PUBLIC LANDS -- While a Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, requests a little more time to persuade his party's naysayers to let him usher in a new Idaho wilderness, former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus says it's time for action:

Andrus urges Idaho Boulder-White Clouds be named national monument
At a ceremony Monday awarding former Interior Secretary and Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus the Frank and Bethine Church Award for Public Service, Andrus and others said that while they appreciated U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson's ongoing quest to pass his Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act, they believe it's time for executive action to protect the area as a national monument.
--Idaho Statesman