Drew Dodson - Valley Lookout Editor
Drew Dodson is editor and reporter for Valley Lookout. Drew lives in Donnelly and has covered the City of McCall, Perpetua Resources, regional growth, and other local beats since 2018. Drew’s hobbies include backcountry skiing, picking huckleberries, home improvement, beer league hockey, and all things Ernest Hemingway. You can reach him at drew@valleylookout.com
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109 Stories from this reporter
County
Wilks Bros. want to build ‘new city’ near McCall. The process ahead is long
It will be months before there is enough information to make a decision on a proposal to build what some have described as a...
County
Closure short-lived: Valley Co. re-opens Warm Lake Summit
A closure of Warm Lake Summit to wheeled vehicles was lifted less than two days after being issued due to avalanche danger.
On Wednesday afternoon,...
Environment
‘The system is working’: Endowment lands proposal stalls in committee
A proposal aimed at giving state land managers more flexibility in managing endowment lands failed to pass a committee hearing this week in the...
County
Warm Lake Summit closed amid ‘high’ avalanche danger
The only road linking Yellow Pine to essential services and supplies in the McCall area has been closed indefinitely.
On Monday, the Valley County Sheriff’s...
County
‘More information is needed’: McCall weighs in on plans for ‘new city’ proposed by Wilks Brothers
Plans to build more than 700 homes and a commercial village near McCall are not detailed enough to make a decision, according to the...
McCall
‘Too close for comfort’: No suspects identified after bullet hits McCall home
Stormy Dean was on the couch in her living room last Friday afternoon when a loud pop caught the attention of the friend she...
Healthcare
Labrador ‘concerned’ taxpayer subsidy for St. Luke’s McCall housing may be unconstitutional
The use of taxpayer funding to build housing for hospital workers in McCall may run afoul of the Idaho Constitution, according to the Idaho...
Infrastructure
McCall eyes second water bond election amid ‘staggering’ treatment plant costs
A project to expand the capacity of McCall’s drinking water plant is facing a funding shortfall of at least $7 million.
Members of the McCall...
Uncategorized
Officials considered closing Valley Co. road popular with snowmobilers. Mother Nature changed the conversation
A conversation among Valley County officials about public access on Warm Lake Summit this winter was settled last week by Mother Nature.
A large section...
McCall
Wilks brothers pitch 700+ homes, stoplights, trails & more near McCall
A new concept plan for a commercial village and hundreds of homes southwest of McCall was submitted to Valley County late last month.
The plans,...
Growth
Scores of new hangars set to be built at McCall Airport
A proposal to build 19 new hangars at the McCall Municipal Airport was approved late last month by the McCall City Council.
Council members voted...
Legal
ICYMI: ‘We’re not able to do our job’: Adams County Sheriff floats ‘Stop and Identify’ law
It could soon be a crime to not identify yourself when questioned by police officers in Adams County.
On Monday, the Board of County Commissioners...
McCall
ICYMI: ‘The skis will be coming down’: McCall orders water ski roof removal, again
The owner of a downtown McCall business has again been ordered by the city to remove decorative water ski roofing from the building.
The water...
Local Food
ICYMI: One McCall restaurant closes. Another is revived to replace it
Less than a year after it closed, Bistro 45 Wine Bar and Grill is set to return to McCall.
The popular restaurant will be reopened...
Environment
ICYMI: A UTV sank in Payette Lake last winter. Now it can’t be found
Efforts this week to remove a sunken off-road vehicle from the bottom of Payette Lake were unsuccessful, according to the Idaho Department of Environmental...
Cascade
ICYMI: Not the ‘preferred method’: Wilks Brothers skirt subdivision rules in plan to sell 2,000 acres near Cascade
A company owned by Texas billionaires Dan and Faris Wilks is selling 73 ranch sites carved from about 2,000 acres south of Cascade.
Plans for...
County
ICYMI: Eagle developer cleared to start 374-acre subdivision near Donnelly
Plans to develop roughly 70 lots from 374 acres southeast of Donnelly were aired last week to the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission.
The...
Valley Lookout
‘It’s a bit of a shocker’: Valley Co. planning to gate popular recreation corridor
A gate across Warm Lake Road could jeopardize public access to Warm Lake Summit and other recreational areas this winter.
On Monday, Valley County Commissioners...
McCall
McCall council could ban new storage complexes
A proposal to ban new commercial storage complexes from being built in McCall was recommended for approval on Monday by the McCall Area Planning...
Environment
‘A win for Idaho’: Perpetua, Idaho National Laboratory partner on antimony processing
Antimony produced by a mine in Valley County could be processed for use by the U.S. Military at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern...
Housing Affordability
McCall could build affordable homes on city land
City-owned land could be used to subsidize the construction of more than 40 homes and apartments for McCall residents, under a proposal recently aired...
Retail
‘This one is special’: D9 grocery store in Cascade sold to Boise grocer
Cascade’s only grocery store is under new ownership for the first in nearly 50 years.
Boise-based M&W Markets closed on a deal to buy D9 on Nov....
McCall
New cabins, event center, more set to open in Ponderosa Park
A promenade, six new lakefront rental cabins, and an event center will be available next summer to visitors of one of McCall’s most popular...
Fun
City of McCall likes plan for new movie theater
Plans to build a movie theater, storage units, and mixed-use townhomes were approved this week by the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission.
The theater...
County
‘It fills a critical need’: 24-hour fuel sales in Yellow Pine approved by Valley County
Around the clock fuel sales are coming to Yellow Pine.
Last week the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission approved an application to build a...
People
‘Do the thing that scares you’: Group of incredible Idaho women inspire with advice, reflection
It wasn’t long ago that life had beaten down Abigail Manery to the point that she could not find it in herself to smile,...
Incredible Idaho Women
Incredible Idaho Women preview: Barbara Morgan – from a McCall classroom to space
Our new book, Incredible Idaho Women: 43 Inspiring Stories for All Ages is now shipping! We wanted to share one of our favorite stories...
County
ITD ‘growingly concerned’ about future of historic Idaho 55 bridge as replacement designs narrowed
The future of an iconic Idaho 55 bridge remains in doubt as designs for a replacement bridge have been narrowed by the Idaho Transportation...