Another Legislative Monday

Nice weekend of feature stories. Some good details in yet another wolf story… renewed promises from Fish and Game on viable populations and a wait and see tone from some wolf advocate corners.

Cynthia Sewell looks at two mysterious deaths of young Uzbek men in Boise and the international intrigue surrounding them.

The Times-News looks at the process of deportation, which involves Twin Falls as a hub for Idaho and Montana. It’s worth a read to better understand how people disappear.

And a bunch of speculation on how the Legislature plans to adjourn itself with little to show… in today’s Newsrack.

No Roads, Less Repeal & Outie 500?

Bikes anyone? Otter threw up his hands in disgust with the Legislature’s failure to fund his $240 million hole in the state road system. Fine, reply lawmakers. We’re outta here then…

But not so quick. Legislature could have a few more days work after the Senate trimmed back a repeal of business equipment taxes for the largest Idaho businesses, or for equipment intensive Idaho businesses, if you take the industry line. It now goes bak to the House for a grumpy approval.

Wolves are off the list, Ed Board says sorry and not much else in today’s Newsrack…

Local control depends on who’s at the controls

BOISE – Challis Rep. Lenore Hardy Barrett heads up the House Local Government Committee. The fact that its only met six times this year could indicate that Barrett believes in leaving cities and counties alone.

Transit Tax, Override and Gas Tax

10 Senators oppose local option amendment. Needs 12 no votes to defeat. Sen. McKenzie: “Right now, I just don’t think this is the right way to do this.” Druzin at the Statesman.

Senate overrides Otter drug veto. Senators share personal stories of drug…

Obama’s Race in the West

In January the black poet Nikki Giovanni came to Boise.

She was asked what Martin Luther King Jr. would do in 2008. Would he march on Washington? Protest the war in Iraq?

Would he vote for Obama?

“How the hell would I know?” Giovanni quipped…

Young politicos revealed

Labrador on Ted Kennedy. Obama at Pizza Hut. Durst on speeding tix. Pence on political passions. Your generation runs Capitol Hill.

Stogies, Constitutional & Audits

Attempts to change Idaho’s primary voting system passed Senate State Affairs Tuesday after some terse conversation between the committee Republicans and Rod Beck, a former legislator that is pushing to close the primaries.

Tuesday saw lots of discussions in the hallways and closed offices, caucuses and who knows where else. But the end game is still not clear. The Senate voted this morning to overturn an Otter veto on drug treatment funding.

Also, Gillette arrested, Legislative party life and Craig in Lewiston in today’s Newsrack…

Business Tax, Emissions & Wolves

After a mess of testimony against repeal of the personal property tax, a Senate committee voted to pass the bill onto the full Senate. Cities and counties are worried about repercussions to their budgets.

Legislators hung around the halls this…

Filings, Pro-Life & Final Week?

Confusion reigns over changes to state retiree medical bennies with a defenders of the bill going on the offensive over the weekend. The bill has yet to pass the House.

But it is still road funding that is holding the session up. Meetings this morning are aimed at breaking the impasse. That, coupled with an interesting primary season now underway, has speculators speculating that this is the last week for the folks in Boise.

PaleoMedia’s Hoffman is now a Mad Voter, Pro-Life (the dude, not the position) gets more press and loose ends in today’s Newsrack…< p/>

Movies, Food & Stalemate

In a bold, session ending type of move, the Senate adjourned until Monday hoping to get the House moving on transportation funding bills. House transportation leaders won’t give up the tax hike bills unless they get full passage of an audit. Grrr.

A film incentive bill passes a Senate committee, heads to full vote for final passage. Otter tells Boise State Radio about his Democrat dad. And today was supposed to be the last day of the session… in today’s Newsrack.