GOP congressional hopeful Raul Labrador today announced two changes in his campaign staff: He's hired Phil Hardy, who had been serving as the Idaho GOP's "state victory director" staffer working on behalf of Labrador's campaign and other GOP campaigns, as his new communications director; and…
Boise is basking in summer-like weather today, and has been all weekend; here, a windsurfer and kitesailors enjoy the sunny waters of Lucky Peak lake early this morning. After predicted highs of up to 90 degrees today, there's a chance of rain tomorrow.
Idaho has made much of a startling statistic - that teen meth use in the state dropped 52 percent from 2007 to 2009, the largest percentage drop of any state, just as the Idaho Meth Project was ramping up its graphic anti-meth TV ads and…
Legal arguments filed with the Idaho Supreme Court in advance of the Oct. 1 oral arguments in the Highway 12 giant-shipments case include this from ConocoPhillips, the company that wants to move oversized equipment for its Billings oil refinery through the scenic byway and historic…
KTVB-TV reports that it joined with two other TV stations, KIFI in Pocatello and KREM in Spokane, to commission a statewide political poll on major Idaho races, with these results:In the 1st Congressional District, incumbent Congressman Walt Minnick led GOP challenger Raul Labrador, 59.8 percent…
Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little wraps up a "friendship mission" to the Basque country tomorrow, which included a meeting with Basque President Patxi Lopez on Thursday. Little reported that the Basque country pledged to work with Idaho on three initiatives: Creation of a Basque economic…
Idaho Rep. Phil Hart's write-in challenger, Howard Griffiths, has filed a complaint with the Idaho Secretary of State's office over Hart's campaign finance filings for a PAC he formed this year called "North Idahoans for Liberty." Tim Hurst, chief deputy secretary of state, said the…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — Two Gimlet residents told state wildlife officials they arrived home last week to find a mountain lion in their house. Department of Fish and Game conservation officer Lee Garwood says he was called…
Funeral services have been set for Ralph Smeed, the 88-year-old libertarian activist and Canyon County political icon who died this week of pancreatic cancer. Smeed will be remembered in a service Monday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m. at the Jewett Auditorium on the campus of…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho legislator has withdrawn backing for a constitutional amendment aimed at letting public airports including Boise's finance projects like a new parking garage without first asking voters. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle…
Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick has launched his first television commercial of the campaign season, while his Republican challenger, Raul Labrador, still hasn't been able to hit the airwaves. Minnick's ad, the first of a series, began running on Monday morning throughout the 1st Congressional District,…
Three current employee of the Idaho State Tax Commission - a manager and two auditors - have gone on the record in affidavits in Rep. Shirley Ringo's lawsuit over secret tax deals, the Times-News reports today, making a total of eight current or former Tax…
Canyon County libertarian activist Ralph Smeed died yesterday at the age of 88, of pancreatic cancer. Smeed was a prickly Idaho political icon, a mentor of Gov. Butch Otter, a friend of Congressman Walt Minnick, and a confidante of former Sen. Steve Symms. Click below…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former Idaho governor, U.S. senator and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is taking over as the top lobbyist for the country's life insurers. According to a statement from the American Council of Life Insurers,…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's first campaign commercial for his re-election bid contains a misleading claim, while that of his Democratic challenger, Keith Allred, includes an overstatement. But both TV spots, unveiled as Labor Day marks the start of the thick of the campaign season in…
Wham! Labor Day passed, the weather cooled, and now the airwaves are alight with campaign ads, some of which started airing just as Idahoans were glued to their TVs for the exciting college football matchup last night between the BSU Broncos and Virginia Tech. Candidates…
There's good reason why Washington plates are such a common sight at Idaho gas stations near the state line in North Idaho - gas is just plain cheaper in Idaho. Among the reasons: Washington's 37.5 cent-per-gallon gas tax is a full 12.5 cents higher than…
Idaho has joined Michigan in a "friend of the court" brief siding with Arizona in its appeal from a federal judge's initial ruling invalidating portions of the state's far-reaching immigration law; 11 states have now joined in the appeal. Gov. Butch Otter said, "It’s our…
It's happened again: Aggressive bats have attacked people in the Wood River Valley, and three people now are undergoing painful rabies vaccines. The Idaho Mountain Express reports that one person was bitten and two more may have been bitten; the encounters were in Bellevue, Hailey…
Legislators from 13 western states are headed to Sun Valley Sept. 11-14 for the 63rd annual meeting of the Council of State Governments-West, which this year is being hosted by the Idaho Legislature. More than 400 people are expected to attend. Speakers will include pollster…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: REXBURG, Idaho (AP) — A 22-year-old woman who has been working as a housekeeper at a Rexburg hotel to save money for college turned in $5,000 she found in a bank envelope while cleaning a room. Kelsey…
I counted 24 hot-air balloons in the sky over Boise at once this morning, including one shaped like a rocket ship. Many drifted low and leisurely from their Ann Morrison Park launch over the city, roughly following the path of the Boise River and gliding…
Two press releases went out today, one from legislative GOP leaders and the second from Gov. Butch Otter's re-election campaign, charging that Otter's Democratic challenger, Keith Allred, is wrongly taking credit for successful Idaho legislation to raise the state's homeowner's exemption from property taxes and…
Vaughn Ward, the candidate who lost the GOP primary in Idaho's 1st Congressional District this year to rival Raul Labrador after a series of campaign missteps, has been named CEO of the for-profit Northwest Specialty Hospital in Post Falls, the AP reports, and will start…
Hot-air balloons filled the sky over Boise this morning, as they have in so many past years. At one point, I counted seventeen in the sky at once. Launches are planned each morning through Sunday as part of the "Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic," along…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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