Looking Back at Pages from the Past

The following stories are summarized from past issues of the Caribou County Sun over the last fifty plus years.  The Enterprise thanks Mark Steele for permission to use the contents, and the Grace Public Library for access to the archives.

2015

The Caribou County Shooting Club and the Caribou Precision Air Shooters would like to thank the Friends of the NRA, WM Services, Soda Springs School District, and the University of Idaho Extension-Caribou County for their contributions and and services in supporting and promoting the 4-H youth shooting program.  Because of their support the local 4-H shooting club “Caribou Precision Air Shooters” was able to have 13 youth, ages 12 to 18 from the area complete in the Civilian Marksmanship Program Aces Postal match.  All 13 plced in the top 50 with one shooter placing in the top 10 within their respective divisions.  The CMP Aces offers all junior and adult air rifle shooters a program designed to encourate participation in the sport and test marksmanship skills nationally with their peers.  Those who participate learn that this sport requires a tremendous amount of practice and mental focus to be competitive.  The match consists of 60 scored shots fired from three positions: prone, standing, and kneeling at a distance of 10 meters using an air rifle.  How difficult is it?  The bullseye or the 10 ring on the target is 0.5mm or approximately the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

On Sunday evening at the Bancroft LDS Church the piano students of June Angus and Shantay Hall held their recital in the Relief Society room.  Jauncee Bennett started the evening off with “Stand All Amazed” and “Russian Sailor.”  Her sister, Jeslyn Gillins played “A Whole New World.”  CJ Hill then played “My Pony” and “Popcorn.”  Koby Rindlisbaker played “Haunted House” and “Classic Dance.”  The performance also included recital numbers from Rhett Barnes, Natalie Barnes, Ashlyn Delbridge, Kaitlyn Delbridge, Aly Reed, Sami Yost, Maranda Hill, Tayler Yost, Hunter Delbridge, Nathan Christensen, Kara Wadsworth, Meghan McCulloch, Scott Gammon, and Grace Maxwell.   

Camp Meads Daughters of Utah Pioneers met at the Soda Springs Stake Center, with Captain Sharon Berg conducting and 12 members and one guest in attendance.  Results of the County DUP elections include President Larie Hooley, Vice President Sharon Berg, and Secretary Parlene Davis.  The Tri-County Convention was announced to be held Saturday in Montpelier.  Linda Anderson reported repairs have been made on the DUP Museum display at the courthouse.  Lesson leader Linda Anderson, dressed a pioneer lady, presented the lesson on the Sarah Goode Marshall family.  She stated Sarah was raised in the Gloucestershire area of England, one of 12 children of Selena and George Goode, and raised as devout Baptists.  Sarah’s affiliation with the LDS Church became a great trial in the Marshall marriage.  Sarah often walked miles to hear the missionaries.  When she realized Thomas had followed her she would leave to go home and often take a beating before she reached it.  Thomas soon died in what may have been a botched murder attempt, and Sarah was baptized in 1851. Eventually, she and her family settled in the Franklin area.

Team Guatemala from Soda Springs High School came home with the coveted Grand Prize from the International Economic Summit held at ISU last week.  That’s first place out of 53 high school teams, including big schools like Pocatello and Blackfoot.  The four students on the winning team were Madeline Williams, Landry Schvanaveldt, Austin Summers, and Ashby Lewis.  They are under the tutelage of advisor Dawn Worthington, along with volunteers from Monsanto’s Soda Springs plant, who helped prep the students for the competition.  This is the first time in 12 years of the competition that a SSHS team has won the grand prize, Mrs. Worthington said.  “The had to prepare a lot and also submit items prior to the competition,” she said.  Those things were all centered around economic and business items and included research, a global proposal, prepare for debate at the summit, have a strategic plan, and prepare a video about their global proposal.  

Winners in state-wide competition for working journalists were announced at the annual Best of 2014 Awards Banquet of the Idaho Press Club in Boise.  The Caribou County Sun garnered four awards in the weekly newspaper division, which were won by Mark Steele, editor and publisher of the weekly newspaper in Soda Spings.  Steel won two first places (for Specialty Column “I’d Rather Be Fishing”), and a picture of a bear walking past the Sun office.  Second place was given to a pumpkin photo essay, and third was given for Steele’s “As I See It” column.  The Sun was purchased by Mark Steele and his wife Wendy in 1975 from Vic and Jim Lansberry.

2000

Forty pounds of antlers were seized recently by Idaho Fish and Game after an investigation by Officers Larry Hlavaty, Scott Wright, and Mark Sands.  They were collected before the May 1 horn hunting season begins in most of this region.  Most of the horns came from the 90 percent area and Soda Face, Hlavaty said.  It is unlawful to pick up antlers of all big game species from December to May 1 to protect wintering big game from additional stress.  Hlavaty said $300 fines and a year’s suspended license were handed out to the two persons involved, along with a year’s probation, and suspension of a 30 day jail sentence.

Mandy Torgesen, daughter of Brian and Cindy Torgesen of Soda Springs High School, has been selected for the CSI dance team.  Mandy, a senior at SSHS, has had a love for dance since she was very young and has determined that she will make dance a life-long goal to learn, teach, and perform.  Mandy will begin studies at CSI in Twin Falls this fall.

It was reported that accidental firearms fatalities in Idaho have declined by 55 percent since 1987, according to the National Safety Council.  The state’s decline has helped contribute to an overall national reduction in accidental fatalities, which are at their lowest level since record keeping began in 1903.  Idaho reported five fatalities in 1996, the most recent year for state accident totals available from the National Safety Council.  In 1987 Idaho reported 11 accidental deaths due firearms.  Thirty-three states showed increases and three states had no change in the 10-year comparison.  Fourteen states had double-digit declines.  Utah, Hawaii, and Delaware paced the nation with zero fatalities in 1996. 

The annual Health Fair, sponsored by the Caribou Memorial Hospital was attended by more than 388 people, according to Chief Executive Officer John Hoopes.  “This may be a record.  The popular event has had increased attendance each year,” Hoopes said.  The Health Fair attracted many “early birds.”  One woman allegedly called to see whether she could come in at 5:30 a.m. to have a reduced cost blood test because she was fasting, said Kim Mendenhall, laboratory director.  Many people arrived early in anticipation of the start time, and people kept coming in until it closed.  Many organizations, not just the hospital, were represented according to Michael Peck hospital administrator and organizer of the event.  The Health Department, local dental and eye clinics, and even Bannock Regional Medical Center from Pocatello had booths at the fair.  Peck expressed his appreciation to the hospital staff and other volunteers who made the fair a success.  The Hospital Auxiliary, numbering some 50 active members, was also instrumental to the success of the fair.

The Caribou County Commissioners passed an ordinance Monday allowing No Spray Zones along county roads for those residents who own adjoining property and have organic farming and gardening, or who may suffer from health problems as a result of the spray.  Landowners can fill out an application form.  The applicant must properly post the zone and keep it free of weeds.  If the landowner fails to ee the requirements for the No Spray Zone, then the county will spray the roadway for weeds.  Forms are available at the Caribou County Weed Dept.  All noxious weeds have to be removed by the applicant from the pavement or from the pavement or from the traveled portion of the roadway to any fence line or logical boundary.

The Soda Springs Education Foundation gave a grant of $2,000 to the Hooper Elementary School last week to help with modernizing their library.  The staff noted that reading has become a focal point at their school and as part of their Reading Renaissance, the library should reflect itself functionally and aesthetically.  In the last three years they have fully automated the library checkout system and changed over to an electronic card catalog system.  With the help from the Albertson’s Foundation and their own budget, they have added nearly $30,000 worth of books.  In addition, the district has doubled the size of the library by taking out a wall between two rooms, and adding a new ceiling and lighting.  The funds received Thursday from the Education Foundation will be used to supplement other funding for providing shelving and other upgrades at the library under a big total of $6,094.

Winter feeding of deer will begin the first of January and meetings are being held throughout the area to organize volunteers for next year’s operations.  Roy Brown, Soda Springs, a former Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner, said fawn weight was down 20 percent and the Winter Feed Committee had been touring Southeast Idaho to see snow conditions.

Between four and five pounds of marijuana was seized by Caribou County law enforcement officials on Sunday, April 16 at Chesterfield Reservoir.  Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Stokoe reported the Sheriff’s Office and Fish and Game officers arrested five people at Chesterfield Reservoir who were camped in a no camping area.  Earlier, Fish and Game officers had cited one of the five for a fishing violation and made observations that they believed warranted further investigation.  The deputy responded to the area and a consent search of two vehicles resulted in the seizure of four to five pounds of marijuana with a street value of $4,500.  Soda Springs Police Dept. K-9 Officer J.D. Bunderson and his drug dog also responded to the scene and assisted.  A rifle and two handguns were seized at the time of arrest.  Vincent Lee Coonts, Maryland, was charged with felony trafficking, delivery, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

It was announced Monday that the Soda Springs Solutia plant that is a joint venture with Monsanto, will be operated by Monsanto, using its name, in the near future.  Monsanto spun off Solutia in 1997, and the Soda Springs elemental phosphorous plant became a joint venture, with Monsanto owning the majority of it and Solutia operating it because of the relationship to Solutia’s phosphorous derivative business.