Samantha Wright

Each year, the Idaho Botanical Garden strings up thousands of twinkling lights, for the annual Winter Garden Aglow.  The event begins tonight.  Last year, we caught up with a dedicated group of volunteers who were putting the final touches on the annual event.  Here’s a look back:

Updated at 1:25 p.m.

Police have arrested one of two men who they believe broke into an Idaho zoo the night a monkey there died from blunt-force trauma.  But questions remain about how and why the animal was killed.

Twenty-two-year-old Michael Watkins of Weiser was arrested Monday in Washington County on felony burglary and grand theft charges.

A tip from a citizen led police to Watkins.

Updated at 5:12 p.m.

He's a Boise State graduate. He's also one of the key people on a little project known as Curiosity.

Dan Isla is an electrical systems engineer with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He helped assemble and launch NASA's Mars Rover. Now that it’s on the red planet, he helps operate the rover and put it through its paces. 

We originally talked with Isla last year, before the rover landed on Mars.  In this update, he tells Samantha Wright that was the highlight of his life, so far.

During a one-night count in 2010, the Department of Housing and Urban Development found more than 76,000 veterans were homeless in the U-S.  For more than 20 years, the Veterans Administration and volunteers have tried to combat this problem with special events called Stand Downs.  Held all over the country, Stand Downs offer food, clothes, medical care, and a helping hand to veterans struggling on the street.  The Boise VA holds its annual Stand Down Saturday.

More than 20 seats changed hands in the Idaho Legislature  Tuesday. Some House members made the jump to the Senate.  And plenty of new faces will be in the legislature when the session starts in January. 

Boise State political science professor Gary Moncrief says, despite the changes, the makeup of the House and the Senate will be pretty much the same.

So what percentage of people in Idaho voted?  Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa says that’s a hard number to pin down so soon after Election Day.

“It’s difficult to give a turnout figure based on registered voters because we register voters on Election Day, so that’s a moving target,” Ysursa said.  “History has shown in a Presidential year, there could be 100,000 to 112,000 who have registered on Election Day.”

Voters around Idaho are heading to the polls this afternoon.

In the state's largest county voting has been smooth so far.  That’s according to Phil McGrane, Ada County’s Chief Deputy Clerk. ”Only small issues far, we haven’t had any real challenges to deal with and as far as we know right now there aren’t any strong lines to speak of and people are able to get in and get out relatively quickly.”

If you haven’t taken advantage of absentee or early in person voting, today’s the big day.  It’s time to get out to the polls and vote.  Here's what you’ll need for a smooth voting experience.

All 35 seats in the Idaho Senate, and 70 in the Idaho House, are up for grabs in the November election.  The lines around the 35 legislative districts were re-drawn last year, creating a brand-new political landscape for incumbents and challengers.  We wanted to know which races were generating the most buzz.

With some help from Boise State Political Science Professor Gary Moncrief, we’ve compiled a list of seven legislative races to watch:

1. House District 2B: Democrat Dan English vs. Republican Ed Morse

Idaho voters who haven't been to the polls in a while may be surprised when they’re asked for photo identification.  Idaho’s voter I-D law is only two years old and infrequent voters haven’t encountered it yet. 

Everyone who wants to cast a vote in Idaho will be asked the same question. 

“When you show up at the polls, you will be asked for photo identification, so don’t be surprised,” says Phil McGrane, Ada County’s Chief Deputy Clerk.

The law recognizes several forms of photo ID.  They include:

Idaho’s 2012 general election statewide ballot consists of three races, two constitutional amendments, and three propositions.  Plus, depending on your legislative district, will include various Idaho House and Senate candidates.

Idaho’s new voter identification law does require photo ID at the polls, but if you don’t have one, you can still vote by signing an affidavit.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6!

Idaho’s Statewide Ballot  United States President

More than 50 seniors drop in for a free buffet-style lunch on a recent Friday at the Mountain Home Senior Center.  Everyone signs in with Joyce Scott. “I sit at the I and A desk. That’s information and assistance is what this is about.”

Her husband served at Mountain Home Air Force Base.  She worked there too, as a civilian. “I’ve been here 41 years, almost 42 years. We came here with the military, my husband was military. And we’ve been here ever since."

There’s a definite trend with voter turnout in Idaho.  Primaries bring out fewer people. General Elections bring out more. And Presidential years attract the most voters. This year should be no exception.

There were more than 750,000 registered voters in Idaho during this year’s May primary.  But a vast majority of those stayed home.  

Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa says that’s pretty typical. “The primary turnout, and this one was abysmal, the last one we had, but the primary turnouts are in the mid-20’s to 30 percent of registered voters.” 

A pet dog was injured after an attack by a mountain lion.  The attack occurred in Garden City’s Meadowcreek subdivision Thursday night. 

No one was home at the time of the attack.  The cougar jumped a six foot high fence and attacked the dog.  Two other dogs in the yard were not hurt.

An Urban Wildlife Specialist, Eric Hansen, with USDA Wildlife Services, examined the dog and confirmed its wounds were caused by a mountain lion.

Ada County’s Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane describes the upcoming November election this way, “It’s a nice, clean, old-fashioned election.”

He says it will be a big change from the May Primary. “Don’t have to pick a party, don’t have to pick a ballot, no other selections that you have to make.”

Early voters in Idaho's largest county are turning out in droves this year.  The process started Monday and hasn’t slowed down yet in Ada County.

Ada County Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane was expecting a big voter turnout for this election, but not this big.  “Someone said we opened the fire hydrant and it just hasn’t stopped.  People are showing up in record, record volumes for early voting this election.” 

Saint Luke’s and Saint Alphonsus hospitals are among the Idaho facilities that received drugs from a pharmacy in Massachusetts.  Officials today released the names of nine health providers in Idaho that got injectable drugs from the New England Compounding Center.   

It’s part of a nationwide investigation into a fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed 15 people and sickened 233, including one man in Idaho.   

The first drug recall was for a steroid injection used for back pain.  It was believed that drug may have been contaminated with a fungus. 

A nationwide investigation into contaminated drugs is expanding. The outbreak has already killed 15 and sickened 231, including one man in Idaho, with fungal meningitis.

Two health facilities in Idaho, Walter Knox Memorial Hospital in Emmett and Pain Specialists of Idaho in Idaho Falls, were identified originally in the outbreak.

Now the Food and Drug Administration has expanded its investigation of possibly contaminated drugs produced by a Massachusetts pharmacy. That means as many as nine more medical facilities in Idaho may have received suspect drugs.