The Outstanding Women of Clinton County committee has selected four scholarship winners from the 2023 high school senior class. They are: Emma Falgner of Blanchester; Jenna Hanlon of Clinton-Massie; Ryleigh Tooill of East Clinton; and Jenna Allemang of Wilmington.

Learn about opioids, fentanyl, signs of an overdose, and how to use Narcan at the next meeting of the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK). They will be meeting on Thursday, March 16 at 3:30 p.m. in the South Tahoe High School Student Union meeting room.

The Speedy Foundation expresses gratitude for it’s loyal donors following Amazon’s announcement of its cancellation of the AmazonSmile nonprofit donation program.

“Although 90 percent of suicides are completed by someone with a mental illness, suicide isn’t always connected to a mental health struggle,” Decker said. Sometimes the causes are situational – bankruptcy, divorce, legal ramifications or job loss.

One source of protection for all people, whether or not they have mental illness, can be a faith community, she said. “The Church could be a protective factor if it is a place that is welcoming and forgiving, where people feel that they belong and have a sense of purpose,” Decker said.

The Speedy Foundation is so excited and honored to announce our partnership with Hannah Menzner, the newly crowned Miss Idaho USA. Her deep passion for mental health stemmed from her experience volunteering for a crisis hotline, and she has since founded Project IdaHOPE to teach Idahoans to spot suicide warning signs and risk factors. We look forward to working alongside her as she continues her campaign for suicide awareness, and can’t wait to see the wonderful things she has in store this year!

According to CDC data, mountain destination mecca Wyoming has the highest suicide mortality rate in the country. Since 2015, states in the Interior West—Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho—have all also consistently ranked in the top ten for suicide death. The data is so marked that the Rocky Mountain states have been dubbed “the Suicide Belt.”

Why? The reasons are complicated and multifold.

There is the horrific shock of losing a loved one so suddenly which, just of itself, can bring us to our knees; but, with suicide, there are other soul-wrenching feelings too, confusion, guilt, second-guessing, religious anxiety. Where did we fail this person? What might we still have done? What should we have noticed? What is this person’s state with God?

Understanding why a person kills him or herself seems essential to preventing suicide, but the causes of suicide are as unique as individuals. Misconceptions include that a person chooses suicide out of weakness and selfishness with a well-thought out plan.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today formally announced the formation and membership of an external Mental Health Taskforce to support Team USA athletes – and the coaches, officials and administrators who serve them – address mental health concerns and promote sustained and holistic well-being throughout their complete athlete journey.

Shannon Decker is the Executive Director of the Speedy Foundation and the Idaho Suicide Prevention Coalition. The Speedy Foundation was started in 2011 in memory of Shannon’s cousin, Olympic Freestyle skier and three time Olympian, Jeret Peterson. Jeret died a year after the Vancouver Olympics in which he had taken home a silver medal for USA.

The #Morning Mix returns this week after its 2-week Sundance hiatus with musical guest Shannon Runyon performing live in the Swede Alley studio, plus guest interviews with Shannon Decker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Speedy Foundation, and with Aaron Benward, Creator and Producer of ‘Nashville Unplugged, The Story Behind The Song’, a listening room experience happening at The Rockwell Room on Valentines Day. These guests and a rundown of events happening in our area on The Morning Mix.

The Boise Police Department is proud to release the 2018 Report to Our Citizens. This report includes data from fiscal year 2018 and stories about some of our major initiatives and projects in 2018. You can download a copy by clicking on the photo below or pick up a copy at our police department 333 N. Mark Stall Place.

I have learned that tools for coping with my illness have come and gone and I know it will be ok. I still have setbacks and I have a recovery plan that I have shared with my therapist and my children so they can help me when I can’t remember why I am here and what tools I have.

I have had personal experience with mental health issues both with myself and my children. My expertise is in sharing my lived experience with individuals who need or want a positive view on the possibility of recovery with mental health and substance abuse. I too have a passion for working on my mental health issues and learning everyday from set backs I have had. It makes my recovery a priceless endeavor.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Use of Jeret “Speedy” Peterson’s 911 Call - Safety and Hope are the Keys to Prevent Additional Deaths by Suicide

As the platform and service, I choose to promote as Miss Capital City this year is Saving Lives: Preventing Suicide in our Youth and Young Adults. I have always been interested in suicide and mental health, but as a college student, wanted to learn more about what I can do to help others.

I am Miss Capital City! As part of my year of service, I am promoting my platform: Saving Lives: Preventing Suicide in our Youth and Young Adults. I have always been interested in suicide and mental health, but wanted to learn more about how to help so I dug right in.

Affected personally by suicides by some close to her, Shannon Decker, executive director of a mental health nonprofit called the Speedy Foundation, said she wishes she’d learned that sooner.

“I know for a fact that if I had been given direct instruction as a teenager, the same way I was given direct instruction in health class about every health issue, that I would have been equipped to ask these questions and potentially have saved some lives,” said Decker, whose cousin Olympic silver medalist Jeret “Speedy” Peterson died of suicide in 2011 and after whom the Speedy Foundation is named.

On the snow, Jeret "Speedy" Peterson seemed to have it all. Idaho's Olympic freestyle aerial skier competed in three Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in Vancouver in 2010. He inspired a generation of Olympic hopefuls with his death-defying trick, aptly named "The Hurricane." But off the snow, Speedy's family says he struggled like anyone else and eventually succumbed to his lifelong battle with depression and anxiety in 2011.

Boise - On Tuesday, Sept. 12, state leaders marked National Suicide Prevention Week with a proclamation signing at the Idaho Statehouse. Statistics show suicide is the eighth leading cause of death overall in the Gem State. Organizers say the ceremony was about celebrating how far the state has come in supporting suicide prevention, and bringing a greater awareness to the cause. "This is all part of the framework of doing the right thing in Idaho," said Lt. Gov. Brad Little. "...of investing in the health and stability of our communities."