Other News

BOISE, Id – The Idaho Senate voted today to evict Occupy Boise from the Capital Mall.  That means the protest group is one step closer to being evicted from their campsite.

The bill would outlaw camping on state-owned property unless otherwise designated.  Occupy Boise members have been sleeping in tents next door to the Idaho Statehouse since November.  Speaking for the bill, Republican Senator Steve Vick said free speech is a constitutionally protected right, but camping is not.

BOISE, ID – Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.  It’s a holiday that many retailers count on for much of their business.  More than $18 billion was spent nationwide last year according to industry analysts at IBISWORLD.  In Boise, one local chocolatier looks forward to Valentine’s Day.

Gift buying during the winter holidays is essential for retailers.  But Valentine’s Day isn’t too far behind.  Curtis Nokleby owns Lee’s Candies in Boise.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the plane crash that killed Micron CEO Steve Appleton last week.  The one page report details the events leading up to the fatal crash of experimental plane at the Boise Airport.  The report says witnesses watched the plane take-off twice on February 3rd.  The first time, Appleton said “we’ve got a problem.”  He landed, then seven minutes later, took off again.  At which point the NTSB reports:

Avalanche Alley opened up over the weekend, after a Friday closure.  The 12-mile stretch of Idaho 21 between the Grandjean Junction and Banner Summit re-opened Saturday.  It was the third time this winter the road has been closed.  45 slides have hit the roadway since November.  For the latest highway and weather conditions, call Idaho Traveler Services at 5-1-1. For online updates, visit the website at 511.idaho.gov.

BOISE, Id – An overflow crowd watched today as the Senate State Affairs Committee killed a bill that would have made it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in Idaho.  The bill would have added the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to Idaho’s Human Rights Act.  Pocatello Senator Edgar Malepeai made an impassioned plea before the committee, in favor of the bill.

BOISE, ID – Idaho Senators changed part of a bill today to get Occupy Boise off state lands.  The bill no longer treats personal property as litter if protestors are evicted.   Majority Leader Bart Davis added what’s known as an abandonment period:  “Providing for a 90-day time to reclaim your property.  And if it’s not within that 90-day time period it’s abandoned.”

BOISE, ID – The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into what caused the accident that killed Steve Appleton.  The Micron CEO was piloting a high performance aircraft from Lancair when it crashed at the Boise airport Friday.  Lancair planes have been involved in dozens of accidents since 1989.

The University of Idaho and Moscow police are searching for answers as to what happened late Sunday night when someone fired a single shot into a residence hall. No one was injured at the Targhee Fine Arts Hall. Moscow’s police chief David Duke confirms that a shot was fired through one of the hall’s windows.  He says the 45 caliber bullet hit a light fixture and ended up in a nearby wall.  Residents report a white S-U-V was seen driving past the hall after the shooting.

BOISE, Id – In a rare move, Idaho’s budget-writing committee heard public testimony today for only the third time in its history.  About sixty people testified.  Most were there to address last year’s Medicaid cuts and the need for a suicide hotline.

Many of those told personal stories of how the 35-million dollar cut to Idaho’s Medicaid Program has affected them.  With the loss of federal funding, the cuts actually totaled 108-million.

BOISE, Id – Storycorps came to  Idaho in the summer of 2008.  People from around the state came to the mobile recording booth in Boise to talk about life, family, and love.  Hazel Pace told the story of how she met her husband Bob at a dance during World War II.  She summed up their life together this way:

BOISE, Id – In a rare move, Idaho’s budget-writing committee heard public testimony today for only the third time in its history.  About sixty people testified.  Most were there to address last year’s Medicaid cuts and the need for a suicide hotline.

Many of those told personal stories of how the 35-million dollar cut to Idaho’s Medicaid Program has affected them.  With the loss of federal funding, the cuts actually totaled 108-million.

The Meridian School District will join Boise and several other Treasure Valley school districts in asking tax payers for more money. Meridian will hold a levy vote on March 13th, the same day as Boise. Boise planned its levy months ago. Meridian just decided this week. The city did hold a levy last May but voters opted not to tax themselves more for schools. Meridian School District spokesman Eric Exline says this time will be different. For one thing Exline says, the money would be used to restore school days that were eliminated during budget cuts.

BOISE, ID – Occupy Wall Street sparked a national movement last fall that resonated in Idaho too. By November, Occupy Boise protestors had set up camp on state land and now some legislators want them off.  What’s happening locally reflects a national struggle where First Amendment rights conflict with rules about camping on public land.