Board chooses federal magistrates
A state judge from Pocatello and a lawyer from Boise were chosen Monday to serve as federal magistrate judges.
State District Judge Ron E. Bush will step up to the federal court on Sept. 30, when current federal Magistrate Judge Larry M. Boyle retires. Longtime commercial and business attorney Candy W. Dale will succeed Magistrate Judge Mikel H. Williams on March 30. Dale will be the first female judge in the Idaho district of the U.S. courts.
The two were chosen after what the court described as a “rigorous” six-month selection process that included screening of candidates by a merit selection panel, interviews and a statewide survey of attorneys. The panel forwarded the names of seven finalists to the Board of Judges, which made the selections.
BSU researchers got $27 million
Researchers at Boise State University brought in nearly $27 million in research grants last fiscal year, a 47 percent increase over the previous year.
BSU President Bob Kustra said he wants research income to grow to $100 million a year within a decade.
Administrators say that will also draw more students to the state’s largest university.
The National Science Foundation ranks universities based on how much money they get from the foundation itself, other agencies, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy.
In 2006, BSU brought in $7.8 million, ranking 291st out of 640 universities. The University of Idaho brought in $86.8 million, ranking 135th. Idaho State University was 240th at $16.7 million.
Topping the list was Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, which received $1.5 billion. The University of Washington in Seattle was seventh with $778 million.
Olympia
Water operator faces suspension
The Washington state Department of Health says it plans to suspend the license of the water system operator at a Toppenish beef-processing plant.
The state contends that Sherry Byers-Eddy jeopardized the health of nearly 800 employees at Washington Beef by waiting several days to post state-required warnings about coliform contamination in the plant’s drinking water in June.
Byers-Eddy is contesting the action and has asked for a formal hearing. The suspension is on hold while the case is resolved.
After the positive test for contamination in the plant’s water, Washington Beef voluntarily recalled more than 80,000 pounds of beef as a precaution. Tests showed no product contamination and there were no reports of illness.
BLAINE, Wash.
Three arrested in ecstasy bust
Three men, including two U.S. citizens, were arrested at the U.S.-Canada border Saturday night for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 93,000 tablets of ecstasy into Blaine.
The estimated street value of the ecstasy is $ 1.4 million, federal officials said.
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Jamie Alphonse Cadorette, of Burnaby, B.C., at 6 p.m. Saturday when they discovered approximately 35 pounds of ecstasy tablets in the rear speaker of a 1986 Honda Civic.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents also arrested two Americans attempting to take delivery of the drugs on Peace Portal Drive in Blaine. Brian John Coll, 29, and Anthony Kwan Drawhorn, 42, both from Los Angeles, had their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle today, along with Cadorette.
The vehicle and narcotics were seized by Customs and Border Protection. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting the investigation.
SEATTLE
Builder: Ferries could take year
A Puget Sound shipbuilder told state ferry officials on Monday that within a year they could have a new car-carrying vessel plying the Port Townsend-Keystone route, replacing 80-year-old ferries pulled from service last week due to safety concerns.
Matt Nichols, of Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Inc. on Whidbey Island, suggested that the state use the same design that Nichols used to build the 54-car, 325-passenger M/V Steilacoom for Pierce County. It would cost about $20 million for each boat if two or three boats were built.
The state’s four oldest vessels were pulled from service last week because of concerns about corrosion on their hulls. The Keystone-Port Townsend route was left without car ferry service.
A passenger-only ferry, the 350-passenger Snohomish, began running the Keystone route over the weekend, but high winds prevented it from running during rush hour Monday evening. The Snohomish was to begin running a new schedule today to better match up with local bus service.