Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Senate President Pro-Tem Robert Geddes sent a letter to Gov. Butch Otter on Dec. 7 saying they thought an additional across-the-board holdback was needed on all state agencies including public schools, as first reported today by Dan Popkey in…
The Idaho Transportation Board has trimmed its proposal for GARVEE bond-funded road work in the coming year from $45 million to $26 million, because of savings in the program, which has seen bids coming in much lower than expected. The bond program is funding several…
Mike Ferguson, chief economist for Gov. Butch Otter, shared some of the most recent data on states' recovery from the recession with the Legislature's Joint Economic Outlook committee just now. Though Idaho was hit early and hard by the current recession, it appears to have…
In 2010, the state Department of Labor projects that 13 counties will have double-digit unemployment rates, with Clearwater County forecast the highest at 17.2 percent. In 2011, the department projects that 10 states will hit double digits, with Valley County highest at 16.9 percent. Said…
The first legislative hearing in the newly renovated state capitol has opened, with the Joint Legislative Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee taking testimony on the state of Idaho's economy, to help lawmakers decide where to set the state budget for next year. "Everyone's rather…
Citizens Against Government Waste and the Idaho Freedom Foundation today unveiled a "2010 Idaho Pork Report," pointing to ways the two groups said Idaho is wasting state and local taxpayer dollars and could make big savings. Among the suggestions: Cut health and pension benefits for…
Former GOP state Rep. Jana Kemp launched her independent campaign for governor today, addressing supporters at the Nampa Civic Center and saying she'll run on "a platform of jobs, education, energy, fairness and responsibility." Kemp cited a recent national poll showing most Americans don't have…
It's the last remaining department store in downtown Boise, and Macy's, formerly The Bon Marche, is a downtown institution. But today the department store chain announced that it's closing five stores around the country, including the downtown Boise store, as "part of the ongoing annual…
Keith Allred, Democratic candidate for governor of Idaho, has named former U.S. Attorney for Idaho Betty Richardson as his campaign manager. Richardson heads a Democratic Party candidate recruitment committee that helped persuade Allred, formerly a nonpartisan citizen activist, to become the Democratic standard-bearer. Allred also…
The AARP of Idaho is criticizing Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's threat to sue to stop federal health care reform legislation if it becomes law, saying it would hurt Idahoans struggling with health care costs; Otter made the threat last week in a letter to U.S.…
The University of Idaho has cleared professor and Caine Veterinary Center official Marie Bulgin of "scientific misconduct" after an inquiry into her writings and testimony denying that wild bighorn sheep contract disease from domestic sheep, despite earlier research by the center showing such a link.…
Here's a link to my full story on the class-action lawsuit against Credit Suisse over an alleged "predatory" lending scheme involving four failed luxury resorts, including Tamarack Resort in Idaho, the Yellowstone Club in Montana, Lake Las Vegas in Nevada and Ginn Sur Mer on…
A group of property owners from four luxury resorts - including Tamarack Resort in Idaho - has filed a $24 billion class-action lawsuit against Credit Suisse, alleging that the big Swiss bank engaged in a "predatory" lending scheme designed to force all four resorts into…