It took years for Ron Morgan to muster the strength to go public with the story of how a volunteer scout leader sexually abused him as a young teen. But this morning, standing on the courthouse steps in Boise, Morgan spoke out - and filed…
Idaho has so much wind that tumbleweeds pile up along its fence lines and windsurfers careen across its lakes. Yet the 13th-windiest state in the nation lags in wind energy development, even as neighboring Washington, which ranks 24th, has become a leader in capturing power…
The state Board of Education had a special meeting scheduled this morning to name the five trustees who will serve as the founding board of the new Western Idaho College, the newly approved community college to serve the Boise area, Ada and Canyon counties. But…
Idaho Water Resources Director David Tuthill has accepted mitigation plans submitted by the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators and the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, and rescinded the threatened curtailment of junior water rights in the Thousand Springs area for 2007. He also set a hearing on the…
Idaho farmers who in the past have annually burned their fields and a clean-air group that opposes field-burning on public health grounds will meet separately with a dispute resolution expert on Friday. “These are preliminary discussions to see if there’s any room for dialogue to…
Controversial eastern Idaho elk rancher Rex Rammell says he’ll announce on Tuesday that he’s going to run for the U.S. Senate – Larry Craig’s seat, to be exact. “Guess who is my likely opponent? Jim Risch,” he chortled over the phone. “We’re gonna go head-to-head…
The rumors have been swirling for a while, and today the news came out: Micron Technology has posted a net loss of $225 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2007, and Steve Appleton is stepping down as president, though he will remain as CEO…
While Gaza exploded into violence and the woodsy neighborhoods where the locals live at South Lake Tahoe (my old stomping grounds from way back when) turned into a fiery inferno, it appears that not much happened here in Boise in the past two weeks while…
My eye on Boise will be turned elsewhere for the next two weeks – helping chaperone my daughter’s high school Latin Club trip to Italy. Let me know what I miss. Ciao!
The state's top elected officials rejected a proposal Tuesday to eliminate a requirement that float homes on Idaho lakes be charged "reasonable" rents, buoying a relieved contingent of North Idaho float home owners. Instead, the Idaho Land Board voted unanimously to direct the state Department…
The Idaho Judicial Council has forwarded four names to the governor for the opening on the Idaho Supreme Court that’s coming up at the end of July when Chief Justice Gerald Schroeder retires. The four nominees: Michael Gilmore, deputy attorney general; Joel D. Horton, 4th…
Starting this Sunday, Idaho law enforcement agencies will launch an enforcement campaign against aggressive driving, which contributes to more than half of all car crashes in the state. The campaign will run June 10-23, and then again from July 15-28. “More than 36,000 people in…
Idaho has picked up a couple more economic distinctions in the past week – the state Commerce & Labor Department reported that Idaho led the nation for its increase in gross state product in 2006, and the Idaho Housing and Finance Association reported that U.S.…
Gov. Butch Otter has named his transition director and longtime friend, Mike Gwartney, to head the state Department of Administration, now that former state Controller Keith Johnson has left that post to work for Oracle. Gwartney is a former Boise Cascade executive who headed Otter’s…
Gov. Butch Otter sent a letter to the co-chairs of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee late yesterday responding to legislative inquiries about cuts he’s making in several early childhood programs, including Parents as Teachers. Otter said in the letter that the decision to eliminate federal welfare…
Want to run a community college? Here’s your chance. The new College of Western Idaho is accepting resumes and cover letters from Canyon or Ada County residents who are interested in serving on the board of trustees for the newly approved community college. “We’re looking…
We’ve already got our former governor, Dirk Kempthorne, serving as the Bush Administration’s Secretary of the Interior. Now comes word from Sen. Larry Craig that President Bush has chosen Jim Caswell, head of Idaho’s Office of Species Conservation and a former forest supervisor here, to…
Here’s a link to the 9th Circuit decision issued this morning on field-burning in Idaho.
When Ada and Canyon county voters chose last week, by a two-thirds supermajority, to raise their own taxes to create the state’s first new community college district since the early 1960s, it turned conventional wisdom on its ear. Even though top Republicans and Democrats, from…
A bit of news from another state capital, courtesy of Stateline.org: A Georgia lawmaker charged with driving under the influence after hitting a utility pole Sunday was named “Legislator of the Year” two days later by James magazine, which covers Georgia politics. Magazine publisher Matt…
Idaho will lose its only female Supreme Court justice this year, in part because of a judicial election system that has led to increasingly nasty and controversial campaigns. "That certainly was a factor in my decision. … I think it tarnishes the judiciary," said Justice…
Gov. Butch Otter’s office has just moved into its much tighter temporary quarters for the next two and a half years, while the state capitol is renovated. Then came news that the governor’s budget director, Brad Foltman, will retire this Friday to help care for…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says MySpace has agreed to turn over the names and other information of convicted sex offenders from Idaho who’ve registered as users on the popular social networking Internet site. “I believe it is critical to receive this information to assess…
The Legislative Council discussed ways to keep the next legislative session short, since it’ll be held in cramped quarters in the old Ada County Courthouse while the state capitol is renovated, but didn’t go for the idea of starting some legislative hearings in December. “I’m…
Idaho will ask its state Indian Affairs Council, which includes leaders of the state's five Native American tribes, to propose wording for interpretive plaques to help viewers understand two controversial murals in a state-owned building that will house the next two legislative sessions. One of…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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