The laws known as Students Come First passed the Legislature in 2011 and are now on the November ballot for repeal.
Luna’s debate partner is Brian Cronin. Cronin is a current Democratic legislator, but isn’t seeking reelection. He is now a senior vice president with Seattle-based Strategies 360, a consulting firm helping the campaign to repeal the education laws.
The event is sold out, but StateImpact will be there live-blogging the hour-long debate. Plus, you’ll be able to hear a recording of City Club on Boise State Public Radio this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m.
The Idaho Department of Labor today approved training grants for three southern Idaho businesses.
The grants total more than $567,000 and are paid for by a tax on businesses.
The Labor Department says High Desert Milk in Burley can receive up to $144,000 to train 20 new employees for operations, lab work, safety and maintenance.
Amalgamated Sugar can receive up to $406,000 to train 78 new maintenance mechanics for its Paul and Twin Falls facilities. Continue Reading →
Wind producers aren't the only ones pushing back against Idaho utilities over independent power production.
The federal law that helped 30 Idaho wind projects get underway over the last four years was initially championed by an entirely different breed of business: timber companies, canal companies, and Simplot. That adds a twist to a story that is, on its face, about a dispute between the renewable energy industry and utilities, primarily Idaho Power. Continue Reading →
Idaho has fewer doctors for every 100,000 people than every state in the nation except one - Mississippi.
Ever since the Association of American Medical Colleges has been compiling this info, Idaho has ranked at the bottom of the list.
Explore the data. Click around the map to see how Idaho compares to other states. Continue reading →
Sometimes, in reporting, you stumble across something that is just plain great. Lately I’ve been focused on wind development, and this wind map is one of those awesome things I happened to find. Go ahead: click on it. You’ll see.
Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viegas
The live wind map is an art project, as the site explains. It’s based on data from the National Digital Forecast Database, and it’s updated hourly.
My recent reporting has given me an excuse talk to landowners and lawyers and utility reps and folks at the Idaho Public Utility Commission. Those are fascinating conversations, but it’s complex stuff. That is to say: this mesmerizing, real-time representation of winds blowing all across the U.S. came as a breath of fresh air. Pun intended. Couldn’t resist.
Courtesy: Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Most of us don’t think about where the electricity that powers our lights, televisions, computers, phones — our lives — comes from. And if we wanted to find out, how many of us would know where to start?
The governor's panel on Medicaid expansion met for the first time back in August.
Between 97,000 and 111,000 additional Idahoans would be eligible for Medicaid if the state chooses to expand eligibility. But where would those people come from? Close to half would migrate from four other state programs already in place to help low-income residents with medical needs.
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter must decide if Idaho will expand its Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act. A workgroup he assembled has been weighing the state’s options, and met for a second time Thursday in Boise.
If the state expands eligibility, about 35,000 people would migrate to Medicaid from community health centers. Another 6,000 would come from Idaho’s Catastrophic Health Program. Continue Reading →
What emerges is a picture of struggle in the state. Median household income has dropped, while the poverty rate and food stamp use have climbed year after year since 2007.
In an effort to alleviate Idaho’s doctor shortage, the Idaho Board of Education is asking state lawmakers to approve money to pay for five additional students to attend the University of Washington’s medical school in Seattle.
Idaho, like Alaska, Montana and Wyoming, does not have its own medical school. Instead, the four states rely on a program known as WWAMI.
The program (which sounds like “whammy”) is based at the University of Washington School of Medicine. A certain number of students from each of the four states attend, paying in-state tuition instead of the more expensive out-of-state price.
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