Coeur d'Alene Reservation

A diamond in the rough, is the way people describe their hometown of Plummer, Idaho, on the Coeur dAlene Reservation. When planners began to talk about improving U.S. Highway 95 through the nearby town of Worley, the people of Plummer galvanized efforts to use the construction project as a springboard to polishing the areas image and economy.  <more>

Riggins

Weve been hearing the talk and going to meetings for 25 years since the mill closed. Now, thanks to Horizons support and training, things are actually happening, said a resident of Riggins, Idaho, where Horizons helped spark the establishment of a bus service.

Today with more than 75 volunteers on the roster, the CCC is still going strong. One of its projects is the CABS or Canyon Area Bus Service, a local door-to-door bus service for residents and visitors in the Salmon River Canyon area. CABS provides public transportation for everyone; with priority seating for the elderly and disabled.

A recent stimulus funds grant from the Idaho Transportation Department will allow the group to purchase new buses, maintain office facilities and hire more employees. CABS has created jobs and increased the ability of community residents to shop, visit and go to appointments in the surrounding towns.

Poverty in Idaho

One in four Idahoans surveyed this summer for the Northwest Area Foundation said someone in their family lost a job during the past year. More than a third said work hours were cut. Those without college educations were twice as likely to lose their jobs as those with a college degree, according to the survey.

Idaho families have been hit hard. One in four reported taking a family member into their homes because of economic struggles. Six in 10 Idahoans, 60 percent, say it takes at least $40,000, almost twice the federal "poverty threshold" of $21,834, for a family of four to make ends meet. <Read the full report>