Stacey Murphy (left), and Suzette Bingham (right), West One Bank tellers, presented backpacks and fannypacks to the Heyburn Elementary School first and second prize winners of the West One “Express” Christmas Train Coloring Contest. Winners of the contest are (second from left) Tyler Taylor, second prize, May Melycher, first prize and second graders Adelia Saunders, second price and Wesley Cooper, first prize. The contest was sponsored by West One Bank – Mini-Cassia Branch.
We took a trip through the Northwest United States in August 2020. We knew that on 4 August 2020 we had to be in a good location for phone and internet connection because I had a Fee Application Hearing that I needed to attend. The case has only continued since then to the District Court and the Ninth Circuit.
We plan to spend an extra day in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to make sure we had the phone service needed for the call and to act as a hot spot for internet. I thought the hearing would be fairly short so we parked near the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene. I claimed a park bench and the kids played on the beach and around the park. This is the view from my picnic table waiting for the hearing. Hiram is on the far left, Aliza on the far right of the courts. You can see Lake Coeur d’Alene in the background.
First, the Court kicked my hearing after the regular docket. So I ended up waiting like 1.5 hours to even get to the argument. I had briefed everything before I left but apparently the Trustee decided to file another brief the day before that I never got to see or read. So much for imposing deadlines. The Court spent quite a bit more time on the Fee App than I had anticipated, so we were there like 3 hours! It was crazy and I watched my kids play, weary, and the plead to go before I was even done with the hearing.
We had climbed around McEuen Park and Tubbs Hill earlier in the day. The kids were worn out and ready to be done. I won my Fee Application, but as you can see from the appeals above, that was not to last.
Heyburn Elementary School students enjoyed a reward Thursday for helping raise $1,100 for Ricky Hollahan, 12, who recently received a kidney transplant. Students enjoying ice cream bars include kindergartners A.J. Vargas, far right, Jesse Melycher, Elida Arriaga and Jonathan Post.
I do not know who thought that Burley, Idaho, might actually get a temple. But when it was announced on 4 April 2021 by President Russell M. Nelson, we have been watching closely since! I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the groundbreaking as a representative for the City of Heyburn. It was a brisk, cool, windy day, but our excitement was evident. Burley native Brent H. Nielson attended and was presided at the groundbreaking.
After the groundbreaking was formally over, I ran home and grabbed my family to bring them back over to do their own shovel turning.
I really wanted this to be something they were a part of from the beginning.
They even had it available so you could take a little bag of the soil home!
It was a memorable occasion. We also participated by writing our names on rocks to be placed in the foundation of the temple. Over 7,000 rocks were placed in the foundation pours of the temple. Workers made sure to turn each of the rocks so the names faced upward. Our names are literally part of the temple!
On 19 October 2019 I was invited to the baptism of Jeremy Spencer in Filer, Idaho. Jeremy and my cousin May Melycher, are the parents of Kaidince Alexander Spencer. I have stayed in contact with Jeremy and Kaidince even after my cousin went her own way.
In 2008 I drove to Twin Falls nearly ever week to take Jeremy, May, and KK to church. During that time we blessed KK as a baby and we worked on Jeremy and May getting married so they could get to the temple. Fast forward 11 years and Jeremy was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some things take their own time frames.
A year before, on 20 October 2018, I was happy to see Kaidince get baptized in Twin Falls. He is my first cousin, once removed.
Jeremy had invited me to perform the baptism. He had been working toward it but just was not there yet and Kaidince did not want to wait anymore.
Dad was pretty excited to come over from working in the temple to see the little boy he had blessed in 2008 become a new member of the church.
The trip was very worth the effort. What a great day. I could not help but wonder which ancestors were thrilled to be watching to occasion.
I know David William Donaldson attended Lincoln School. I have another photo I will share that has a school banner behind him. Initially, I did not think this photo appeared to be in front of that school. However, I was able to confirm with another person, cousin Nancy Jonas Howard, who also attended the same school, albeit 20 years after Dave, that these doors were on the Lincoln School.
Here is a picture of Lincoln School that I could find. It was apparently built in 1891 and tore down in 1970. I understand it was located east of Washington Avenue just north of 3rd Street. Knowing that the family lived in 8th Street, Five Points is not that far.
I do not have tons of information on this class picture. David William Donaldson was born 25 November 1928 in Ogden, Weber, Utah. I am guessing he is somewhere around 10, which puts the photo somewhere around 1938.
29 children in the photo. 2 teachers?
Minico High School automotive and drafting students display medals taken at the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) Skills Championships held March 27-29. Awards include: Technical Drafting, first place, gold medal: Glade Boldt; second place, silver: Justin Coleman; Architectural Drafting, first place, gold: Paul Ross; second place, silver: Rachel Fennell; Extemporaneous Speaking, second place: Justin Coleman; Automotive Skills, bronze: Oral Scott; Job Interview, silver: Justin Tate; New State Officer: Justin Tate. Pictured (;-r) are Nick Fletcher, Dustin McClellan, Justin Coleman, Lynn Brown, Glade Boldt, Oral Scott, Justin Tate, Corey McClellan, Rachel Fennell and Paul Ross, (seated on the floor).
I remember a few things about this trip to Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. It was a really long drive, or so it seemed to me. I got motion sick on the winding road to Lewiston from Boise. Multiple times we had to stop so I could throw up. I had let my hair grow longer than I ever had and it was a new sensation and some made fun of me because I kept messing with it. I remember just thinking Lewiston was a run-down town. Which must be saying something for the boy coming from Paul, Idaho!
In May of 2021, the Ross family traveled back to Ely, Nevada. We went the first time in October 2020 with Amanda’s parents and the Hales Family and quite enjoyed our trip. I told Steve Taggart about it and he wanted to go the next time we went. He brought his parents and family down as part of the trip. Here are some photos from both trips.
We rode on the Nevada Northern Railway, and enjoyed it again, except for the masks.
I will have to write up about our Great Basin National Park trip another time.
Sagacity 