Gov. Butch Otter, in his State of the State message today, touted the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which serves at-risk youth at its campus in Pierce. The academy has graduated 648 young people from 41 counties, he said. The cadets at the academy also have contributed more than 34,000 community service hours, he said, improving forest trails, visiting seniors at the local assisted living center, and volunteering at the state Veterans Home in Lewiston. He said the academy is helping those young people turn their lives around. “I can tell you, the feeling of energy, renewed hope and endless possibilities that you get just being around the cadets is refreshing, invigorating and contagious,” he said.