Stories from Wednesday, March 23, 2011

by Brian S. Orban Mountain Home News Elmore County's overall population fell by seven percent over the past 10 years while the city of Mountain Home saw its numbers spike, according to statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Numbers released earlier this month from the 2010 Census puts the county's population at 27,038 or 2,092 fewer people than the last survey conducted 10 years ago...

Senate Bill 1113, Superintendent of Education Tom Luna's plan for the complete restructuring of education in Idaho, has been heavily rewritten by lawmakers in the Idaho Legislature, but local school district officials said that what they call "Son of 1113" is, in some ways, worse than the original plan...

Family and friends of Ed and Pat Welsh are being invited to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at a reception in their honor April 9 in the Bruneau Legion Hall from 1-4 p.m. Ed and Pat met in Boise in 1960. Pat was working at the Royal Restaurant and Ed, just out of the Navy, was working for Welsh Brother Construction. ...

March 23 marks the first anniversary of the health care law that is failing to achieve the results, including control of health care costs and better access to quality care, Americans sought and deserve. Instead, the law continues to deepen our nation's unsustainable deficit and debt, results in higher premiums for consumers and business owners and persists in stifling job growth...

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Boise on April 4 as part of his "Conversation with the Country" initiative. The visit is part of Admiral Mullen's ongoing effort to meet with citizens across the country about national security issues. It is also his opportunity to foster the "Sea of Good Will" (a community of citizens supporting the employment, educational and health care needs of veterans, their families and the families of the fallen)...

A Wendell man living illegally in the United States pled guilty to four counts of vehicular manslaughter during a hearing earlier this month at the Elmore County Courthouse. By entering this plea, Eusebio J. Pineda admitted to causing the head-on collision near Glenns Ferry that killed four members of a California family Aug. 12...