UP FRONT: We hope special section gives you that hometown feeling

When driving north or south through Idaho on the only route available, U.S. Highway 95, who out there has cranked the wheel and slipped onto one of the bypass roads that cuts out the elbow of the highway that nudges into Grangeville?

It’s OK to admit it. I’ve done it, you’ve done it — we’ve all done it.

But after reading today’s paper, we all might realize Grangeville is worth a visit.

Today’s edition marks the debut of Hometown Profile, a series we hope to treat our readers with every few months. Each entry will profile one of the smaller, but not too small, communities in the region we cover — north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.

The Tribune devotes most of its time and efforts to covering Lewiston, Clarkston, Moscow and Pullman, since those are the largest population centers in the area. But we have great love and respect for our smaller towns, too, and this series will hopefully show it.

When considering which community to profile first, we quickly settled on Grangeville. Following the “big four” cities mentioned above, it is one of our area’s largest population hubs. And among those residents is Kathy Hedberg, a recently retired Tribune reporter who wrote the main story in today’s section. Of course, Hedberg has plenty of Grangeville street cred.

The section also features excellent photos, detailed maps and a poignant first-person column from Jeri Mae (Holes) Rowley, who grew up in Grangeville as a daughter of the family that owned the Ray Holes Saddle Co.

Be sure to check out the Hometown Profile package, which is in the B Section of today’s paper. You’ll learn about how Grangeville was founded, its rowdy early days, its changing business scene, the development of schools, how Border Days evolved, the discovery of a mammoth graveyard and a spot near town where it seems like your car rolls uphill.

Hedberg’s story also mentions Lake Road and Johnston Road — the two cutoff routes that allow you to avoid Grangeville and save a few minutes (although how much time travelers save is debatable). I’ve used both routes from time to time over the years, but I now feel compelled to stick to the main route and visit Grangeville on my next journey through.

I’m pleased with the Hometown Profile section, and I hope you will be too. One heads-up: The paper is a bit of a jumble today thanks to the special section. You’ll find Sports on 1-5C, More News on 6-7C and Opinion on 8C.

Which small but proud community will we train our focus on next? I’m not certain. If you’ve got any suggestions, please let us know.

Whatever town we pick, I bet our profile will make me want to visit it.

Baney is the managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News. He can be reached at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251.