Above: City Clerk Rhonda Schmidt swears in Mike Jensen and Kelby Heartburg at the Jan. 12 meeting of the Nezperce City Council.

The Nezperce City Council meets monthly at City Hall, 606 Maple St. Following is the schedule for meetings in 2026:

• January 12 - 5:30 p.m.
• February 9 - 5:30 p.m.
• March 9 - 5:30 p.m.
• April 13 - 7 a.m.
• May 11 - 7 a.m.
• June 8 - 7 a.m.
• July 13 - 7 a.m.
• August 10 - 7 a.m. (includes budget hearing)
• September 14 - 7 a.m.
• October 13 - 5:30 p.m.
• November 9 - 5:30 p.m.
• December 14 - 5:30 p.m.

Nezperce residents can attend any council meeting. If the resident wants a decision to be made, the issue must be on the agenda.

City Hall will be closed the following holidays in 2026:

• January 1 -  New Year’s Day
• January 19 - Human Rights Day
• February 16 - President’s Day
• May 25 - Memorial Day
• July 4 - Independence Day
• September 7 - Labor Day
• October 12, Columbus Day
• November 11 - Veterans Day
• November 26 & 27 – Thanksgiving
• December 25 - Christmas

Nezperce City Hall, 606 Maple Street, will close at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and remain closed through Sunday, Dec. 28, in observance of Christmas. City Hall will reopen 8:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29.

City Hall will also close at noon on Wednesday Dec. 31 and remain closed through Jan. 4 for New Year’s. We will reopen at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

City of Nezperce residents reelected Kelby Heartburg and Kim Ingram to the City Council. Kelby received 94 votes and Kim garnered 76. Chase Lunders received 64 votes.

The City Council also includes Mayor Tyler Nelson along with council members Jim Zenner and Mike Jensen. The City Council holds regular meetings usually on the second Monday of the month at City Hall, 606 Maple Street.

Purpose:

• To honor, celebrate, and educate about the U.S. Constitution.

Origin:

• The observance was established by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and was made public law by President Eisenhower in 1956.

Constitution Day:

• The week begins with Constitution Day on September 17, the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

Below: Cleo has her dog tags!

The Easter Bunny will be on site, and prizes will be given for the Golden Egg and the “most eggs” found per age group. Participants will receive a raffle ticket and a bag of goodies.

A donation box will be available for unwanted plastic eggs.

Lion’s Burgers will also be available.

1. Two complete bathrooms with showers – bring your own towel, shampoo, soap, etc.
2. Washer and dryer for use.
3. Full kitchen to accommodate warming up a meal, two refrigerators available for needed food storage.
4. Large floor sink that can easily fill containers with cold or warm water for personal at home use.
5. Location to charge your cell phones, tablets, or just need a place to access WiFi for a brief time, etc. Accommodations are available during City Hall business hours, 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by calling 208-937-1021. If you need to make arrangements after hours, call Craig at 208-507-0846 or Patty at 208-791-7675.

With conditions like this, drivers should consider:

• Making sure headlights are on. Automatic settings don’t always recognize fog, so please make sure to turn them on.

• Fog can turn into ices patchy with the freezing temperatures. The road may only look wet cut can be super slick. Slow down and leave extra space.

• Even with improving visibility, it would be wise to add another car length or two between you and the vehicle in front of you to avoid a possible collision,.

Brewfest, which will start after the Easter Egg Hunt, features beers and ciders from regional breweries as well as some tried and true adult beverages, such as Coors Light.

The event will also include a raffle, large TVs for watching the NCAA Men’s Final Four, a shuffleboard table and food for purchase. Raffle tickets are $20 or five for $100, which comes with entry to the event.

Raffle prizes are a Blackstone Grill courtesy of Columbia Grain, a Patio Heater, Fire Pit and Yard Chairs, courtesy of Infinity Ag, a Gardening Supply Basket courtesy of Lewis County Title, Free Lions Burgers for a Year and an Auto Ordnance 1927A-1C Tommy you know what courtesy of the Lion’s Club.

Event tickets are $20 and available from Lion’s Club members.

The Lion’s Club is currently raising funds to transform the former Presbyterian Church into a recreational space for the town’s youth that they’ve named the Lion’s Den. The group is always raising money for scholarships as well.

Any questions? Call Lion’s Club President Wyatt Lux at 208-791-8559.

12-Feb.: Baked ham, Pork Ham, Macaroni & cheese, Coleslaw, Applesauce, Cherry Salad, Roll, Sawdust Cookie

16- Feb.: No Meal,

19-Feb.: Chicken Thigh, Mashed Potato, Gravy, Peaches, Broccoli, Roll, Gingersnap Cookie

23-Feb.: Meat Loaf, Ground Beef, Baked Potato, Carrots, Pears, Roll, Chocolate Chip Bars

26-Feb.: Roast Beef, Beef, Mashed Potato, Gravy, Peas, Peaches, Coleslaw, WW Roll, Pumpkin Spice Cake

David’s wife Maxine died in June of this year.

Both Maxine and David attended the University of Idaho and earned their degrees while raising Stephanie (1958) and Scott (1961). After college, the family moved back to Nezperce.

Traveling was amongst the many activities Maxine and David enjoyed. They left Nezperce every winter to work and play in places like Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Colorado and Australia.

David and Maxine retired and moved to Moscow in 2012.

Maxine and David were passionate about having a larger community library, and after years of fundraising and planning, the Nezperce Community Library was completed. The building was dedicated to David and Maxine in 2015.

In 2022, Maxine and David moved to Leavenworth, Wash., as residents of Mountain Meadows Senior Living to be closer to family.

Dave is survived by their three children, Stephanie Cuthill, Scott (Melodee) Riggers and Shelley (Mike) Frislie; and six grandchildren — Brandon Riggers, Amanda (Samuel) Williams, Skyler Cuthill, Samantha (James) Cathey, Cassidy Cuthill and Graeme Frislie.

Surrounded by his family, Jerry Lee Elven, 81, passed away as a result of congestive heart failure on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Cottonwood. He was born on Jan. 21, 1944, in Vancouver, Wash., the second of three children born to Jerome and Kristine Hannesson Elven. After moving back to North Dakota, Kristine was left with three children to raise on her own. In 1949, the small family moved to Nezperce, where Kristine married Wilfred V. Schmitz, and soon six more children joined the family. As Jerry frequently shared, Nezperce was an idyllic place to grow up playing with all the kids in the neighborhood and to have opportunities to work at a young age on surrounding farms.

In Jerry, Nezperce gained a mayor, a city councilor, a cemetery board member, a Post Legion Commander and a man who worked tirelessly behind the scenes on countless civic projects and improvements. In his hands and through his ingenuity old machines found new life.

• A celebration of life will take place at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Nezperce Legion Hall, followed by a meal.
• Blackmer Funeral Home of Grangeville is in charge of arrangements. Send condolences to the family to blackmerfuneralhome.com.
• In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jerry Elven may be made to the Nezperce Senior Center, 501 Cedar St., Nezperce, ID 83543.

To read the entire obituary, visit:

• https://www.lmtribune.com/obituaries/jerry-lee-elven-20827910

The 2025 Lewis County Fair will be held Sept. 25-28 in Nezperce at the fairgrounds with the theme “Dreams Really Do Come True.”

Paetyn LaBudie, daughter of Zane and Brenda LaBudie, is serving as fair queen, LaBudie attends Clearwater Valley High School in Kooskia. Kairys Grant, daughter of Doug and Misty Grant, is representing the county as the princess. Grant is a senior at Nezperce High School.

For more information, visit http://www.lewiscountyid.us/Extension-Office/Lewis-County-Fair

Thursday, September 25th

• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Livestock Weigh-in (controlled re-weigh for underweight at 5:15 p.m.)
• 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Interview for all animal projects – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. – 4-H small animal check-in – Bateman Barn
• 3 – 7 p.m. – Enter all open class exhibits – Baldus Hall
• 3 – 6 p.m. – Enter all 4-H miscellaneous projects and interview sign-up – Eller Building
• 4 p.m. – 4-H Dog Show – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 6 p.m. – Livestock Judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion

Friday, September 26th

• 8 a.m. – Livestock 4-H/FFA record books due – Extension Office
• 8 – 8:45 a.m. – Enter all 4-H food projects – Eller Building
• 8 a.m. – Cloverbud Rabbit, Cloverbud Poultry judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 8:30 a.m. – Cat, Rabbit, Breeding Rabbit, Poultry fitting/showing/quality – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 9:30 a.m. – Market Beef quality and Bucket Calf judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Open Class judging – Baldus Hall (closed for judging)
• 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – 4-H miscellaneous scheduled interviews – Eller Building
• 10:30 a.m. – Special circumstances interviews by appointment – Extension Office
• 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Nezperce Service League Salad Bar – Christian Church
• 11 a.m. – Cloverbud Goat and Breeding Goat/Breeding Sheep judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 11 a.m. – Open Class Poultry and Rabbit judging – Bateman Barn (closed for judging)
• 12 p.m. – Market Swine quality judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 12:30 p.m. – Market Goat & Market Sheep quality judging – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 3 p.m. – Small Animal Round Robin – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 7 p.m. – Style Revue – Nezperce School

Saturday, September 27th

• 7 – 10 a.m. – Nezperce American Legion breakfast – Legion Hall
• 8 a.m. – Market Swine fitting & showing – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 8 a.m. – Market Goat /Market Sheep fitting & showing – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 9:30 a.m. – Market Beef fitting & showing – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 1 p.m. – Fair Parade – Oak Street, Nezperce
• 1:30 p.m. – Royalty Luncheon (by invitation only) – Nezperce Christian Church
• 2:30 p.m. – Large Animal Round Robin – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 5 p.m. – 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion sale order – beef/goat/sheep/swine
• 6 p.m. – ILCCA Buyer’s Dinner – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion
• 9 – 11 p.m. – Family Dance – DJ Joe – Wemhoff Livestock Pavilion

Sunday, September 28th

• 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Barns close for load out
• 12 p.m. – Tough Trucks Competition – Cecil Hill Arena
• 1 – 3 p.m. – Check out for 4-H, Open Class, and Livestock

The Nezperce Lions Club will hold the second annual Fall Ball on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Legion Hall in Nezperce.

• The event will feature a fine-dining-like experience with smoked tri tip and all the trimmings along with a cash bar. Coltrain Reloaded will provide the music.
• All proceeds go to fund events and help the Lions Club support the community’s youth, sports teams and projects.
• Tickets are $40 and will be available from Lions Club members or at the burger booth Sept. 25-28 and Oct. 31.

Nezperce Mayor Tyler Nelson participated in the 2025 Mayor’s Walking Challenge and thus received a $1,000 grant from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, Inc.

“We look forward to hearing how you use your funds,” wrote Courtney Frost, executive director of the Foundation. “Specifically, we encourage you to use the grant funding from the Foundation to promote physical activity in your community.”

Nelson said he would be giving the grant money to the Nezperce High School cross-country team.

The Nezperce Community Library is kicking off 2026 with a number of events, courses and other activities.

January is Braille month, so the library has set up a station for patrons.

The library is a holding a meeting at 5:40 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19 for parents regarding the My First Books grant.

Girls Who Code is a program designed for teenagers interested in AI, game design, web development and much more. Contact the library for more information.

Also, the library looking for volunteers to help with programming. Call or visit the library for more info.

The Nezperce Community Library, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Oak Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call (208) 937-2458 with any questions.

By the end of March, Nezperce Ambulance will be down to just seven licensed EMTs, with only two available to cover daytime calls. At the same time, call volume has increased significantly. With the area population growing older, the demand for emergency medical services is growing, but the ability to respond is rapidly shrinking.

“The need is real,” Ally Kuther, EMT, wrote in a Facebook post. “The risk is immediate. Our community’s access to emergency care depends on action now—and we need your help.”

To contact the ambulance service, visit its Facebook page linked here: Nezperce RES

Below: The Nezperce Ambulance participates in a local parade.

The event, which raises funds for both the volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance services, features games, a silent auction and dinner.

Doors to the Legion Hall, 420 Maple Ave., will open at 2 p.m. for those that want to check out the auction items. Dinner will start around 5:30 p.m.

Although the Nezperce City Council has not yet decided what will happen to our recycling program, we have temporarily closed the bins and will not be accepting any recycling until a decision is made. If you have any questions or would like to give your input, please reach out to City Hall at clerk@cityofnezperce.com or call 208-937-1021.