State News Briefs Feb. 9, 2010

Tapeworm in Idaho years before wolves

BOISE - Idaho's wildlife agency wants to set the record straight: Tapeworms were in Idaho long before wolves were transplanted, and they only rarely infect people.

On Monday, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game sent out a press release in response to a flurry of letters to local newspapers blaming the predators for introducing the quarter-inch tapeworms known as Echinococcus granulosus.

In fact, this tapeworm is endemic to most sheep-raising areas of the world and has been found in elk, mule deer and wolves in Idaho since at least 2006.

But they aren't new: Cysts formed by the tapeworm larva were found in domestic sheep from Idaho that were sent to California for slaughter in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Lawmaker: Nix 'retarded,' 'lunatic'

BOISE - An Idaho legislator wants to get rid of words like "lunatic" and "retarded" from state laws, saying they're outdated and disrespectful.

Boise Democrat Senator Les Bock says changing language in the state code will help educate the public - and send a message Idaho doesn't tolerate insulting language.

He says person with mental issues should be referred to as "intellectually disabled," instead.

He introduced legislation Monday that amends every law he could find that currently uses words like "mentally deficient," "idiot," and "handicapped."

He told the Senate Judiciary and Rules committee he was reading a bill last year that included the words "mentally retarded."

He worked with advocacy groups for people with disabilities and state agencies over the summer to find and replace language they considered objectionable.