Muskets, Tax Breaks, Kid in a Canoe

In his presentation to the Legislative budget committee Thursday, public schools chief Tom Luna made a new argument for including contract rights in his controversial teacher pay plan. In response to a question from Boise Sen. Elliot Werk, Luna said…

Teacher Pay, Roadless, Nexus

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna presents his budget this morning with no advance indication that he has scaled back a $60 million teacher pay plan to fall in line with Gov. Otter’s notion. PaleoMedia will be there. Also, Forest Service is looking at Idaho’s Roadless plan again, taxing internet sales and coming soon… a primer on using PaleoMedia.org more efficiently. [Hint, click on the headline or the "Continue reading..." button below for more...]

New domestic elk rules appear

On Wednesday, the House Agricultural Affairs committee took a look at a series of rules on domestic cervidae farms — that is farms that raise elk, fallow deer and reindeer. Read them here.

Kill the School Boards

Days after I wrote about a plan to offer teachers in Idaho a bonus for giving up some of their contract rights I read a fascinating essay in The Atlantic about education reform in America. I wrote in the Boise Weekly that Idaho schools chief Tom Luna is the first education official to come up with this type of merit pay plan… but people in Washington, DC have thought about it too…

College of Western Idaho Delays Launch

Dennis Griffin, president of the now-forming College of Western Idaho told the state budget committee Wednesday that he feels like a puppy with big paws and too many masters giving him conflicting advice and commands.

Since approved by voters on May 22,…

ACLU on Craig, Liquor, Colleges

Idaho’s colleges and universities pitched the budget committee Tuesday and got a fairly warm, backslapping reception. U of I president pointed out that a quarter of the legislature graduated from Moscow. Also, the ACLU is still supporting Larry Craig in Minnesota, whether he likes it or not. And we may soon be able to buy tequila on Election Day…

ACLU joins Craig appeal. Would it have been disorderly conduct if they were sitting on bar stools? ACLU brief: “Because the government may not criminalize private sex, it may not criminalize an invitation to have private sex… This is even so where the invitation is extended in a public place, whether a bar or a restroom.” Bolstad in the Statesman. Russell in the Spokesman.

Liquor stores could open on election days. Longtime ban on liquor sales during polling could be amended. Former Secrectary of State Pete Cenarrusa: “I think most people act pretty soberly.” Druzin in the Statesman. Eight other states still ban liquor sales on election day too. Russell in the Spokesman. Buy the whole bottle. Hopkins in theTimes-News.

Otter already tried changing state worker bennies last year. Plan went out to workers but was rescinded after complaints from lawmakers. Admin spokesperson: “We got word from the CEC co-chairs that that was not the direction they wanted us to go and that they wanted us to absorb all cost increases internally.” Hoffman in the Boise Weekly… [cont.]

Board of Ed, Roadless, Golf

Lt. Gov. Risch and Idaho conservationists were in DC yesterday to testify on a proposed roadless plan. A series of meetings will be held around the state for those who couldn’t make it. Wolf kill and grizzly legislation is introduced along…

Dog Fights, Bad Cops, Burning

Legislators return to work today with a number of hot bills on the table: a law to close primaries and one to make dog fighting a felony. A deal is reached on N. Idaho field burning that give DEQ it’s…

Fire, Election Dates & Guns

The budget committee is paying off supplemental requests for last year including more than $20 million for fire fighting. Lawmakers are hearing from the Ag Department about field burning, animal abuse and… fire. And a dog fighting and closed primary…

300+ bills already prepped

On the first day of the session there were 312 pieces of Legislation prepared for Idaho lawmakers’ consideration. This is about average… there were 279 pre-bills last year and 350 the year before. The problem is these future bills are…