Community Notes
Reminder to stop for school buses!
Winter driving adds even more danger for children waiting for the bus in the morning and exiting the bus after school. Visibility can sometimes be affected by snowy conditions and wind, and the icy roads can present sliding danger and add to stopping times. Drivers throughout the county are reminded that it is unlawful to pass a stopped school bus from either direction. As soon as a bus slows and begins flashing its lights, the safest strategy for drivers is to give the bus the full right of way, and stop a safe distance behind (or if coming from the facing direction in front of) the vehicle. According to anecdotal reports from drivers, many times students are hurrying toward the bus from locations which are not easily visible from the road, and are not always paying attention to traffic on the road itself. As an extra precaution, give the bus time to well and fully depart the stop to allow for any straggling students to be spotted by the driver. It should go without saying, but there is absolutely no appointment that is more important than the safety of children on their way to school. It should also go without saying that passing buses is a sure path to a rather expensive ticket. In Idaho, a first offense can be punished up to $300. Second violations and up within five years constitute misdemeanor crimes, and can cost $400-$1000, and even result in jail time! Do everyone a favor and plan ahead for morning drives—give yourself room to be patient and cautious on your commute.
Thirkill Early Childhood Screeening
Developmental screenings for children ages 3-5 will be held at Thirkill Elementary at 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on January 13 and 15 or by appointment. The screenings are conducted to identify potential delays in speech/language, motor, cognitive and social/emotional development. Early Childhood Education provides children with strategies that help them develop the emotional, social, and cognitive skills needed to become lifelong learners. Screenings and services are provided at no cost to families. At the time of the screening, please be prepared with a certified birth certificate for the child, a parent’s ID, and an immunization record. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 208-547-4426 or email [email protected].
Community Garden Meeting
It may be the dead of winter, but the Community Garden of Soda Springs will be holding a planning meeting to discuss the upcoming season this Saturday January 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Soda. The meeting is open to anyone interested in the operation and future of the Community Garden in Soda Springs.
Friends of Soda Springs Library to Meet
Fresh off the success of the Festival of Trees, the Friends of the Soda Springs Library will be holding their first meeting of 2025 on January 15 at 2:00 p.m. at the library. Elections for the Friends board will be held, and the discussion will primarily involve setting goals for the upcoming year. If you were impressed by this year’s Festival and would like to become a part of the group that put it on, now is your chance to get in at the ground level! Members of the public are invited to the meeting, member or otherwise.
HAM Radio Class in February
Caribou County’s HAM radio operators are an invaluable piece of the emergency preparedness toolkit for the area. During times of emergency or disaster, amateur radio operators work to create a communications network that is mobile, easily established and maintained, and responsive to emergency situations. Those interested in learning the ropes of amateur radio operation, or in obtaining a license, are in luck! Attend a free class to get licensed to use amateur radio on February 24th & 25th (Mon & Tue) in the evenings starting at 5:30 PM. Testing will be done at the end of the second evening. There is a small fee for testing and licensing paid to ARRL and FCC. Class itself is free. Call or email Paul Gritton for more information. [email protected] or 208-220-5254. Signups: https://forms.gle/UVev9ntZuRPxqR5W6
Family History Class
A FamilySearch class will be held at the FamilySearch Center on Sunday, January 12, 2025 from 3:00-4:00. The topic for the class will be “U.S. Military Pension Files (1776-1916): A Gold Mine for Family History Research.”
Information about the class reads as follows: “From the founding of the United States of America, its government has provided compensation for those who served in the military. Pension files contain applications from soldiers and their family members for government assistance and often include information of great genealogical value. This class will cover when an why military pension records were created and what information they contain; how to identify whether pension files exist for your ancestor; and how to access, read, and evaluate these records.”
The Family Search Center for Caribou County is at 290 S 3rd W in Soda Springs, near Thirkill. For information, call 208-547-3232 or email [email protected].
