We’ve already got our former governor, Dirk Kempthorne, serving as the Bush Administration’s Secretary of the Interior. Now comes word from Sen. Larry Craig that President Bush has chosen Jim Caswell, head of Idaho’s Office of Species Conservation and a former forest supervisor here, to…
Here’s a link to the 9th Circuit decision issued this morning on field-burning in Idaho.
When Ada and Canyon county voters chose last week, by a two-thirds supermajority, to raise their own taxes to create the state’s first new community college district since the early 1960s, it turned conventional wisdom on its ear. Even though top Republicans and Democrats, from…
A bit of news from another state capital, courtesy of Stateline.org: A Georgia lawmaker charged with driving under the influence after hitting a utility pole Sunday was named “Legislator of the Year” two days later by James magazine, which covers Georgia politics. Magazine publisher Matt…
Idaho will lose its only female Supreme Court justice this year, in part because of a judicial election system that has led to increasingly nasty and controversial campaigns. "That certainly was a factor in my decision. … I think it tarnishes the judiciary," said Justice…
Gov. Butch Otter’s office has just moved into its much tighter temporary quarters for the next two and a half years, while the state capitol is renovated. Then came news that the governor’s budget director, Brad Foltman, will retire this Friday to help care for…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says MySpace has agreed to turn over the names and other information of convicted sex offenders from Idaho who’ve registered as users on the popular social networking Internet site. “I believe it is critical to receive this information to assess…
The Legislative Council discussed ways to keep the next legislative session short, since it’ll be held in cramped quarters in the old Ada County Courthouse while the state capitol is renovated, but didn’t go for the idea of starting some legislative hearings in December. “I’m…
Idaho will ask its state Indian Affairs Council, which includes leaders of the state's five Native American tribes, to propose wording for interpretive plaques to help viewers understand two controversial murals in a state-owned building that will house the next two legislative sessions. One of…
Preliminary figures show Idaho’s headed for a budget surplus this year of $75 million, thanks mainly to stronger than expected individual income taxes in April. If that’s a permanent thing, the state could be looking at a $100 million budget surplus in the budget that…
Idaho Gov. Butch today issued an executive order today putting state DEQ Director Toni Hardesty in charge of looking into the role of state government in reducing greenhouse gases.Otter’s order directs Hardesty to develop “a greenhouse gas emission inventory and provide recommendations to the governor…
Former state Controller Keith Johnson, director of the Idaho Department of Administration, is resigning at the end of the month to become director of state and local government for the computer software company Oracle.Johnson, a Meridian native, leaves state government after more than 12 years…
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and seven other state attorneys general wrote to MySpace today, asking the company to provide the names of sex offenders who are registered users of the popular social networking Web site. “I tell parents every day that MySpace is a…
What if the Idaho Legislature were in session in December? Holding its budget hearings in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, say, and/or going through the rules review process that usually takes most legislative committees the first three weeks of the session? This rather offbeat possibility –…
As the Idaho State Police readies its new fleet of 32 Dodge Charger “muscle cars,” some are remembering back to the classic “skunk” – the 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline patrol car that earned its nickname when Idahoans first saw its distinctive white striping on a black…
Idaho’s five-member state Land Board has three new members, and they could change the direction the board has taken in managing state lands, lakes and more. On Tuesday, new members of the Land Board, including the new state controller and superintendent of schools, proposed to…
Gov. Butch Otter is on vacation in California all week, so Lt. Gov. Jim Risch – who’s also the immediate past governor – is acting governor again.
The Idaho Ground Water Appropriators and two water districts filed suit today in Jerome against the state and the Idaho Department of Water Resources in an attempt to block the department from shutting off water to an array of junior water rights holders in the…
Idaho legislators this year didn't come through with any funding to plan for a proposed "Inland Pacific Hub" that would try to position the North Idaho-Eastern Washington region as a center for global commerce. But backers are still optimistic that the plan can move forward.…
Motorcycle accidents are on the rise, and most happen when a driver fails to see the motorcyclist. "Cars just don't look for you," said St. Maries, Idaho, motorcyclist Norman Burch, who's helping organize a motorcycle awareness rally and parade Saturday down Sherman Avenue in Coeur…
As demand grows for boat moorage on North Idaho lakes, the state is struggling with outdated rules governing how marinas and docks can operate over the state-owned lakebeds. Members of the state Land Board indicated they were surprised and concerned last year when told of…
A clean air group has asked the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to clarify whether it meant to block field-burning in Idaho. Safe Air For Everyone filed the motion Monday – the deadline for such motions – shortly before Idaho Gov. Butch Otter issued…
The warden of a private Texas prison housing Idaho inmates has been "relieved of his duties" after complaints from Idaho. The Dickens County Correctional Center, which houses 125 Idaho inmates, made the change after an Idaho corrections team visited the large, older county jail near…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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