I hate being wrong.
Nobody is perfect, obviously, but preventable errors are the worst. In the process of writing yesterday’s article about the resignation of Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey I probably had two dozen tabs open, from old newspaper articles to social media posts to Wikipedia. I’m 100% sure one of those things said that she was Idaho’s first female sheriff.
My mistake was not double checking that factoid. It wasn’t even the focus of the article, just an offhand note that I happened to use in the title. That made it somewhat more complicated to correct when numerous people informed me of my error, since the title generates the URL, which was shared everywhere.
I also can’t recall an email sent to thousands of Substack subscribers. Once it’s out there, it’s out there.
I hate being wrong, but I appreciate the opportunity it gives me to learn something new. Having to correct myself gave me the opportunity to learn the story of Patti Bolen, who served as Valley County Sheriff from 2004 to 2023. During the latter part of her tenure, she was elected president of the Association of Idaho Sheriffs, and following her retirement, Valley County named its emergency operations center after her.
I learned something new yesterday, which is always a good thing.
Two Idaho legislators were in the limelight yesterday. Sen. Brian Lenney and Rep. Heather Scott shared their concerns about the plan to train Qatari airmen at Mountain Home Air Force Base with Steve Bannon on his War Room program.
I’m somewhat less concerned about the deal than others, but I’m glad to see conservative Idahoans in the spotlight asking important questions. Check it out here.
Last night I attended a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters for Boise City Council’s District 6. Unfortunately, my candidate, Lynn Bradescu, had to call in sick—she sent me photos of her chicken soup while I kept her updated on the proceedings. Even without her presence, it was interesting to observe the contrast between incumbent Jimmy Hallyburton and former council member Lisa Sánchez.
Carolyn Komatsoulis from the Idaho Statesman was there and covered some of the questions and answers. I just want to share one observation from the forum. Whenever Sánchez spoke, she consistently put herself at the center of the story. She talked about facing prejudice and racism as a council member, about working harder so as not to give Latinas a bad name, about being denied certain endorsements because of her race, and about feeling discriminated against when she lost her seat after moving out of her district.
Hallyburton, on the other hand, put the listener at the center of the story. He repeatedly thanked the audience for attending, told us that we were what made Boise great, and that our participation ensured that democracy would continue. He made listeners feel like the heroes of the story rather than making it about himself.
I have plenty of disagreements with both candidates, but that distinction stood out to me. Successful politicians—whether you like them or not—make voters feel like an essential part of a larger story. The same principle applies beyond politics: the best salesmen, and even the best scammers, know how to make their audience feel emotionally invested.
It will be interesting to see how these contrasting styles play out at the ballot box.
The price of beef is a growing problem in America. It’s a growing problem for my family too, as beef is one of our staple foods. Even the cheapest ground beef at Winco has increased 20-30% in the past year.
I don’t know enough about the issue to have an opinion on how to solve it, but I came across an interesting post on Twitter and thought I’d share it:
As a cattle rancher & direct beef supplier to the consumer……a couple systemic pinch points to ponder:
- The American cattle herd #s are way down….we can’t snap our fingers and increase the #s. It takes time…30 months.
- Cattle ranchers are aging out with no replacements at the ranch. FYI: We are seriously looking at the “Halter system” to spread our limited resources to handle more cattle. The Halter collars and antenna initial investment is expensive.
- Rural land prices are skyrocketing making it impossible to economically graze cattle on pricy acreage.
- Direct to consumer sales takes time, energy and money…..that the “over stretched” aging rancher just does not possess or is too old & tired to pursue.
- On-site processing is clunky….we are talking ones and twos to get processed at best at the small ranch operation…and the discarded remains & blood are an issue if done at the ranch (mad cow and prion issues). Also….where to store the meat…..there is not enough cold storage facilities available near most ranches to accommodate the inventory.
- Transportation – speaking from experience….renting “one” freezer truck & trailer is a logical nightmare to transport the processed meat.
Thoughts? (I made some slight changes in formatting to make it easier to read.)
That’s enough for today. Have a great rest of your week. Remember to vote early if you can—local elections are really important!
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
