Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise Betsy Z. Russell

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2018

Betsy Russell (Idaho Public TV)

Keeping an eye on it...

This is my last post here, but starting Monday, I’ll be blogging at idahopress.com/eyeonboise in my new position as Boise bureau chief and state capital reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune and Adams Publishing Group. This blog – with its full archives going back to 2004 – will remain online, and I hope you’ll find it a valuable resource...

Continue reading this post »



SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018


The Capitol Hill condo where the Environmental Protection Agency’s Scott Pruitt has stayed in Washington, D.C. Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo's campaign used the same townhouse 78 times over a four-year period at no cost without reporting it as an in-kind donation, a new letter discloses.  (AP / Andrew Harnik)

Crapo campaign used D.C. condo 81 times at no cost

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has admitted to federal election officials that he used a lobbyist-owned Washington, D.C., townhouse 81 times over a four-year period at no cost, including as recently as February. The new details from Crapo's re-election and leadership committees came in a response to a Federal Election Commission inquiry...

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2018


From left, Betsy Russell, Cynthia Sewell, host Melissa Davlin, Kevin Richert and Seth Ogilvie on Friday's "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television, May 4, 2018. (Idaho Public TV / Troy Shreve)

The week that was...

On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, I join host Melissa Davlin to discuss the events of the week with Idaho Statesman reporter Cynthia Sewell, Idaho EdNews reporter Kevin Richert, and Idaho Reports producer Seth Ogilvie. There are also clips from the four final...

Continue reading this post »



THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2018


WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018

Jordan: Campaign email wasn't meant to mislead Idaho voters

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan is not apologizing for sending a campaign email blast that critics say misled voters to think she was endorsed by the Idaho Democratic Party. Jordan, a former two-term state representative and member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, told The Associated Press in an email Tuesday she did not intend to...

Continue reading this post »



TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018


Paulette Jordan, left, and A.J. Balukoff, right, participate in a debate sponsored by KTVB-TV in Boise on Tuesday, May 1, 2018; the two are running for governor on the Democratic ticket. Idaho's primary election is May 15. (KTVB/screenshot)

Democratic governor candidates talk wage gap in final debate

Idaho gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan labeled her Democratic challenger A.J. Balukoff as out of touch in their second and final televised debate on Monday. The 38-year-old Jordan's attack stemmed from 71-year-old Balukoff's promise to work toward eliminating the gender wage gap in Idaho — an issue that has become a priority for the Boise...

Continue reading this post »




Idahoans taking oil, gas protections into their own hands

Julie and Duke Fugate turned down repeated attempts by an oil company to lease the mineral rights to their 1-acre property here, where they moved from Oregon to retire. Then last September, Julie Fugate got a packet from the Idaho Department of Lands. It said Alta Mesa Idaho — the only company producing oil and gas in the state — wanted to force...

Continue reading this post »


MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2018

From left, Brad Little, Tommy Ahlquist and Raul Labrador debate on Monday, April 30, 2018, at the Brandt Center at Northwest Nazarene University, in a debate sponsored by KTVB-TV; it was the final debate of the primary campaign season for the three GOP rivals. Idaho's primary election is May 15. (KTVB/Screensho)

3 GOP governor candidates participate in final debate

Idaho Republican gubernatorial candidates Raul Labrador, Brad Little and Tommy Ahlquist continued to exchange jabs Monday in an otherwise familiar primary debate that covered education, health care and prison reform. Little — a three-term lieutenant governor — maintained Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter had successfully led Idaho out of...

Continue reading this post »




SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018

6 GOP candidates spar in Idaho congressional debate

Republican candidates vying for Idaho's open 1st Congressional District on Sunday all promised to support President Donald Trump's agenda during their latest televised debate. Former lieutenant governor and ex-attorney general David Leroy, former state Sen. Russ Fulcher, Rep. Luke Malek, Rep. Christy Perry and first-time candidates...

Continue reading this post »

Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: