BOISE — Last week, Idaho legislators voted to censure Dist. 7A Rep. Priscilla Giddings and remove her from one of her three assigned committees regarding conduct unbecoming of a legislator.

Tensions were high between legislators Monday morning, Nov. 15, as they debated and ultimately voted to censure Rep. Priscilla Giddings and remove her from one of her three assigned committees over conduct unbecoming of a legislator.

State redistricting is complete, and Idaho County finds itself in a smaller, more compact Legislative District 7.

Challenges in the change, and positive outlooks on the future were shared by area legislators, speaking on recently completed state legislative redistricting. The Free Press reached out to all six representatives for current districts 6 and 7, and received responses from Dist. 7 Senator Carl…

According to a recent WalletHub report, Idaho has the second least equitable school districts in the United States. Overall, however, some districts within the state are fairer than others.

GRANGEVILLE — “I’m very offended by this. It’s wrong, it’s a warrantless search. Normally you have to have cause to come in and look at someone’s financials.”

Editor’s note: Regional economist Kathryn Tacke died unexpectedly on July 2. This is the last article she submitted for publication. Her previous articles can be found at Labor’s Idaho@Work blog.

State reporting on vehicle crashes will no longer include names or patient transportation information, according to Idaho State Police (ISP).

Support for education issues was mixed in District 7 for the 2021 legislative session. This is according to the 2021 Legislative Scorecard, released last month by Idaho Business for Education (IBE).

A recently released 2021 Kids Count Data Book outlined state trends in child well-being, with Idaho ranking No. 16 for overall child well-being.

Twenty years ago, the lives of people in the nation were changed in an instant. The ripples from the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, were felt around the globe.

Last week’s National Guard activation by Gov. Brad Little adds hundreds of new medical personnel for Idaho hospitals that are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, among which are facilities in Cottonwood (St. Mary’s Health) and Orofino (Clearwater Valley Health).

BOISE — Following testimony in a public hearing last week, the House Ethics Committee on Aug. 3 unanimously recommended Dist. 7A Rep. Priscilla Giddings be censured, saying she lied to the committee and to the public and engaged in other behavior detrimental to the Idaho House.

BOISE — The House Ethics Committee will hold a public hearing next week to consider two ethics complaints filed against Dist. 7A Rep. Priscilla Giddings, alleging she acted in a manner “unbecoming a representative.”

Boise — Grangeville resident Mary Schmidt is among 12 in the state of Idaho who will be honored by the Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS) later this month.

Among the activities curtailed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic year was criminal, as statistics released from the state’s annual Crime in Idaho report show. For Idaho County, criminal offenses were at a five-year low last year, which also showed a nearly 17 percent decrease in crime from 2019.

BOISE – Governor Brad Little joined state and federal fire managers during a press conference, on July 13, at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise to urge Idahoans to be safe and smart in the outdoors to minimize the risk of wildfire during what could be the worst fire season…

As the U.S. continues its efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, staying safe is one of Americans’ top concerns. Safety is also essential for getting the economy back on track, as the lower COVID-19 transmission and deaths are in a state, the more that state is able to eliminate restrict…

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.1 percent in April, dropping slightly from 3.2 percent in March.

BOISE — Dist. 7 Senator Carl Crabtree (R, Grangeville) is one of nine persons serving on the newly formed Idaho Broadband Advisory Board.

State Representative Priscilla Giddings (R-D7) announced last Friday, May 21, she has filed paperwork to run for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho.

Employers across the U.S. report difficulties recruiting workers. The problem is especially intense in Idaho, where unemployment rates are lower, and employers are trying to add jobs faster.

BOISE — May 12th’s announcement by Gov. Brad Little that he is ending the state’s participation in three federal pandemic unemployment compensation programs, combined with last week’s signing of House Bill 380 into law, come on the heels of a recent release of the latest Rich States, Poor St…

Idaho is seeking to execute a prison inmate for the first time in nearly a decade, issuing a death warrant for next month for convicted double-murderer Gerald Pizzuto, Jr.

WASHINGTON – U.S. senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) in introducing the Making Obligations Right by Enlarging Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act, or MORE PILT Act. This bill would direct the Secretary of Interior to conduct a study on federal la…

BOISE – Governor Brad Little announced today Idaho will end its participation in three federal pandemic unemployment compensation programs to help employers get workers back on the job.

BOISE – Governor Brad Little recently signed Senate Bill 1199 into law, directing $45 million toward new investments in internet connectivity for underserved areas to improve commerce, economic growth, and education, on top of close to $50 million made available for broadband investments last year.

BOISE — Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin’s Task Force to Examine Indoctrination in Idaho Education continues to take shape. Interviews are ongoing and the full task force member roster should be available within the next two weeks.

BOISE -- The Idaho Legislature passed the 100 day mark this week; bills are still flowing as we hit the third longest session in the history of the state.

During their second week back from recess, Idaho’s legislators are in overdrive moving bills, updating budgets, and hearing proposals for Idaho to absorb more than half of Oregon and bits of Northern California.

BOISE — Teachers are in the spotlight again in Idaho, but once more, they are denied funding after House Bill 354 failed after a long debate. This hour and a half discussion on the floor involved fears that House Republicans have regarding teachers talking about race theory with their studen…

BOISE -- After a two-week recess due to COVID related issues in the statehouse, costing upwards of $300 thousand, the Idaho legislature is back in Boise and is in overdrive to finish the session.

BOISE -- In early March, the Invasive Species of Idaho responded to a slew of invasive species from multiple places around Idaho. Their main concern, which the Idaho Senate Agriculture Committee heard on March 16, is zebra mussels and moss balls - something that isn’t native to Idaho but is …

Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a proclamation on April 1 recognizing April as month of the military child.

BOISE — “There’s a lot of good conservative legislation in the building, but it’s not being allowed to go through,” said Dist. 7A Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird. “Bringing light to the whole social justice curriculum in schools is a slow process,” she said, during an interview last We…

BOISE -- Idaho Governor Brad Little held a press conference emphasizing the need to accept almost $5 billion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government to invest in Idaho’s future.

BOISE -- Disagreements, lawsuits and mixed feelings about COVID swept through the Legislature, and the virus followed right along after.

BOISE — S1,136 goes on to the Idaho house, following passage last Friday, March 12, by the senate. The bill would revise Idaho code to clarify and limit the powers of the governor during episodes of extreme emergency. The bill came as a result of concerns of executive overreach, specifically…