April 30, 2021
Tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, is opening day for the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market in Old Town Pocatello. The Farmers Market will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and is located in Historic Downtown Pocatello at the corner of Fremont and Main.
For more information, visit the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market Facebook page, here:
https://www.facebook.com/PortneufValleyFarmersMarket
April 30, 2021
Sub-district 1: (Facer Mountain and West Tyhee) 10:00-11:00
Sub-district 2: (East Tyhee and 2 1/2 mile) 11:00-12:00
Sub-district 3: (Pocatello Creek/ Buckskin Canyons) 12:00-1:00.
Meetings will be held at the NBFD Fire Department, 444 E. Chubbuck Rd, Chubbuck.
For more information, visit the events page on Facebook, here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/875149049882969
(U. S. Senator Jim Risch Press Release, April 28, 2021)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) issued the following statement after President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress:
“We continue to make forward progress on ending the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in large part to the success of Operation Warp Speed, but the United States is facing twin crises: first at the border as hundreds of thousands of migrants overwhelm our Customs and Border Patrol agents, and second, an unfettered, out-of-control spending crisis.
“During his first week in office, the President halted construction of the border wall and reinstated the disastrous Obama-era policies that have resulted in an uncontrollable wave of illegal entries. I was very disappointed the President did not lay out a workable plan to address illegal immigration.
“In addition, in his first 100 days in office, the President has proposed spending an unprecedented $6.1 trillion on unapologetically far-Left priorities through a lethal combination of deficit spending and tax increases that will crush the economy and jeopardize our ability to respond to future challenges.
“What the President did tonight was lay out a comprehensive vision for how to transition our society from capitalism to socialism. We must not be swept up in this current.”
(National Association of Scholars Press Release, April 27, 2021)
NEW YORK, NY, April 27, 2021 – The National Association of Scholars has launched a new report, Skewed History: Textbook Coverage of Early America and the New Deal. The report reviews and critiques five popular textbooks’ coverage of four historical periods: The European Settlement of North America, Colonial America, The Nation’s Founding, and The New Deal. Skewed History’s authors explain that the textbooks are marred by superficial coverage, distracting graphics, and politicized distortions of America’s history.
Skewed History, with analysis from its six authors—David Randall, Bruce Frohnen, Kevin Gutzman, Jason Ross, Amity Shlaes, and William Pettinger—seeks to make recommendations about the current instruction of the four historical periods examined.
“America needs better American history textbooks,” explains NAS Director of Research David Randall. “America’s children are growing up to know little about the story of their nation’s failures and successes. At a time when America is wrestling with its past on so many fronts, it is imperative that students learn a history that is fair-minded, fact-based, and not subject to ideological bias. History textbooks, from which many children are taught, should be well-written to make students interested in American history. We can and must do better.”
The NAS has taken aim at history instruction in the past, focusing primarily on the College Board’s three Advanced Placement history courses and tests.
Skewed History’s authors found a number of redeemable qualities within these textbooks, but primarily found points to critique. These include:
Randall added: “Skewed History’s independent scholarly critiques confirm that America needs more engaging history curricula and textbooks, such as those separately provided by NAS’s project partner AAT Education. Better history education in K-12 schools will aid students as they grow to be fully informed American citizens, capable of building America’s future upon its illustrious, though imperfect, past.”
Skewed History and our History Instructional Materials and Support project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
NAS is a network of scholars and citizens united by a commitment to academic freedom, disinterested scholarship, and excellence in American higher education. Membership in NAS is open to all who share a commitment to these broad principles. NAS publishes a journal and has state and regional affiliates. Visit NAS at www.nas.org.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in Skewed History or in this launch event do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
April 28, 2021
This year, over Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to, ‘Honor the Fallen by Remembering their Sacrifice’ at the Idaho Field of Heroes Memorial.
The Idaho Field of Heroes is, “a one of a kind tribute to every service member who has died in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11.” The weekend will be marked by multiple ceremonies and events.
To learn more, click on the image, below, to visit the Idaho Field of Heroes Memorial Facebook page.
April 28, 2021
Mountain Valley Baptist Church (MVBC), 202 S. 7th Avenue in Pocatello, is helping local residents who want to read through the Bible in one year stay on track.
Each day, on their Facebook page, MVBC posts a set of verses to read which, if followed, will allow anyone to read the entire Bible in one year. The verses provide for a chronological reading of the Bible, meaning that verses are read in the order that events recorded in the Bible occur. For example, todays verses are Psalms chapters 81, 88, 92 and 93. The number of chapters to read each day varies.
Along with the chronological reading list, the church posts a daily verse for reflection. Today’s verse, from Colossians 2:8-9 reads, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (KJV)
Mountain Valley Baptist Church holds the following services each week:
The church recently moved in to their new location by Caldwell Park, and will be celebrating a building dedication on Sunday, May 16, during the 11:00 a.m. service. The dedication will be followed by a complimentary meal for all in attendance. The public is invited to join in the building dedication.
For more information, click on the image, below, to visit the MVBC website.
(Idaho Governor’s Office Press Release, April 28, 2021)
Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 366 into law today, the bill commonly known as the “Fetal Heartbeat Bill.”
“Idaho is a state that values the most innocent of all lives – the lives of babies. We should never relent in our efforts to protect the lives of the preborn. Hundreds and hundreds of babies lose their lives every year in Idaho due to abortion, an absolute tragedy. I appreciate Idaho lawmakers for continuing to protect lives by passing this important legislation, and I am proud to sign the bill into law today,” Governor Little said.
The bill bans abortions after a baby’s heartbeat is detected, around five or six weeks after conception. The legislation makes exceptions for medical emergencies and pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest.
Senator Patti Anne Lodge, the bill’s sponsor, said, “We have a multitude of services available for women in crisis pregnancies. Choosing life is supported with compassionate help throughout the pregnancy and extends to 18 months after birth. Life goals can still be achieved for both the mother and child. With the availability of compassionate and supportive services and the rights pregnant women have in today’s world, a woman can give birth and continue her life goals. Encouraging life also provides two million families that want to adopt the opportunity to love and raise a child, if the mother chooses adoption.”
(City of Pocatello Press Release, April 27, 2021)
The City of Pocatello’s Sister Cities Committee has two vacancies open for appointment.
This volunteer committee was established to advise the Mayor and City Council in all matters relating to Pocatello’s membership in Sister Cities International, especially in relation to our sister city affiliation with Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Responsibilities include active cultivation of relationships, coordination of cultural, educational, economic and other exchanges, and implementation of fund raising efforts.
Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 5:15 p.m.
Interested persons 18 years of age or older can obtain an application by contacting the Mayor’s Office at 911 North 7th Avenue, visiting the Advisory Committees link at pocatello.us or calling 208-234-6163.
Applications must be received by May 11, 2021.
For a full list of volunteer advisory boards with vacancies, visit pocatello.us/254/Advisory-Committees.
(City of Pocatello Press Release, April 28, 2021)
You can license your dog with Pocatello Animal Services for half the cost starting next month.
Through May, the department is offering $5 dog licenses for dogs that are spayed or neutered and $10 licenses for dogs that are not spayed or neutered.
“Dogs with current licenses and microchips are more likely to be returned to their owner,” said Josh Heinz, Animal Services Director. “If an owner has kept their contact information up to date with the license and the microchip company, we can get pets home faster.”
Pet parents can pick up their half-price license at the Pocatello Animal Shelter, City of Pocatello Mayor’s Office, and local veterinary offices.
For more information on Pocatello Animal Services or to view adoptable pets, visit pocatello.us/animal or like the department’s Facebook page at facebook.com/PocatelloAnimalServices.
April 27, 2021
Idaho House Lives up to Conservative Promises, Faces Left-Leaning Senate
Idaho has the most conservative House of Representatives it has ever seen. That is not the doing of House Speaker Scott Bedke. Bedke hasn’t changed at all, clocking in at 66 percent right now on the Idaho Freedom Index.
What’s different is the makeup of the rest of the Republicans serving in the state House of Representatives, which is behaving exactly as I predicted following the May 2020 primary. My expectation then was that Idahoans had elected the most conservative House of Representatives in the state’s entire history. When given an option, voters tended to select the candidate who promised to be more conservative than their opposition.
As of today, out of a 70-member House, 42 members have scored more than 70% on the Idaho Freedom Index. Last year, which was also a pretty good year for conservatives in the House, saw 30 members score 70 percent or better.
More dramatic is the way in which the House has attacked spending: As of today, 26 House members have scored higher than 70% on the Idaho Spending Index, which looks strictly at the Legislature’s budget bills. Last year, only 12 House members scored above 70%.
The conservative outcome on both policy and budget issues is seen in the chamber’s defeat of a record number of bills this year — bills that in any other year would have passed. These are bills that would have grown government, restricted free speech, imposed new burdensome regulations on businesses, and so on.
It’s the House conservatives who have led the charge against the indoctrination of Idaho school students from pre-kindergarten to college. It’s the House that has been at the forefront of containing the power of the executive branch—the governor and the attorney general.
But all’s not well on the other side of the Rotunda. The state Senate continues to be the venue where bad legislation emanates and where good legislation from the House goes to die. The Senate is decidedly left of center, where special interests and government bureaucrats are more likely to get their way. While I complain about Speaker Bedke’s voting record, he’s Ted Cruz compared to Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder.
Winder’s Freedom Index Score, 43%, is consistent with several of his Republican and Democrat Senate colleagues. In other words, there’s little distinguishing Boise’s liberal North End Democrats from Winder or most of the rest of Senate GOP leadership. The Senate Republican leadership’s best performer is Mark Harris at just 58%.
Out of the entire 35-member Senate, only four members have a Freedom Index score higher than 70%. Almost half the chamber is under 50%. On spending, the Senate is a vast wasteland. Only two senators are above 70%, and believe it or not, that’s double last year’s said performance, meaning Sen. Regina Bayer now has found a friend in Sen. Christy Zito to help her vote against big spending bills.
The House and Senate are both run by Republicans, but only one has a conservative track record. The other is the state Senate.
