Here’s an interesting letter sent by Idaho Capitol Commission Chairman Jack Kane, the former adjutant general of the Idaho National Guard, to Gov. Butch Otter about the standoff between Otter and the Legislature over the capitol renovation project:January 23, 2007Honorable C.L. Butch OtterState Capitol Building2nd…
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s “Idaho Corps of Discovery Passport” program has expired, ending on Dec. 31, 2006, but the rave reviews are still being tallied from Idaho families who took the challenge to visit all 44 counties and get their “passports” stamped in each. The program…
Cute little teddy bears dressed in crisp white nurses’ uniforms graced the desks of every JFAC member this morning, as the joint committee heard budget pitches from the College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College. Both colleges want to expand their nursing education programs.…
Although Gov. Butch Otter wants to spend millions on building new nursing education buildings, his budget includes no funding for $13.6 million in additional faculty, training and pay recommended by a state Nursing Task Force.“You can’t have one without the other, can you?” asked a…
New Idaho Congressman Bill Sali says he’ll be co-sponsoring a “Right to Life Act” to be introduced in Congress later this week “that affirms the personhood of the unborn.” In a statement, he said, “I promise to be a voice for these small humans –…
North Idaho Reps. Bob Nonini and Marge Chadderdon, both Coeur d’Alene Republicans, heaped praise on outgoing North Idaho College President Michael Burke today, as he addressed the House Education Committee to tell the members about NIC and what it’s up to. Burke leaves in March…
Idaho’s higher education leaders talk a lot about how their faculty salaries lag behind comparable institutions in the region. The University of Idaho has a particular problem competing with Washington State University, UI President Tim White said, because it’s just 7 miles away, but has…
University of Idaho President Tim White told legislative budget writers this morning that 37 percent of new freshmen who enroll at the U of I are the first generation in their families to go to college. “That’s a proud statistic for me,” he said, noting…
Former state Rep. Celia Gould, R-Buhl, won unanimous confirmation from the Senate this morning as the new state director of agriculture. Senators noted her qualifications, including an extensive background in agriculture and service in the Legislature from 1986 to 2002. Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, recalled…
If there were just one thing he could ask for, BSU President Bob Kustra told legislative budget writers this morning, it would be to preserve the proportion of state general fund support in the university’s budget. “Please keep that 28 percent where it is today,”…
JFAC Co-Chair Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, marveled over the distinguished background of Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas, which she noted includes kinesiology, orthopedic surgery and poultry science. “So if you have a chicken with a bad foot…” she said to laughter. Vailas was in…
Gov. Butch Otter met with legislative leaders from both parties and both houses this afternoon for an hour and a half, but there’s still no resolution to the standoff between the governor and the Legislature over expansion of the Statehouse. The meeting included experts involved…
One Boise attorney who sat in on the arraignment of convicted killer Joseph Duncan this morning in a Boise courtroom said he came because he wanted to “see evil.” Joseph Edward Duncan is accused of the most heinous and horrifying of crimes, the kidnapping and…
New state schools Superintendent Tom Luna unveiled a $1.38 billion budget request for public schools today that calls for funding 3 percent in raises for teachers next year and making new state investments into classroom supplies and textbooks. “This budget supports our teachers in a…
The annual BSU Public Policy Survey was released this morning, and among its findings was this: 70 percent of Idahoans in the survey said they agree that the state should adopt an “English only policy.” The number was even higher in North Idaho – 75.4…
After viewing controversial murals in the Ada County Courthouse, slated to temporarily house the Idaho Legislature next year, members of the state's tribes seemed to agree the paintings should be preserved – just not necessarily where they are now, reports S-R reporter Parker Howell.North Idaho…
OK, why did Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, disappear shortly before the debate and vote on the BSU Broncos resolution in the House today? It turns out he had two people waiting for him – a senator and a staffer for the governor – to…
The Idaho House just voted unanimously for a resolution honoring the Boise State Broncos on their Fiesta Bowl win. HCR 7 passed on a unanimous, 68-0 vote. During the debate on the resolution, Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, sang a line from the state song,…
A battle is brewing between legislators and Gov. Butch Otter, after Otter recommended no funding at all in his budget for substance abuse services now being covered by a soon-to-expire federal grant. Lawmakers from throughout the state have been working on the substance abuse issue…
Gov. Butch Otter met with House and Senate majority leadership today on the standoff over the capitol renovation project. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, said, “We had a frank discussion about our differences, and how the renovation and expansion of the capitol ought…
The governor’s office is making a correction – it turns out the Steve Kren that Gov. Otter appointed to the Legislature is NOT a Nampa city councilman – he’s the son of the Nampa city councilman who shares his name. “It happens all the time,…
Gov. Butch Otter is meeting with at least some legislative leaders this morning to discuss their standoff over the addition of underground “wings” to the state capitol, but Otter’s communications director, Mark Warbis, said Otter will be talking with many legislators informally about the issue.…
State Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong opened his JFAC presentation this morning by noting that he retired in June after 36 years with Blue Cross of Idaho, but his retirement only lasted as week – as he was then appointed director of the state’s…
Idaho will eliminate 94 state employees' jobs under a governmental reorganization plan Gov. Butch Otter wants in place by July 1, and dozens more will have to reapply for a chance at new versions of their old jobs. "I am proposing significantly reprioritizing and restructuring…
Here’s a dispatch from S-R reporter Parker Howell on the festivities today in the state Capitol for Martin Luther King Jr.-Idaho Human Rights Day: Instructed to tell one truth and one lie about himself to a small group of Idahoans this afternoon, Gov. Butch Otter…
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