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Idaho Briefs March 14, 2010

| March 13, 2010 8:00 PM

Opera house added to national register, Ehrlick: Public defenders lied to me, Dairy waste change approved, Man sought in mother's death, Skier numbers up from last season, Computer glitch delays payments

Opera house added to national register

BOVILL - The Bovill Opera House in North Idaho has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The nearly 100-year-old building in the tiny town of Bovill housed vaudeville, plays, dances, silent and talking films, and other events into the 1950s.

The outside of the building is weathered horizontal wood clapboard, while much of the inside is covered with dust and fallen plaster.

Karen Owsley of the Latah County Historic Preservation Commission said being listed on the national register makes the opera house eligible for grant money that could be used to preserve and restore it.

Ehrlick: Public defenders lied to me

BOISE - A southwestern Idaho man who police say killed an 8-year-old boy and is charged with first-degree murder has filed a motion to get rid of his court-appointed public defenders.

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. filed the motion Thursday in 4th District Court.

The Idaho Statesman said that Ehrlick contends his public defenders have lied to him and that he feels badgered by the public defender's office.

Ehrlick and Melissa Jenkins are charged with first-degree murder in connection with the beating death of Jenkins' son, Robert Manwill.

The child was reported missing in Boise on July 24; his body was found nearly two weeks later in a local canal.

Dairy waste change approved

JEROME - Commissioners in Jerome County have voted to amend the zoning ordinance to allow power generation from cow manure.

Commissioners on Monday approved the change to allow the non-conventional energy production without a special use permit.

Specifically, the change means a permit isn't needed to build anaerobic digesters that use livestock waste to produce electricity.

The commissioners cited a major reduction in the volume of manure for dairies that install digesters.

Man sought in mother's death

IDAHO FALLS - An arrest warrant has been issued for an eastern Idaho man who police say killed his mother.

Authorities said they are looking for 33-year-old Nathan Helburn, who police say is likely out of the country.

Police said they found the body of 61-year-old Mary Helburn in her home Tuesday during a welfare check. They said she was last seen alive on Friday.

The arrest warrant was issued Thursday.

Authorities said Helburn faces a first-degree murder charge with a weapons enhancement charge.

Helburn is described as a 6-foot-2, 250-pound white male, with short blonde hair and hazel eyes. He could be driving a gold Lexus with the Idaho license plate number 8BV7041.

Skier numbers up from last season

SUN VALLEY - Skier numbers at Bald and Dollar mountains in central Idaho are on track to exceed the dismal numbers from last season, a resort official said.

Director of Public Relations Jack Sibbach said it looks like about 400,000 skiers and snowboarders will have visited the mountains during the season. The season is scheduled to close April 4 at Dollar Mountain and April 18 at Bald Mountain.

That surpasses the 2008-09 season that saw 331,239 visitors. That was the lowest count since 1990-91, when 236,627 people visited the mountain.

It's also the 12th worst since the resort started counting skiers in 1971.

The average number of skiers each year through 2009 per season is 357,107.

Sibbach said this ski season is on track to have 143 days, 19 more than last year. He said a better picture of the season will happen when the average number of skiers per day is calculated when the season ends.

Michael Berry, president of the Colorado-based National Ski Areas Association, said a ski season's success typically depends on snowfall, even during a recession.

He predicts that about 58 million skiers and snowboarders will have visited the 320 American alpine resorts that belong to the association by the time the season ends. He said that would make the 2009-10 the third best in the last 25 years.

"Taking a macro look, it has been a great year overall," he said.

Computer glitch delays payments

NAMPA - Idaho officials say some health care providers saw their Medicaid reimbursements delayed this week because of a computer glitch.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokeswoman Emily Simnitt said the delay was caused by a computer hardware glitch in the offices of the company that handles the payments, which has since been resolved. It meant the payments were sent out a week later than normal.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reported that Ross L. Jones with Able Transport Services in Nampa said that left his small company scrambling to cover its $10,000 payroll. He said Able Transport Services normally takes in about $12,000 a week in Medicaid payments.

- The Associated Press