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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ethics panel to investigate state senator’s conduct

Compiled from wire reports The Spokesman-Review

Boise The state Senate has formed an ethics committee to investigate whether legislation sponsored by Sen. Jack Noble could have been used to directly benefit his convenience store business.

Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes decided to form the panel after Noble handed him a handwritten note on Thursday, requesting that a commission look into his actions and “the perception that I received monetary benefit from the passage of the bill.”

On Feb. 4, the Kuna senator presented a bill that would have revised the way distances are calculated between schools and contracted retail liquor stores.

On Friday, just before the first meeting of the ethics panel, Noble told reporters that the bill, which was killed 7-0 in the State Affairs Committee, would have had no effect on his business whatsoever, even if he did decide to request a state liquor contract.

“This statute is not needed if I should decide to get a license,” he said.

A special bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee will begin meeting next week to discuss a possible investigation into the ethical conduct of Noble.

If the committee finds Noble guilty of unethical conduct, it could give him a private reprimand, a public censure, or remove him from the body.

Three colleges could get plates

Boise A state senator wants three private colleges to have their own specialized Idaho license plates.

Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, has introduced a bill that would extend a state law that already allows specialized license plates for public colleges.

It would give Albertson College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University and Brigham Young University-Idaho their own specialty plates – with school logos.

Alumni of Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho can already purchase specialty plates in honor of their schools.

Some of the revenues from fees for the new license plates would go to the colleges.

The specialized plates would cost an additional $35 above regular license costs in the first year, and $25 above regular costs each year thereafter.

Twenty-five dollars of the initial fee and $15 of the renewal fee would go to the schools.

Web site explains wolf rules

Lewiston The Department of Fish and Game has a new wolf Web site it hopes will reduce conflicts with people and domesticated animals amid rising numbers of the predators in the state.

The Web site, with maps of Idaho wolf country, details the new rules of engagement between people and wolves, a result of Idaho and Montana recently gaining more flexibility to manage wolves. With this year’s pups, Idaho’s wolf population could reach 500.

The online pamphlet, also available at Fish and Game offices, explains each new rule and clarifies what they will mean to the public. In some cases, wolves may legally be shot.

The Web site offers tips on how hunters and other outdoor recreationists can reduce conflicts between wolves and dogs. Hound hunters around the state have lost dogs to wolves while hunting mountain lions, including several in the Clearwater region this winter.

The information includes a primer on wolf biology, tips on discerning wolf tracks and scat from the tracks and scat of coyotes and mountain lions, and tips for telling if an area is being used by wolves.