17 eastern Idaho families are living in limbo every day ■ Idaho's first Missing Persons Day is meant to raise awareness of the issue and highlight the 202 people in Idaho whose whereabouts are uknown.             By NECK DRAPER             ndraper@postregister.com    Today is the first Idaho Miss Persons Day.    The Legislature created it last year after being petitioned by Audra Burgener, whose niece, Amber Hoopes, was last seen watching television at her grandparents' Bonneville County home on Sept. 14, 2001.    Burgener pushed for the day to raise awareness of the issue and of the 202 people who are officially recorded as missing in the state of Idaho.  Many, such as Hoopes, have been missing for years.    To commemorate the day, the Idaho Missing Persons Association and other groups are setting up booths at Freeman Park with information about how to prevent a child or adult from going missing, what do if someone you know turns up missing, and how to get information to the public and police.    The purpose, Burgener said, is to prepare residents about what to do if a loved one is missing.  She said her family had a difficult time knowing what to give the police when her niece disappeared.    That's not uncommon, said Eloise Skinner, who manages the Idaho State Police's Missing Persons Clearinghouse.  She said collecting specific information about a child or adult before a tragedy will save precious lime if something does happen.    "In Idaho, we tend to have a 'You know, well, that doesn't happen here' attitude," Skinner said.  "It does happen here.  It happens here every single day. For Information What: Idaho Missing Persons Day event When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today Where: Freman Park in Idaho Falls

To find out more about eastern Idaho's missing persons, go to the Idaho State Police's Clearinghouse at the Web site www.isp.state.id.us

■ If someone does go missing, a photo's one of the most important items to give authorities.             By NECK DRAPERR             ndraper@postregister.com    Of the 17 people reported missing in eastern Idaho: eight don't have pictures.    That's problematic because a current photo is one of the best tools to helping locate missing people, said Eloise Skinner, manager of the Idaho State Police's Missing Persons Clearinghouse.    "Without that photograph, you can say 'blond hair, blue eyes' until you're red in the face, but many people are blond-hair, blue-eyed?" she said.    When you have a missing child, we're not going to locate them because of their fingerprints unless they're deceased.    "A photograph helps us locate them."    Audra Burgener who pushed for Sept. 14 to become Idaho Missing Person's Day, said people don't realize how essential a current photograph is when trying to find a missing person.    "That's a good thing to learn at (today's) event," she said.    "You'd be surprised that there are over 100 people missing in the state of Idaho with no photos.  That isn't a very effective way to Find them"