Connect with us

Idaho

Head golf pro for the city of Idaho Falls stepping down after 46 years – East Idaho News

Published

on

Head golf pro for the city of Idaho Falls stepping down after 46 years – East Idaho News


IDAHO FALLS – Although Tim Reinke says he’s never had a bad day in his 46-year career, he’s calling it quits.

The 65-year-old Idaho Falls man has been the manager of all golf operations at Pinecrest, Sand Creek and Sage Lakes Golf Courses. He was also promoted to Head Golf Pro of Pinecrest in 1984.

In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Reinke says the reason for his retirement isn’t tied to anything in particular. He just feels now is a good time to step down.

“I love it (my job). I could easily do it another 10 years, but I decided, as long as I’m healthy, I might as well go and do some other things I haven’t had a chance to do,” Reinke says.

Advertisement

Reinke didn’t mention anything specific he plans to do in retirement, but he says he’s spent a lot of time away from home on weekends through the years and would like to spend more quality time with his wife.

Reinke’s last day with the city will be on April 30. A retirement celebration will be held at Pinecrest Golf Course on April 25.

Replacing him in the role is Sean Thomsen, who previously worked as the city’s assistant golf professional.

Tim Reinke in his younger days. | Courtesy photo

Coming to Idaho Falls

Reinke started working for the city of Idaho Falls in 1979. He was 18 then, but had been working around golf courses since age 9. Reinke and his family moved to Billings, Montana around that time. It was here that his dad joined a golf club.

Advertisement

“I thought he was crazy when he did it. I thought, What are you doing, dad? That just sounds so dumb,” he says.

It wasn’t long before Reinke picked up a club and fell in love with the sport. He eventually started working at the same golf club where his father played.

Mike Taylor was the club’s PGA professional. Taylor started working as the professional golfer for the city of Idaho Falls in 1975. That’s how Reinke ended up here.

“I’d worked with him in Laurel (near Billings),” Reinke explains. “When I turned 18, my mother told me I had to get a summer job so I came out to Idaho Falls.”

There were only two golf courses in town back then. The courses were consistently packed and Reinke remembers turning about 400 people away on a daily basis during his second year of employment.

Advertisement

Sage Lakes Golf Course was built several years later.

Reinke enrolled in the Professional Golfers Association early on so he could start teaching golf. He remembers scoring 98 out of 100 on the test — the highest score in the nation at the time.

“I got a national award,” says Reinke. “I think there were about 34,000 applicants for the test. It was quite a nice honor, but I laugh about it now because … most of the applicants hadn’t even opened the textbook (after a weeklong course). The test is about what’s in those books.”

Four years after moving to Idaho Falls, Reinke became the head golf pro at age 23 when Taylor took a job in Arizona. More than four decades later, Reinke is thrilled with how things turned out and to call Idaho Falls home.

Recent photo of Tim Reinke | Courtesy photo
Recent photo of Tim Reinke | Courtesy photo

‘I’ve enjoyed every minute’

Reinke has received multiple awards during his tenure. He was named the Golf Professional of the Year in the Rocky Mountain region three times. Golf Digest named him one of the top golf instructors in Idaho twice.

Advertisement

“Reinke … has been the low scoring professional many times in pro-am events, as well as winning the Senior Division of the Idaho Open in 2012,” according to a news release from the city.

Reinke was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2021.

Although Reinke is honored with all the awards, he says it’s the people that have made it a worthwhile career. It’s those interactions he’s going to miss most.

Even in retirement, Reinke says he isn’t going anywhere and is still planning to stick around as a golf instructor.

“I’m going to continue teaching. I’ve got thousands of students that I’ve given lessons to throughout the years. Retiring will give me more time to give lessons without worrying about the shop every day,” he says.

Advertisement

He has nothing but good things to say about his successor and wishes him the best in his new role.

“I truly have had zero bad days here,” says Reinke. “It’s been a seven-day-a-week job. I probably average 16 hours a day … and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

In a news release, Mayor Rebecca Casper praises Reinke for his contributions to the city’s golf courses over the years and wishes him well in his retirement.

“Tim has been a huge driving force in making Idaho Falls golf courses the success they are today,” Casper says. “More importantly, Tim has helped teach and share his love of the game with countless generations over the years. He’s been a true steward of the sport — not just in our City, but in golf communities nationwide. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

The public is invited to Reinke’s retirement celebration on April 25. It’s happening from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pinecrest Golf Course.

Advertisement

=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>





Source link

Idaho

Idaho Belles & Chimes club teams with Starbelly School of Dance for Girls’ Day Out

Published

on

Idaho Belles & Chimes club teams with Starbelly School of Dance for Girls’ Day Out


An afternoon of free-play pinball and a belly dancing lesson took place at the Boise as the Idaho Pinball Museum’s Girls’ Day Out.

The Idaho Pinball Museum is an interactive collection of pinball machines and educational exhibits with a mission to cultivate curiosity in science, art, and the history of pinball and vintage mechanical gaming while showcasing American culture.

Girls’ Day Out featured the Idaho Belles & Chimes club, which meets monthly to encourage everyone to play pinball. In May, the group is paying tribute to the art style seen on many machines featuring belly dancing costumes.

The event included a free belly dancing lesson from Starbelly School of Dance, along with an optional Women’s Division pinball tournament.

Advertisement

The Idaho Pinball Museum is located at 1104 N. Cole Road in Boise, between Emerald and Fairview. The main entrance is in the courtyard.



Source link

Continue Reading

Idaho

Viral Idaho Domino’s pizza driver ‘Dan the Man’ retires after strangers raise $170K for his act of kindness

Published

on

Viral Idaho Domino’s pizza driver ‘Dan the Man’ retires after strangers raise 0K for his act of kindness


An Idaho Domino’s delivery worker whose small act of kindness went viral has retired after kind strangers helped raise more than $170,000.

Dan Simpson, 68, known locally as “Dan the Man,” said the surprise windfall allowed him to step away from years of grinding work from his job with the pizza chain in Boise, Idaho, earlier than planned.

“I got up this morning … and I checked my bank account and there was $163,000, what a retirement gift that was,” Simpson told KTVB Idaho on Friday. The donations have now hit $171,375.

Idaho Domino’s delivery worker Dan Simpson, 68, has retired after kind strangers helped raise more than $170,000. 11 Alive

Simpson shot to internet fame in March after a family’s doorbell camera captured him telling a customer he had bought their Diet Cokes with his own money when the store ran out during his delivery.

Advertisement

“Oh, you don’t need to. It’s a good tip,” he told customer Brian Wilson, who offered to reimburse him for the beverage.

The video spread quickly online after Wilson posted it on TikTok, drawing millions of views and prompting him to launch a GoFundMe campaign that far exceeded its original goal.

“What Dan didn’t know is that my wife and I are both visually impaired, so running out to the store for a ‘quick’ pickup is not something that is simple or easy for us,” Wilson told the Idaho Statesman at the time.

“What may have seemed like a tiny inconvenience to solve on his end actually made a huge difference on ours.”

Simpson went viral after a doorbell camera showed him saying he bought a customer’s Diet Cokes when the store ran out. 11 Alive

Longtime delivery driver Simpson, who also worked for the Idaho Department of Agriculture, said he’s now ready for a slower pace.

Advertisement

“I’m ready for normal again,” he told KTVB Idaho. “I got up today thinking, well, I’ll never get another phone call for an interview.”

Instead of splurging on his funds, Simpson said he plans to keep things simple and “buy a decent van.”

He hopes to travel back roads, take photographs and possibly head to the coast.

Simpson also spoke openly about his past, including struggles with addiction and time in prison.

“I got in a lot of trouble with drinking and drugs,” he said. “When I got out, I said, ‘That’s it.’ I knew I’d never drink again.”

Advertisement
“I’m ready for normal again,” Simpson said. “I got up today thinking I’ll never get another phone call for an interview.” 11 Alive

He said he has been sober for nearly 24 years and worked multiple jobs after his release.

“Ever since I stepped out of prison, I’ve basically worked two jobs and worked hard and tried to do the right thing,” he said.

Now financially stable, Simpson said he wants to help others dealing with addiction.

“Maybe get them grounded in something that doesn’t make drugs and alcohol necessary in their life,” he said.

Despite retiring, he plans to keep delivering pizzas on weekends.

Advertisement

“So thank you, Boise. Thank you, Treasure Valley,” Simpson said. “You made my life quite a little bit easier.”





Source link

Continue Reading

Idaho

Six transgender residents sue Idaho over strict new bathroom ban – East Idaho News

Published

on

Six transgender residents sue Idaho over strict new bathroom ban – East Idaho News


FILE – The Idaho Statehouse is seen at sunrise in Boise, Idaho, April 20, 2021. | (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Six transgender Idaho residents are suing the state in federal court, asking a federal judge to declare a strict new bathroom ban unconstitutional.

The law, which goes into effect in July, is the strictest bathroom ban in the nation, subjecting people to time behind bars if they knowingly enter a bathroom, locker room or changing area that does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth — even if the bathroom is in a privately owned business. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to a year in jail for a first offense, or a felony with up to five years in prison for a second offense.

The plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, say the law forces them to either stay at home or risk harassment, assault or arrest when using public restrooms.

Advertisement

“I’ve been enjoying life as a man and using the men’s restrooms hasn’t been a big deal,” Diego Fable, one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release. “But this law would force me to use the women’s facilities, and doing so would only invite suspicion, questions, and raised eyebrows. I would have to face tough choices every time I leave my home: Do I know the restroom situation when I go out to eat with my friends? Do I know the restrooms available when I go to public parks to go birding? What do I do while I’m at work all day?”

Republican Sen. Ben Toews, one of the sponsors of the legislation behind the law, said in March that the law was needed to protect women and children. He suggested that transgender people could simply find and use a single-occupancy gender -neutral restroom if they wanted.

Few gender-neutral restrooms available

But in the lawsuit, Fable said the only restrooms available at his work, local grocery stores and some restaurants, conference centers and gas stations are multi-occupancy gendered facilities. Other people also perceive Fable as a man, according to the lawsuit — and he is worried he will face violence if he goes into a women’s restroom facility as required by the new law.

“Ultimately, complying with this law would be extremely isolating,” Fable said. “The only safe option truly available is to just stay home –- or leave the state entirely, leaving my treasured friends and community behind.”

The other plaintiffs expressed similar concerns. Peter Poe is a transgender man with a beard, and said using a women’s restroom would be disruptive. Amelia Milette, a transgender woman, says her job requires her to assist clients at their own offices, and most of those offices only do not have gender-neutral restrooms. She said she will have to limit her food and liquid consumption to reduce the need to use the restroom in public places if the law goes into effect.

Advertisement

At least 19 states, including Idaho, already have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their gender in schools and, in some cases, other public places. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Movement Advancement Project’s tracking of the laws shows that three other states — Florida, Kansas and Utah — have made it a criminal offense in some circumstances to violate the bathroom laws.

Idaho’s law applies broadly to private businesses

But none of the others apply as broadly to private businesses as the Idaho law, which covers any “place of public accommodation,” meaning any business or facility that serves the public. The legislation includes nine exceptions for situations like performing janitorial work, responding to emergencies, helping children or cases when someone has “dire need” of a restroom.

The plaintiffs say the ban will cause emotional harm, exacerbate gender dysphoria and could lead to medical problems like kidney and urinary tract infections caused by being forced to avoid using restrooms. They contend the law is overly vague, that it discriminates based on sex and transgender status, and that it violates their constitutional right to privacy because it will force them to disclose their transgender status.

“This law is a dangerous and discriminatory effort to push transgender people out of public life,” said Barbara Schwabauer, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project.

Schwabauer said they would try to have the law completely blocked. “If you cannot use the restroom at work, you cannot go to work. If you cannot use the restroom at school, you cannot go to school,” she said.

Advertisement

Attorney General Raúl Labrador is named as a defendant in the case along with multiple county prosecutors.

“We look forward to defending the law,” Labrador’s office said in an email to The Associated Press.

=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending