A comparison of spending on statewide political TV commercials shows Idaho Democratic gubernatorial candidate A.J. Balukoff has outspent Gov. Butch Otter, the AP reports today. An analysis released Wednesday by the non-partisan Center for Public Integrity found that Balukoff spent more than $500,000 to air…
A crowd including current and former federal judges, U.S. Marshals, state and federal officials and more is gathering in the Lincoln Auditorium at the Idaho State Capitol for a ceremony celebrating the 225th anniversary of the federal judiciary. The event marks the signing and passage…
U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge will leave active service and take senior status on July 3, 2015, the courts announced today; that means the longtime judge will continue to hear cases, but his position will open and a new district judge will be appointed for…
In their first debate last night in Twin Falls, state school superintendent candidates Jana Jones and Sherri Ybarra took mostly similar positions on issues, but diverged on the 20 recommendations from a state task force for improving schools and clashed on whose background better fits…
Both candidates for state schools superintendent - Jana Jones and Sherri Ybarra – are urging a cautious approach to a teacher licensing proposal that’s drawn fire from the state’s teachers union, Clark Corbin of Idaho Education News reports. His full report is online here. Meanwhile,…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s latest campaign commercial features a real estate broker crediting the GOP governor with turning around the state’s economy and looking out for “all industries.” “Our governor, Butch Otter, has had a lot to do with us coming out of that downturn,”…
A.J. Balukoff, the Democratic candidate for governor of Idaho, today released the schedule of the debates he’s agreed to participate in over the next month – the same four to which GOP Gov. Butch Otter earlier committed, plus one more in Twin Falls. “I look…
The state of Idaho and the Bonneville Power Administration have agreed to a $40 million deal to satisfy the BPA's wildlife habitat mitigation responsibilities to the state for impacts from its hydropower dams in southern Idaho. The money will go to the Idaho Fish &…
Idaho’s state health insurance exchange, YourHealthIdaho, has named a new executive director: Pat Kelly, the former finance director for the exchange who was named interim executive director in July. “Pat has been with us since the very beginning and has a deep understanding of our…
The homeowner's exemption from property tax will rise to a maximum of $89,580 in 2015, up from the current $83,920. That reflects a 6.74 percent increase in Idaho housing prices, and marks the second year of increases after four years of declines. Click below for…
Jana Jones and Sherri Ybarra, the two candidates to be Idaho’s next state schools chief, will face off in three debates this week, Clark Corbin of Idaho Education News reports. The first is tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Twin Falls, sponsored by the Twin Falls…
Conventional wisdom is that the Democrats’ best chance of capturing a statewide office in Idaho this year is the state school superintendent’s post. It’s an open seat in which the Republican nominee is a political newcomer with no statewide experience and the Democratic nominee is…
Curious about his comments to the Times-News last week, I chatted today with state schools Superintendent Tom Luna about the race to replace him. Luna confirmed that he has not endorsed either candidate in the race – Republican Sherri Ybarra or Democrat Jana Jones. “It’s…
Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa is reminding voters that September is National Voter Registration Month, and urging them to be aware of deadlines for the upcoming Nov. 4 general election. “Participation is the essence of democracy, and I encourage all eligible voters to check…
The U.S. Senate has voted 78-22 in favor of President Obama's plan for the U.S. military to train and equip Syrian rebels for a war against Islamic state militants. Like yesterday's 273-156 House vote, support for the president's plan was bipartisan - but both Idaho's…
The office of state Treasurer Ron Crane received a clean bill of health in a new management audit out today from Idaho’s state auditor’s office. The new management review, which covers fiscal years 2011, ’12 and ’13, is a turnaround from the previous three-year report,…
Foul-smelling smoke from a huge wildfire in northern California that's burned hundreds of homes and other structures rolled into Boise this morning, limiting visibility, diminishing air quality and staining the sky a brownish-grey. “With the way the jet stream’s going and the wind patterns, we…
The U.S. House voted 273-156 in favor of President Obama’s plan to train and arm Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State militants yesterday, but both Idaho GOP representatives, 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador and 2nd District Congressman Mike Simpson, voted no. The Senate votes today.…
A 33-year-old Idaho-born playwright is among the 21 winners of this year’s MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.” Samuel D. Hunter, now of New York, is the author of plays including "A Bright New Boise" and "The Whale." The prize comes with $625,000. "What's going to change…
Tom Perry, attorney for Gov. Butch Otter, said U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of the Windsor decision, has “sort of carved himself out as the swing vote, and we’ll see which side he goes on.” Said Perry, “This is a question of…
The first question posed to the lawyers from Idaho’s gay marriage case was about the atmosphere in the courtroom at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals when the judges heard arguments in Idaho’s case earlier this month. Deborah Ferguson said the arguments were in the…
Deborah Ferguson, the attorney who made the arguments in the 9th Circuit this month against Idaho’s ban on same-sex marriage, told the UI’s Constitution Day crowd, “It’s been sort of a remarkable turn of events in how quickly everything has developed … in a period…
In honor of Constitution Day, attorneys from both sides in Idaho’s same-sex marriage case are gathered at a University of Idaho event in Boise today, in which students, lawyers and others are participating from Boise, Moscow and Coeur d’Alene. Here, the attorneys are Craig Durham,…
Since July 1, 2007, Idaho’s school districts have backfilled their budgets with more than $1 billion in supplemental property tax levies, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News report. These short-term, voter-approved levies – property tax increases – have steadily grown over that time period; 91…
Idaho 1st District GOP Congressman Raul Labrador introduced bipartisan legislation today to restrict surplus military equipment from going to state and local law enforcement agencies, saying local police shouldn't be militarized. “Our nation was founded on the principle of a clear line between the military…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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