L – R Miguel Dominic (AMVETS Honor Guard Cmdr), Lance Kolbert (AMVETS Cmdr), Terrel Tovey (Bannock County Commissioner), Rob Mackesey (Symbii Director of Marketing) Photo Credit: AMVETS FB Page
Thanks to a generous donation of $650 from Symbii Home Health and Hospice of Idaho, AMVETS Idaho Post 1 Honor Guard now has an electronic bugle to use in the performance of their ceremonial duties.
The local AMVETS chapter expressed their appreciation for the donation on their website. They posted, “On behalf of AMVETS Post 1 and AMVETS Honor Guard I would like to thank the good folks at Symbii for their donation of $650 for the Honor Guard Electronic Bugle.
Your donation will help our Honor Guard bring a high level of professionalism and honor to our veterans and their families.
March 19, 2021 (Photo Credit: NewsTalk 107.9 Facebook Page)
Idaho District 34 Representative Ron Nate
On Wednesday, March 17, Representative Ron Nate (R-Rexburg) was interviewed on the Neal and Julie show on NewsTalk 107.9 regarding the social justice controversy at Boise State University (BSU).
Earlier this week, BSU suspended UF 200 classes following student complaints. Members of the legislature have expressed concern about the classes promoting social justice ideology.
Today, Representative Nate posted the following on his social media:
“It’s official, BSU admits to systemic Social Justice / Critical Race Theory problems on campus and how some students are being targeted. They shut down all their University Foundations 200 courses, and instructed students on how to file grievances and complaints about mistreatment they may have endured in those courses or elsewhere on campus.”
A video of the interview can be seen on the NewsTalk 107.9 or the Nate for Idaho Facebook pages.
March 17, 2021 (This article first appeared on the Idaho Freedom Foundation website)
Did “White Privilege” Lecture Cause the Cancellation of BSU’s Social Justice Courses?
By: Idaho Freedom Foundation Vice President Dustin Hurst
Idaho Freedom Foundation Vice President Dustin Hurst (Photo Credit: Idaho Freedom Foundation)
On Tuesday, Boise State University suspended all 35 of its University Foundations 200 classes. Administration explained, “a student or students have been humiliated and degraded in class on our campus for their beliefs and values.”
BSU President Marlene Tromp and Interim Provost Tony Roark told students that classes would be suspended “while the university gathers more information.” Tromp and Roark indicated students will still be required to complete their UF 200 courses once “next steps” are determined.
UF 200, otherwise known as Foundations in Ethics and Diversity, is among four mandatory general education courses that are infused with social justice, a toxic ideology that has captured many facets of life at Boise State.
While Tromp and Roark didn’t cite a specific incident that caused the suspension, a BSU employee may have spilled the beans on social media.
Dr. Kyle Boggs, an assistant professor in BSU’s English Department, tweeted Tuesday that a white privilege lecture may have sparked the school’s actions.
Wrote Boggs on Twitter: “A student in a university foundations class taped a zoom discussion on white privilege, in which apparently a white student was made to feel uncomfortable, and sent the video to ID state legislature, who are ‘enraged.’ BSU suspended all UF 200 classes mid semester as a result.” (The tweet can be seen on the IFF website.)
Boggs has since deleted the tweet without explanation. IFF emailed Boggs several questions about his now-erased tweet, but he has not responded.
IFF contacted several legislators in search of the video Boggs mentioned, but none have seen or received a video.
Mike Sharp, BSU’s director of media relations, says the school has not seen a video if one exists. Sharp, in a phone call with IFF, reaffirmed that the suspension of UF 200 classes came after several complaints about the courses, not one specific incident.
The course suspension comes just hours before the Idaho Senate’s vote on Boise State’s budget. Budget writers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee propose to cut a mere $400,000 from BSU’s budget in order to send BSU a message about the school’s focus on social justice programming. The Idaho Senate will likely vote on the higher education budget Wednesday.
Two conservative lawmakers — Rep. Ron Nate of Rexburg and Rep. Priscilla Giddings of White Bird — have criticized the miniscule budget reduction for BSU. “There’s no message being sent here,” Nate warned in an Idaho Freedom Foundation video posted Monday. Nate and Giddings have suggested cutting BSU’s budget by between $2.5 million and $20 million to send an effective message to the school.
Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislative Affairs Director Fred Birnbaum has also criticized the small proposed cut. In an Idaho Spending Index analysis of the higher education budget, Birnbaum put the reduction into perspective. “When you consider that BSU’s total operating budget, including non-appropriated funds that come directly from the federal government, is over $600 million, a cut of less than a half-million dollars is hardly a dent,” Birnbaum wrote in his analysis.
If the higher education budget, which sets spending plans for BSU along with Idaho State University, the University of Idaho, and Lewis-Clark State College, clears the Senate floor Wednesday, the House of Representatives could take up the proposal as early as Friday.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation has requested copies of the student’s UF 200 video recording, and this story will be updated as we receive more information.
(Idaho Governor’s Office Press Release, March 18, 2021)
Governor Brad Little (Official Photo)
Boise, Idaho – During a press conference today, Governor Brad Little emphasized the need to direct the billions of dollars allocated for Idaho from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into long-range investments that will benefit our grandchildren – the generation that will have to pay off the massive federal debt.
Governor Little said he will work closely with the Legislature in allocating the funds. He said he will spend time traveling the state to meet with legislators, business groups, and others on the best ways to strategically invest the funds.
Why is Idaho accepting the new federal money?
Governor Little detailed his concerns with the massive federal spending bill but said rejecting the funds is not the right thing to do for Idaho.
“Rejecting the funds would mean California, New York, Illinois, and other big states get to spend Idahoans’ tax dollars. Rejecting the funds would mean Idaho gives up our say in how our allocated share gets spent. That is unacceptable. Therefore, Idaho will accept the allocation for our state,” Governor Little said.
How much money will the State of Idaho receive from the ARPA?
Funds to state and local governments:
$1.89 billion in discretionary funds
$1.188 billion to the state for COVID response
$126 million to the state for COVID capital projects
$347 million for county governments and $229 million for city governments
$981 million for direct programs ranging from K12 to childcare grants
Funds to Idaho citizens and businesses:
More than $2 billion in direct support to businesses and individuals, including stimulus checks and other economic support (PPP loans, support for restaurants and live venues)
What are Governor Little’s priorities in the allocation of the ARPA funds?
The funds are mortgaged from our grandchildren, and Governor Little said we should make long-range investments that will serve to better their chances and opportunities since they are burdened with paying off the debt.
One-time funds should go to one-time expenses. He said we will not create ongoing obligations that would be shifted to the General Fund once the federal funds run out.
The use of the funds also should not impede our constitutional mandate to provide a long-term, structurally balanced budget for the people of Idaho. They should do the opposite – the funds should be used to lower the state’s capital and deferred maintenance costs in the years ahead.
The funds also should not duplicate other federal programs where support is provided to specific industries or through specific programs.
Since states have nearly four years to spend most of the ARPA funds, Governor Little said we should take our time and be strategic and thoughtful about how the funds are allocated. To be prudent, we should await U.S. Treasury guidance and study the impact of other direct programs in ARPA to ensure we target support to needed gaps.
What is the process for allocating the ARPA funds in Idaho?
Governor Little said he is committed to working closely with the Legislature in the allocation of the funds.
Unlike the federal CARES Act dollars Idaho received last year, which had to be spent in nine months, states have nearly four years to spend most of the new funds.
However, some of the direct funds to agencies – mostly for K-12 public education – are legally required to be allocated within 30 to 60 days. Governor Little said we cannot wait until the next legislative session to direct these funds to our public schools.
“Therefore, I have been actively working with legislators on a plan for them to take the required actions before adjourning, while setting up a process to make long-range investments with the remaining funds,” Governor Little said.
Why is the process for allocating the ARPA funds different than how Idaho allocated the CARES Act funds last year?
Governor Little said:
“When the CARES Act funds arrived last year, we were in the throes of a crisis. We were dealing with a new virus and had little knowledge of the extent of its impacts. We had little testing, no treatments, too little PPE for hospitals and workers, and no vaccine. We needed to act quickly in deploying federal resources so we could prepare for the worst. That is why we set up the Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee – made up of legislators and others – to recommend the best ways to use the funds to quickly respond to the crisis. We had only nine months to spend the CARES Act funds, and we did so responsibly and transparently.
“This time around, we have nearly four years to spend the new funds. This time around, we’re not in crisis mode. We’ve learned a lot about the disease, how it spreads, and how to best protect ourselves and our loved ones. We have the safe and effective COVID vaccine, the treatments to keep people out of the hospital if they catch COVID, and widely available testing and PPE.
“That is why, this time around, the situation allows us to spend more time deliberating on the best ways to use the funds to support the next generation of Idahoans who will have to deal with paying off the debt.
“We should not hastily spend the funds we receive. We should wait for guidance from the U.S. Treasury, so we responsibly allocate these resources. We must be thoughtful and deliberative in our approach,” Governor Little said.
This evening, Friday, March 19, AMVETS Idaho Post 1 will be holding a pastie feed from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building.
Pasties are large, savory, filled pastries. Diners will be able to choose from venison, beef, or chicken pasties. Included in the meal is a dessert of triple berry cobbler and vanilla ice cream.
The meal is available for dine-in or takeout. Cost is $10 per pastie.
The Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building is located at 300 N. Johnson Avenue in Pocatello. Entrance to the pastie feed/drive thru is in back of the building, where parking is available.
I can’t remember how many times I heard, or used, that phrase, growing up.
Even as children we instinctively knew that, although under our parents care and direction, others, especially our peers, did not have the right to, “boss us around.”
Now, life seems to have come full circle, as an increasing number of government edicts are being enacted that look to control every aspect of our lives.
If you’re one of the many residents of Pocatello, Chubbuck, or nearby environs that is tired of government overreach, plan to attend the monthly Liberty Dinner Series sponsored by the Pocatello-Chubbuck Observer. You’ll have a chance to connect with others who feel the same as you do, who believe that we need to stand up to protect, and/or restore, our God-given rights before they’re all gone.
Besides being a great networking opportunity, you’ll enjoy a catered meal and hear from speakers who are passionate about our freedoms and who are taking action to preserve them.
Hundreds of local residents attended the RECONNECT Southeast Idaho Event (Photo Credit: RECONNECT Southeast Idaho)
This Saturday, March 20, hear from Chantelle Holman, Michele Holyoak, and Ashley Smith, the founders of RECONNECT Southeast Idaho. Learn how they discovered that one person, speaking up, can make a difference, and how you can, too.
By attending, you’ll also be helping to instill the principles of patriotism in the next generation. Part of the $25 per person proceeds goes toward providing prize money for students entering the local, AMVETS Idaho Post 1 Americanism Contest.
The Saturday, March 20, dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building, 300 N. Johnson Avenue, in Pocatello. The catered meal includes spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, salad, and dessert.
Seating is limited. To reserve your spot, contact the publisher of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Observer, John Crowder, at 925-628-4033, or by email at jcrowder27@hotmail.com.
Click on the image, below, to learn more. Also be sure to follow the Pocatello-Chubbuck Observer on Facebook so you’ll be the first to know about future events.
As legislators and bureaucrats push the idea of mandatory vaccinations (NY Lawmaker Introduces Legislation to Require COVID Vaccination), Gallup reports that the majority of health care and front-line workers would either refuse the mRNA “vaccines” (34%) or were unsure if they would agree to take it (18%). The result was striking, as the question for the poll asked, “Imagine that a vaccine to prevent the coronavirus will be free and widely available this Spring after approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that it prevented COVID-19 in at least 90% of participants in a large clinical trial. Would you agree to be vaccinated?”
The results suggest that health care workers in reaching a decision for or against vaccination are far more likely to trust what they are witnessing firsthand, as they care for those suffering from adverse reactions to the shots, than to trust edicts from bureaucrats, politicians, and government agencies urging acceptance.
“The findings in this research indicate that there is some hesitancy to get the vaccine among workers in all sectors,” said the Gallup report. It continues, “The modest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates among healthcare workers and first responders are notable given that a much larger proportion of this group reported that they received a flu vaccine in 2019.”
The public health response to this news has thus far been to continue a public relations campaign. Public health research, the report states, has shown “that vaccine acceptance can be boosted through various strategies, such as a recommendation from care providers with whom people have existing relationships, local availability, and recommendations from groups such as the Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) and other public health departments.”
To view an article on the Gallup website detailing the results of the study upon which these statistics were reported, visit: Front Line Workers Not Keen on Vaccine
In an article updated today, the Epoch Times has stated that the CDC is reporting 1,637 deaths following COVID-19 vaccinations. The rate of deaths following the COVID-19 vaccinations is higher than that for flu vaccinations.
The article quotes Dr. Christian Perrone, head of infectious disease at the Hôpital de Garches in France, as saying, “The first vaccines they are offering us are not vaccines. They are gene therapy products. They…inject nucleic acids that will cause our own cells to produce elements of the virus.”
Adverse reactions from vaccinations are reported through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), and is available to the public. Information from COVID-19 vaccinations was last updated on the VAERS website on February 26.
The unofficial election results have been posted in Bannock County from yesterday’s election. They show all three School District 25 (SD25) Trustees who faced recall surviving the effort, and the tax levy passing.
If you’ve been disheartened at the erosion of liberty, increase in censorship, and the excessive and troubling mandates implemented by politicians and bureaucrats in recent months but wondered what, if anything, you could do about it, this event is for you.
The Pocatello-Chubbuck Observer announces the Liberty Dinner Series in Pocatello.
The Liberty Dinner Series is a monthly event, scheduled every third Friday or Saturday (depending on venue availability), beginning in March. The series gives attendees the opportunity to connect with others who share your concerns, enjoy a meal, and hear from a speaker engaged in the fight to preserve and/or restore freedoms for Idahoans. Topics planned include Freedom of Speech and Censorship, the Second Amendment, the Right to Life, Freedom of Assembly, Social Justice Indoctrination, and more. Proceeds from the events will go toward event expenses and organizations making a positive impact for American values.
The Series kicks off on Saturday, March 20, at 6:00 p.m. at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building, 300 S. Johnson Avenue in Pocatello. The speakers scheduled for the March event are the founders of RECONNECT Southeast Idaho, Chantelle Holman, Michele Holyoak, and Ashley Smith. They will be discussing how one person can make a difference by detailing how they came together to start their grassroots organization that recently hosted over 200 local residents to view the movie and hear from the star of the film, NONESSENTIAL: A Documentary.
The cost to attend the March event is $25 per person. Sponsorships are also available. The evening features an opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded folks over a spaghetti dinner while hearing the inspiring story of RECONNECT Southeast Idaho. Part of the proceeds for the March event will go toward support of the Idaho Post 1 AMVETS Americanism Contest.
Future events will feature:
April: Idaho Representative Ron Nate on Tax Relief
May: Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Anna K. Miller on Social Justice Indoctrination
TBD: Idaho Representative and Air Force Academy graduate Priscilla Giddings
For more information, to purchase a ticket, or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact the publisher of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Observer, John Crowder, at 925-628-4033 or via email at jcrowder27@hotmail.com.
