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to the Editor
Slow down, and live!
Editor,
A few weeks back I submitted a letter regarding the use of seat belts and child passenger restraints. Saturday February 26, 2011 at 4:30 PM we had another fatal crash in Shoshone County.
Two local men were in the vehicle as it slid off the road and dropped 300 feet over an embankment. Early reports don't mention if seat belts were in use or not. It appears that it was another case of driving too fast for conditions.
ATV's and Their Drivers "Losing Ground"
Editor,
ATV users are being assaulted from all sides. In Idaho there are several groups of people working against ATV/OHV (All-Terrain/Off-Highway) machines, each for its own reasons, none of which make sense to me.
The US Forest Service either is closing or abandoning roads out of a desire to lower cost to tax payers, or in response to losing law suits filed by environmental groups. It's an odd thing to see. USFS fighting to keep roads open, and being sued by various groups wanting the forests kept pure and unharmed by any motorized vehicle. Then the USFS is closing roads through abandonment, by just not showing them on newly produced maps. I can't figure out what they are doing.
Chicken Ordinances
Editor,
Why are Shoshone county cities so afraid of chickens? Recently stories out of more urban areas are discussing chickens. Not outlawing chickens, but expanding who may have them and how many. This struck me as being a very open-minded outlook on our feathered friends.
What started this quest for chickens by our more advanced neighbors to the West? I know why people want pet chickens. They are fun to have around and, if treated well, provide good eats.
Lies, lies, and more lies!
Friends,
Most of us of a certain adult age have come to realize that not everyone tells the truth all the time. From salespeople to politicians, we have known that we are not going to get the unvarnished truth.
With those expectations we can only hope that the majority of things told to us will be true or at least close.
In 2008 I listen to a myriad of different people promise me everything but the moon. Then one of the seekers of my vote promised just that ... the moon. Lo! and behold, he was elected.
"Remediation" needs remediated
Editor,
It looks like we have one more victim of EPA mismanagement. Our recent flooding washed out a private bridge in Moon Gulch. It turns out that the bridge to the Newell family home was "remediated" last year. The earthen bridge was cleared of top soil and restored to a "clean state" by contractors.
Road Maintenance - Update
Editor,
On January 27th we were going down the river road between MP 6-7. There was a large rock slide across the road with many boulders too large to move by hand. It was dark and so when we reached the Bumblebee area and had cell service I called the sheriff’s office to make a report about the road conditions.
The dispatcher was very helpful. By the time we reached Kingston we passed a county pickup with a blade on the front headed to the rock slide! The citizens safety on the river road was restored! Thank you Sheriff’s Office and Smelterville County Crew!
Claudia Childress
Prichard, Idaho
Limited 911 usage?
Editor,
Comments from reader Claudia Childress (see "Road Maintenance") concerning the inability of citizens to contact the Shoshone County road department (Public Works Dept) on weekends raises some serious issues.
Her comments suggest that the Shoshone county sheriff's department, which manages our 911 dispatch center, is not willing to forward messages to our road crews. If the PWD doesn't have a quick and easy way for the public to report serious and hazardous conditions, such as flooding, washouts, slides or other problems, then who do we call? In her letter she was informed to contact the PWD directly. This is an odd suggestion to someone on the road.
Road Maintenance
Editor,
We have lived in Shoshone County many years. Years ago, in the winter the icy roads were scattered with slag from the mine waste. We did not think about any danger from the slag, we were just glad to have the fine black covering that kept us driving safely on ice. Once the contamination issue came up the county began using sand. This worked and was not quite as good as slag or as inexpensive, but we were driving safely on ice again.
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