Politics & Goverment

BOISE, Id – Today the Second Idaho Redistricting Commission will be sworn in.  The group will work to redraw the state’s political boundaries.  The first Commission failed to do this in its allotted ninety days.  But Idaho isn’t the only Western state running behind.

BOISE, Id – While Republican and Democratic officials have been picking names for a brand new Redistricting Commission, the old Commission has been working behind the scenes.  Monday the Old Commissioners stepped forward and submitted a plan to redraw Idaho’s political boundaries.  But it turns out the old Commission’s power ran out when its term of office did.

BOISE, ID. – President Obama has called for raising taxes on high earners and spending federal dollars to stimulate job growth.  Idaho’s senior senator in Washington, D.C. is against the plans.  But he could support one part of Obama’s call for tax reform.

President Obama unveiled two plans within the past week:  a multi-trillion dollar mix of tax increases and savings from government programs to address the nation’s debt, and a multi-billion dollar plan to create jobs.  U.S. Senator Mike Crapo is in favor of one part of Obama’s debt plan.

Jim Weatherby sits in front of a coffee shop across the street from Boise’s city hall. He’s Professor Emeritus of Political Science for Boise State University. As he sips his coffee, he glances at the backside of city hall. He says it’s puzzling why there seems so little interest in landing the office on the third floor where Mayor David Bieter sits. Bieter has one challenger in his bid for a third term. That’s David Hall a student at College of Western Idaho. Weatherby says Hall is a long shot.

BOISE, ID. – U.S. Senator Mike Crapo is back in Idaho while Congress takes a month break. He’s been traveling the state to listen to Idahoans and their concerns.  Here are highlights from Scott Ki’s conversation with the Senator, edited for length and clarity. Senator Crapo begins by telling Ki that it’s great to be back in Idaho:

BOISE, Id – More than 19-thousand Idaho homeowners got a foreclosure notice in the mail last year.  Those notices created some confusion for many homeowners.  A new law, which goes into effect Thursday, gives consumers more tools to try and save their home.

Idaho ranked eighth in the nation last year in foreclosure filings.  As the notices flooded in, so did complaints from homeowners.

Brett Delange “We have a lot of people in foreclosure and it’s not a problem that’s going to go away quickly or easily and it’s gonna be with us for a while.”

Congressman Raul Labrador was the only member of Idaho’s delegation to vote no on the Debt Ceiling bill which passed this week.  He’s now back in the state. Labrador sat down to explain why he voted the way he did.

Boise city councilman Alan Shealy  announced Wednesday he won't seek re-election.   His current term ends this fall. 

State Senator John McGee of Caldwell apologized to members of the Canyon County Republican Central Committee Tuesday night for his recent DUI arrest. But as Boise State Public Radio''s Adam Cotterell reports not everyone was satisfied.

It's a case full of twists and turns, involving a public official and a lot of money. In 1996 Phil Hart stopped paying his income taxes. He claimed they were unconstitutional. Since then, Hart's been elected to the Idaho House of Representatives. He faced an ethics investigation from his legislative colleagues. Now he's appealing his state tax case to the Idaho Supreme Court.

Since last June, Spokesman Review Reporter Betsy Russell has followed his story. She told Boise State Public Radio's Samantha Wright how it all got started.

The debate continues in Washington, D.C. on cuts to federal programs and agencies. Congress isn’t immune. As Boise State Public Radio’s Scott Ki reports U.S. Senate staff and office reductions are possible.

A number of school districts around Idaho asked for more money for education in Tuesday's election. A few passed in places like Wilder, Parma, and Cassia County. Many did not, including the state's largest school district, Meridian. As Boise State Public Radio's Samantha Wright reports, voters said NO to a 37-million dollar supplemental levy.