Newspaper legal notice bill heads to governor’s desk

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Foreclosure trustees would be banned from having financial interests in papers that run their legal notices, according to a bill that cleared the Senate. Tuesday’s 28-6 vote sends the Newspaper Association of Idaho-backed bill to Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. The newspaper group brought the measure, HB 624, after the Kuna-Melba News in southwestern Idaho was purchased by a company linked to the Northwest’s largest foreclosure trustee. Idaho requires legal notices be published at statutorily fixed rates in the local paper before auctioning a foreclosed home. Consequently, the Newspaper Association of Idaho says it’s unfair for a trustee to buy up small newspapers, because their distribution is too small to provide adequate notice to people interested in the auction. Sen. Jim Rice argued Idaho should prevent trustees from hiding their notices in corners.