If newly re-elected 72-year-old Idaho Gov. Butch Otter didn't complete his full third term, Idaho's new governor would be Brad Little, the second-term lieutenant governor, rancher and former state senator who's been toiling full-time in the part-time, low-paid post since Otter appointed him to it…
Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson has sent a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell expressing strong concerns about proposed rules for commercial filming in wilderness areas, asking the Forest Service to make sure the final rule doesn’t place an undue burden on journalists, TV…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has issued this statement on the resignation of state Corrections Director Brent Reinke: “I have appreciated Director Reinke’s effort, enthusiasm and empathy throughout my tenure as Governor. It’s a tough job, and nobody in Idaho history has done it longer. Brent…
Idaho state Department of Correction Director Brent Reinke, in his resignation letter submitted to the Board of Correction today, wrote, "For the past 18 years I have enjoyed the privilege of serving the state of Idaho, first at the Department of Juvenile Corrections and for…
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has confirmed that it's rescinded permits it granted two weeks ago for a wolf derby on 3 million acres of public land in Idaho. Joe Kraayenbrink, Idaho Falls district manager for the BLM, said the derby sponsors contacted the…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Department of Correction Director Brent Reinke is stepping down from his post after leading the department since 2007. His tenure included overseeing the fallout of a private-prison scandal, handling the first two…
The recount has been completed in Nez Perce County in the District 6 House race, and the outcome was the same as it was on Election Night: Freshman Rep. Thyra Stevenson, R-Lewiston, has lost to Democratic challenger Dan Rudolph. The final figures from the recount…
The permit for a controversial wolf derby in eastern Idaho reportedly has been rescinded by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the face of a lawsuit. “We have it in writing from their attorney that they’re withdrawing it, and they said they expected to…
Environmental groups and the Nez Perce Tribe have filed a lawsuit to stop proposed dredging of the lower Snake River to aid barge traffic to Lewiston, the AP reports. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Seattle, challenges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'…
One move to change Idaho’s public defense defense system that’s getting support from an interim legislative committee: Reducing caseloads for public defenders by changing some misdemeanors to infractions, reports Idaho Reports co-host Melissa Davlin. People charged with misdemeanors are entitled to a public defender if…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lawmakers on a committee charged with improving Idaho's broken public defense system have killed a resolution that would have given the state full responsibility for assigning attorneys to indigent defenders. Earlier this year,…
Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, the newly named finance chairman for the Idaho Republican Party, has filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit in Washington, D.C. of a September judge's order that he pay $242,535 to the U.S. Treasury…
The Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline will expand to 24/7 staffing this Wednesday, adding Sunday days and Sunday through Thursday overnights to its existing hours. The hotline, at (800) 273-TALK, also is celebrating its second anniversary, and is recruiting volunteers to become trained crisis phone workers,…
A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that the cleanup of mining contamination in the Coeur d’Alene Basin has resulted in improved water quality, with concentrations of cadmium, lead and zinc significantly reduced since cleanup activities started in the 1990s, S-R reporter Becky…
As we head into this week’s heavy Thanksgiving travel period, here’s a local tale of travel mishaps overcome: Boise State’s Talkin’ Broncos speech and debate team won a major debate tournament – for the fourth straight year – despite a long and harrowing bus trip…
A federal grand jury in Boise has indicted 14 gang members and associates of the Norteno, or Northside gang, which is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley, for multiple crimes including trafficking in methamphetamine, conspiracy and gun violations. Federal drug trafficking…
Average wages grew in 36 of Idaho’s 44 counties in 2013, the Idaho Department of Labor reports, although the average wage in the state remained at just 75.6 percent of the national average. That was an improvement from 2012, when Idaho’s average wage was 74.4…
Idaho Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, last week sent a guest editorial out to Idaho newspapers that's sharply critical of the Otter Administration's handling of the now-voided $60 million contract for the Idaho Education Network high school broadband project. "Why did this occur? It is an…
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals today granted Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s motion to submit additional arguments in the state’s same-sex marriage case, but rejected without comment his bid to submit a copy of a 57-page amicus brief from a Louisiana case that Otter…
In sharp contrast to statements from Idaho’s all-GOP congressional delegation, Idaho AFL-CIO President Aaron White has issued a statement praising President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration. Here’s his full statement: “We have witnessed an important step toward rational and humane enforcement of immigration law.…
A mumps outbreak at the University of Idaho has prompted the state Department of Health & Welfare to advise students to use their winter breaks to make sure they're caught up on vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine, which is for measles, mumps and rubella. More…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho's unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in October. The Idaho Department of Labor in a statement Friday says that's the lowest unemployment rate in the state in more than six years. The…
Three members of Idaho's congressional delegation issued statements after President Barack Obama's immigration speech last night, blasting the president for taking executive action on the issue; the fourth, Sen. Jim Risch, weighed in shortly after noon today. Here are their statements; click below for a…
Idaho GOP Rep. Raul Labrador, in an interview airing now on NPR, says he thinks the president’s planned executive action on immigration is illegal, and while shying away from talk of impeachment, had these suggestions on how congressional Republicans might respond: “Well one of the…
A day ahead of the president’s speech tonight on executive action on immigration, Milk Producers of Idaho President Brent Olmstead and Ivan Castillo, president of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, held a press conference in Boise to call on Idaho’s congressional delegation to pass…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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