Adam Cotterell

Fourteen Idaho school districts say they’ll compete for federal Race to the Top money. Nearly 900 districts around the country have submitted intent to apply paperwork. They all want a slice of the $400 million available from the new Race to the Top-District competition.

In Idaho the Bonneville District wants the biggest share. It will apply for two grants worth between $20 million and $30 million.

The Nampa School District passed its levy this week. That means $1.6 million will be used for things like curriculum and building maintenance.

But the state’s third largest district has cut more than $5 million in other areas just in the last few months. That’s a result of two shortfalls. One of the line items taking a big hit in Nampa is the substitute teaching budget.

Last year Nampa spent $771,600 for substitute teachers. This year the district plans to cut $600,000 by using subs only for long term assignments such as maternity leave.

Idaho’s Students Come First education laws got a moment in the spotlight Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush spoke about Idaho’s 2011 education overhaul to more than 50 people.

Bush then led a panel discussion on education reform which featured Idaho Governor Butch Otter, School Superintendent Tom Luna, and other Republican education policy luminaries.

Canyon County voters in Wilder, Notus, Homedale and Nampa appear to have approved school levies yesterday by wide margins. Nearly two-thirds of Nampa voted to pass a $1.6 million, two-year levy. Those same voters rejected a levy earlier this year for about twice that amount.

Voters in several school districts in southwest Idaho go to the polls Tuesday. The Kuna School district will ask voters to approve nearly $3.2 million a year for the next two years. That money would be used to hire more teachers, reduce fees, plus maintenance and operations expenses. It could also mean the difference between offering drivers education or not.

Law enforcement officers seized an estimated 11,100 marijuana plants in Blaine County Thursday. The illegal grow operation was on public land in the Sawtooth National Forest near Galena Summit. Several agencies were involved. The grow was first discovered by a father and son pair of hikers. That led to more than two weeks of surveillance. However, no arrests have been made.

This November, Idaho voters will decide whether to keep the state's Students Come First education laws, known as propositions 1, 2, 3 on the ballot. Now the fight over how you should vote has intensified. That fight has taken to the air waves.

If you tune into a commercial radio station in Idaho right now, you might hear a perky sounding woman going down her back to school check list.

Former Idaho state senator John McGee will spend at least the next 44 days in jail. John McGee entered a guilty plea, as expected, to misdemeanor disturbing the peace of an individual. What was not expected was the sentence. McGee’s attorney and the prosecutor had agreed to recommend five days in jail. But 4th District Judge James Cawthon handed down 44 days followed by 44 more days that could be served in jail or supervised community service.

Former Idaho state senator John McGee will spend the next 44 days in jail. McGee was sentenced Tuesday for misdemeanor disturbing the peace. That charge stems from sexual harassment allegations made by a senate staffer in February.

The Nampa School District is going into the school year with a $2.8 million shortfall. The reason: an accounting error that had gone undiscovered since last school year. That information comes to light as the district prepares for a $1.6 million levy vote August 28th. The question on many people’s minds is, how will the shortfall announcement influence voters?

The Nampa School District shocked its board and city residents Tuesday when it announced a budget shortfall of $2.8 million.  Because of accounting errors, Nampa superintendent Gary Larson told his audience, the district spent money it didn’t have.

The shortfall is in last year's budget, and it's coming to light at an unfortunate time: just as the district finishes making cuts to fill a budget gap for the year ahead.

Larson says the district's finance team caught the problem a little more than a week ago and alerted the deputy superintendent. 

In the past week air quality in the Treasure Valley has been in the orange category several times. That means the air can cause health problems for sensitive groups. Health officials caution people to avoid strenuous outdoor activities during orange alerts, but the area’s high school sports teams are practicing as usual.

Janel Kozlowski’s son is a freshman at Meridian’s Rocky Mountain High School. He’s on the football team and goes to two practices a day. Kozlowski says he’s having trouble breathing.

Some of Idaho’s top Republicans are hailing Mitt Romney’s choice of Paul Ryan for his Vice Presidential running mate. The announcement came Saturday. Later that day Idaho Senator Jim Risch stated his support.

“The selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate underscores Governor Romney's commitment to pull our country back from the edge of the fiscal cliff," Risch writes. "I strongly endorse Governor Romney's choice of Congressman Ryan and I look forward to victory in November.”

Congressman Raul Labrador also issued a statement of support.

An official with Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality says the Treasure Valley is experiencing the worst air quality since a bad winter inversion in 2002. Smoke from wildfires around the region have kept the air quality index between 101 and 150 for several days. That’s the orange category. 

Just when you thought it was safe to stay in the water, cryptosporidiosis is back.

Idaho’s Central District Health Department reports there are 19 cases of the perennial parasite known as crypto for short. Crypto is transmitted by fecal matter through water. People who have it get sick with fever, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other digestive symptoms.

Boise native Nick Symmonds took fifth place today in the men’s 800 meter run at the London Olympics. A group of hometown fans got together to cheer him on.

About 70 people watch Olympic coverage at Bishop Kelly High School. Staff, students, and alumni scan the screen for one of the school’s most notable grads. They cheer every time they get a glimpse of Nick Symmonds.

A new report from the American Cancer Society shows Idaho is doing little to prevent cancer compared to other states. It comes from the organization's advocacy arm, the Cancer Action Network.

 The report titled "How Do you Measure Up" looks at actions state governments take to prevent cancer. Aaron Czyzewski with the Cancer Action Network, says Idaho fares poorly in most of the criteria measured.

Just seven people and 800 meters separate Nick Symmonds from a gold medal. Symmonds runs this Thursday afternoon in London at 1:00 Mountain Time in the men’s 800 final. But his career began in Boise.