The depths of summer used to be such a slow news time that a week off wouldn’t yield a ton of missed news – but not this year. Here’s a catchup on some of the news from the past week while I was off...

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I’m headed off on vacation for a week. Let me know what I miss, and I’ll catch up when I’m back in the office on Monday, Aug. 14.

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Sixty-one cabin sites on Priest Lake, including two bare ones and 59 with existing cabins on them, are scheduled to be auctioned off by the Idaho Department of Lands on Aug. 18-19 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. All but four of the lots are currently…

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Among the candidacy and statement of campaign treasurer filings at the Idaho Secretary of State’s office is an oddity: Three fairly obscure candidates who have filed to run for governor, all as Republicans, all listing the same campaign treasurer, Britne Tingey. Deputy Secretary of State…

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I thought I was onto a little scoop when I spotted the filing in the Secretary of State’s office recently showing former state Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, apparently running for the Senate in District 2 – which is Sen. Steve Vick’s district. But that…

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An 890-square-mile federal nuclear facility in eastern Idaho has banned hunters from the area on the day of the solar eclipse. Idaho National Laboratory is directly on the "path of totality" of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, and high numbers of eclipse watchers are expected along roads in the area. Officials say the 24-hour hunting ban is needed...

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Sen. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, has announced the endorsement of former state Commerce Director Jeff Sayer, who is joining his lieutenant governor campaign as its treasurer. Sayer said he’s signing on with Hagedorn – who’s facing four other Republicans vying for the post thus far – because he believes economic development...

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The City Club of Boise held an “Emergency Pundits Forum” today, a version of the luncheon panel it holds each year before the Idaho legislative session, but happening in the summer and focused on President Trump and national politics along with the 2018 Idaho governor’s…

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A dairy group in south-central Idaho has sent a letter to Jerome County commissioners in opposition to a pending contract that would lease out space in the county's new jail to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a prospect that already has sparked large protests in the community. Idaho Dairymen's Association...

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Canadian officials say three types of potatoes genetically engineered by an Idaho company to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat. The approval confirmed by Health Canada officials on Thursday means the J.R. Simplot Co. potatoes can be imported, planted and sold in Canada...

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It wasn’t billed as a debate, and it was short on disagreement. Gubernatorial candidates Brad Little and Tommy Ahlquist agreed on several education topics Wednesday afternoon, during a joint appearance at the Idaho Association of School Administrators’ conference in Boise, Idaho EdNews reports. Both said…

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A Kootenai County resident has contracted West Nile virus from a bite from a local mosquito – the first such case ever reported in North Idaho. Panhandle Health District reports that the resident tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized, but is now recovering;...

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Idaho’s lieutenant governor is a relatively low-profile position, considered part-time and paying less than the state’s other top jobs. But five Republican candidates already are campaigning for the post in 2018, and the latest campaign finance reports show they’re amassing campaign funds from a variety of sources – including their own pockets...

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Of the $309,046 that Raul Labrador has raised for his run for 2018 governor so far, $65,000 – more than 20 percent – is designated for the general election, not the primary election. That’s because the donors involved had already given the maximum amount for…

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The Idaho Democratic Party has decided not to re-file its lawsuit seeking to block Secretary of State Lawerence Denney from releasing voter data to President Trump’s election integrity commission, but the Dems still are calling on Denney not to comply with the request. Denney said if no legal action prevents him from doing so, he plans...

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One year into an $11.25 million-a-year literacy initiative, Idaho reading scores are trending upward, reports Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News. More kindergarten through third-grade students are reading at grade level -- and fewer students are lagging behind. But the most recent reading scores also…

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Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are praising the announcement from the Trump Administration today that Ryan Nelson, currently general counsel for Melaleuca in Idaho Falls, will be nominated to be the solicitor for the Department of Interior. Risch said, “We’re thankful to have...

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Idaho has a new federal district judge, at long last; new Judge David Nye was sworn in this morning in a private ceremony in Pocatello, and is expected to immediately take on a full caseload. A public investiture ceremony will be scheduled in the coming…

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