(GOWEN FIELD) — The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team will hold a change of command ceremony May 17 at 10 a.m. on Gowen Field, signifying the transfer of authority between outgoing commander Col. Eric Orcutt and the incoming commander, Col. Jason Gracida.

Orcutt has served as the unit’s commander since August 2021. Under his command, the 116th CBCT completed two back-to-back task force mobilizations in support of Operation Spartan Shield in the Central Command area of responsibility; two joint and multinational overseas training exercises in the Republic of Tunisia and the Kingdom of Morocco; and the continued modernization of 116th CBCT equipment.

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to command the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team and serve alongside the officers, NCOs, and Soldiers of Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Nevada,” Orcutt said. “Their professionalism and expertise are unmatched and stand as an example for all other armor brigade combat teams to follow. I am confident that the long-held traditions of excellence and mission accomplishment for the 116th will continue for many years to come.”

Orcutt will continue his service in the Idaho National Guard as chief of the joint staff.

Gracida has served in the military since 1992, earning his commission as an officer in 2002. Most recently, Gracida served as director of operations for the Idaho Army National Guard. He previously served as the 116th CBCT’s executive officer from 2020 through 2023 and deployed with the brigade in 2004 and 2010.

“It is my distinct honor to be selected for command of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team,” Gracida said. “Our brigade has always been and will remain the standard bearer of the armored brigades within the National Guard, and we will continue to achieve that distinction through each of our assigned missions. My commitment to this brigade and its Soldiers is to ensure we uphold our reputation and build upon the esteem of the 116th in all we do and everywhere we go.”

Brig. Gen. Cole Packwood, assistant adjutant general – Army and commander, Idaho Army National Guard, will preside over the ceremony, which will include the passing of the colors and other customary military traditions.

The 116th CBCT is the state’s largest National Guard unit and is located throughout the state in nearly two dozen communities with subordinate units in Montana, Nevada and Oregon.

Members of the media interested in attending should plan to meet a public affairs representative at the Gowen Field Visitors Center no later than 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 17.

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Nearly 25 years ago, my daughter and I were driving to Vermont.  We were traveling on Interstate 87 along the western shore of Lake Champlain.  You drive through northern New York State until you get to the old Revolutionary War site at Crown Point.  From there, a bridge takes you across the lake to Vermont.

It was just past 11:00 a.m. and we noticed lights ahead.  Floodlights.  These were being used to illuminate road construction.  The state was doing the work after hours when fewer drivers were on the roads.  The policy had been adopted after a proposal from a candidate named Howard Stern.  Yes, that Howard Stern.  He had been a Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, and he was sick of being delayed during daytime construction.

I thought about the policy last week as I drove to Burley for a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.  At one point I drove at 12 miles per hour on the Interstate for seven miles.  On my return trip, I noticed eastbound traffic was at a standstill.  There was paving underway at a construction site.

At the luncheon, there were three state legislators in attendance.  I asked if off-peak construction was a possibility.  The idea has been floated before, according to Senator Kelly Anthon.  He explained it’s a challenge to even find an available contractor.  Labor and material shortages have Idaho in competition for resources with neighboring states.  Institute night-time construction and contractors are likely to make Idaho a low priority.

Representative Clay Handy pointed out that Idaho has seen some nasty accidents in construction zones, and he fears it could even be worse at night.

Is there a solution to the delays?  Yes, patience.  Or Route 30 as an alternative between Burley and Twin Falls.

Idaho Democrats will hold their presidential nominating caucus from 5-8 p.m. local time on May 23, giving Democrats across the state the chance to vote for their party’s presidential nominee. 

The caucus is new this year, and the Democrats are staging their caucus two days after the May 21 primary election. Idaho Republicans already conducted their presidential nominating caucus on March 2.

Although President Joe Biden secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party’s nomination for president back in March, there are six candidates who have qualified to appear on the ballot for the Democratic caucus in the Gem State, said Jared DeLoof, executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party.

Those candidates are 

• Biden
• David Olscamp
• Jason Palmer
• Armando Perez-Serrato
• Dean Phillips
• Marianne Williamson

In addition to their choice of presidential candidates, Democrats will also vote on delegates to attend the Idaho Democratic Party’s summer convention, which runs June 22 through June 23 in Moscow, DeLoof said. 

What to expect at the Democratic presidential caucus

The locations of Democratic caucus sites are posted online. There is at least one caucus site in every county and voters must attend a caucus site in the county they are registered to vote in. For counties that feature more than one caucus site, such as Ada and Canyon counties, voters may go to any site they wish in their home county, DeLoof said. 

In order to vote in the Democrats’ caucus, voters must be affiliated with the Democratic Party or be an unaffiliated voter, DeLoof said. People can register to vote or change their party affiliation to the Democrats at the caucus site. But voters cannot participate in the Democrats’ caucus if they already participated in the Republican’s presidential caucus or any other presidential caucus this year, DeLoof said. Additionally, interested voters who are only 17 years old when the Democratic caucus takes place will be allowed to register to vote and participate in the caucus if they turn 18 before the Nov. 5 general election. Voters are also allowed to bring their younger children to accompany them and observe the caucus. 

The caucus will begin at 5 p.m. local time and will end at 8 p.m. DeLoof said anyone who is in line for a Democratic caucus at 8 p.m. will still be allowed to vote.

Once voters are checked in at their caucus site on May 23, they will be given a ballot to fill out and hand in, and then may leave if they wish. DeLoof said there will only be one round of voting, and the goal is for the entire process to take less than 10 minutes.

“The thing we have prioritized more than anything else is voters participating in ways that will be familiar to them and with the least amount of obstacles as possible,” DeLoof said in a telephone interview. 

The presidential caucus is new for Idaho voters this year because last year the Idaho Legislature seemingly unintentionally eliminated the presidential primary elections.

In 2023, the Idaho Legislature passed House BIll 138, which supporters said was designed to move the state’s presidential primary election back from March to take place in May with the other state primary elections. But instead of moving the presidential primary back, House Bill 138 eliminated the presidential primary election altogether. A so-called trailer bill that was designed to correct the issue did not advance out of the House State Affairs Committee at the end of the 2023 legislative session, and legislators could not agree to a special session in late 2023 to reinstate the presidential primary election. 

In response, the state’s political parties decided to conduct presidential nominating caucuses in absence of the primary election. 

“We did not want this caucus system,” DeLoof said. “We tried to work with Republicans to get this fixed because a caucus, quite frankly, is not a great way for folks to be able to cast a vote. We’re not happy with the system, but we are making the best of it.”

Primary elections and caucuses are different for many reasons. One of the reasons is that caucuses are run entirely by the political parties, not the state or counties. The Republican caucus also required all voters to attend their caucus in person and there was no exception for members of the military stationed out of state, religious missionaries, people who had to work, people who were traveling, people who had accessibility issues or people who lacked transportation.

On the other hand, the Democrats offer absentee ballots to voters who cannot participate in person due to military service, disability or illness, work, child care obligations, school, the inability to travel or other reasons. Voters can request an absentee ballot online, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Mountain Time, May 16.

“We’re trying to make it as accessible as possible and ultimately make the best of a bad situation, and we look forward to seeing everyone at these events,” DeLoof said.  

Unlike the Republican caucus, news reporters will be allowed inside the Democratic caucus sites to observe and report on the process as long as they register for a credential with the Democratic Party, DeLoof said. Only registered Republicans and their children were allowed at the Republican’s caucus in March, meaning news reporters and independent observers who were not registered Republicans were not allowed to observe the GOP caucus.