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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Be careful out there…

Flowers and mementos mark the spot where 37-year-old Kevin Pavlis of was struck and killed by a turning motorist while riding his bicycle along Hill Road in Boise, which has a bike lane. Pavlis was the third cyclist struck and killed on Boise-area roads in the past month. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Flowers and mementos mark the spot where 37-year-old Kevin Pavlis of was struck and killed by a turning motorist while riding his bicycle along Hill Road in Boise, which has a bike lane. Pavlis was the third cyclist struck and killed on Boise-area roads in the past month. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

I returned today from my furlough/vacation of a week and a half to the troubling news that a third experienced adult bicyclist has been struck and killed on Boise-area roads, this time in a bike lane just blocks from my home. That's three in a month. Be careful out there.

Among the political news items I missed while I was gone: Gov. Butch Otter was elected vice chairman of the Western Governors Association at their meeting last weekend, to serve under Democratic Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer; Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo met with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and gave this account; state parks Director Bob Meinen stepped down from his post for health reasons; and Idaho House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, announced that he'll run next year for the 1st Congressional District seat now held by Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick, making Roberts the second Republican to announce; Vaughn Ward already is in the race. Still no word from former one-term GOP Rep. Bill Sali, whom Minnick defeated, on whether he'll try for a comeback.

Meanwhile, the University of Idaho launched an investigation after media reports that the head of the UI Caine Veterinary Teaching and Research Center in Caldwell testified both to the state Legislature and in federal court documents that there's no evidence bighorn sheep catch diseases from domestic sheep, though research at the center as far back as 1994 showed such a link; the director, Marie Bulgin, is a past president of the Idaho Wool Growers Association, and the issue was a hot political one this year as lawmakers passed a law that short-circuited a collaborative effort between sheep ranchers and bighorn advocates. Here's the university's official statement:

“The University of Idaho is aware of media reports about professor of veterinary medicine Marie Bulgin’s comments on big horn sheep research and takes seriously concerns raised by those reports. A complete understanding of the facts is imperative and the university is investigating the matter thoroughly. Our scholarly and creative activity, which includes research, seeks to generate knowledge to strengthen the scientific, economic, cultural, social and legal foundations of an open, diverse and democratic society. The people of Idaho count on us to be fair, diligent and candid, and we place the utmost importance on that responsibility. The university will take appropriate steps to ensure the integrity of its research.”



Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.