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

Race for Congress heats up

BOISE – Vaughn Ward, a decorated Iraq war veteran and former McCain-Palin campaign official, and Ken Roberts, Idaho House majority caucus chairman from Donnelly, are announcing dueling endorsements in their face-off for a shot at challenging 1st District Congressman Walt Minnick.

Ward last week announced the endorsement of Brad Corkill, chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Party.

“I believe Vaughn has the moral, ethical and conservative values that will lead our country back to prosperity,” Corkill said in a Ward press release.

A day earlier, Roberts announced the endorsement of Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, a second-term state representative and son of state Treasurer Ron Crane.

“Ken will make sure Idaho families and small businesses have a strong conservative voice in Congress,” Crane said in a Roberts press release.

Roberts has endorsements from fellow state legislators; so far, he’s tallied 29. Ward early on secured the endorsement of Sen. John McCain and last month brought Sarah Palin’s dad and father-in-law to Idaho to stump for him.

Also in the 1st District GOP primary race is retired physician Allan Salzberg of Boise, a political newcomer who’s done little active campaigning, but who has put up a Web site with long, footnoted position statements. The primary election is in May.

Bad and good news

The U.S. Department of Labor has adjusted Idaho’s forecasted August unemployment rate upward by a tenth of a percent to 8.9 percent, a seasonally adjusted figure that’s the highest rate since June of 1983, when Idaho joblessness hit 9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.

“Total employment at 686,400 was at its lowest level since February 2005,” the Idaho Department of Labor reported. “In just the last year, Idaho lost over 48,000 jobs.”

Paradoxically, the uptick is good news for some unemployed people: It bumps Idaho’s rate high enough that those who’ve exhausted federal and state unemployment benefits will qualify for payments for another three to seven weeks after regular benefits have run out. Bob Fick, Idaho Department of Labor spokesman, said roughly 150 Idahoans a week are exhausting their unemployment benefits.

Picking new judges

Gov. Butch Otter has named Caldwell attorney Susan Wiebea 3rd District judge and picked Bannock County Magistrate Judge Robert Naftz of Pocatello for a 6th District judgeship. Weibe succeeds retiring 3rd District Judge Stephen Drescher, and Naftz succeeds retiring 6th District Judge Peter McDermott.

The candidates were screened by the Idaho Judicial Council, which selected three finalists, two lawyers and a magistrate judge, for the 3rd District position from among four applicants; and four finalists for the 6th District position from among eight applicants, seven lawyers and one magistrate judge.

The Judicial Council, which recommends potential new judges to the governor, is busy these days. The council is mulling eight applications for the 1st District judgeship that’ll be vacated by the retirement of Judge Charles Hosack in Kootenai County, and nine applications for the 5th District judge opening created by the pending retirement of Judge Barry Wood. Plus, it’s taking applications through Sept. 28 for another 5th District judge opening in Minidoka County, created by Otter’s appointment of 5th District Judge John Melanson to the Court of Appeals, effective Sept. 30.

Judges may be elected in Idaho, but most leave office before the end of their terms, in which case the Idaho Judicial Council screens candidates and the governor appoints the new judge, who then can run for re-election as an incumbent at the end of his or her term on the bench.

Swine flu at BSU

Boise State University has confirmed its first case of H1N1 flu, or swine flu, and the patient is a student who lives in the residence halls.

“Most cases to date have been mild and people have recovered quickly,” the university reports; BSU also is in the midst of a campaign to help faculty, staff, students and the community cope with the flu season and prevent infection.

This after Washington State University in Pullman made headlines a week earlier with the nation’s highest number of campus swine flu cases, at 2,500 - more than a third of the college student cases nationwide.