U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge has granted Joseph Duncan’s motion to act as his own attorney in his death penalty proceedings; read my full story here at spokesmanreview.com."Do you feel that you're ready to go forward with your trial on these sentencing issues?" the judge…
Here’s a link to my story that ran over the weekend about the latest openness issues in the Joseph Duncan case. Duncan’s attorneys filed legal arguments in response to motions filed by The Spokesman-Review and other news organizations who had argued that the First Amendment…
Democrat Larry LaRocco has been calling on Republican Jim Risch to commit to participating in the traditional debate sponsored by the Idaho Press Club, League of Women Voters and Idaho Public TV that will be broadcast live statewide in October. Now, Risch has given his…
A June U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the right of mentally ill defendants to represent themselves in court could affect the case of Joseph Duncan, the notorious murderer and child molester who’s admitted to killing four members of a North Idaho family.Though he has prominent…
A second, extensive mental evaluation of killer Joseph Duncan by federal Bureau of Prisons evaluator Dr. Cynthia Low has been filed under seal in federal court in Boise. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge today ordered the filing of the sealed report, and granted only a…
With the federal minimum wage going up on Thursday, there’s little effect in states where state minimum wages already exceeded the federal level – but there’s a big impact in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Labor estimates that 42,000 Idaho workers are now paid less…
In the latest bad news for Tamarack Resort, tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have dropped their plan to develop a 300-room Fairmont Hotel at the newly developing ski and summer resort near Donnelly, Idaho that's lately been dogged by litigation and bankruptcy filings.…
Julie Pipal, a well-known figure around the state capitol as the Idaho Transportation Department’s legislative liaison for the past five years, is the new legislative affairs director for the Boise Valley Economic Partnership, a regional economic development organization for the Boise metro area that includes,…
Freshman Idaho Congressman Bill Sali is being out-fundraised by his Democratic challenger, and also is having such serious problems with the federal campaign finance reporting system that he still hasn’t filed his July 15 report and has filed nine amendments to earlier reports since June…
Here’s a bulletin from the AP:BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A federal judge in Montana has ordered gray wolves in the Northern Rockies be returned to the endangered species list. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction Friday, restoring federal protections for the wolves.…
Idaho’s state Board of Examiners, which consists of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general with the state controller serving as secretary, voted today to spend up to $5 million to track down and test cattle that could be infected with bovine tuberculosis. Several…
Convicted killer Joseph Duncan has now been through two extensive mental competency evaluations, and his lawyers are contending he’s not competent to represent himself in his death penalty hearings. Federal prosecutors disagree, and the court hasn’t issued its ruling yet. If Duncan were ruled incompetent,…
Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, who was sued by the Idaho Republican Party in their effort to force the closure of the state’s GOP primaries to anyone but registered Republicans, today filed his answer to the party’s lawsuit. The seven-page court filing mostly consists of…
Attorneys for admitted multiple murderer and child molester Joseph Duncan now say there’s been too much secrecy in the killer’s death sentence proceedings, and they’re objecting to a planned closed court hearing set for Thursday. The defense attorneys said the extensive secrecy in the case,…
As of right now, 230 people have participated so far in the day of meetings in Caldwell that’s kicking off a round of such gatherings around the state on Idaho’s transportation funding shortfall. In the first of three hour-long information and public comment sessions running…
The other half of the Boise duo who launched the grass-roots effort that built into an Idaho Obama campaign now has a political job, too. First, Kassie Cerami became field director for the LaRocco congressional campaign. Now, TJ Thomson is becoming the first official Obama…
Today is the kickoff of Gov. Butch Otter’s series of meetings around the state to make his pitch for addressing the state’s $240 million-a-year shortfall in road construction and maintenance. The first session, in Caldwell today, includes meetings all day between the governor’s staff and…
Residents of Nampa this week are being treated to not one, but two town-hall meetings with candidates for the 1st District congressional seat – but the first one just had Democrat Walt Minnick, and the second will have just Republican incumbent Bill Sali. Here’s how…
Two candidates for Larry Craig’s Senate seat, Democrat Larry LaRocco and independent Rex Rammell, held a joint press conference today to announce a series of 10 debates they’ll both participate in across the state in October, and to call on GOP nominee Jim Risch to…
State Rep. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, has been appointed to the Idaho Senate by Gov. Butch Otter to finish the term of the late Sen. Tom Gannon, R-Buhl, who died June 24th. Brackett was the top choice among three nominees submitted by the Republican Party legislative…
Boise State University has been recognized as a “Best Workplace for Commuters” by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation, for measures aimed at encouraging environmentally friendly commuting options for both employees and students to help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Among…
The Idaho Transportation Department will pay $325,000 in stipulated penalties for “numerous violations of a Clean Water Act consent decree” regarding the Mica to Bellgrove Highway 95 project in North Idaho. The EPA said ITD and its contractor ran up $895,000 in fines from 2001…
Death penalty hearings for Joseph Duncan, the convicted killer and child molester, have been delayed yet again, as the court wrestles with the issue of Duncan’s competency to waive his right to an attorney. When Duncan asked to jettison his legal team and instead act…
Among those heading to the Democratic National Convention as part of Idaho's delegation this year will be eight North Idaho Democrats delegates, six of whom marched in the Coeur d'Alene Fourth of July parade and are pictured here. Shown are Ryan Robinson of Coeur d'Alene;…
Though Idaho’s overall unemployment rates still are low, the latest numbers show some troubling economic news, according to the state Department of Labor. For the fourth straight month, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates rose in June, from 3.6 percent to 3.8 percent – when June usually…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
