News

Rapidly changing drone technology has some Northwest lawmakers uncomfortable. Legislators in Oregon, Washington and Idaho have introduced measures to regulate and limit the way law enforcement can use the devices. But people who fly these unmanned aircraft for fun are afraid well-intentioned regulations will criminalize their hobby. 

The U.S. Forest Service says the death of a 20-year-old firefighter in Idaho last summer was a “chance” occurrence. The new report is in sharp contrast to the findings of federal workplace safety investigators.  

The Ada County Commission announced it intends to end a deal with Eagle-based Dynamis Energy.

Nearly three years ago, the County contracted with Dynamis to build a waste-to-energy processing plant. The company received a $2 million loan from Ada County to create site specific plans.

But the project quickly turned controversial when citizens started raising environmental concerns. Karen Danley was among them.

Ice fishing enthusiasts have big plans this weekend on Magic Reservoir in southern Blaine County.  The lake hosts its annual tournament Saturday and  Sunday.  Competitors are going for the biggest trout and yellow perch. They’ll weigh their catches throughout the day.

A same-sex couple from Eugene has received the first-ever waiver to be buried together at a national cemetery. It comes after the death of one of the women.

Same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships are not recognized by the federal government, so a spouse of these military veterans can’t be buried at a national cemetery. After a 12-year battle with cancer Nancy Lynchild of Eugene died December 22nd. She was 64.

For the last month, attorneys, experts and a U.S. District Court judge have been in a Boise courtroom trying to determine the past mental state of a serial killer. 

Five years ago, Joseph Duncan III was sentenced to death in federal court for killing a 9-year-old boy in 2005.  He soon waived his right to appeal the sentence, fast-tracking his own execution.
 
Duncan later changed his mind, and his attorneys Thursday wrapped up their effort to convince a judge their client wasn't mentally fit to make such a decision.

Less than three months after its launch, the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline is expanding its hours. Starting today volunteers will take calls Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

So far, the suicide hotline has taken about 160 calls since November. Executive Director John Reusser says there’s no question the hotline has helped many Idahoans in crisis.

Reusser says the hotline’s next goal is to launch a marketing campaign to connect with people around the state. That campaign will likely begin next week.  

In his State of the Union Tuesday night President Barack Obama said his administration would have a score card for every college in the nation. The online score card shows each school’s cost, graduation rate, amounts students borrow and how many default.

According to the score card, Idaho’s most expensive post-secondary option is Brown Mackie College in Boise. The for-profit school costs the average student $23,126 a year.

Mining has pumped billions of dollars into the Idaho economy. It’s one of the states considered by the industry to be the most mining-friendly.

But even here, the industry is frustrated that it can take years before permits are issued and work can get underway. That’s why mining officials are appealing to state lawmakers to help speed up the regulatory process. It’s a proposition that has environmentalists worried.

Update:  Reports of an ax wielding suspect this morning at Meridian’s Heritage Middle School have turned out to be wrong, and a subsequent lockdown has ended. Meridian police confirm a student brought a folding shovel to school, setting off the scare.

The final round of Treefort Music Fest acts were announced today. Indie rock band The Walkmen tops the list, joining Animal Collective and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings as mainstage headliners. The eclectic final group of artists include enigmatic rapper Brother Ali, the orchestral band Typhoon, and emerging local acts like Grandma Kelsey. These groups will perform with about 250 others during the March 21-24 festival. 

A group of middle schoolers in a New York City suburb play World of Warcraft at school. But they’re not slacking, it’s their English class. World of Warcraft is an immersive online game where millions of people a day run around fighting monsters. The classroom is a din of clattering keyboards and kids shouting back and forth about meeting up in the same virtual location and an oft repeated, never answered plea to know which of their classmates is called Grimblade.

Catholics in Idaho celebrate Ash Wednesday today. It marks the beginning of the six-week Lenten season, and this year, it comes two days after the pope's surprise announcement that he's retiring.

Pope Benedict XVI will renounce his duties on February 28, at the age of 85.

Homeowners, credit intact, still making their monthly mortgage payments.  They’re not who we think of first when we think of the damage brought on by the housing crisis. But in a sprawling, master-planned southwest Boise subdivision called Charter Pointe, they’re a group that has struggled.

This week Idaho’s Senate rejected Governor Butch Otter’s appointee to the state’s Fish and Game Commission, Joan Hurlock. It’s been nearly 40 years since Idaho’s legislature hasn't confirmed a gubernatorial appointee. 

Wildland firefighting has always been dangerous but new standards in the last few decades have made fatalities rare. So it was news when a 20-year-old wildland firefighter was killed six months ago in northwest Idaho. Now several government investigations into the death of Anne Veseth are coming out. The first one finds Veseth died under hazardous conditions that could have been avoided. 

Catholics around the world have been talking about the upcoming resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal resignation will be the first since the Middle Ages.

Students at Boise's Catholic high school, Bishop Kelly, have been talking about it during theology class. Deacon Rick Bonney says his juniors have lots of questions.

“ ‘Well what happens when he resigns? Does he get security? Where will he live? What will he do?' I had to basically answer, ‘I don’t know any of that since we haven’t had a pope resign in 598 years,’ ” says Bonney.

About 350 people came to a meeting at Idaho’s capital Monday night which lawmakers called an education listening session. Many signed up to share their thoughts on issues facing public schools. One theme rose to the top, education funding, or the lack of it.