The school board stopped waiting on the teachers' union this week, and Hailey found out what joining the new fire district would cost a homeowner. Both land on ballots and paychecks soon, so both are below.

Also this week: a free pancake breakfast at the airport, a trout tournament in Bellevue, Oktoberfest over Galena, and one last push to clean up the Big Wood. And we're trying something new at the bottom: Help Wanted, local jobs worth knowing about. Here's what's happening.

Top of Mind

The school board sets teacher pay without the union's vote

Blaine County School District trustees voted 5-0 at a special meeting Sept. 15 to put most of this year's teacher contract in place as district policy, without ratification by the Blaine County Education Association. Both sides told the Express the move may be unprecedented. Teachers have been working under last year's expired agreement.

What teachers get: a $1,195 one-time bonus paid monthly, a 3% raise on the salary schedule, the district covering the full increase in health-insurance premiums, and three more sick days. The district says that's all the money there is, with deficits projected year after year. "It's September. School is in session. Payroll is in two weeks, and we're simply out of time," trustee Tim Garza said. He added that more than half of teachers make over $100,000 and 80% make over $80,000; starting pay is $59,000.

The union voted the package down Sept. 4 and wanted to keep bargaining, mostly over pay against the cost of living here. "Many feel silenced," BCEA president Brenda Southwick wrote. Board chair Lara Stone said the district would still rather have a ratified contract and suggested the union vote again.

Next year's contract talks would normally start this month. Southwick said the union is deciding its next steps.

Source: the Idaho Mountain Express

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Town Hall

HaileyWhat Hailey's fire-district vote would cost. On Nov. 3, Hailey voters decide whether the city joins Blaine County Fire & Rescue, the district Ketchum and BC South form Oct. 1. A yes swaps the city's fire tax, about $13.95 per $100,000 of taxable value, for an estimated $51.44: roughly $187 more a year on a home taxed at $500,000. A no returns Hailey to a paid-on-call department in 2028. [IME]

CountyAbsentee ballots are in the mail. Beyond the statewide races, Hailey votes on the fire district, Ketchum on extending its local-option tax 15 years, and Bellevue fills three council seats. Register by Oct. 23; early voting runs Oct. 13 to 30 at the Old County Courthouse, 8 to 5 weekdays. [IME]

CountyThe sheriff wants a public debate on license-plate cameras. The county runs 16 Flock cameras that log passing license plates, at about $60,000 a year from forfeiture funds. Sheriff Morgan Ballis says the contract won't renew automatically in March; he wants the commissioners to hold a public discussion first. He also ordered the camera inside Carey city limits removed, the same day Carey passed an ordinance restricting them. [IME]

ValleyFall is busy; winter isn't, yet. Lodging bookings as of Aug. 31 were up 32.6% for October over last year, but down 15.5% for January. Visit Sun Valley blames a "snow hangover" from last season plus pricier gas and airfare. [IME]

KetchumTwo detours downtown. ITD closed the east half of Main and River Street Monday; southbound traffic runs down Second Avenue and Serenade Lane until early October. First Avenue is still closed too, with the city's "early October, weather permitting" the only reopening date. [IME]

MeetingsKetchum City Council, Thursday 5:30, City Hall, votes on Trent Thelen as planning director; Bellevue City Council, Monday 5:30, City Hall; County Commissioners, Tuesday, Old County Courthouse, check the county site for the time. [City of Ketchum]

Out & About

This week

Thu Sep 24  SVMoA: Watercolor: Painting in Community, 4, in Hailey, then a free Evening Exhibition Tour of "Circa 1971," 5:30, at the museum. [info]

Thu Sep 24  Warm Springs Preserve restoration tour, Ketchum, 4:30 to 5:30, free. RSVP asked, drop-ins welcome; it's an active construction site, so leave the dog home. [info]

Thu Sep 24  Gimlets in the Garden, Sawtooth Botanical Garden's fundraiser, 5 to 7:30. $150, or four for $500. [info]

Thu Sep 24  "Words in War" opening, Wood River Museum of History + Culture, Ketchum, 5 to 7, free. A new exhibit on the paperbacks the Army printed for soldiers in WWII, and Hemingway as a war correspondent. [info]

Thu Sep 24  Plant Bingo at the Sun Valley Garden Center, 771 N Main in Bellevue, 5:30 to 7:30, $30. Register at (208) 788-3533.

Thu Sep 24  Tech Made Simple, Hailey library, Town Center West, 5:30 to 7. Computers, the cloud, and staying safe online. [info]

Thu Sep 24  Lautaro Tissero Favaloro in the Argyros' Bailey Studio, 7, $28. Only 45 seats. [tickets]

Thu Sep 24 to Sun Oct 4  "The Mystery of Irma Vep", Wood River Rep, the Liberty Theatre in Hailey, 7 p.m. through Sunday, $20 to $45, ages 13 and up. Two actors, eight characters, one haunted estate. [info]

Fri Sep 25  History of Sun Valley bus tour, a free hour on a Mountain Rides bus with local guides, 10:30, from the Visitors Center. [IME]

Fri Sep 25  Touch rugby at Atkinson Park in Ketchum, 5:30.

Fri Sep 25  Wild Flora Farm's flower arranging workshop, the Wylde Beet, 6 to 7:30, $65. Owner Madie Deffé teaches with blooms cut that week, and you take the arrangement home. [info]

Fri Sep 25  Bike Social Ride, Ketchum Town Square, meet 6:15, roll 6:30. Four to seven easy miles, kids welcome, free. [IME]

Sat Sep 26  Fly-In Pancake Breakfast, Friedman Memorial Airport, 9 a.m., free. Raffle for YETI coolers and more, proceeds to local nonprofits. Section 2, at Airport Way and Broadford Highlands.

Sat Sep 26  The Trout Bout, 5B Anglers' third annual. Two-person teams fish 7 to 2, then dinner and awards at the Cutthroat Club in Bellevue, 5:30. $75 a person covers both; it funds a kids' fly-fishing camp. [info]

Sat Sep 26  The Baldy Hill Climb, 48th running, from Warm Springs, $40 to $50, plus a new Community Cup for local-business teams. [info]

Sat Sep 26  Carey Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Carey City Park, noon to 5, free. Music, performances, food, and games. [IME]

Sat Sep 26  Shook Twins, with Floor Guy and SID3S, at the Salted Sprig in Ketchum, 5 p.m., $45 to $50. [IME]

Sun Sep 27  Big Wood River Clean Up, 9th annual, 9 to noon, free. Check in at Howard Preserve in Bellevue, Draper Preserve in Hailey, or Warm Springs Preserve in Ketchum. [info]

Through Sun Sep 27  "School of Rock," St. Thomas Playhouse, 201 Sun Valley Rd. Thu and Fri 7, Sat 2 and 7, Sun 2. [IME]

Mon Sep 28  Mark Warren on "A Death in Alabama," his Pulitzer-winning feature, with journalist Kim Cross, the Community Library, 5 to 6, free, RSVP. [IME]

Tue Sep 29  SVMoA Museum Passport: Marcel Duchamp, with curator Courtney Gilbert, 5:30, free, registration required. [info]

Wed Sep 30  Chapter One's book club, at the Ketchum store, doors 5:30. Tracy Sierra joins on screen at 6 to talk about "Warning Signs." Read it first.

Every Monday

5:30 to 7  Volunteer for Veggies at the Hope Garden in Hailey. Work a shift, take home a share of the produce.

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.

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

5:30  Volleyball in the Park at Atkinson Park, free.

5:30  Ketchum Run Club, free, all paces. Sep 29 is the last run of the season. Start point on Strava. [info]

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.

Noon to 4  Wood River Farmers Market at Forest Service Park in Ketchum, through Oct 7. [info]

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

3 to 4  Paws to Read at the Community Library, free.

3 to 5  Valley Traditional Music Jams at the Community Library, free.

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

6 to 9, then 9  At Whiskey's on Main: ballroom 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.

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]

Every Saturday

10 a.m.  Dungeons and Dragons club for youth at the Hailey library, free. [info]

10 to 2  Wood River Farmers Market at Roberta McKercher Park in Hailey, through Oct 3. [info]

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 Mon, 5:30 to 8:30  Live music in the Limelight lounge, 151 Main St S, Ketchum. Free, no cover. [info]

Coming up

Thu Oct 1  Fall Sip + Paint with Kalie Rose Creative at EmieJames, 111 N 1st Ave, Hailey, 5:30 to 7:30, $55, supplies included. Twelve spots; the last one sold out. [tickets]

Thu Oct 1  Green Drinks Sun Valley, first Thursday, 5 p.m., free, first 25 get a beer. The venue rotates; follow @greendrinks_sunvalley on Instagram for this month's.

Fri Oct 2  SVMoA First Friday with Lobo Lara, 5 p.m., free. [info]

Fri Oct 2  Dinks on the Links, the pickleball alliance's first golf scramble, Bigwood, 2 p.m. shotgun. $500 a foursome, $125 alone, or $45 to skip golf for cornhole and putting. [info]

Sat Oct 3  Legends Never Die, a half marathon and a 55K out of Oregon Gulch near Easley. Registration is open; start times get assigned by pace. [info]

Sat Oct 3  Clean Comfort Table, a gut-healthy cooking demo with Chef Melissa Lee at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute, 6 p.m., $135. [tickets]

Sun Oct 4  Beginner couples country swing and two-step, four Sundays, BCRD FitWorks in Hailey, 3 to 4, $100 a couple. [info]

Wed Oct 7  Craft Circle starts at the Hailey library, Wednesdays 5:30 to 7. Knit, sew, bead, collage, whatever you're working on. Ages 16 and up. [info]

Thu Oct 8  Baa-ttle of the Brains, lamb trivia and a lamb chili dinner at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute, 6 p.m., $50. [tickets]

Sat Oct 10  Wild Flora Farm's season-ending workshop, on the farm near Bellevue, 2 to 4:30, $65. A farm tour plus the year's last fresh-flower class. [info]

Over Galena

Thu  Family movie night at Velvet Falls, free. Kids' film at 6, the older crowd around 8. [info]

Through Sun Sep 27  Sawtooth NRA end-of-season cleanup. Go on your own any day, or join the group Saturday at the Smiley Creek Dump Station, kits provided. [info]

Sat Sep 26, Sun Sep 27  Oktoberfest at the Kasino Club, 620 Ace of Diamonds, and Eric Lindell plays Saturday at 9.

Tue Sep 29  Book discussion: "Refugee," Stanley Library. Meal 5:30, talk at 6.

Wed 7:30  Trivia at the Kasino Club, 620 Ace of Diamonds.

Upcoming closings  Danner Cabins closes today, Redfish Lake Lodge Oct 11, the Sawtooth Hotel Oct 17, and Stanley Baking Co. after Sunday, Oct 18.

Mark it down

Wed Oct 7 to Sun Oct 11  Trailing of the Sheep, thirtieth year. Tickets are on sale. [info]

Sat Oct 24  Teton Gravity Research's "Actually, It Is Rocket Science," the Argyros, 4:30 and 8. [tickets]

The Dirt

River and fish. Last week's rain bumped the Big Wood to 148 cfs at Hailey, up from 119, which is 83% of the 179 cfs median for the date. Silver Creek at the Sportsman Access is 76 cfs and 54 degrees, about where it was. [USGS]

One more warm stretch. Ketchum is sunny and 75 Thursday, 73 Friday with gusts to 24 in the afternoon. Then it turns: highs in the low 60s Saturday through Tuesday, and lows fall into the mid 30s by Monday night. It may be time to get the last harvest out of the garden. [National Weather Service]

Over Galena. Valley Creek at Stanley is up to 105 cfs and the Salmon below the Yankee Fork to 538, both higher than last week after the rain. The spawning-season floating and swimming closures ran through Tuesday; check with the Stanley Ranger Station, (208) 774-3000, before you put in. [Sawtooth NF]

Open House

More than 150 people packed last week's Blaine Crossing open house at The Mint in Hailey. The outline so far: 108.8 acres of Flying Hat Ranch annexed into Hailey and 118 into Bellevue, workforce and market-rate housing, light industrial space, a possible 100-room hotel, and about 25 acres of fields for BCRD. Developer Skip Oppenheimer called it a 15-year project. The water study is due by late October. [IME]

Table Talk

Countryside Cornerstore is open in Woodside, at 819 Countryside Blvd in Hailey: coffee, pastries, and the grocery staples you forgot on the last run. It's a soft open, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a grand opening planned once its beer and wine license comes through. It's hiring, too; see Help Wanted. [Instagram]

G-Man's Mountain Eats closed for the season Tuesday after its first summer in Bellevue. They say they'll be back next summer.

Roadbars has a cocktail club in Hailey now. The Bellevue mobile-bar outfit is pouring two drinks you can only get during the "Irma Vep" run, through Oct. 4, a collaboration with Wood River Rep. [info]

Redfish Lake Lodge's Lakeside Grill stays open through Sunday, Sept. 27, extended because of the weather.

Know a new spot or a shuttered one? Hit reply. Tips beat press releases every time.

Help Wanted

KetchumWild Rye, the women-led outdoor apparel brand, needs a seasonal customer service rep: $20 an hour, 15 to 30 hours a week October through January, two to three days in the office. Apply by Friday, [email protected], subject "CX ROLE." [posting]

KetchumThe Observatory Sun Valley, the Viceroy resort going up at Main and River, has 20-plus openings posted: cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, banquet servers, a massage therapist, an esthetician, engineers, and front-office staff. [postings]

GalenaGalena Lodge is hiring its winter crew, mid-November to early April: restaurant staff, line cooks, a baker, Nordic ski instructors and a ski school director, and ski shop staff. Housing for full-timers. Apply by Nov. 1. [posting]

KetchumThe City of Ketchum wants youth recreation assistants for its after-school program, mentoring second through fifth graders. Open until filled. [posting]

HaileyCountryside Cornerstore, the new market at 819 Countryside Blvd in Woodside, is hiring for one or two weekend days so the store can open seven days a week. Email applications to Whitney at [email protected].

HaileyThe Blaine County Sheriff's Office is hiring detention and patrol deputies, entry-level and lateral: $36.91 to $41.34 an hour, full-time with benefits, shift differentials, and specialty pay. Contact the hiring coordinator at [email protected] or (208) 788-5536. [info]

ValleyTogetherWe, the valley's mental well-being nonprofit, is hiring two full-time roles: an operations coordinator, $55,000 to $70,000, and a community initiatives manager, $60,000 to $90,000. Send a resume and cover letter to [email protected]; applications are reviewed as they arrive.

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

If you do one thing this weekend, grab a bag Sunday morning and walk a stretch of the Big Wood. Three check-in spots, three hours, and the river's in better shape for it all winter.

See you next Thursday.

The Bigwood Brief

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