JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

In a stunning reversal, the Jackson Town Council voted 3-2 yesterday against a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited unnecessary idling of vehicles.

Mayor Mark Barron and councilors Mark Obringer and Bob Lenz killed the measure, after little to no discussion. Greg Miles and Melissa Turley voted in favor. The move comes after the council voted unanimously in March to draft an ordinance, amid overwhelming public comment in support.

Instead, the council opted yesterday to pursue a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing idling. The town will do so without the greatest educational tool, the ordinance itself, which would have provided a warning for first offense and subsequent fine.

Most discouraging was the lack of discussion. Barron, Obringer and Lenz gave no reasons for their decision, as clearly the matter had been decided in private. Consideration of the idle-free measure had been postponed at least two or three times, and few proponents were able to attend yesterday.

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Posted under Environment, Politics, Town Government

Tags: conservation, mark barron, willie neal

Poppa Presents hosts its first event of the summer at the Pink Garter Theater tonight with a screening of Blood Into Wine, a documentary about Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan‘s foray into viniculture.

The movie also will show Friday and Saturday. Showtime is 8 p.m., and doors open at 7. Admission is $10, which includes a complimentary glass of wine from Keenan’s vineyards Arizona Stronghold and Caduceus Cellars.

“Wine is about sustainability, family, culture,” the rocker says in this Wall Street Journal feature explaining how he became an oenophile.

Posted under Food, Music

Tags: rock, wine

Grand Targhee has finalized the lineup for its 23rd annual Bluegrass Festival and chosen this design for the poster (click to enlarge).

The Waybacks featuring banjo player Jens Kruger will close the fest on Aug. 15, joining the likes of Béla Fleck with Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, Sam Bush Band, Bearfoot, Crooked Still and Danny Barnes.

Illustrator Kathleen Hanson made the winning design in the inaugural poster contest. Other entries can be viewed on the resort’s new music blog, TargheeMusic.com.

The Alta, Wyo., resort opens for summer this weekend.

Posted under Art, Music, Ski Resorts

Tags: bluegrass, festivals, Media, targhee

And we thought yesterday’s microburst on the Snake River was bad.

The rare Montana twister ripped off most of the roof of the Metra Park sports arena and damaged roads and buildings.

Microbursts that blew through Grand Teton National Park on Saturday and Sunday packed gusts of nearly 50 mph and snapped trees north of Moose, but otherwise did not do anything so dramatic as to merit video.

From this clip, amateur videographers should note that most point-and-shoot cameras do not automatically adjust when turned vertical.

Posted under Weather

Tags: montana

Summer *finally* (fingers crossed) appears to be here, and inconceivable as it may be, Fourth of July is two weeks away.

Widespread Panic is about to embark on its summer tour, with three sold-out nights at Red Rocks next week and a few dates in the Northwest before landing at The Spud for a celebration of freedom beneath the Tetons.

Today PopMatters has a well-written piece and interview with John Bell, in which he reflects on the band’s philanthropy, approach to making music and upcoming 25th anniversary. J.B. has this to say about a possible anniversary bash:

I don’t even think we’ve thought about having a party! Because every day is a party when you’re out there on the road. We’ve always been a one day at a time, one tour at a time kind of band anyway. There never was a thought of not playing, but just applying yourself to the moment at hand.

Widespread Panic has been all over the media promoting its latest album, Dirty Side Down. I’m usually reluctant to pick up new studio albums from my old favorite bands, preferring to download songs or shows from sites like LiveWidespreadPanic.com, but in a fit of excitement over Jazz Fest and the Spud, I bought Dirty Side Down and have been pleasantly surprised.

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Posted under Holidays, Music

Tags: idaho, rock, teton valley, widespread panic

Will the Lakers or Celtics take Game 7? How will BP plug the Gulf oil spill? And when, oh when, will the latest behemoth bank on Broadway be finished?

Only bankers could be so tone deaf as to devise an advertising campaign around the construction of a lavish new bank.

Rocky Mountain Bank has spent thousands of dollars in recent weeks on ads in the News&Guide and Daily touting its building soon to be completed. The bank is holding a contest asking people to guess the completion date, as if that holds some sort of mystery or couldn’t be manipulated, anyway.

Nothing against RMB personally (and to be fair, its CEO has been a generous supporter of Habitat), but for the public this building will stand as yet another testament to the fact that ultimately banks wind up with all the money.

Posted under Economy

Tags: fat cats, Media