Idaho Briefs
President Obama to speak next week in Boise
BOISE - The White House said President Barack Obama will visit Boise next week as he elaborates on the themes of his upcoming Tuesday night State of the Union address.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president will speak next Wednesday at Boise State University in Boise.
On Thursday, the president plans to deliver remarks at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.
Obama has spent the past two weeks unveiling his new initiatives in a series of speeches around the country and social media posts.
Panel votes to give public workers 3 percent hike
BOISE - For a second year, a joint legislative committee has unanimously supported increasing wages for Idaho's 17,000 state workers in fiscal year 2016.
The bipartisan Change in Employee Compensation Committee proposed awarding a 3 percent pay boost on a merit basis. This means, however, not everyone is guaranteed a raise.
The recommendation - estimated to cost nearly $30 million - now needs full legislative approval. But it is already expected to be supported by the governor.
Gov. Butch Otter did not back employee raises last year, saying it wasn't right time. This year, Otter has since changed his mind as tax revenues have steadily increased.
The committee spent the first half of the meeting largely discussing how much state employees should be paid and how much their wages should be bumped. Two Democratic lawmakers suggested separate proposals that would have nearly eliminated state workers from being allowed to make the federal wage.
UI's Bruce Pitman a tough act to follow
MOSCOW - University of Idaho's interim provost and executive vice president, Katherine Aiken, effectively brought crowds of sentimental listeners to roars of laughter Thursday when she presented - as she said was assigned her - historical comments on student services.
Although student services was a concept introduced during the Athenian Period - the eighth through sixth centuries B.C. - and embraced in the U.S. in the 17th century, Aiken made clear that honoree Bruce Pitman was not present for those events.
State and local dignitaries, and UI administrators, faculty and staff gathered with Moscow residents to honor Pitman with the official dedication of the Bruce M. Pitman Center, formerly the Student Union Building. Pitman provided the university with more than 40 years of service, much of it as dean of students and vice provost of student affairs. He retired in October.
University President Chuck Staben remarked Aiken was always a hard act to follow, as would be Pitman.
- The Associated Press