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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise Betsy Z. Russell

SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018




SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2018

Incumbent Idaho state schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra, left, and GOP challenger Jeff Dillon, right, faced off in a debate on Friday, April 27, 2018, as part of the "Idaho Debates" on Idaho Public Television. (Idaho Public TV / Kevin Rank)

Ybarra, Dillon clash in spirited debate

In last night’s GOP state schools superintendent debate with incumbent state Superintendent Sherri Ybarra, challenger Jeff Dillon decried a lack of leadership and vision from Ybarra’s shop, Idaho EdNews reports, while Ybarra defended her record, dismissed some allegations as gossip and myth, and worked in…

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018



Hospital sues Idaho prison contractor over medical bills

A hospital system has filed a lawsuit against a company hired to provide medical care for Idaho's prison inmates, claiming it owes more than $14 million in medical bills. The Idaho Statesman reports the Saint Alphonsus Health System filed the suit Wednesday against prison contractor Corizon, claiming it has refused pay...

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, speaks during a debate at the studios of Idaho Public Television in Boise, Idaho, Monday, April 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger) (Otto Kitsinger / AP)

Labrador opens door to overturning Medicaid expansion initiative if voters pass it; link to full story

Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador said Thursday that if the state’s voters both elect him governor and pass the initiative to expand Medicaid in Idaho, he’d consider working to overturn the voter-passed initiative. In Idaho, a voter-passed initiative has the same status as a law passed by the Legislature – lawmakers and the governor can change or...

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018



TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2018



Statesman names new publisher

The McClatchy Company has named Rebecca Poynter as the new publisher of the Idaho Statesman in Boise. The Idaho Statesman reports Poynter most recently led a group of Michigan newspapers for Gannett Co. She succeeds Debra Leithauser, who left the Idaho Statesman in December to lead the communications department at Idaho Power...

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MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2018

From left, Republican Boise businessman Tommy Ahlquist, Lt. Gov. Brad Little and Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, participate in a debate at the studios of Idaho Public Television in Boise, Idaho, Monday, April 23, 2018.  (AP / Otto Kitsinger)

Idaho GOP governor hopefuls clash in debate, trade jabs

Idaho's top Republican candidates for governor gave voters three distinct options to choose from Monday during their second televised debate, which included plenty of jabs at each other's campaign tactics. U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, a four-term congressman, pushed his aggressive economic plan to cut nearly a $1 billion of the state's taxes...

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GOP governor hopefuls debate tonight

Tonight on the “Idaho Debates,” which are broadcast live on Idaho Public Television, the three major Republican candidates for governor of Idaho – Raul Labrador, Brad Little and Tommy Ahlquist – will face off. The debate starts at 8 p.m.; after it airs, it –…

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A change in store for me…

After 26 years with The Spokesman-Review, I will be taking another position on May 7, as the new Boise bureau chief and state capital reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune and Adams Publishing Group, which also owns the Idaho State Journal, the Idaho Falls Post Register,…

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SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2018




Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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