Free Lunch? by MagicvalleyTN

Saturday

• July 18, 2015

www.magicvalley.com •

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Boise State’s Thompson Preseason Nominee for Player of the Year Award • B1

ISP Probe Finds Deputy at Fault in 110 MPH Crash BENTON SMITH bsmith@magicvalley.com‌

‌ WIN FALLS • A Twin Falls T County sheriff’s deputy has left the department after a state investigation found he was driving 110 mph in the moments before a December crash that injured him and led to a multi-day search for his police dog.‌ Stanton Jay Wiggins, 35, was cited for careless driving May 6. He has since left the sheriff’s office. The crash happened shortly before 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Pole Line Road and 2700 E. when Wiggins’ Chevy Tahoe was struck by a Ford Taurus driven by Michael Pulizzi, 30. Initial reports said Wiggins was responding to a possible suicide at the Perrine Bridge while driving on Pole Line, when the Taurus ran a stop sign at 2700 East and hit the left, rear part of the Tahoe. But an investigation by Idaho State Police concluded the crash was caused by Wiggins, who was driving 110 mph at impact, without his emergency lights activated. The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office declined to say whether Wiggins was fired or resigned, citing personnel policies. Wiggins told the Times-News on Friday the report is not complete and leaves out evidence. “There is another independent witness that the state police chose not to use,” he said. Wiggins said he wanted to speak with his attorney before commenting further. “Believe me, I would love right now to sit down with you and we could have coffee for a couple hours talking about everything that is going on,” he said. “I can tell you this: This is going to get very interesting.” Pulizzi told police he looked down Pole Line Road both ways before proceeding, the crash report said. The report said because of the distance of the Tahoe and a slight curve in the road before the intersection, Pulizzi might not have been able to see Wiggins’ headlights. Pulizzi was not cited. The investigation determined Pulizzi was driving at least 17 mph at the time of the crash, but couldn’t determine whether he came to a complete stop before entering the intersection.

STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION‌

FREE LUNCH?

Counties Spend Thousands to Dine, Drive on Taxpayer Dime LAURIE WELCH lwelch@magicvalley.com‌

‌ URLEY • Cassia County ComB missioners spend more money than any other county in the region on travel and meals at restaurants.‌ From October 2014 through March 31, the Cassia County Commissioners spent $8,298 for food at restaurants, mileage, and on meetings, conferences and other expenditures, all paid

for out of the commissioners’ taxpayer-funded budget. That’s well beyond what commissioners in Twin Falls, Jerome, and Minidoka counties spent in the same time frame, and about $3,000 more than the next highest-spending county, Jerome. Unlike commissioners in Cassia County, the commissioners in the other counties did not submit any receipts for meals except when traveling outside their counties.

Oakley Pioneer Days festivities will include a chuckwagon breakfast at 7 a.m., fun-a-rama at 10 a.m., parade at 5 p.m. and rodeo at 8 p.m. followed by fireworks. THE FORECAST

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80° 56°

Thunderstorms. Details on page B4.

THE INDEX Markets A2 Opinion A6 Obituaries A4 Comics B7 Sudoku C10 Dear Abby C8

Crossword C9 Bridge C11 Jumble C12

spend from county to county — and the rules for what commissioners are allowed to bill taxpayers. Raul Soto said he once went to dine at Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant in Burley and the Cassia commissioners were there eating. At the time he wondered who was picking up the tab. “They need to curb that kind of spending,” Soto said. “They Please see LUNCH, A5

County Commissioners Salaries and Spending Cassia County

Jerome County

Blaine County

Minidoka County

Twin Falls County

$23,357

$27,600 – $30,324

$71,000

$19,669

$74,000

Part time salary, plus benefits

Full time salary, plus benefits

Full time salary, plus benefits*

$8,298

$5,363

$2,566

$978

$101

Spending on travel line items and meals

Please see CRASH, A5

IF YOU DO ONE THING TODAY …

The spending has alarmed Cassia County residents. “They can knock it off. It’s not honest. It’s deceitful,” said Helen Bradley of Burley. “Most of us pay for things like that out of our own pockets.” The Times-News examined public spending records from Cassia County and requested records from other counties in the Magic Valley for comparison. The results show a wide variation in the amounts commissioners

* TWIN FALLS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ALSO HAVE A CAR AT THEIR DISPOSAL. TRAVEL AND SPENDING FOR OCT. 2014 – MARCH 31.

Twin Falls Driving Labor Boom as More Seek Work TETONA DUNLAP tdunlap@magicvalley.com‌

‌ WIN FALLS • T About 3,000 more job-seekers have entered the Magic Valley labor force over the past year, drawn by new job opportunities and the chance for higher wages. ‌ “With the new retail, new restaurants, new schools, plants and residences throughout Twin Falls, that all contributes to added construction employment and services that follow construction,” said Jan Roeser, a regional economist for

DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS

Bed Bath and Beyond is now open at Canyon West in Twin Falls. the Idaho Department of Labor. “The confidence factor is rising and job

seekers are more optimistic they will get a job. Not only that but with

the job market tightening, there is renewed hope of higher wages.” The influx is likely a combination of formerly discouraged workers coming back into the work force and an inmigration of workingage population adding to the civilian labor force. Though the summer does yield graduates from both post-secondary and high schools looking for work, those numbers are seasonally adjusted to compensate for that movement, Roeser said. The Labor Department

released figures Friday that show the Magic Valley unemployment rate at 3.6 percent, compared to 4.3 percent this time last year. The state unemployment rate rose slightly in June for a second consecutive month, to 4 percent from 3.9 percent in May. Idaho’s total labor force now stands at 797,900, with the most recent increase pushing the state’s labor force participation rate – the percentage of the population 16 years and older with Please see LABOR, A5

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Saturday, July 18, 2015 • A5

Man Sentenced CSI Names ‘Instructors of the Year’ to 15 years in Federal Prison TIMES-NEWS ‌OAKLEY • A man who used a hidden camera try to produce sexually explicit videos of children was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Friday.‌ Ray Carl Short, 67, pleaded guilty on Janua ry 15 to a t te m p te d sexual exploitation of a minor. An undercover special agent with Homeland Security Investigations downloaded 26 sexually exploitative images and videos of minors from Short’s possessions in January 2014. In July police seized a laptop computer from Short’s house as well as a security camera and other related items, Short’s plea agreement said. “Tragically, each time sexually explicit photos and videos of minors are downloaded, the young people shown are victimized again,” said Bradford Bench, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement. A forensic analysis of the items seized found over 2,900 images of suspected child porn o g ra p h y a n d 14 4 video files. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified victims in 345 of the photos and 16 of the videos. Police said they found

Labor

Continued from A1

jobs or looking for work – up to 64.1 percent. In the Magic Valley, the city of Twin Falls is seeing the biggest job gains. “ T w i n Fa l l s, i t i s clearly the driver behind the region, contributing over 50 percent to the increases in both civilian labor force and employment,” Roeser said. “It’s civilian labor force percentage jump is 4.7 percent or 1,771 job seekers and workers. The employed is up 5.3 percent or 1,945 workers.” Seve ra l m o re n ew Twin Falls businesses are slated to open soon. Stores at Canyon Park West include Petco, Ross Dress for Less, Mattress Firm, Men’s Wearhouse and makeup store Ulta. Dick’s Sporting Goods opened March 27 and Bed Bath & Beyond — which sells domestic merchandise and home furnishings for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and dining rooms — opened June 23. A 2 0,0 0 0 - sq u a re feet Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice will open in October in Twin Falls. Cash&Carry is a wholesale food distributor and food service warehouse. Economic expansion and the resulting demand for employees caused an additional 2,300 people to re-enter the state’s labor force and look for work last month, making June the sixth consecutive month of growth, the Labor Department said. Year-over-year, nonfarm job gains resulted in a 3.5 percent growth

additional images and videos in sub-folders on the hard drive of S h o r t’s Ray Carl computer. Short On the day the warrant was served, Short admitted to having downloaded child pornography. He also admitted he hid the camera in different locations to record his victims taking part in sexual acts. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Short to forfeit the camera and computer equipment used to commit the offense. “ T h i s s e n te n c i n g clearly demonstrates the consequences facing those who are attempting to produce sexually explicit images and videos of minor children,” Bench said. The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations with the help of the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office and the Cassia County Prosecutor’s Office. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

rate, adding an additional 23,000 jobs to the state’s economy since June 2014, according to the Labor Department. Nearly all of Idaho’s industries are experiencing annual job gains, with the largest increases in construction, education and health, trade, transportation and utilities and services. The Conference Board, a Washington, D.C., think-tank, estimates just more than one unemployed worker for every Idaho job opening. Nationally, unemployment dropped from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent, making June the second time this year that Idaho and the national rate moved in opposite directions. The unemployment rate is an estimate based on several factors including the current population survey, unemployment insurance claims and a sampling of the business payrolls. Unemployment insurance payments and the number of people collecting benefits also continued to decline. Annually, benefit payments were down 15 percent — from $1.81 million a year ago to $1.54 million for June of this year. The number of claimants dropped by just more than 20 percent from a weekly average of 6,900 a year ago to 5,500 for June of this year. Twenty-three counties were at or below the statewide unemployment rate. Adams County was the highest, climbing to 7.6 percent, and Teton County had the lowest rate at 3.1 percent.

“Twin Falls, it is clearly the driver behind the region, contributing over 50 percent to the increases in both civilian labor force and employment. It’s civilian labor force percentage jump is 4.7 percent or 1,771 job seekers and workers. The employed is up 5.3 percent or 1,945 workers.” Jan Roeser, a regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor

TIMES-NEWS ‌TWIN FALLS • The College of Southern Idaho has named two “Instructors of the Year.”‌ Baking and pastry arts instructor Pandora Handley received the 2015 Professional Technical Faculty Excellence Award. Anthropology professor Jim Woods received the 2015

Lunch Continued from A1

get paid pretty good money for being commissioners. It doesn’t seem fair.” T h e co m m i ss i o n e rs could eat a meal at home before going to the meeting, he suggested. In May, the commissioners admitted to twice violating open meeting laws and have since cut back going out to eat to avoid any appearance of impropriety, said Bob Kunau, a Cassia County commissioner. But most comm i ss i o n e rs justified the meal spendKunau ing, saying it was simply part of doing county business. Cassia commissioners spent $2,498 while visiting restaurants 15 times during the five-month period. “The only time the county paid a restaurant charge was when it was on the (meeting) agenda,” said Dennis Crane, chairman of the Cassia County Commissioners. Ye t a T i m e s - News analysis of the charges and the agendas for those days reveals a discrepancy. Under the Idaho Open Meeting Law, agenda items must include a time and place and listing of the business to be discussed, which was not included on the agendas. Cassia commissioners spent a significant amount of taxpayer money — $2,822 — attending meetings other than their own and for expenses related to conferences. They were also reimbursed $2,318 for mileage. C a s sia County Commissioner Paul Christensen said he does not think the comm i s s i o n - Christensen ers need to curb spending. “I think we’re pretty straight-forward with our expenses,” Christensen said. According to the records, Christensen had the most conservative spending. In Twin Falls County, the county’s full-time commissioners spent only $101 on travel and other expenses. George Urie, chairman of the Twin Falls County Commissioners said, they have a county-owned car

Academic Faculty Excellence Award. Awards were given out during CSI’s commencement ceremony in May, according to a Friday announcement. Students who nominated Handley say she has helped them accomplish more than they thought they could do, and she typically goes above

and beyond her duties as an instructor. Handley has taught part and full-time at CSI for eight years. Woods is revered by students and fellow faculty members for his 40 years of teaching, CSI officials wrote in an announcement. H e ’s p a s s i o n a t e about teaching, and has

“They can knock it off. It’s not honest. It’s deceitful. Most of us pay for things like that out of our own pockets.” Helen Bradley, Burley resident.

“They need to curb that kind of spending. They get paid pretty good money for being commissioners. It doesn’t seem fair.” Raul Soto

that they use for travel, which cuts down on the board’s travel expenses. Urie said the only time Twin Falls Commissioners have a lunch meeting is when district meetings are held. “I can’t think of another time when we did that,” he said. “If we did, it was very seldom.” Minidoka County Commissioners spent $978, which included mileage, and other costs for conferences and meetings. The Jerome County Commissioners spent $5,363, Blaine County Commissioners, $2,566 and Lincoln County Commissioners, $3,139. Kunau, the Cassia board member, said some of its lunch meetings were held to reward volunteer groups that had performed a service. Other meetings where taxpayers paid for food were held after meetings with department heads or with the fair board. The commissioners also provided lunch several times for the Cassia County Gateway West Taskforce, although most of those lunches were held at the courthouse and not at restaurants. The commissioners also spent $827 on meat for the county picnic. “There were other times that we ate and we would pay those bills ourselves,” Crane said. Crane said the commissioners could contemplate a spending limit for mileage or place restrictions on spending, but he doesn’t think it is necessary. “We could think about it,” Crane said, “but the only time we turn in mileage is for meetings outside of our regular meetings.” Some of the items submitted for reimbursement included several trips to Malta, which sometimes included lunch. Cassia County Clerk Joe

Larsen said the commissioners had to travel to the southeast end of the county several times during that period as they attempted to purchase a bulk fuel tank that will save the county money and to tour flood damage that washed out culverts and roads. Idaho law allows county commissioners wide discretion to determine what and how much they can bill taxpayers for their own expenses, and rules vary from county to county. In Cassia County, the commissioners’ budget is prepared by the administrative office in conjunction with the commissioners. “I’m just the guy that does the paperwork,” said Kerry McMurray, Cassia County administrator. “The commissioners make the decisions.” McMurray can’t tell the commissioners — or any other elected official what to do. McMurray said they look at the historical spending trends when setting the budget to figure mileage and per diem spending. “Based on what I know about those meetings and the conferences they attend, they affect county business,” McMurray said. They also look to see what other issues are on the horizon may require funding, like the Cassia County Gateway West Task Force and the Law Enforcement Citizens Committee. During the five month period examined for this story, the county spent $408 on lunches for the unpaid volunteers who worked on the city-county law enforcement report. But ultimately, the commissioners approve their own spending, including the $14,000 a year travel budget, which is where most of this spending was logged as line items. Some appearances of

researched many facets of anthropology and archaeology in his extensive study and travels. Woods has coauthored several books with other renowned scientists. They both received a $1,000 check from the CSI Foundation and the opportunity for professional enrichment of their choice.

impropriety, including a receipt that showed a county employee being reimbursed for a swimm i n g s u i t a n d b ea c h towels, were cleared up after the T imes-News examined the original receipts and supporting documents. The receipt with the swimming suit on it turned out to have a couple of items that were highlighted, and they were the only items reimbursed. The highlighting of the items did not show up on the duplicates received in the records request. After receipts are submitted for reimbursement, each commissioner must sign off on them. The three commissioners provide “somewhat” of a checks and balance system for each other’s spending, Larsen said. When the commissioners review requests for payment, including those from the other commissione rs, i te m s are often red flagged and more information is re q u e s te d , Crane Crane said. “If additional information clears up the confusion, the items are paid,” he said. “If it doesn’t, they aren’t paid.” About 40 county employees have county credit cards, Larsen said, including two county commissioners — Crane and Kunau. Christensen d e c l i n e d to ta ke t h e county card. Christensen declined the card because he did not want to risk accidentally pulling the wrong card out of his wallet to pay for something. Larsen wa n ts a c o u n ty l o go imprinted on the cards to make sure they are not used by mistake. Crane has been on the board for 14 years and said commissioners have always held lunch meetings reimbursed by taxpayers, though commissioners have held only one such lunch meeting in the past two months. “It’s kind of a tradition that goes back to Weldon Beck and John Adams,” Crane said. “We just get business done and go our separate ways.”

Times-News reporter Nathan Brown contributed to the information used in this report.

Crash Continued from A1

“I remember coming up to 2700 East and the only thing I can recall is a vehicle coming out of nowhere,” Wiggins said in his statement to ISP. Wiggins said he tried to move to the right and accelerated to avoid the Taurus, but was clipped on the back driver’s side of the car, causing him to turn sideways and roll multiple times. The investigation report concluded that Pulizzi would have been able to safely enter the intersection and travel through without a collision if Wiggins had been going the speed limit and drove with “due regard to all motorists.” Wiggins’ left arm became trapped under the roof of his car, severing two tendons in his hand. Pulizzi and his passenger were both uninjured.

(COURTESY OF TWIN FALLS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE)

(COURTESY PHOTO)‌

Deputy Jay Wiggins’ patrol car after the Dec. 28 crash. The sheriff ’s office searched for Wiggins’ police dog, Drago, with a helicopter and in the Snake River Canyon on four-wheelers. The dog was spotted throughout the week of the crash in the Meander Point subdivision, north of Pole Line Road, along the Snake River Canyon. He was found Jan. 1.

Crash Timeline

5:39 p.m. Wiggins departs for a call about a possible suicide on the Perrine Bride 5:50 p.m. Idaho State Police marks this as about the time Wiggins crashed 5:52 p.m. Wiggins is called off of the call regarding the jumper

Jay Wiggins and police dog, Drago, after the dog was found Jan. 1.

5:54 p.m. Wiggins’ crash is called into dispatch 5:55 p.m. Police arrive 5:57 p.m. Paramedics dispatched 5:59 p.m. Paramedics arrive 12:04 a.m. The crash is cleared