Dear Gaia, please send me some global warming.  I’ve been a good boy.  I didn’t use your name in vain during the January blizzard.  I don’t drive a gas guzzler.  I don’t want to keep running my furnace.

One of the guys here at the office posted a story a week ago about our warmer-than-normal spring.  Then, BINGO!  Early March returned.  It snowed overnight in Pocatello.  A friend in Camas County had a morning in the teens on Tuesday.  He still had to plant ahead during the day.  Memorial Day is a few weeks away.  More cold and rain is expected this weekend.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a drier-than-average summer, especially in East Idaho.  Summer rain is expected to be slightly below average.  I try to avoid saying normal, it’s a word used by TV meteorologists (tested by focus groups) but gives a false impression.

The last couple of springs have looked very similar into May and into June.  Last year I stopped at an Oasis and a woman behind the counter told me she was new in Idaho.  She asked if it was always as cold and rainy in June.  We haven’t seen a lot of spring in recent years.  Here in the south, the drought is temporary history.  It’s dry in the panhandle but this summer doesn’t look like Death Valley Days according to NOAA.

It may be possible that some of what we see with so-called climate change are historical variations.  We have bigger fish to fry when it gets seriously hot.

Sasquatch Hunting

COEUR d’ALENE — Henry Wolsten didn’t have a booth at the North Idaho Business Expo and Career Fair, but perhaps he should have.

The owner and manager of Spring Chicken Socials was on the lookout for young people, college graduates and freelancers “looking to help their local community and help them foster and grow rather than taking their skills and assets elsewhere.”

Wolsten’s independent social media marketing company could use photographers, videographers and graphic designers, and he hoped to find them at the expo at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

He talked with several people, explained who he was and what he did, and learned about their work plans and hopes.

“I’m having a blast so far,” Wolsten said. “I like meeting people with startups because I feel I can relate to them.”

Nearly 80 businesses and organizations manned booths at the annual event organized by the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber and Post Falls Area Chamber.

When it opened at 4 p.m. a crowd of young and old flowed through the doors and in the first 30 minutes, hundreds had talked to vendors about jobs and services and also came away with plenty of prizes.

Engineering, banking, health care, higher education and tourism were just some of the fields represented at the three-hour fair.

“I love bringing the community together and having them learn about businesses,” said Christina Petit, Post Falls Area Chamber president and CEO.

Miquel Butler, ticket supervisor with the Route of the Hiawatha, said they were looking to hire about 50 people before their Memorial Day weekend opening. 

They were offering in the $12 to $14 an hour range for positions including trail marshals, bus drivers, bike rental technicians and cashiers. They were also offering discounted housing in the Silver Valley.

“We’re expecting a busy summer,” she said. 

Bob and Marilyn Weaver of Bayview were making the rounds. Married 64 years, they enjoy getting out and learning what companies have to offer.

“We like to see what the vendors are in the area,” Bob Weaver said.

They enjoyed the expo’s friendly atmosphere and high-energy vibes.

“It’s a good show,” Marilyn Weaver said. 

Likewise for Florence Stovall, who was there with her husband, Earl Stovall.

“For the free stuff,” she said. 

MALHEUR COUNTY, Oregon — Remains of a missing Boise woman, Gwen Brunelle, have been found in Malheur County, Oregon according to the missing woman’s family and the search company they hired.

A news release from Aloft Drone Search, says the company was contacted by Gwen’s family to help find her. Aloft Drone Search analyzed thousands of images taken by a drone company based in Homedale, Idaho.

After about a month, Aloft Drone search says they spotted what they believed to be human remains, and contacted the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.

Search resumed in the case of missing Boise woman Gwen Brunelle

According to Aloft Drone Search, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office confirmed what was seen in the imagery were human remains.

Idaho News 6 contacted Brunelle’s uncle, who confirmed the family posts updates online on a website dedicated to the search. The site includes many updates since Brunelle was initially reported missing in June 2023.

According to the website, the found remains were found in the Succor Creek area, a few miles west of Highway 95. The remains were then sent to the Oregon State Medical Examiner.

On April 30, the family says the County Undersheriff notified them that the remains were identified as Gwen Brunelle.

On the site, Brunelle’s family offers their thanks to the many people who aided their search.

“We are very thankful for the volunteers at Aloft Drone Search for their hours of poring over photographs that helped lead to a result. So too the work of Terrevata for the aerial photography. And especially the devoted volunteers at Mountain States Detection Dogs for their tireless efforts, and for finding the first clue – Gwen’s t-shirt – last September that helped establish where to focus search efforts. Finally the Malheur County Sheriffs office who responded quickly and acted on information when we found it.”

Idaho News 6 has reached out to the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but we have yet to hear back.