Here's a link to our full story at spokesman.com on today's 1st District Court decision tossing out Rep. Phil Hart's state income tax appeal. Hart, a tax protester who owes more than $53,000 in back state income taxes, penalties and interest - and hundreds of…
Rather than run another hour into the evening, hearing officer Merlyn Clark announced just now, "We're going to recess for the evening at this time - we're going to resume this hearing at 8 a.m. tomorrow."
It's 5 p.m. in Boise, but rather than break for the day, hearing officer Merlyn Clark is considering allowing the hearing to continue so questioning of current witness Doral Hoff could be completed today and he could return to Lewiston. However, that's estimated to take…
If a megaload were to go into the river on Highway 12, it would be difficult and complicated to bring in a large enough crane to lift it out of the river, ITD maintenance engineer Doral Hoff acknowledged under cross-examination. Some spots along the river…
Opponents of the Highway 12 megaloads have called their next witness: ITD District 2 maintenance engineer Doral Hoff. The questioning is focusing on the role Hoff played in approving the permits for ConocoPhillips, and on recent changes to the route to ease the passage of…
U.S. Highway 12 where it runs through the Lochsa and Clearwater river canyons is a designated scenic byway on which highway management is coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service, ITD district engineer James Carpenter acknowledged under questioning from attorney Natalie Havlina. "There are some changes…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell has been charged with poaching an elk in eastern Idaho. Bonneville County Prosecutor Bruce Pickett says the Idaho Falls man was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor possession…
The intervenors have now called their next witness, James Carpenter, ITD's district engineer in Lewiston. Carpenter told attorney Natalie Havlina that when he attended a meeting in Kooskia about ExxonMobil's proposed megaloads, he was asked about traffic delays. "My response was that I was unaware…
ITD public involvement coordinator Adam Rush, under questioning from attorney Natalie Havlina, confirmed that ITD received a petition over the summer opposing the megaloads with signatures from about 3,000 people, opposing the granting of permits to ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips or any other corporation "to transport massively…
After a short break, the megaloads contested-case has resumed and it's time for the intervenors' case-in-chief. The opponents have called their first witness: Adam Rush, the public involvement coordinator for ITD in its office of communications.
As attorney Laird Lucas continued cross-examining ITD motor vehicles administrator Alan Frew, he noted that Frew, in his memorandum of decision, described public comments the department received as "subjective and hypothetical concerns," and asked whether he'd reviewed the chances of an accident. Frew said there…
Tax-protesting state Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, today lost his attempt in 1st District Court to appeal a state Tax Commission order that he pay $53,000 in back state income taxes, penalties and interest. In a sharply worded decision, District Judge John Mitchell granted the state's…
Here's why the permits for the ConocoPhillips megaloads call for barricading turnouts along U.S. Highway 12 for 24 hours before loads arrive: "It's my understanding that we had received information from ISP and from other sources outside the department that there would be protests, and…
Attorney Laird Lucas questioned how ITD motor vehicles chief Alan Frew could have had wrong information in his memorandum of decision about the speeds at which the Conoco megaloads will travel - and say today essentially that, contrary to what the memorandum says (maximum speed…
Both ITD officials who've been called as witnesses at the ConocoPhillips contested-case hearing on megaloads today acknowledged under cross-examination that they met with Conoco's attorneys to prepare for today's hearing.
There's been lots of sparring over how an ITD regulation says over-legal loads shouldn't block traffic for more than 10 minutes, but ITD used a 15-minute delay standard in issuing the ConocoPhillips megaloads permits. Alan Frew, ITD's motor vehicle administrator, said his interpretation is that…
Asked why ConocoPhillips would ship its four megaloads of oil refinery equipment to the Port of Lewiston without permits in hand to truck them over Highway 12 to Montana, ITD motor vehicles administrator Alan Frew said, "There was no guarantee. There were probably some informal…
Attorney Laird Lucas' cross-examination of ITD motor vehicles administrator started off with Lucas assuring Frew that he appreciates ITD and the job it does, and Lucas asked Frew if he'd ever seen a proposal like this one or the level of public concern that has…
The ConocoPhillips megaloads hearing has gone on a break for lunch; it'll be back in one hour at 1 p.m. Boise time, at which time cross-examination of the second witness of the day, Idaho DMV chief Alan Frew, will begin. (Note: The time stamps on…
Alan Frew, ITD motor vehicles chief, said, "In my experience, there is nothing 100 percent safe on the highway. We checked and rechecked to make sure we were reasonably sure that these loads could move safely." Asked if he received public comments about the planned…
"Safety comes into pretty much everything that we do," Idaho DMV chief Alan Frew said at the megaloads hearing this morning. "There's a very detailed traffic control plan." He said the trucking firm involved in the ConocoPhillips plan has a stellar reputation. "Emmert International is…
Idaho DMV chief Alan Frew is the one who signed a memorandum decision issued in August approving the four ConocoPhillips megaloads. Frew just told the contested-case hearing that he got three things wrong in his memorandum, both in the August version and in a later…
The next witness called at the contested-case hearing on ConocoPhillips megaloads today is Alan Frew, ITD department of motor vehicles administrator. Frew has worked for ITD since 1985.
A provision in the ConocoPhillips permits that allows the company to barricade highway turnouts on U.S. Highway 12 24 hours in advance of when its megaloads would need to pull off in them has come up in today's hearing. Laird Lucas, attorney for the megaloads…
Attorney Laird Lucas, in his cross-examination of ITD commercial vehicle services manager Reymundo Rodriguez, asked Rodriguez, "Have you ever denied a permit based on public convenience?" Rodriguez answered no. Lucas then asked, "In the 64,000 permits that you granted last year, did the public ever…
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