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SPURS BEAT GRIZZLIES

SWIFT TOP AT BILLBOARD

Randolph struggles, Memphis routed in Game 1 SPORTS, B1

Artist wins eight trophies, Bieber nabs three at awards show NEWS, A5

Monday, May 20, 2013

Sen. Crapo’s campaign plagued by loose controls $250,000 lost after invested in fraudulent Las Vegas company By JOHN MILLER The Associated Press

BOISE — As William Corbett was preparing a final federal elections disclosure for his boss, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, in October Crapo 2008, he said there was Mike U.S. senator something important he wasn’t told. Crapo’s then-campaign manager, Jake Ball, shifted $250,000 from a campaign account to another account at now-defunct Washington Mutual that was controlled by Ball’s friend, a Boise real-estate investor, for a loan. Corbett, who was leaving as Crapo’s volunteer treasurer at the time, said Ball kept him totally in the dark.

THAT SINKING FEELING

hat are the chances a roadway sinkhole gobbles up you and your vehicle? Very slim, according to highway transportation officials. But sinkholes do cause road damage beginning this time of year and they can be dangerous. The spring, when agricultural irrigation has started and gophers are more active, often brings more road sinkhole potential. Last summer a Melba woman died when her car hit a sinkhole on Butte Road. Earlier this month workers for the Idaho Transportation Depart-

ment fixed a sinkhole east of Marsing on State Highway 78. No one was injured. Last week Nampa Highway District workers repaired a portion of Can-Ada Road where gophers had dug underneath the pavement and water from irrigation flowed through the holes. The incident created potential for a road sinkhole cave in. All three of the above circumstances were caused by gopher holes. Other circumstances can also cause sinkholes. In each case, road and highway agencies could use residents’ help in identifying potential or actual sinkholes, even though there is little in the way of warning in most cases.

What causes a road sinkhole? “Soft spots” in a road usually are the result of uncontrolled water moving below the surface, ITD Maintenance Coordinator Dan Bryant said. A broken pipe, worn-out culvert, a spring or subsurface flows from heavy precipitation or fast-melting ice and snow are common culprits. So are water flows through gopher tunnels.

Please see Crapo, A4

How does a sinkhole occur?

KID YOU SHOULD KNOW

The water moves below the highway or other surface, and as it flows, it carries away the fine sand and silt, which leaves spaces between the larger materials. If the flow is heavy enough, the larger materials move too. As the materials move out, they leave a void at the depth of the flow. The “roof” of the void will gradually work its way higher, as material from the top falls into the flow and is washed away. When the roof moves high enough, the surface is unsupported and caves in, especially if a heavy weight travels across it, which is why cars and trucks accelerate the cave-in.

Skyview senior a known leader Alexa Aguilar will attend the University of Idaho this fall By NICK GROFF

ngroff@idahopress.com

There is at least one thing that is pretty obvious about Alexa Aguilar: She’s a leader. The Skyview High School senior was even recognized by the Nampa Chamber of Commerce for her efforts. She was honored with the Future Leader of Excellence Award last Tuesday. Aguilar is a co-captain of her dance team — it took the state crown this year — and vice president of the school’s chapter of National Honor Society. She has also volunteered with Saint Alphonsus, the Salvation Army and the Rotary Club, among other organizations, all four years of high school. The senior boasts a 4.03 GPA and has taken more than 10 advanced placement or concurrent college credit classes. She will attend the University of Idaho in the fall. She plans to study computer science and would like to work for a major tech company like Google or Apple, or an independent company incorporating green energy into society.

What do agencies do to prevent sinkholes? Other than regular road maintenance, transportation workers stay on the lookout for soft spots and running water that could cause sinkholes. “We know what to look for and treat it quickly,” Bryant said.

How common are sinkholes? Fortunately road sinkholes are not very common locally. Nampa Highway District crews take action like the work on Can-Ada Road about once a year, District Engineer Eric Shannon said. And there is no way of knowing if that situation would have ultimately caused a sinkhole.

Can a vehicle cause a sinkhole cave in by driving over the road? Yes, according to Bryant. “About 20 years ago I saw a car fall into a sinkhole at Cole Road and Ustick,” Bryant said. “There was no warning sign at all until the car’s front wheels dropped through the pavement.”

Please see Kid, A3

How can you identify and report sinkholes or potential sinkholes? Sometimes road indentations can be the asphalt trying to act like a bridge over the sinkhole for a short time. Other times there’s suddenly a pothole in the road, and when you look into it you can’t see the bottom.

Please see Sinkholes, A3

IPT file photo

Page design and illustration by Randy Lavorante/IPT

Alexa Aguilar was presented with the Future Leader of Excellence Award at the Nampa Chamber’s Evening of Excellence May 14.  Deaths Bobby Gunn Lewis Simons

 Obituaries, A5

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Arts & Entertainment

ALICE IN CHAINS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

Time for an Rockstar music festival invades Idaho Center amphitheater Thursday By DAN LEA

Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival

ae@idahopress.com

NAMPA — Rock icons Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction headline the fourth annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival that invades the Idaho Center amphitheater Thursday. The day-long hard rock music extravaganza boasts a stellar lineup of multiplatinum superstars and breaking talent. Seminal alternative rock bands Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive will join Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction on the Rockstar Energy Main Stage. The Zippo Encore Festival Stage will host performances from Walking Papers (with Duff McKagan), Middle Class Rut, Sick Puppies and Danko Jones. The COLDCOCK Herbal Whiskey Showcase Stage will feature performances from breaking talent including The Dead

WHEN: 12:55 p.m. Thursday WHERE: Idaho Center amphitheater, 16200 Idaho Center Blvd., Nampa TICKETS: $45/advance, $49.50/day of show, at the Idaho Center box office, TCBY locations, 442-3232 or ictickets.com MORE: Exclusive interview with Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney at bit.ly/XVL0FB; UPROAR video clips at bit.ly/UPROARTV Daisies, Beware of Darkness and Charming Liars, as well as the 2012 Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands winner Chuck Shaffer Picture Show and this year’s local winner.

Please see UPROAR, C3

On the town TONIGHT: Picnic at the Pops ‘Americana’ concert tonight EAGLE — Last weekend’s “Space” concert sold out as more than 1,800 patrons flocked to the picturesque outdoor amphitheater at Woodriver Cellars, two miles north of State Street/Highway 44 on Highway 16, to listen to the Boise Philharmonic’s second Picnic at the Pops performance of the month. Tonight, Maestro Robert Franz and the orchestra join forces with the 100-voice Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale for “Americana,” featuring the “1812 Overture,” “Lincoln Portrait” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The concert will also unveil the world premiere of “Sacred Land,” by Idaho composer Jim Cockey with choreography danced by Ballet Idaho. The music was commissioned to celebrate the Boise sesquicentennial. Patrons can bring a picnic dinner or purchase food and libations from Wood River Cellars. Tickets to the 8 p.m. performance range from $20 to $175 with children as low as $5, available at 344-7849 or boisephilharmonic.org. Please see On the town, C3

OUTLAW FIELD FINALE

OneRepublic, Sara Bareilles co-headline Botanical Garden’s last summer concert with special guest Serena Ryder By DAN LEA

ae@idahopress.com

CHECK IT OUT

©2013 Idaho Press-Tribune WHAT: OneRepublic and Sara BOISE — All good things Bareilles with Serena Ryder at the must come to an end. The Outlaw Field Summer Concert Series 2013 Outlaw Field Summer WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday Concert Series at the Idaho WHERE: Idaho Botanical Garden Botanical Garden caps off TICKETS: $40, at the Botanical another blockbuster season Garden box office, (866) 468-7624, Sunday with co-headliners ticketweb.com or knittingfactory.com OneRepublic and singersongwriter Sara Bareilles. They’ll be joined by Juno Award-winning artist Serena Ryder. OneRepublic is touring in support of their third studio album, “Native,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart when it dropped in March. Praise has poured in for the album and the hit single “Counting Stars.”

Please see Outlaw, C2

C M Y K

PAIN, SET, NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCH Louisville plays Michigan in the men’s final tonight, while Cardinals women’s team advances to title game SPORTS, B1

Djokovic clinches quarterfinal but injures ankle SPORTS, B1

Monday, April 8, 2013

Odd couple lawmakers team up on ed bills

‘BUSY’ FIRE SEASON AHEAD

 Read the story on A3

Republican Thayn, Democrat Durst on faster path for high school students to college By HANNAH FURFARO The Associated Press

BOISE — When the Senate Education Committee convened in a basement wing of the Capitol during the 2013 Legislature, Sen. Steven Thayn and Sen. Branden Durst took their seats at opposite ends of the panel’s long, mahogany-stained table, separated as much physically as they may seem politically and personally. Thayn is a demure, conservative 59-year-old former Spanish teacher from the town of Emmett, with eight children and 18 years under his belt as a dairy farmer. Durst is a 33-year-old Democrat from Boise’s southeast side, notably outspoken and a partner at a marketing and political research firm during the legislative offseason.

Please see Lawmakers, A4

Melba High senior will present in front of U.S. Congress Samantha Rodriguez passionate about DREAM Act immigration reform By NICK GROFF

ngroff@idahopress.com

Samantha Rodriguez is about to experience a few “firsts.” Tuesday will mark the first time she’ll ride in an airplane. It will also be the first time she travels out of Idaho. And this spring, she will be the first of her family to graduate high school.

Please see Kid, A4

Photo illustration by Randy Lavorante and Aaric Bryan/IPT

Samantha Rodriguez  Deaths Thelma Jordan Bob Brooks

David Taylor  Obituaries, A5

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STATE/LOcal news

Idaho Press-Tribune • Monday, April 8, 2013

A COMMUNITY UNITED

Simply Cats finds good homes for local felines By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF

SIMPLY CATS ADOPTION CENTER

newsroom@idahopress.com

BOISE — Simply Cats’ mission is to care for, protect and find quality homes for the cats entrusted to their organization. The group’s purpose is also to reduce cat overpopulation through spaying and neutering and provide educational comSubmitted photo munity outreach programs promoting the humane Simply Cats Adoption Center shelters more than 100 cats and kittens at treatment of all animals. any one time. It operates with the hard work of a small staff and over 100 IPT: What does Simply Cats do? Simply Cats Adoption Center: We are a no-kill organization, we are unique in many ways. Our adoption center is cage-less, therefore, the cats do not have to spend their “residency” here in cages. We utilize the ASPCA’s research based Meet Your Match™ program, where a cat’s “Felineality™” is matched with its potential adopter’s lifestyle. This process leads to more successful adoptions. We are the only adoption center in Idaho utilizing this program

E. Idaho police tracking leads in triple slaying

BOISE (AP) — Names found in records associated with a dogfighting ring and marijuana growing operation at an eastern Idaho residence where two men and a woman were shot and killed are providing leads, an eastern Idaho sheriff says. “We believe that they knew who the killer was,” said Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Semrad on Sunday. “There’s no evidence there was a robbery.” The bodies of 61-yearold Brent L. Christensen, 32-year-old Trent Jon Christensen and 27-yearold Yavette Chivon Carter were discovered Friday outside Holbrook, a town of about 400 people just north of the Idaho-Utah state line. Brent Christensen is Trent Christensen’s father, and Carter is Trent Christensen’s girlfriend. The sheriff said the couple had a 2-year-old and an infant, who were found unharmed, the infant under the arm of Carter. The children have been turned over to one of the grandmothers.

Beekeepers across state deal with bee deaths

BOISE (AP) — Higher rental fee prices for honey bee hives are helping to offset an accelerated loss of bees due to a variety of ailments, a commercial beekeeper in southwest Idaho says. Nick Noyes of The Honey Store in Fruitland tells the Idaho Business Review that crop growers are trying to help by creating conditions more conducive to bee survival. “We had some pretty good years in the last couple of years, so it’s difficult to preach too much doom and gloom,” said Noyes. Bee experts say a mysterious affliction called colony collapse disorder has been killing bees across the nation. The United States Department of Agriculture said average losses of 33 percent of managed bees occurred every winter through 2011. However, that fell to 22 percent in 2012. “We raise more bees to keep the same amount,” said Scott Hamilton, a commercial beekeeper with S&W Honey in Nampa. Walter Sheppard, Washington State University Department of Entomology chairman, said that on average about one in four bees dies before its time in each colony. He said in some years, as much as half a hive will be destroyed by a combination of varroa mites, poor nutrition and the effects of certain pesticides. C M Y K

dedicated volunteers.

for cats. We maintain strict veterinary procedures and standards, thus maintaining healthier cats and kittens. Our adoption fees include spay or neuter (all cats are altered prior to adoption), veterinary exam, vaccinations, deworming and microchip. IPT: What is the history of Simply Cats? Simply Cats: Simply Cats got its start (with just six cats!) as Just Strays Animal Foundation, Inc. in a one room office in the late 1980s.

Thanks to a very dedicated group of people, the shelter grew and moved into a larger building. By 2005, the name of the shelter was changed to Simply Cats Adoption Center to reflect its feline-only animal population. Simply Cats operated in this space for four years while plans were underway to construct a brand new adoption center. Thanks to generous founders, by 2007 our new state of the art facility was constructed, donated and has been our home ever since.

2833 S. Victory View Way, Boise n Adoption Center hours: Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. n info@simplycats.org n simplycats.org n 343-7177 n

Our current facility houses 10 cage-less adoption rooms with an indooroutdoor (contained) concept. At any one time, each adoption room generally houses 8-10 cats. In addition, we have three smaller indoor only adoption rooms that we utilize as necessary. The building also houses designated quarantine, isolation, and holding and exam room areas. These designated ward rooms are utilized for sick cats and cats awaiting veterinary approval to be put out for adoption. IPT: How does Simply Cats raise money? Simply Cats: Our organi-

zation has two main fundraisers annually: The direct mail “No Show Ball” and our casino-style gaming event, “Catsino”, where we hold a raffle and silent/live auction each year. We also offer many opportunities for members of the public to sponsor cats, which allows them to provide for the care of that sponsored animal. We accept monetary and inkind donations throughout the year. And we also receive several small private grants that assist with our funding. Simply Cats Adoption Center is a not-for-profit organization that relies entirely on donations for funding. We do not receive any government funds. IPT: How do you spend your funds? Simply Cats: In 2012, Simply Cats spent over $113,000 on cat care expenditures that included veterinary care, food and supplies and medical supplies. Our average cost for cat care was $91 per cat per month, with an average of 104 cats per month in residence. With these funds, we were able

to save a record number of cats and kittens, taking in 502 and adopting out 474. This reflected a 35 percent increase in adoptions over 2011. Because we do not euthanize for space, we treat many more illnesses than most other feline rescue organizations. This also increases our costs. IPT: What can local residents do to help Simply Cats? Simply Cats: In addition to monetary donations, there are many ways in which the public can help, such as donating in-kind items from our “wish list” – this usually includes cat beds, toys and other useful items for our facility (the list can be found on our website); volunteer – we rely on volunteers to maintain the function of our organization and facility; or foster a cat or kittens. Each year we are looking for special people that can assist us with fostering a litter of young kittens, a pregnant momma or a cat that may need additional socialization.

Experts: 2013 will be ‘typical’ fire season Officials don’t expect as many wildfires this year, but dry grass can still create high risks

Fire crews battled blazes that scorched more than 1.4 million acres of Idaho land last year. While this summer is not expected to see the fire activity of last year, according to experts, a dry July and August could still keep crews busy.

By NICK GROFF ngroff@idahopress.com

xperts predict the looming wildfire season will be “busy” — as is usual for southwestern Idaho — but it likely won’t hit “benchmark” status like 2012. Shelby Law, predictive services meteorologist with the Bureau of Land Management, said it is difficult to closely predict the coming month’s fire season, but a few clues add accuracy to the predictions. “We’re below normal on precipitation, therefore snow pack is not very good either,” Law said. “The weather forecast is going to keep us near normal as far as temperature and precipitation goes, which is good. There isn’t a really dry or warm period coming up this spring.” More than 1.4 million acres of Idaho land burned in 2012, costing more than $150 million. The “benchmark” season, Law said, is a result of a “bumper crop” of grass, or fuel, carried over from 2011. That crop only carries over about one year — it should not add to this year’s fuel level. However, as July and August nears, longterm dryness in Idaho mountains could pose a problem, she said. “I doubt it will be a repeat of last year. It will be a busy season, but that’s typical,” Law said. “It’s pretty early to do any major predictions, but I’d be very surprised if we had a year like last year.” Fire Mitigation Specialist with the BLM Boise District, Nick Yturri, said the area has already seen a number of small fires, and one in March south of Boise that burned about 750 acres. He said a lack of spring precipitation has slowed “fuel loading,” or grasses drying out and greening up. If precipitation levels do not pick up, and temperatures continue to rise, grasses will cure out — turn green, die, then dry — earlier, he said. At that point, grasses are prime fuel for range fires. The BLM prioritizes life, property and natural resources, in that order, Yturri said. One concern for any fire in the area is Sage Grouse habitats and grazing allotments. “We try to suppress every fire that comes our way,” Yturri said. “It’s a no-win situation if you just let (fires) go, even if it’s in the middle of nowhere, we try to put them out.” Yturri said the BLM works with more than 50 rural and volunteer fire departments in Idaho, cooperates with county and city departments, the Idaho Department of Lands and the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth national forests.

Kari Greer/US Forest Service file photos

PREVENTING HUMAN-CAUSED FIRES

2012 FIRE SEASON BY THE NUMBERS

Take personal responsibility around homes. Clean up dry vegetation and hazardous fuels. n Use only marked trails when using ATVs. n Take caution when shooting target practice. Sparks can be emitted. n Extinguish campfires cold to the touch. n Secure trailers. Road-side starts can come from dragging metal on roads. If conditions are right, Nick Yturri with the BLM Boise District said, an acre of range land can be up in flames in a matter of seconds or minutes.

113: “Large” fires in Idaho 61: Caused by lightning or natural causes 49: Caused by humans 3: Undetermined cause 1,483,440: Acres burned approximately $150,445,825: Approximate cost of season May 21: First fire. Human caused, 121 acres, $10,000 Oct. 14: Last fire. Human caused, 137 acres, $56,000. 3 acres: Smallest fires, White and Bear fires

started by lightning. $1,000 a piece. Aug. 8. 327,984 acres: Largest fires. Mustang Complex fire started by lightning. $38,323,413. July 30.

SOURCE: Predictive Services at Eastern Great Basin Coordination Center

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