Sen. Larry Craig’s lead defense attorney, Billy Martin, has issued this statement: “Our brief contains legal arguments supporting Senator Craig's position that the district court abused its discretion by refusing to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea. Pursuant to Minnesota law, there is an…
Phones in the Senate chamber have been ringing at inopportune times, and the Senate was just informed that they’ve now all been silenced until the new phone system can be sorted out enough to control the ring volumes. Commented Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, who was…
The $10 million that Idaho welcomed from the feds last year for a new veterans cemetery in North Idaho ran into a bit of a snag, according to Gov. Butch Otter’s budget director, Wayne Hammon. Hammon just told JFAC that the feds chose a site…
Post Falls businessman Richard Phenneger commissioned a poll that showed only 21 percent of Idahoans were satisfied with the two major-party frontrunners for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat – Republican Jim Risch and Democrat Larry LaRocco – and now Phenneger’s running too. Phenneger, a…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney, thanking Otter for his State of the State message, told the governor, “We look forward to working with you, and to having a very short and productive session.”
Gov. Butch Otter says he’ll support a proposal from Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, and others to raise Idaho’s vehicle registration fees to pay for fixing roads. “We must act without delay to address our growing transportation infrastructure needs,” Otter said. He also called…
Raises averaging 5 percent should be granted for all state employees – including teachers, Otter told legislators just now. Lawmakers interrupted him mid-sentence with applause. “My budget proposes a 5 percent pay increase for all our state employees,” he said, adding, “And we must advance…
The governor is touting the graphic anti-meth ads that are starting to air today all over Idaho – and calling for a $1 million state contribution to the effort from the state’s tobacco settlement fund. “You’re going to see disturbing and even shocking images of…
Gov. Otter defended the fuel tax agreements he negotiated with four Idaho Indian tribes, calling them “landmark agreements.” He added, “A lot of credit goes to the leaders of the Coeur d’Alene, Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Kootenai tribes. I realize that some people would have…
Legislators and onlookers have been filing in to the BSU Special Events Center, milling around and waiting for the governor’s State of the State speech. First, a note on the time stamps that appear on these blog posts – they’re in Pacific time, as are…
So who’s sitting in the new upper level of the House chamber? Its denizens include Reps. Bob Nonini, Eric Anderson, Frank Henderson and Cliff Bayer. It’s not that they got the short end of the stick. “We wanted to be up here,” said Nonini, R-Coeur…
Here’s a link to my Sunday story looking ahead to the legislative session. It describes how lawmakers who will be crammed into an old courthouse for their annual legislative session – while the state Capitol is closed for a two-year-plus renovation – are hoping for…
Gov. Butch Otter’s chief of administration, Mike Gwartney, told legislators this morning that the administration believes Idaho is underpaying for state employee salaries by about $110 million, but overpaying for benefits by $35 million to $40 million, and has too much liability for state retirees’…
The Common Interest, the Idaho citizen group founded by Harvard Professor Keith Allred, has come out with its three top-ranked issues for the upcoming legislative session: Water, Transportation, and Growth Paying for Itself. The group will research those issues, decide on positions, and keep track…
Asked if he’s seen a bill yet to close Idaho’s primaries to non-party members, House Speaker Lawerence Denney said, “I have not seen one. The state Republican Party chairman said he will have one, but I have not seen anything.”
House Speaker Lawerence Denney, speaking at the AP’s legislative preview program this morning, said, “I think we can shorten the length of our session by a week just by not having a gallery, and not having to introduce everyone who comes to visit.” This year’s…
Idaho’s state Department of Insurance is objecting to a recent Toyota ad campaign that shows people destroying their old cars by smashing them with boulders or pushing them off the top of a parking garage so they can buy a new Toyota – because it…
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