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Murders lead list of top stories for 2004
Murders led the top ten stories of 2004 in Elmore County.
Leading the list of top stories for the year was the death of Teresa Garcia, 17, who was shot to death in June by a serial killer passing through the area and who had apparently selected her at random.
The murder shocked the community, and had people suddenly deciding to lock their doors at night.
The killer later died by his own hand after being cornered by authorities in Utah.
Second on our list of top stories was the conviction by an Elmore County Jury of Larry Severson, who had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mary Severson, on Valentine's Day 2002.
Authorities had contended that Severson poisoned and/or smothered her to death that night. His six-week trial during October and early November was one of the longest criminal proceedings in Elmore County history.
Severson is not facing the death death penalty but could face life in prison without parole. Sentencing is scheduled for early January.
Third on our list of top stories for the year was the week-long appearance of the Moving Wall in Mountain Home. The half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C., drew thousands of people to Carl Miller Park to pay their respects to those who died from wounds received during the Vietnam War.
Fourth on our list was the case of Albert Ciccone, who was formally bound over for trial on first-degree murder charges. The state alleges that Ciccone, in late 2003, deliberately ran over and killed his pregnant wife on a rural road near Tipanuk.
Fifth on the list of top stories for the year was the changing political landscape.
Joe McNeal took over as the new Mayor of Mountain Home at the first of the year, and during the general elections in November Connie Cruser defeated incumbent Calvin Ireland for the county commissioner's seat, while Tim Corder won election to the state senate.
Sixth on our list was the lure of gold. Two gold mining operations announced plans to try and obtain permits to re-open old mines in Elmore County. The largest is the Atlanta Gold operation proposed for the old mining district in Atlanta. A smaller proposal has been made by Desert Mineral Mining to re-open a site off Black's Creek Road.
Seventh on the list was the ongoing controversy over the county's approval of, or pending action on, several proposals to create new dairies in the county. Proponents of the plans argued strongly for the economic benefits of the operations, while opponents questioned their impacts on the enviornment and quality of life of county residents. A series of highly acrimonious hearings were held and the issue filled the letters to the editor page of this newspaper for months.
Eighth on the list was the approval of the city library expansion bond and the failure of the of the county's jail bond plan. The $1.5 million proposal to more than double the present library won with a 75 percent approval margin, but the $7.5 million jail bond, although it received a simple majority of yes votes, failed to earn the required two-thirds majority in the general election. The current jail has been rated as one of the worst in the state.
Ninth on the list was the deployment of several score of local residents to Iraq as part of the call-up of the Idaho National Guard for an 18-month tour of duty, at least a year of which will be spent in Iraq.
Rounding out the top ten stories was the death of a horse during practice for the Three Island River Crossing re-enactment, an event that has cast a cloud on the future of the highly popular tourist attraction.
There were other stories of interest that didn't quite make the top ten -- the large number of traffic fatalities on county roads this year, the change of command at the airbase, and the appearance throughout the community of the murals on business walls that began to give the community a unique look -- but overall, it was a busy year. The following is a look at the month-by-month headlines from the pages of the Mountain Home News:
January
Long-time Prairie resident Joe Acarregui, 56, died Jan. 5 from burns he received in a fire at his home on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Sheriff's deputies investigating the death believe Acarregui was attempting to use diesel fuel, or a diesel/gas mixture, to help start a fire in the wood stove in his Prairie home, when the combination of heat and volatile fumes exploded.
* * *
Nearly 300 people filled the commons area of Mountain Home Junior High School Jan. 12 as Joe McNeal took the oath of office as mayor of Mountain Home.
Richard Urquidi was named as council president and the council also unanimously agreed to accept McNeal's department head appointments as presented: Nina Patterson, city clerk; Leanna Taylor, city treasurer; Jay R. Friedly, city attorney; Robert Ward, deputy city attorney; Tom Berry, police chief; Phil Gridley, fire chief; Stan Franks, parks and recreation department; Luise House, librarian; and Karl Huffaker, city engineer. The post of building inspector was left unfilled at that time.
* * *
Dr. John Bideganeta was honored with only the third Lifetime Achievement Award ever given by the Chamber of Commerce, during its annual installation banquet Saturday at the Elk's Lodge, and Alan Bermensolo and Alain Isaac where honored as the 2003 Man and Woman of the year.
* * *
Following a preliminary hearing process that had lasted five days, Judge John Sellman determined on Jan. 12 that there was sufficient evidence to charge Albert Ciccone with two counts of first degree murder in the death of his pregnant wife, Kathleen Terry, and ordered Ciccone be bound over to District Court. It is alleged that he ran down his pregnant wife on a rural road near Tipanuk in October 2003.
* * *
The deadline to comment on the draft Base Realignment and Closure closed Jan. 28.
The latest round of base realignments and closures follows rounds held in 1991, 1993 and 1995, and relies heavily on the same criteria used at that time. The current authorization by Congress, however, applies only to bases inside the United States.
All bases in the country have put together a series of documents to help higher commands make the final recommendations. The Secretary of Defense can make revisions until February of 2005. In March of 2005 the president will submit to the Senate the names of members who will serve on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The key date will be May 16, 2005, when the Secretary of Defense announces the bases being recommended for closure or realignment. The BRAC commision will then analyze the list and by Sept. 8, 2005 make is recommendations to the president.
* * *
The Chamber of Commerce announced Jan. 28 that The Moving Wall, the traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C., would appear in Mountain Home June 15-22.
A committee, led by Coleen Swenson, was immediately formed to begin planning for the event.
* * *
The federal government decided not to list the slickspot peppergrass (Lepidiuni papilliferum), a small, rare flower that grows in southwestern Idaho"s Snake River plain and Owyhee plateau areas, as an endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after nearly two years of review and public comments, decided existing conservation plans would be adequate to protect the plant, whose listing had been urged by various environmental groups.
A listing would have caused problems for both area ranchers and the base's training range.
February
After receiving approval from the Elmore County Planning and Zoning Commission for a conditional use permit for a community center/family recreation center and a lighted reader board sign, the Western Elmore County Recreation District quickly moved ahead with its plans to purchase a ten-acre site on S. 18th East Street, across from Eastside Park.
* * *
A 19-year-old airman at Mountain Home AFB was killed Feb. 6 while snowmobiling at Little Camas Reservoir.
Walter J. Hammond IV died as a result of injuries received when he hit a creek bed, launching him from the snowmobile and causing him to hit the handlebars with his throat and chest.
* * *
Daniel and Linda Pomerlee were selected as the "Person(s) of the Year" at the 17th Annual Mountain Home Black History Committee Banquet.
* * *
The owner of Footnotes Bookstore, Susan Rueger, was named as one of Idaho's "Brightest Stars" by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and First Lady Patricia Kempthorne during the inaugural Community of Promise Red Wagon Award ceremonies.
* * *
Atlanta Gold announced plans to reopen the gold fields in Atlanta, kicking off a lengthy series of public hearings and permit applictions to begin work in the remote mountain community that at during the 19th century was one of the largest gold-producing areas in the world.
* * *
LaVinna "Vinnie" Isabell Sorenson, 95, a community leader known for her charitable works, including founding the community's Cheer Basket Project to feed the needy at Christmas, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at the Elmore Medical Center Nursing Home.
* * *
State Senator Fred Kennedy, (D-Dist. 22, Boise and Elmore counties) announced that he would not seek re-election to a second term to the legislature, in orderto be able to spend more time with his wife of over 45 years and his children and grandchildren.
* * *
The Mountain Home City Council voted unanimously to authorize the city library's staff and board to move forward and seek approval for a $1.5 million bond election to double the size of the current library.
* * *
Calvin Ireland announced his decision to seek re-election to a second term on the Board of Elmore County Commissioners.
March
For the second year in a row, the Mountain Home Tigers finished third at the State 4A Wrestling Championships at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
* * *
The first case of wolves killing livestock in Elmore County was been confirmed following an investigation by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A cow and a calf, not related to each other, were killed by one to three wolves at a ranch near Hammett last week. The wolves were later tracked down by the state and killed.
* * *
Mike McCain was selected by he city council to become the city's new building inspector.
* * *
Jim Alexander announced his intention to run for the state senate seat from Dist. 22 being vacated by Fred Kennedy.
* * *
King Hill resident Doug King announced his bid for a seat on the Board of Elmore County Commissioners.
* * *
Bob Stevenson, 47, of Garden Valley, announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives, Seat B for District 22, as a Democrat.
* * *
Jay B. Brown announced his candidacy for the District #2 Elmore County Commissioner Seat.
* * *
Twenty-one women's clubs, past and present, and leaders of those organizations were honored during the Fourth Annual Women's History Banquet sponsored by the Friends of the Museum.
* * *
Connie Cruser announced plans to seek election to the Elmore County Board of Commissioners.
* * *
April
Former deputy Greg Berry announced he would challenge Sheriff Rick Layher on the Republican ballot in the May primary elections.
* * *
Parent-teacher conferences last Thursday were canceled at Hacker Middle School after a youth, later turned in by his parents, phoned in a bomb threat to the school.
* * *
Soapy Walborn retired as manager of the Mountain Home American Legion Baseball team, which he had led since 1988, directing the team to a number of state and regional titles.
* * *
Sheriff Rick Layher announced he would seek his fifth term as the top law enforcement officer in Elmore County this year.
* * *
Larry Rose announced he would seek re-election for a fourth term to the Elmore County Board of Commissioners.
* * *
Tim Corder, Sr., announced his candidacy for the state senate from District 22 on the Republican ticket.
* * *
Crime statistics provided by the state of Idaho and the FBI showed that "Mountain Home is still the safest place in Idaho to live," according to Police Chief Tom Berry. The crime stats show little or no increase, and in some cases a decline, in most major crime categories.
May
The Board of Elmore County Commissioners adopted a resolution to ask for voter approval Nov. 2 to issue bonds to construct a new jail.
* * *
Students in the Gifted and Talented Program at West Elementary School traveled to Boise to compete in the Mars Rover Builder competition recently.
The fifth and sixth grade teams, competed against 44 teams from throughout the region, building model Mars rovers fromthe Legodacta Lego toys set, complete with pneumatic devices that helped power the rovers over a simulated Mars landscape.
* * *
Four Mountain Home students were named as "Students of the Year" during the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Mountain Home Elks Lodge #2276.
Jessica Egusquiza and Tyson Sessions of Mountain Home Junior High School and Jenny Shrum and Dustin Pangonis of Mountain Home High School were honored when Bill Trueba, chairman of the Student of the Month/Year Program, presented each with a scholarship from the Elks Lodge.
* * *
Buzz Roberts of Mountain Home was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and awarded the Lifetime Service Award during the 7th Annual National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Banquet. Roberts, considered the "founding father" of the wrestling programs in Mountain Home, was the head wrestling coach at Mountain Home High School and the Pee Wee wrestling coach in Mountain Home from 1958-1971.
* * *
The Idaho National Guard was officially notified Friday that some of its units, including those assigned to the armory in Mountain Home, would be called up for 18 months of active duty in June and would sent to Iraq by the end of the year.
* * *
The Mountain Home Tigers won the District III 4A Baseball Tournament at Kuna, while the Mountain Home Lady Tigers battled back from an opening game loss to take third place at the District III 4A Softball Tournament at Vallivue. The Tigers dropped their final two games at the State 4A Baseball Tournament in Nampa to finish fourth, while the Lady Tigers failed in a qualifying round for third-place district finishers to advance to state.
* * *
Longtime incumbent county commissioner Larry Rose went to the wire before defeating challenger Jay Brown in the primary election, which saw all the incumbents win, including Sheriff Rick Layer who turned back a respectable challenge by former deputy Greg Berry.
* * *
Mountain Home High School held commencement exercises for more than 200 graduates. Weather had forced the event to be moved indoors to what turned out to be a stifling hot and hugely overcrowded gymnasium.
The keynote speakers were two of the valedictorians, Jacob Dunn and Jenni Jorgenson.
Meanwhile, Richard McKenna High School held its final graduation as the school district's alternative high school. The program would be melded later in the year into the state's on-line high school program.
* * *
Challenger Toni Reynolds upset nine-year incumbent Doug Belt to earn aseat on the Mountain Home school district board of trustees.
* * *
Elmore County held a major disaster drill, involving more than 200 people, representing dozens of federal, state and local agencies, as part of a Department of Homeland Security weapons of mass destruction exercise.
Four counties took part in the drill -- Elmore, Boise, Valley and Ada -- to test not only how local emergency crews would respond, but also how the state would handle multiple incidents.
June
The Idaho Sheriff's Association District III Jail Inspection Team said in its annual insnpection report that the Elmore County Jail was the third worst facility of its type in the state.
* * *
Ceremonies, highlighted by Medal of Honor winner Bernie Fisher, began a a week-long appearance of The Moving Wall in Mountain Home.
Several thousand people from throughout the region visited the wall while while it was on display, with ceremonies held each day to honor those who died from wounds received in combat during the Vietnam War.
* * *
Teresa Garcia, 17, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds outside her aunt and uncle's home just off Frontage Road north of Mountain Home on June 8.
Garcia had apparently been selected at random by a serial killer as part of a crime spree throughout the Pacific Northwest. The killer apparently stopped in Mountain Home and entered the rural house where she was visiting, Her aunt and uncle were not home at the time.
The killer, Richard Wilson, 39, of Walla Walla, Wash., a Washington prison parolee, was cornered the next week by authorities in Utah, after he shot two people there, and he killed himself before he could be arrested.
The killing triggered a wave of anger over the death, sympathy for the victim and fear that the community was not invulnerable to the types of crimes more commonly associated with major cities.
Garcia had been a member of the high school soccer team, which permanently retired her jersey during ceremonies at the team's first home game that fall.
* * *
Col. Charles K. Shugg aassumed command of the 366th Fighter Wing, replacing Col. Blair Hansen, who had served as wing commander for 18 months.
* * *
Mountain View Power, Inc. began construction of the Bennett Mountain Power Plant in Mountain Home. Mountain View Power is under contract to build the power plant in the city's industrial park and then turn it over to Idaho Power Company in the spring of 2005.
July
Mountain Home Mayor Joe B. McNeal was one of three Idahoans honored at the national Jefferson Awards banquet June 21-25 in Washington, D.C. The Jefferson Awards, presented by the Jefferson Award Committee and the nation's media organizations, annually honor selected individuals from each state who have demonstrated a commitment to public service.
* * *
The Elmore County Fair Board selected Debbie Brito and Raul Reyes as grand marshals of this year's Elmore County Fair, which drew thousands of spectators during its week-long events.
* * *
A five-year-old girl who wandered away from a campsite near Lester Creek was found unharmed the next morning after an all-night search by the Elmore County Search and Rescue team.
* * *
The Mountain Home DIG-IT committee spent the year helping area merchants have historical murals painted on their walls. During July, one of the largest was erected across from the museum at Mountain Home Auto Parts.
August
A 75 percent majority of voters cast their votes in favor of the $1.5 million library expansion bond Aug. 2 night, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority needed for approval of the measure.
The expansion project calls for approximately $1 million in physical construction costs to more than double the existing size of the library, and another half a million dollars in furnishings, fixtures, books and various fees to architects and engineers.
The expanded library will feature a major expansion of the juvenile department, a large addition to the adult section, and more public access computer workstations, which are heavily used.
* * *
Two horses drowned during a practice run at Three Island State Park near Glenns Ferry for the Aug. 14 re-enactment event of pioneer crossing at the ford in the Snake River. The event went on, as scheduled, but in the following months organizers began to question if it should. The future of the crossing, a major state historical event, remains in doubt.
* * *
It was a full house as approximately 120 citizens gathered for what Mayor Joe B. McNeal promised to be the first of many town meetings during his administration. The event featured reports by department heads and gave citizens a chance to sound off on complaints they had about city operations.
* * *
The Charlie Daniels Band and the Spirit of America Tour visited Mountain Home Air Force Base, performing before a crowd of more than 3,000 Gunfighters, their families and guests.
* * *
The debate on proposals to construct additional dairies in Elmore County heated up as public hearings began on the plans. The issue dominated local county politics for months, became a key factor in the county commissioner's race, and filled the letters to the editor pages from August until November.
* * *
Larry Ashcraft was named as Grand Marshal for the 2004 Air Force Appreciation Day parade.
* * *
Students at the base's Primary and Liberty Elementary schools had the start of school delayed as a result of a storm that damaged the Primary School. The Primary School students (grades K-3) began classes a few days late in the Liberty building, and the students in grades 4-6 that were scheduled to attend Liberty started classes at what had been the mothballed Stephensen Middle School.
* * *
Swarms of mosquitoes began showing up in a number of areas around the city, especially at Tiger Field and Eastside Park, and within the week the first case of West Nile virus was reported in the county. With no mosquito abatement program in place anywhere in the county, residents simply smothered themselves in DEET and waited for the cold weather that soon arrived to end the problem -- for this year.
* * *
Ray Morgan announced plans to restore the old bowling alley, which had all but burned down in a fire in 2000. By the end of the year, bowlers once again had a facility available in Mountain Home to enjoy.
* * *
After being fired from Summers Funeral Home earlier in the year, Jerry L. Rost opened some competition when he opened his own business, Rost Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
September
Bob Stevenson dropeed out of the race for the state legislature, and was replaced by Wayne Lasuen to challengeincumbent Republican Pete Nielsen.
* * *
City Engineer Carl Huffaker resigned following an altercation with Mayor Joe B. McNeal in his office after a meeting of the city council.
* * *
Perfect weather drew near-record crowds to the 44th Annual Air Force Appreciation Day celebration. Estimates of the crowd along the parade route ranged from 5,000 to 7,000 people, and at least 10,000 people spent time in Carl Miller Park where well over 100 booths were set up for the crowd to enjoy.
* * *
The Oregon Trail History and Education Center was packed to overflowing Sept. 18 when rain forced planned activities for the 1st Annual Harvest Celebration indoors.
Native American dancers, singers and drummers brought their traditions to life for hundreds of visitors during the cultural event.
* * *
Mountain Home High School was evacuated last Aug. 14 after office personnel reported receiving a bomb threat by telephone just at classes were about to begin after lunch. A $500 reward iwas offered by the school district for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
* * *
David Chitwood, 51, of Mountain Home, was killed when his light plane crashed only a few feetfrom the top of the first ridge at the base of of Bennett Mountain Aug. 20.
* * *
Lindsey Englehardt, the daughter of Beverly and Patrick Englehardt, was crowned Homecoming Queen during ceremonies held at halftime of the MHHS homecoming game against Jerome.
Earlier in the day, at the Homecoming Assembly, Zachary Anderson, the son of Toby and Julia Anderson, was crowned as Homecoming King.
The Tigers beat Jerome 52-16 for homecoming.
October
A motion to approve the application for a conditional use permit and confined animal feeding operation for the Bernie Brown dairy with additional conditions received five 'yes' votes with two planning and zoning commission members voting 'no' during the Sept. 29 meeting. The opponents still have an appeal pending before the county commissioners, which will be heard Dec. 12. The Brown dairy is the first of a series of highly contentious dairy proposals that will be coming before the county over the next year.
* * *
Thirty-two horses and five donkeys were seized from a rural Elmore County residence at Tipanuk, with the owners charged with permitting the animals to go without care. The animals were taken to the Idaho Humane Society shelter in Boise and later put up for adoption.
* * *
The body of a Boise County man, James Wadley, 37, who had gone hunting for elk was found in the mountains above Mountain Home, crushed by his ATV after it had rolled over on him.
* * *
The long-awaited opening of the new Glenns Ferry Water Treatment Plant was held, with Gov. Dirk Kemptorne officiating.
* * *
Sara Latona, 42, of Mountain Home, was seriously injured in a car-bomb attack in Baghdad. Latona, a civilian clerk working for AAFES, suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to her right leg, hip, side, arm, face and eye when a roadside bomb exploded next to the bus she had been driving while delivering supplies and some military members from Kuwait to the "Green Zone" area in Baghdad.
Latona later returned to a hero's welcome in Mountain Home and was give the key to the city by Mayor Joe B. McNeal.
* * *
More than 140 potential jurors were called as selection began for the trail of Larry Severson, accused of murdering his wife, Mary, on Valentine's Day 2002.
The trial last six weeks with Serverson being found guilty in early November of first-degree murder. Sentencing is set for the first week in January. He is not facing the death penalty.
* * *
Flu shots became worth their weight in gold as a shortage of vaccine forced health providers to provide the shots only to those in the highest-risk categories.
* * *
Dr. Jerrie LeFevre resigned as superintendent of the Mountain Home School District effective Sept. 1, 2005.
The Mountain Home School District Board of Trustees quickly named his successor, Curriculum Director Tim McMurtrey.
November
The general election resulted in a number of new faces being elected to various public service positions. While most of the incumbents won re-election, Tim Corder will be the new state senator for Dist. 22 and Connie Cruser upset Calvin Ireland to earn a spot as the second woman on the county commissioners board.
Meanwhile, the county jail bond proposal once again went down to defeat -- the third time the measure had gone before the voters and failed.
* * *
A new emergency services building was dedicated in Grand View.
* * *
Community efforts to support local Idaho National Guardsmen deploying to Iraq got into full swing with the guard support group putting up scores of yellow ribbons around town for the troops, and the Mothers of the Military sending off Christmas stockings filled with goodies donated from area merchants and citizens to soldiers deployed in the war zone.
December
The Elmore County Sheriff's Office arrested 56 people in connection with a cock fighting operation they broke up on Beet Dump Road, across from the TLK Dairy. Authorities said they found a well organized arena set up for the cock fighting derby, including a concession stand, and a barn full of people.
* * *
A petition to form an ambulance service district was presented to the Board of Elmore County Commissioners. The purpose of the district is to establish a secure and dedicated funding source for operation of ambulance services within the county.
* * *
A small open pit gold mine is expected to begin operations this spring in Elmore County near Three Points Mountain toward the end of Black's Creek Road. A California-based company, Desert Mineral Mining, LLC, is seeking approval from the state to utilize a new technique for small-scale operations that will process about 100 tons of rock a day to extract quartz-gold ore from the "Centennial Mine" site.