Chief Deputy State Controller Dan Goicoechea told lawmakers on an interim committee examining state purchasing procedures that the state’s recent major contracting problems came not because of flaws in the state law, but because of failures in management oversight. “Contracts are much like employees,” Goicoechea...
A study from the University of Idaho's McClure Center for Public Policy Research shows Idaho has become steadily more urban since the Great Recession, a trend that has some worried about the future of the state's rural communities. "You would expect urban Idaho to lead…
The future of wildland firefighting launched Wednesday morning in Idaho, the AP reports, as the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest Service launched a successful test of a pilotless helicopter to perform firefighting tasks. A Lockheed Martin helicopter capable of flying autonomously with...
Lawmakers on the Tax Working Group have decided on their next step: Members of the group will be surveyed again on their short-term goals to avoid an end-of-session standoff between the House and the Senate on tax legislation, and they’ll meet again Nov. 3. Among…
Members of the Legislature’s Tax Working Group have each submitted their suggestions on what they think needs fixing in the tax code, from simplification to lowering rates to protecting the balance between sales, income and property taxes that make up Idaho’s “three-legged stool” tax structure.…
If Idaho were to join the multi-state streamlined sales tax project, which would allow easier collection of online sales taxes, even without any new federal legislation, the state would collect roughly $1 million to $3 million more in sales taxes a year, Mike Chakarun, tax…
The Legislature’s Tax Working Group is meeting again today, and first up, hearing a report from Idaho State Tax Commission Tax Policy Manager Mike Chakarun on what would happen if the current $100,000 exemption from personal property tax for business equipment were raised to $250,000,...
A federal plan to rehabilitate 436 square miles of scorched rangeland in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon containing important sage grouse habitat and grazing land for ranchers calls for spending about $67 million over 5 years, the AP reports. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Minority Caucus Chair Donna Pence says she will not seek re-election when her term expires in 2016, opening up a seat in one of the state's few legislative swing districts. Pence, a…
GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has just announced a campaign visit to Idaho this week – on Wednesday, she’ll hold a “Town Hall Event with Melaleuca Employees” at Melaleuca’s Conference Center in Idaho Falls, from 12:30 to 12:55 p.m. Melaleuca, of course, is the health…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A small airplane with a single engine that stopped working made a belly landing on Interstate 84 in Boise, Idaho, right at the start of rush hour traffic Tuesday morning. Two law enforcement…
Gas prices in Idaho are now 89 cents a gallon lower than they were a year ago, the AAA reports today, but Idahoans still are paying the eighth highest gas prices in the country. The Idaho average is now $2.52 a gallon, 30 cents from…
Guidelines for how schools should address gender identity among students have gone unaddressed by most Idaho school districts, the AP reports; the guidelines were submitted to schools for the first time this year by the Idaho School Boards Association. The ISBA sent out the policies…
On Friday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nationwide stay on the controversial Environmental Protection Agency rule that redefined which waters need pollution discharge permits through the Clean Water Act; last week’s “Idaho Reports” program on Idaho Public TV reported on the controversy…
A wildfire in the Grimes Greek area has burned three cabins, forced evacuations and sent smoke pouring into the Treasure Valley; at 6 a.m. Monday, air quality in Boise was rated in the “moderate” range, but it looks, and smells, pretty bad. UPDATE: Now rated "unhealthy"...
Tonight’s “Idaho Reports” features an interview with 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador about his work in Washington, D.C., as the House is in turmoil over its leadership fight. Also, Bill Dentzer of the Idaho Statesman joins the pundits for discussion, including myself, Jim Weatherby, and…
The Post Register newspaper in Idaho Falls is being sold to Minnesota-based Adams Publishing Group, the newspaper announced Thursday. The sale also includes the Shelley Pioneer, Challis Messenger and Jefferson Star, and will be finalized Nov. 1. Adams Publishing Group is a family-owned media company…
Wyoming’s Pari-Mutuel Commission declined to lift its suspension of historic horse racing terminals throughout the state despite pleas from industry representatives that the shutdown has put their businesses in financial peril. The decision Thursday means the machines, which have been shut down since Sunday, will…
Two conservation groups say a federal plan to bolster threatened populations of bull trout in five Western states falls short, and they’ve filed notice of their intention to sue, the AP reports. Alliance for the Rockies and Friends of the Wild Swan said the plan…
The state of Idaho has filed its response to the Idaho Supreme Court in the instant racing case, challenging the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s motion for court-ordered attorney fees on the basis that the tribe was late for a filing deadline to submit the details of…
A lively crowd of more than 80 gathered in Nampa on Wednesday evening to learn about Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws, and the group had lots of questions – all of which were answered. Among them: What if a city signs a non-disclosure…
Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Authorities say three species found in Idaho and neighboring states don't require federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an announcement Wednesday says the southern Idaho…
An Idaho judge has ruled that Mother Jones Magazine did not defame one of Idaho's wealthiest people in an article that said businessman Frank VanderSloot outed a local reporter as gay. The AP reports that 4th District Judge Darla Williamson dismissed VanderSloot's lawsuit against the…
It took less than 5 minutes today for the state’s Constitutional Defense Council – which consists of the governor, the Attorney General, the speaker of the House and the president pro-tem of the Senate – to vote unanimously to pay the state’s latest bill for…
An Idaho National Laboratory study has found that the availability of charging stations is key to whether electric vehicles become widespread and reduce the country’s gas consumption, the Idaho Falls Post Register reports. The research, conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy, found that charging…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
| Oct. 2015 | ||||
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 09 | 08 | 07 | 06 | 05 |
| 04 | 02 | 01 |
