Kenneth L. Anderson Ken Anderson Was Born to Homer and Ethel Anderson on May 14, 1938, in Borger, Texas
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Kenneth L. Anderson Ken Anderson was born to Homer and Ethel Anderson on May 14, 1938, in Borger, Texas. He attended school in Pampa, Texas, where he was the photographer for the high school newspaper, a member of the slide rule club and enjoyed classical music and his train set. He joined the United States Air Force in June 1956 and was stationed in Turkey for a year. During his four year military tenure, he became a fluent speaker of the Russian language. Ken was honorably discharged and released from active duty in July of 1960. He then began to pursue his education and ultimately graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1963 and then obtained his Master of Arts in history in 1965. After passing doctoral exams at University of California Los Angeles in 1968, he became an assistant professor of history (Ancient, medieval and Byzantine) at Washington State University in Pullman. He later decided to embark on his next educational endeavor, where he would discover his passion for helping people. He enrolled in the University of Idaho College of Law in 1975, where he graduated and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 1978. Ken was the prosecuting attorney for Nez Perce County for a short time and then decided to open his own practice in 1978. Helping others has always been the cornerstone of Ken's essence, which is why in 1990 he restricted his practice to bankruptcy. He maintained offices in Lewiston and Grangeville, and helped countless families and businesses in reorganizing their lives toward a debt-free future. Ken was very proud of that. He was a member of the Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section of the Idaho State Bar as well as president of North Idaho Debtors' Counsel in Coeur d'Alene. He was an accomplished classical pianist, played classical guitar and participated in Summer Palace Theater at WSU. He also belonged to the Outlook Club for more than 30 years and was an active member of the Lewis-Clark Valley Train Club. Ken was also an enthusiastic ham radio operator, with call sign KB7IAW. Ken was instrumental in establishing the first repeater tower above Grangeville. Ken not only utilized ham radio for communications with his family and people all over the world, but used his skills to set up and become the area's Skywarn coordinator for the National Weather Service offices in Spokane and Missoula. He and his fellow amateur radio operators were very proud to provide storm spotting and early warning of severe weather. When not engaged in professional duties, Ken enjoyed family activities including trailer camping, photography, massage, home brewing, model railroading with his grandson Levi, cross country train trips, storm chasing in his home state of Texas, continuing to brush up his Russian language skills, and sipping on Wild Turkey and smoking an occasional cigar on the observation deck. Ken leaves behind his wife, Janet Anderson, who is a retired Grangeville Elementary School teacher; two daughters, Stephanie Lathrop (Earl) and Wendy Anderson; two stepsons, David Swisher (Sara Stolz) and Gary Yamamoto (Patty Harris); and seven grandchildren: Kim, Cindy and Daniel Yamamoto; Krista, Olivia and Levi Lathrop; McKenna Anderson (as in "Ken"); and nine great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, 1906 Broadview Drive, Lewiston, with a catered reception to follow. Sign the online book of memories at www. mtviewfuneralhome.com. Child mental health care lawsuit in Idaho settled after 35 years Idaho State Journal: Jun.14 Jeff D. was 15 years old when he was committed by a state court to the custody of the director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare under the Idaho Mental Health Act. He was diagnosed as being emotionally disturbed and mildly mentally disabled, and Idaho had no resources to treat him. His subsequent incarceration led to a 1980 lawsuit that has finally been settled 35 years later. Jeff D. is now 50 years old. According to a news release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, settlement of the lawsuit will bring better access to community-based mental health services for 9,000 Idaho children with serious emotional disturbances. It provides an opportunity for the state of Idaho to resolve the long-standing lawsuit. “The settlement gives Idaho a clear path in delivering needed community-based mental health services,” said Ross Edmunds, administrator of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. “Most importantly, it provides an effective system to treat youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Our success with this settlement will ultimately bring an end to the Jeff D. lawsuit.” “The governor (C.L. “Butch” Otter) should be applauded for supporting collaborative improvement of Idaho’s children’s mental health system,” said Patrick Gardner, an attorney with Young Minds Advocacy Project who helped negotiate the settlement. “Idaho is a model for other states in its commitment to serve children in need using a coordinated system of care.” The settlement aims to address the gaps in Idaho’s mental health system, making it more effective and efficient in meeting the needs of children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. The settlement commits the state to taking a number of concrete steps to develop and implement a sustainable, coordinated, and comprehensive mental health system, including: * Creating a statewide process, across all child-serving systems, to identify and screen youths for unmet mental health needs. * Providing a comprehensive array of community-based services and supports to children when medically necessary. * Delivering services using a consistent approach that engages families, youths, and their support systems. * Monitoring and reporting on service quality and outcomes for youths. “The settlement outlines a plan for Idaho to create an effective and meaningful system of care,” said Howard Belodoff, the attorney for the children. “When successfully implemented, the agreement will lead to children throughout the state having access to a comprehensive array of mental health services and supports in their own homes and communities.” The settlement is the result of more than a year of negotiations. Participants include key community stakeholders representing parents, advocates and private providers, along with representatives from Health and Welfare, the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, the Idaho State Department of Education, as well as attorneys representing the class members. The settlement anticipates implementation over a 4-year period with three additional years of monitoring to ensure sustained performance of the service delivery system. Upon successful completion of implementation and monitoring, the lawsuit will be dismissed. The settlement agreement must be approved by the federal district court. “This is a positive step forward for coordinated community-based mental health services,” said Sharon Harrigfeld, Director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. “We know that collaborative efforts at the community level have positive outcomes for youth and we look forward to continuing these efforts to meet the needs of youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families through this Agreement.” Access to appropriate mental health services is a critical component of children’s health care systems. Research shows that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare estimates that 20 percent of all youths will have a diagnosable mental disorder during childhood. Family members with children who suffer from mental illness praised the settlement as an important step forward in Idaho. “Our family experienced a lot of challenges and frustration as we tried to get our daughter appropriate care,” said Jennifer Griffis, parent and chairwoman of the Idaho Behavioral Health State Planning Council. “The agreement provides a promising structure for Idaho’s mental health system to be more responsive to the needs of children and families.” Otter applauded the leadership and staff at all the state agencies impacted by the Jeff D. case for their perseverance and dedication to doing the right thing for the children of Idaho throughout a long and difficult legal process. “I’m proud of our people. I’m proud of the processes and priorities they have put in place. And I’m very pleased that their hard work and determination has brought us to this day,” Otter said. “The Jeff D. case has been part of Idaho’s political and public policy landscape for decades. Changing cultures and overcoming tough challenges often takes time. But we understand that realizing success will mean a continuing commitment to upholding the letter and spirit of this agreement.” Man Gets Up to Life Sentence for Pharmacy Robberies MagicValley.com: June 16- Benton Smith Twin Falls • A second man has been sentenced to up to life for a series of Twin Falls pharmacy robberies. Brody McEwen Trout, 25, was sentenced to a minimum of eight years Monday at Twin Falls County District Court by District Judge Richard Bevan. Deputy Prosecutor Stan Holloway recommended 12 years minimum for Trout while defense attorney Tim Williams recommended four years. Because of Trout’s longtime drug use, Holloway said, he should serve a longer sentence than co-defendant Bradley Cole Holcomb. Holcomb was sentenced May 29 to 10 years to life in prison. He has filed an appeal of the sentence. The two men had too similar of paths to consider one the leader over the other, Bevan said. “You two are peas in a pod as for as I’m concerned,” he said. Williams said Trout’s crimes were due to serious drug addiction and that if the addiction could be treated, then Trouts’ behavior could change.