According to Tom Von Alten of Fort Boise, the Ada County blogosphere lost one of its respected voices recently when well-known criminal justice instructor Michael Blankenship died unexpectedly on campus Thursday. Blankenship was the blogger of The Justice Gambit. Apparently, he'd recently had surgery. Of his death, President Bob Kustra of Boise State told the Idaho Statesman: "“Mike was highly respected by his students, who were engaged by his lively debates; by his colleagues, who appreciated his passion for teaching and reforming the criminal justice system; and by the Treasure Valley community, who were touched by his outreach and advocacy.” You can read more of the Statesman story here and see Blankenship's blog here.

• Remembering Michael Blankenship: One of the good guys/Kevin Richert, Statesman