North Idaho College political scientist Tony Stewart says he’s a student of the U.S. Constitution – he’s also been teaching it to college students for 38 years. And he’s saddened by the lack of understanding of the nation’s founding document’s groundbreaking provisions on religious freedom.There…
Here’s what it takes to be eligible for either of the two U.S. Magistrate Judge positions that will open in Idaho in 2008: “To be qualified for appointment an applicant must:(1) Be, and have been for at least five years, a member in good standing…
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Richard Stallings is calling for GOP Rep. Bill Sali to either “take back the anti-religious freedom comments he made this week to an online religious fundamentalist organization web site, or get out of Congress.” Stallings said in a statement, “I call…
The Seattle Times today has an interesting look at how our former governor, Dirk Kempthorne, is doing as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The Times, in an article by reporter Alicia Mundy, reports:“After more than a year on the job, Kempthorne, the former Idaho governor…
Today is the day that Idaho’s own Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut from McCall, is set to launch on the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and you can follow along live at NASA’s launch blog here. To see more about the mission, click here for NASA’s website.
The newly approved College of Western Idaho has named an interim president: Dennis Griffin, who formerly was executive director of the Boise State University West Campus. That makes some sense, as that campus is the location of the new community college. “Dennis is already on…
State Rep. Clete Edmunson, R-Council, is resigning from the Legislature in his third term to join Gov. Butch Otter’s staff as a field representative for central Idaho. Edmunson, 41, was vice chairman of the House State Affairs Committee and is a former teacher and coach…
The state of Idaho has filed a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit that 72 Republicans filed to close Idaho’s GOP primary election, saying the individual party members lack legal standing to bring the suit. Its backup for the argument? An affidavit from J. Kirk…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter will meet Monday by phone with Utah Gov. John Huntsman and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, along with federal officials, regarding “responses to wildfires and other disasters.” Otter, along with Idaho GOP Sens. Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, has been critical of…
A 14-member legislative committee, including members of both the House and Senate tax committees, convened this morning to start a long and hard look at Idaho’s tax system – and specifically at all exemptions, deductions and credits, what they accomplish and whether they’re justified. All…
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has sent $25,000 to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes after the Shoshone-Paiutes’ Duck Valley Reservation was hit hard by the Murphy Complex fire on the Idaho-Nevada border, which burned 200 power poles and left the reservation without power. “The Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council…
Bill Sali says he arrived in Congress to find a system that's "goofy." Congressmen debate bills in an empty chamber. Testimony at committee hearings is by invitation only. Votes are noisy, messy affairs. Bills have multiple issues tucked into them, and the only choices are…
Most of the wildfires in the country are clustered in a big clump in the center of Idaho, while another semicircle of them wraps around the southern edge of the state. Click here to see a NIFC map of the country on which the numbered…
Both Chief Magistrate Judge Mikel Williams and Magistrate Judge Larry Boyle will retire in 2008, the U.S. District Court in Boise announced today. Williams has served on the federal court for 24 years, and will retire March 29, 2008. Boyle will retire on Sept. 27,…
If the ugly brownish-grey gloom hanging over Boise wasn’t hint enough, Gov. Butch Otter has now declared disaster emergencies in five Idaho counties due to wildfires. The five, Cassia, Idaho, Nez Perce, Owyhee and Twin Falls counties, are the ones that have officially contacted the…
Idaho has made a big change in how it approaches substance abuse treatment, moving from a fragmented system that had various agencies doing their own thing with no particular coordination, to one in which they're forced to work in concert."You can just see this new…
Two 18-year-old inmates at the North Idaho Correctional Institution escaped last night by climbing over a fence, but were recaptured this morning. Both were serving time for grand theft; both had just recently arrived at the Cottonwood facility for “riders,” or retained jurisdiction sentences. That’s…
The new community college in the Treasure Valley is being called the College of Western Idaho, or CWI. Considering that the two existing community colleges are the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in Twin Falls and North Idaho College (NIC) in Coeur d’Alene, how did…
As the U.S. Senate prepares for all-night debate on U.S. troops in Iraq, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo says it’s “a good opportunity for discussion, but the timetable for decision-making should remain the same.” In a news release issued this afternoon, Crapo said he’s standing by…
Here’s Gov. Butch Otter’s reaction to state Controller Donna Jones’ press release today urging against a tax increase for roads, and instead calling for spending the state’s surplus on road needs: “We appreciate the state controller’s suggestion, because we know she recognizes, as we do,…
Idaho State Controller Donna Jones announced today that the state has a $247 million budget surplus – and she thinks that money should be spent to fix roads, rather than Gov. Butch Otter’s idea of a $200 million a year tax increase. “As a former…
A new law designed to cover more uninsured Idahoans by letting more college students and young adults stay on their parents' health plans has run into a glitch that's rendering it inapplicable to most large health plans. "It's a snafu on my part and on…
Some interesting reactions to the filing of the lawsuit by 72 Idaho Republicans who want the state’s GOP primary closed to all but registered Republicans:From Keith Allred, Harvard professor and head of The Common Interest, a citizens group: “There’s obviously a schism within the party…
In less than four weeks, McCall, Idaho, elementary school teacher Barbara Morgan will launch as part of a seven-member crew on the Space Shuttle Endeavor, heading out on a space flight she's awaited for 22 years. "It's really starting to feel real now," she said…
Idaho’s state capitol, as part of its ongoing renovation project, has been shorn not only of the grand old trees that once stood on its grounds, but also of the graceful steps that formerly adorned the east side of the building. The demolition is necessary…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| Dec. 2007 | Nov. 2007 | Oct. 2007 | Sept. 2007 |
| Aug. 2007 | July 2007 | June 2007 | May 2007 |
| April 2007 | March 2007 | Feb. 2007 | Jan. 2007 |
