Longtime Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus’ life and legacy were celebrated and remembered by an overflow crowd of more than 1,300 at Boise State University on Thursday, from friends, family and fans to political foes; my full story...
The public memorial service for the late Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus has wrapped up, in a standing-room-only ballroom that seats 1,300 people at Boise State University. Among the highlights: Andrus’ daughter, Tracy Andrus, told the crowd, “You know, growing up an Andrus kid, you learned...
BSU’s Jordan Ballroom is filling for this afternoon’s public memorial service for the late Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus. There are lots of hugs being exchanged, and memories shared, by people from all over the state. Jeff Fereday recalled working for Andrus at the Interior Department...
It is so cool to see the brightly colored hot-air balloons lift off from the park and fill the skies over Boise. There are at least two dozen up right now, some drifting lazily toward the east, others slowly rising and seemingly just hanging there,...
The public has until 7 tonight to stop by and pay respects to former longtime Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus as he lies in state in the Capitol rotunda; the Capitol will reopen at 7 a.m. tomorrow and people again can pay their respects until noon.…
Here's my full story from spokesman.com: By Betsy Z. Russell BOISE – Crowds stood respectfully in front of the Idaho state Capitol on Wednesday as former longtime Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus made his final trip into the Capitol, where he’s lying in state through noon...
Preparations are under way now for the commemorations for the late Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus, who died last week on the eve of his 86th birthday. Idaho's longest-serving governor will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda from noon today until noon tomorrow; there'll be…
An Ada County jury has awarded $1.5 million in damages plus $30,500 in lost wages to an Idaho State Police officer whose career advancement was derailed and who was assigned to night and weekend patrols after he testified in court that a Payette County sheriff’s...
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has named 5th District Judge Richard Bevan of Twin Falls to the Idaho Supreme Court, to succeed retiring Justice Daniel Eismann. Bevan, 58, was among four finalists for the position submitted to Otter by the Idaho Judicial Council; the others were...
Here is the public schedule for the commemorative events for the late Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus, who will lie in state in the Idaho Capitol rotunda this week: At 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, the funeral procession will arrive at the Jefferson Street entrance to the…
The toxic landscaping plant blamed for more than 100 wildlife deaths in the past two winters in Idaho will remain a legal option for homeowners. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture on Monday completed its negotiated-rulemaking process for a proposed rule banning certain species of yew plants as noxious weeds. The department declined to...
State Controller Brandon Woolf has named Joshua Whitworth as his new chief of staff; Whitworth has been with the office five years and most recently was deputy controller. A former executive director of the Idaho Republican Party, Whitworth holds an MBA from Boise State University…
Health officials say a rabid bat was found in Ada County. Officials with Central District Health Department said Tuesday the dead rabid bat was brought into a home by a family cat in the Eagle area. Officials say the rabid bat made contact with the cat, but not the family. Officials say the bat tested positive...
Idaho Rep. Luke Malek is feeling very lucky that he and wife Tara are alive and escaped serious injury in a horrific crash on Highway 95 north of Moscow on Saturday afternoon that totaled his pickup. “We’d be dead if we hadn’t been wearing our seatbelts,” said Malek, 35, R-Coeur d’Alene, who is running for Congress...
Idaho is “uniquely poised” to make major improvements in its public disclosure system, state lawmakers on a special panel said Monday, from requiring more and more frequent reports from candidates, lobbyists and PACs to modernizing and upgrading the state’s online reporting system...
Federal officials on Monday reopened public comments on proposed routes for two high-voltage transmission lines in southwestern Idaho intended to modernize the Pacific Northwest's energy grid. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced it will take comments through Sept. 27 for two segments of the Gateway West project proposed by Idaho Power...
Idaho is “uniquely poised” to make major improvements in its campaign disclosure system, Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, co-chair of the Legislature’s ethics and campaign finance working group, declared at the close of today’s meeting of the panel. “There’s a real sense or a sentiment in...
As the Legislature’s ethics and campaign finance reform work group wrapped up its discussions this afternoon, Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, sounded a note of caution. “Some of these fixes are pretty good, if we get ‘em right, if we do ‘em the right way, and...
Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, is proposing a very basic personal financial disclosure requirement for Idaho officials, based on what’s already required for state legislators in Utah. “I think we are charged with coming up with something on this committee,” he told the Legislature’s ethics and…
Phil McGrane, chief deputy clerk for Ada County, addressed the Legislature’s work group on ethics and campaign finance reform today, and demonstrated some data visualizations using free online tools based on campaign finance reports that lawmakers on the committee found fascinating – things like who…
Asked why, as a lobbyist in Idaho, he’s calling for more reporting requirements for lobbyists, IACI president Alex LaBeau said, “As a professional, you want to be able to put that information out there.” Plus, he said, “We want to be sure that we have...
Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney is now presenting a series of draft bills for various campaign finance reforms that were discussed at the Legislature’s ethics and campaign finance work group’s last meeting, and the lawmakers on the panel are suggesting various changes to the...
Lobbyists Elizabeth Criner and Alex LaBeau have offered a long list of suggestions to the Legislature’s ethics and campaign finance work group to increase requirements for lobbyist and election reporting. Among them: Upgrade the online reporting systems, and ask the Legislature to appropriate money to...
Members of the Idaho Legislature’s ethics and campaign finance reform work group are gathering this morning for an all-day meeting at the Capitol; you can listen live here. The agenda includes a presentation on sunshine laws from two lobbyists, Elizabeth Criner and Alex LaBeau; and…
The state of Idaho auctioned off 59 more properties on Priest Lake, and once again most of the buyers already own cabins on the land. The sites were auctioned off Aug. 18 and 19, and attracted no competitive bidding – all sold for their appraised value.
“I think it went well,” said George Nethercutt, the former Washington congressman who’s the...