Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has named a new state appellate public defender: Eric Fredericksen, who current serves as the chief of the SAPD’s appellate unit. Fredericksen, who holds a law degree from the University of Idaho, first joined the office in 2002; left in 2012…
When the Idaho Department of Lands auctions off nine state endowment-owned commercial properties in Boise and Idaho Falls on Dec. 1, state agencies won’t be bidding, even though some were interested in the properties as office space. “None have spending authority,” said Idaho Department of…
With a unanimous vote, the Legislature’s working group on the health coverage gap has approved its final report to the Legislature, declaring firmly that the 2017 Legislature must act, but staying vague on exactly how. “A policy to provide health care of some kind to...
After much discussion, lawmakers on the Legislature’s interim working group on alternatives for closing the state’s health coverage gap have decided their report to the Legislature shouldn’t include specifics, and instead should focus broadly on alternatives. “If we go down the road of getting granular…
Among the ideas members of the Legislature’s working group on the health coverage gap have thrown out this morning for possible inclusion in their final report to the Legislature: Expanding the current, traditional Medicaid program, at the existing 70-30 federal match, to include additional populations,…
The Legislature’s working group on alternatives for covering the 78,000 Idahoan who fall into a health coverage gap has convened its final meeting this morning. First, staffer Elizabeth Bowen reported on public comments that have been received. From July 21 to yesterday, the panel has...
Idaho remains one of just six states with no governor’s mansion, and a state committee decided Monday to continue paying a $4,500-per-month housing stipend to the governor until that changes. “I don’t think it’s indefinite, because circumstances change,” said Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, chairman of…
Empire Unmanned founder Steve Edgar is considering using Pocatello Regional Airport as a future hub for possible freight-carrying drones, the Capital Press reports. It could be more than 10 years before the Boeing 747-size drones he envisions are hauling cargo, Edgar acknowledged, but he still plans to analyze the infrastructure at the airport...
The Secretary of State's office says the Idaho Republican Party did not violate the state's campaign laws while creating a political attack ad against House Minority Leader John Rusche. The decision rejects a complaint filed by the Idaho Democratic Party in October...
The Idaho Transportation Board has unanimously adopted new rules for megaloads on scenic Highway 12 in north-central Idaho, though a federal court injunction against such loads remains in effect and court-ordered mediation still is under way. The new Idaho Transportation Department rules, which the board...
A federal judge has approved search warrants to take samples from fields in southeast Idaho after farmers refused to allow federal authorities to check for a microscopic potato pest. The Post Register reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale on Friday denied a motion by farmers seeking to delay the testing until a related lawsuit is settled...
Two articles in recent days, one from the Idaho Statesman’s Rocky Barker and one from the Washington Post, highlighted the role of Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News in whipping up fear and opposition to the longstanding refugee resettlement program in Twin Falls, including targeting Chobani, the…
Tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television features a look at immigration in Idaho and where it stands after the election; the path forward for Idaho Democrats after election losses; and more. On the pundits panel, I join Marty Peterson, Bruce Newcomb and co-host Aaron…
Officials from four Northwest states and three Canadian provinces came together in Boise this week to discuss a troubling new development: Discovery of the tiny larva of invasive mussels in Montana earlier this month, the first such discovery in the Northwest region. “It’s kind of...
Idaho Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said he’s still reviewing the documents, but his initial take is that he disagrees with the 14 former state Fish & Game commissioners who are calling on him to replace Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, as Senate resources chairman.…
The Idaho Department of Lands has announced that it will auction off nine commercial properties now owned by the state endowment on Dec. 1 in Meridian. The auction will run from 1-4 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott Meridian Hotel, 1789 S. Eagle Road, and registration…
Unemployment held steady at 3.8 percent in October for the fourth consecutive month, the Idaho Department of Labor reports. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped one point from 5 percent to 4.9 percent. Nineteen of Idaho’s 44 counties had unemployment rates above the state…
Fourteen former Idaho Fish & Game commissioners sent a letter today to Idaho legislative leaders from both houses and both parties, asking that Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, be replaced as chairman of the Senate Resources Committee. The former commissioners say a dispute over reappointment of…
Idaho’s laws on paternity, artificial insemination and vital statistics unconstitutionally violate the rights of same-sex couples and their children, a new lawsuit filed today in federal district court charges. That’s because an opposite-sex couple that has a child by artificial insemination can simply sign a...
State and federal wildlife managers are considering removing Endangered Species Act protections from grizzly bears living in Yellowstone National Park. Officials are meeting in Cody to discuss post-delisting management plans. The member agencies of the Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee had hoped to approve a final draft...
Business leaders who traveled with Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on his recent trade mission to China say the trip was a success, KIVI-TV reports. Otter and representatives of the state's milk, potato, wheat and hay industries visited Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou between Oct. 28 and Nov. 5 to promote trade...
The Idaho Legislature that will assemble in Boise for its organizational session on Dec. 1 will have 31 female members, the AP reports, up two from the current 29. The Senate will fall from 10 women to nine; while in the House, the number of women will rise by three from 19 to 22...
As Congress kicks off its lame-duck session this week, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo said this morning that he and fellow Idaho Sen. Jim Risch will be pushing hard for a vote on Idaho U.S. District Judge nominee David Nye, but they’ve not yet heard if...
Gov. Butch Otter is in Hawaii for the annual conference of the Independent Voter Project, a California-based group; while he’s gone, Lt. Gov. Brad Little is acting governor, and at today’s Land Board meeting, Secretary of State Lawerence Denney is presiding. The Independent Voter Project,...
Idaho’s state Land Board voted unanimously today to acquire a nearly 2,400-acre tract of timber land 10 miles east of Kamiah from Potlatch Corp. for the state’s public school endowment. The $2.5 million to purchase the land comes from the endowment’s land bank, which holds...