Recognizing awareness of child abuse and sexual assault with blue ribbons

This last weekend was the first time in a year that Cathy and I were able to truly enjoy quality time with our family and grandkids.
 Cathy and I, as well as the rest of the family, have received both vaccination shots and the two-week waiting period is over. So, Saturday the family went to Jump Creek Falls south of Homedale for a short hike and beautiful canyon scenery in the Owyhees.
 On Sunday Cathy and I had the grandsons for the afternoon after church. There were plenty of long-overdue hugs and contact playing. We had a great exhausting weekend.
 If you have noticed the blue ribbons on downtown light poles, they were placed there by our good friends at ROSE Advocates.  April is both Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The blue ribbons are part of an effort to bring attention to these two societal issues. If you are aware of a situation involving either of these issues, please contact ROSE Advocates at 208-414-1231.
 All of us in Weiser and Washington County owe a debt of gratitude to the professionals and volunteers at ROSE Advocates for the services provided to members of our community in crisis situations.
 On the COVID-19 front, the number of new cases continue to be minimal. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel on this disease, but we are not there yet. Studies have shown that even vaccinated people can still spread the disease. So, please continue to wear masks, distance, and sanitize in public.
 Weiser’s own Teresa Soulen Little, Idaho’s First Lady issued an interesting newsletter on her State of Idaho website concerning her family history and how her ancestors dealt with disease and later vaccines. The letter goes on to provide valuable information on how the COVID-19 vaccine was developed. The article can be found on the web by searching for Teresa Little, clicking the Idaho.gov site, then scrolling down to newsletter number nine. It is well worth the time to look up and read.
 In City news this week, water is in the Galloway Canal for the 2021 irrigating season. Soon the laterals will be opened in town for watering lawns. As these lines are opened, there may be places where water is presenting itself where it does not belong. I just want to remind irrigation users that these lines are not the property or responsibility of the city. The lines are the responsibility of the various irrigation districts which get their water from the canal. If you experience a problem, please contact your local ditch rider for assistance.
 Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you have a very good one!