The Idaho AARP reports that its latest member survey finds that 85 percent have little to no confidence in Idaho state legislators to take on the issues most important to them, and that the top three issues the seniors want addressed are resolving state budget…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is going to bat for Idaho Public Television in a spat with the U.S. Forest Service, which is inexplicably taking a newfound position that IPTV's filming of a student conservation group in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for…
Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward has announced the details of the political rally he's hosting featuring Sarah Palin this Friday; it'll start at 11 a.m. at Qwest Arena in downtown Boise, and cost $10 a head, with children under 18 free. Or, for $250 per person,…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law yesterday, and had an interesting story to tell about how Idaho has a stake in establishing a system in Mexico that relies on the rule of…
Two of Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's primary election challengers lashed out at him during a statewide debate Tuesday night, while Otter declined to participate in the matchup that aired live statewide on Idaho Public Television. "I'd like to ask him why he thinks he's above…
Tonight's debate in the race for governor will feature GOP challengers Rex Rammell and Sharon Ullman (shown above center, the first to arrive for tonight's debate), but not incumbent Gov. Butch Otter, who declined to participate. In a statement today from his campaign, Otter repeated…
The gubernatorial debate is tonight, for the candidates in the contested GOP primary, and there's some news in the race today: In the most recent quarter, Democratic candidate Keith Allred out-raised incumbent GOP Gov. Butch Otter. According to campaign finance reports filed today, Otter raised…
Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick's campaign manager, John Foster, had this comment on the news that Sarah Palin will come to Boise on Friday to speak at a rally for GOP hopeful Vaughn Ward: "Can't understand why she's coming to campaign for someone who didn't vote…
"Yes, Sarah Palin is coming to Boise on Friday," confirms Mike Tracy, spokesman for GOP congressional candidate Vaughn Ward's campaign. "We don't have all the schedule details finished yet but we're working on those and details will follow." Tracy said, "She will attract a lot…
Here's a news item from The Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has agreed to come to Idaho to help generate support for Republican congressional candidate Vaughn Ward. Ward campaign spokesman Mike Tracy told The Associated Press Tuesday that Palin…
Dennis Mansfield, campaign spokesman for GOP congressional candidate Raul Labrador, said he thinks the latest incident of rival GOP candidate Vaughn Ward's position statements on his campaign website matching another website's words raises character issues about Ward. "It is time for people who have endorsed…
Mike Tracy, spokesman for the Vaughn Ward campaign, says the campaign has taken down new issue position statements posted this morning, one of which matched another website. "There was something put up without my approval," Tracy said, "and I've made it very clear ... that…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how congressional candidate Vaughn Ward this morning posted three new issue position statements on his campaign website, and portions of one of them match nearly word-for-word a California congressman’s re-election campaign website. Last night at…
Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward has posted three new issue statements on his website - and portions of one of them, on the war in Iraq, match, nearly word-for-word, the national security issue statement of freshman Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, the son of the longtime congressman…
Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward's campaign says it is "just a rumor at this point" that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will come to Idaho on behalf of Ward's campaign. "We don't have confirmation of anything at this point," said Mike Tracy, the new campaign spokesman…
Idaho Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick now says he misspoke when he said in a televised campaign debate that Idaho's long-standing school funding lawsuit isn't over. "That was a misstatement," Burdick told The Spokesman-Review on Monday. "We indicated the case was over." The end of…
Wanted? Don't let it stop you from voting in the primary election on May 25th. According to an obscure Idaho law that dates all the way back to 1891, Idaho electors - that's voters - are "privileged from arrest, except for treason, a felony or…
The Associated Press is reporting that Laura Silsby, the 40-year-old Idaho missionary who led a group of 10 Americans that was caught trying to take a busload of children out of Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake, has been sentenced to time served and released.…
The last of the "Idaho Debates" for the May 25 primary election is tomorrow night, when GOP candidates for governor will face off before a live audience, in a debate to be broadcast live statewide on Idaho Public Television. Thus far, incumbent Gov. Butch Otter…
Vaughn Ward and Raul Labrador, who are vying for the GOP nomination for Idaho’s 1st District congressional seat, have much in common, though they’re locked in a contentious and sometimes bitter contest for the nod in Idaho’s May 25 primary election. Both are barely past…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the big shake-up today in Vaughn Ward's congressional campaign. Dennis Mansfield, spokesman for rival candidate Raul Labrador's campaign, said, "I've never seen a self-immolation of a political campaign like this in the 30-plus years I've…
Here's a news item from The Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The leaders of Tea Party Boise are endorsing Republican Raul Labrador in the race for the GOP nomination in Idaho's 1st Congressional District. The organization, which touts 2,600 members in southwestern Idaho, picked…
Answering a caller's question on KBOI radio about the departure of his campaign manager, Ryan O'Barto, congressional candidate Vaughn Ward said, "The campaign manager, he was not fired, he tendered his resignation. It was very hard for me to accept his resignation. He felt it…
Vaughn Ward's campaign hasn't returned calls today, but Ward just said on KBOI radio that he's "clarified" that he didn't fire campaign manager Ryan O'Barto, as reported on Politico.com; the Associated Press is reporting that O'Barto has resigned. Ward said, "To deal with some of…
Al Henderson, whom the Associated Press reports will be Vaughn Ward's new campaign manager, signed on with Ward's campaign on April 29 as senior finance director. A Ward press release issued on that date said, "Henderson, a successful, long-time GOP fundraiser, will help the Ward…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
