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BEAR ARMS NEMO Arms leaves Nampa for Montana
Council upholds P&Z decision to deny jail permit By OLIVIA WEITZ oweitz@idahopress.com
CALDWELL — Following nearly three hours of testimony, the Caldwell City Council voted 5-1 to uphold the Planing and Zoning Commission’s denial of a special use permit for the jail expansion project. The planning and zoning commission denied the county’s application on Aug. 9. The motion to uphold the denial was put forward by City Council President Dennis Callsen. Each of the other council members voted in favor if it besides Councilman Rob Hopper. Callsen said he was concerned with the project not being completed. He also said there are safety and traffic issues. “I believe this is going to be safety issue for the neighborhood,” Callsen said. “Chicago Street is too fast for traffic.” Following the council’s decision, a written one is presented to City Council at a lataer meeting. After council approves that decision, an appeal could occur, Nancolas said, if it were to be received within 28 days from when the council adopts that written decision.
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Jason Rhodes cleans a rifle during assemble at the NEMO Arms facility Tuesday afternoon. NEMO manufacture about ten rifles a day.
WHERE TO BUY
By LIS STEWART lstewart@idahopress.com
N
AMPA — A gun maker has relocated to Nampa for the Treasure Valley’s expanding arms manufacturing industry. In June, NEMO Arms settled into 2820 Brandt Ave. in CHRIS BRONSON/IPT Nampa, bringKirk Leopold, CEO and co-founder of NEMO Arms, has moved ing three into a new facility in Nampa at 2820 Brandt Ave. employees Win Mag rifle, a highand military market, the from its former location end version of the AR-15 bulk of its customer base in Kalispell, Montana, and that retails from $4,500 is commercial, said Kirk hiring 14 locally. to $7,500. Although the Leopold, CEO and coThe arms company company aims to delve founder of NEMO Arms. touts its most popular product: the OMEN .300 further into the policing “Our goal is to pro-
NEMO Arms products can be purchased in stores like Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops, as well as through dealers throughout the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit nemoarms.com. vide the best platform of weapons for military and law enforcement,” Leopold said. Leopold was part of the company’s founding in 2011, having been brought in by Maj. Gen. Paul Valley, one of the original founders. It was Leopold’s involvement in the competitive shooting arena that led to eventual ownership of NEMO Arms.
Search continues after escape from Canyon County jail Two inmates escaped out of back fire door of tent facility By OLIVIA WEITZ oweitz@idahopress.com
CALDWELL — Two inmates who escaped from the tent facility at the Canyon County jail Saturday night crawled over a wall leading to the kitchen and walked out a fire door. After escaping from the jail, Jeffrey Duvall and Juan Cervantes, who were in custody on felony probation, were last seen on Chicago Street in Caldwell walking eastbound on foot, according to the Canyon County Sheriff ’s Office.
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Holly Lane nursing home in Nampa accused of neglecting patients State report tells stories of residents sitting in own urine By LIS STEWART newsroom@idahopress.com
NAMPA — Residents of a local nursing home were left to sit in their own waste, neglected for hours, remaining unfed and dehydrated, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, at
Deaths Frances Baker Kenneth Cox
2105 12th Ave. Road, was investigated by the state after multiple allegations of elder abuse were made. The facility has been banned from admitting any more people and must follow a corrective plan developed with DHW, according to Niki Forbing-Orr, a spokeswoman with DHW. A look into the nursing home’s practices began in July after a survey from the department found that the facility was out of compliance with Medicaid and Medicare regulations, according the report. The survey found that the most serious
Lyle Flaming Arnold Fransen Dot Garrett
Doris Mais Erika Peterson Jefferson Sirkel
deficiencies were a widespread pattern to constitute “immediate jeopardy to residents’ health and safety.” In a group interview with residents, the group told investigators, “Please help us. We are suffering.” INSPECTIONS Long-term care facilities like Holly Lane are inspected annually, unless DHW receives complaints, ForbingOrr said. “The situation at Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center is one that we would
Kerry Smith Obituaries, A4
SOUND FAMILIAR? Do you know of loved ones who experienced abuse or neglect in a local assisted living facility? The Idaho PressTribune is continuing its investigation into local nursing homes. Contact us at newsroom@idahopress.com, or call our news hotline at 465-8124. hope would never happen,” according to a DHW statement issued Monday. After the DHW inspectors’ visit and report in July, a team returned in August and found residents were no longer in immediate jeopardy.
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A survey team from DHW will make an unannounced visit to the facility in the near future to make sure action is being taken with the corrective plan developed with DHW. The July survey offered serious findings, with the main issues being neglect of patients and insufficient staffing, the statement continues. “Our priority is to work with facilities like this to help them meet compliance with state and federal rules,” according to the statement.
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A4 | Tuesday, October ,
idaho press-tribune
Dorothy L. “Dot” Garrett
Obituaries
com/idahopress to send condolences and view guest books or create a personalized website must be placed by your mortuary where friends and family can or at selfserve.idahopress.com. contribute memories, video, The deadline is 3 p.m. for publica- photos, music and more. Question the next day. Visit legacy. tions? call (208) 467-9253.
August 2, 1924 – September 30, 2016
Death notices Service notices Frances Faye Baker, 92, of Lyle G. Flaming,
85, of Nampa, died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Caldwell, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, Funeral Home: Zeyer Funeral Chapel, at a Caldwell hospital. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. MonNampa. day, Oct. 17, 2016, at Mountain View of the Nazarene, 25616 Ustick Kenneth Allen Cox, 77, of Church Road, Wilder. Nampa, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Funeral Home: Alsip and Persons FuJefferson Webster Sirkel, neral Chapel, Nampa. 81, of Nampa, Ret AF TSGT, died TuesArnold Julius Fransen, 93, day, Sept. 27, 2016. A memorial serof Boise, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. vice to honor his life will be held at 1 Funeral Home: Cloverdale Funeral p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise. Home. A celebration gathering will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Eagle Lodge, 118 11th Doris Mae Mais, 89, of Boise, Ave. N, Nampa. Services are under the died Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Funeral direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Home: Cloverdale Funeral Home. Yraguen Chapel. An online guestbook and full obit is available at www.namErika Peterson, 64, of Boise, pafuneralhome.com. 442-8171 died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Funeral Home: Alsip and Persons Funeral ChaGet the most bang for your pel, Nampa.
Kerry Smith, 77, of Melba, died
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Funeral Home: Zeyer Funeral Chapel, Nampa.
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TODAY Nampa — Art Endeavor — Leaves!, 4:30pm, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Middleton — Art Night Out for Adults!, 5:00pm, Middleton Public Library 307 Cornell Street Middleton — Book Club!, 8:00pm, Middleton Public Library 307 Cornell Street Caldwell — Bridge to China, 6:00pm, The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd $59.00 Caldwell — EMT Basic Course, 6:00pm, Canyon County Paramedics 6116 Graye Lane $1,800.00 Treasure Valley Community College Caldwell — FAFSA Completion Night, 6:00pm, Caldwell Senior High School 3401 S Indiana Ave, Caldwel Treasure Valley Education Partnership Homedale — Fit and Fall Proof Class, 10:30am, Homedale Senior Center, 224 W. Idaho Southwest Idaho District Health Nampa — Kilroy Coffee Klatch, 10:00am, Warhawk Air Museum 201 Municipal Drive Kilroy Coffee Klatch Nampa — Nampa Toastmasters, 6:00pm, Nampa Saint Alphonsus Medical Center (Winter Room) 1512 12th Ave Rd Nampa Toastmasters Caldwell — Photography: A Thoughtful Approach, 6:00pm, The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd $49.00 Caldwell — Pottery Class, 6:30pm, The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd $179.00 Caldwell — Rhythms of the Game, 6:30pm, The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd $49.00 Nampa — The Salvation Army Annual Gala, 5:00pm, Nampa Civic Center 311 Third St S $35.00 Middleton — Summer Reading @ Canyon Sprints, 1:00pm, Middleton Public
Library 307 Cornell Street Nampa — TRIVIA NIGHT AT FLYING M!, 7:00pm, Flying M Coffeegarage 1314 2nd St. S. Flying M Coffeegarage Nampa — Vice-Presidential Debate Viewing, 6:00pm, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Nampa Public Library
WEDNESDAY Nampa — Basic Computer Class, 5:00pm, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Caldwell — Beginning Quilting, 2:30pm, The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd $0.00 Nampa — Divorce Care & DC4Kids, 6:30pm, Nampa First Church of the Nazarene 601 16th Ave S Nampa First Church Singles Nampa — Free Dance Lessons Every Wednesday at the Eagles, 6:00pm, Nampa Fraternal Order of Eagles Nampa Eagles Nampa — Preschool Storytime and Activities, 10:15am, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South
THURSDAY Nampa — 1951 Gals Luncheon, 1:00pm, Cafe de Coco 117 13th Ave South Nampa High Class of 1951 Nampa — Baby and Toddler Storytime, 10:15am, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Nampa — Death Rattle Writers Festival: Poetry Main Stage Event, 5:30pm, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Nampa — Nampa Community Dance, 7:00pm, Nampa Senior Center 207 Constitution Way Nampa — Teen Program, 4:30pm, Nampa Public Library 215 12th Ave. South Caldwell — TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 6:00pm, United Methodist Church 824 E Logan St TOPS
Dot was born on Aug. 2, 1924 in Dayton Washington to parents Lee Elmer Gard and Pearl Kathryn (Prater) Gard. Along with her younger sister Janis, she attended schools in Dayton Washington until they reached high school age, at which time the family moved to Walla Walla Washington where her father was an optometrist. She met Frankie Garrett her sophomore year of high school after being introduced by one of Frankie’s friends on the football team. She was the new girl in school and quite a catch, and Frankie knew she was the one. They have been a couple ever since. Dot and Frankie graduated from Walla Walla High School (Wa High) in 1942 shortly after the start of World War Two. Frankie attended Whitman College for a year, but soon signed up for the U.S. Navy Amphibious Division and served in the South Pacific. Dot joined the war effort by working for a year at the Walla Walla Army Air Force air base and
Home/from A1 Holly Lane, which until recently was called Trinity Mission Health & Rehabilitation of Holly, was fined $1,040 in April 2015 after a site visit found 20 failures on the part of the facility, according to the federal government’s Medicare website. These failures include facility staff not communicating directly with a resident about changing her chart to read, “do not resuscitate,” on the directive of a family member who said they had discussed what should happen if her heart stopped beating. The resident afterward indicated she wanted to receive assistance. In 2015, while Holly Lane’s percentage of reported incidents of residents falling — 2.6 percent — was below the state and national averages of 3 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, the percentage of long-stay residents who had symptoms of depression, 12.1 percent, was more than twice the national and state averages. The facility is owned by Orianna Health Systems of Bartlett, Tennessee. Representatives of the company could not be reached for comment Monday. Mikki Meer, Orianna’s chief operating officer, told the Idaho Statesman the company takes the July “allegations submitted by the state very seriously,” though it does not “necessarily agree with all of the allegations.” NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS In the July report, it was noted residents were not given proper care to ensure “dignity and respect of individuality.” For example, the report details the situation of a
B-17 Bomber plant. She enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle and completed her BA in Home Economics and Textile Clothing in 1947. While attending the university she pledged to the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and maintained her relationship with the sorority for most of her life. After Frankie was injured badly in an explosion in the South Pacific, Dot finished her college degree and they were married in 1948 in Walla Walla. They worked in the family fruit business and their own cattle operation. In 1951, their first son, Gary was born, followed by younger brother Gregg in 1955. A severe October freeze occurred in Washington in 1955 and killed up to 90 percent of the fruit trees. The Garrett fruit operation had purchased orchard land in Idaho in the late 1940’s which quickly became the main part of the operation after the tree losses in Washington. Dot, Frankie and family moved to Idaho in 1956
woman called Resident 4 — the report does not refer to any person by name because of privacy reasons. Resident 4 was allowed to sit in her own urine for prolonged periods of time. State investigators observed Resident 4 sitting in her wheelchair, strongly smelling of urine. She told the state investigator, “They don’t let me use the bathroom because I can’t walk, so I have to use the restroom in my clothes.” When asked how it made her feel, Resident 4 said, “Like an idiot.” The state report documented numerous instances of residents not being offered timely care and assistance. In numerous instances, it was reported that residents could not reach the call lights on their beds to call for assistance. One resident repeatedly yelled for assistance, first for drinking water and then in eating a meal, unable to reach her call light. The facility was cited for the call lights being out of reach of some residents during its annual April 2015 inspection. In 2016, the facility was also found to be deficient in providing a safe, clean, home-like environment. A strong smell of urine and feces were identified coming from several rooms, hallways were crowded with equipment, and the condiment caddies in the dining room were dirty. It was also noted in the report that residents’ medical records were not kept confidential and in one case a resident’s chart was left out on a cart in a hallway. In the case of three residents, their care was changed by the facility, and their families were not notified. Residents also com-
to operate and expand the Idaho business. Dot became the farm bookkeeper, working diligently until she was in her 80’s. She was known as a precise bookkeeper, and would only accept perfection. She was also adamant about correct spelling and grammar. The computer age was challenging for Dot, as the business eased away from manual bookkeeping. She learned a few computer skills, but was always searching for a typewriter, because she was more comfortable typing than writing or using a keyboard. She always had a desire to learn more computer skills even though she didn’t entirely trust computers and preferred the old methods. She was also known for composing (typing) a poem or one line jingle on the card for every family member’s birthday. They were very imaginative, and personalized to the recipient. Dot and Frankie were devoted fans of their children and grandchildren and attended nearly all of their activities and sports games. She was very fond of her childhood trips to the Oregon coast, and talked about them regularly. In their later years, Dot and Frankie became well known for their twice daily trip to the bowling alley for coffee or lunch. They made many good friends there during that time. They would have celebrated their
68th wedding anniversary in November. They have actually been together for 76 years counting high school and the war years. Dot and Frankie moved to Autumn Winds Assisted Living in Caldwell, Idaho in 2014, for Dot’s well being. Dot was most recently in Owyhee Health and Rehab in Homedale Idaho. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Pearl Gard, her sister Janis Gard, and great grandson Blayze Vernon. She is survived by her husband Frankie Garrett, sons Gary (Kristie) Garrett, and Gregg (Randee) Garrett, 6 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. A devoted wife and mother, she was truly one of the “Greatest Generation”. A special thanks to Lynda Woodhall, the staffs of Autumn Winds Assisted Living, Owyhee Health and Rehab, and the Homedale Ambulance Services, for their special care for Dot. There will be a viewing for visitors at Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Homedale, Idaho on Tuesday October 4th from 6 to 8 pm. Services will be held at the Mountain View Church of the Nazarene, Wilder, Idaho on Wednesday, October 5th at 2 pm. Burial will be at Mountain View Cemetery, Walla Walla, Washington. Condolences given at www. Flahifffuneralchapel.com
plained their recommendations for menu changes were not listened to, and in some cases, residents complained of meal portions that were too small. The April 2015 report noted food was not prepared that was “nutritional, appetizing, tasty, attractive, well-cooked and at the right food temperature.” It was also noted in that visit that food was not prepared in a sanitary environment.
was admitted to a hospital because of a change in mental status. The physician attending Resident 11 noted the resident had primarily poor oral hygiene with dry, brownish, crusting mucous on the tongue. The patient was severely dehydrated. Resident 11 died Jan. 23. State law allows a patient to refuse treatment or care. The state investigators determined Resident 11 should have been offered a waiver to sign along with the person with power of attorney over him stating they understood the risks of Resident 11 not following the facility’s care decisions. During his care at the nursing facility, Resident 11’s feeding tube was also unplugged one evening. The nurse practitioner noted in his records the resident did not receive food or medication.
RESIDENT 11 One resident, Resident 11, died after three months of care at Holly Lane and was harmed when the facility’s staff repeatedly declined to give him water and ice chips as he wished, the report states. Resident 11 came to Holly Lane on Oct. 15, 2015, with various medical issues, including difficulty swallowing. The individual received nourishment through a feeding tube, had a urinary catheter, was on a ventilator and had a tracheostomy. Although Resident 11 wished to wean himself from the ventilator, and he and the person with power of attorney over him asked the facility to feed Resident 11 ice chips throughout his threemonth stay, they were refused. The patient had a documented swallowing disorder, and the staff used this as the reason for not allowing him food or water and to just be fed via tube. A nurse said, “He got ice chips for a while. At the end I could not let him have them. I felt bad.” In an evaluation Jan. 19, it was determined Resident 11 was not safe to take in even pureed food because of his difficulty swallowing. A recommendation was given to feed him a small amount of ice chips. On Jan. 21, Resident 11
STAFFING It was determined Holly Lane failed to ensure adequate staffing levels. In interviews with staff, a CNA said the CNAs are instructed to take care of the residents who can talk and leave the ones who cannot. The reasoning given was that the ones who talk can report it. The staff member said there have been shift cuts, and staff were often sent home due to “low census,” typically on evening and night shifts. Residents were lucky to get turned and changed once per shift, she said. “It sucks going home like this and leaving people like this,” the CNA said. One nurse said, “A disaster is going to happen. There are residents on ventilators back here on the 500 hall. Two nurses can’t manage this hall at night.”
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Today’s Birthdays: Country singer Leroy Van Dyke is 87. Actress Felicia Farr is 84. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Sam Huff is 82. Actor Eddie Applegate is 81. Author Roy Blount Jr. is 75. Author Anne Rice is 75.
Ten years ago: The domain name wikileaks.org was registered (the website began publishing leaked classified information in Dec. 2006). Ousted HewlettPackard Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, a company
officer and three investigators were charged with violating California privacy laws in a corporate spying scandal. (The charges were later dropped, with a judge calling their conduct a “betrayal of trust and honor”
that nonetheless did not rise to the level of criminal activity.) American Roger D. Kornberg won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. New York Times correspondent R.W. Apple Jr. died in Washington at age 71. C M Y K
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TACKLES NAMPA Columbia took down Nampa Friday 21-13.
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Saturday, October 8, 2016
Fugitive from jail had violent history Suspect pleaded guilty to felony day before escape
‘Their mother or grandmother’ Family of former Holly Lane resident speaks out
By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com
CALDWELL — One of the men who escaped the Canyon County jail’s tent facility last week had pleaded guilty to a felony the day before. At the time of his escape, Jeffrey Duvall, 26, was awaiting sentencing after pleading Duvall guilty to a felony violent crime. What type of inmates are being held at the tent facility at the Canyon County jail has become an issue in light of recent escapes from Cervantes the tent facility. County Commissioner Craig Hanson said this week that he didn’t realize violent offenders were being held in the tent facility under the Valencia facility’s minimum security classification. The charge against Duvall stems from an incident on July 13, when Duvall’s girlfriend reported that he had attempted to strangle her, pinned her and hit her six or seven times at their home in Nampa, according to police. More ESCAPEES | A5
Hurricane threatens some of South’s most storied cities By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Matthew spared Florida’s most heavily populated stretch from a catastrophic blow Friday but threatened some of the South’s most historic and picturesque cities with ruinous flooding and wind damage as it pushed its way up the coastline. Among the cities in the crosshairs were St. Augustine, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina. “There are houses that will probably not ever be the same again or not even be there,” St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver lamented as battleship-gray floodwaters coursed through the streets of the 451-yearold city founded by the Spanish. Matthew — the most powerful hurricane to threaten the Atlantic Seaboard in over a decade — set off alarm as it closed in on the U.S., having left more than 300 people dead in Haiti. More HURRICANE | A5
Deaths Mary Barney Kathy Chaloupka
Willis Green Earl Lowen Michael Makin
COURTESY SAMANTHA STARK
Jakki Smith, left, poses with her mother Toni Jo Fair in this undated photo at Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Nampa. Smith and other family members weren’t surprised when they found out about the state’s report alleging the nursing home of neglectful practices.
By LIS STEWART lstewart@idahopress.com
N
AMPA — When cousins Samantha Stark and Jakki Smith of Payette found out about the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s report on Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, they weren’t surprised. The family had already lodged complaints with DHW about the facility. “They should think how they want their mom treated because these are people’s loved ones, and they deserve better,” Stark said. Smith’s mother Toni Jo Fair was admitted to Holly Lane, then known as Trinity Mission Health & Rehabilitation of Holly, in June 2014. During her stay there through this summer, the now-61-year-old Fair left the facility to be treated multiple times in a hospital for various problems, from pneumonia to a fall from trying to get
up to go to the bathroom. Her family claims she would come back in better condition than when she left, and she would seem to worsen back in the facility. Fair went into a nursing home when she was having trouble breathing on her own and could not be properly cared for at home, Smith explained. She needed to be in Holly Lane specifically because it is one of two nursing homes in the state that offer long-term care for someone on a ventilator. The other Idaho facility that offers such services is in Coeur d’Alene. State investigators made an unannounced visit to Holly Lane, at 2105 12th Ave. Road in Nampa, based on a complaint in July and soon after issued a report detailing stories of residents left to sit in their urine for hours, calling for help and other neglectful deficiencies that put residents’ health and safety in jeopardy.
Based on the survey’s findings, the facility management were told they cannot accept new Medicare and Medicaid patients — essentially cutting off most admissions. The facility is implementing a plan of correction, and the state determined the residents were out of immediate jeopardy in a follow-up visit in August. Surveyors will make another unannounced visit in the near future. Fair’s family members were among many who contacted the Idaho PressTribune with stories about their experiences working in Holly Lane and also of family members who stayed there. ‘FRUSTRATED’ For the first couple of months at Holly Lane, Fair appeared to have cognitive issues and was losing weight, Smith said. More HOME | A9
Police investigate battery at nursing home Holly Lane recently accused of abuse, neglect by DHW By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com
NAMPA — Amid a slew of allegations against the Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center regarding abuse and neglect, local police say they responded to complaints there this year, as well. Police said they responded to reports at the nursing home, but many were not criminal in nature. One complaint of battery made last month, however, is still under investigation.
Kenneth Smith Porfirio Sotelo
LIS STEWART/IPT
The Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center at 2105 12th Ave. Road in Nampa is under intense scrutiny from the state over how it treated its residents.
Since Jan. 1, the Nampa Police responded to 16 reports at the Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Lt. Eric Skoglund said. Many of those reports were small complaints that did not involve staff, and none resulted in criminal charges.
Obituaries, A5
Six of the reports were allegations involving staff. Of the six, one was a disturbance between two staff members, the other five were allegations made by residents against staff. None of the reports resulted in charges being filed.
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WHAT WAS IN THE REPORT? After a complaint was lodged with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare this summer, inspectors made a surprise visit to Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Nampa. The 200-plus page report has surveyors, residents and nursing home staff detailing instances and practices that are out of compliance with federal regulations for such facilities. These instances include: Cases of residents being left to sit in their urine for long periods of time. One resident told surveyors, “They don’t let me use the bathroom because I can’t walk, so I have to use the restroom in my clothes.” When asked how it made her feel, she said, “Like an idiot.” The state documented numerous instances of residents not being offered timely care or assistance. The call lights in rooms used to summon staff members would not elicit a response for long periods of time, and some residents would yell and call for help for things as simple as needing assistance drinking water. The facility was noted for not providing a safe, clean, home-like environment. A strong smell of urine and feces was observed coming from several rooms, hallways were crowded with equipment and the condiment caddies were found to be dirty. The confidentiality and care of records was called into question. A chart was observed left out in the hallway in plain view. In the case of three residents, their care was changed by the facility and their families were not notified. Residents also complained the facility was not listening to and implementing their recommendations, some also saying the food portions were too small. One man, only identified as Resident 11, died from dehydration after being repeatedly denied ice chips and water. The facility staff said physician’s orders were to not let the resident have those because the resident had trouble swallowing. The man was fed via tube. Resident 11 and the person who was his power of attorney were never informed they could sign a waiver to not follow the nursing home’s recommendations of care. A main issue identified in the report that may have led to some of the aforementioned deficiencies is that Holly Lane failed to ensure adequate staffing levels. Because of this, staff were sometimes told to take care of the patients who could talk first because they could complain. One nurse told surveyors, “A disaster is going to happen. There are residents on ventilators back here on the 500 hall. Two nurses can’t manage this hall at night.”
More COMPLAINTS | A9
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idaho press-tribune
SEVEN-DAY FORECAST TODAY
Sunrise
Sunset
7:52a
7:14p
77°
48°
SUNDAY
MONDAY
49°
79°
74°
TUESDAY
46°
68°
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
70°
65°
41°
46°
FRIDAY
52°
66°
48°
Partly sunny and nice
Sunny and nice
Partly sunny and pleasant
Nice with brilliant sunshine
Intervals of clouds and sunshine
Rain at times
Considerable clouds with a little rain
27° RF: 77°/46°
RF: 81°/52°
RF: 74°/46°
RF: 71°/42°
RF: 71°/49°
RF: 68°/47°
RF: 68°/46°
RF: The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature® is an exclusive index of the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body. Shown are the highest/lowest values for each day.
ALMANAC
Roland Steadham
AROUND THE NATION
as of 6 p.m. yesterday
Caldwell Airport High temperature 74° Low temperature 49° Normal high 72° Normal low 40° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00”
A nice warming trend will settle into the Treasure Valley through the weekend. Look for lots of sunshine with highs approaching the upper 70s on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll see temperatures near 80 degrees. These temps will be about 10 degrees warmer than normal. For the most part, the pattern will stay dry through the middle of next week. Then, there is a chance of showers returning to the state at the end of next week.
Boise Airport High temperature 73° Low temperature 48° Normal high 69° Normal low 44° Record high 86° in 1980 Record low 24° in 1990 Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00” Month to date trace Year to date 5.18” Last year to date 6.68” Normal year to date 8.27” Moon Phases
The Idaho Press-Tribune and KBOI have partnered to bring more accurate weather reports to you daily. Nampa temperatures are taken from the weather station located at the Idaho PressTribune. Also visit idahopress. com for morning and late afternoon video weather reports provided by KBOI.
Oct 8
Full
Last
WEATHER TRIVIA™
Radiation, steam and reindeer are types of what?
A: Fog from A1
Nampa police are still investigating one report made Sept. 27 in which a resident said a staff member improperly bathed her. That staff member was let go, Skoglund said. Skoglund said the allegation is being investigated as battery and was not sexual in nature. It remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed. The Sept. 27 complaint is the only one that remains an open case. Orianna Health Systems, the company that owns the Holly Lane facility, could not be reached for comment. The Idaho PressTribune filed a request with the Nampa Police Department on Friday for copies of all complaints filed with NPD regarding Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. The Press-Tribune is waiting for the copies to be made available. Caldwell Police Capt. Devin Riley said Thursday that his department has never investigated a nursing home in Caldwell for abuse or neglect allegations. As of Friday, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office could not confirm or deny whether the Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center was under investigation after the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s July report. Ruth Brown is the public safety and digital first reporter. Contact her at 465-8105 or rbrown@ idahopress.com. Follow @ RuthBrownNews.
Lead, S.D., had 36 inches of snow on Oct. 8, 1982, but just 20 miles away in Rapid City, which is at a lower elevation, there was only a trace.
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It took a couple of months for the nursing home staff to determine Fair had a treatable infection that was actually causing the problem. Smith could speak to the state’s report about residents being left to sit in their own urine. She described coming to visit her mother and finding her sitting in cold urine and covered in bed sores, and no one could tell her when her mother’s undergarments were last changed. Stark said she felt frustrated with the staff. “And to think, if it was their mother or grandmother, if they had left someone like that,” Stark said. “I didn’t think someone working there had a heart. This place should have been shut down years ago.” Of the issues listed in the July state report on Holly Lane, one is about the call lights in residents’ rooms not being reachable for many of the residents who were limited in mobility and range of motion. The lights are essential to summoning staff members to come help with some of the basic necessities of life. Smith claimed her mother would try to use the call light in her room and sometimes wait 45 minutes to an hour for help. One day, Fair got tired of waiting for assistance in getting up to go to the bathroom and tried to do it herself. She fell on her
Toronto 63/44
Minneapolis 54/37
Kansas City 68/45
Denver 74/42
New York 71/57
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MATTHEW Houston 89/59 Miami 91/75
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Jakki Smith, of Payette, could speak to the state’s report about residents being left to sit in their own urine. She described coming to visit her mother and finding her sitting in cold urine and covered in bed sores, and no one could tell her when her mother’s undergarments were last changed. face and was on the floor for an undetermined period of time, Smith said. When one of Fair’s relatives found her on the floor, Fair had bruises on her eyes, forehead and breasts. It took two months for her to heal, Stark said. When the family complained to the nursing home, they were told staff was limited. “They would just say that there was too many residents, they had too many things to do and they try to limit the severity, lah de dah,” Smith said. When Holly Lane was sanctioned in July, Fair was out of Holly Lane, in the hospital again because this time her heart rate was too low. Stark explained that medical staff in the Saint Alphonsus intensive care unit were shocked that Fair had five fentanyl patches on her skin, and it took a while to “wean her off ” of the opioid pain killer.
PROTECTING VULNERABLE ADULTS What is a vulnerable adult? A vulnerable adult is a person 18 years or older who is unable to protect himself from abuse, neglect or exploitation due to physical or mental impairment, which affects the person’s judgment or behavior to the extent that he lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to make or communicate or implement decisions regarding his person. Reporting Abuse Call the police or 911 immediately if someone you know is in immediate, life-threatening danger. If you have been the victim of abuse, exploitation or neglect, you are not alone. Many people care and can help. Please tell your doctor, a friend or a family member you trust, or call the Adult Protective Services program in your
By the time Fair was discharged, the state had put an injunction on Holly Lane, and Fair’s family was told she could not come back. They were left scrambling to find a place for her, which they finally did — at a nursing home in Utah. While it is difficult to have her mother be so far away, Smith feels more comfortable having her out of Holly Lane. “It was just like night and day,” Smith said of the new nursing home. “I felt hope there, and people actually come and call in, and there’s hope.” Officials with Orianna, the Tennessee-based company that owns Holly Lane, have not responded to requests for comment on the specific case of Fair’s family. Smith added that it scares her to think what could have happened to her mother had she not worked to be involved in her mom’s care.
area. Relay your concerns to the local Adult Protective Services, long-term care ombudsman or police. If the danger is not immediate, but you suspect that abuse has occurred or is occurring, please tell someone. If the person you suspect is being abused resides in Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley or Washington counties, call the Area Agency on Aging Area III office: 208-332-1745 or 1-844-689-7562. You can reach the Eldercare Locator by telephone at 1-800-677-1116. Specially trained operators will refer you to a local agency that can help. The Eldercare Locator is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. You do not need to prove that abuse is occurring; it is up to the professionals to investigate the suspicions. When making the call, be ready to give the name, address and contact information of the person you suspect
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Hurricane Matthew will cause high winds, along with major flooding from heavy rain and storm surge along the Georgia and Carolina coasts today. Northwest winds will usher in dry air across much of the Florida Peninsula. Meanwhile, as tropical moisture interacts with an approaching front, locally drenching rain will extend northward to the midAtlantic and western New England. Much of the area from the Midwest and Gulf Coast will be dry with sunshine. A large area of high pressure will be centered over the middle Mississippi Valley. A pocket of moisture will lead to spotty showers and thunderstorms over Arizona and New Mexico. A weak storm is forecast to spread showers across part of Washington, northern Idaho and northwestern Montana. The balance of the West will be dry and sunny.
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COMPLAINTS Smith said she and another cousin complained several times to the state over the two years Fair resided at Holly Lane. When DHW receives a complaint, an inspection is completed. Most recent complaints about Holly Lane were found to be unsubstantiated due to lack of sufficient evidence. The identity of the person making the complaint and the resident identified in such complaints are kept confidential, but the results of the complaints are posted on the DHW website. The complaint that led to July’s unannounced visit at Holly Lane will not be available for about 90 days, according to DHW spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr. If DHW doesn’t receive any complaints, the regular recertification and relicensure surveys are conducted within nine to 15 months of the last survey, Forbing-Orr said. “We have a process we follow for all complaints, and it is an effective process when people file complaints,” Forbing-Orr said. “Our staff can’t follow up on an issue if we don’t know about it. That’s why it’s so important for people to file complaints if and when they have concerns about the health and safety of nursing home residents.” Lis Stewart is the Nampa reporter. She can be reached at 465-8193 or lstewart@idahopress.com. Follow on Twitter: @CarpetComm.
is abused or neglected and details about why you are concerned. You may be asked a series of questions to gain more insight into the nature of the situation: n Are there any known medical problems (including confusion or memory loss)? n What kinds of family or social supports are there? n Have you seen or heard incidents of yelling, hitting or other abusive behavior? You will be asked for your name, address, telephone number, etc., but the report will be taken even if you do not identify yourself. The professionals receiving your report are prohibited from disclosing your identity to the alleged abuser or victim. — Information courtesy the Idaho Commission on Aging website, aging.idaho.gov. C M Y K
HOMECOMING CELEBRATION
Boise State honors first Fiesta Bowl champs as current Broncos face the Rams
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$1.50
Sunday, October 16, 2016
State defends nursing home inspection system By RUTH BROWN & LIS STEWART newsroom@idahopress.com
As a Nampa nursing home faces criticism following a critical state inspection, state and federal officials are defending the method of regulating longterm care facilities. Even though long, detailed inspection reports citing numerous deficiencies were repeated over and again in the past three years in nursing homes across the state, including at the embattled Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Nampa, the system is working as it is supposed to be, said Steven Chickering, associate regional administrator for the Centers
for Medicaid and Medicare Services. “I believe it is an adequate process, one that can always be improved and is being improved, and we will continue to improve as we learn more,” Chickering said. A team of 13 surveyors inspects every one of the 78 nursing homes in Idaho every nine to 15.9 months. If a complaint is lodged, the team will show up more frequently. Complaints are common, though not always found to be substantiated due to lack of evidence. Visits are always unannounced. The Idaho Press-Tribune reviewed nearly 2,000 pages of state-performed surveys of nursing homes in Nampa and
Caldwell and found four of the seven nursing homes were fined a total of $4,810 during the past three years. Fines are the common sanction if serious, harmful deficiencies are found during site visits. But even as the nursing homes are fined one year for issues, their next inspections consistently show more deficiencies, ranging from trivial to serious. AN UPHILL BATTLE A variety of issues emerged in the review of the six nursing homes in Canyon County, other than Holly Lane. Not all of the complaints and deficiencies resulted in fines. The following examples demonstrate the range of complaints and issues
that have occurred at facilities in mination of the accused CNA. In November 2015, two of recent years. 25 medications for two of 13 A copy of a survey from Karcher Estates residents at in May 2013 Karcher were LET US KNOW at Karcher administered Has your family member Estates, at 1127 incorrectly, suffered neglect or abuse at Caldwell Blvd. creating the poan Idaho nursing home, or in Nampa, tential for them was their experience positive? found that in to receive less Call the Idaho Press-Tribune at February 2013, than optimum (208) 465-8124 or email newsa resident was benefit of their room@idahopress.com. “striking out” medication, acat a certified cording to the nursing assissurveys. tant at the facility, and the CNA At Kindred Nursing and grabbed the resident’s wrists and Rehabilitation, located at 404 N. allegedly swore at the resident. Horton St. in Nampa, violations While the facility was unable to ranged from failure to provide substantiate abuse, statements activities for residents to a failure were made by other CNAs who to document health care plans. witnessed the encounter. It did lead to the suspension and terMore HOME | A4
GRINDING
Caldwell movie theater still a go
IN CALDWELL
Plan moves forward with change to one story instead of two By OLIVIA WEITZ oweitz@idahopress.com
leave; work-day details, such as prep time; and employee grievance procedure. The big ticket items included health insurance costs, which are shared by the district and employees, and teacher salaries.
CALDWELL — A plan to bring a first-run movie theater to the proposed Trolley Square development in downtown Caldwell is moving forward, but there have been some changes to the design. A representative from the developer, the Gardner Company, told the urban renewal agency last week that a bid to build a two-level theater, similar to the one in Boise’s downtown BoDo district, was too costly. Instead, a smaller, revamped proposal calls for a single-level theater on two commercial pads instead of three, said David Wali, executive vice president at the Gardner Company. The redesign does not impact plans for 11 separate movie screens as originally proposed, Wali said. A bid from the Gardner Company for the Trolley Square development project, planned at the corner of 9th and Arthur Streets, was initially submitted late last year. But the project has lagged for a couple of reasons, including the discovery of hazardous materials in the soil under parts of the project area and the complexity of the development agreement. During a special urban renewal meeting this month, the agency received an update about working with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality on how to proceed. Mayor Garrett Nancolas told the Idaho Press-Tribune that the levels of petroleum found on site are low and will not require any special cleanup or remediation. A “no further action” letter from the DEQ is being requested from the project’s financial consultant before construction can begin. Nancolas said he expects to receive the letter in the next 30 days. The development agreement between the agency, Gardner Company, and Casper Management Inc., which owns and operates Reel Theatres in the Treasure Valley, has also contributed to the delay. An agreement, totaling more than 100 pages, was presented to the agency on Monday by City Attorney Mark Hilty. It includes provisions for the agency to ensure that a movie theater is part of the project.
More CONTRACTS | A17
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CHRIS BRONSON/IPT
Jacob Glenn, 13, performs a grinding trick at Rebel Jam held at Pipe Dreams Skate Park in Caldwell Saturday afternoon. Read the story on A3.
School district finalizes teacher contracts The Nampa school district Board of Trustees approved proposed teacher contracts Tuesday By ALX GEORGE ageorge@idahopress.com
NAMPA — After seven months of negotiating, the Nampa school district teacher contracts for 2016-17 school year have been finalized. The final step came Tuesday when the school board gave final approval to the contracts, closing out a Deaths Charlotta Ball Thomas Blankenburg Donald Campbell Maria Campos
Chuck Clemmer Jacquelene Coleman Bob Fisher Margaret Gearhart Roberta L. Hardy
process that also included weeks of mediation. A mediator was called in to help facilitate an agreement in August, said finance director Randy Dewey. Before mediation, Dewey said the district needed to better understand how much teacher turnover to expect and where teachers fell on the tentative salary schedule. Dewey said that until September, the district didn’t know which teachers would be submitting additional education and certification credits, which could put them in a different salary category. Ricky Hartzog Joy Hubbard Albina Molina Wayne Myers Kathleen Smith
Nora Steinman Danielle Thomas Obituaries, A5-7
There are approximately 850 teachers in the district. Negotiations began in March, and both sides traded a series of proposals before reaching resolution. In addition to salaries, other contractual details negotiated include health insurance; bereavement, sick and personal
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A4 | Sunday, October 16, 2016
idaho press-tribune
LOCAL
Home/from A1 A complaint against the Caldwell Kindred nursing home, at 210 Cleveland Blvd., was filed in November 2014 regarding the excessive number of falls at the facility. Inspectors found that multiple residents documented falls, with one woman falling as many as PHOTOS BY CHRIS BRONSON/IPT 14 times during a span of Midland Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center at 46 N. four months. Midland Blvd., Nampa. In one report, some residents at the Caldwell Kindred facility were documented having to wait up to nine days for a bath, despite individual care plans indicating they should be bathed two or three times per week. Other issues at the nursing home included residents developing bedsores. In one incident at the Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Canyon West facility, a resident came into Karcher Estates at 1127 Caldwell Blvd., Nampa. the nursing home on Aug. 20, 2013, and was taken inspects nursing homes for CANYON COUNTY to the emergency room compliance with federal NURSING HOMES four days later due to an and state standards. FedThere are seven nursunclean catheter. While that eral standards are typiing homes in Canyon resident was not found to cally more stringent. Any County, with two in be dehydrated, at least two nursing home accepting Caldwell and five in others were dehydrated at Medicaid and Medicare Nampa. Those nursing the Caldwell nursing home patients is subject to federal homes have a comat, 2814 S. Indiana Ave., ac- inspections. In Idaho, all bined 770 beds. cording to the department’s nursing homes fit this Of the seven nursing records. category. homes, four have been Another resident at the When a survey brings fined in the past three Canyon West facility waited serious deficiencies to light, years. Those four homes 11 days for a bath. inspectors must determine had a combined $4,810 Sunny Ridge, at 2600 what sort of remedies must in fines over the past Sunnybrook Drive in Nam- be taken to enforce the law. three years. pa, was fined $1,040 after a At the outset, a facility Holly Lane RehabiliMay 2015 survey that found can be threatened with tation and Healthcare a series of administrative denial of Medicaid and Center was fined $1,040 and proMedicare in 2015. gramming payments for ADA COUNTY Sunny Ridge was problems, as newly admitNURSING HOMES fined $1,040 in 2015. well as failure ted residents There are 13 nursing Kindred Nursing to perform if there is homes in Ada County, and Rehabilitation, in proper handa failure with two in Meridian Caldwell on Cleveland washing to comply and 11 in Boise. Those Blvd was fined $1,105 techniques. within 90 nursing homes have a in 2014. The report days. combined 1,242 beds. Kindred Nursing and also detailed By law, if a Of the 13 nursing Rehabilitation — Canthe experiserious nonhomes, eight have yon West, in Caldwell ence of a compliant debeen fined in the past was fined $1,625 in woman who ficiency is not three years. Those eight 2014. became tearfixed within homes had a combined ful during 180 days, $15,860 in fines over an interview. the federal hinges on what works best the past three years. The woman government for motivating a nursing became terminates home to quickly get back emotional because she said its Medicare and Medicaid into compliance. she was afraid to report contract with that facility, Other possible remstaff misconduct, feared she basically shutting off most edies include replacing the would be moved to another of a nursing home’s revnursing home director or room or that staff members enue. It could still keep its requiring the facility to could be fired. state license at that point, undergo training by profesStaff were also observed but such a measure typisional not affiliated with not helping residents. cally shuts down the nursthe facility. One resident was ing home, officials said. observed calling through “They may be licensed, CHALLENGES her open door to a nursing but most facilities cannot Most nursing homes face station 20 feet away, “I’m so survive financially on pria range of challenges — cold,” and then in a louder vate pay, because there’s just such as hiring and keepvoice, repeated 10 times, not the body of individuing qualified staff in an “Nurse, nurse.” als under that pay source,” evolving industry working For a total of seven times said Debby Ransom, the to fmeet the needs of aging the resident called, “Nurse Department of Health and baby boomers. come and help me.” Then, Welfare’s Facilities StanDespite rigid state and “Nurse, I’m still cold, help dards bureau chief. federal regulations, probme, help me,” and, “Nurse If it is serious enough, lems are bound to arise come put me in my bed.” DHW will recommend in nursing homes dealing During this time, a staff the CMS regional office with a revolving staff and member was fewer than 20 in Seattle impose a civil resident population, Ranfeet away on three instances monetary penalty, typically som said. when the resident sought ranging from $2,000 to “Sometimes the best assistance. $20,000. buildings have bad things In an April 2013 report However, analysis by happen, and it’s really deregarding Nampa’s Midland the Press-Tribune found pendent on that individual Rehabilitation and Healthall civil monetary penalfacility, that resident, what care Center, at 46 N. Midties assessed were less than happened, what’s going land Blvd., it was revealed $2,000, with the lowest on. It’s not an automatic,” the administrator directed being $1,040. Ransom said. staff members to rewrite or The price tag revolves Tamara Prisock, adomit details from reports to around the severity of the ministrator for Health and avoid getting written up by Welfare’s division of licensdeficiencies, how many the state. ing and certification, said people were affected, the In another instance at there are enough surveyor facility’s compliance histhe Midland nursing home, tory during the previous positions for the agency to a resident was left inside a handle the workload. The three years and whether van for more than an hour challenge is finding and the problems put residents because the driver forgot keeping surveyors. in immediate jeopardy, the resident was inside, acAt the beginning of the Chickering said. cording to the report. Financial penalties aren’t year, licensing and certification had seven open always the best tool for HOW INSPECTIONS positions. Four vacancies getting nursing homes fix WORK remain, yet that still means problems, Ransom said. The Idaho Department there are currently just nine The decision for selecting of Health and Welfare the best enforcement action surveyors doing inspec-
A DEATH AT HOLLY LANE Holly Lane, formerly known as Trinity Mission Health and Rehabilitation of Holly, had its share of complaints and bad inspections leading up to the July report. One complaint concerned a resident who died while on tube feeding due possibly to improper procedures, though the state did not cite the facility in its report. According to the April 2015 complaint filed with DHW, the resident entered the facility with a tube feeding pump that the nurse declined to use because staff was not trained on that particular pump. The director of nursing services later told state surveyors that the facility would have had
plenty of pumps for the resident to use. The resident’s spouse told the nurse he/she recently used the bolus or gravity method of tube feeding, in which the formula is delivered via a syringe. It is called the “gravity method” because the syringe is held up to allow the formula to flow down the tube. The next morning, the nurse learned there were still no feeding machines for the resident, and, without a physician’s oversight, approved use of the gravity method. The resident was supposed to receive liquid nutrition via tube on a continual basis. Using the gravity method, the resident received 24 hours worth of liquid nutrition within a six-hour period. The resident died
HOLLY LANE STATEMENT
Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center at 2105 12th Ave. Rd., Nampa.
Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation 210 Cleveland Blvd., Caldwell.
Sunny Ridge at 2609 Sunnybrook Dr., Nampa.
MIDLAND REHABILITATION AND HEALTHCARE CENTER LAWSUIT
A lawsuit was filed in June against Nampa’s Midland Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center alleging staff was negligent. Bonnie Beckham, a former resident at the nursing home, claimed in the lawsuit that on or about July 1, 2014, staff at the facility allowed her to fall to the floor while being assisted to use the toilet. At the time, the facility, at 46 N. Midland Blvd., was owned by Trinity Mission Health and Rehabilitation. The lawsuit claims the facility took no precautionary measures and used no safety equipment to prevent Beckham from falling. The lawsuit states the woman “suffered serious injuries from the fall.” The lawsuit claims Beckham became injured, the facility was negligent, grossly negligent and/or recklessly responsible for the events. Beckham asked for damages in excess of $10,000 and demanded a jury trial.
tions. Adequate compensation remains a challenge in keeping surveyors on staff, she said. “If we were fully staffed, we would probably have all of the resources we need to fully do this work,” Prisock said. “But the challenge is getting fully staffed, and part of that has to do with what we are able to pay surveyors.” The surveyors make a salary ranging from $52,000 to $68,000. CMS covers 83 percent of the cost of surveying facilities, while the state makes up the difference. On top of that, it can take up to nine months to properly train a surveyor. Having a background of working in a long-term care facility makes the training less demanding, but it doesn’t mean DHW won’t hire someone who doesn’t. It’s a moral mission for many in the office. One of the recent hires took a pay cut to work with licensing and certification because “she wanted to do this work,” Prisock said. Prisock has only been an administrator with the division for several years now. She gets emotional when talking about the commitment her staff has for the work they do. “I felt overnight the difference that the people in this division do. It is very critical work,” Prisock said.
“One of the reasons that I love working with them is that they are so passionate about making sure that residents are taken care of.” ADVOCACY AND CHANGE Lori Smetanka, executive director for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, an advocacy group committed to promoting policy change and quality long-term care, said the citations issued by surveyors should be intended to create meaningful change, not just generating fines. While the number of deficiencies has decreased nationwide, Smetanka says she’d like to see the level of fines change, as well as the way deficiencies are coded. For example, Smetanka said issues being coded as “not causing actual harm” should be treated more significantly. She cited a case where a nursing home resident was accidentally given a roommate’s medication and ultimately hospitalized, yet the incident wasn’t coded as “actual harm.” Outside of fines, there are other disciplinary actions that should be considered appropriate, including reprimands like bans on admission or temporary change in management, she suggested. The agencies that survey the nursing homes should also be funded adequately,
at 3 p.m. that afternoon, and the complaint notes the death certificate states the resident’s cause of death was oxygen deficiency due to respiratory arrest, due to “aspiration likely.” The nurse was no longer working at the facility when the inspection, seven months later, happened. The facility was not cited because it was in compliance with state and federal regulations by the time surveyors came around, explained DHW spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr. “We often receive complaints that are not current — they are reporting an issue that happened weeks or months earlier,” Forbing-Orr said. “If we receive a delayed
A group of residents at the Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Health Care Center say recent media reports about the quality of care have misrepresented conditions at the Nampa facility. The facility’s Resident Council issued a statement Saturday defending the staff, administrators and the care provided by at the nursing home, owned by Oriana Health Services. The facility as been the focus of recent media reports amid allegations of abuse and neglect of residents. In addition, state investigators prepared a report earlier this year that found a variety of deficiencies at the center. “The truth is we are heart sick ... that our home has been portrayed to be made out to be a dump that should be shut down by the state,” the letter states. “The allegations made have not been founded to be of what the media has made you all believe.” The Resident Council, made up of four members, also invited media to visit and tour the facility and interview residents about the quality of care. “The people who currently work here work very hard to make sure that we have and get everything that we can possibly want and we love them,” the letter states.
Smetanka said. “The agencies conducting surveys need sufficient funding and support in order to have the number of people (needed),” she said. “Too many of the licensing agencies don’t have the resources that are necessary. I think they need support from the federal agency that oversees nursing homes.” Rep. Christy Perry, RNampa, who serves sits on the legislature’s Health and Welfare Committee, said the committee discussed the needs of nursing homes during the 2016 legislative session. She hopes those conversations will continue in the future. State-paid surveyors are handling the inspections for both state and federal requirements through a contract with the federal government. Perry said if the issue is about how many inspectors there are and there is a federal government contract in place, the state should be reaching out saying they don’t have enough people. “I don’t know if they haven’t been doing that or if there just isn’t simply enough outside help to go around,” she said. She noted that other care facilities aren’t able to begin running because those facilities aren’t able to get their inspections done either. “We are really especially concerned with nursing homes,” Perry said. “They are some of our most vulnerable and frail people.” Perry said she is not aware of any pending legislation dealing with the issue, and she suggested continued dialogue with stakeholders is essential. “It has not been ignored by any means,” she said.
complaint, we often can substantiate the complaint because we can see that it happened based on a review of the records.” The state surveyors cannot legally determine someone’s cause of death; that’s the physician’s or coroner’s job, ForbingOrr said. If the family wants to pursue legal redress, it has to go through legal channels, not regulatory. A search of federal and state court records indicated no lawsuit filed against Holly Lane or its parent company that would fit the time period or situation described in the complaint. Holly Lane is owned by Orianna Health Services, formerly known as Covenant Dove. It has been open since 1998 and has 120 beds. C M Y K
ATHLETE
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The Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones are not welcome at St. Luke’s. NEWS, A3
Hannah Combs is a cross country runner at Columbia High School. Sports, B1
75 cents
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Tips in unsolved murders run dry Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of Christopher Reese’s death with no suspect ID’d
By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com
NOTUS — Nearly two years after the murder of Christopher Reese, the 25-year-old’s man killer remains wanted, despite extraordinary efforts to track down suspects. Reese was fatally shot on Dec. 17, 2014, while working at a Jacksons Food Store in Notus. Reese, a clerk at the store, died when two masked robbers entered the building with weapons, shot him, took the store’s safe and fled. Despite ongoing efforts by law enforcement, the thieves have not been identified, and the search for Reese’s killer continues. A Canyon County press release stated more than 500
SUBMITTED BY POLLY GRIGGS
Christopher Reese, seen holding his daughter Skyler, was murdered on Dec. 17, 2014 during a robbery at a Jacksons food store in Notus.
tips have been received in the case. “This is the most violent homicide that I’ve worked in all my years in law enforcement,” Sheriff Kieran Donahue stated in the release. “We have every reason to believe
it was a planned, meticulous attack, and not some random act of violence like many of the homicides we see in this area. That’s why finding these two suspects remains the number one priority for this office.” Authorities previously reported that one person, wearing a camouflage jacket and tan pants, walked into the store with a rifle. That person later left with a bag. The other masked robber reportedly wore a black, hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans with a handgun in a waist holster. That person entered the store with a hand truck and left with the store’s safe. The unopened safe was found off Purple Sage Road near where the robbers abandoned Reese’s 2007 Lincoln MKZ, stolen from the store’s parking lot.
WHAT YOU CAN DO Anyone with information on the cases is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS or submit a tip at www.343cops.com. Callers may remain anonymous and could earn a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to an arrest and charges are filed. Residents can also call the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office at 208-454-7531. In the summer of 2015, the Canyon County Sheriff ’s Office partnered with filmmaker Kody Mee to create a reenactment video. The video led to tips, but no arrests. Jacksons Food Stores is offering up to $50,000 in reward money for anyone who can help lead investigators to the killers. More REESE | A13
Santa Q&A
Kris Kringle sits down for a chat By LIS STEWART
Holly Lane nursing home found to be in violation again Facility has until Jan. 11 to fix issues or lose provider agreement with Medicaid By LIS STEWART lstewart@idahopress.com
NAMPA — Residents of an embattled Nampa nursing home were found to be in immediate jeopardy once again in a follow-up inspection in early October, according to a report posted online Monday. The facility has until Jan. 11 to fix the identified problems or be issued a monetary penalty. Holly Lane cannot admit new patients who are on Medicare or Medicaid. If the issues are not fixed, the federal government’s Medicaid program will terminate its provider agreement with Holly Lane, effectively shutting down the facility. “We presumed, based on your allegation of compliance, that your facility was in substantial compliance as of August 12, 2016,” states the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s latest report. But based on the Oct. 7 on-site visit, investigators found 16 of the 31 original problems from July’s inspection were repeated, plus five new ones. The latest inspection found instances where possible issues of abuse or neglect of patients were not investigated; food sanitation policies were not followed; a failure to provide a safe, clean, comfortable, homelike environment at the facility; failure to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect; failure to develop and implement policies to combat abuse or neglect; and other problems. More VIOLATION | A13
lstewart@idahopress.com
NAMPA — He’s jolly. He loves cookies and bringing joy to children all around the world. He’s the one-and-only, larger-thanlife Santa Claus, and we interviewed him. The jolly old elf himself was in town just before Thanksgiving for some last-minute, pre-holiday R&R at one of Nampa’s golf courses when a sharpeyed IPT reporter flagged him down on his golf cart. It’s difficult to mistake the big white beard, ruby red cheeks and little round belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, even when Santa is wearing a bright red polo. Thankfully, Claus had a few minutes before tee time to sit down for a Q-&-A and answer some of the public’s burning questions. Idaho Press-Tribune: What is your favorite cookie? Santa Claus: My favorite cookie is a chocolate chip cookie. IPT: How do you keep your figure? SC: I eat lots of cookies. Lots of sweets. Candy canes. I like sweets. That’s how I keep myself jolly and fat. IPT: How old can you be and still be on “the list?”
Deaths Walter Anderson Kimberly Armstrong
Thelda Blau Richard Bordenkircher Bridget Bradbury
Fair board makes requests on land where it hopes to relocate fair By OLIVIA WEITZ oweitz@idahopress.com
CHRIS BRONSON/IPT
Santa visits with Jeremy Jean, 7, at the Nampa Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Mural Park on Nov. 26. SC: Kids are never taken off the list. I know kids that are very old, that are still kids if they believe in Santa, Santa will always be. IPT: Are there any prominent locals who are on the naughty list? SC: Not that I know of. IPT: Have you ever had trouble getting down the chimney? Let’s talk about that. SC: Sometimes chimneys aren’t in houses, so they have to be imaginarily put in. They’re made in dreams, and you have to enter homes in such a way. You just believe they’re there, and it happens.
Ila Camp Lynn Coffey Ineta Downing Wanda Ellison
Donna Estep Steve Hall Jeanette Harr Manuel Herrera
Like a dream. IPT: How did you get this job? SC: It was handed me from the last Santa. As in the movie “The Santa Clause,” it was a gift from catching Santa, and it was passed on to me. IPT: Are you telling me the movie “The Santa Clause” is pretty accurate? SC: It is pretty accurate. IPT: Were you surprised when you saw the movie? SC: (leans forward with a twinkle in his eye) Well, how do you think it was written? IPT: In 1999, a young girl — we’ll just call her “L.” for short
Ella Holsclaw Vera Huggins Patricia Koehler Thomas Neikirk
— asked for an American Girl doll for Christmas, but she got a Barbie instead. Now, she’s not bitter or anything, but she has always wondered why she got the Barbie instead. SC: Well, she probably didn’t act accordingly and do her chores, so she actually got a doll and that wasn’t the right one. Or, she didn’t spell out in her Santa letter, and wrote it in very illegible print. I’m just saying that not everybody is going to get exactly what they ask for, unfortunately. More SANTA | A13
Bob Nichols Faye Iles Christopher Lowe
Willie Outland Donna Pierce Lonnie Roe Robert
Stevenson Mary Tracy Betty Walthall Mary Weeks
CALDWELL — The farmer leasing 80 acres the county owns on Prescott Lane and Highway 20/26 — where the Canyon County Fair Board hopes to relocate the fair — could be growing crops there next year. The status of that land has been in limbo since the fair board told commissioners they intend to apply for a special use permit to relocate the fair to that site. During a monthly fair board meeting on Monday at the Olive Garden Restaurant in Nampa, the fair board discussed whether it would ultimately request that the farmer grow crops on only a portion of that land or all of it.
More FAIR | A13
Gary Wood Obituaries, A4
SAINT ALPHONSUS – NAMPA 12TH AVENUE – PARDON OUR DUST
OPEN DURING CONSTRUCTION We want you to know we will be OPEN, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. So whether you need emergency services or access to lab and radiology, we’re here to meet your needs. Because at Saint Alphonsus the best kind of care is all about you. SERVICES AVAILABLE AT 12TH AVENUE INCLUDE:
• Emergency • Lab • Imaging • Surgery • Inpatient beds • Pharmacy • And more!
C M Y K
Tuesday, December 13, 2016 | A13
idaho press-tribune
SEVEN-DAY FORECAST TODAY
Sunrise
Sunset
8:11a
5:10p
30°
21°
WEDNESDAY
32°
30°
THURSDAY
40°
FRIDAY
24°
SATURDAY
6°
30°
20°
SUNDAY
3°
21°
MONDAY
9°
23°
14°
A thick cloud cover and chilly
Chilly with snow at times, 1-3”
Breezy with periods of rain
Mostly cloudy, snow showers; chilly
Cold with times of clouds and sun
Cold with times of clouds and sun
Partly sunny and cold
27° RF: 28°/15°
RF: 18°/16°
RF: 31°/22°
RF: 18°/-3°
RF: 15°/1°
RF: 20°/8°
RF: 30°/3°
RF: The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature® is an exclusive index of the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body. Shown are the highest/lowest values for each day.
Roland Steadham
ALMANAC
AROUND THE NATION
as of 6 p.m. yesterday
Caldwell Airport High temperature 41° Low temperature 28° Normal high 39° Normal low 22° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. trace
Do you recall the winter storm that affected the Treasure Valley and local mountains last week? If not, you’re about to be reminded about that storm this week. A nearly identical storm will move into the area Wednesday bringing snow to the valley and snow heavy at times to the mountains. Then, we’ll see a wintry mix of rain/ snow, rain or freezing rain at times on Thursday. Temperature will be in the 30s through Friday. But, we could drop into the teens later this weekend. Stay tuned.
Idaho Press-Tribune
Boise Airport High temperature 40° Low temperature 31° Normal high 38° Normal low 24° Record high 63° in 1933 Record low -9° in 1972 Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. trace Month to date 0.93” Year to date 7.62” Last year to date 10.11” Normal year to date 10.82”
WEATHER TRIVIA™
Q: What is a duster?
Last
New
Dec 13 Dec 20 Dec 28
Winnipeg 4/-8 Billings 14/-2
San Francisco 59/53
Moon Phases
The Idaho Press-Tribune and KBOI have partnered to bring more accurate weather reports to you daily. Nampa temperatures are taken from the weather station located at the Idaho PressTribune. Also visit idahopress. com for morning and late afternoon video weather reports provided by KBOI.
Seattle 39/28
High temperature 42° Low temperature 31° Normal high 39° Normal low 22° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00”
Full
REGIONAL CITIES
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WEATHER HISTORY A mass of arctic air settled into Florida on Dec. 13, 1962, setting alltime lows in Appalachicola, Lakeland and Orlando. This cold air caused Florida’s worst December freeze of the 20th century. Forecasts and graphics, with the exception of KBOI forecast, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
Minneapolis 10/1
Detroit 30/10
Chicago 19/2
Denver 40/14
Kansas City 29/15
Los Angeles 67/52
Toronto 30/13 New York 42/34
Washington 46/35
Atlanta 60/45 El Paso 70/45 Chihuahua Houston 76/41 73/55 Monterrey 83/54
T-storms -10s
Rain -0s
Showers 0s
Snow
10s
20s
Flurries 30s
Ice 40s
Miami 84/71 Cold Front
50s
60s
Warm Front 70s
NATIONAL SUMMARY
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Today Hi Lo W
Tomorrow Hi Lo W
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Albuquerque Anchorage Atlanta Austin Baltimore Billings Bismarck Boston Casper Cheyenne Chicago Cincinnati Dallas Denver Detroit Fargo Great Falls
57 14 60 72 44 14 12 41 26 34 19 40 59 40 30 9 13
59 37 16 11 57 31 64 43 42 24 15 8 4 -17 39 21 19 7 22 12 16 -3 31 8 54 38 28 12 21 6 3 -15 15 0
Helena Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Juneau Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Miami Minneapolis New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia
18 78 73 34 19 29 65 53 67 45 84 10 74 42 44 24 42
14 77 68 24 23 30 66 47 68 38 84 7 63 40 44 22 42
Another name for a brief snow A: squall that coats the ground
Violation/from A1
Fair/from A1
Some of the more serious allegations were fixed by the end of the inspection team’s visit, according to the report. Holly Lane, formerly known as Trinity Mission Health & Rehabilitation of Holly, came under fire in July when inspectors made a surprise visit and found the nursing home to be out of compliance in numerous, serious instances. Some of the more serious examples include residents left to sit in their own urine for hours and fatal mistreatment of at least one patient. The nursing home was given a plan of correction and a deadline. In a follow-up visit in August, investigators deemed residents out of immediate jeopardy. The Holly Lane administrator at the time of the July inspection, Mike Borup, left his job at the facility by mid-October. Borup was hired in April, and in an interview in October, a group of residents said Borup was instrumental in bringing about change for the better at Holly Lane during his time there. The Oct. 7 inspection report has similarities to the July report in that it has examples of severe neglect, or failed policies that could lead to or allow continued abuse or neglect. In one case, investigators found that a woman, identified as Resident 41, sustained a half-centimeter injury of torn skin on her breast whose origin was unknown. The woman was non-communicative, quadriplegic and cognitively impaired and depended on staff for all mobility and care. An analysis of the reports found that while the torn skin was noted, the cause was not determined or investigated to find if it happened because of neglect or abuse. Investigators found some recent hirees at Holly Lane were not trained in the facility’s policies regarding reporting abuse or neglect. In other examples, the investigators found care plans for three residents were not reviewed and revised to reflect the residents’ needs and status. One resident had a pressure ulcer on her heel that, while identified by medical staff July 20, did not see treatment until Aug. 15. Interviews with a handful of residents found deficiencies in sanitation. Condiment caddies were observed to be sticky, gummy and grimy. In the kitchen, proper food handling procedures were not followed to prevent cross contamination. Tables were observed to be covered with dirty, tacky and/or greasy fingerprints, and crumbs and dried food were on the tables, yet the supervising nurse said the dining room was clean and ready for residents to have breakfast. Lis Stewart is the Nampa reporter. She can be reached at 465-8193 or lstewart@idahopress. com. Follow on Twitter: @CarpetComm.
Fair Board Vice Chairman Tim Lowber said he had already asked the farmer to grow types of crops that could be harvested early next fall. Afterwards, construction of a livestock building for fair activities could begin. “(Farmer Steve Woodard) said he would do his best to do a short season on the west side,” Lowber told fair board members at the meeting.
Reese/from A1 Reese, who grew up in Tennessee, moved to Idaho in 2011 with his wife, Tiffany, to live closer to in-laws and to raise his daughter, Skyler, who was just 4 years old at the time of Reese’s death.
Santa/from A1 IPT: How do you manage to deliver all the toys in one night? That’s a big trip for one guy. SC: We have the nice Rudolf if there’s storms to help us get through them. It’s a miracle. I don’t know how I do it, but I do. I keep awake because I eat lots of cookies. I don’t know how those reindeer keep me afloat, but they do the task, and the reindeer actually have known the trip for all the Santas that have been. They are the magic of Christmas. IPT: Are you saying the reindeer are running the show? SC: I think the reindeer are running the show. The elves push us along, with the toys and everything, but the reindeer are flying around the earth and make sure we are flying in the sleigh. The reindeer know the way. IPT: Speaking of the elves, do they ever get time off? They’re obviously working very hard. SC: The night of Christmas they’re planning for next year, but I think that’s about the only
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Challis Coeur d’Alene Grangeville Idaho Falls Jerome Lewiston McCall Mtn. Home AFB Ontario Pocatello Rexburg Salmon Spokane Stanley Twin Falls
22 21 27 26 30 29 22 31 26 30 23 21 17 17 32
11 66 46 4 14 15 50 26 55 15 65 -7 44 25 23 7 26
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3 3 12 11 21 16 4 17 15 16 11 2 2 -2 19
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WORLD CITIES
110s
NATIONAL CITIES
36 12 45 43 29 -2 -6 30 -2 12 2 18 38 14 10 -5 -8
Today Tomorrow Hi Lo W Hi Lo W
Stationary Front
A surge of Gulf of Mexico moisture will cause a batch of clouds and rain showers to push northward over the Southern states today. Thunderstorms will erupt along the Gulf coast. Farther north, the air will be cold enough for spotty snow from the upper part of the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians to the eastern Great Lakes. As the coldest air of the month blasts across the central and northern Plains, bands of lake-effect snow are forecast to commence over the western part of the Great Lakes region. Lake-effect snow will expand eastward on Wednesday. Temperatures may struggle to reach zero degrees Fahrenheit over parts of the northern Plains. Snow showers are in store for the Rockies with spotty snow and rain over the Great Basin. Rain will dampen part of central California.
First
Jan 5
Montreal 32/21
City
City
Today Hi Lo W
Tomorrow Hi Lo W
Beijing London Madrid Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Sydney Toronto
41 56 50 74 14 49 58 97 30
37 54 50 74 20 48 57 96 23
City
Today Hi Lo W
Tomorrow Hi Lo W
Phoenix Portland, OR Rapid City Reno City St. Louis Sacramento San Diego Sioux Falls Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Wash., DC Wichita
74 51 41 31 22 2 52 37 Hi Lo 37 17 54 47 66 53 17 3 42 28 59 53 39 28 46 35 35 17
77 53 36 31 20 1 58 44 Hi Lo 33 15 61 52 66 54 10 -7 43 39 63 56 37 32 45 27 38 17
17 44 35 44 7 35 41 78 13
pc sh pc pc sn pc s pc sn
pc c pc rW pc c pc pc c c s pc pc
19 44 36 48 8 35 42 66 9
s pc s pc sn s pc pc sf
pc sn pc rW s c pc s sn r pc pc pc
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice
The parcel of land Lowber is referring to is located on the west side of Prescott Lane. That’s the same location as a proposed livestock building the fair hopes to construct, the first step in the eventual construction of an $40-million Agriplex facility to relocate the fair. The plans for the livestock building were outlined by the fair board to residents at an October neighborhood meeting onsite. The land is owned by the
county. Fair Board member Curt Krantz told members on Monday that the farmer could be wrapped up with harvest by August. The supplies for a livestock building have been donated to the fair. This time frame could put off the board’s plans to hold the fair there next summer, with temporary tents. According to Rosalie Cope, director of the fair, the term of the lease with the farmer is annual. A farmer
has been renting the Prescott property since the county purchased it 2010, Cope said. Before any buildings on that property could be constructed, the Fair Board needs approval from the Canyon County Board of Commissioners to apply for a special use permit for fair facilities. So far, the Fair Board hasn’t presented information about the neighborhood meeting in a formal request to commissioners.
The couple lived in Parma, and Reese worked odd jobs until Tiffany, who worked at the Jackson’s store in Parma, told Christopher Reese about a job opening in Notus. “He’d do whatever it took to bring home money to help with the baby,” Reese’s
mother, Polly Griggs told the Idaho Press-Tribune earlier this year. “(Tiffany) worked days, and he worked nights. He was like a Mr. Mom. Wherever he went, he had Skyler with him.” Griggs said Reese lost his own father when he was a boy and went through a
rough patch in his life before becoming a family man. She said he grew up to be a good father and husband when he moved to Idaho. The Canyon County Sheriff ’s Office will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to offer any other updates on the case.
night they get off, Christmas Eve. IPT: Do the elves want time off? SC: No. They’re made for Christmas. They apply for jobs, and if they’re not willing to put out the effort, then they’re not going to be Christmas elves. IPT: Have you seen the movie “Elf?” Is Buddy real? SC: Buddy actually exists. He’s at the North Pole now. He’s one of the big helpers. He carries the heavy things. Buddy is probably my favorite elf. IPT: Do the other elves know this? Is there any discord? SC: No, because he is unique. They all love him. He gives them piggy back rides and makes them very happy. Nice to have a big guy around. IPT: Have you ever thought of retiring? SC: Never. Too many kids have plenty of dreams and wants and likes. It’s a very neat thing to do. IPT: If you weren’t doing this job, what would you be doing? SC: During the summer I escape down south and play golf. So that’s my passion, I love golf. Sometimes you’ll see me
on commercials playing golf. I have memberships at plenty of resorts and stuff. They like to see “the old fat guy” come in. (throws back his head and laughs jollily) IPT: Do you ever engage in Black Friday shopping? SC: I don’t have time. I think that’s up to the girls. Mrs. Claus loves the Black Friday shopping, very much so. IPT: What is Mrs. Claus’ job up at the North Pole? SC: Mrs. Claus’ job is to keep me fat and happy. IPT: So does that include lots of cookies? SC: Lots and lots of cookies. IPT: Does she escape with you down to the golf courses? SC: She actually keeps me on task. Makes me do all the work around the house, making sure everything’s trimmed up, and we have projects. We’ve got to keep it warm there in the North Pole, so we have to cut down some trees for firewood. I get Buddy out there helping me. IPT: What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?
SC: My M1 Driver. I got it in the mail from TaylorMade. IPT: Do the TaylorMade people know you’re Santa? SC: Yes. They believe it’s going to make me better, so they gave me an M1 Driver. IPT: Is there any way to get on the good list? If someone were to, say, send you a special golf club or something, do you think they could get higher up on the good list? SC: The way to get on the good list is to listen to your parents, act good. Get good grades and keep doing your chores. IPT: What do you want for Christmas, and what can we all do to help you this year? SC: I would like everybody to have a merry Christmas. That is the main thing of Christmas for me, for everybody to have a merry Christmas. For everyone to be happy on Christmas morning, to see the kids smiling. Hopefully they get what they wanted. IPT: What’s the best part about your job? SC: The best part is the smiles you get from all the kids. C M Y K