City Of Payette Idaho

Today's High School Football Games

Rocky Mountain at Borah

Rocky Mountain is coming off a loss at home against defending state champion Coeur d’Alene, but this is Borah’s season opener and the first game for new coach Darren Corpus. This game could have playoff implications, as Rocky was picked to finish fifth and Borah sixth in the Statesman’s preseason coaches’ poll. Only the top five 5A SIC teams advance to the playoffs.

Timberline at Eagle

This could be a lopsided affair. Eagle is favored to win the 5A SIC regular-season title, while Timberline was picked to finish last in a preseason coaches’ poll. This also is the first game Eagle quarterback Tanner Mangum will play against his former team. Mangum attended Timberline his freshman and sophomore seasons before his family moved to Eagle in February of 2010. The two schools did not play each other last year.

Vallivue at Mountain View

Vallivue quarterback Jamari Rogers had a solid debut last week, throwing for 254 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-13 victory against Caldwell. Rogers will try to back that up against Mountain View, which is playing its season opener. Last year, Vallivue bested Mountain View in a Kansas City playoff to earn the 5A SIC’s final state berth.

Middleton at Caldwell

These teams both started last week, but enter this 4A SIC contest on opposite ends of the spectrum. Middleton enjoyed a dominant win over Jerome, while Caldwell suffered a 40-13 setback against 5A Vallivue.

Nampa at Emmett

Emmett kicked off its season last week at Weiser, where it lost 39-0 against the Wolverines’ balanced rushing attack. The Huskies try to rebound at home against a Nampa team that is playing its first game of the season. Like Weiser, Nampa also favors a strong running game, which features returning all-conference first-teamer Devan Lesley.

Jerome at Bishop Kelly

Jerome struggled on the road last week, losing 48-0 to Middleton. This week isn’t going to get any easier in the Tigers’ second straight trip to the Treasure Valley. Bishop Kelly was picked to finish second in the 4A SIC in a preseason coaches’ poll, one spot ahead of Middleton.

Idaho public sector, private businesses take more than $1 million in ...

According to documents released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Idaho governments and companies have received more than $1 million in federal health care money to help fund health insurance plans for early retirees.

The dollars, part of the temporary Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) enacted under 2010’s federal health care reforms, have been taken by 18 public and private entities in the Gem State, including Amalgamated Sugar, Idaho Power, the Boise School District, the University of Idaho, and the city of Idaho Falls.

The largest recipient of the money is Battelle Energy Alliance, which took in $561,234 in federal dollars. Battelle is the lead contractor in the management of the Idaho National Laboratory, a federally-funded research facility near Idaho Falls.

The state of Idaho has taken at least $324,047, and is looking for more.  According to the office of Gov. Butch Otter, the state could receive between $2 million and $2.5 million from the program.

The White House says the program “will provide much-needed financial relief for employers so retirees can get quality, affordable insurance starting this year.” What that really means, however, is that HHS essentially provides health insurance subsidies to companies and governments for employees who have retired early but are not able to qualify for Medicare.

ERRP will end in 2014 when the majority of health care reforms are officially enacted.  The reforms will prevent private health insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions for those in the 55-64 year-old age bracket that ERRP is intended to help.

HHS began ERRP with a budget of $5 billion and an expected end date of January 2014, when the majority of reforms are fully enacted, but due to overwhelming response to calls for employer participation, applications for the program were not accepted after May 6, 2011.

Companies did not need to show financial need for the program, but instead only to have a health care program for early retirees and provide benefits until 2012.

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