Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how the Idaho Supreme Court overturned the state's new legislative redistricting plan today, ordering a citizen commission back to work and throwing into doubt the state's schedule for its May primary election. Thursday morning, a…
The Senate Education Committee has voted to accept the State Board of Education's online course rule requiring two online classes to graduate from high school in Idaho, with the caveat that it'll be adjusted by the state board to remove a requirement that one of…
The Senate Education Committee started its meeting late this afternoon; first up is state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna, who said after yesterday's meeting, he met with representatives of the Meridian and Boise school districts, Idaho school superintendents and the school boards association, who indicated…
Bogus Basin has announced that it will open for the season tomorrow - Thursday, Jan. 19, the non-profit Boise ski resort's latest-ever opening; there's more info here. Charlifts 1, 2, 4, 7 and the Easy Rider carpet will operate; hours Thursday and Friday will be…
With today's decision from the Idaho Supreme Court leaving Idaho without a valid legislative redistricting plan just five and a half weeks before candidate filing is supposed to start for this year's May 15 primary election, the timing could lead to a delay in the…
The Idaho Constitution says that counties may be divided among legislative districts only to the extent necessary to comply with the U.S. Constitution, whose one-person, one-vote rule requires that districts be apportioned by population; a population deviation between legislative districts of more than 10 percent…
The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled 4-1 against the new legislative redistricting plan, L-87, developed by Idaho's second bipartisan redistricting commission this year, holding that it violates the Idaho Constitution. A court challenge led by Twin Falls County contended the plan was unconstitutional because it…
Snow update: Bogus Basin has gotten 9 inches of new snow, for a base of 12 inches and a summit depth of 16 inches. There's no announcement yet as to a possible opening for the local, non-profit ski resort that's gone dry so far this…
Krystal Esterline is among about 600 people in Idaho with both developmental disabilities and severe and persistent mental illness who had to choose between her developmental services and her mental health services, under one of this year's Medicaid cuts. The results were disastrous; after losing…
Former state chief economist Mike Ferguson estimates that the $35 million in state funds cut from Medicaid this year, which with federal matching funds adds up to $100 million, had a direct impact of eliminating about 2,000 jobs in Idaho. "Those dollars are no longer…
Kelly Buckland, the former director of Idaho's State Independent Living Council and now executive director of the National Council for Independent Living in Washington, D.C., is back in Boise today to lead a roundtable on the economic and other impacts of Medicaid in Idaho, including…
With nearly two dozen Occupy Boise supporters quietly looking on, the House State Affairs Committee voted 15-1 this morning to introduce legislation to ban camping on the Capitol Mall or other state lands - legislation aimed at booting the Occupy Boise encampment from its spot…
Mental health services are up today at JFAC, and committee members are expressing concerns about the impact of cuts. The state has cut staff, but is still seeing as many or more patients, and the level of the severity of their illnesses has increased. "We…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
