The ugly ties are out

There’s a tradition among Statehouse reporters, started by the famed Bob Fick, formerly of the Associated Press, that when the legislative session has dragged on long enough, reporters start wearing hideously ugly ties, in an effort to prompt lawmakers to wrap it up – so they can stop looking at the unsightly things. This being the 80th day of the session, the nasty-looking neckwear is out on display. Reporters Corey Taule, of the Idaho Falls Post Register, and Wayne Hoffman of the Idaho Statesman are among those today sporting ‘70s-era ties that have been moldering in the Statehouse basement for years. Some legislative pages and at least one legislator have also gotten into the act. Rep. Julie Ellsworth, R-Boise, is wearing a black-checked affair complete with a prominent hanging price tag from “Savers,” a local thrift shop.