Seven northern Idaho counties have filed their challenge to Idaho's new legislative redistricting plan, and attached to it are some rather interesting affidavits: One from House Speaker Lawerence Denney says he thinks the Idaho Supreme Court was wrong to order a second redistricting commission appointed…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is sounding a cautionary note, after November state tax revenues came in $5.4 million below projections, for a cumulative year-to-date shortfall vs. projections of $16.2 million; that's 1.6 percent below the forecast. Since lawmakers and the governor budgeted for spending well…
A whopping 92 people attended the open government seminar in Coeur d'Alene last night, sponsored by IDOG, Idahoans for Openness in Government, and co-sponsored by the Spokesman-Review and the Coeur d'Alene Press. Press Managing Editor Mike Patrick told the crowd it was the first time…
Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, has been named chairman of the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee, as that panel's chairman, Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, has left the Senate to be the new chief lobbyist for the University of Idaho. Corder is a fourth-term senator…
It's a balmy 28 degrees in Sandpoint this morning, where last night more than 50 people packed the public meeting room at the Sandpoint Library to learn about Idaho's open meetings and public records laws. "Open meetings and public records are very important to us…
Of all the people to be targeted by identify theft: The head of Idaho's consumer protection division? Deputy Attorney General Brett DeLange tells the Idaho Statesman today that fraudulent charges were made to his credit card, and the first he knew of it came when…
Things are looking pretty festive today at the Boise Airport, where I'm heading up to North Idaho for a week-long road show of open government seminars sponsored by IDOG, Idahoans for Openness in Government; I'll be in Sandpoint tonight, Coeur d'Alene tomorrow, Moscow Wednesday and…
The Idaho Business Review reports today on the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Lee Enterprises, owner of the Times-News newspaper in Twin Falls and 47 other daily newspapers. Reporter Brad Iverson-Long reports that no Times-News employees will be impacted, but the paper already has laid…
Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey had an interesting look on Sunday at the role Idaho's "two Mikes," Sen. Mike Crapo and Congressman Mike Simpson, are playing in the current deficit reduction talks in Washington, D.C., at considerable political risk to their own careers. Writes Popkey,…
With Washington gearing up to privatize its liquor sales by June, Idaho state officials are worried about losing sales at their state-run liquor stores along the Washington-Idaho border; already, they've tabled plans for new state liquor stores in Oldtown and Post Falls. “I think we…
Boise's police and fire unions have announced an agreement with the city in which they'll give up cost-of-living pay increases in fiscal year 2013 that already were promised in their existing contracts, to help the city balance its budget and avoid layoffs. “This agreement is…
A second lawsuit challenging Idaho's new legislative district plan still is in the works, but hasn't been filed this week as planned. “I'm sitting here working on it now,” said Christ Troupis, the Eagle attorney who's representing seven northern Idaho counties in the case. “We're…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Boise State University has hired Mark Coyle as its new athletic director. University President Bob Kustra hired Coyle on Thursday to take over for Gene Bleymaier, who was let go in August after…
Idaho's headed for a different kind of legislative session in January, one marked less by painful budget cuts and more by political and philosophical battles, key lawmakers said Thursday; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com. House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, noted…
State Department of Education spokeswoman Melissa McGrath said at this point, there are only two "tweaks" to the "Students Come First" school reform legislation that are in the works, both involving a clause of SB 1184 that permits high school students who complete all graduation…
House Speaker Lawerence Denney said, "We will get through the next session, we will balance our budget, we're required by our Constitution to do so. We hear rumors of surplus, but I can tell you, the good news is that we are growing. Our growth…
Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said any "tweaks" that lawmakers enact to the "Students Come First" school reform plan in the coming legislative session will be minor, and won't affect the upcoming November 2012 referendum vote on the package. "We don't want to affect…
Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill and House Speaker Lawerence Denney are supposed to be sharing their "game plan for the 2012 legislative session," but Hill said, "Actually we have 105 game plans, folks." That's the number of legislators between both houses. "Everyone running their own…
A new report released today shows Idaho has met all 10 goals in a national project to collect and monitor data on student achievement, but the state still needs to improve when it comes to effectively using the information being collected, reports AP reporter Jessie…
Roger Christensen, Bonneville County commissioner and board chairman of the Idaho CAT Fund, told the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho that much of what Idaho's counties do is required by state law - it's not voluntary. "You do have these tremendous pressures on the local taxpayers,…
House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, is addressing the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho on "state legislative perspectives past and forward." Roberts said as part of his remarks, he'll be commenting on "a very dysfunctional federal government that is hell-bent on destroying the greatest nation…
Jim Hawkins, the North Idaho businessman who was Idaho's groundbreaking commerce director from 1987 to 1996 and who was appointed to senior positions by three different Idaho governors, is back as a volunteer consultant to new Idaho Commerce chief Jeff Sayer. "Jim's playing a key…
Here's why Lt. Gov. Brad Little gave the luncheon speech at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference in Boise today, an event that typcially features an address from the governor: Gov. Butch Otter is away in warmer climes, attending a Republican Governors Association conference in…
Lt. Gov. Brad Little shared his favorite quote from Erskine Bowles: "We can take little comfort in America that we are the healthiest horse at the glue factory." He said, "It's gonna be ugly, it's gonna be brutal, but I think the days of deficit…
Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little started his luncheon talk to the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho today by recognizing state Tax Commission Tax Policy Manager Dan John, noting how many in the Legislature and elsewhere have relied on John for years to answer their tax questions.…
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