NEW THIS MORNING: Wednesday, October 2

1. Secretary of State McGrane talks voter education, election security in visit to Coeur d'Alene

Kootenai County voters were able to hear from Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Locke during the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s Beyond the Ballot Luncheon on Tuesday.  

McGrane and Locke spoke in depth about November’s upcoming election, including voter education and election security. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe was the presenting sponsor for Tuesday’s luncheon, and Coeur d'Alene Chamber President and CEO Linda Coppess moderated the discussion.  

McGrane, a strong advocate for voter education, said he hopes that updated voter tools on voteidaho.gov will “empower voters to make more informed choices.” 

2. Post Falls creates IT director position, hires Kirby for position

On the same day the email system went down for the city's government, a new IT director position was created.  

During the City Council meeting Tuesday night, a position overseeing all IT functions was approved with Mike Kirby appointed to the position.   

Kirby has been working at City Hall for 25 years. Following the meeting, he said he’s ready to take on the job.  

“I do whatever the city needs me to do,” Kirby said.  

3. Idaho senator's residency challenged by District 2 constituents

Two constituents from Idaho's 2nd legislative district are challenging whether Idaho State Sen. Phil Hart lives in the district.

Deborah Rose of Athol and Bruce (Evan) Koch of Spirit Lake submitted a request Sept. 15 to Secretary of State Phil McGrane to investigate Hart's residency. They allege the home at Hart's address has been under construction for several years and they have reason to believe Hart is not residing at the location.

"As concerned citizens from both sides of the political aisle — one a registered Democrat and the other a registered Republican — we are united in our desire to ensure that our elected officials are adhering to the residency requirements set forth by Idaho law," Koch and Rose state in the request. "We believe that transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining the integrity of our electoral system."

4. State funding boosts school security: Lakeland, Plummer-Worly expand safety teams

The Lakeland Joint and Plummer-Worley school districts are among 27 Idaho districts and charter schools that will be awarded state funding for school resource officers.

The Idaho State Department of Education announced Tuesday it will provide more than $2.2 million to fund these positions. Lakeland will be awarded $239,760 and Plummer-Worley $333,195 for three years.

Plummer-Worley School District, which has three school buildings, is working with the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Department to install the district's first school resource officer in 20 years.

"I know it's going to help us a ton," Plummer-Worley School District business manager Sara Allen said. "We’re trying to stop some of the problems we have here."