Well, I think it’s better than saying “Don’t **** Idaho”.  The word fornicate is much cleaner.  Combining it with the name of the most despised state in Idaho, if not all of America, gets attention.  It sure beats a plain red sign saying “Vote No on Prop 1”.

There have been complaints about the signs being posted by the Idaho Republican Party.  State GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon told me similar billboards are being posted by businessman Frank VanderSloot.  He’s spending 90,000 dollars of his own money to defeat open primaries and ranked-choice voting.  Mr. VanderSloot isn’t just the state’s wealthiest citizen, he’s a man of faith.

That should quiet complaints the signs are offensive.  If you’re a left-leaning Democrat, you’re angry because the signs are eye-catching.  Republicans are showing some marketing savvy.  And I’ve been told liberals do a lot of fornicating.

Proposition 1 would destroy the party system in Idaho, and some states, Alaska for instance, appear ready to repeal the same destructive plot.  Open primaries and ranked-choice voting have been in place in that state for four years.  Voters there have become fed up with the results.

Backers of the proposition see its success as a means of diluting conservative power in conservative states.  In other words, they want the rest of America to resemble the People’s Republic of California.

While some are complaining about the signs, republicans are printing more to meet demand.  People are calling my radio show and asking where they can get one.  The county GOP will soon have an office open in Twin Falls and also have signs available.  We’ll update you when that happens.

The nine-person Universal Kenpo Kung Fu Association (UKKA) team from Spirit Lake and Sandpoint competed at the Pasadena International Karate Tournament in Pasadena, Calif., on Aug. 30-31, and returned home to North Idaho with 40 international titles which totaled: 23 first-place trophies, 12 second-place trophies and five third-place trophies.  

The tournament had hundreds of competitors from the United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

60-year-old black belt Mike Siegfried (the team instructor) won three first-place trophies and one second-place trophy. 

14-year-old green belt Alannah Winland (team captain) won four first-place trophies and one third-place trophy. 

18-year-old purple belt Allilah Dykes won three first-place trophies and one second-place trophy. 

14-year-old orange belt Saydie Green won one first-place trophy and four second-place trophies. 

10-year-old orange belt Jesse Winland won two first-place trophies. 

9-year-old orange belt Jessika Winland won three first-place trophies and one second place trophy. 

13-year-old yellow belt Taylor Jenkins won six first-place trophies and one second-place trophy. 

9-year-old yellow belt Audrey Jenkins won one first-place, four second-place and one third-place trophies. 

8-year-old yellow belt Michael Jenkins won two third-place trophies. 

“Our little team came back to North Idaho with 40 international titles,” Siegfried said. This is a truly stunning achievement. I am so proud of the team and their awesome parents and grandparents who have supported them from the beginning. During the event, the team worked together in the face of very tough competition. They performed in the weapons, forms, synchronized forms, and sparring divisions with skill, grace, beauty and fearlessness. More importantly, they treated their competitors, teammates, and themselves with dignity and respect which are hallmarks of a well-trained martial artist. United together, they worked tirelessly for a year to prepare for this tournament, and they exceeded all expectations. The team trusted each other, their skills and their training and they are now international champions because they put in the work and had a plan to win.” 

Team UKKA is sponsored by the Verbal Judo Institute, Inc., a verbal de-escalation training company based in New York. Team UKKA hopes to represent the state of Idaho in additional tournaments this year. If you are interested in supporting Team UKKA as a sponsor, you can contact Master Siegfried at Idahoukka@gmail.com. You can also support them by watching their journey on YouTube and subscribing at http://www.youtube.com/@idahoukka  

A popular resort near McCall has closed because of nearby wildfires.

Tamarack Resort, alongside Lake Cascade, announced Tuesday afternoon that it would close temporarily as it hovered just out of range of an evacuation order. The entire resort — which includes vacation rentals, golf and a summer concert series — has closed, and guests are being sent home.

“Our team is now working with guests and homeowners on preparations for a safe departure from the resort,” a news release said. Coordinating with firefighters, “Tamarack’s operations team has been creating defensible space around our resort boundaries, cutting dozer lines, and readying our snowmaking system should its water be needed,” the release added.

The resort plans to remain closed until authorities clear the area of an imminent wildfire threat.

Central Idaho has been hit with a barrage of wildfires this summer, which have closed lodges, threatened town residents and inundated much of the state with hazardous levels of smoke.

Tamarack faces fire threats mainly from two blazes to the south: the 70,000-acre Lava Fire and the 7,900-acre Boulder Fire.