Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two set to appear in Sunday’s Tribune.
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KAMIAH — Kamiah Fire-Rescue Chief Bill Arsenault resigned from his position during the Sept. 22 Kamiah City Council meeting.
“This was totally the chief’s decision,” Mayor Betty Heater said. Arsenault, who has served in the role for 11 months, said, “In light of a long battle in a short amount of time, truth be told, I’m tired.” He added, “We have worked through a lot of things to bring Kamiah where it needs to be.”
He described his family as the key reason for leaving. “I miss my family,” Arsenault said. He continued, “I am watching my daughter grow up via Facetime.” He recalls his boys growing up through his deployments to Iraq and fighting wildland fires.
Arsenault also shared that some of the things said on social media have worn him down; whether they are true or untrue, he has felt the need to defend himself and the organization. He encourages people to stop and get the real information before posting things. He said he hopes that as a human race, as the American people, as the people of Kamiah, we can do better.
“We have made awesome strides with a number of things, but first and foremost it’s our people,” Arsenault said. He added that he couldn’t have done it without the elected officials, the fire district and the community.
Arsenault has particularly enjoyed working with the community’s youth during his time here.
“We need to love them, we need to take care of them and we need to be there for them,” said Arsenault.
“Thanks for letting me be a part of this,” he concluded.
Arsenault has prepared a 90-day transition plan to work with the city officials and the Kamiah Rural Fire District to bring new leadership.
— Norma Staaf, The Clearwater Progress (Kamiah), Thursday
Parents, students and community stand up against mask mandate
The Joint School District 171 board held a special meeting Monday in regard to the mask mandate which had been previously approved at the board’s regular meeting Sept. 20. The meeting location had to be changed to the elementary gymnasium due to the audience exceeding the fire safety capacity of the Orofino Elementary School Library.
An infraction was discovered in the way the item was voted on in the Sept. 20 meeting when the decision was made for mandatory masking. The item appeared on the agenda for discussion, but was not listed as an action item. When it was added to the agenda for a vote Sept. 20, Charity Robinson failed to declare that it was an “emergency.”
The board issued a statement Sept. 21 announcing that the decision to mandate masks was null and void and needed to be “cured” at the special meeting.
Parents, students and grandparents expressed their concerns during public comment. Everyone that spoke felt masks were harmful to children’s physical and mental health, as well as the educational challenges in such areas as speech and reading when students either could not hear or see the way words were pronounced because of masks. Many parents expressed that the choice of whether their child wore a mask or not was their responsibility alone, and asked that the school remain focused on their duty to educate.
Considering all of the information presented to the board from medical professionals, Public Health, parents, and the Idaho State Board of Education in her role as a trustee, Chris St. Germaine made the compromised motion for highly recommended face coverings with the clause, unless 2 percent of the school population tests positive for COVID-19 or 25 percent of the school population is absent, at which time the school will be closed. The vote passed three to two as St. Germaine, Cristine Erbst and Greg Gerot voted in favor of the motion, while Angie Pomponio and Robinson opposed.
— Elizabeth Morgan, Clearwater Tribune, (Orofino), Wednesday
