Free Republic

- The Hon. Vern Bisterfeldt is a retired Boise City Police officer and as a Republican served multiple terms as an Ada County Commissioner. He is now a Boise City Councilor. - Pat Pettiette, is a former vice president at Washington Group International, and served as the project manager for a U.S. Department of Energy project. He is a past donor to President George Bush and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo.

The following legislation has been introduced in the US Senate today by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Harry Reid: 110TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide for thorium fuel cycle nuclear power generation. > Thorium Energy owns property in Lemhi Pass, Idaho, where it is generally believed that the largest veins of thorium-rich minerals in the world are located. Analysis of the deposits shows them to be either the highest grade or in the top tier of the highest grade known anywhere on Earth.

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today voted to support the Economic Rescue Bill. This vote was cast not to protect the fat cats on Wall Street, but to help Main Street by stopping the decimation of saving and investments, and the inability for businesses to borrow money for improvements and to pay their employees. “I did not make this vote lightly. Rather, it was one of the toughest votes I have ever cast,” said Congressman Mike Simpson. “I voted yes on the bill because I sincerely believe the greater risk for taxpayers is in not acting. The bill...

Less than a month into the football season, the Idaho Vandals are undergoing another makeover after spectators complained that cheerleaders’ uniforms were flashing a little more than school spirit. After the football team dumped the school logo from the buttocks of their new pants, the university in Moscow got complaints that new two-piece cheerleader uniforms were too skimpy. “A number of fans were concerned that the uniforms were inappropriate,” said Bruce Pitman, dean of students. “To be fair, there were a number of fans who liked them.” The outfits that drew controversy, halter tops and short black skirts with white...

The U.S. attorney's office is making a federal case out of a spilt soda. The Bush administration's top attorney in Idaho is bringing charges against a North Idaho woman for refusing to pay for a Diet Coke and then pouring it out on a counter at a cafeteria at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise.

Nampa businessman Scott Faris didn't vote for John McCain in the primary and he wasn't excited about his choices in November. But when McCain picked Idaho native Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee, Faris became excited. "I'm certainly on board now," Faris said. "I think this brings more Republicans and conservatives out." No Idaho Republican candidate has benefited from Palin's bump more than 1st Congressional District Rep. Bill Sali. Sali's Democratic challenger, Walt Minnick, was raising more money than Sali. And GOP leaders like Gov. Butch Otter were still unhappy about Sali's role in ousting state party Chairman Kirk...

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin attended five colleges in six years before graduating from the University of Idaho in 1987. Federal privacy laws prohibit the schools from disclosing her grades, and none of the schools contacted by The Associated Press could say why she transferred. There was no indication any of them were contacted as part of the background investigation of Palin by presidential candidate John McCain's campaign. "Our office was not contacted by anyone," said Tania Thompson, spokeswoman for the University of Idaho in Moscow. Palin, the governor of Alaska, was born in Idaho....

A Boise Christian activist and another American were detained by Chinese authorities for a second straight day, a friend said. Boise conservative activist Bryan Fischer, who works closely with Swindell, said Thursday evening that Swindell was immediately deported and put on a plane bound for the U.S. It is assumed Mahoney was put on the plane as well. Video of the protest shows what appear to be plainclothes Chinese officers flashing badges and shooing away reporters as Boisean Brandi Swindell and the Rev. Patrick Mahoney decry Chinese human rights abuses. The two are dragged across Beijing's Tienanman Square on their...

By Bryan Fischer Lynn Moses will be locked up in federal prison next Wednesday. His crime? Protecting the city of Driggs, Idaho from flooding. When Mr. Moses began to develop a subdivision along Teton Creek in 1980, Teton County required him to implement an engineer’s plan to modify the Teton Creek stream bed to prevent the flooding of subdivision property, caused by the buildup of gravel bars and downed trees, during high water flows in the spring. In fact, the county would not allow him even to record the plat for the subdivision until the modification work had been done,...

Lynn Moses, a Driggs, Idaho man, will enter the federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon today at 2 p.m. in an unfolding story of government tyranny. Mr. Moses lost his wife to an unexpected heart attack 1 ½ years ago, and suspects that the stress created by this abuse of federal power is responsible. And yesterday he was forced to leave his 17-year-old daughter Whitney at home in tears, who will now have to experience her senior in high school without the companionship of either of her parents, both of them taken from her by the repressive power of the central...

"We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately." — Benjamin Franklin.Imagine your city council enacts controversial legislation with no public notice despite city employees telling concerned citizens that before any action was taken, they'd read about it in the paper. Imagine that your city continues to refuse to hold a public hearing despite the uproar and you sue. The judge not only finds against you, but orders you to pay $10,000 in legal fees. Your city tries to thwart your every effort to get your issue on the ballot, using a long and frivolous legal battle...

IDAHO. Governor Butch Otter (R) is hinting he may work behind the scenes to defeat bombastic freshman Congressman Bill Sali (R) in November.

A county prosecutor is taking on a Supreme Court ruling that for decades has protected flag desecration as a citizen's right to free expression. The challenge may be the first of its kind in Idaho, legal experts say. Invoking a misdemeanor statute the Legislature passed eight years before a Supreme Court ruling changed federal law in 1989, Minidoka County Prosecutor Nikki Cannon has charged former school teacher Dan Luker with publicly mutilating a U.S. flag at his school on May 5. Cannon alleges that Luker, then an English as a Second Language teacher, threw the flag on the floor of...

Boaters who use canoes, kayaks, drift boats and other nonmotorized craft could know in July if a fee will be proposed in next year's Legislature. Gov. Butch Otter reconvened on Monday a group that is working to "develop a fair and equitable approach to funding the state's boating program." But the basic decision the group appears to be facing is whether to implement registration fees for nonmotorized boats. Motorized boats and sailboats already pay registration fees and gas taxes, and their annual fee was raised Jan. 1 from a base of $13 to $20 for boats up to 12 feet,...

BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) - The Idaho Supreme Court on Monday ruled that an illegal immigrant who was injured is entitled to medical assistance. In their ruling, the high court sided with Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, which sued Ada County Commissioners after they denied an application for medical indigency assistance.

SANDPOINT, Idaho — New Idaho Republican Chairman Norm Semanko takes over a party that dominates the state but threatened to burst at the seams at this weekend's convention, with disparate factions at odds over everything from tackling marijuana legalization to whether to close the state's GOP primary to all but registered party voters. Semanko ousted two-term incumbent Kirk Sullivan, who earlier Saturday had been endorsed by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. The tally was 227-169. A separate 199-192 vote among delegates in Sandpoint that supported retaining the state's open primary is indicative just how divided this convention was. That vote is...

RUPERT, Idaho — An alleged racial slur against Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has sparked criticism against a southern Idaho radio station, with some in the community calling for the show to be canceled. Obama supporters allege a conservative talk show host on Rupert, Idaho-based KBAR AM this week referred to the Illinois senator as the "black Negroid Barack Hussein Obama."

A local family-owned radio network has lost advertising since Monday when a morning show personality on its AM station was charged by state Democrats with racially slurring Barack Obama. Zeb Bell, 60, a conservative talk show host who has leased air time on Rupert-based KBAR AM for eight years, denies he made any racial remarks targeted at the presumptive Democratic nominee. But he admits his guest and friend Frosty Wooldridge did. Thomas Garcia, an Obama supporter, circulated an e-mail alleging that Bell called Obama the "black Negroid Barack Hussein Obama" on his Monday morning show. More than a dozen irate...

Bird populations are down due to harsh winters, drought. Biologists say spring weather and nesting success are crucial for them to recover.and they may take years to rise Southwest Idaho's chukar population has taken a dive in the last two years due to harsh winters and drought, and it might take that many years for populations to recover even under improved weather and nesting conditions. That's the word from Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologist Andy Ogden. This could be a pivotal year for chukars because they typically live only two years. A high proportion of Idaho's chukars are...

Item: Minnick condemns Sali for voting against bill crucial to rural Idaho More Info: The House on Thursday rejected a bill that would have continued for four years payments to rural counties hurt by federal cutbacks in logging. A majority of lawmakers voted for the bill, but under special House rules, the bill was defeated. Supporters brought up the measure under rules that did not allow any amendments. The 218-193 vote in favor — largely along party lines — was well short of the two-thirds needed. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., denounced Republicans who voted against the bill,...

Public memorial services for J.R. Simplot were held Sunday afternoon at Qwest Arena in Downtown Boise. The Grove Plaza was full of people, including triathletes wrapped in tinfoil blankets, and mourners in black suits who entered Qwest Arena for the service. Simplot's family members formed a receiving line and introduced themselves to the thousands of guests who filed in for the memorial service, which began at 2 p.m. Larry Hlobik, president and CEO of Simplot Co., opened the service and the Boise Philharmonic and the Boise Master Choral performed the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Simplot's children and grandchildren addressed...

John McCain has the Republican nomination wrapped up, but Ron Paul isn't going anywhere. In fact, in Tuesday's little-noticed Republican primary in Idaho, the iconoclastic Texas congressman had his best showing so far, grabbing 24 percent of the vote, nearly 30,000 votes in all. McCain won with 70 percent, while the other 6 percent went to uncommitted...

This is the link to the UNOFFICIAL Idaho Primary Election Night results.

Be sure to vote in the Primaries tomorrow and be sure to vote as conservative as is humanly possible. Please.

MONTPELIER, Idaho (AP) _ A Seattle company has picked Montpelier for a $7 million plant where workers will build environmentally friendly modular motels. Executives from Triad Resorts say they will begin construction of the new plant in Montpellier in the next 90 days, with operations expected to begin next March. The company expects to hire about 150 workers. The plant will produce fully constructed rooms on site that can be shipped by truck and linked to other modular rooms at a motel site. Jerry Ward, principal owner of Triad Resorts, says the company has a contract to also build walls,...

Welcome! I'm running for Idaho State Senate seat 22 against the Republican incumbent, who I don't see as conservative enough for our district. This was something of a last minute decision for me, and it was not an easy one. As this web page demonstrates, I am not spending money on campaign consultants and web developers. Please look around, and if you think I am a bit more of what you think your representative in the upper house of the Idaho legislature should be, then please vote for me in the May primary.

None of the adults at the Meridian Little League practice knew what to do Wednesday night when a 13-year-old boy collapsed rounding second base. But 14-year-old Jessica Moncrieff did. From the adjacent field, where she was scrimmaging with her club soccer team, Moncrieff could see people clapping their hands to wake the boy up. Some were screaming. But no one started CPR - not until Moncrieff ran over and took charge. And paramedics say Moncrieff may have made the difference in the young boy's life. --- SNIP ---- She was watching the boy on the ground and thinking she could...

College Republicans sponsor visit from global warming skeptic The other side of the global warming debate is one of negation. Christopher C. Horner, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming," represents this side. Horner presented his lecture (sponsored by the College Republicans) titled, "A Dose of Sobriety About 'Global Warming' Alarmism," Tuesday, May 6 in the Student Union Hatch Ballroom. Horner believes that global warming is not a crisis but is merely a temporary climate shift that will correct itself. "[The Earth's] temperature relates to the sun," Horner said. Surface temperature stations around the world measure the heat...

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho -- A man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who later gave birth in eastern Idaho. The girl gave birth less than two weeks ago by caesarian section at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Fremont County Sheriff Ralph C. Davis and other authorities said. Officials would not disclose the gender, date of birth or paternity of the baby. "I wouldn't have believed a 10-year-old could conceive in the first place," Davis said. A hospital spokeswoman would not discuss the condition of the girl or the baby and would not say whether either was still in...

We broke the unbelievable story last night of a 10-year old girl in St. Anthony who gave birth to a baby. She's now one of the youngest kids in the country to become a mother. Residents both on and off camera were shocked and in dismay over the situation, today this is what they had to say about our story. Jim Ker, shocked resident: "I think there's a lot of sick people out there." Holly Theisen, upset resident: "Somebody would end up getting hurt by me if that was my kid and I'd probably go to jail." Kaity Dolezal, shocked...

AREVA, a French-based company, has chosen Bonneville County, Idaho, as the site for its first U.S. uranium enrichment facility. "While we had several attractive sites to choose from, we opted for Idaho Falls, which has strong ties to nuclear energy, and which welcomed AREVA and its proposed enrichment facility to become a new member of its community," said Michael McMurphy, President of Areva Inc. "We look forward to a productive and long-term partnership that will deliver diversity and strength to the regional economy." The $2 billion plant will be built 18 miles west of Idaho Falls, close to the Idaho...

Press Release By John Foster - May 06, 2008 Walt Minnick today offered Idaho drivers low-cost gasoline to call attention to the abject failure of Washington, D.C. to address our nation’s energy crisis. He also slammed Bill Sali for his cozy relationship with “big oil.” “For one hour today, while I’m talking to Idahoans about the high cost of gasoline, Bill Sali will sit down to lunch at a fundraiser and ask for money from oil lobbyists,” Minnick said. “In 18 months he’s become a true Washington insider. What Idaho needs is a new approach and some simple fairness.” Oil...

Nearly 80 rail cars loaded with contaminated sand from Kuwait are headed toward a dump in southwestern Idaho. American Ecology Corp. is shipping about 6,700 tons of sand containing traces of depleted uranium and lead to a hazardous waste disposal site 70 miles southeast of Boise. The sand arrived by ship at Longview, Wash., this week and company officials say loads are scheduled to begin arriving in Idaho by rail in two weeks. Transfer of the sand to the United States was first reported this week by The Daily News in Longview. The company has previously disposed of low-level radioactive...

BOISE — U.S. Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to delay opening a Mexican consulate in Boise until the government can assure Idahoans that the office will not foster the continued presence of illegal immigrants in Idaho. The request came in a letter sent Wednesday following a meeting Sali had with senior State Department officials. In the meeting, department officials expressed considerably more concern about whether the consular office would follow local zoning laws than whether it would aid people in breaking federal immigration laws, according to a prepared statement from Sali’s office. The...

Hard work, determination and a love of freedom are foundational principles that make Idaho “The Great State.” In the past, Idaho has been an ideal place to raise families and produce solid citizens. As we grow, keeping Idaho true to our legacy of conservative family values and ideals will be the ongoing challenge. I am not living in the Treasure Valley just because of outstanding recreation or budding opportunities. I am living here because I want my kids to call Idaho their home. I am committed to preserving “The Great State of Idaho” for our children and their children. I...

What are the characteristics that set one presidential candidate apart from the others? Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain ain't got nothing on Keith Russell Judd: He's the only candidate locked up in federal prison. But you, lucky Idaho, can vote for him. The—dare we say—longshot candidate filed to be on Idaho's ballot for the nation's top office on March 17, paying the $1,000 fee required if a candidate is not of national prominence. His name is now listed alongside Clinton and Obama as the state's official Democratic presidential candidates. Judd has also filed as a write-in candidate in...

Former Micron executive Larry Grant said Thursday morning that he will not run for the U.S. House in Idaho's 1st congressional district. Instead, Grant endorsed Walt Minnick, a former timber executive who ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996.

Charlton Heston played one of his most effective cameo roles in Idaho - and it wasn't in a film. Heston...was a critical figure in Idaho's Right to Work law, approved by voters in 1986 after the most expensive ballot-measure campaign in state history. Heston's TV ad in support of (the) law...ran for five months. "It really did get people's attention," said Lorna Auld, co-chairwoman of the campaign. "His voice was so memorable and for him to stand there like Moses and say, 'This is what I believe,' was good for us and good for Idaho." ...Gary Glenn, who ran the...

The Idaho Statesman was named a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the Larry Craig scandal that began with his arrest and guilty plea in an airport restroom last August. This is the first time the Statesman has been a finalist in its 141-year history. The McClatchy Co. has won more than 50 of journalism's most prestigious prize. The Washington Post won the 2008 Breaking News Reporting award for its coverage of the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. The New York Times was also named a Pulitzer finalist in this category. The Pulitzers have...

Charlton Heston in a TV ad supporting voter approval of a state Right to Work law on Idaho's 1986 general election ballot: "I've played men like Tom Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Lincoln, all of them heroes defending American freedom. There are Americans still carrying on that fight in Idaho, where citizens want the Right to Work without being forced to join a union. Now, as a former union president, I believe Americans should be free to choose. We're all watching, Idaho. Strike a blow for freedom. Vote YES on Referendum One."

A Senate candidate has legally changed his name to Pro-Life and will appear on the ballot that way this year, state election officials say. As Marvin Pro-Life Richardson, the organic strawberry farmer from Letha, 30 miles northwest of Boise, was denied the use of his middle name when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 because the state's policy bars the use of slogans on the ballot. Now, though, officials in the Idaho secretary of state's office say they have no choice because Pro-Life is his full and only name. He says he will run for the highest state office...

1976 Teton Dam disaster is just one hurdle facing any project to store more water and make more electricity. While Gov. Butch Otter and the Idaho Legislature talk about ways to build new dams and enlarge existing ones, the discussions are framed by two floods - one that some fear could happen at any minute, and another more than three decades ago that still hangs over the part of the state once devastated by its power. Weiser residents are watching the weather closely as above-average snowpack threatens to swell the Weiser River, which has no dam, to flood stage this...

On the map of American cities most vulnerable to terrorism, just one Western city blazed red with the rank of "high risk" - and it surprised even the man who led the study. "Everyone has been asking, 'What happened to Boise?' We were wondering when you were going to call," said University of Arizona mathematics professor Walter W. Piegorsch. The researchers didn't expect to see Boise pop out as No. 10 among 132 urban areas studied, he said. They triple-checked the numbers. "As we look at the data, we realize that you seem like an exception," he said. Most other...

A Senate committee approved Wednesday a bill that would strengthen state control over firearms regulations, despite concerns from the city of Boise. The bill essentially reinforces current state law, which prevents local governments from regulating anyone's right to bear arms. Speaking in favor of the bill, National Rifle Association official Brian Judy said the bill ensures the law will be the same for gun owners throughout the state. The bill does allow cities and counties to regulate the discharge of firearms. An earlier version of the bill was withdrawn after concerns that it would hamper colleges and universities from regulating...

The removal of the Rocky Mountain gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act is behing hailed by Idaho agricultural interests. "Wolves have been a major, major fundraiser for the environmentalists over the years. They hate to let it go. They want to keep the issue alive," said Stan Boyd, executive director of the Idaho Wool Growers Association. "Idaho met the 10 breeding pair standard many, many years ago, and so did our neighboring states. Technically, this delisting could have come three or four years ago." Livestock producers recognize the wolf is back and here to stay, Boyd said. "It's time...

Legislators are holding up a proposed gun bill, and that's just fine with the University of Idaho administration. A provision in the bill would have forbid local governments and college administrators from banning guns on Idaho college campuses. UI President Tim White said Friday if the bill had passed as written, they'd have a potentially dangerous situation on their hands. "It would have allowed concealed weapons, loaded weapons, on the University of Idaho campus, and all the campuses in the state of Idaho," said White. "We just found that to be unacceptable." Senate Bill 1381 was officially pulled for revision....

SPOKANE, Wash. — An apparent meteor streaked through the sky over the Pacific Northwest early Tuesday, drawing reports of bright lights and sonic booms in parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Although a witness reported seeing the object strike the Earth in a remote part of Adams County, in southeast Washington, it had not been found. "I'm convinced it was a meteor," said Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. "It was a classic description of a fireball." Chester speculated the meteor was the size of a big suitcase and had been orbiting the sun for...

Meridian, Idaho -- A man is facing felony charges for impersonating a police officer and attempting to pull over a young woman. His target was Fox 12 This Morning anchor Shayne Wells. Wells was heading into work around 2 a.m. when she happened to notice that a car she'd passed kept following her too closely. "That's when he actually turned off his headlights and suddenly, up in the front of his car, red, white and blue lights started flashing at me," said Wells.

In the "Ainsley Across America" segment, tonight's Hannity's America will "investigate a case involving an American accused of shooting an Iraqi".

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers are considering a bill that would strip the authority that administrators at public universities and community colleges have in keeping their campuses free of concealed weapons. A bill introduced in the state Senate on Wednesday would require the State Board of Education to set rules allowing concealed weapons on campuses, as long as permit holders first notify school administrators. Debate on the bill comes at a time when lawmakers in at least six other states have introduced legislation to loosen firearms restrictions by allowing students, staff or faculty to carry concealed weapons on campuses, according...