during the recent Annual 4-H Awards Ceremony. A warm welcome by Elmore County Extension Educator, Mir Seyedbagheri, and pledges led by 4-H Cloverbud members opened the evening. Mistresses of Ceremonies were Justine Clark, Kammie Boyles, Tiffany Smith, Amanda Young, and Justine Turner...

Johanna Mori, a 12-year-old from Bruneau, received a thank you this week from Locks of Love. Johanna donated 11 inches of her hair to the non-profit organization that provides wigs to children that suffer from diseases, injuries or chemotherapy treatments that result in the loss of their hair. Diane Ferrell of the Hair Hut in Mountain Home (shown above with Mori) was the beautician who cut her hair...

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers showed glimpses of their potential to contend for the Southern Idaho Conference 4A girls basketball race, but fell short in their conference opener at Bishop Kelly last Tuesday night. Mountain Home battled the Lady Knights tough all night, and went into the second period up, 10-8. The first half ended with the Lady Tigers up, 18-16...

The Mountain Home Lady Tiger junior varsity girls basketball team dropped their conference opener at Bishop Kelly last Tuesday, 35-26. The middle quarters did the Lady Tigers in, as they were outscored 18-3 during those two quarters, while outscoring Bishop Kelly, 23-17 in the first and fourth quarters...

The Mountain Home Tigers open their 2007-2008 boys basketball season this week, hosting Timberline Thursday night, and traveling to Vallivue on Friday night. Tiger boys basketball coach Tony Kerfoot is excited about this year's squad. "The guys that we have are the guys that played all summer and they've put some time in it, and I think we had a great summer program. ...

The city recreation department has announced its Fall Soccer 2007 Sportsmanship Award winners. In the 4-5 year old category, the winner was sponsored by Family Treasures Day Care/Creating Options and coached by Pam Burgess and Kelly Janis. In the 1st-2nd Grade Boys category, the winner was sponsored by S & L Sprinkler/Sunview Dairy and coached by Tony Charles and Billy Roeder...

Michael Hobgood of Mountain Home has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Northwest Nazarene University and play baseball for the Crusaders next season. Hobgood is a junior college transfer from Treasure Valley Community College. Michael Hobgood is a right-handed pitcher. While at Treasure Valley Community College he posted a 7-3 record with one save, an era of 2.50 and a 73-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio...

Winning close ball games seem to be the norm for the Mountain Home Lady Tigers sophomore girls basketball team, as they won their third close game of the season, edging Bishop Kelly 27-26. All three of their wins have been by one point. Mountain Home trailed the Lady Knight sophomores, 8-6, after a quarter, but the buzzer sounded ending the first half with the score knotted at 14-14. ...