Library to host flu vaccine clinic

On Tuesday, October 10th from 1:00-3:00, the library in conjunction with the Southeastern Public Health District will have flu vaccines for children 6 months and older, regular adult vaccine, and the high dose vaccine recommended for seniors aged 65 and older. Flu vaccines are generally no-cost with insurance, and the district will bill private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. The cost for self-pay clients is $20.13 per dose.  As cold and flu season officially begins, this is a great chance to shore up immunities, especially for those most susceptible to the virus.

Gene Caldwell 

honored for 70 years of service

At the last week’s Legion annual Steak Fry Sat evening, Gene Caldwell was presented his 70 years of continuous membership in the Ernest W. Jones American Legion Post 65 pin and certificate (although he clarifies it’s been 72!). Commander Garry White presented the award. The Legion and the community extend appreciation to Gene for his many years of service and leadership!

Malad’s Distinguished Young Woman Alexus Tarbet will compete for 2024 statewide title

Malad’s reining Distinguished Young Woman Alexus Tarbet will be competing for the state title this weekend.  High school senior girls from across Idaho will come together in Idaho Falls for the Distinguished Young Women of Idaho program, to be held Friday and Saturday, October 6 & 7 at the Civic Center. Participants will compete for $40,000 in college scholarships and the opportunity to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Idaho for 2024. 

The program is open to the public and preliminaries will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 6 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 7.  Finals begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 7. Tickets will be available at the door for $15.

The 36 young women competing will be evaluated by a panel of five judges in the following categories: Scholastics (25%), Interview (25%), Talent (20%), Fitness (15%), and Self-Expression (15%). The participant selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Idaho will advance to the national level at the 67th Distinguished Young Women National Finals in Mobile, Ala., on June 23, 24, and 25, 2024, where she will join with 50 other representatives from across the country in competing for cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America.

The current Distinguished Young Woman of Idaho is Claire Neibaur, daughter of Mitchell and Rachel Neibaur, from North Mini-Cassia.  Raegan Smith of Malad was named the 1st Alternate DYW for 2023.  Alexus Tarbet was named Malad’s Distinguished Young Woman during the most recent competition.

Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is a free program that encourages participants to reach their full individual potential. Our mission is to empower young women by providing over $1 billion in scholarship opportunities, connecting with a nationwide network of women, developing their self-confidence, and participating in our Life Skills Workshops that prepare them for success after high school. 

For more information about Distinguished Young Women visit www.DistinguishedYW.org.

School Board Tours Construction Site

Progress on the new school continues apace, and the layout of the new facility is becoming clearer on the ground as the foundations are put into place.  Members of the School Board recently toured the construction site, and met with project manager Jared Lusk to discuss progress.  The group toured the footprints of the new building, and were able to begin to visualize what the school will look like as it moves on to its next stages of completion.

The group discussed with each other the relative locations of the classrooms, multi-use gym and cafeteria areas, offices, entry points, and other features.  Consideration was given to how the setup will affect and improve security measures at the school, as well as create a different dynamic in the flow of a standard school day.  The two wings of the building, for instance, will allow for grouping the cohorts of classes into one for older kids and one for younger kids.

The school board members noted that while the infrastructure, security, and communications elements were the most important aspects of the building, there would eventually be discussions about things like the appropriate color scheme for the interior.  “Though that’s a ways down the road,” Superintendent Jon Abrams laughed.  

The district plans to have the new school building open for next school year on its current construction schedule.