Backers of mail-in voting in Idaho have filed an initiative petition seeking to let Idaho voters put in a permanent request for an absentee ballot, rather than having to request one each election. Former Democratic congressional candidate Larry Grant, a board member of Idaho Vote…
The Idaho Transportation Board wrapped up a two-day board meeting this afternoon, which included two executive sessions on personnel issues, without taking any action. That means they're not making any change in directors; ITD Director Pam Lowe, who drew political flak this legislative session as…
The State Board of Education is meeting today in Hailey, and thanks to spokesman Mark Browning's "tweets" on Twitter.com, anyone can keep up on just what they're doing. So far, Browning has reported that Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, presented his constitutional amendment to allow "tuition"…
Idaho state Controller Donna Jones is running for a second term in her post. In her announcement, Jones noted that she was the first woman elected to the office; earlier, as a six-term legislator, she was the first woman to chair the House Revenue &…
The University of Idaho announced today that as it continues its investigation into testimony by the head of its Caine Center for Veterinary Medicine that there's no evidence of disease transmission from domestic sheep to bighorn sheep - despite research at the center showing such…
Tom Tidwell has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, replacing Gail Kimbell, who has headed the service since 2007. Tidwell, currently the head of the USFS Northern Region based in Missoula, started his career 32 years…
The Pacific Northwest Economic Region, a consortium of state and provincial officials from the U.S. and Canada along with government and business leaders from both nations, will hold its 19th annual "summit" meeting in Boise this year, July 12-16, the first time the organization has…
A new project that tracks word usage in the Congressional Record shows that the most-used word by our current senior senator, GOP Sen. Mike Crapo, in the past year was "energy," followed by, in order, "Idahoans," "stories," and "prices." For 2nd District GOP Rep. Mike…
I returned today from my furlough/vacation of a week and a half to the troubling news that a third experienced adult bicyclist has been struck and killed on Boise-area roads, this time in a bike lane just blocks from my home. That's three in a…
More than 30 years ago, Idaho's boaters, snowmobilers, dirt-bikers and ATV riders made a deal: They'd give up their gas tax refunds for gas burned off-road if the state would direct that tax money to trails, boat launches and the like. It worked. While farmers…
Gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell, who's been in the news for his bankruptcy filing and court losses over fines regarding his former elk ranch, had his colorful campaign-emblazoned RV parked near the freeway just west of Boise for close to two weeks, prompting some speculation over…
New invasive species stickers that are now required on all boats that launch in Idaho, motorized or not, have sparked such demand that the state Parks Department is now reporting big delays in getting all the orders filled. “The sheer number of orders that IDPR…
The jobs news from May isn't good - nearly 5,600 more Idaho workers lost their jobs, driving the May unemployment rate to a 22-year high of 7.8 percent. It's a time of year when typically there are seasonal employment increases, and there were, but they…
With all the thunderstorms and clouds floating around Boise this week, the weather has been changeable and mysterious. In this photo taken late yesterday afternoon, the sky appears to show right through this downtown high-rise, thanks to the reflections.
The eight-member legislative task force that was created this year as part of a session-ending transportation funding deal between Gov. Butch Otter and lawmakers has set its first meeting for June 30 at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Annex. The panel is charged with identifying…
Fiat and the new Chrysler Group LLC will honor car buyers' rights under Idaho's "Lemon Law," Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced today, when the new company takes control of the auto maker. That includes those who bought or leased their vehicles from the "old"…
This year's legislative session , at 117 days, was the second-longest in state history, but resulted in the enactment of only 338 bills - the lowest number in the past 10 years. The highest number of bills enacted into law in the past 10 years…
A decade-plus process that involved more than 375 volunteers putting in 35,000 volunteer hours, statewide public hearings, and lots more resulted in Idaho's current "content standards" for public schools, which define what kids are supposed to learn in each grade, kindergarten through high school, in…
Idaho is one of five states where jobs likely will recover first as the recession eases - in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to a new report from Moody's Economy.com and MSNBC. "If you want to be in the right place when the recovery…
A new nationwide study of child hunger shows Idaho making two contradictory top-10 lists - one for the most improvement in rates of child hunger, and the other for being among the 10 worst for hungry kids under age 5. "We actually have improved from…
Christian activist Bryan Fischer announced today that he's leaving Idaho to move to Tupelo, Miss. to host a talk show for the American Family Association. His Idaho Values Alliance, as a result, will "go into whisper mode on July 1," Fischer said. Fischer, former pastor…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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