Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, reportedly wasn't injured, but his wife, Amy, suffered second-degree burns when the gun room at the couple's Burley home exploded last night. The Associated Press reports that the couple was eating dinner when the explosion happened; she was on the back…
A new television commercial touting Idaho's controversial school reform laws makes claims that are accurate, but still mislead voters about the impact of the reform laws. That's because they focus on obscure points in two of the three laws, without getting into the overall thrust…
Idaho teachers are leaving the profession in bigger numbers, the Associated Press reports, with more than 1,800 making their exit last year. More than 957 of the 1,884 teachers who left the profession during the 2011-2012 school year cited "personal reasons;" the departures increased significantly…
Former UI football player Abdullah al-Kidd is entitled to a jury trial on his claim that the federal government misused a material witness law to arrest and imprison him for weeks in 2003 as a potential witness in a terrorism trial, a federal judge has…
Idaho's new $10 annual "Passport" to all 30 of its state parks and recreation areas will go on sale Monday, three months earlier than planned. The new Passport replaces the current $40 annual pass, and will be available at all Idaho county Department of Motor…
The latest campaign commercial in the fight over whether to repeal Idaho's controversial school reform laws is running statewide, including in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market. John Foster, a lobbyist and political consultant who's behind the new "Parents for Education Reform" PAC that's running the ad,…
Gov. Butch Otter, asked about the new PAC that's running a TV commercial in favor of the "Students Come First" school reform laws, said, "That's the one that John Foster is running." Otter said, "There were other groups that came to us. ... It was…
A new PAC called "Parents for Education Reform" has filed paperwork with the Idaho Secretary of State's office, and is running a new TV commercial in favor of Propositions 1, 2 and 3, the education reform referenda. Debbie Field, former drug czar for Gov. Butch…
As the governor's Medicaid working group wrapped up its meeting today, Idaho Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong said it was "nice to hear such agreement on many of these principles - that's very encouraging." He said he'll work on "simple graphic illustrations of costs…
Members of the governor's Medicaid expansion working group are now each sharing "guiding principles" they want to see help guide the panel's future decision on how to proceed. Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, a physician, said the group needs clear, easily understood graphics comparing the costs…
Mike Baker of the Idaho Primary Care Association is now briefing the governor's Medicaid working group on Option 3: Expanding Medicaid in Idaho. "You look at the numbers, and this thing, this problem is just ginormous," he told the panel. But, he noted, "We're paying…
Idaho Association of Counties head Dan Chadwick briefed the governor's Medicaid expansion working group on what's been designated Option 2 - Don't expand Medicaid, but redesign Idaho's medical indigency program. "I've talked to my peers around the country and they all scratch their heads," Chadwick…
Discussing the first option before the Medicaid expansion working group today - no expansion of Medicaid, and no change to the current medical indigency program - state Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong noted, "Clearly no expansion ... does not mean no work. There's a…
Three options are up for examination at the governor's Medicaid expansion working group's all-day meeting today: Don't expand Medicaid and keep Idaho's current medical indigency/Catastrophic Health Care Fund program as-is; Don't expand Medicaid and redesign the existing indigency/CAT program; and the third option: Expand Medicaid.…
Gov. Butch Otter's Medicaid expansion working group meets today from 9 to 3 p.m. at the state capitol, to hear a presentation on a newly completed study and discuss Idaho's options on a possible Medicaid expansion. You can listen live here, and see the agenda…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Resort property owners suing an international bank over allegations of a loan-to-own scheme say the firm has wrongly sealed thousands of pages of documents in the court case. The lawsuit was brought by…
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced thousands of dollars in fines for two gas delivery companies, CityServiceValcon, LLC, and Thomas West Fuels, Lubricants & Chemicals, LLC, for violating federal clean air laws in Idaho, the AP reports. EPA officials say both companies failed to follow…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Idaho's $2 billion milk industry failed to get Congress to pass a farm bill this month with provisions to help dairies mitigate rising costs and volatile markets that have spurred three quarters of…
A female high school golf champ will be allowed to continue playing with the boys' team at her school, after a proposed rule change was rejected by the Idaho High School Activities Association's board, the AP reports, which met Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene. The rule…
A woman who was about to be released from an Idaho prison is now in federal custody, for allegedly sending a threatening letter saying her prison sentence was coming to an end and the recipient should be prepared for his final moments, the AP reports.…
Idaho Public Television's award-winning human rights documentary "The Color of Conscience: Human Rights in Idaho," is being celebrated with viewings and discussion around the state today. The Idaho State Bar and Idaho PTV are hosting the events, which are taking place at the IPTV studios…
S-R reporter Scott Maben has a rather amazing story today: A fisherman on Priest Lake hauled in a large lake trout on Sept. 11, and when he began cleaning it, he found what looked like a human finger. It's since been positively identified - it's…
The elected Boise School Board has announced it's endorsing a "no" vote on all three school reform referenda on the November ballot, Propositions 1, 2 and 3. Board President AJ Balukoff said, "We have an obligation as the governing body of the Boise School District…
Gresham Bouma, a Moscow GOP legislative candidate, was incorrectly told he needed to move a campaign rally this week because state regulations banned it, the Lewiston Tribune reports; Bouma was asked to move his rally, which his campaign was filming, from in front of a…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Former Republican Sen. John McGee is due to get out of jail Saturday, five days before his originally-scheduled release date. McGee had been sentenced Aug. 21 to at least 44 days behind bars.…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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