Kuna Melba News — finally — adds a history column

This week, the Kuna Melba News is very excited to present yet another new feature: Looking Back, a new history column that looks back into Kuna and Melba’s history.
Over the past two years, we’ve been working very hard to respond to reader suggestions for new features: community calendar, weather, puzzles, recipe of the week. We’ve also added columns, high school sports coverage, a News of Neighbors page, a library page. We’ve also listened to reader suggestions about the police blotter. As you may have noticed, the last couple of weeks, we’ve been taking out and digesting the routine calls, such as traffic stops, security checks and property checks. It has shortened the blotter considerably, making it easier to read and allowing for more space for explanations of specific incidents.
A history column is yet another step in making us a better newspaper. Making the history column happen was perhaps more difficult than I anticipated. The only complete record, that I know of, of the Kuna Melba News and its predecessors, the Kuna Enterprise and Kuna Herald, are on rolls and rolls of microfilm at the Idaho State Historical Society on Old Penitentiary Road in Boise. What we’ve done is ordered the roll of microfilm of the Kuna Herald from 1959 — 50 years ago — and had it delivered through the Kuna Library to Kuna. With the help of the Kuna Melba News’ customer service representative Tami McCraw, we’ve been looking through the microfilm at the Kuna Stake Center of the LDS Church on West Kuna Road.
So our focus right now is on the stories and issues affecting Kuna and Melba 50 years ago. Fortunately, the Kuna Herald in 1959 also ran a “Looking Back” column that looked back at stories from 1949, 1939, 1929 and 1919, so we’ve picked those up, as well to look back 60, 70, 80 and 90 years ago.
I hope you enjoy the new feature. Let me know what you think.

Faced with potential half-million-dollar budget shortfall, Kuna makes emergency cuts

The city of Kuna is making budget cuts in anticipation of a projected half-million-dollar shortfall in the current city budget.
Without the cuts, the city faces the possibility of ending the year with only $65,000 in cash reserves.
“It’s clear that we need to take corrective action,” Kuna Mayor Scott Dowdy said Tuesday night. “The sooner we make changes, the sooner we’ll realize savings.”
City Council members Tuesday night authorized immediate cuts, including freezing the $92,000 contingency fund, canceling hiring a grant writer for $15,000, canceling a $15,000 impact fee study and putting a hold on all travel, training, uniforms and equipment upgrades.
Still up for consideration is killing $36,000 in donations that were included in the 2008-09 budget, which was approved in September. Further cuts could include a 6 percent reduction in the city’s $1.35 million contract with the sheriff’s office for police services, killing the $49,500 contract with the Humane Society for animal control and even charging for streetlights, a move that could raise $65,000. Beyond that, the city is even considering layoffs.
City Council members have called a special meeting for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13, at City Hall, 763 W. Avalon St., to consider future steps.

What e-mails are you sending out, Commissioner Rule?

Don’t you want to know what Canyon County Commissioner Steve Rule is sending out through his e-mail account that taxpayers provide him?
Apparently, Rule doesn’t want you to know.
Last month, after it came to light the Rule had sent out a joke e-mail about Michelle Obama, comparing her to a black widow spider, I got curious about what other e-mails Commissioner Rule was sending out.
As you might recall, and as you can read in this blog, I took Rule to task, not for the apparent racism of the e-mail, but for wasting taxpayer dollars on sophomoric joke chain e-mails. It got me to thinking that maybe this wasn’t the only joke email that Rule was sending out on the taxpayer dime.
So I filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act and Idaho Public Records law asking for a copy of all of Steve Rule’s sent e-mails for the months of October and November.
According to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, “To date, E-mail (electronic mail) has not been separately addressed by the legislature. E-mail is considered a public record subject to the same laws as any other public record.”
As you may or may not know, public agencies have three days to respond to a public records request. Two days after my request was referred to the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, on Dec. 17, I received a letter from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Samuel B. Laugheed seeking an extension of the deadline on my request. Why, I don’t know.
On Dec. 29, I received another letter from Mr. Laugheed, denying my request for the information.
“I understand from Commissioner Rule that he does not retain sent email,” Laugheed’s letter states. “I also consulted with the County IT Department and understand that Commissioner Rule’s sent emails are not archived by them.”
Fair enough, I guess, although Mr. Laugheed’s phrasing, “I understand from Commissioner Rule,” seemed a little weak to me. Plus, it seemed odd that no one has sent emails from two months ago? My Entourage keeps sent emails as long as I want, and hotmail keeps sent e-mails from at least a year ago. Granted, aol keeps only a month’s worth of e-mail, so I guess it’s conceivable that Steve Rule’s sent emails from a couple of months ago are now disappeared and unobtainable.
So I figured sent e-mails would be kept around for a month anyway. So I filed another request on Dec. 29, asking for Commissioner Rule’s sent emails for the month of December. Quickly, I received a response from Mr. Laugheed on Dec. 31: “As previously stated in our December 29, 2008, letter responding to your request of December 15, 2008, I understand from Commissioner Rule that he does not retain sent email.”
So I’m not quite sure Mr. Laugheed did anything to fulfill my second request. I have a call into him, hoping to hear back soon.
Otherwise, it sounds like Commissioner Rule is actually actively going into his sent email folder and deleting his sent emails.
So my question is, “What do you have to hide, Commissioner Rule?”
What do you think? Don't you want to know what emails he's sending out on the taxpayer dime?

Are conceptual site plans too restrictive in Kuna?

A proposal to tighten up Kuna’s rules regarding conceptual site plans sparked an interesting philosophical debate about how restrictive the city should be toward potential development. The issue centers around the city’s requirement that annexation and rezone applications be accompanied by a conceptual site plan.
In September, City Council members approved an annexation of a 14.8-acre parcel of land on the east side of Meridian Road just north of Northwest Lineman College. The applicant, Victor Clark, sought annexation into the city of Kuna with a commercial zoning. However, Clark said he had no idea at this point what might go there. He didn’t have a buyer on the hook; he wanted commercial designation in order to help attract potential buyers.
At the time, City Council member Lisa Bachman pointed out that city code requires that all such applications be accompanied by a conceptual site plan. City Council members, with the exception of Bachman, voted in favor of the annexation and rezone.
Kuna city planning director Steve Hasson was directed to revisit the city code that requires conceptual site plans with an eye toward possibly loosening the requirements.
Hasson, however, said that the more he worked on the ordinance, the more restrictive it became, not less.
Council members tabled a decision until the Jan. 6 City Council meeting. The public hearing portion of the matter was closed, but council members are tentatively scheduled to make a decision during the Jan. 6 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 763 W. Avalon St.

State Sen. Russ Fulcher holds meeting in Kuna

In preparation for the 2009 Legislative Session, state Sen. Russ Fulcher will be hosting a town meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, at Reed Elementary School, 1670 N. Linder Road in Kuna. Special guests will include Legislative District 21 House Representatives Cliff Bayer and Rich Jarvis. Bring your ideas and comments.

Kuna Melba News story on creekside memorial in Kuna generates responses

This month’s story in the Kuna Melba News on the creekside memorial to Vernon Bowers generated a lot of comments, both online and mailed to the newspaper. Most people seem to think the city should let the family keep the memorial where it is. The city has told the family they have to remove the memorial by the end of the year.
I received a phone call from a local resident who walks the Greenbelt often. She said the memorial does seem out of place, but she respects the family’s desire to keep a memorial to Vernon. She suggests a compromise: Give the family a six-month reprieve and allow them to raise money for a tree and stone memorial similar to others in the park.
I think that sounds like a pretty reasonable suggestion. A tree and stone memorial near the current memorial would look nice and honor Vernon’s memory.

Annual Kuna Melba News Christmas party

This weekend, Nicola and I held the annual Kuna Melba News Christmas party, to which we invite all of the good folks who regularly write for the Kuna Melba News. This year, we held the party at our house and had it catered by Fiesta Guadalajara, who did a fantastic job. Great food, very professional. Those in attendance included: Tami McCraw, our new marketing and customer service representative, and her husband, Jake, and their two children; Madge Wylie, journalist, author, all-around writer extraordinaire; Marty Nelson, Melba senior center coordinator who writes the weekly Melba seniors column; Nancy Simper, This is the Life columnist and now book author, along with three of her daughters; Cheryl McCord, Kuna Farmers Market coordinator who writes the weekly Farmers Market column, her husband, Bill Clark, and Bill's mom, Tina, from Michigan; and columnist Zeke Corder and his significant other, Shelly. Kuna seniors columnist Ernie Sandberg and columnist Steven Ricks couldn't join us, but we were thinking of them. I pointed out to the group that 2008 was a year of significant events for our little group. Madge Wylie won an Esto Perpetua Award for her documenting history, Nancy Simper has published her first book, This is the Life, a collection of columns from her first year in the Kuna Melba News, and the Kuna Farmers Market was bigger than ever this year. Personally, I had a great time hanging out with all these people with whom I communicate usually only by email once a week. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to work with such a terrific group of people.

First annual Kuna Christmas Festival is noon to 3 p.m. Saturday

The First Annual Kuna Christmas Festival will be at the Sandstone Plaza on 4th Street from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20. We will have a number of activities for both kids and adults, including: pictures with Santa & Mrs. Claus, “Reindeer” pony sleigh rides, holiday crafts, bounce house, free pizza from Domino’s Pizza, free hot chocolate and coffee, and a “Holiday Boot Camp” by Freedom Fitness Center. There will be free drawings for gifts, and services that include: a Nintendo Wii, a dual LCD car DVD system, professional family portrait sitting and digital picture frame, 4 Tickets to Thunder Mountain Line, 2 Tickets to “Walking With Dinosaurs,” $150 Holiday Party Basket, an electric race car (that kids can sit in and drive), a full suspension mountain bike, dinner for two at Tannins, free dental whitening, a spa package and several others.

Shop local this weekend in Kuna

By Nicola McIntosh, Kuna Melba News Publisher
The Kuna Melba News is pleased to bring you the third annual Kuna Holiday Shopping Guide, loaded with great gift ideas from Kuna businesses. You can find the Shopping Guides all over town at various retail outlets and businesses. Each year (and throughout the year, really) we’ve touted the benefits of shopping locally. But this holiday season, in the midst of an economic recession, it’s more important than ever to make as many purchases locally as possible.
Sure, you might not find the Wall-e remote control robot that your 3-year-old covets in Kuna, but I’ll bet you can find something for almost everyone on your list right here in town.
Did you know that for every $100 spent in a locally owned, independent business, $70 is returned to the community compared to $30 from a national retailer? For example, when you spend $100 at Treasure Valley Gift Shoppe – owned by Kuna resident Renee Harper – you’ll see that money go back into your community two-fold.
You won’t have to fight mall madness, you’ll find many unique and high quality gifts and in many cases you’ll find prices that beat Boise’s.

Feeling like they're on a sinking ship

During a recent meeting of landowners who are participating in Kuna’s local improvement district, some of the landowners began to discuss the boundary dispute between Kuna and Meridian. Kuna wants to go north to Amity Road, while Meridian lays claim to south of Lake Hazel. Some of the landowners began to debate the merits of the arguments and where the line should be.
LID participant Tim Gordon interrupted the debate and chimed in with the best line of the week: “We’re all on the Titanic right now, and you’re all talking about the deck chairs.”