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Reports detail man’s death months before son went missing
A man who was fatally shot when picking up his son from his estranged wife in suburban Phoenix was confronted by his baseball bat-wielding stepdaughter, shortly before her uncle killed him during a dispute.
Idaho power struggle leads to big role for obscure employee
A power struggle between the Idaho House and Senate has had ramifications for a relatively unknown state employee who’s long toiled in an agency most people didn’t know existed.
From mining towns to ski resorts, avalanches have killed dozens in North Idaho mountains
“The Coeur d’Alenes face this menace of snowslides nearly every winter,” read one Spokesman-Review story in 1937. “There have been many slides through the years, most of them claiming some lives. There is little that can be done about it.”
Case of 2 missing kids grows to include deaths, cult rumors
Confusion is growing around a series of mysterious deaths and the disappearances of a 7-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl that tie back to a couple who have since vanished themselves
‘Where else does it snow diamonds?’: CdA jeweler looks to refund more than $500K after Saturday promotion
Clark’s Diamond Jewelers owner Jane Clark put up a percentage of the store’s holiday sales in a wager with an insurance company that Jan. 11 would have at least 3 inches of snow. Hitting that mark meant the insurance company would refund more than $500,000 in holiday purchases.
Eye on Boise: Office space feud tops $200,000
When state Treasurer Julie Ellsworth went before lawmakers for her budget hearing last week, Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, said: “I don’t see in here anything about the litigation costs. Without getting into the pros and cons of litigation between entities, can you give us an estimate of the cost of litigation … on the occupancy question?” Ellsworth is being sued by House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill over her refusal to move her offices out of the first floor of the state Capitol, where they’ve been located for more than 100 years – but a 2007 law gave the Legislature, not the executive branch, control over the first floor of the Capitol. Legislative leaders want to remodel the treasurer’s space to provide private offices for House members, many of whom now just have open cubicles.
Nezperce discusses dropping schools’ ‘Indians’ mascot
While there remains some sentimentality in holding on to “Indians” as the Nezperce schools’ official mascot, a number of people think it’s time to relinquish the nickname and be “good neighbors” to the Idaho tribes that oppose it.
Former University of Idaho official charged with additional child pornography counts
Ada County prosecutors have added 11 additional child pornography charges against a Boise man with deep ties to state politics and the University of Idaho. In early October, Martin “Marty” Peterson, 76, was charged with three felony counts of accessing/viewing sexually explicit images of minors. Prosecutors amended that number in mid-December from three to 14.
Targets set for cutting UI budget by $22 million
The University of Idaho’s Information Technology Services and units under the university’s provost, which includes academic programming, are expected to make the largest budget reductions as the UI tries to mitigate a shortfall expected to balloon to $22 million by 2022.
Judge won’t stop Idaho tribe lawsuit against mining company
A Clean Water Act lawsuit filed by the Nez Perce Tribe that seeks to force a Canadian gold mining company to acquire permits for pollution discharged from its central Idaho facility will be allowed to continue, a federal judge decided.
Health officials: At least 2 Idaho kids have died from flu
Idaho state health officials say at least two children have died of influenza-related causes recently and a third child’s death is under investigation because it appears to be flu-related.
Helicopter locates body of third skier killed in Silver Mountain avalanche; resort to reopen Friday
Silver Mountain Resort was closed again Thursday as search efforts continue for a skier reported missing after an avalanche that claimed two lives on Tuesday.
Spokane-area skiers killed in Silver Mountain avalanche remembered as search for missing person continues
While friends and family mourned two longtime Silver Mountain skiers killed in an avalanche at the ski area Tuesday morning, the search for another skier reported missing by family Wednesday continued into the night.
Idaho holds its own in winemaking Pacific Northwest
It may be difficult to notice in the shadow of its Pacific Northwest peers, but the Idaho wine industry is quietly growing both in acreage and acclaim, according to a new report.
Idaho lawmakers aim for transparency in budgeting process
The co-chairmen of the Legislature’s powerful budget-setting committee are backing Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s call for “transparent budgeting.
Deadly inbounds avalanche at Silver Mountain highlights danger, complexity of mountains
Wardner Peak, the site of an inbounds avalanche Tuesday that killed two people and injured five more, is a 6,200-foot feature on the western edge of Idaho’s Silver Mountain resort. Like elsewhere, the area is patrolled and the avalanche risk is managed. However, as evidenced by Tuesday’s tragedy, that doesn’t always work.
Two skiers killed, five rescued in aftermath of Silver Mountain avalanche
Five skiers were rescued and two died in Tuesday morning avalanches that swept down on two inbounds ski runs on Silver Mountain.
Idaho governor’s budget boosts money for education, prisons
Idaho Gov. Brad Little said Monday that education funding will be his top priority for the state budget, continuing a theme from his just-completed first year in office.
Idaho lawmakers talk taxes, ballot initiatives and hemp
Idaho Gov. Brad Little said Friday he’s already sent a message about making the state’s ballot initiative process tougher by vetoing a bill last year, but fellow Republican and House Speaker Scott Bedke said he’ll be surprised if new legislation isn’t introduced this year.
Wolf Lodge Bay plan moves forward after county discovers error means no rezone needed
The Kootenai Board of County Commissioners was expected to vote Thursday evening on a developer’s application to rezone a portion of Wolf Lodge Bay until county officials learned of a decades-old mapping mistake.