Catching up on the news
Well, I didn’t go far, but I did get some rest at home last week. Here’s a catchup on some of the recent news:
POSSIBLE PRIMARY ELECTION DELAY: Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney sent a request to Gov. Brad Little on Friday to delay the May 19 primary election,and to close all polling locations, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Denney's request comes after several meetings between his office and Idaho's 44 county clerks to find alternatives to in-person voting for the May 19 primary. Denney said in the letter that his office is requesting an order to delay the election to no earlier than June 16, giving registered voter the opportunity to request an absentee ballot.
"The recommendations by federal, state, and local public health authorities to limit public interactions makes the use of traditional polling places on Election Day extremely hazardous if not logistically impossible," Denney said in his letter to Little. You can read our full story here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up Saturday’s edition of the Idaho Press.
MANY RENTERS OUT OF WORK AS RENT PAYMENTS LOOM: Idaho Press reporter Margaret Carmel has a report on renters in Boise, including restaurant workers, who’ve been forced out of work by business closures related to COVID-19, even as the April 1 deadline to pay their rent or mortgage payments looms. You can read Carmel’s full story here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up Saturday’s edition of the Idaho Press.
INFECTIONS, DEATHS CONTINUE TO RISE: As of Sunday’s 5 p.m. update, the official state coronavirus website was reporting 310 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Idaho and six deaths; that includes 113 cases and two deaths in Ada County, and 40 cases and one death in Canyon County. The average age of Idahoans infected is 48.9. The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare will offer a new COVID-19 hotline to answer Idahoans’ questions about the pandemic, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1-888-330-3010.
AMID STAY-AT-HOME ORDER, AMMON BUNDY CALLS MEETING: Idaho Press reporter Ryan Suppe has a full report online here on the Emmett resident’s actions, done in protest of the governor’s statewide stay-home order due to the coronavirus, or pick up Saturday’s edition of the Idaho Press; it’s on the front page.
LAWMAKERS END SESSION WITH MUCH UNSETTLED: Today’s Sunday/Monday edition of the Idaho Press features a roundup by Post Register reporter Nathan Brown of what did, and didn’t, come out of this year’s legislative session, along with sidebars from the AP and myself on bill-signings and vetoes thus far; you can read the full report here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up today’s edition; it’s on the front page.
HOW STATE’S NEW 1% HOLDBACK AFFECTS SCHOOLS: Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert breaks down how the governor’s newly announced 1% budget holdback will affect Idaho K-12 public schools and higher education; you can read it here online at idahoednews.org, or pick up today’s Sunday/Monday edition of the Idaho Press; it’s on the front page.
THREE MOUNTAIN LION KITTENS FIND NEW HOME: Idaho Press reporter Thomas Plank reports that Idaho Fish & Game has rescued three orphaned mountain lion kittens and found new homes for them at zoos. The three female kittens were found without their mothers earlier this year, and were all between 3 and 4 months old. Two of the kittens will be sent to the San Diego Zoo while another will be sent to an accredited zoo in El Paso, Texas; you can read Plank’s full report here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up today’s Sunday/Monday edition of the Idaho Press. And thanks to Idaho Fish & Game for providing the photo of the kittens shown at the top of this post; Fish & Game officials reported that the kittens are “sassy.”