C. Otter News

Gov. Butch Otter told a crowd of at least 75 people, including lawmakers, university and ag officials, farmers and more, at the Parma Research and Extension Center today that any decision to close the center needs to go through both the president of the University of Idaho and the State Board of Education.

Gov. Butch Otter and University of Idaho President M. Duane Nellis have jointly announced an indefinite delay in the proposed closure of the Parma Research and Extension Center, a closure that drew an outcry of protest from fruit growers and others in the area.

Imagine a state run by a governor with no obligation to any political party and no promises to toe anybody's line but the people's. That's what former Republican state representative Jana Kemp envisions for Idaho if she's elected governor next year - as an independent.

Former Democratic state Sen. David Langhorst of Boise has been appointed to the Idaho Tax Commission by Gov.

Idaho unemployment claims are running at high volume, with 45,000 active claims as of mid-June, thanks to the economic downturn and widespread layoffs, including those in the high-tech sector.

It might seem odd that during these tight times, the state Department of Education is announcing eight new staffers for a new division to oversee all statewide, federally mandated student testing and the GEAR UP program, a program to help low-income students work toward college.

As the lived-in VW van of a young German photographer drove into the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho, this Yank learned a new lesson in why the United States is a global beacon.

Sharon Harrigfeld, a longtime Idaho juvenile corrections employee and official, has been named the new director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, replacing Larry Callicutt, who is retiring Aug.

If the Idaho State Police had to absorb the loss of all its gas tax funding a year from tomorrow, it wouldn't have anyone left to patrol the state's roads, police officials told lawmakers today.

Idaho wants to know whether owners of heavy trucks and cars are paying their fair share for roads.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford carried on a lively e-mail exchange with his lover in Buenos Aires, praising... To say Bob Tencate likes attention is an understatement.

You don't need me to tell you that the Republican brand has not been doing so well lately.

NV Energy formally withdrew its application for a coal-fired power plant near Ely, Nevada.

Idaho pollster Greg Smith today released results of a new poll, conducted June 15-18 of 400 randomly selected Idahoans 18 or older, and found that U.S. Sens.

In the Rockies today, Utah is at the center of the debate over nuclear energy. In Washington, D.C. Monday, Sen.

Fruit growers and others in southwest Idaho upset over the University of Idaho's plan to close it's Parma Research Extension Center say they may take action to get the decision reversed.

State Sen. Chuck Winder has been appointed by Gov. Butch Otter to the nine-member investment board that manages about $1.6 billion for Idaho's land grant endowment funds, the State Insurance Fund, state park endowments and the Judges' Retirement Fund.

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region, a consortium of state and provincial officials from the U.S. and Canada along with government and business leaders from both nations, will hold its 19th annual "summit" meeting in Boise this year, July 12-16, the first time the organization has held its annual conference here.

Boise's had three bicyclist fatalities in a month, prompting leaders and cyclists to wonder just how safe the city is for riders.

"You represent and very well know this is a great day for Blackfoot. But I'd also tell you it's a great day for Idaho," said Governor Butch Otter.