Idaho is not a hotbed of white supremacists and
neo-Nazis (HCN, 3/16/98), says Idaho Gov. Phil Batt. His campaign
to restore the state’s image has taken him to the slopes of Sun
Valley, where the 70-year-old onion farmer told 2,600 members of
the National Brotherhood of Skiers, an all-black group, that Idaho
has been tarnished by “a handful of malcontents and screwballs who
have chosen to make their home here,” AP
reports.
After two years of
talks, 16 citizens’ groups have reached an out-of-court settlement
with Stone Container Corp. to end disputes over pollution
violations at the company’s Missoula, Mont., paper mill. The mill
will pay $50,000 in fines, $150,000 to find alternatives to burning
chlorinated plastics, and $450,000 for environmental protection and
cleanup, including the restoration of the Clark Fork River riparian
areas and bull trout
habitat.
After a year of
probation and 100 hours of community service, Oregon’s Wes Cooley
hopes he still has a few friends. The former Republican congressman
has announced he’s running for the seat he lost when he was
convicted of lying to voters about an illustrious military career.
Some Republicans are hesitant to give him the nod. “I really think
the guy is chasing a wild dream,” said Jerry Drake, a Grant County
deputy sheriff and Republican leader, in the
Oregonian.
Lake Powell and
Glen Canyon Dam still have a friend in Rep. Chris Cannon. The Utah
Republican has introduced legislation to keep the federal
government from spending money on drawdown studies (HCN, 11/10/97).
“If Lake Powell needs a champion, I’m happy to answer that call,”
Cannon told the Salt Lake Tribune. “I love Lake Powell.”
New Mexico’s Santa Fe
National Forest may soon count another 95,000 acres as its own.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman has introduced legislation that would
authorize Congress to buy the Valles Caldera west of Los Alamos.
It’s the world’s largest extinct volcano and includes the Jemez
River headwaters and mountain meadows. The land’s value has not yet
been appraised, but its Texas owners have long wanted to sell the
land to the public.
* Dustin
Solberg
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Wayward West.
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