Idaho has one of the "worst historical sites in America" • Don't go swimming in Hayden Lake • Editorial slams Washington gov. for failing to land Areva • Idaho Falls bike shop helps young cyclists • Heated runway would help with "greening" of airport • Wolf death toll part II

Idaho has one of the "worst historical sites in America"

Author James Loewren's book called "Lies Across America" lists what he calls "The Top Ten Worst Historical Sites in the United States," and one of those sites is in the small south-central Idaho farm town of Almo.

Utah TV station ABC4 reports that historians say the massacre of 300 pioneers along the California-Oregon trail near Almo, for which there is a monument in town, never happened.

Residents say they are aware of what historians say, but the monument has "been in town so long, since 1938, that it is a part of their community."

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Don't go swimming in Hayden Lake

Up to 11,000 gallons of raw sewage may have spilled into Hayden Lake in N. Idaho, and officials think a pipe plugged with dirty diapers may be to blame.

The Spokesman-Review reports that Hayden Lake water district Chairman Gerry House said there's no way to determine how much sewage spilled into the lake, but that it could range from 50 gallons to 11,000 gallons.

Test results from water samples that will determine the amount of E. coli bacteria in the lake should be available this morning.

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Editorial slams Washington gov. for failing to land Areva

An editorial from the Tri-City Herald earlier this week says Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire "blew it" when Areva announced it would build its new uranium enrichment plant in Idaho Falls instead of Richland.

The editorial says, "Areva's proposal would have provided the Tri-Cities with the sort of manufacturing base that sustains local economies." It accuses Gregoire of not giving the Tri-Cities the support it deserved in its bid to get the Areva plant.

"We've long considered Gregoire a good friend to the Tri-Cities, even when it seemed she wasn't much appreciated. We recommended her to Mid-Columbia voters in the last election, and until this Areva fiasco, we haven't had much reason to second guess our position."

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Idaho Falls bike shop helps young cyclists

An Idaho Falls bike shop gave 13 fifth graders revamped bicycles, and a transportation department grant provided 50 kids with brand new helmets.

Now that's positive news on National Bike to Work Day.

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Heated runway would help with "greening" of airport

Everybody knows that there are plenty of heated driveways and sidewalks in ski towns. But a heated runway?

Rick Baird, the manager of Hailey's Friedman Memorial Airport, recently told the Mtn. Express that underground heating to melt runway snow would eliminate the need for big diesel-powered snow-removal machines except in emergencies.

Baird said that no existing airport has a heated runway.

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Wolf death toll part II

A wolf killed east of Grand Teton National Park is the first known illegal killing in the state since the animals lost federal protection.

The body of the dead wolf, found by a U.S. Forest Service employee in late April, was in a protected zone where wolves can be shot only with a state-issued hunting license.

State officials have offered a $3,000 reward for help finding the responsible parties to show they mean business in complying with wolf hunting rules.

Sixteen wolves have been killed legally in Wyoming since delisting.