Politics/Policy

Tax-free shopping on the Internet could come to an end under a bill making its way through the U-S Senate.

The bill would allow states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

The Senate has rejected a bipartisan effort to expand federal background checks to more firearms buyers in a crucial showdown over gun control. 

Idaho's Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo voted against the measure. Just four Republicans voted in favor of the expanded background check amendment.

Thursday, the city council in Pocatello is expected to vote on whether to make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s one of several cities in Idaho that have taken up the cause of gay rights – an issue the Idaho Legislature has so far resisted. But even some gay rights supporters wonder if the local ordinance would change anything.

More than 70 airmen and 30 planes will remain on the ground through the fall at Mountain Home Air Force Base.  That's because of federal budget cuts, known as the sequester.  

Colonel Chris Short commands the 366th Fighter Wing.  His wing includes the 391st Squadron, known as the Bold Tigers.  They’re a flying combat unit.  “Typically they fly every day during a work week, we give them a certain number of hours during a month, to maintain their combat readiness, and what we’ve done is by standing them down, they will not fly at all.” 

The federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, have hit Mountain Home Air Force Base.  Officials announced today that one of their fighter squadrons will curtail flying operations.

The 391st Squadron, known as the Bold Tigers, stopped flying their planes yesterday.  The stand down will remain in effect through the end of the fiscal year in September. 

Idaho’s regional airport towers have been given a short reprieve from federal budget cuts known as the sequester. That includes Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Lewiston and Hailey. The towers are now set to close on June 15th.

Closing the towers means planes could still fly, but pilots would take on the responsibilities the towers now hold.

When Washington voters legalized recreational marijuana last fall, they handed the state’s Liquor Control Board a regulatory nightmare. There’s no manual for how to create a safe and legal market for pot – something that’s never been done before. 

State Representative Roger Goodman – speaking after a recent meeting on marijuana legalization – says the giggle factor is gone.

A city in the heart of Idaho's Mormon country held a four-hour public hearing Thursday night on whether to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians. A growing number of cities in Idaho are adopting local rules that protect sexual orientation and gender identity.

Parents and grandparents spoke about the fears they have for their gay or lesbian family members. Gloria Mayer said she's been hiding her identity for years.

“I am 63 years old ... and I'm gay," she said. "That is the first time I have said that publicly.”