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.

2020

Aggressive efforts to promote Soda Springs and the community came on two fronts when Dr. Ryan Anderson and Tony Varilone presented plans for the Oregon Trail Community and Aquatic Center, and Mayor Kirk Hansen gave an update of the new community development director positions the city has funded.  The comments were made before the Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce at their regular meetings.  Dr. Anderson said the idea of a swimming pool came from a group of interested people, as well as the Great Soda Springs Community Development Committee, at about the same time.  A survey showed interest in a pool was four times higher than the next priority in the community in 1998.  The concept of a pool and community center began to mesh and an ad hoc group began exploring ways of building such a complex—or at least an outdoor pool—without voter funding.  “We found that it is feasible for Soda Sprins to support and outdoor pool that is close to being self-sustaining,” Dr. Anderson reported, based on research from other communities.  He noted that Malad has many similarities, such as being 15 minutes away from a resort pool, similar seasons, and a rural community.  They operate the pool four months a year at a loss of about $10,000.  He theorized that with Soda Springs being about double in population, it should not be a financial burden to run one.  A number of fund-raising events were suggested.

Mayor Kirk Hansen said the city budgeted $81,000 for a full-time economic development director for the upcoming year and is also seeking a SEICOG grant for help with part of that.  “On two occasions in the last 15 years I have been involved with organized development and both situations were a failure,” Hansen said.  He noted that the position needed to be full-time and the person living in Soda Springs and be familiar with its vision and people.

Several fires again started in Caribou County last week from lightning strikes.  Caribou County firemen responded to a 300 to 400 acre fire near Chesterfield on Thursday in CRP, the biggest of the fires.  That fire jumped two different roads and didn’t slow down because of strong winds.  Rain followed it and that allowed for containment, Captain Roger Rigby said. He thanked the several farmers and volunteers who showed up to help, including those with tractors and discs.  Rigby was the first fire fighter on the scene and noted the extreme fire behavior due to the winds.  The fire was covering too big an area too fast to successfully contain and had it not rained, structures would have been threatened or lost.   

Ask a Fisherman.  Q: I read about a “salvage order” at a local fishing area—what does that mean?

A: There are several reservoirs across the southern part of Idaho which have salvage orders at present, and likely more due to the lack of rain.  The most common salvage order lifts the bag, possession, and size limits, but other requirements, like tackle restrictions remain.  A salvage order is always directed at a specific body of water, and may liberalize tackle restrictions.  

Soda Springs Police are investigating an incident that may or may not have been a factor in the death of a Virginia man over the weekend, Chief Joe Rice said.  Michael Lee Morelli, 45, Covington, VA, died on Sunday afternoon at the Bannock Regional Medical Center.  He was life flighted there earlier after being treated at Caribou Memorial Hospital.  Police were called Saturday night on two separate occasions to deal with an intoxicated person trying to break or gain entry into a room at the Trail Motel.  Todd LeRoy Green, Glendale, AZ, who was staying at the Trail while working in this area, reported an intoxicated person was pounding on his door and shouting to open it.  Morelli was told to go away and when he didn’t Green opened the door and Morelli tried to charge into his room and he was knocked back out the door, Chief Rice said, falling backwards and hitting his head on the cement.  SSPD Cpl. Ric Anderson arrived after Green made a 911 call.  Neither party wanted to file a complaint and Morelli was told to stay in his room.  About an hour later, police received another call and responded to find Morelli laying on his back in front of the same motel room he had previously tried to enter and was having difficulty breathing, reports say.  He was taken by EMTs to CMH.  Green told police Morelli had returned and begam pounding on the door and said he was looking for his wife, and tried to push his way into the room.  He was struck in the face by Green and stumbled backward, sitting down, then fell back striking his head on the cement.  Investigation continues into the incident and the circumstances leading up to the injuries that are being investigated. 

Materials scientists studying recharging made an astonishing discovery that could open the door to better batteries, faster catalysts, and other scientific leaps.  Scientists from Idaho National Laboratory and University of California San Diego scrutinizes the earliest stages of lithium recharging and learned that slow, low-energy  charging causes electrodes to collect atoms in a disorganized way that improves charging behavior.  The non-crystalline “glassy” lithium had never been observed, and creating such amorphous metals has traditionally been extremely difficult.  The findings suggest strategies for fine-tuning recharging approaches to boost battery life and—more intriguingly—for making glassy metals for other applications.  The study appeared online this week in Nature Materials.  Lithium metal is a preferred anode for hjgh-energy rechargeable batteries.  Yet the recharging process is not well understood at the atomic level.  The way lithium atoms deposit onto the anode can vary from one recharge cycle to the next, leading to erratic recharging and reduced battery life. 

1990

The Soda Springs High School cheerleaders attended a United Spirit Association cheerleading camp at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. This year’s theme was “Make it Happen.”  During the. Four days, the cheerleaders learned cheers, chants, game actions, dances, and worked on jumps, technique, and game-time situations.  For showing energy and getting along with each squad, the cheerleaders received a spirit award on Thursday night.  Each night was evaluations on cheers, both those learned at camp and brought from home, and game actions learned the previous camp days.  The cheerleaders received superior rating on three out of three evaluations and were awarded a superior plaque.  The cheerleaders for the 1990-1991 year include: Mat Maids—Mary Ann Pearson, head cheerleader, Shanda Winward, Megan Smith and Theresa Cole.  Junior Varsity—Tiffany Jolley, head cheerleader, Lori Grosland, Cece Craner, Allyson Swain, Polly Sanderson, and Rosetta Walters.  The cheerleader advisor in Cecilia Hoggan.  

Computer class set for Grace.  A beginning computer class will be held at Grace High School starting next week.  The class will be for five weeks, on Wednesdays.  The fee of $25 will cover all expenses.  The instructor is Mike Hansen.  The class will instruct students in the use of a word processor (Word Perfect), the operation of spreadsheets, and introduction to MS-DOS.  If there is greater interest in either of those areas or some area not mentioned, they can adapt to fit the course.  Also, if there is any interest in advanced Word Perfect, design publishing, or advanced spreadsheets please notify the instructor and a change can be arranged.  At least 12 people are needed.

The Bill Corbett family and Ellen Carney will be appearing on Sunrise Idaho, on Idaho Falls station KDIK with Karen Cornwell.  The Corbetts will appear on Wednesday and Thursday, showing their Checkmaster, which is a plan they have developed for money management for children.  Checkmaster is available at Lallatin Food Town and Lew and Dan’s Thriftway in Soda. Carney will be appearing to speak about her new book on Dr. Ellis Kackley. 

The major league team sponsored by U.S. West rolled undefeated through the Soda Springs Little League tournament on July 23-26.  U.S. West started out the season by losing four of the five first games.  The team then turned around and never lost another game.  The team was coached by Ken Heuseveldt who was assisted by his daughter Jennifer Heuseveldt.  Chet Hopkins was the representative if U.S. West who provided the support and sponsorship.  Members of the team were 12-year olds—Justin Hansen, Dwight Adams, Ben Ownes, and Jordan Bolton; 11 year olds—Robbie Heuseveldt, Cliff Strupp, Beau Anderson, Cody Thompson, Tom Ashley, Josh Owens, Peter Luthi, and Robert Caldwell.  A barbecue and swim party, provided by U.S. West was held at the Bailey Creek pool and park area.

Racing enthusiasts of Caribou County, under the direction of Carl and Brenda Erickson, and Kirt Farnworth, Soda Springs, sponsored the first ever Mud Challenge to be held in Caribou County at the Fairgrounds in Grace.  Racers from neighboring states of Wyoming and Utah joined Idaho’s mostly “hometown” folks in the festivities.  Seven divisions of racing included Stock, Super Stock, Pro Stock, Mud Modified, Powder Puff, ATVs, and Open Class, racing in a three-foot deep and 150-foot long track of mud, with the best of two lap times being recorded as the final score.  Brenda Erickson said, “We have gone all over, as well as others from this area, participating in various races and at each one it seems like there was something that went wrong of things just didn’t go right.  So in the planning of this event, everyone just put their heads together, worked hard, trying to improve on the races that many of us had already participated in.”

People using the Second Bridge area on the Alexander Reservoir need to be aware of the possibility of rattlesnakes in the area.  Ron Nichols, Soda Springs, reported seeing one in the past week near the trail by the old bridge embankment on the south side.  He said people using the area need to be aware rattlesnakes are in the area and use appropriate caution.  Rattlers have been seen in the Alexander Point area over the years, but few have been reported east of the reservoir towards Soda Springs.  

The 1st annual River Run and River Rescue Training will be held Aug 24 and 25 at the Oregon Trial Park.  The park is located on highway 30, west of Soda Springs, next to the Alexander Reservoir.  The River Run will be a limited event for canoeing enthusiasts.  The participants will be in teams of two persons per canoe and can be any combination of father-son, daughter-mother, son-daughter, or adults.  There will be canoe safety education, food and drink, and awards for all participants.  The River Rescue Training will be for the Emergency Response Units in the counties surrounding Caribou County, the Search and Rescue teams, the police department, fire department, and the EMS personnel.  The event is being organized by the Caribou County Chapter of the American Red Cross and all fees will be donations to the Red Cross.

In an effort to boost the anti-drug sentiment on Grace, an assembly featuring youth from the “Young American Showcase” will be presented for secondary school students.  “The program will last approximately 45 minutes,” commented Mrs. Harris, high school principal, “and will have a musical comedy format, looking at America from 1776 to today, as well as a message for the students on personal values.”  A series of contemporary hits, performed in a variety of styles (rock, soul, rhythm and blues, country) that have appeal to the entire audience, as well as songs and skits, will portray each prominent era, leading up to the present.  A member of the band will also speak to the group about the future of this great country, stressing the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and the negative effects that peer pressure has on an individual.