The wildfires now burning in central Idaho have been moving far faster than last year’s massive Trinity Ridge fire, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said today. “The Elk (fire) burned 114,000, 115,000 acres in about six days,” Tidwell said. “So…
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell just announced at the National Interagency Fire Center that the Beaver Creek fire, which is now threatening Sun Valley and Ketchum, has become the nation’s No. 1 top-priority wildfire. “They’re going to make sure they’re going to use their…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell are touring the central Idaho wildfires today, and will speak to reporters this afternoon at the National Interagency Fire Center. Their tour includes visiting the fire lines and being briefed on the Elk Complex…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has sent a guest opinion out to Idaho newspapers declaring that education is the state's top economic priority. "We have a variety of incentive programs designed to foster business opportunities in Idaho, but the most important thing we’re able to provide…
Three more southwestern Idaho residents have contracted West Nile Virus, the dangerous illness carried by mosquitoes, and state health officials are warning Idahoans to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. A Washington County man in his 40s, an Owyhee County man over the age of…
Idaho’s unemployment rate notched up two-tenths of a percent in July to 6.6 percent, though it was well below the previous July’s rate of 7.2 percent. Six of Idaho’s 44 counties posted double-digit unemployment rates: Adams, Benewah, Clearwater, Lemhi, Shoshone and Valley; a year earlier,…
It turns out that when Idaho increased its high school graduations for math and science to require three years of each, the definition of classes that qualified didn't include advanced engineering or computer science classes. As a result, students who wanted to take those classes…
Idaho's NCAA college athletes fared well in the latest report on academic performance, the State Board of Education learned at its meeting yesterday in Pocatello. The NCAA tracks student athletes on every Division 1 team, with scores awarded for eligibility, graduation, and retention for each…
The Idaho Supreme Court ruled today that company on a New York Indian reservation shipping Canadian cigarettes to a retailer on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation isn't exempt from state law due to tribal sovereignty. Native Wholesale Supply, a supplier on New York's Seneca Reservation, argued…
Idaho’s criminal defense system for indigent defendants is “broken,” Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick told lawmakers this morning. Though Idaho’s law and state constitution require such defense, soaring caseloads, short funding, and lack of qualified, experienced and suitably trained attorneys have eroded the…
Idaho's state Board of Education adopted a new policy today requiring that the privacy of student data be carefully protected, as the state ramps up its Statewide Longitudinal Data System, which has been years in the works to help better track student progress. Here's the…
Political scientist Eric Ostermeier of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs has dug up some interesting numbers in light of 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador’s announcement yesterday that he won’t challenge Gov. Butch Otter in the GOP primary this year. Among them:…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter had this response tonight to Congressman Raul Labrador’s comments about wanting to work with him on issues now that Labrador has made it clear he’s not planning to challenge Otter in the primary: “My door has always been and will always…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is being bought by ESPN. Bowl officials said in a statement Wednesday that the network had agreed in principle to acquire the bowl game from the Humanitarian Bowl…
1st District Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador announced this afternoon that he'll seek a third term in Congress, not run for governor. "I've decided to end all the speculation and announce that I have no plans at this time to run for Governor," Labrador said at…
Idaho’s July state tax revenues are in for the first month of the fiscal year, and they’re 1.8 percent below the revised forecast for the month – but 4.2 percent above last year at this time. The new forecast for fiscal year 2014 general fund…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A former construction supervisor convicted of mishandling pipe coated with asbestos during an upgrade of Orofino's municipal water and sewer system four years ago has been sentenced six months in prison. U.S. District…
BSU researchers are working on developing a computer chip based on the human brain, funded by a three-year National Science Foundation grant. “By mimicking the brain’s billions of interconnections and pattern recognition capabilities, we may ultimately introduce a new paradigm in speed and power, and…
States including Idaho have been jostling for attention at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, or AUVSI, convention in Washington, D.C. this week, looking for a piece of the drone business as the unmanned aircraft market balloons and states compete to become federal test…
The 16-year-old California girl kidnapped by a close family friend suspected of killing her mother and 8-year-old brother says he threatened to kill her if she tried to escape and got what he deserved when he died in a shootout with authorities in the Idaho…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A former southwestern Idaho county prosecutor who successfully fought off criminal charges including misuse of public funds now says he may run for governor as an independent. Former Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak…
Speculation is running wild back in D.C. as to whether Idaho 1st District Rep. Raul Labrador will seek a third term in Congress or run for governor of Idaho instead; Labrador will put the rumors to rest tomorrow afternoon. “Rep. Labrador will hold a press…
Here’s a link to the full scoring documents for the 10 bids submitted for the state’s controversial high school WiFi contract, which went to Education Networks of America. The contract, at $2.11 million a year for five years with options to extend for up to…
I am still sorting through the documents I received from the State Department of Education on the scoring of the nine bidders on the state’s multi-year, multimillion-dollar high school WiFi contract, but here’s a link to the overall scores for each of the 10 bids…
Yep, it's looking awfully smoky out in Boise, and now comes this word from the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare: Air quality in some parts of the central Idaho mountains has reached the "unhealthy" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" level, and they're alerting people…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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