Stories from Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Three statewide advisory councils will meet in Boise this week, both separately and jointly, to discuss economic development and tourism initiatives. The Economic Advisory Council will meet 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday to review 25 grant applications for Community Development Block Grants for public facilities and downtown revitalizations. They will also review two job creation project applications from the cities of Craigmont and Buhl...

One runs a construction firm. The other serves as a regional banking manager. Together, they invested countless hours over the past year to make a positive difference in this community. During a formal ceremony Saturday evening, the community returned the favor by honoring them as the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce's man and woman of the year...

Starting classes in the Mountain Home School District two weeks ahead of schedule yielded positive results this year, according to local educators. Breaking from their traditional schedule, the district opted this year to start classes Aug. 17, which ended the first semester just before the Christmas break on Dec. 22...

A plethora of potholes are popping up all over Mountain Home. Neither citizens, nor city hall, are happy about it. The city has been flooded with complaints and Mayor Tom Rist is encouraging citizens to report them to the city. "Really, we know where most of them are. But we'll take every report and add it to the list," said Public Works Director Wayne Shepherd...

Jerry and Karen Tippets of Mountain Home have announced the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Tippets of Boise, to Kelly Kilgore of Boise, son of Lita Weidner of Meridian. The couple will exchange vows during a wedding ceremony on April 16, at Christ Chapel in Boise...

When legislators came to Boise this year, they faced difficult choices for public schools -- cut more or raise taxes. In every opinion poll and at the ballot box in November, Idahoans made it clear they didn't like either option. They didn't want to see further cuts, and they didn't want a tax increase...

Dear editor: I would like to raise the awareness of how dangerous it is to text while you drive. I bet you didn't even know that more crashes happen when you text and drive than drinking and driving. In 2007 alone, around a thousand car crashes in the United States occurred as a result of distraction caused while texting. ...

January 19 • 05:02 Vehicle Stop, Ditto Ck/Bypass• 09:13 Traffic, I-84 WB MM127• 09:26 Utility, Lott Rd/Beaman Rd• 12:03 Assist, Foster Dr• 12:07 Vehicle Stop, Hwy 20• 12:10 Fraud, Carnahan Rd• 12:47 Vehicle Stop, Hwy 20• 12:58 Alarm Law, Dutton Wy• 14:46 Utility, Commercial St• 15:01 911 Hang-up, MH• 17:33 Juvenile Probation, E6Av• 18:10 Animal, Hwy 30• 18:47 Suspicious Circumstance, Sunset Strip• 20:28 Vehicle Stop, E15N• 21:06 Assist, MH• 22:13 Abandoned Vehicle, S18/6• 22:13 Assist, Rediker Dr. ...

If you want to file your income tax return for free online, check out the Idaho State Tax Commission's website at www.tax.idaho.gov. The site features software companies that offer qualifying taxpayers free electronic filing for both their federal and Idaho income tax returns. To get a list of providers and their eligibility requirements, click on the "Free income tax fi1ing" link on the home page...

Mountain Home and Elmore County have two solid ties to Superbowl XLV, which will be played Feb. 5 in Dallas, Texas, between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.