The Idaho Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the law that abolished the insanity defense in Idaho, upholding the sentence of mentally ill multiple murderer John Delling of Boise, who went on a killing spree targeting his childhood friends. He was sentenced to a…
Greg Casey, the president and CEO of BI-PAC, the Business Industry Political Action Committee, offered this view of the "dysfunction" in Washington, D.C.: "Those of us who are involved in that process spend so much of our time worrying about winning elections, we spend too…
Keith Phillips, senior economist and policy adviser for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, is discussing "Why some states grow faster than others," noting that regional differences have evened out considerably since the volatile days of the 1980s. The reasons for the differences, he said,…
Legislative budget chief Cathy Holland-Smith ran through all the numbers and said under current estimates, if the state were to cover all its nondiscretionary adjustments in next year's budget and all supplemental budget requests, assuming a conservative 3 percent revenue growth, "You would have $77…
Idaho legislative budget chief Cathy Holland-Smith has begun presenting a state legislative budget update to the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference this morning. The figures, she said, were first presented to the Legislative Council, but because the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hasn't yet held its fall…
The Tax Foundation calculates "Tax Freedom Day" for each state, the date on which workers theoretically have earned enough to cover their full tax burden at the federal, state and local levels. Economist Mark Robyn told the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho this morning that Idaho's…
There's a big crowd already this morning for the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho annual conference, and more are filing in. First up this morning is a federal tax policy update from economist Mark Robyn of the Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., followed by a state…
Megan Ronk, executive director of the Idaho Meth Project for the past five years, is the new public information officer for the Idaho Department of Commerce, Director Jeff Sayer announced today; he said she'll "play a key role in developing branding, marketing and communications strategies…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is proposing to phase out the state's end-stage renal disease program, a fully state-funded program that now serves 169 participants, has 39 people on its waiting list and has a $527,700 budget. A new Office of Performance Evaluations report on the…
Representatives of Idaho universities were given an opportunity to respond to the new higher ed funding equity report, and while all praised the work that went into the report, each had a different perspective on the funding equity issue; click below for a full report…
The new report from the state Office of Performance Evaluation draws no conclusion as to whether there's inequity or not currently in higher ed funding in Idaho, concluding instead that the state Board of Eduction should determine what really constitutes equity, and that Idaho currently…
University of Idaho administrators should develop better ways to handle concerns about disturbing or disruptive behavior by faculty members, an independent panel is recommending, to keep students and employees safe. AP reporter John Miller reports that the panel, headed by former Idaho Supreme Court Justice…
The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee is meeting this afternoon, and has just received a report from the state Office of Performance Evaluations on equity in higher education funding, long a thorny issue as state colleges and universities have jockeyed for scarce state funds. "It's an…
The Boise City Council last night enacted a far-reaching anti-smoking ordinance, banning smoking in all bars in the city, at most outdoor patio dining areas, near bus stops or line-ups, in public parks and within 20 feet of the city's Greenbelt path. Idaho already bans…
Under Idaho law, the state forester is either the director of the state Department of Lands or his/her designee. The last two state lands directors, George Bacon and Winston Wiggins, served as state forester as well as director, but Bacon appointed David Groeschl as acting…
David Groeschl (it rhymes with special) has been named Idaho's state forester by state Department of Lands Director Tom Schultz. Groeschl, who's been the acting state forester since July, joined IDL in 2008 as the forestry and fire division administrator; prior to that, he was…
The Idaho AARP now says it'll push for establishing a new state consumer utility advocate during the legislative session that starts in January, after the idea was passed over in revisions to the Idaho Energy Plan recently approved by a joint legislative committee. "It's clear…
Seven states that are suing to overturn the national health care reform legislation are among 13 that today were awarded grants under the law, the Associated Press reports. Idaho is among the seven; the grants are for planning work to help set up state insurance…
Need a whopper of a gift idea for the avid outdoorsman- or -woman on your list? Idaho Fish & Game has one: A lifetime of Idaho hunting or fishing - or both. Fish & Game has been offering lifetime license certificates since the late 1980s,…
The Idaho Court of Appeals has upheld a 2009 warrantless search of an 18-year-old high school student's car in a school parking area, which turned up a marijuana pipe and brass knuckles and led to misdemeanor drug and weapon charges, because the student, Joseph Voss,…
The Boise Police say area businesses are getting better about refusing to sell alcohol to minors; the BPD's latest alcohol compliance check yielded just a 7 percent failure rate, down from 20 percent in checks in late August and late September. Of 59 businesses checked…
The Idaho Supreme Court has issued an order setting oral arguments on the Twin Falls County challenge to Idaho's new legislative redistricting plan for Jan. 5 at 2 p.m.; it's also set a briefing schedule. It's not clear yet whether that would change if, as…
Idaho's Department of Environmental Quality has lost a quarter of its budget to cuts since the recession began, AP reporter John Miller reports, and it's part of a national trend that's seeing conservation programs and environmental regulations pared back significantly as states grapple with budget…
The Associated Press reports that a 75-year-old lawyer who fought private property rights battles alongside Idaho U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth and her Nevada rancher husband Wayne Hage in the 1990s is still cultivating the Sagebrush Rebellion's roots. Fred Kelly Grant has been slowed by age…
Everyone in Idaho should know what is covered - and what's not - by the state's public records and open meetings laws. That's the premise behind a series of educational seminars that Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Idahoans for Openness in Government, or IDOG,…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
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