The votes are in, unofficially, and Hailey and Ketchum each have a result worth knowing about at home. Top of Mind walks through what passed, who won, and what changes next.

The rest of the week is an easy one to plan: sunshine every day through Tuesday, the Pray for Snow Party at River Run on Saturday, two nights of $4 beers for Sawtooth Brewery's 15th birthday, and Cookbook back open for dinner. Pick a few below.

Top of Mind

How the valley voted, and what changes now

About 76% of Blaine County's registered voters cast a ballot Tuesday, 11,670 of 15,341, and every precinct has reported. Here's where things landed. All counts are unofficial until they're canvassed. [VoteIdaho]

Hailey: fire service moves to the county district. The annexation passed with 76%, 2,785 to 874. What it means at home: starting in January 2028, Hailey property owners pay the district an estimated $51.44 per $100,000 of taxable value, and the city cuts its own fire levy by about $383,000. The switch happens Oct. 1, 2027, and the station stays staffed around the clock. [VoteIdaho] [Hailey]

Ketchum: the sales tax renewal fell short. It got 53%, 1,063 to 944, and needed 60%. What it means at home: nothing changes at the register yet. Today's tax runs through 2027, and the proposed increases won't happen. The city says it would ask voters again in November 2027, and if that fails too, cuts to what the tax pays for, like police, dispatch, and Mountain Rides, start in 2028. [VoteIdaho] [Ketchum]

County. Lindsay Mollineaux won the District 1 commissioner's seat with 73%, Muffy Davis was unopposed in District 2, and Dawn Cieslik won clerk of the district court with 74%. In Bellevue, incumbents Tammy Davis and Genoa Beiser drew the most votes for City Council. [VoteIdaho]

Legislature. In District 26, Ron Taylor won the Senate seat with 56%, Anita Janis beat incumbent Mike Pohanka for House seat A, 51% to 44%, and Kevin Marsh won House seat B with 59%. [VoteIdaho]

Statewide. Proposition 1, the abortion measure, failed 56% to 44%, so Idaho's current law stays. HJR 6, the English language amendment, passed with 63%; a 2007 state law already made English official. HJR 4, the marijuana amendment, failed, with 66% voting no. On the advisory state gun question, the Winchester Model 1873 drew the most votes, 31%. [VoteIdaho]

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Town Hall

BellevueThe county prosecutor is reviewing the mayor's purchase of a Main Street building. Here's why: the city is applying for a $650,000 federal grant aimed at one block of downtown Main Street. In October, a company Mayor Christina Giordani manages bought a building on that block, 100 S. Main St. Councilwoman Suzanne Wrede asked for a legal review, and the prosecutor's office is doing one. Giordani says she won't vote on the grant, which the council takes up Monday, Nov. 16. [IME]

KetchumA councilman broke election law, the prosecutor says, but there's no penalty. At the Oct. 22 council meeting, Randy Hall said the city would be "somewhat hamstrung" if the sales tax renewal failed. Idaho law bars officials from using public property or resources to push a ballot measure, and the prosecutor counted the council meeting itself, at City Hall, as one. Hall doesn't dispute it. [IME]

KetchumThe pedestrian signals at Fourth and Main now hang 18 inches lower, easier for drivers to see, after three October crashes involving a pedestrian or cyclist on that stretch of Main. No new lights are being ordered; a traffic engineer may review the crossing. [IME]

MeetingsSun Valley City Council, Thursday 4, City Hall and Zoom; Ketchum Planning and Zoning, Thursday 4:30, on Zoom; Hailey City Council and Bellevue Planning and Zoning, Monday 5:30. Ketchum City Hall is closed Wednesday for Veterans Day. [Sun Valley] [Ketchum] [Hailey] [Bellevue]

Out & About

This week

Thu Nov 5  Squash Blossom Farm's last fall pop-up stand at Mountain High Creamery, across from Hank & Sylvie's in Ketchum, 3 to 5. [info]

Thu Nov 5  Salted Sprig's community clothing swap, 700 N Main, Ketchum, 5 to 8; donors get in at 4. Drop-off has closed, so it's $10 a bag. [post]

Thu Nov 5 and Fri Nov 6  Flourish Foundation at OCHI Gallery, Ketchum: the fundraiser exhibition opens Thursday 5 to 6:30, then Community Sing 7 to 8. Friday, community meditation at 4:15. RSVP. [info]

Thu Nov 5  "Gather," a documentary on Native food sovereignty, the Community Library, 5:30. Free; register. [info]

Thu Nov 5 and Sat Nov 7  Navigating Longevity: Dr. Alice Police on breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, the Senior Connection, Hailey, Thursday 5:30; again Saturday at 11, Wood River YMCA. Register. [info]

Thu Nov 5  "American Doctor," a documentary following three physicians who worked in a Gaza hospital, the Liberty Theatre, Hailey, 6:30. $10. [tickets]

Thu Nov 5  CelloGayageum, cello and the Korean gayageum, the Argyros, 7:30. $28 to $48. [tickets]

Thu Nov 5 to Sat Nov 7  "The Sound of Music," the Community School, 7 each night. Sold out; there's a waitlist. [waitlist]

Fri Nov 6  Free heated mat Pilates at Alpine Flow, 200 River St. W, Ketchum, 7 a.m., a community class welcoming new instructor Ingrid. Sign up in advance. [info]

Fri Nov 6  Day of Pretend Play: Chef, a drop-in for kids in the Community Library's Treehouse, 10 to 5. [info]

Fri Nov 6  Afternoon Art at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, Ketchum, 2:30 to 4:30. Free drop-in art making for all ages. [info]

Fri Nov 6 and Sat Nov 7  Sawtooth Brewery's 15th anniversary party, Friday in Ketchum and Saturday in Hailey, 4 to close: $4 beers and 20% off mug club memberships. [info]

Fri Nov 6  First Fridays at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, with music by The Beverly Lovers, 5, free. [info]

Fri Nov 6  That Johnny V Band Thing, a night of mostly '80s music from local players, the Liberty Theatre, Hailey, doors 7:30, music 8. $25. [tickets]

Sat Nov 7  Free Health & Wellness Day at Gravity Fitness & Tennis, Hailey, 9 to noon: the gym, class demos, kids' activities, vendors, and food. [info]

Sat Nov 7  Girls on the Run 5K, Swiftsure Ranch, Bellevue, 10, check-in from 9. Open to community runners, $10 suggested donation. No dogs. [info]

Sat Nov 7  Inhale. Exhale. Ale. A breathwork session with Chairlift Co, then a beer, upstairs at TNT Taproom, Ketchum, 2 to 3. $20; no experience needed. [book]

Sat Nov 7  Pray for Snow Party, River Run Lodge and Plaza, 4 to 8, with DJs Luke Ross and SID3S. Raffle tickets are $5 or five cans for the Hunger Coalition. [info]

Sat Nov 7  Potluck honoring Squash Blossom Farm, the Grange's agricultural persons of the year, Upper Big Wood River Grange, Hailey, 5 to 7:30. Bring a dish; RSVP. [info]

Sun Nov 8  Wood River Community Orchestra's fall concert, Haydn and "The Lark Ascending," the Community Center Theater, 4. Free, no tickets. [info]

Sun Nov 8  Salted Sprig's Supper Club, five courses from a secret destination, 700 N Main, Ketchum. Doors 5:30, seating 6. [tickets]

Mon Nov 9  Last day to vote for Ketchum as USA Today 10Best's best ski town; voting closes at 9:59 a.m. [IME]

Mondays Nov 9 to Dec 7  Ken Burns' "The War," one episode a week with a short discussion, the Community Library, 2 to 4:10. Free; register. [info]

Mon Nov 9  Focused Writing Group with author AJ Super, the Community Library's Idaho Room, 4 to 6, or on Zoom. Second Mondays; no registration. [info]

Tue Nov 10  Paint a dinosaur keychain for Dinovember, the Community Library's Children's Library, 3 to 4:30. Kids under 9 need a teen or adult along. [info]

Tue Nov 10  Sun Valley Star Party for the Taurid meteors, Pavilion Lawn, Sun Valley Village, 6 to 8. Free, with telescopes, astronomers, and cocoa; bring a blanket. [info]

Tue Nov 10  Open Studio: Figure Drawing, the Sun Valley Museum of Art's Hailey classroom, 6 to 8, ages 16 and up. $25, students $15. [info]

Wed Nov 11  Genealogy workshop with Donna Voyles of Hailey's Family History Center, the Community Library, 3 to 5. Free. [info]

Wed Nov 11  Teen workshop: Shrinky Dinks with Lauren Kistner, the Sun Valley Museum of Art's Hailey classroom, 4:30 to 6:30. Free, ages 14 and up; register. [info]

Wed Nov 11  Veterans Day at the Museum: WWII local stories, the Wood River Museum of History and Culture, Ketchum, 5 to 6:30. Bring your family's service stories to share. [info]

Every Monday

10:30  Story time at the Community Library, preschool age, free. [info]

2 to 4  Mondays We Stitch, Sun Valley Lodge atrium. Knitting, needlepoint, and crochet, all levels, free. [IME]

3 to 4  Paws to Read at the Community Library: kids read to therapy dogs, free. [info]

4 to 6  Community Meal at Bloom, 110 Honeysuckle St, Bellevue, free. Thursdays too, noon to 2. [IME]

4:30 to 6  Knitting Circle at the Community Library, free. Bring needles and yarn. [info]

6 p.m.  Mindful Mondays, the Advocates' women's support group. Childcare provided. Call (208) 788-4191 for the location.

Every Tuesday

1 to 2  Lunchtime Language Spanish at the Community Library, free, through Nov. 17. [info]

4 to 9  Teacher Tuesday at Roots Wine Bar, 122 S Main St, Hailey: two house wines plus fries, $30.

5 to 7  Cooking Club / Club de Cocina at Bloom Community Kitchen, free. Register at (208) 788-0121.

6 to 8  Free English class for adults / Clase de inglés gratis, the Community Library, through Dec. 15. [info]

7 p.m.  Trivia Showdown at Whiskey's on Main, Ketchum, free, through Dec. 29. [IME]

Every Wednesday

10:15  Baby and toddler story time at the Hailey library, free. [info]

Noon to 1  Yoga and meditation with Ryan Redman at the Flourish Foundation, free.

2 to 5  Stitch group at Knit + Needle, free, all levels, drop in. [info]

5 and 6:30  Beginner Spanish at Town Center West through the Hailey library, level one then level two. [info]

5:30 to 7  Craft Circle at the Hailey library, ages 16 and up. Bring any handicraft. [info]

5:45 and 6:15  Country line dance lessons with Line Dance Idaho, BCRD FitWorks, Hailey: beginners, then intermediate. No partner needed. $8, free for BCRD members. [info]

All evening  Industry Night at Roots Wine Bar, Hailey, for restaurant and bar workers: $8 house wines with any two food items. [info]

6 to 9, then 9  Ballroom dance and karaoke at Whiskey's on Main: lesson at 6 ($40, a drink included), open dance 7 to 9, then free karaoke.

Every Thursday

11:30 to 12:30  Pop-In Poetry at the Community Library, free. [info]

4 p.m.  Teens Art Collective at the Hailey library, free. [info]

5 to 7  Stitch group at Knit + Needle again, the evening one. [info]

6:30  Trivia at the TNT Taproom, 271 E Sun Valley Rd, Ketchum. Free, 21 and over.

Every Friday

11 a.m.  Story time at the Hailey library, free. [info]

5:30 to 6:30  Flow & Restore yoga at the Flourish Foundation, Hailey, all levels, by donation. Not Nov. 6. [IME]

6:30 to 8  Dusty Hayz & Drifter, country, vintage pop, and Latin ballads, La Cabanita at the Mint, Hailey, free, through Dec. 18. [IME]

All day  Free coffee for first responders at Countryside Cornerstore, Hailey, through the end of the year. [info]

Every Saturday

3:30  Story time again at the Hailey library, free. [info]

Every Sunday

Noon, while supplies last  Tacos and Touchdowns at Whiskey's on Main: $20 all-you-can-eat taco bar.

Most nights

Thu to Sat 5:30 to 8:30, Sun 1 to 4  Live music in the Limelight lounge, 151 Main St S, Ketchum. Free, no cover. [IME]

Coming up

Thu Nov 12  Paint Club for tweens and teens, the Community Library, 3:30 to 5, ages 9 and up. Ten seats; register. [info]

Thu Nov 12  Death Cafe, an open conversation about death, Flourish Foundation, Hailey, 6 to 8. $0 to $50; register. [info]

Thu Nov 12 and Fri Nov 13  Gold Mine Thrift's ski opening, 331 Walnut Ave, Ketchum, doors at 9. The store is closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, to set up. [info]

Sat Nov 14  Root Sellers, Future Roots' late-season market, the Sage School, Hailey, 10 to 2. Hot sauce and elderberry workshops $45, seed saving free; sign up. [info]

Sat Nov 14  Hand-stitched leather tote class with bootmaker Morgan Buckert, the Sun Valley Museum of Art, Hailey, 9 to 3. $300 members, $350 others; register. [info]

Sat Nov 14 and Sun Nov 15  Ballet Idaho, "Westward," the Argyros: Saturday 7:30, Sunday 2. [tickets]

Sat Nov 14  Pearl Charles with Dump Rules, presented by Our House, the Liberty Theatre, Hailey, 7. [tickets]

Sun Nov 15  Five Gates Grief Vigil, Flourish Foundation, Hailey, 5 to 7:30. $0 to $75. Limited to 20; register. [info]

Mon Nov 16  Rota-Rippers applications due. Free learn-to-ski and snowboard at Rotarun for kids 5 to 11, Mondays and Tuesdays this winter. [info]

Wed Nov 18  Holiday gift tag painting at Webb Garden Center, Ketchum, 5:30 to 7:30, with appetizers and drinks. Register ahead. [post]

Thu Nov 19  Santa's Workshop: floral candle lanterns and ornaments, Sawtooth Botanical Garden, 6 to 7:30, $40. Space is limited. [tickets]

Sun Nov 22  Last day for BCRD's preseason Nordic pass price: $285 for adults, then $340. Kids 17 and under ski free but need a pass. [info]

Sat Nov 28  Homegrown Film Festival, the Sawtooth Avalanche Center's 10th annual, the Argyros, 4. Tickets on sale. [tickets]

Sun Nov 29  Community Breathwork, Flourish Foundation, Hailey, 4:30 to 6. $0 to $75; register. [info]

Tue Dec 1 and Thu Dec 3  Holiday wreath making, Sawtooth Botanical Garden, 6 to 8, $55. Space is limited; register. [info]

Over Galena

Thu Nov 5  Learn and play Wingspan, the birding board game, at the Stanley Community Library, 5:30 to 7. Then movie night at Mountain Village's Velvet Falls Dance Hall: free, kids at 6, teens and adults around 8. [info] [movies]

Fri Nov 6 to Sun Nov 8  Iyengar yoga classes on Stanley Town Square, by donation: Friday 8, 2, and 5; Saturday and Sunday 9, 2, and 5. [info]

Sun Nov 8  New Moon Reiki sound bath with crystal bowls, Sawtooth Yoga Studio on Stanley Town Square, 6:30 to 7:30. Bring a blanket. [info]

Mon Nov 9  Preserving Our History, an interview with Edna McGown Jukich, the Stanley Community Library, 5:30, or on Zoom. The library is closed Wednesday for Veterans Day. [info]

The Dirt

River and fish. The Big Wood at Hailey is running 177 cfs, 90% of the 197 cfs median for the date, up from 172 a week ago. Silver Creek at the Sportsman Access rose to 107 cfs from 95, 80% of its median. [USGS]

A dry, sunny week. No rain or snow is in the forecast through Tuesday. Highs climb from the upper 40s to the mid 50s around Hailey and Ketchum by Sunday, and into the upper 50s around Carey. Nights run from the mid 20s to the mid 30s. For Saturday's Pray for Snow Party, expect sun and about 50 at the start, cooling to near 40 by 8. Air quality is good, with no burn restrictions. [National Weather Service] [DEQ]

Waiting on snow. The Sawtooth Avalanche Center says the Halloween weekend storm left 6 to 10 inches above 7,500 feet, and its daily backcountry forecasts start once there's enough snow to ride. OpenSnow's Matthew Platt sees the next week or so staying dry, and says "a pattern change is on the horizon." Sun Valley opens Thursday, Nov. 26. [SAC] [OpenSnow] [resort]

Over Galena. Valley Creek at Stanley is 100 cfs, right at its median, and the Salmon below the Yankee Fork is 507, also about normal. Stanley stays dry, with highs from the mid 40s Thursday to the upper 50s Saturday and lows from 14 to the low 20s. [National Weather Service]

Open House

Hearings have started on Blaine Crossing, Oppenheimer Development Corp.'s request to annex 108.8 acres of the Flying Hat Ranch at Hailey's south edge into the city. The plan, which would be split between Hailey and Bellevue, includes workforce and market-rate homes and apartments, light industrial and service commercial space, and a possible 100-room hotel. The next is Hailey Planning and Zoning, Monday, Dec. 7, at 5:30, on land use and open space; hearings are expected to run into June 2027. [IME] [city]

Table Talk

Thanksgiving at Sun Valley Resort takes reservations now. The buffet in the Limelight Ballroom at the Sun Valley Inn is $105 for adults and $55 for kids, plus tax and gratuity, with full payment at booking: (208) 622-2270. Gretchen's and the Ram serve a three-course prix fixe, booked on OpenTable. [info]

Cookbook in Ketchum is back from its slack closure, open for dinner with reservations open now. Lunch returns next week, and its slack special runs through Saturday, Nov. 14: order an appetizer and an entree and get a pint of beer or bread pudding on the house. [info]

The Starbucks in the Sun Valley Visitors Center on Sun Valley Road is closed through Friday, Nov. 13, for improvements. [city]

Sushi on Second and Nourish Me stay open while part of the city lot at Second and Washington is closed for Idaho Power work through Nov. 13. [city]

Help Wanted

HaileyFriedman Memorial Airport is hiring an airport operations supervisor for training, safety, and standards, $93,090 to $109,518 a year, on a four-day, 10-hour schedule in a 24/7 operation. [posting]

KetchumThe Limelight Hotel needs a full-time, year-round maintenance engineer, $21 to $26 an hour, with ski passes for employees and dependents, health benefits, and a 401(k). Applications close Sunday, Nov. 8. [posting]

HaileyThe Wood River Land Trust is hiring a full-time stewardship coordinator to look after its 16 preserves, about 1,600 acres. Pay depends on experience. [posting]

KetchumThe Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is hiring two full-time seasonal Alpine FIS assistant coaches through April. [posting]

Hiring? Put your opening in front of the whole valley. Email [email protected].

If you do one thing this weekend, bring five cans to River Run on Saturday.

See you next Thursday.

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