Treasurer faces first debate in 16 years

BOISE - Idaho Treasurer Ron Crane will participate in his first series of political debates since he was elected 16 years ago, but he disputes accusations that he purposefully evaded challengers in prior election seasons.

Instead, Crane has never faced a GOP primary opponent while in office, said campaign manager Ken Burgess. He added that Crane's former general election opponents weren't considered legitimate candidates and failed to meet requirements set by debate hosts.

For example, Idaho Public Television -which broadcasts Idaho congressional, legislative and statewide candidate political debates - cancelled the 2002 general election treasurer's debate because Democratic candidate Sally Beitia didn't qualify to participate. Four years later, the station cancelled the debate again when Democratic candidate Jill Ellsworth didn't respond to their invitation.

No opponents challenged him in 2010 but Crane now faces Democratic candidate Deborah Silver, an accountant, in the upcoming general election. They are schedule to debate Oct. 9 and Oct. 13.

"A debate gives the public to have a better sense of the candidate how they think, how they react to questions about the job responsibilities as well as their philosophy of government," said Boise State University political science professor emeritus Jim Weatherby.

It's not unusual for incumbents to shy away from sharing the same stage as their opponents, Weatherby said, but Crane is unusual for going nearly four terms without participating in either a local or televised debate.

Weatherby pointed out that organizing a debate is in itself a political move. Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch typically limits himself to just one debate before an election. Meanwhile Gov. Butch Otter was recently accused of snubbing south-central Idaho for not participating in the Times-News gubernatorial debate by the newspaper's editorial board.

"Your opponent who doesn't have the name recognition is desperate to share the stage with you," Weatherby said. "And the incumbent is more inclined to say no."

Typically, the Idaho treasurer's race flies under the radar compared to the rest of statewide positions. Unlike other low-profile statewide positions like controller and secretary of state, the treasurer doesn't sit on the State Land Board which manages 2.5 million acres of Idaho land.

However, the position has received more attention ever since a legislative audit was released in January that Crane's office conducted inappropriate money transfers that cost taxpayers millions of dollars beginning in 2008.

According to the audit, Crane's office lost $10.2 million after transferring investments in mortgage-backed securities hit by the collapse of the 2008 housing bubble. Crane thought the investments were worth their face value of about $31 million, instead their real market value was $10.2 million less.

To prevent the situation from occurring again, the audit called for more oversight of Crane's office which was accomplished by the creation of an advisory board during the recent 2014 legislative session.

Crane has repeatedly disputed the audit's findings, but Silver argues her opponent refuses to comply with all the auditor's recommendations.

"I'm looking forward to the debates," Silver said. "I'm very open to talking about this."

Lawmakers

face possible

bailout request

BOISE (AP) - Federal officials continue to withhold $14 million worth of payments for Idaho's education broadband program. If the money isn't restored soon, state lawmakers will be asked to fork over another multimillion dollar bailout when they convene in January for the 2015 Legislature.

The Idaho Statesman reported the federal agency that had agreed to provide three-fourths of the network funding cut off the payments after launching an investigation over a disputed contract with one of the Idaho high school broadband project's vendors.

To keep the program afloat, Idaho lawmakers agreed to provide an $11.4 million bailout, but that amount only covered the costs until February.

State schools chief Tom Luna sent letters to the Federal Com-munications Commission in May, July and August. But neither the agency nor its program manager, Universal Service Administrative Co., has said if or when the funds will be restored.

"The matter is still under review," said Johnnay D. Schrieber, Universal Service Administrative Co. general counsel.

If federal payments don't return by the time lawmakers gather in Boise for the next legislative session, state lawmakers will be asked for an additional $2.4 million to cover the program until June, which is the end of the state fiscal year.

More than 200 high schools are part of the broadband program known as the Idaho Education Network.

The program allows schools to participate in video teleconferencing, which then sets up teachers to offer classes to students across the state and increase the amount of dual-credit classes students can take to prepare for college.

POCATELLO (AP) - An eastern Idaho judge ordered a Pocatello man accused of killing a 25-year-old woman a decade ago to be held in the Bannock County Jail without bail.

The Idaho State Journal reported that 39-year-old Brad Scott Compher appeared via video from the jail and looked confused during the hearing Thursday in 6th District Court, expressing concern about missing work.

Compher, also known as Ralph Roy Compher, is charged with first-degree murder. He was arrested Wednesday after police said DNA evidence and a fingerprint linked him to the killing of Nori Jones. Her body was discovered Sept. 28, 2004, in her home by co-workers when she didn't report for work.

Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog says he might seek the death penalty.

Jones had moved to Pocatello in 1999 and worked for the Job Service, which is now called the Idaho Department of Labor. At the time of her death she was engaged to be married.

Jones had been renting the home and lived alone. Police said she had been brutally stabbed and suffered defensive wounds as well as the fatal injuries.

Judge Robert Naftz told Compher there would be no bail, and he would meet with Bannock County Public Defender Randy Schulthies on Friday.

"Please do not speak to anyone about the case," Schulthies told Compher via the video connection.

Schulthies didn't return a call from The Associated Press on Friday.

Police said Compher became a person of interest in 2010 after the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification produced a positive hit. That system is shared by police departments nationwide and the FBI and CIA. Police said the hit came from a fingerprint found at the crime scene.

Herzog, the prosecutor, declined on Friday to speak in detail about the case that's still being investigated. He also told the AP he couldn't comment specifically about why there was a span of four years between the fingerprint hit and Compher's arrest.

"A fingerprint is one thing, and connecting evidence gathered at the scene in '04 to the person the fingerprint is connected with is not always an easy thing to do," he said. "The case is based on DNA evidence to a large part. The technology has come a long ways."