( BOISE, Idaho – The heat of the summer sun has finally started to dry things out in the Boise Foothills, but flora fans still can find colorful blooms just a short drive from the Treasure Valley.

A group of 28 Idaho Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to Boise State University criticizing the school’s efforts to aid underrepresented minority students because the lawmakers say the programs increase costs and go against the “Idaho way.”

An Idaho state representative who is under federal indictment in Texas is continuing to press his appeal to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals of a court order that he not possess firearms while he’s free on bond.

Former U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador has been elected chairman of the Idaho Republican Party.

In recent weeks, crowds of climbers attempting to conquer Mount Everest have made international headlines as several people died in “traffic jams” atop the tallest peak in the world.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says a salmon and steelhead recovery workgroup he formed should focus on achievable goals that can bolster the state’s struggling fish populations. Little on Friday also told the nearly two dozen panel members comprised of environmentalists, ranchers, recreationists, power companies and state officials at their first meeting that the workgroup will help define Idaho’s position for federal efforts to save salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.

Alcohol consumption at University of Idaho tailgating and pregame events was given a green light by the State Board of Education for a second consecutive year during its meeting at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene.

A judge has ruled that work can go forward on a trail crossing private land that connects the popular tourist destinations of Redfish Lake and Stanley. U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale late last week rejected a request by the owners of Sawtooth Mountain Ranch to halt construction of the 4.4-mile trail for pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders and snowmobilers.

This Boise forest guide uses nature to heal – and research shows it’s not ‘woo-woo.’

Tom Harris came from the business world, not the tax world, to his new post as chairman of the Idaho State Tax Commission. But the former longtime president of Western States Equipment – he was there for 45 years – isn’t planning a big revamp for the agency.