May state tax revenues came in 1.6 percent above forecasts, leaving the state pretty much at the forecast year-to-date; you can see the state Division of Financial Management’s General Fund Revenue Report here. Meanwhile, the Legislature’s monthly Budget & Revenue Monitor shows that the $2.7…
Eric Milstead, who’s been a non-partisan staffer for the Idaho Legislature for the past 17 years, today was named the next director of legislative services; he’ll take over at the end of September when longtime director Jeff Youtz retires. Milstead was selected by a unanimous…
Four finalists are being interviewed today to be the state’s next director of legislative services, after current longtime director Jeff Youtz retires Sept. 30. More than 30 people applied for the position; the four finalists who will be interviewed by the Legislative Council today are…
Idaho senators who have pushed for years for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity in Afghanistan are now in the odd position of both objecting to the deal that bought Bergdahl’s freedom, and joyfully welcoming his return. "He needed to be released, but…
Rep. Holli Woodings, D-Boise, is ripping her GOP opponent in the Secretary of State's race, Lawerence Denney, for hiring a private attorney with public funds to represent the Legislature's Federal Lands Interim Committee, after he and co-chair Sen. Chuck Winder didn't like the legal advice…
Twenty women college students from across Idaho are gathered at Boise State University this week for a week-long residential program designed to educate women about politics and leadership. The program, dubbed NEW Leadership, was created by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers…
The “Bowe is Back” celebration scheduled in Hailey for June 28 has been canceled, after organizers reported that they were getting signs that a huge influx of people either supporting or opposing the event would swamp the town, as national debate builds about the release…
The final numbers are in on Idaho’s May 20 primary election, and they’re virtually unchanged from the unofficial election-night totals. Results certified today by the state Board of Canvassers, which includes Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, center; state Controller Brandon Woolf, left; and state…
More than 4,000 uncashed state tax refund checks are about to expire on June 27, the state Tax Commission warns, and it's urging the taxpayers involved get on it. After the expiration date, the refunds - which total more than $1 million - will become…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: STANLEY, Idaho (AP) — Ground and air crews are battling a 60-acre wildfire burning through sagebrush about 10 miles south of Stanley in central Idaho. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Julie Thomas says the goal on Wednesday is…
Three Idaho firefighters will be awarded the Idaho Medal of Honor on Saturday for heroics including swimming into Lake Pend Oreille and repeatedly diving down, with no equipment, to rescue a trapped car accident victim. The three being honored are Capt. Stuart Eigler, a volunteer…
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Coeur d’Alene woman against President Barack Obama over NSA collection of cell phone information, while raising questions about the practice. U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill, in his eight-page decision issued today, found that under current…
U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill heard from both the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the state of Idaho today in the state’s bid to shut down the tribe’s poker room at its Worley casino, but issued no immediate ruling. The federal judge is considering motions from…
As the national debate builds in the wake of the rescue of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from five years of captivity in Afghanistan, the New York Times today examines accounts from fellow soldiers in the region of Bergdahl’s disappearance and the aftermath in a report here,…
Idaho’s State Board of Education voted unanimously today to give 5 percent pay raises to the presidents of Boise State University and Idaho State University, a 3 percent raise for the head of Lewis-Clark State College, and a 7.2 percent raise for the executive director…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Obama Administration announced Monday that Idaho will have to cut its carbon pollutants by a third over the next 15 years. The new standard is part of national initiative aimed at cutting…
A peek at the Falconcam just now showed all three Peregrine falcon chicks out of their nesting box, exploring the concrete ledge outside. According to the Peregrine Fund, this is natural behavior as the chicks prepare to learn how to fly. “Like toddlers learning to…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is asking the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to send Idaho’s same-sex marriage case directly to a full, 11-judge panel of the court, rather than the usual three-judge panel. The request for an initial “en banc” hearing is highly unusual.…
A two-year effort to try to make sure Idaho doesn’t discourage high-tech businesses through its sales tax laws has now swung the state to the opposite extreme, with multimillion-dollar software package installations set to switch from taxable to tax-free on July 1. It all stemmed…
A legislative interim committee investigating prospects for state takeover of federal public lands has spent more than $40,000 on a private attorney, the AP reports, tapping into a new legislative legal defense fund. "We've hired legal counsel from outside of state government primarily because we…
Jani and Bob Bergdahl, the parents of newly freed captive U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, spoke at a news conference at Gowen Field in Boise today, addressing comments directly to their son, who is recovering at a military hospital in Germany, the AP reports. "You are…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| June 2014 | ||||
| 30 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 11 | 10 | 09 | 06 | 05 |
| 04 | 03 | 02 | 01 |
