Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise archive for Oct. 2008

FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 2008


AG's office: Shred campaign flier

The Idaho Attorney General's office is recommending that anyone who got a campaign flier showing the Social Security numbers of a congressman and his wife shred it. “We’d urge ‘em to shred it,” said Deputy Attorney General Brett DeLange, who heads the office’s Consumer Protection…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 2008

Wyden: A 'philosophical truce' on health care

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden traveled to Boise today to tout his bipartisan health care reform legislation and to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Larry LaRocco. Wyden’s visit came as the five candidates seeking Idaho’s open U.S. Senate seat have staked out widely differing positions on…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, 2008

'Blizzard of attack ads' in Idaho race

In the final days before the election, three new campaign commercials are airing in Idaho’s hot 1st District congressional race. They include one from each of the candidates, GOP Rep. Bill Sali and Democratic challenger Walt Minnick, and a new one from an outside group,…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, OCT. 28, 2008

Risch: Ulcer kept me out of Vietnam

Pressed by two of his opponents to explain why he never served in the military, GOP Senate candidate Jim Risch said today that an ulcer kept him from serving in the Vietnam War. “I had an ongoing ulcer, and they didn’t want me,” Risch told…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, OCT. 27, 2008

Senate candidates clash over taxes

The two leading candidates for Idaho’s open U.S. Senate seat are focusing on their differences on taxes and Social Security, and airing clashing claims in their campaign commercials. Republican Jim Risch has a new TV commercial out, airing throughout the state and in the Spokane…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, OCT. 24, 2008

Sali says he'll move office if re-elected

1st District Rep. Bill Sali now says he’ll move his main district office if he’s re-elected, after the House Committee on Administration said he’s violating House rules by maintaining his office outside the 1st Congressional District. Kyle Anderson, press director for the committee, said, “The…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, OCT. 23, 2008

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22, 2008

Dems' ad shows Sali with sheep

The latest campaign ad by an outside group targeting an Idaho race features an image of GOP Rep. Bill Sali with a bunch of sheep, charging he’s “hanging with the wrong flock in Washington.” The commercial, placed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, uses what’s…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, OCT. 21, 2008

Agreement and disagreement

Both Jim Risch and Larry LaRocco came out in favor of the Idaho wilderness bills proposed by Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Mike Simpson for the Owyhee Canyonlands and Boulder-White Cloud mountains, respectively, during a debate tonight on KTVB-TV. Rex Rammell, an independent candidate for…

Continue reading this post »


Rammell leaves stage during debate

Less than 15 minutes into tonight’s live debate between four candidates for Idaho’s open U.S. Senate seat, independent candidate Rex Rammell took ill and left the stage. “Mr. Rammell is not feeling well,” moderator Dee Sarton informed the audience. Just moments earlier, Rammell had given…

Continue reading this post »


Wood River Journal closes its doors

The Sun Valley area, which long has had two competing weekly newspapers, is losing one, as the Wood River Journal ceases publication with its Oct. 22 edition. Express Publishing Inc. of Ketchum, publisher of the rival Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, has purchased the assets…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, OCT. 20, 2008

LaRocco, Risch spar over ads

Democratic Idaho Senate candidate Larry LaRocco has two new TV ads out criticizing Republican rival Jim Risch on social security and taxes. While the ads aren’t technically inaccurate, the Risch campaign objects to their claims as “half-truths,” while LaRocco says they’re spot-on. “I stand by…

Continue reading this post »


A look at Senate, 1st CD races

Larry Craig has represented Idaho in Washington, D.C., for 28 years. Now his shadow falls over the race to replace him, as five candidates face off for a rare open seat in the U.S. Senate and a chance to launch a new chapter in the…

Continue reading this post »

SUNDAY, OCT. 19, 2008

Jury foreman haunted by Duncan trial

The foreman of the jury that sentenced killer and child molester Joseph Duncan to death has "no regrets" about the unanimous verdict, which jurors reached in just three hours. "To me, the evidence was overwhelming," said Chris Robbins, speaking publicly about his experience for the…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, OCT. 17, 2008

GARVEE bond sale delayed due to market woes

The Idaho Transportation Department has announced it’ll delay the sale of $116 million in GARVEE bonds for major transportation projects, which lawmakers authorized this year, until the nation’s financial markets stabilize. “It is the cautious and appropriate approach to take,” said ITD Director Pamela Lowe.…

Continue reading this post »


'And that's coming from a child'

Last night at dinner, my 15-year-old son shared his opinion of all the campaign commercials that have been cluttering up the TV airwaves. Most, he said, seem serious and appropriate. But he singled out two that he said rubbed him the wrong way: Bill Sali’s…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 2008

The political swirl...

Here’s a link to my full story in today’s Spokesman-Review on the developments in the Sali-Minnick race yesterday, from Sali agreeing to change a misleading claim in an anti-Minnick TV ad to a clash between the candidates on use of congressional staff in the campaign.…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15, 2008

Political fireworks at campaign forum

If today’s Boise City Club forum with 1st District Congressman Bill Sali and his Democratic challenger, Walt Minnick, is any indication, the airwaves should be cooking this Sunday night when the two debate on live statewide TV. The two clashed during the luncheon forum over…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, OCT. 14, 2008

Candidates clash over global warming

An interesting point in the Lewiston debate between three of the candidates for Larry Craig’s Senate seat came when they marked out sharply differing stances on global warming. Here’s what the three – Democrat Larry LaRocco, Independent Rex Rammell and Republican Jim Risch – had…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, OCT. 13, 2008

Guv helps raise $70K for March of Dimes

The March of Dimes held what it billed as its “inaugural Blue Jean Ball” on Friday at the Star, Idaho ranch of Gov. Butch Otter. Sponsored by the Employers Insurance Fund, the event raised more than $70,000 through ticket sales and silent and live auctions;…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, OCT. 10, 2008

It’s Boise’s first snow

Big, fat flakes are falling thickly across the city and there’s nearly an inch of snow on the railing outside my window – and it’s only Oct. 10th! Nevertheless, it’s Boise’s first snow of the season, and it’s a pretty good one. Oddly, North Idaho…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 8, 2008

Politics heat up, leaves turn

There have been multiple debates already in the race for retiring U.S. Sen. Larry Craig’s seat, but tonight in Lewiston was the first one where GOP candidate Jim Risch joined the other candidates debating. At the three-way matchup between Risch, Democrat Larry LaRocco and independent…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, OCT. 7, 2008

Outside group's ad targets Risch

A new political commercial targeting Idaho Senate candidate Jim Risch isn’t from any of his four opponents – it’s from a national group that's also run lots of ads against Oregon GOP Sen. Gordon Smith. The group is closely tied to the Democratic Party and…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, OCT. 6, 2008

Idaho students face voting obstacles

Idaho ranks as one of the most restrictive states in the nation for college students looking to register and vote at their college addresses, according to a national study. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School surveyed all states' election laws…

Continue reading this post »

Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.



Blog Archives

Oct. 2008
31 30 29 28 27
24 23 22 21 20
19 17 16 15 14
13 10 08 07 06
03 02 01