In a recent debate for Idaho's lieutenant governor, Republican Sen. Marv Hagedorn accused one of his top opponents of faking military service. The three-term state senator on Tuesday said former Idaho Republican Party Chairman Steve Yates was "pretending" to have a military background in order to woo voters in an already crowded field...
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, I join host Melissa Davlin to discuss the events of the week with Sen. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise; Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise; and reporter Clark Corbin of Idaho EdNews. There also are clips from the two “Idaho Debates”…
Unemployment in Idaho dipped to 2.9 percent in March, after holding at 3 percent for the previous six months; meanwhile, job growth for the month, compared to the same time a year earlier, showed the fastest growth rate in the nation for second consecutive month,…
Three Republican candidates vying to become Idaho’s next state treasurer traded barbs and defended their backgrounds Thursday during their first and only televised debate. The position is open now that five-term incumbent Treasurer Ron Crane announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. The primary will be held May 15. Julie Ellsworth, a former House...
The three GOP candidates for Idaho state treasurer, in preparation for tonight's live debate on Idaho Public Television, draw numbers to see who will speak first in the opening and closing statements; from right, they are Julie Ellsworth, Tom Kealey, and Vicky McIntyre. At left...
A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo for failing to report fundraisers held at a condo co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, The Hill reports; you can see their full report here.…
Candidates for governor of Idaho have been filling the airwaves with campaign commercials, and as the May 15 Idaho primary election approaches, many have gone on the attack. Adding to the negative ads run by the candidates themselves are virulent ads run by outside groups,…
An effort to expand Medicaid in Idaho through a citizens initiative is coming down to the wire, the Lewiston Tribune reports, with about 5,000 qualified signatures still needed before the May 1 deadline. Organizers estimate they've collected 51,000 valid signatures so far. To qualify for the November ballot, they need 56,192...
U.S. officials on Wednesday approved two high-voltage transmission line routes in southwestern Idaho aimed at modernizing and improving reliability of the Pacific Northwest's energy grid, the AP reports. The U.S. Department of the Interior's approval is for the two final segments of the Gateway West project proposed a decade ago by Idaho Power...
Tuition and fees will jump 5 percent for resident students at the University of Idaho next year, and 8 percent for non-resident students. Idaho’s state Board of Education agreed on the increases after hours of debate and numerous failed motions at a meeting on the…
Deciding whether or not to buy a season pass at Bogus Basin ski area outside Boise might get easier in future years. Idaho on Tuesday approved a plan by Bogus Basin Recreation Association officials that involves building a water-storage dam and putting in underground pipes to make artificial snow for consistent pre-Christmas openings for skiers...
Five finalists have been named to be Boise State University’s president, to succeed retiring President Bob Kustra. Fifty-three candidates applied, and a search committee narrowed that to nine semi-finalists, all of whom were interviewed, and then today to the five finalists. They are: · Dr.…
Republican hopefuls in Idaho's crowded lieutenant governor race attempted to distinguish what made them uniquely qualified to run for the open position during a Thursday debate that saw some sharp exchanges. The position has attracted a wide array of candidates now that three-term incumbent Lt. Gov. Brad Little is running for governor...
Ada County Treasurer Vicky McIntyre – a county elected official who’s now running to be the state treasurer – is calling it “crazy” that the three Ada County commissioners requested her today to surrender her county credit card amid allegations of misuse. McIntyre said she’ll...
Campaign finance reports show Republican Russ Fulcher continues to lead the GOP pack in fundraising in the race for Idaho's open 1st Congressional District. According to sunshine reports released Monday, Fulcher raised roughly $141,000 between January and March. In total, he's raised more than $408,000 since announcing...
The Ada County clerk has sent a letter to the county commissioners recommending that county Treasurer Vicky McIntyre’s county credit card be revoked after several instances of misuse of the card, the latest in a series of controversies over McIntyre’s work as the county treasurer....
It was my pleasure this morning to address a group of visitors from Iraq, including the director general of the central bank and an array of high-level government officials who work on everything from urban planning to accounting, finance and administration, as they visited Boise…
Officials will allow gun shows again at the Boise-area fairgrounds after a ban was imposed following two accidental shootings. Ada County commissioners on Tuesday adopted a new set of rules allowing the gun shows to return to Expo Idaho and aiming to make the events safer, the Idaho Statesman reported. The commission banned the events...
Republican Congress members from the Pacific Northwest are upset with a federal judge's order to spill water from four Snake River dams to help speed migrating salmon to the Pacific Ocean. They say the water could be saved for other uses and are denouncing the spill, which began April 3, and a push by environmentalists to remove the four dams...
When the filing period for Idaho lieutenant governor approached last month, five Republicans already were crowded into the race, and a sixth joined them as the filing period closed – current Ada County Highway District Commissioner Rebecca Arnold, an attorney and former unsuccessful candidate for...
I’m back, and there’s plenty of news to catch up on, much of it about the now-humming campaigns under way for the May 15 Idaho primary election. First off, there was a televised debate over the weekend in the GOP primary races for governor and…
I’m off for the next two weeks, to catch my breath before I dive back in full-time to campaign coverage. Let me know what I miss, and I’ll be back here blogging on April 16. Happy spring!
Idaho lawmakers have finished a jam-packed, 80-day session that saw major tax cuts enacted and a $100 million boost to education funding, but also left unaddressed, for the sixth straight year, the state’s health coverage gap...
From my Sunday column this week: Legislators take turns wearing Barbieri’s colorful necktie; and new suicide prevention in Idaho schools...
The longest-serving female state senator in Idaho history closed out her final legislative session with pride in an array of specific accomplishments, but also with a key disappointment. Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, who’s the executive director...
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