All about the project

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SODA SPRINGS - Roger Cheramie has worn many hats in his 68 years. He's been in the oil business, run a barge company, served in the U.S. Air Force, provided disaster relief for the International Red Cross, delivered mail and owned a newspaper.

''I always did two, three, four things at a time,'' Cheramie said. ''Money's not important to me. It's the project.''

How a Louisiana Cajun - his name translates in French to dear friend - got to rural Idaho is a long and convoluted story.

After a four-year hitch in the Air Force, he spent a good portion of his time based in England, putting his bayou experiences to use in oil production.

When he returned to the states, he began working in retail and was involved in the Lafayette, La., Chamber of Commerce. Local pols took notice of Cheramie's drive and he began to work behind the scenes in politics. He went on to run Edwin Edwards' successful gubernatorial campaign, among others.

His involvement as a manager in a district attorney race resulted in his being commissioned as a deputy to allow him to provide security. For the next 18 years, he served in law enforcement, working as a homicide detective for his last three or four years.

Lafayette was relatively peaceful until Interstate 10 was completed, linking the area to Baton Rouge and New Orleans to the east and Texas to the west.

''There were two homicides per month once the road was completed,'' Cheramie said.

After retiring from law enforcement, Cheramie went back to college for a spell at LSU. It was there he met Judy. They have been married for 25 years.

Cheramie left school to work in his father's barge business in the gulf, hauling personnel and equipment to drilling rigs.

Judy grew up in the Soda Springs area and after several visits to the area with her, Roger asked if she wanted to return home. She did, so Cheramie sold his interest in the barge business to his partners and the couple moved to Idaho.

''I fell in love with this place - the mountains, and even more, the seasons,'' he said.

After a stint at a Montpelier paper, he decided to start his own publication, the Bear Lake Gazette, using the profits from the sale of his business to buy the equipment.

''It was five columns wide,'' Cheramie said with a laugh. ''Great for pets.''

The paper business suited Cheramie, but Montpelier's economy took a serious hit when railroad operations there were shuttered. The Cheramies were forced to declare bankruptcy.

During this period, they successfully bid on a rural mail delivery contract, which they have continued to operate for the last 23 years, driving approximately 100 miles per day.

Cheramie began an eight-year stint working for the International Red Cross, working in disaster management, traveling throughout the United States and the world. During his stint, he visited approximately 50 disaster sites, ranging from American Samoa to Alabama.

In 2003, Cheramie began formulating his most recent project. Chat-TV is a nonprofit television station that originates from Soda Springs, airing on cable channel 98. The all-volunteer station serves the Caribou highlands area, broadcasting 24 hours a day. Grants from the Idaho Foundation, Forest Service and Monsanto, among others, have kept the station on the air.

The station covers city council meetings throughout the week in Soda Springs, Grace, Montpelier, Bancroft and Lava Hot Springs. Soda Springs library's ''Story Time'' airs every weekday. Special events, like a rodeo, parade or fair, are also commonly covered, as are area high school sports.

Cheramie's pride in the operation is apparent. Despite suffering a stroke several years ago that has affected his right arm and leg, Cheramie continues to avidly pursue the station's operation, often filming meetings and events himself.

He proudly notes that the Soda Springs children's librarian told him that prior to airing ''Story Time,'' the library checked out 150 to 200 books to children per month.

Since the show began airing, the number of books checked out has risen to nearly 3,000.

It may seem odd that a man whose former life included the oil business, disaster relief and a homicide beat should find such rewards in rural public access television. But it is clear that Cheramie is content.

''I've had a fantastic life,'' he said.

And when his life is done?

''Put my ashes out there,'' he said. ''The Gulf and Idaho mountains, half and half.''

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