Idaho

A ripple of apprehensive laughter spread through the audience, as Nampa school trustee Allison Westfall, playing the role of a fictional city council member, read her line: “This isn’t on the agenda tonight, but since we’re all together, let’s straighten out this budget issue.” Her fellow “council members” leaned in close.

The University of Idaho has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said school officials told her to transfer to another campus if she didn’t want to continue attending classes with a student who sexually assaulted her. U.S. District Judge David Nye dismissed the case Thursday after attorneys on both sides told the court they’d reached a settlement to end the lawsuit.

State wildlife officials in central Idaho say they killed an orphaned black bear cub rather than send it to a rehabilitation facility because success isn’t guaranteed, and Idaho already has a healthy black bear population.

Idaho will start enrollment in its newly expanded Medicaid program on Nov. 1, with benefits starting Jan. 1, and the state already has identified about 70,000 people it knows are likely to be eligible and sign up.

Some smaller Idaho school districts are struggling to retain teachers who are tempted by the bigger paychecks and increased resources offered by larger districts. The Post Register reports records from the State Department of Education show that 184 teachers have changed school districts in Idaho since the 2014 school year. Many switched from a smaller district to a larger one where base pay salaries can run at least $4,000 higher.

Idaho’s 2.9% seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged in September for the third consecutive month.

BOISE – The U.S. government’s primary nuclear lab is partnering with three energy utilities to find an economical way to use nuclear energy to produce hydrogen that can be stored and used to power everything from industry to personal vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday said the Idaho National Laboratory will work with Ohio-based FirstEnergy Solutions, Minnesota-based Xcel Energy, and Arizona Public Service.

Search crews are looking for a north-central Idaho teen who has been missing since he fell down a waterfall at a popular hiking spot on Sunday.