By LESLIE MIELKE
lmielke@cableone.net
BLACKFOOT — Watch for Stoddard Elementary teacher Melissa Hunt on top of the Farmers Insurance float in the Rose Bowl Parade on Jan. 1.
Hunt is one of five $100,000 winners of the Farmers Insurance "Dream Big Teacher Challenge." This challenge took place throughout 2014.
Hunt and her proposal were sponsored local agent Gina Wixom of Farmers Insurance.
"All money goes to I.T. Stoddard Elementary," said Wixom. "The $100,000 award will be spent exactly how Melissa wrote her proposal."
With the announcement that Hunt had won the $100,000 grant, Stoddard students erupted in cheers, applause and the rally cry: "Mrs. Hunt, Mrs. Hunt, Mrs. Hunt," on Friday, Dec. 5.
"I was trying to get them to say 'Stoddard Elementary' because this is a community celebration," said Hunt.
"I work with amazing teachers and the kids are incredible," she said.
Asked what her reaction was when she heard she was a winner, Hunt said, "I was shocked, excited, did this really happen? This is an amazing opportunity for our school.
"It's nice to be recognized by a company that recognizes education," she said. "I have also wanted to give back.
"[With this grant], we will be able to purchase technology that we need," said Hunt. "I thank Farmers Insurance so much.
"It took so many more people than I ever dreamed of to make this come true," she said.
"The students were such a part of this," said Hunt. "Everyday they talked about it and went home to ask their families to vote.
"Teachers went to corn mazes and games to ask people to vote," she said. "Each time the Parent-Teacher Organization would meet, they asked, 'What more can we do?'
"The community and state were so supportive," Hunt said.
This is the 56th year Farmers will have a float in the Rose Bowl Parade.
The competition to "Thank a Million Teachers" was launched by Farmers Insurance on their Rose Bowl Parade float on Jan. 1, 2014.
Voting on the $100,000 proposals was open from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. Five teachers with the most votes (one in each zone) was the winner. People could vote online everyday.
"I heard of votes coming from France, Australia and Japan," said Hunt.
Fifteen teachers in the nation competed in the $100,000 challenge; three teachers in each zone. The fives zones were Northwest, Southwest, South Central, Eastern and North Central.
Farmers Insurance awarded grants of $2,500 to each teacher who didn't win the $100,000 prize.
All five winners will be atop the parade float alongside actor Jack Black and his former teacher, Debbie Devine, of 24th Street Theatre. This is the 56th year Farmers Insurance has sponsored a float in the parade.
The five $100,000 winners are:
° Melissa Hunt, I.T. Stoddard Elementary Blackfoot, Idaho. Her proposal, "Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow" will integrate technology and the implementation of a variety of programs.
° Cindy Ferek, Turner Ashby High School, Bridgewater, Virginia. Her proposal, "Two Wheels Squared Driving Course Challenge," will be used to build a physical course that trains future drivers for driving challenges.
° Maggie Kendal, Chicago School for Agricultural Sciences, Chicago, Illinois. Her proposal, "Raise the Barn Roof" will fund an indoor equestrian arena for regular and special needs students and adults that will be used year-round.
° Brenda Moynihan, C.T. Sewell Elementary, Henderson, Nevada. He proposal, "C.T. Sewell Student and Family Technology Center" features a plan to incorporate technology into the classroom and learning center and provide a counseling center for parents to create healthy home environments.
° Justin Minkel and Amber Stout, Jones Elementary in Springdale, Arkansas. Their proposal, "The Home Library Effect" will transform 1,000 of the world's at-risk readers by creating a statewide literacy initiative that will allow children to create a space in their homes for a library and choose books to fill it.
#2 — Fort Hall woman named Miss Indian World
By LISA LETE
lisaalete@cableone.net
FORT HALL — The eyes of the world were on Fort Hall in 2014 following the announcement in April that Shoshone-Bannock Queen Taylor Thomas of Fort Hall was crowned Miss Indian World at the "Gathering of Nations" Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Thomas, who also won the interview category of the competition, performed a traditional Native American dance and original essay for her talent. She is the first Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member to be named Miss Indian World.
Since her crowning, Thomas, the daughter of Wendy Farmer of Fort Hall and Jason Thomas Kickapoo and Potawatori of Kansas, has spent the year serving as a cultural "Goodwill Ambassador" for the "Gathering of Nations" to educate and demonstrate Native American culture throughout the world. Thomas has taken a particular emphasis in helping young Native American and indigenous women to become educated and take on leadership roles in their communities and in their workplace.
"My role as Miss Indian World is a unique opportunity for our tribe. It is a first for all of us," Thomas said. "In New Mexico everyone was talking about Fort Hall and how beautiful it is here. People are excited to come to Fort Hall for the annual festival and I hope it will be a boost to our economy."
Following her reign as Miss Indian World, which expires in April 2015, Taylor, who has been studying political science at Idaho State University, hopes to continue her education specializing in Indian Law.
#3 — Police officers cleared in Eddington’s death
For the MORNING NEWS
BLACKFOOT – Law enforcement officers in Blackfoot acted lawfully in detaining a 28-year-old man who fatally stabbed himself after his hands were cuffed in front of his body, the county prosecutor said.
Kyle Eddington lived in Blackfoot and was in police custody at the time of his death.
“After a thorough review of the evidence with regard to the Aug. 1 death of Kyle Eddington, the officers acted lawfully in detaining Eddington for suspected probation violations and criminal actions involving the distribution of a controlled substance,” said Bingham County Prosecutor Cleve Colson.
“It is apparent from the evidence that on Aug. 1, 2014, at approximately 2 a.m., Kyle Eddington died of self-inflicted wounds in the custody and presence of officers by fatally stabbing himself in the throat inside of his residence located at 659 S. Ash #5, Blackfoot, Idaho 83221.” Eddington was in police custody when he ran into his apartment, grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed himself in the throat four times. He later died at Bingham Memorial Hospital.
Blackfoot Police Chief Kurt Asmus said that the agency’s policy is to allow officers to use their discretion in deciding whether to handcuff someone in front or back. Factors going into that decision, he said, can vary with such things as medical conditions, pregnancies and the person’s behavior.
“In this case, Eddington was being compliant in everything,” said Asmus.
In the police records, Blackfoot Police Cpl. John Hay took Eddington into custody late on July 31 at some storage units after speaking with Eddington’s parole officer by phone and determining Eddington might be violating his probation.
Hay and the parole office, Kelly Rausch, of the Idaho Department of correction, agreed to search Eddington’s apartment for drugs.
Asmus said that because there would be a delay between hay and Eddington meeting Rausch, Hay decided to handcuff Eddington in front because it’s not as uncomfortable as being handcuffed behind the back.
Hay and Eddington then met Rausch at Eddington’s apartment, but Hay and Rausch didn’t find any drugs. Hay called Cpl. Chad Braswell and his K-9 partner, Moxie. Moxie also didn’t find anything in Eddington’s apartment.
Hay, Braswell and Moxie then went to search the storage units. Moxie indicated one of them contained drugs. The officers obtained a search warrant.
Meanwhile, police said, Eddington, Rausch and officer Blake Davis were outside Eddington’s apartment when Rausch told Eddington that police were going to search the storage unit.
“The situation abruptly changed,” Asmus said.
Authorities said, that’s when Eddington became agitated and ran into the apartment and stabbed himself. An ambulance took Eddington to Bingham Memorial Hospital where he died.
Hay told Pocatello police investigators that he handcuffed Eddington in front of his body “due to the fact that he did not have any charges on him at the time, and that (Hay) was going to transport him.”
Doug Tangen, a basic training manager at the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy, said it’s recommended that officers handcuff detainees with their hands behind their back, though policies can vary among agencies.
Asmus said his agency is reviewing its handcuff policy following Eddington’s death.
#4 — Community loses great leaders in 2014
By LISA LETE
lisaalete@cableone.net
BLACKFOOT — In 2014, Bingham County saw the loss of five prominent and beloved community leaders: Jack Kelser, William Parrish, Delbert Farmer, Judge Robert Brower and Howard Harrington.
In January, Jack White Kesler, the patriarch of Kesler's Market died at the age of 91. Kesler started working in the family grocery store when he was just 12 years old, continuing to work in the store every day until he retired at the age of 88.
Thanks to Kesler's vision, the fourth generation of Keslers continues to own and manage Kesler's Market in Blackfoot.
In February, IHS Chief Dental Officer - Capt. William (Bill) Parrish and three family members were found dead in their Pocatello home from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty water heater.
A press release by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes reads: "Dr Parrish was a rare individual whose professional skills and personal traits allowed him to be both sincerely revered and highly respected by all who knew him. Capt. Parrish was an extremely energetic, compassionate professional who had a winning spirit of excellence."
It went on to read: "[Dr. Parrish] had an unsurpassed devotion to providing dental care and treatment to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and other American Indian patients. He earned the admiration of Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Tribal Health and Human Services Department colleagues as a team player, leader and Joint Medical Professional Staff Chairman."
In September, Fort Hall and surrounding communities mourned the loss of Shoshone Bannock tribal elder and leader Delbert Farmer. Farmer, 72, died from complications due to heart surgery.
Farmer, a longtime cattle rancher, spent many years in service to the community through education, business, agriculture and politics. He offered his cultural expertise as coordinator of the Sho-Ban Indian festival for many years. Farmer had just retired last year after many years of working as the revenue director for the Shoshone Bannock Tribal Tax Office.
The Honorable Judge Robert Claude Brower died of cancer in October at the age of 69.
Brower served as Magistrate of the Seventh District Court of Idaho in Bingham County from 1975 to 1996 where he earned the respect of everyone he touched along the way, including those he sentenced to jail. Brower, remembered for his honesty, integrity and humor in the court room, was known for working with the youth. He would even go out of his way to take the young men sentenced to probation (at the in the Idaho Juvenile Corrections Center in St. Anthony) out for a day of fishing.
Longtime Blackfoot businessman Howard Harrington died from an abdominal aneurysm at the age of 82.
Harrington started Blackfoot's Rocky Mountain Machinery Company in 1964, where through the business he sent his children to college, established scholarships and financed missionaries. He was also active on the Bingham Memorial Hospital board, serving from 2000 to February 2014 on the hospital board and from 2005 to February 2014 on the board of the Idaho Doctor's Hospital. He was board chairman for seven years.
In March 2014, Harrington was inducted into the Eastern Idaho Agricultural Hall of Fame for over 50 years of working in agriculture. Harrington also served on the committee that established the Potato Expo, now the Idaho Potato Museum.
#5 — 1226-lm-stand offs #5
Standoffs in Firth, Fort Hall and Blackfoot
By LESLIE MIELKE
lmielke@cableone.net
BLACKFOOT – Standoffs in Firth, Fort Hall and Blackfoot were in the news this past year.
The standoff in Firth started after a man was stabbed on Saturday, Feb. 8.
“We were first alerted by an anonymous caller who reported there was a fight,” said Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland.
The man was the center of the standoff was 59-year-old Roger Vincent Arellano. He was arrested later that day.
The stabbing victim, 47-year-old Jerry Bunce, was taken by ambulance to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. He was discharged from the hospital the next day.
Plenty of law enforcement officers took part in this standoff.
“Everyone had a job to do,” said Sheriff Rowland.
Arellano initially came out of his house to speak to officers. He then went back into his home and wouldn’t come out of the house, said Rowland. After a three-hour standoff, Arellano’s door was breached (kicked in).
Arellano was brought out in handcuffs and is now in the Bingham County Jail.
Arellano was set to go to trial on Tuesday, Nov. 18, but he pleaded guilty to the felony charge of aggravated battery on Monday as part of a plea agreement, said Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Cleve Colson.
The prosecutor said he dismissed felony enhancement charges for being a persistent violator and using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony as part of the plea agreement.
Arellano will be sentenced on Jan. 5, according to court records. He is facing up to 15 years in prison and a maximum $50,000 fine, said Colson.
In October, a Fort Hall man was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an 18-hour standoff with police in September.
Raymond Hye Broncho, 39, is facing two counts of assault on an officer, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm by a drug user, one count of using firearms in the commission of violent crimes, as well as forfeiture of the SKS assault rifle and the 22-calibar rifle involved in the incident.
U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said Broncho pointed a rifle at police officers and fired multiple shots at them in the Sept. 20 standoff in the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.
Officers had been called to the home on Lodge Pine Street at 3 a.m. after neighbors reported gunshots. The standoff ended peacefully around 9 p.m.
During the standoff, neighbors were evacuated.
Responding to the incident were Fort Hall police, a seven-county Southeast Idaho SWAT team and the FBI.
Authorities said Broncho was under the influence of a controlled substance.
The standoff between a Blackfoot man and the police was resolved peacefully after a 14-hour standoff in Blackfoot on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Scott Phillips, 45, had barricaded himself in the Blackbird Produce at the corner of E. Alice and NE Main in Blackfoot.
Phillips came out of the business about 5 p.m. The crowd gathered at Sunset Manor (about a block away from the Blackbird Produce), clapped and cheered as he excited the warehouse.
“We were able to protect the community and have a peaceful outcome,” said Blackfoot police Capt. Scott Gay.
The standoff started at approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday when Phillips had barricaded himself in the warehouse.
Negotiations between Phillips and the police continued throughout the day using a cell phone. Phillips told police he had a firearm.
A couple of misdemeanor charges Phillips had in Bonneville County were quashed as a result of negotiations.
"We wanted to show him good faith," said Capt. Gay.
Police had obtained a search warrant about 10 or 11 a.m. so officers were able to search the building after the standoff.
Phillips surrendered to Law Enforcement at 5 p.m. on Thursday without incident.
#6 — Asmus files complaint against SR School District
By LESLIE MIELKE
lmielke@cableone.net
BLACKFOOT — The Idaho Education Association (IEA) has filed a civil lawsuit against the Snake River School District and Superintendent Mark Gabrylczyk on behalf of former teacher Elaine Asmus.
Until last summer, Asmus was a science teacher in the Snake River School District where she taught almost 30 years.
The suit was filed in Federal District Court on Wednesday and will be heard before U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
The school district has 30 days to "answer to the complaint" after it is served, said IEA Region Director Maggie Calica.
Snake River Superintendent Mark Gabrylczyk said he has not yet been served the complaint so he has no comment at this time.
"It takes a little while before it will be served," said IEA General Counsel Paul Stark.
Asked why the complaint was filed in federal court, Stark said, "Ms. Asmus has claims under federal law and the U.S. Constitution."
"Her due process rights, such as her case being heard before an impartial board, and her fifth and 14th Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution were violated," said IEA Region Director Calica. "The board [school board trustees] did not follow their own processes; their own policy.
"I think the board members got bad advice either from the Idaho School Board Association, their attorney or the superintendent," she said. "After the judge looks at the complaint, he could order the parties to mediation," Calica said.
"The dispute arose as a result of a disagreement between Ms. Asmus and teacher Laura Gabrylczyk, who is the wife of the district superintendent," wrote IEA General Counsel Stark. "A hearing was quickly held to terminate Ms Asmus' near three-decade career at Snake River High School.
"Despite an outpouring of support from former students and community members, the Snake River School District voted to impose punitive measures against Ms. Asmus, which ultimately led to the constructive discharge of her employment," said Stark.
"When it became clear that the district was not going to provide the due process procedures dictated by Idaho law, she contacted her local association and the IEA for assistance," said Stark. "We do not take this action lightly, but the IEWA feels that it is important to protect the legal rights of Ms. Asmus, just as we would for any of our members."
Asked why she filed this complaint, Asmus said, "I was taught there is right and wrong. If you know something is wrong and you go along with it; it's as if you participated in it.
"Call me old fashioned but that's how I was raised," she said.
About filing the suit, Asmus said, "I can talk now. I want to help those [in the Snake River School District] who are afraid to speak up.
"I turned down two jobs that I was offered—one in Pocatello and one in Idaho Falls—because, as I told people, I knew I was going to be able to work things out with the [Snake River School] District.
"At the hearing, only facts can be presented," said Asmus. "No hearsay."
A hearing date has yet to be set.
#7 — Bingham County named disaster area
For the MORNING NEWS
WASHINGTON, D. C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Bingham County Idaho as a primary natural disaster area due to a recent drought.
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Idaho also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are Bannock, Bonneville, Caribou, Power, Blaine, Butte
and Jefferson.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on July 9, 2014, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
Additional programs available to assist farmers and ranchers include the Emergency Conservation Program, The Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, and the Tree Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
#8 — Tragic accidents again a part of 2014
MORNING NEWS
The Blackfoot community was stunned in the end of July when two separate tragedies rocked the area within a week.
First, on July 26, members of the Joe Pratt family of Blackfoot, were in a crash (on I-86 near Baker City, Oregon) that killed Tanda Pratt (60) and seriously injured her husband Joe (61) and son Todd (30). The family was returning from a camping trip when Todd, who was driving the pick-up truck and pulling the camper, hit an elk and crashed into the median, rolling the truck and the camper.
Then, on July 30, 5-year-old Noelle Shawver died from a gunshot wound after accidentally being shot by another child while visiting friends in Chubbuck.
Deadly accidents was a reoccurring theme in 2014.
On Feb. 3, Dora Heiner, 74, of Idaho Falls died in a three-vehicle crash on I-15 near Shelley.
On Feb. 27, Jack Le Roy Seiber of Blackfoot was killed in a crash near Helper, Utah during a heavy downpour.
On March 2, the Bingham County Sheriff's Department recovered the body of Michael Birch, 68, from the Snake River near the Thomas area. Birch had been reported missing a day earlier after he didn't return home from a fishing trip.
On March 21, Brett L. Payne, 31, of Pocatello was killed in a crash on I-15 at about milepost 75.
On April 19, David Neff, 33, was killed in an ATV crash in the Brush Creek area of Wolverine Canyon.
On April 20, 5-year-old Landyn Simpson, died when the ATV he was a passenger on went off the road and rolled in Blackfoot.
On May 20, Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member ShaLynn Shoyo, 18, died in a crash in Fort Hall.
On June 24, the body of Kendall Lee Atkinson, 76, of Hyrum was found floating in the Blackfoot Reservoir.
On July 5, Rosalva Campos, 52, of Firth, and a Montana man were killed in a crash 15 miles south of Salmon.
On July 21, the body of Charles Tyson Sims, 28, of Bear Lake was found in the Blackfoot Reservoir.
On August 10, Jorlei C. Gillis, 35, of Idaho Falls died in a rollover crash on Bone Road.
On August 18, Miguel Davalos, 21, was shot and killed. This case was investigated as a homicide.
On August 28, Trent Sorensen, 45, and Bo Taylor, 19, both of Blackfoot, died in an industrial accident in Georgetown, Idaho. They were trying to repair a leak inside a manhole and were overcome by toxic fumes.
On August 29, Joey Running Horse, 23, a member of the Lakota Nation, died after a late-night stabbing in Forth Hall.
On August 30, Jeffrey D. Ellis, 54, of Pocatello, died in a two-vehicle crash near Aberdeen.
On Sept. 13, Richard Lee Sherbel, 52, of Blackfoot died while fishing. He was reported missing by his family after his partially swamped boat was located in the Blackfoot Reservoir.
On Sept. 23, Armando Madrid-Rivera, 61, of Roberts, was killed after getting pinned between two farm trucks in a potato cellar in Shelley.
On Oct. 8, Gary L. Delong, 55, of Ammon was killed in a motorcycle crash east of the INL site in Bingham County.
On Oct. 15, Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member Darrell Auck, 44, was reportedly shot and killed in Fort Hall. A suspect was arrested, but authorities are still searching for Auck's body.
On Nov. 2, Cindy Nicholls, 29, of Rigby and Jalene Evans, 67, of Idaho Falls died in a three-vehicle crash on I-15 near Shelley.
On Nov. 8, Gernnard Parsons, 85, of Pocatello, died in a rollover crash on I-15 near Fort Hall.
2014
On Dec. 10, Jonathon Adamson, 19, of Shelley was killed when his truck was hit by a train just north of Shelley.
#9 — Shelley school vandalized in August
By LESLIE MIELKE
lmielke@cableone.net
SHELLEY — In August, a day before the District Service Center was set to open for students' first day of school, the facility was vandalized. The District Service Center was formerly known as Goodsell Elementary.
Four students—one eighth grader and three freshmen—gained entrance to the school on Sunday. Replacement costs were estimated to run from $15,000 to $30,000.
"All the fire extinguishers were set off and they trashed the place," said Special Education Director Jeff Brandt. "Sixty to 100 fluorescent bulbs were broken; glass was all over the place.
Fifty-gallon jugs of water for the water cooler were also upended.
A fine dust from the fire extinguishers covered the halls and rooms. Because of the dust, police were able to identify the footprints of three individuals, at least the sole prints of their shoes.
The glass from the bulbs was an inch deep in some parts of the building, said Brandt.
Safety glass in doors going into the various rooms was broken. Glass was everywhere.
Words were spray-painted onto walls and doors.
"It's just a disaster," he said. "We were ready for the kids at 8 o'clock today."
Maintenance spent the summer remodeling the Goodsell. The rooms for special education were the first to be remodeled. Eventually, the goal is to remodel a room for district meetings and then to move the district office into the building.
"We barely got [the special education rooms] finished Friday," said Brandt.
A maintenance man found the vandalism at 7:30 a.m. on Monday.
Superintendent Bryan Jolley estimates replacement costs could total from $15,000 to $30,000 which will be covered by insurance.
"I'm extremely disappointed," he said. "To mindlessly destroy with nothing to gain, it's really a waste.
"They made a mess," said Jolley. "There are questions about the carpet.
Because of the type of carpet and the fact it is in a school could require that the carpet be taken up and replaced.
"To replace the carpet could cost $15,000 or beyond," Jolley said. "We are waiting for the adjuster.
"We hope this can get resolved," he said. "If this is their idea of a good time, they need help.
"If they are students in the school district, the trustees may need to decide if they want them attending here."
No one knows yet how the vandals gained entrance into the building.
A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible.
"This is under investigation," said Shelley Officer Robert Tincher. "We are pursuing all leads."
The four students who were identified as the perpetrators were expelled from the Shelley School District. The school was repaired. Classes started in the District Service Center about two weeks latter.
#10 — Flash flood hits Blackfoot in August
By LISA LETE
lisaalete@cableone.net
BLACKFOOT — Blackfoot was hit with an unprecedented flash flood on a Wednesday afternoon on Aug. 6 when an intense downpour dropped over three inches of rain in just the first 15 minutes of the storm.
The city's emergency phone system became backed up with calls as water filled the streets stalling vehicles flooding homes, businesses and schools. The city's wastewater system became overwhelmed causing sewage to a backup in a number of homes. The flood ruined the new gym at Blackfoot High School. A new gym floor was installed in time for BHS Homecoming in October.
Many lifelong Blackfoot residents said that "they have never seen anything like the Aug. 6, 2014 rainstorm."
"I've lived here 69 year and have never seem a rain like this one," said Carol Baldwin of Blackfoot.
"This was not a normal days work," said Blackfoot Fire Captain David Krumenacker. "There was one downed power line and calls from numerous people needing help."
Although there were no reports of injuries or deaths attributed to the flood, its estimated that over 100 homeowners had flood waters come into their basements and at least 15 homes were flooded with sewage. Farmers, particularly grain growers, suffered significant damage from the flood and overall wet August. The heavy rains, without time to dry out in the late stages of development, caused the heads to become saturated and the wheat grains to sprout before they can become harvested.
While, there was some assistance for the farmers who suffered crop damage from the flood, most homeowners in the area do not have flood insurance and were were out of luck. Many homeowners turned insurance claims into the city of Blackfoot, only to have them rejected.