Idaho is down to just 51 state-owned cottage sites at Payette Lake after six years of auctions. The state has now sold 262 of its state-owned lake cabin sites at Payette and Priest lakes combined, and has 261 left between the two lakes, state Lands Director Tom Schultz reported...
Idaho’s four presidential electors have been getting harassing phone calls, emails and Facebook messages urging them to become “faithless electors” and not cast their votes for Donald Trump in the electoral college. “A lot of ‘em use bad, rough language,” said Layne Bangerter, one of...
Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch say they’re standing by federal judge nominee David Nye and hoping for a confirmation vote in the lame-duck session of Congress that started today. And if it doesn’t come right away, they’ll continue to push for Nye’s nomination with the Trump Administration in 2017.
Secretary of State Lawerence Denney says he has a new appreciation for county clerks and election staff after spending two days as a poll worker in northern Idaho. "There was an incredible amount of stress at times," Denney said. "I think that helped me get a better feel for what goes on." A full report from the Associated Press.
Idaho's wine grape crop is rebounding after a small harvest in 2015. The Capital Press reports that a November 2014 freeze sharply reduced the amount of wine grapes available in 2015. This year, however, growers and vintners say the yields are 50 to 100 percent above last year's, making the harvest slightly larger than normal...
A glitch in the reporting of Franklin County’s election results in the Idaho Supreme Court race won’t change the outcome, but appears to suggest that Robyn Brody’s winning margin was larger than previously reported. The eastern Idaho county, on its county website, reports that Curt…
When Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, took the lead on crafting the state’s complex Health and Welfare budgets four years ago, there was a “very steep learning curve,” the longtime physician said. “It was like medical school.” Schmidt lost his seat in Tuesday's election, but made his mark on budgets. My Sunday column.
Legislators received another dose of good budget news this week. The state is on target to end the 2016-17 budget year with a $132.5 million surplus – well ahead of the $48.4 million cushion lawmakers wrote into the budget when they adjourned the 2016 session…
On tonight’s “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television, co-hosts Melissa Davlin and Aaron Kunz examine the news of the week – election results and fallout. On the pundits panel, I join Jim Weatherby, Kevin Richert, Davlin and Kunz to discuss the implications for anti-federalism, education…
Idaho's top legislative leaders have approved a pilot project for better estimating the cost of proposed legislation, now a task that's generally left to lawmakers themselves. Legislative analysts would...
The work of the Legislature’s study panel examining alternatives to close Idaho’s health coverage gap isn’t over, legislative leaders said Friday, even though President-elect Donald Trump is vowing to repeal Obamacare. “I don’t believe that is dead,” said House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley. “I don’t think the problem has gone away.” Full story...
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch could get a shot at chairing the prestigious Foreign Relations Committee, the Idaho Statesman reports today, if speculation about a new President Trump choosing current the current chair, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., as Secretary of State proves correct. The Statesman reported…
Several hundred people met in the streets of downtown Boise to protest Donald Trump's presidential election. The protest started Thursday on the steps of the Idaho Statehouse, where people gathered and marched the streets for several hours. The protests were similar to others around the nation...
After this year’s major breach of state Fish and Game data held by a vendor, the state of Idaho has decided to purchase a $25 million cybersecurity insurance policy, the Legislative Council heard this morning. The policy, with an annual premium of roughly $570,000 and…
The Legislative Council, the committee of lawmakers chaired by the House speaker and Senate president pro-tem that handles legislative business between sessions, is meeting this morning at the Capitol, and its first action was to approve adding another budget analyst to the legislative budget request…
Counties around Idaho are posting some amazingly high turnout figures for Tuesday’s election, but it turns out those aren’t actually the final numbers – because they don’t take into account same-day voter registrations. That means the county figures – 88 percent in Ada County, 87…
Idaho is an island of abstinence on the legal weed frontier. The state shares 77 percent of its border with pot-friendly states, made even friendlier Tuesday with victories for looser marijuana laws in Nevada and Montana. If you add in the 45-mile boundary with British Columbia, where medical pot is legal, 80 percent of Idaho now borders...
While Idaho’s college go-on rates continue to lag, Idaho’s college enrollment numbers are trending upward, Idaho EdNews reports. From spring 2015 to spring 2016, Idaho college enrollment increased by 3.2 percent, according to a national report. The Idaho numbers defy the national trends; nationwide, enrollment…
Not only is Paulette Jordan now the only Democrat in the Idaho Legislature from north of Boise, she’s also the only Native American member. A longtime Democratic activist and former Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council member, Jordan, D-Plummer, said, “My campaign has just been about staying…
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo issued this statement on the election results: “I express my sincere thanks to the people of Idaho for their trust in re-electing me to represent their values in Washington. Additionally, voters have elected Donald Trump as our next president and I…
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bert Marley issued this statement on the election results: “The Idaho Democratic Party would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Idahoans who supported our candidates this year. We are proud of the work that we have accomplished together and…
Idaho Republican Party Chairman Steve Yates issued this statement on the election results: "I would first like to take a moment and congratulate President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Senator Mike Crapo, Congressman Raul Labrador, Congressman Mike Simpson, and all of the down ticket…
Running on little sleep after a trade mission to China followed by Tuesday’s election, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter was buoyant Wednesday about a Donald Trump presidency, the state’s lively economy and plans to better prepare its workforce. “I’m bullish. I’m really optimistic on a Trump administration,” Otter said in remarks in Coeur d'Alene...
Idaho GOP Rep. Raúl Labrador issued this statement today: “I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump for his historic victory that brings Americans the new leadership they’ve long demanded. This election was a ringing call for change and I am eager to work with the president-elect to…
House Minority Leader John Rusche, who’s held that position for the past eight years and served two years before that as House Democratic caucus chair, lost his seat yesterday to Republican Mike Kingsley, 41.8 percent to Kingsley’s 58.2 percent. “Obviously the district wanted a different…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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