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Shorter camping stay limits in Washington state parks to begin in August
Campers in Washington’s state parks will soon find themselves unable to stay in one site quite as long. New rules approved by the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission limit camping stays to no more than 10 consecutive nights in one park in a 30-day period and a maximum of 90 days per calendar year in […]
U.S. home prices hit a record high as sales fell. Here’s how housing experts explain the trends
U.S. median home prices hit a record high for the second month in a row as sales continued to fall, according to a report released this week, as potential buyers continue to lie in wait for lower mortgage rates. Existing home sales fell 5.4% in June and median home sales reached its highest level on […]
Yellowstone National Park releases record of decision for new bison management plan
Yellowstone National Park released its new bison management plan Wednesday that aims to keep around 5,000 bison in the park’s herds and continue prioritizing a program to transfer healthy bison to tribes across the country. The plan has been in the works for more than two years. The park will keep the bison population in a […]
25 states file emergency appeal to U.S. Supreme Court to halt EPA’s carbon rule
Attorneys general in 25 states, including Idaho AG Raúl Labrador, have sent an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court asking it to immediately halt a Biden administration rule that they say threatens to shutter the country’s remaining fleet of coal-fired power plants. The emergency appeal to stay the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to […]
With $7.7 million on the line, lawsuit challenges wording in school facilities law
This story originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 25, 2024 An eastern Idaho school district is suing the state, saying a groundbreaking facilities law puts nearly $7.7 million in funding in limbo. In the July 17 lawsuit, the Oneida School District says the wording of the new laws threatens state funding that was earmarked long […]
New lawsuit seeks to stop enforcement of Idaho library materials bill
Editor’s note: This story was updated Thursday afternoon to include a quote from a representative of the Idaho Family Policy Center, a conservative Christian advocacy group who helped draft House Bill 710. A group of lawyers on behalf of private Idaho schools, privately-funded public libraries, parents and their children have sued Idaho officials in federal […]
Colorado judge temporarily blocks Kroger-Albertsons grocery ‘megamerger’
A Colorado judge has issued an order temporarily blocking the proposed $24.6 billion merger between the nation’s two largest supermarket chains ahead of an antitrust trial in state court set to begin in September. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in February sued to block the merger between grocery giant Kroger, which operates King Soopers and […]
After Texas Fire destroyed Idaho home, fundraiser seeks help for reconstruction
When Marsha Schoeffler first found out, she was standing at her sink pitting cherries. One of her neighbors knocked on her door, telling her a fire had started about a mile away. She lives four miles from Kendrick, a rural north central Idaho town home to around 300 people in Latah County. She walked out […]
Idaho AG Labrador sues to block Idahoans for Open Primaries initiative
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador is suing to block the Idahoans for Open Primaries initiative, a ballot initiative that would open Idaho’s primary elections and revamp how Idahoans cast votes in the state’s primary and general elections. Labrador’s lawsuit alleges the initiative — which has enough signatures to be on the Nov. 5 election ballot, […]
North central Idaho’s Texas Fire is 80% contained, fire officials say in last planned update
Fire officials plan to assign fewer firefighters to the Texas Fire in north central Idaho as they report the wildfire is 80% contained. The Texas Fire burning east of Kendrick in Latah County slightly grew to 1,582 acres, the Idaho Department of Lands said in a news release Wednesday, which is the final update on […]
IOC officially awards Utah the 2034 Olympics — but not without final-hour drama
It was just after 4:20 a.m. in Salt Lake City, where a crowd of about 2,000 Utahns — many of them sporting 2002 Olympic hats, jackets and other memorabilia — waited with bated breath as the International Olympic Committee voted Wednesday on whether Utah would again host the Winter Games in 2034. “Come on!” someone […]
These futuristic tools are essential for sustaining Idaho’s health care workforce
Idaho is facing a critical shortage of health care workers. When that happens, pressure mounts on universities to increase health care graduates. But, it’s not as simple as opening the floodgates and allowing more students to enroll. Faculty availability, limited special equipment, and even physical space present significant challenges. So what can we do? One […]
Hydrothermal explosion causes damage in area of Yellowstone National Park
A hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park damaged a boardwalk and sent debris several stories into the air Tuesday morning in the Biscuit Basin area northwest of Old Faithful, according to the scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. The explosion, which Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland said was a “small” one, happened around 10 […]
Idaho Democratic convention delegates endorse VP Kamala Harris for president
Idaho delegates to the Democratic National Convention have unanimously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee, the Idaho Democratic Party announced in a press release Tuesday afternoon. Idaho joins states including South Dakota, Nebraska, Maryland, Florida, New Hampshire, Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia where Democrats have announced their support for Harris. Idaho Democratic […]
Central Idaho fire restrictions issued; firefighters report gains in Bench Lake, Texas wildfires
Firefighters continue to make progress containing two wildfires burning in central Idaho and north central Idaho. In central Idaho, fire officials reported the Bench Lake Fire burning in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest is 23% contained, up from 13% reported Monday. Fire officials, in a news release, credit progress containing the eastern edge of the Bench […]
Idaho switched government employee health insurers, now lawsuit seeks to void $1.1B contract
For the first time in almost two decades, Idaho switched insurance companies for its government employee health insurance plan. Idaho contract officials used a new contracting process that lets bidding companies and the state negotiate after bids are submitted. But after losing the contract to Regence BlueShield of Idaho, the former insurer, Blue Cross of […] The post Idaho switched government employee health insurers, now lawsuit seeks to void $1.1B contract appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
Strong demand for Power district’s no-till drill reflects growing interest in soil health statewide
This piece first appeared in the Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission’s monthly newsletter, Conservation the Idaho Way. The soil health movement appears to be gaining significant momentum among Idaho farmers and conservation districts statewide. Over 10 years after the Natural Resources Conservation Service launched its Soil Health Initiative in 2012, a growing number of […] The post Strong demand for Power district’s no-till drill reflects growing interest in soil health statewide appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
Texas Fire in North Idaho is now 60% contained, officials say
Crews fighting the Texas Fire burning east of Kendrick in Latah County report that the fire is 60% contained, making “significant progress” securing the fireline, fire officials said. Almost 200 firefighters were fighting the human-caused fire in North Idaho that has shrunk to 1,565 acres with more accurate mapping, according to a news release Monday […] The post Texas Fire in North Idaho is now 60% contained, officials say appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
‘Endangered’ status to remain in effect for Washington wolves
A sharply-divided state panel on Friday retained strict protections for gray wolves in Washington, concluding their status under the state’s endangered species law should not change despite signs of a growing population. In a pair of 5-4 votes, the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected downlisting wolves from “endangered” to either “threatened” or “sensitive,” […] The post ‘Endangered’ status to remain in effect for Washington wolves appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
Feds say new investments in Oregon sage grouse habitat paying off, but conservationists disagree
Work to restore imperiled sage grouse habitat in southeast Oregon is moving faster than Tracy Stone-Manning had imagined a year into massive federal investments in landscape restoration. Stone-Manning, director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, recently visited the agency’s Lakeview, Oregon, field office and federal land near burns to see a spring and a […] The post Feds say new investments in Oregon sage grouse habitat paying off, but conservationists disagree appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
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