Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey reports that Debbie Field, Gov. Butch Otter's former drug czar and two-time campaign manager, has raised $200,350 from a single source and spent it on broadcast ads supporting Propositions 1, 2 and 3, the "Students Come First" school reform laws.…
Consulting firm KPMG has offered some estimates of the costs for a state-based health insurance exchange: $77 million to set it up, and $10 million a year for operations. A partnership or "hybrid" exchange, in which the federal government would handle some aspects and the…
Consultant Jack Grovner was asked by Gov. Butch Otter's health insurance exchange working group to look into whether Idaho could pursue a privately run model and still meet federal requirements under the health care reform law. The answer: Yes, if it comes through a state-established…
Gov. Butch Otter's health insurance exchange working group is meeting today; you can watch live here. First up, the panel is hearing a cost analysis report from consulting firm KPMG. Among the conclusions, KPMG project manager Robert Mitchell told the panel: "We believe it's impractical…
StateImpact Idaho is reporting that the Rexburg, Idaho cheesemaker that just closed a deal with Walmart to provide Idaho-brand cheese is shutting down. Nelson-Ricks Creamery Co. will still supply the cheese, but instead of making part of it it itself, it will buy it from…
Jerry Conley, the longest-serving director of Idaho's Department of Fish & Game, has died at age 71. Conley, who headed Idaho Fish & Game from 1980 to 1996, then became head of the Conservation Department for his native state of Missouri; he retired in 2002…
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