Idaho
updated
6:26 a.m.
Contains only posts that are ID'd as local content. An explanation. Want to help improve our local content filter? Add keywords here.
The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) is installing the first of several new-design signals with flashing yellow, left-turn arrows at State Street/Bloom Drive/Plantation River Drive Tuesday morning. They replace the traditional green ball with a flashing arrow to tell drivers they can turn left if it is safe to do so with [...] Related posts: Commish Baker Proposes ACHD Budget Cuts Co...
Boise Guardian - Mon 6:33 p.m. - 4 clicks 
The GUARDIAN has it on good authority the City of Boise has paid off the guy who was Tasered in on or near his bum and threatened by a copper with having an electrical treatment to his family jewels las Valentine’s Day. Gerald Amidon had previously filed a suit against Boise City in U.S. [...] Related posts: High Voltage Case, Low Key Response Boise Pays To Ship Recyclables To Portl...
Boise Guardian - Mon 3:23 p.m.
“Most of these children’s parents died in the earthquake just a few days ago” CBS had video of a bit the interrogation ‘after having attempted to cross the border’ in Port-au-Prince of those 10 Americans Baptists from Idaho. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “We simply wanted to help these children. We did not understand all your rules.” Mmhmmm . . . . Filed under: [...] ...
Left Side of the Moon - Mon 1:49 p.m. - 4 clicks
There are things happening in and around Boise with the legislature, our national congressional delegation from Idaho and congress itself with quite a disturbing update on Bowe Bergdahl to continue focusing on the numbnutz who scurried off to Haiti with questionable intents as they relate(d) to “Haitian orphans.” I just find the need to get this [...] ...
Left Side of the Moon - Sun 9:18 p.m. - 2 clicks
In Oregon, the campaign against two tax measures on the ballot – which passed – was centered around the idea that those taxes were “job-killing.” In Idaho, the very notion of a tax increase of any sort is way off the table, in large part because of that same assumption, that taxes imposed on people [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Sun 9:03 p.m. - 5 clicks
The last minute “panic attack” to to get the Air Force to locate not one, but two bases of F-35 fighter jets in Idaho brings to mind some the other ill fated government-funded Public Relations efforts we have seen over the years. If the F-35 follows in the footsteps of most of the other projects [...] Related posts: GUARDIAN Primer On Local Governments Growthophobes Claim Victory In Wate...
Boise Guardian - Sun 1:47 p.m. - 6 clicks
Jim Campbell (left) and Buckskin Bill on the Salmon, 1980, shortly before Bill’s death/Judy Lemmon The river guide and travel business in Central Idaho’s River of No Return-Frank Church Wilderness seems as though it has been around forever, but floating and guest ranch activity is actually fairly young as a major tourist business. It kicked into [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Sat 3:44 p.m. - 11 clicks
Idaho law says that lobbying generally means trying to influence the crafting of law or some other official action in the legislative or executive branch, and that in general, anyone who does is a lobbyist – even you or I, if we write a letter to a legislator expressing a point of view on an [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Fri 9:05 p.m. - 6 clicks
On January 13th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a new critical habitat designation for bull trout throughout the Northwest, including western Montana. The new draft -- offering four-to-six times more protected waters than a previous proposal--includes 21,694 miles of stream habitat and 533,426 acres of reservoirs and lakes in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Nevada. Pro...
New West Boise - Fri 2:31 p.m. - 7 clicks
Got an extra $2,500 laying around? That and an RSVP will get you into a "Ski Fest" weekend in Sun Valley with Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo. What do you......
The MountainGoat Report - Fri 2:29 p.m. - 4 clicks
Bryan Fischer, the former Idahoan known for his frequent sanctimonious rants against you name it, got schooled yesterday for weaseling out of answering tough questions about his latest sanctimonious rant,......
The MountainGoat Report - Fri 9:23 a.m. - 6 clicks
Idaho communities and landowners have a lot of options to "go greener," save energy and make money from it, but not all of them know where to start or how to finance their projects. Some of the nation's experts will offer advice this weekend at the Harvesting Clean Energy conference in Washington State. Read Smith, a wheat farmer and conference presenter, says the conference will featu...
New West Boise - Fri 7:48 a.m. - 7 clicks
We can now apply Carly Fiorino's campaign ad to Idaho's own Walt Minnick. His vote today against PayGo officially made Minnick a fiscal conservative in name only. ...
Political Game - Thu 8:22 p.m.
Five days ago, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick chastised President Obama for his "disturbing" budget proposal, advocating for more strict deficit reduction measures while encouraging reinstating statutory pay-as-you-go rules. In fact......
The MountainGoat Report - Thu 8:01 p.m. - 2 clicks
This just came over MSNBC. All 10 of the Americans posing as missionaries will be charged with ‘Child Kidnapping & Conspiracy.’ This is a statement published by the Southern Baptists regarding these folks up in here who are Baptists, but not Southern Baptist. Filed under: Haiti, Religion, The Law Tagged: American Baptists from Idaho, child trafficking, Haiti, [...] ...
Left Side of the Moon - Thu 12:27 p.m. - 9 clicks
A U.S. Forest Service plan to land helicopters in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness doesn't fly with conservation groups. Six have filed suit to stop the plan, saying landing helicopters would violate the law under wilderness designation. Idaho Fish and Game wants to use helicopters to capture and collar wolves. John Robison, public lands director for the Idaho Conservation League,...
New West Boise - Thu 10:07 a.m. - 3 clicks
Dan Popkey provided a charming portrait of the couple that was 2/3rds of the first Tea Party demonstration in Boise. (The other third was her brother-in-law.) How wonderful to drop down out of the sky and proclaim all that's wrong with politics, and plan on setting it right. It's just utterly incomprehensible how they're going to do that, but that's OK! More political activists are a fi...
Fort Boise - Wed 10:26 p.m.
SHORT AND NOT MUCH TO REPORT… 1/27/10 James Clark 4325 Hoover St. Boise, ID 83705 342-2478 Road Work: I’m calling about yesterday – there was a notice on my door that … Hoover St. is a very short street that connects to Roosevelt, and it comes in then there’s another street that’s about a half block long that connects to Franklin; [...] Related posts: Mayor Hotline January 31 – Feb...
Boise Guardian - Wed 5:25 p.m. - 3 clicks
The Center on the Grove, operated by the Greater Boise Auditorium District (G-BAD) sent a bunch of decorated cakes to newsrooms throughout the Valley today in an effort to garner good news reports about the convention center’s 20th anniversary. At least they haven’t claimed their so-called birthday party is a “public out reach” or an [...] Related posts: Government, WA...
Boise Guardian - Wed 3:21 p.m. - 2 clicks
Just wanted to post this before I forget. BOISE, Idaho — Church leaders affiliated with the 10 Americans detained in Haiti for trying to take a busload of children out of the country are calling for their immediate release. Central Valley Baptist Church officials claim the detainees have been interrogated by the Haitian [...] ...
Left Side of the Moon - Tue 2:49 p.m. - 5 clicks
From the Idaho Press Tribune: "Caldwell votes to prohibit discrimination against gays." Among others, State Sentaor Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise) predicted it last June with the departure of Bryan Fischer of......
The MountainGoat Report - Tue 1:48 p.m. - 6 clicks
From the Idaho Statesman: Really? But the most hilarious Minnick headline of the morning has to go to the scooped up Republicans for Walt Minnick site: Be feather, Idaho....
The MountainGoat Report - Tue 8:08 a.m. - 7 clicks
It only took the Idaho Legislature eighteen days since my original post on the hypocrisy of compulsory coverage for them to admit they had a problem introducing and attempting to pass a bill that would block federal health care reform efforts that would require Idahoans to purchase health insurance. Today, the Idaho Legislature admitted that there is a law on the books that already requires co...
Political Game - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
"Idaho senators blast Obama budget," writes Idaho Statesman editorial page editor Kevin Richert in his blog this evening. Republican Senators Crapo and Risch released statements following President Obama's budget proposal......
The MountainGoat Report - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
We have a new GUARDIAN consultant who is a real doc and works on “gut issues” like internal medicine and renewable energy. Prior to working on humans, he worked for Idaho Fish and Game as a biologist. ( please excuse the format problem–using a foreign computer at the moment) BY BOB McKIE, MD Green energy [...] Related posts: GUARDIANS Discover $300,000 Missing Funds Sta...
Boise Guardian - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
Rocky Barker at the Idaho Statesman has posed a question at his blog: “So Oregon’s vote [passing two tax measures at the polls], coupled with Idaho’s deep cuts in education, social services and all state government services, gives people on both sides of the issue a real chance to prove who is right. Will the state [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Feb 1 - 6 clicks
By now, most folk have heard about the Idaho church group arrested in Haiti for trying to take 33 (supposedly) orphaned children across the border into the Dominican Republic. When I read this ... But Laura Sillsby from the Idaho group told Reuters from a jail cell at Haiti's Judicial Police headquarters, "We had permission from the Dominican Republic government to bring the children t...
DailyKos (Idaho) - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
An excellent catch by the Idaho Statesman today: The high cost of photo ops and ego boosting. The context here, of course, is that the Otter Administration has proposed, in the interest of saving dollars measured more in the thousands (elimination of the Human Rights Commission and Hispanic Commission) or not a lot more (public television’s [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 31 - 5 clicks
J.R. Simplot Company’s environmental director threatened to “go somewhere else” in testimony before the Idaho Senate last week. The legislature has pretty much decided to allow the DEQ to implement plans for vehicle emission testing in Canyon County as the valley comes closer to “non attainment” of federal regulations…which will potentially affect how the [......
Boise Guardian - Jan 31 - 5 clicks
Friday, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick held a town hall meeting in Sandpoint, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported, taking questions on a variety of topics, including health care reform. Minnick......
The MountainGoat Report - Jan 31 - 13 clicks
Advice for Governor Otter and the Idaho Legislature from Idaho Mountain Express: They need to talk about the elephants in the room, including the de facto zero sales tax on......
The MountainGoat Report - Jan 30 - 7 clicks
A bit insiderish, what follows. But some points in this Boise kerfuffle about news reporting, access to government and advocacy are worth some consideration. So here goes. One of the little-known organizations at the Idaho statehouse is the Capitol Correspondents Association. (Most states have counterpart associations, such as the Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association.) Apart from bei...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 29 - 6 clicks
The Feds have just come out with strict rules against texting while driving for truckers. Meanwhile, cities and states across the nation have weighed in as well. Idaho legislators will probably consider a bill against texting and driving this session. The GUARDIAN previously WEIGHED IN on all the talk against texting while driving (we [...] Related posts: Texting Crash Should Be Lesson For C...
Boise Guardian - Jan 28 - 4 clicks
TRASH TALK, and FILTHY TALK. Once again we are faced with a serious allegation via the Hotline. The GUARDIAN will run it and hope that police are not only investigating, but the potential suspect–if there is one–has been relieved of duty. The facility is run by Ada County and the Commishes should be informed [...] Related posts: Mayor Hotline January 9 to 15 Mayor Hotline Jan...
Boise Guardian - Jan 26 - 3 clicks
How much attention does the 2nd congressional district pay to the congressman in the 1st district? Apparently, not much. In tonight's reporting on Walt Minnick's swearing off of earmarks (i.e. political subterfuge), KPVI in Pocatello ran campaign footage alongside the story. Campaign footage from his 1996 bid for the United States Senate. Seriously. Probably the only footage of Minnick they'v...
Political Game - Jan 26 - 11 clicks
If you’re following the Idaho 1st district campaign, you’ll want to check out the just-posted piece by the Idaho Statesman’s Dan Popkey, outlining the emerging breaks among Republicans as they separate into support of the two (current) candidates for the U.S. House, Vaughn Ward and Paul Labrador. Specifically, he described Republicans as “separating into camps representing ...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 26 - 8 clicks
Roger Madsen, Director of the Idaho Dept. of Labor, has " saved" the Idaho Human Rights Commission from the chopping block. He apparently found room in his budget to absorb the Commission, and it will now be part of the Dept. of Labor. Of this, a couple of legislators commented: "Is he a darling or what?" said Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, who co-chairs the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, after...
IdaBlue - Jan 26 - 2 clicks
One of the many distressing budgetary decisions Governor Otter has been considering since his state of the state address is a phase out of state funding for the Idaho Commission on Human Rights . As has been said time and time again, many of the budget cuts Governor Otter has proposed are more about the role of government, as he and other Idaho Republican leaders see it, than about the actual ...
Political Game - Jan 24 - 3 clicks
When Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter delivered his budget a couple of weeks ago, he told the legislature that he proposed some major changes in some smaller agencies. The big raw dollar cuts may have come in places like public schools and colleges and universities, but he proposed what amounted to elimination of a number [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 23 - 5 clicks
A little over a week ago I wrote a compelling (in my humble opinion) reminder to this state's leaders that while they are attempting to block any federal proposal of health care reform that would include compulsory health insurance among its citizenry, they should remember that there is a significant population of Idahoans that are subject to compulsory health insurance already. In my post, I r...
Political Game - Jan 23 - 5 clicks
Idaho's most conservative congressman made a point of congratulating his Republican counterpart yesterday for penning an op-ed on what the Massachusetts Senate election "really" meant. Congressman Walt Minnick, posing as......
The MountainGoat Report - Jan 23 - 7 clicks
Stan Olson The soon-to-retire superintendent of the Boise School District, Stan Olson, is reportedly planning a run for superintendent of public instruction, which presumably would pit him against incumbent Republican Tom Luna. The Idaho Statesman story on this notes that “He said he hasn’t made a decision about whether he would run as a Democrat or challenge [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 22 - 2 clicks
One more quick tea party note: The congressional candidates. In District 1, where two Republicans are competing for the nomination, just Representative Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, was present to deliver to the group. Front-runner apparent Vaughn Ward was, his campaign tells us, in northern Idaho. Of larger interest, maybe, was the contrast between the two primary challengers to [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Idaho) - Jan 18 - 3 clicks
Yesterday, Senator Dean Cameron (R-Rupert) as co-chair of the Idaho Legislature Health Care Task Force, a few short days after Governor Otter's strong words of opposition toward congressional health care reform, and on the heels of yesterday's 7-5 vote to oppose federal health care reform had the following to say about health care: “I believe that the federal reforms will cause an additional bur...
Political Game - Jan 14 - 2 clicks
We now know that Gov Otter is proposing shrinking Idaho state government by several agencies, probably most notably Parks and Rec and Idaho Public TV. He acknowledges that these cuts won't save a ton of money, but they're in line with his philosophy that in lean times, government must focus on what it needs, not just on what it wants. In other words, Parks and Rec and IPTV are luxuries. Essential ...
IdaBlue - Jan 14 - 4 clicks
Like many newspapers across the state, the Idaho State Journal here in Pocatello has set up "blogs" for readers to comment on. The blogs are simply platforms where editorials and opinion pieces that have appeared or will appear in print go for an online community of readers to discuss them. The community of readers that choose to participate in the discussion are a dozen or so locals, a majori...
Political Game - Jan 12 - 4 clicks
In a speech riddled with poor economic news amidst further state budget hold backs, each of us may have found certain portions of Governor Otter's state of the state address more disheartening. As a college student, the daughter of a teacher, the granddaughter of a teacher trained at the former teacher training school in Albion, Idaho, and someone who aspires to teach at one of Idaho's institutio...
Political Game - Jan 11 - 5 clicks
Others have beat me to this, but here it is anyway . As Exhibit 1shows, the states most likely to “win” as a result of health care reform are Arkansas, Idaho , Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah. All of these states have a relatively high number of uninsured and all are in the bottom half of states in terms of cost under both financing mechanisms. So, Gov. Otter threateni...
IdaBlue - Jan 8 - 5 clicks
Senator Jim Risch made much of his short stint as Governor, and one of his most highly touted "achievements" was a shift in taxes from property to sales tax. He was quite proud of this, and made it a centerpiece of his campaign for Senator. Well, an unintended consequence of that shift has come to bite us on the kiester. It has been noted that Idaho has suffered proportionally more than most stat...
IdaBlue - Jan 8 - 3 clicks
Just when we thought the barrage of toe tapping, bathroom stall jokes were a thing of the past, those purveyors of aggregated opinion at The Daily Beast have included toe-tapper-in-chief, former Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) in their slide show of the decade in sex. Yes, in a decade that included Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl, an affair made public when a ...
Political Game - Jan 7 - 5 clicks
From time to time the sponsored links running atop Gmail, my email service of choice, catch my attention. It came as no surprise to me that Jim Risch used this advertisement opportunity during his 2008 campaign, the pricey advertisement was no problem for a guy who is both one of the wealthiest members of congress and a member who spent (according to Newsweek ) $9.66 per vote in 2008 for a to...
Political Game - Jan 6 - 5 clicks
