Context makes Minnick’s ad look awfully political

BOISE – The TV commercial features images of women over 40, transforming into a large pink ribbon that fills the screen.

“185,000. That’s the estimated number of women who will be told they have breast cancer this year,” a narrator intones. “Early detection is key to survival, which is why getting screened regularly is so important.”

Then Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick appears, introduces himself, and says, “If you’re over 40, I urge you to call your doctor or health care provider to schedule your annual mammogram.”

What with the widespread controversy over a panel’s new report urging against annual mammograms for women between 40 and 50, and with the Obama administration still officially calling for the annual screenings, was Minnick taking sides on what’s become a hot-button issue for women nationwide?

Not exactly. The commercial, which has been airing occasionally in Idaho, is a public service announcement that Minnick taped last May for the National Association of Broadcasters, long before the new report. Minnick also taped another spot at the same time about diabetes, and he recently taped one about H1N1 flu. Other members of Congress have done the same; the association provides the spots to local TV stations to run if they choose.

“They’re really apolitical, innocuous,” said John Foster, Minnick’s press secretary. “The whole point of a PSA is just a friendly reminder to people about an important issue, and this is clearly an important issue to a lot of women and to a lot of men whose spouses have family histories. It’s just a nice way to remind people and offer a public service.”

Foster said Minnick stands by the ad, and he noted that despite the news about new recommendations, “The existing guidelines still stand.”

Court upholds urban renewal

The Idaho Supreme Court has upheld a Rexburg urban renewal project in a case that was being closely watched by urban renewal agencies around the state.

In a unanimous ruling authored by Justice Joel Horton, the high court upheld a 7th District Court ruling rejecting a challenge to the project by Rexburg resident Kenneth Hart, who contended it was unconstitutional. Hart acted as his own attorney in the District Court case but was represented by attorney John Runft in the Supreme Court appeal.

At issue was a $6.3 million revenue allocation bond issue to fund a project including a public pool, community center and sports fields. Hart argued that a court couldn’t grant the Rexburg Urban Renewal Agency permission for the bond issue because the agency was just an “alter ego” of the city, and the city’s ability to go into debt is limited by the Idaho Constitution.

The court held that “urban renewal agencies are not the ‘alter egos’ of cities under the law,” so the bond issue wasn’t unconstitutional. Nine urban renewal agencies filed amicus briefs siding with the Rexburg urban renewal agency, including Coeur d’Alene’s.

Silver Creek fish OK after all

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has lifted a mercury advisory for consuming fish from the famed Silver Creek area near Picabo, after it turned out that test results showing dangerous mercury levels in brown trout from the watershed were in error.

“This is one of Idaho’s premier sport fisheries and is good news for the Silver Creek watershed,” said Jim Vannoy, the environmental health program manager who oversees the Idaho Fish Advisory Program for Health and Welfare. “It was an unfortunate error, but the lab has assured us that they have implemented procedures to prevent this from happening again.”

The error was a calculation error by an out-of-state analytical lab following a 2007 sampling of fish from the watershed; it was discovered when the latest test results showed a surprising drop in the mercury levels.

Disaster funds available

Farmers and ranchers in Bonner and Shoshone counties who’ve suffered losses due to the combined effects of drought and insects since April are eligible to apply for emergency loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s because U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has issued a disaster declaration for Lake and Sanders counties in Montana, plus all contiguous counties, due to the cumulative effects of drought and insects there; Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer requested the designation.

Bonner and Shoshone qualify as contiguous counties, as do four other counties in Montana. Farmers and ranchers can contact their local Farm Service Agency office for more information.