Coronavirus: Nampa City Council waives some fees for permits to help small businesses
The Nampa City Council approved a measure Monday that will temporarily wave the cost of certain permit fees in an effort to support the recovery of businesses.
The council unanimously approved the fee waiver, a move that Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling said will help small businesses get back on track.
“The goal is to remove hurdles and provide a simple solution during this time,” Kling said in a news release Tuesday. “Our small businesses are vital to our economy, and we want to see them succeed.”
Fees will be waived on certain permits, such as temporary parking use permits, catering permits, and peddler licenses. A temporary parking use permit fee and a catering permit fee will be waived for the next six months. Fees for peddler licenses will be waived for the next three months.
Though the fees have been waived, the city emphasized that businesses are still required to get the necessary permits to conduct business. Permits can be obtained online through the city’s website, by email (clerks@cityofnampa.us) or by phone (208-468-5419).
St. Luke’s to close testing tents, provide testing in clinics
This week the St. Luke’s Health System will be shifting its coronavirus testing to clinics, and it will be closing collection tents.
The drive-up testing tents will close at 4 p.m. this Friday, according to a news release from St. Luke’s. Starting Saturday, screening will begin to take place at a handful of clinics and care facilities around the state.
The following St. Luke’s facilities will conduct testing starting Saturday:
- Boise: St. Luke’s Clinic - Family Medicine located at 701 E. ParkCenter Boulevard
- Jerome: St. Luke’s Clinic - Jerome Family Medicine located at 132 5th Avenue W.
- Magic Valley: St. Luke’s Quick Care located at 775 Pole Line Road W.
- Meridian: St. Luke’s Clinic - Ada Medical Associates located at Portico East, 3399 E. Louise Drive
- Wood River: St. Luke’s Clinic - Family Medicine located at 1450 Aviation Drive in Haley
The testing will be available within the normal hours of operation for the clinics.
If you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and want to get tested, potential St. Luke’s patients should first use the hospital’s online self-triage tool through myChart. Once completing the assessment, people will be able to schedule an appointment online for the coronavirus screening.
Woman at IDOC reentry center put in quarantine
A woman at the Idaho Department of Correction’s reentry center in Boise has been put in quarantine until May 27 as a precaution amid the pandemic.
The East Boise Community Reentry Center, at 2366 Old Penitentiary Road, is home to about 120 female offenders and is a minimum-security facility. The women housed there work in the community but live and report back to the facility every night. Rather than a prison environment, the facility is more of community living environment.
IDOC spokesperson Jeff Ray said the resident who may have been exposed while working has been asymptomatic and the result of her coronavirus test was negative. None of the other staff or residents have been tested.
“Because it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to develop, the resident will be housed away from other residents in temporary quarters,” Ray said.
As of Wednesday morning, none of the other offenders at IDOC’s prisons have reportedly tested positive for the virus. Three inmate tests were pending.
Treefort announces recipients for coronavirus art award
The Treefort Music Fest has revealed those awarded money to commission a work of art stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID Cultural Commissioning Fund — organized by Treefort, the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, and the Boise City Department of Arts & History — announced Wednesday the 69 recipients each awarded $1,000. The awarded funds will go to local artists so they can commission something that “explores, documents, and/or reflects on personal and social experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a news release from Treefort.
Award recipients will use the funds for works of art over a variety of media, including poetry, music, sculptures and textiles, to name a few.
Award winners include the Boise Spoken Word Collective, which will create “a book of poetry and prose that reflect the experiences of creatives around the Boise area during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Treefort’s website. Other winners include cinematographer Cody Gittings and filmmaker Danish Ishaq, who will create documentary films.
For a full list of award recipients, check out treefortmusicfest.com/ccc-awardees.
Two new deaths reported in Twin Falls County
The number of coronavirus deaths continue to rise in one south-central Idaho county.
Twin Falls County reported two more deaths Tuesday, bringing the county’s death total to 17. Twin Falls trails only Ada and Nez Perce counties for deaths, as the counties have reported 23 and 19, respectively.
As of Tuesday, Idaho has 77 deaths connected to the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
In addition to the two deaths, Twin Falls County also reported eight new cases Tuesday. Other counties within the South Central Public Health District — Jerome, Gooding and Blaine — also reported new cases.
On Friday, the health district asked for residents to remain vigilant, and it emphasized the need for everyone to follow health guidelines to prevent further spread. Residents were encouraged to protect their health in every environment, including wearing masks in public.
In addition to Twin Falls County, Ada, Canyon and Washington counties reported new cases Tuesday night.
As of Tuesday, Idaho has 2,266 reported cases of the coronavirus.
Cases have been reported in 33 of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 733, Adams 3, Bannock 12, Bingham 6, Blaine 498, Bonner 4, Bonneville 18, Camas 1, Canyon 260, Caribou 1, Cassia 18, Custer 2, Elmore 30, Fremont 2, Gem 12, Gooding 24, Idaho 3, Jefferson 5, Jerome 91, Kootenai 66, Latah 5, Lemhi 1, Lincoln 27, Madison 12, Minidoka 15, Nez Perce 70, Owyhee 8, Payette 18, Power 3, Teton 10, Twin Falls 276, Valley 2 and Washington 30.
Community spread has been detected in 18 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Owyhee, Madison, Minidoka, Payette, Teton and Twin Falls.
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 9:48 AM.
