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

Bert Raynes already had the scoop on this, but the photo is so remarkable it bears posting. On Friday, the Teton Raptor Center released this bald eagle into the wild at Bear Lake, Idaho, six weeks after it collided with a semi-truck.

The eagle had been feeding on a dead deer and flew the wrong way as the truck approached near Montpelier, Idaho. The bird suffered internal bleeding and had pulmonary problems, but surprisingly no broken bones. The Raptor Center took it under its wing and nurtured it back to health.

“This return to the wild qualifies as the most remarkable among our success stories,” said Amy Brennan McCarthy, the center’s executive director. This was the fourth release of a raptor back into the wild this year.

Major props to the truck driver, Ben Wright, for seeking care for the eagle. Wright also snapped this photo.

Anyone who finds an injured, ill or orphaned bird of prey in the Jackson Hole region should call the Raptor Center hotline at (307) 200-6019.

Posted under Environment

Tags: eagles, idaho, nonprofits, wildlife

History doesn’t have to be dull. The Jackson Hole Historical Society has drawn packed houses for its “Voices of the Valley” series, featuring living legends talking about their fishing, river running and skiing exploits.

Filmmaker Jen Tennican, in conjunction with the Historical Society, is making a documentary on one of the most colorful institutions of Jackson Hole: the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson. From the Sunday night “church” goers to the Disco Night revelers, nail pounders at happy hour and skiers washing down a powder day on Teton Pass, we all have our stories from the ‘Coach.

Tennican has delved into the history of the watering hole started by Walt Callahan in the 1940s. Callahan ran a rodeo behind the bar and served cowboys. The Stagecoach Band started its marathon streak of Sunday night gigs in 1969, as an influx of hippies mixed with horsemen — a tradition that continues to this day when all sorts of freaks gather to get down at Disco Night.

Tennican first visited the bar for Sunday night “church,” when the Stagecoach Band has the crowd two-stepping. “I was struck by the feeling of community,” she says. “It was very welcoming. It felt like being with your family, without the stress of being with your family.”

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Posted under Art, Entertainment, Music, Wyoming

Tags: films, history, phish

Last week, as the Wyoming Senate debated the second of two bills that would restrict the rights of gay citizens, constituents flooded Sen. Leland Christensen’s Facebook page with pleas for him to vote against the measure. The Alta Republican voted to advance the bill on first and second readings, but once amendments were finalized, Christensen voted against the legislation on final reading.

Today, he helped defeat a bill that would have set aside $500,000 for the state to fight implementation of federal health insurance reform. Earlier, he voted against a proposed constitutional amendment bucking federal mandates related to health care.

Deservedly, Christensen has received commendation from Teton County Democrats for doing the right thing on House Bill 74, which seeks to bar Wyoming from recognizing gay marriages or civil unions performed in other states. The bill passed the Senate by one vote, on a 16-14 margin, but the House did not concur with the Senate’s changes, casting its future in doubt.

“I didn’t think it created a space for respect,” Christensen said by phone from Cheyenne. He objected that civil unions were included.

Fair enough. So far, the senator’s record isn’t perfect — he had a chance to kill the first gay marriage bill, a constitutional amendment, in committee, yet chose to advance the bill to the floor — but he seems to be listening to his constituents back home and taking a pragmatic approach to divisive issues for which he has a distaste. That’s encouraging.

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Posted under Politics, Religion, Republican Party, Wyoming Legislature

Tags: leland christensen, sex

Update 2/23: Let’s sweeten the pot a little. The runner-up will receive two free tickets to Dubskin and Euforquestra at the Town Square Tavern on Thursday, courtesy of What’s Good Here? Productions. More on that show after the jump.

Crooked Still, the alternative bluegrass band from New England, visits Center for the Arts on Wednesday. Local favorites Random Canyon Growlers will open.

The ensemble features singer Aoife O’Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. According to the center, the band is known for its “high energy, technical skill, unusual instrumentation and innovative acoustic style.”

We’re giving away a pair of tickets ($30 value). As usual, in the comments below, say you’re in, and at 3 p.m. Wednesday we’ll draw the lucky winner via random drawing. Tickets are available at the center box office.

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Posted under Music

Tags: bluegrass, center for the arts, WGH?

OK, let’s try this again: Tickets for the May 24 U2 concert at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City went on sale this morning.

Prices range from $30 behind the stage to $55 for general admission on the floor to $95 and $250 for premium sections. A search a short while ago showed that floor tickets are available for, once service charges are added, about $69.

The show was supposed to take place last June but was postponed after Bono injured his back during a rehearsal. Original tickets remain valid. The band also is playing Mile High Stadium in Denver on May 21.

U2 just performed a pair of landmark concerts in South Africa last week, with Malian duo Amadou & Mariam opening and guest appearances by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka for “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

Not yet ready to tease yourself with plans for summer?

We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets for the bluegrass band Crooked Still on Wednesday at Center for the Arts. Check back tomorrow for details.

Posted under Music

Tags: rock, travel, U2, utah

A storm that kept MarchFourth Marching Band from reaching the Knotty Pine dumped a consolation prize on Grand Targhee: 32 inches of snow in 24 hours, with less than an inch of moisture. Cold. Smoke.

The east side of the Tetons is reporting a more modest 15 inches.

Looking ahead, meteorologist Jim Woodmencey is calling for 1 to 3 inches of snow each day and night this week. Snowfall for the season is approaching 400 inches, with a base of 109 inches on the upper mountain at JHMR.

(Photo by Powder Day Photography, via Grand Targhee)

Posted under Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: jackson hole mountain resort, powder, skiing, snowboarding, targhee