Moscow student hits the right notes
May 28—MOSCOW — Paradise Creek Regional High School principal Brian Smith pushed Stormy Bymers Blodgett to do more because he knew she could handle it.
"Stormy never, ever quits," Smith said.
Her tenacity, he said, is why she was able to complete her courses at PCRHS, perform in the Moscow High School and University of Idaho bands, work full-time jobs and graduate on time.
The road to her graduation, which takes place June 4, was not an easy one.
Bymers Blodgett was supposed to attend Moscow High School, but the large class sizes and the difficulties of online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic made learning a struggle for her.
A family member suggested she apply to PCRHS. Where Moscow High School can have classes with up to 30 students, courses at PCRHS often have fewer than 20 and sometimes as little as two. Her graduating class will have 11 students.
With the smaller classes, teachers can provide more individual attention to students, Bymers Blodgett said.
"They can kind of help you more if you're struggling," she said.
Her grades improved, and she was able to take a variety of classes like journalism, entomology and health.
Music remained her passion, however. She continued performing with the Moscow High School concert band and eventually learned how to play a dozen instruments.
"If you know one instrument, you can slowly start learning more," she said.
Seeing her potential, PCRHS asked Bymers Blodgett to be the first student to participate in the school's new partnership with UI's Lionel Hampton School of Music. As part of that program, she began taking dual credits as a junior and senior. She participated in UI's jazz choir program, the Vandal Marching Band and the UI concert band.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nash Dogs expanding into brick and mortar location in Old Hickory
OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Nashville man known in Old Hickory for slinging 100% Angus beef hot dogs is growing his business even more by opening up his first brick-and-mortar location. Nash Dogs owner Michael Spencer has been building his business since about 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. While feeling unhappy with his corporate job, Spencer started looking for a new venture that could allow him more time with his family. 'I came up with a plan that I had to get out of that lifestyle of grinding 60 or 70 hours a week and still not having enough money to equate to what I was looking for long-term,' he told News 2. During his research, he came across a food truck operator and thought going into that line of business for himself could be the way forward. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Hot dogs, Spencer said, are a pretty versatile food, in that there are multiple different types of hot dogs one can sell. Ultimately, Spencer decided on a quarter-pound, 100% Angus beef hot dog, for its juiciness, flavor and fragrance. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spencer thought offering a low-cost item would be beneficial to those struggling financially amid the chaos of the time period. 'Hot dogs were depression food, originally,' Spencer said. 'It was a cheap food that people could eat.' Starting as just a cart in his grandfather's garage, Spencer has been able to grow his business steadily over the years. Initially, he brokered a deal with a local property owner to set up his cart in exchange for clearing the property of trash that people dumped onto it routinely. The Old Hickory location was formerly a gas station and then later was used as a Goodwill donation drop off location. After the Goodwill donations stopped occurring there, people still left items they no longer wanted. 'It was kind of an eyesore for the community,' he said. 'I found the landlord's phone number, called, and offered to haul the trash in exchange for a spot to host the hot dog stand.' He did that for about six months, he told News 2, then began looking for other locations. He started attending the Old Hickory Village farmers market on Tuesdays, then the Donelson farmers market on Fridays. 'Those two farmers markets really gave us great traction in the area,' Spencer said. After a while, Spencer said he was able to go to pop-ups at Metro Nashville Public Schools and at apartment complexes. He was then able to open a location inside Opry Mills Mall. The stand is located at the front of Entrance 3, near the Rainforest Cafe and Off Broadway Shoes. Now, after about five years, Spencer said he's gotten the community buy-in to open up a full-fledged brick and mortar location. ⏩ 'The idea came from my head, but it really had to take the community and the people around me being willing enough to invest their time, attention and dollars for me to really flourish,' he told News 2. His new store is located in the 1400 block of Robinson Road, next to the Piggly Wiggly in Old Hickory. 'I'm hoping it's the first of many,' he said of the brick and mortar location. Spencer's looking forward to the location, stating it'll offer him a better chance to give back to the community that's supported him over the years. 'I really think we all have a place in life to help serve one another,' he said. 'I believe if we don't take care of the next person, who will? Nash Dogs started off as a way to serve myself, but it's turned into a way for me to really be an outlet for people looking to grow. I fully intend to turn Nash Dogs into something more than just a hot dog brand. I think that we can have an impact on society and our community in a positive way—not just through food but through opportunities.' Ideally, Spencer said the Old Hickory location will be open this summer, though there are still several moving parts that still need to be nailed down before he commits to a firm opening date. No matter what happens, Spencer will keep everyone updated through Instagram. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Family of 19-Year-Old Grace Schara takes hospital to court in landmark wrongful death case
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – In a case that has captivated the community and raised profound questions about medical ethics, the trial concerning the wrongful death of 19-year-old Grace Schara commenced on Tuesday in Outagamie County court. The young woman, who had Down syndrome, died at Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton in 2021 after contracting COVID-19. The Schara family has launched a civil lawsuit against the hospital, alleging medical negligence, violations of informed consent, and battery. Wisconsin DNR: Limit time outside due to Canadian wildfire smoke As opening statements unfolded Tuesday morning, the parents of Grace argued that their daughter was administered a combination of medications—precedex, lorazepam, and morphine—without their knowledge or consent. They contend that these drugs, rather than complications from COVID-19, led to Grace's respiratory distress and ultimately her untimely death. The family only discovered a 'Do Not Resuscitate' (DNR) order had been placed on Grace's chart when she was already in critical condition, prompting concerns that medical staff had failed to honor their last-minute request to change her DNR status. The case marks a significant moment in legal history, as it is the first to challenge the designation of COVID-19 as the primary cause of death on a death certificate. The hospital, however, has firmly denied the allegations, asserting that Grace received appropriate care from a team of medical professionals and that her deterioration was a natural progression of her illness. 'Nothing is urgent enough to destroy their life': Sheriff in Wisconsin catches driver going 105 mph in a 55 zone During the trial, plaintiff attorney Warner Mendenhall emphasized the alarming sequence of events leading to Grace's decline, stating, 'Instead of recognizing the life-threatening situation and reducing the medications causing the problems, this medical team did the opposite.' In contrast, defense attorney Jason John Franckowiak argued that the claims are based on misunderstandings surrounding Grace's care, asserting that the medical team acted within the accepted standard of care. Defense attorney Randall also addressed the court, saying, 'We believe the evidence will show that Dr. Shokar's care and treatment of Grace Schara on October 12th and 13th of 2021, met the standard of care that applied.' The emotional weight of the trial is compounded by the heartbreaking testimony from Grace's mother, Cindy Schara, who recalled her daughter's vibrant spirit and artistic talents. 'She was so talented when it came to coloring, and she loved to leave notes for people,' Cindy reflected. 'She learned how to play violin, she was a dancer, she was an actor, she loved to be in plays, our home-schooled plays.' Wisconsin Department of Transportation warning residents of fake DMV link scams As the trial unfolds, it is expected to last up to 3 weeks, drawing attention to critical issues surrounding informed consent and the rights of patients and their families in the healthcare system. The outcome of this landmark case could have far-reaching implications for how medical decisions are made, especially during a public health crisis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
an hour ago
COVID-related agreement continues to shield some on Georgia's death row from execution
ATLANTA -- The fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is not available for newborn babies is shielding a group of prisoners on Georgia's death row from execution. Executions in Georgia were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state attorney general's office entered into an agreement with lawyers for people on death row to set the terms under which they could resume for a specific group of prisoners. At least one of those conditions, having to do with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, has not been met, and seeking an execution date for a prisoner covered by the agreement would breach the agreement, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram ruled. The agreement includes three conditions that had to be met before executions could be set for the affected prisoners: the expiration of the state's COVID-19 judicial emergency, the resumption of normal visitation at state prisons and the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine 'to all members of the public.' Once those conditions were met, the state agreed to give three months' notice before pursuing an execution warrant for one of the prisoners covered by the agreement and six months' notice for the rest. The state has argued that the agreement should no longer apply, contending the conditions have been met. But defense attorneys say it's still valid because the vaccine isn't yet available to infants under 6 months old, and visitation at state prisons has not returned to normal. Ingram's ruling, issued Friday, addressed only the vaccination question. She plans to handle the visitation issue separately. Ingram wrote that the state's arguments 'all boil down to an attempt to rewrite the Agreement.' The state is '(u)nhappy with the language it drafted' and wants to change it so that the condition would be satisfied once vaccines are available to 'most members of the public.' 'But courts cannot rewrite contracts to relieve a party of their regrets,' she wrote. She ruled that the agreement is 'binding and enforceable,' that the vaccination condition hasn't been met and that seeking an execution warrant before the requirements have been met would breach the agreement. The state attorney general's office plans to appeal, a spokesperson said Tuesday. Ingram noted that the Food and Drug Administration has approved clinical trials for infants under 6 months old, and newborns receive other vaccines. That shows it is possible for the COVID-19 vaccine to ultimately be available for that age group, and the state should have foreseen that that could take years, she wrote. Experts for both sides had testified that it was probable that the COVID-19 vaccine would eventually become available to babies under the age of 6 months, Ingram wrote. That was before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed U.S. health secretary. Kennedy last week announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. A few days later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website, which had said those groups should get the shots, was revised to say the vaccinations 'may' be given to those groups. The agreement covers fewer than 10 of the 34 people currently on Georgia's death row. While Georgia stopped carrying out executions during the pandemic, death penalty cases continued to wind their way through the court system, and as people exhausted their appeals, they became eligible for execution. A committee of a judicial task force on COVID-19 in early 2021 instructed lawyers for people on death row and the state attorney general's office to come up with terms under which executions could safely resume. The two sides reached the agreement in April 2021. The agreement only applied to people on death row whose requests to have their appeals reheard were denied by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals while the judicial emergency was in place. The agreement was to remain in effect through Aug. 1, 2022, or one year from the date on which the conditions were met — whichever was later. The legal fight arose from a lawsuit filed when officials set a May 2022 execution date for Virgil Delano Presnell Jr. The Federal Defender Program, which represents Presnell, said the state had violated the agreement because the conditions hadn't all been met. Based on that argument, a Fulton County Superior Court judge halted the execution less than 24 hours before it was to take place, and the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in December 2022 that the agreement was a binding contract.
