Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how a seven-year-old drug federal trafficking case brought good news to law enforcement agencies in Idaho on Wednesday. That's because all appeals and asset forfeiture proceedings in the case have been completed, so the Idaho…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed a tax incentive bill into law Wednesday for new hires that's winning bipartisan praise as a bright spot in addressing Idaho's biggest issue this year - job creation - but there were few others in this year's legislative session. "I…
Freshman Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador appeared on CNN's "Situation Room" program just now, in a panel along with three other tea party-backed freshman Republicans, Reps. Ann Marie Buerkle of New York, Tom Graves of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. CNN said it picked "one…
Trace levels of radioactive iodine-131 have now been detected in air, drinking water, rainwater and milk in Idaho, the state DEQ, Department of Agriculture and Department of Health & Welfare report in a joint news release, but "the levels detected are far below levels of…
Gov. Butch Otter has signed HB 297a into law, his "Hire One Act" to give a tax credit to employers who make new hires. "This was a bipartisan effort, and for as much of the things that we had disagreement on, we had a lot…
Robert Mertens is serving a 37-year term in federal prison for drug trafficking, firearms violations and money laundering - he's been behind bars since 2004 - but it's taken until now for all appeals and asset forfeiture proceedings in the case to be completed. As…
A "test module" for the planned transport of hundreds of megaloads of Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil oil equipment across U.S. Highway 12 in north-central Idaho knocked out power for five hours last night to the towns of Pierce and Wieppe, and blocked traffic on the highway for…
Here's a link to my Sunday story on the issues and outcomes of this year's legislative session, and here's a link to my Sunday column. As for me, after a really great closing weekend of skiing at Bogus Basin (no, that's not me in this…
On tonight's “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, I join Jim Weatherby, Kevin Richert, John Miller and host Greg Hahn to discuss the events of the week. The show airs tonight at 8 p.m., then re-airs Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time, 9:30 a.m. Pacific;…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Republican lawmaker Marv Hagedorn says he detained an intoxicated intruder at gunpoint outside his Meridian home until police arrived on scene. Meridian police say they apprehended 21-year-old Nicholas Kuklish at Hagedorn's home. Police…
House Democrats called a press conference today to share their views of this year's legislative session, and Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, said, "In the exercise of absolute power the Republicans bullied, blustered and bungled their way through an extremist agenda that suggests to us…
When Gov. Butch Otter opened his signing ceremony this morning on SB 1184, the school technology and online learning bill, he began by recalling consulting with the Idaho Business Coalition for Education Excellence, a group of business leaders, when he first became governor. "I think…
Asked about a potential referendum to overturn the school reforms he'd just signed into law, Gov. Butch Otter said today, "The people have a responsibility and they have a right and they have the power to engage in a referendum to change whatever they think…
No sooner had Gov. Butch Otter signed SB 1184, the third major school-reform bill, into law, than a new group of parents and teachers calling itself "Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform" had delivered the preliminary paperwork to the Idaho Secretary of State's office for a…
State schools Supt. Tom Luna now says it was a "misquote" when the New York Times quoted him this week saying that he'll ask the state Board of Education to require four online classes for graduation, though he then repeated that. "I was very comfortable…
Gov. Butch Otter has signed SB 1184 into law, the third major school-reform bill, saying, "The system we had wasn't working, wasn't producing the kind of students that we needed." The bill shifts funds from teacher salaries to technology boosts and a merit-pay program, and…
Here's a link to my full story in today's Spokesman-Review on how lawmakers rushed a bill through in the final days of the legislative session to pay $100,000 to the Idaho Republican Party for its attorney fees in its successful lawsuit to overturn Idaho's open…
The Senate killed a hard-fought energy compromise by one vote, the House speaker booted two moderates out of their committee chairmanships, and Idaho's wild 2011 legislative session ground to a finish Thursday after 88 days - the seventh-longest session in state history, and clearly one…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney's sudden moves to replace two committee chairmen - Reps. Leon Smith at Transportation and Tom Trail at Agriculture - announced quietly just as the House was adjourning, sent shock waves through the House. Denney said he made the move to enforce…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney has removed two of the most independent-voting committee chairmen in the House: Transportation Chairman Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, and Agriculture Chairman Tom Trail, R-Moscow, as punishment for not voting with leadership on procedural votes, including moves to call bills from committee,…
The gavel fell, and the House adjourned for the year at 2:21 p.m. "This has been a very difficult session," said House Speaker Lawerence Denney. "I do apologize for the little scarf incident yesterday. I take responsibility for that. I don't want to make any…
On a 58-10 vote, the House has approved SB 1206 to create a "Youth Challenge Program" under the Idaho National Guard in Pierce. Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, debated against the bill, saying Idaho shouldn't accept federal money for the program. "We send people to…
Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, said it's been a "difficult" legislative session for him. "I'm proud of the work that we've done in the education reform arena," he said, "and it's a good first step. As we go to implement it, there may…
HB 193a, the pro-megaloads bill designed to block lawsuits targeting big loads on Idaho roads, has cleared the House as amended in the Senate, on a 55-12 vote. "It'll help hopefully to curtail some lawsuits and save the state some money," Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St.…
The day care licensing bill, HB 129a, has been approved in the House as amended in the Senate, on a 59-8 vote. "We have worked on this day care legislation for many years, and this time we got it right," Rep. Sharon Block, R-Twin Falls,…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| April 2011 | ||||
| 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 08 | 07 | 06 | 05 | 04 |
| 01 |
