Idaho Briefs

• Coroner: Man found dead after fire shot himself

BOISE - The Ada County coroner says a man whose body was found after a fire destroyed a house in Meridian last week shot himself with a shotgun.

The coroner's office said Tuesday that the body of 64-year-old Kenton Brandel was found Friday morning, after the fire was extinguished. Officials used dental records to identify Brandel.

Deputies say a passer-by or neighbor reported the fire at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

• ISU reaches settlement with fired professor

POCATELLO - Idaho State University has reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit brought by former professor Habib Sadid.

Sadid, who was fired in 2009, told the Idaho State Journal he felt the courts were biased against him and he was disappointed in the settlement terms.

The terms of the settlement weren't released. Sadid has sued the university in state court twice before, contending officials violated his right to free speech and that he was wrongly fired.

• Caldwell passes rule on payday loan shops

CALDWELL - Officials in a southwestern Idaho city have passed new rules limiting where payday loan businesses can open shop.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports the Caldwell City Council passed an ordinance this week limiting new payday loan businesses to manufacturing and light industrial zones. The rules mean that if a payday loan company wants to open a storefront in a populated area, it will have to get a special use permit.

- Associated Press