Stories from Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Some came simply because they were curious. A few were seeking a glimmer of hope to help them deal with the struggles in their lives. But for others that evening, their visit to a church in Mountain Home marked a pilgrimage of faith. For several hours last Tuesday, July 23, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church hosted an exposition that featured more than 160 Catholic holy relics, some of which are believed by the church to date back roughly 2,000 years...

Worried about fire protection, the City of Mountain Home is begging people to conserve water and is close to imposing mandatory restrictions. "Voluntary water restrictions are not working and city officials are concerned about potential fire protection problems if water demands on certain days of the week are not reduced," the city said in a prepared statement...

With the hot, dry conditions and very high fire danger throughout southwest and central Idaho, local wildland fire protection agencies will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, effective Thursday, Aug. 1, beginning at 12:01 a.m. The identified areas include private and agency lands protected by the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests;, Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Forest Protection Districts, Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association, and specific Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Field Offices.. ...

Dear editor: Silence is often interpreted as consent and so I could not let the remarks made in last week's paper pass in silence. If history teaches us anything, it is that times are changing and our social values need to keep pace. In regards to marriage, the first question should always be: do these consenting adults really and truly love each other? In regards to parenting, the focus needs to be on whether the involved adults are willing and able to provide the best quality of life that they can for their child.. ...

Dear editor: America is number one in a lot of things, from Olympic medals to our annual GDP. But America is also number one in some categories we should not be too proud of, such as school shootings, debt (credit card, mortgage, student loan, and government), teenage pregnancy rate and incarcerated individuals...

To whom it may concern: It has come to our attention that a blog was posted on the Mountain Home News website referring to someone being sexually harassed by an employee of the sheriff's office. We have not received any complaints of this nature. Sexual harassment is very serious and needs to be investigated immediately. Please contact Sheriff Rick Layher at 573-5969 if you have any knowledge of this...