WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003 Established 1865 Memorial Day Monday, May 26 VOLUME 19, NUMBER 21 HOMEDALE, OWYHEE COUNTY, IDAHO SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS High school Strike campground closed rodeo action Sports through holiday weekend page 12 pages 9-10-11 page 3 School district mulls Accident decreases due to claims life of mother and economic woes daughter Homedale School District 2003-2004 budget is being pro- discussed the possibilities of posed. An accident near Bruneau making cutbacks in several ar- The district carries a fund claimed the life of a 33-year- eas to help with state economic balance from year to year, old mother and her eight-year- cuts during a school board which Lisonbee now says is old daughter last Friday after- meeting last week, which could dropping quickly. noon. include cuts to supplies, ac- “We will be going into the Julie Ann Prior and daugh- tivities, building care and next budget with about $612 ter Marrisa Thomas, Boise, wages. thousand dollars,” Lisonbee were pronounced dead at the School District Superinten- explained. “By the end of the scene, according to a spokes- dent Bob Lisonbee said Tues- next year we could be down to person for the Idaho State Po- day after Monday’s meeting around $200 thousand dollars.” lice, who investigated the ac- that several things will be taken Lisonbee said a huge chunk cident. into consideration over the next of money has been taken from A 1992 Oldsmobile Bravada few months by the board as the the district with the state bud- was heading south on the get cutbacks. Lisonbee will wrong side of Idaho 51 when it also feel the crunch along with collided with a semi at about the entire administration staff 4:25 p.m., according to police. who have now had their sala- The driver of the semi, 40- ries frozen. year-old Mark Jones of Elko, “The teachers who get a step Nevada, was extricated and or a lane move on the salary transported to Saint Alphonsus schedule will receive raises, Regional Medical Center by but other than that the admin- air ambulance, according to istrators will not receive a raise. reports. Lunar eclipse At least not for this year.” The crash closed Idaho 51 Only a sliver of the moon Lisonbee said each school for about four hours while is showing as the earth in the district could see as much crews cleared the scene, ac- traveled between the sun as $20,000 in reduction for Getting ready to ride cording to reports. Jones was listed in critical and the moon last week for school supplies and nearly Frank Tobias of Grand View makes another check of his $8,000 for school activities. condition Monday morning, a a total lunar eclipse gear as he prepares for the 41st annual Jordan Valley Big “It will still leave each hospital spokesman said. Thursday night. Most of Loop Rodeo last weekend. Two days of cowboy action were Southwest Idaho was able to school with $40,000, but we The mother and daughter watch the eclipse as clouds will not be able to raise that,” covered with only the best of the best winning the purse. See were not wearing seat belts, page 8 for winners and more photos. according to police. cleared. –– to page 4 Ambulance crew seeks volunteers Every emergency medical call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For service works very closely together to placed in Owyhee County is answered each call the crew is dispatched to, assist volunteers in the case of ambu- by a volunteer emergency medical tech- hopefully, two EMTs will respond and lance runs, but she said even her busi- nician. But the number of EMTs avail- one driver. That has not been the case ness is being hurt because of the volun- able to answer those calls has been with the decline in volunteer time. teer time. declining and most ambulance districts EMT Donna Churruca said last week “Oh yes, of course my business has in the area are in need of medical vol- that many times the ambulance will suffered because during the day if we unteers. have to be dispatched with only one get a call, we need to go,” Churruca The number of volunteer emergency EMT and a driver, sometimes two explained. “We don’t seem to have medical technicians in Owyhee County EMTs will respond, but one of them nearly as many people who can re- has been declining over the past sev- needs to drive the ambulance. spond during the day as we used to. eral years and local departments have “It is getting tough,” Churruca said Moms have had to go back to work and Donna Churruca, owner and operator found themselves searching for last week. “We just don’t have the people move out of the area.” of Donna’s Bakery Oven in Marsing, picks recruitment’s to replace the ones who manpower any more. People have very Churruca said she has found herself out homemade cookies from a display case can no longer serve on the crews due to busy lives and can not devote as much babysitting so an EMT mom can go out for a customer. Churruca is among many a variety of reasons. time to volunteering as they used to.” on a call. Sometimes EMTs are forced people who devote their lives to volunteer The City of Marsing has eight certi- Churruca, who is also the owner of to leave their children with the local emergency response crews. fied EMTs on call, seven days a week, Donna’s Oven Bakery, said the Marsing –– to page 4 Page 2 Wednesday, May 21, 2003 County offers Homedale $15,000 for court remodel Owyhee County Commis- the budget before going ahead sioner Hal Tolmie told the with remodeling. He said it Homedale City Council that would take some time to work the county could give $15,000 out the plans with everyone to the city to remodel the county who would need to be involved courtroom located in City Hall, in the remodeling. if the council matches those “I would like to see us get funds. started now,” Garrison stated. “We have not put it in our “We can budget it in for next budget but we do have some year and just continue.” money to help with the remod- “We don’t actually have a eling,” Tolmie told the coun- plan yet,” Duryee explained. cil. “We won’t pay for it all, “We had a committee and it but I think this year we might may be in our best interest to be able to come up with form a committee to work on $15,000 maybe.” this again. I would like to see “This year we spent our us do it at one time instead of project budget on a computer start some then stop and start room to house a new computer again.” system so it would be my sug- Councilpersons Kevin gestion that we put this into Barlow and Garrison will be next year’s budget,” Mayor involved in the current com- Hap Duryee told the council. mittee and Tolmie will be the “We certainly can not match committee for the county. that this year,” City Clerk Pam Dugger told the council. Tolmie told the council if Watershed Marching on they chose to wait, the com- council to hold Homedale Elementary School teachers Tricia and Ron Huckins walk with students during the missioners would make sure final fitness walk of the school year. Students will be honored for the miles they have walked over the county had $15,000 to do meeting the school year during an awards ceremony held at the school on May 28. the remodeling. The Owyhee Watershed Councilman Charlie Garri- Executive Council will be son told the council he would meeting on June 20th at 5:00 like to get started on the re- p.m. at the U of I Extension modeling now, and budget building for personnel evalua- $15,000 in the project fund to tions. For further information match it next year. please contact Lance Phillips “If we could do $15,000 this at 889-2588 ext. 114. year and do what we can to get it going and start it and next year we budget our portion that would be great,” Garrison said. “We could start the project now Buy it, sell it, and continue to upgrade as we trade it, rent it... go along to meet the county’s money.” in the Mayor Duryee suggested Classifieds! DID YOU EVER THINK OF waiting until the money was in ADVERTISING AS ... THIS WEEK’S SPECIALs! ‘87 NISSAN PULSAR ‘88 TOYOTA TERCEL Great on Gas $375 DOWN $1295 $45/WEEK OAC hiring an employee who could contact more than 7,200 homes and tell them about your merchandise or services? 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