Ready, set, RACE

Competitors biked nearly 25 miles in the second leg of the annual Spudman triathlon last year.

By Stephanie Hansen

Weekly News Journal

 

BURLEY – This weekend, about 2,000 racers will descend upon the Mini-Cassia area to participate in the area’s popular Spudman competition.

 

The triathlon event will include a 1.5 km swim (almost 1 mile), a 40k bike (almost 25 miles), and a 10k run (over 6 miles), in that order.

 

The race will begin at 7 a.m. at the Riverfront Marina, where the racers will pull on their swim caps and dive into the Snake River for a swim of 1.5 km, almost one mile.

 

Scott Bloxham, race director, said they expect more competitors this year than ever before. The Lions Club had 2,000 race numbers made, which includes teams of 2 or 3 people, so there could be about 2,100 total participants.

 

The Spudman’s popularity has been growing in recent years, since its start 24 years ago as a small local race to the attraction it is now for triathlon racers. Bloxham said they see competitors from all over the country (32 different states are represented this year), and also have several foreign athletes compete each year.

 

It’s no wonder that the racers enjoy coming to Burley for the competition. Bloxham said first-timers are drawn to it because the river’s current helps them move faster through the swimming portion of the race, but many keep coming back because they enjoy the community’s support of the racers.

 

“People in Burley have been really supportive of the race,” Bloxham said. “We always have racers comment how much they love being around the people in the area.”

 

All of the proceeds from the Spudman go to the Burley Lions Club, which organizes the race and donates money to volunteers who help out. Bloxham said most of the Lions Club projects are geared toward helping those with sight and hearing problems through screenings and donated eyeglasses.

 

“It’s a very community-oriented organization,” he said. “The members are really good people who support the community.”

 

For Burley, the race means money—and lots of it. Residents can expect restaurants and shops to fill up over the weekend, and business owners can expect to rake in the cash.

 

“They all buy lots of food, gas and goodies,” Bloxham said.

 

Even though many participants pitch tents (about 700 or 800 each year) to sleep in, hotels in Burley are always completely full, as are hotels for many miles around. In fact, two years ago, a motel owner in Twin Falls called Bloxham to thank him for filling up his hotel.

 

For spectators, the best place to watch is the golf course marina. That’s where the racers start their swim, finish their bike ride and start and finish their run.

 

“The finish line is amazing to watch. They really put on a sprint for the last part, and it’s really exciting to watch,” Bloxham said.

 

The bike race can be the toughest to watch, since the racers whiz by so quickly, but many locals who live on the course have made it a tradition to watch from their yards and spray the racers with water to cool them down as they pedal their way along.

 

The Lions Club tries to make the race a community event, Bloxham said. The club tries to purchase as many local materials as possible, and tries to save some slots for local racers.

 

Volunteers from many local organizations play a vital role in the Spudman race, Bloxham said. Sports teams, dance teams and choirs all do what they can to help the race proceed, including setting up bicycle racks, passing out water, and directing parking near the race. One committee is in charge of maintaining the 85 toilets coming in for the event.

 

“We have people going every which-way,” Bloxham said.

 

For their efforts, the Lions Club usually gives the volunteer groups stipends to help with their own fundraising.

 

When the racers start pouring into the city on Friday, the collection of bicycles at Scholar Park will start piling up.

 

“If there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that the sight of all those bicycles lined up is really a beautiful thing to see,” Bloxham said.

 

And, hopefully for Burley, all of those bikes will be back next year.

Pit Bull attacks two people

Rupert Police officer Eaton Powell recently responded to a dog bite after a Pit Bull allegedly bit a Rupert woman. The woman received several bites and the dog was later euthanized.

 

By Lisa Dayley

Weekly News Journal

 

RUPERT – A Pit Bull attacked a Rupert woman causing her to seek treatment at the emergency room.

 

Dolores T. Freiburger was attacked by the animal as she walked down the 900 block of K Street earlier this month. A Pit Bull owned by Elisha Coronado allegedly got off its chain and bit Freiburger on the left leg. Even though Freiburger wore denim jeans, the dog was able to break her skin.

 

“It bit her on the back of her thigh,” said reporting officer Eaton Powell.

 

Powell attempted to locate the animal but was unsuccessful. Later that day another resident complained that a Pit Bull had allegedly chased her and husband as they biked down a canal. While the animal bit the husband it didn’t break the skin. The woman declined to give her name or to file a formal complaint.

 

This woman was able to tell officers where the dog lived and cops spoke with Coronado. According to Powell, Coronado explained that the dog had apparently gotten off its chain. There had been other complaints about the dog and officers were required to take the dog in to be checked for rabies. It costs between $200 and $300 to retrieve dogs from the shelter after they’ve been taken to the animal control facility for such testing.

 

Powell says he’s noted that dogs regularly left on a chain often attack when freed from their leashes and such may have been the case with the Pit Bull in question. Yet, when he went to retrieve the animal from its owner, it didn’t show any signs of violent behavior.

 

“It was mellow. It showed no aggression,” he said.

 

Powell says that the city has an on-going problem with dogs that have somehow managed to get off their chains.

 

“We get a lot of loose dog complaints. People want us to do something about it,” he said.

 

It’s difficult for officers to round up the animals. Patrol cars don’t come equipped to transport animals. Such is left for the county’s animal control officer who often can’t respond quickly enough. By the time he is called and arrives on the scene, the animal is long gone.

 

Officers also get calls about roaming cats as well.

 

“What are we suppose to do with cats?” he asked.

 

To retrieve a dog from the shelter after it’s attacked someone will cost the owner $212. That cost includes rabies tests and veterinary services. If they don’t want the dog, it is euthanized, as was in the case of Coronado’s dog. But there is still a $125 fee as the dog’s remains are sent to Boise to be tested for rabies.

 

As for Freiburger, she didn’t require stitches.

 

“The next day I went over and talked to her. I could see the bite marks on her thigh. It was a pretty good bite. She got a really nice bruise,” Powell said.

Local pair arrested for drug trafficking

 

 

By Stephanie Hansen

Weekly News Journal

 

MINI-CASSIA – Police busted two local residents for meth trafficking and marijuana possession over the weekend.

 

Around 11 a.m. on Saturday, officers from the Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force arrested Darin George Woodbury, 41, from Heyburn, and Erica Cordova, 29, from Burley. The two were stopped near Declo in a Pontiac Grand Am with materials that indicated that they were trafficking methamphetamine, according to Cassia County Sheriff Randy Kidd.

 

At the time, the drug task force was conducting an investigation into meth trafficking, and called upon the Idaho State Police to stop the two suspects in their car. Woodbury was driving at the time.

 

According to a written statement from Sheriff Kidd, a dog named Sarge indicated the odor of illegal drugs inside the Grand Am. When officers searched the car, they found 2 ounces of methamphetamine and 4 ounces of marijuana, along with $1,300 in cash, a glass pipe, a digital scale and several empty Zip-lock bags.

 

“We believe they were going to sell it,” Kidd said. Meth can bring in quite a bit of money. The street value of an ounce of methamphetamine could bring $1,800, Kidd said, or $120 per gram. That would mean the two suspects could have made $3,600 to sell the meth by the ounce, or about $6,800 if they sold it by the gram.

 

The effects of methamphetamine can be deadly, and local police are determined to fight the drug coming into the region.

 

“Meth is our number one law enforcement concern in the area,” Kidd said.

 

Fighting drug trafficking through the Mini-Cassia area is the main task of the Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force. Kidd said the drug comes into the state from everywhere, and the highway acts as a corridor for drug trafficking where larger dealers sell smaller amounts to local dealers for distribution.

 

“It’s an ongoing problem and the task force is continually investigating several people at the same time,” Kidd said. “When we get the break, we act on it. It happened to be that we got a break on this one.”

 

A search of court records indicate that one of these suspects has seen the inside of a jail cell before. Idaho court records show that Woodbury has a criminal history in 10 different Idaho counties, and has been arrested in the past for drug possession and traffic violations. Not long ago, he spent two years in jail for forgery in Minidoka County.

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