Here's a statement from state schools Superintendent Tom Luna on Sen. Dean Cameron's bill, introduced today with a slew of cosponsors, to amend Luna's "Students Come First" school reform law to remove cuts in funding each year for teacher salaries: "If there is support for…
A wolf killed by a Hailey homeowner on Jan. 22 has tested postive for parvo, a common and highly contagious canine virus that can be fatal. Idaho Fish & Game reported that the homeowner reported the wolf had been observed near his house for at…
Geoff Burns, a 63-year-old retiree and Occupy Boise member who was arrested Oct. 15 for setting up a tent in Capitol Park and refusing to leave, goes to court on Friday and plans to make 1st Amendment arguments in his defense; he'll appear Friday at…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press and Idaho State Journal: POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Faculty leaders at Idaho State University claim administrators violated their free speech rights when blocking the provisional faculty senate from sending emails to the campus community. The Idaho State…
The Idaho Democratic Party has issued its second correction in two weeks, this time correcting a guest opinion it distributed earlier today from party Chairman Larry Grant that said proceeds from former Congressman Bill Sali's proposed special license plate "would go to Sali's recently formed…
Sen. Denton Darrington, presenting SB 1263 to the Senate today, which imposes a $10 one-time fee upon conviction of a misdemeanor or felony to raise funds for the state's victim notification system, had this answer to the question of whether the state wasn't piling fees…
The House has adjourned for the day without taking up HB 464, the oil and gas regulation bill that would pre-empt local county regulations. That means the next time the measure could come up for a debate and full House vote is tomorrow.
The House has begun its page program, including skits; that may mean HB 464, the controversial bill asserting state authority over local government regulation of oil and gas drilling, may not come up today, depending on how long the program takes. It's the next bill…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Leaders in Washington County now have a new set of rules that require energy companies to get local approval before drilling for natural gas or building refineries. The Idaho Statesman reports that the…
Nearly 1,300 Idaho teachers left the profession in 2011, the AP reports, up from about 700 the year before. More than half of the educators who abandoned teaching last year left for "personal reasons," according to data from the state Department of Education. The number…
A rare meeting of the Senate Finance Committee - the Senate half of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee - convened this morning to consider a bill proposed by Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, to make a significant change to the "Students Come First" school reform…
It's "Buy Idaho" day in the state Capitol today, which means that three floors of the rotunda are crowded with displays, information booths, products and freebies galore, all highlighting Idaho businesses and products made in Idaho.
After JFAC this morning unanimously approved a $671,200 supplemental appropriation to the Department of Environmental Quality for continued cleanup at the Bunker Hill Superfund site - the money comes from a settlement with Hecla Mining and is part of continuing cleanup within the 22-square-mile "box"…
JFAC has approved a $13 million supplemental appropriation for the Catastrophic Health Care program for the current year, down from the original request of $17.6 million. Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, said that will be enough to bring the total ongoing funding for fiscal year 2012…
Idaho's election laws have changed dramatically for this year's primary election, due to the Legislature's passage of HB 351 last year to allow the Republican Party to close its primary to anyone who's not a registered Republican; Idaho's never before had official party registration. So…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
