Friday, December 31, 2010
prisons Fewer Executions in U.S., 17 Remain on Idaho's Death Row
Posted by George Prentice on Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 3:32 PM
Sixteen men and 1 woman are ending another year on Idaho's death row. It's been 16 years since Idaho has seen an execution. Meanwhile, the national debate over putting people to death grew in 2010. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there were 46 executions in 2010, nearly 12 percent fewer than a year ago and nearly half the number from only 10 years ago.
The center, in its year-end report, suggests that juries continue to favor the punishment of life without parole over execution when given the choice. In a recent poll by Lake Research Partners, 61 percent of U.S. voters chose various alternative sentences over the death penalty as the proper punishment for murder. And the economy was on the public's mind, when 65 percent in the same poll supported replacing the death penalty and using the money saved for crime prevention.
The economy will clearly play a role for Idaho's Dept. of Correction budget, the third largest in the state, when a spending plan is hammered out by the Idaho legislature, which convenes in a matter of days. The current budget for the department stands at $145.7 million from Idaho general funds (BW, News, "From the Inside Looking Out," Nov. 10, 2010).
Environment Opponents Readying New Objection Filing on Mega-Loads
Posted by George Prentice on Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 1:02 PM
The first week of the New Year should see a formal objection to recommendations from an administrative hearing officer on controversial mega-loads in north central Idaho.
Laird Lucas of Advocates for the West, representing a group of Idaho citizens opposing the T-rex-sized shipments, told Citydesk that his clients are crafting a formal objection to the the 57-page decision issued earlier this week by hearing officer Merlyn Clark.
"The process gave us 14 to 21 days to file an objection with the director [Brian Ness] of the Idaho Transportation Department," Lucas told Citydesk. "I expect that to be in his hands late next week."
Clark's report recommended permits to be approved to ConocoPhillips, which wants to haul four giant coke drums from the Port of Lewiston to its facility in Billings, Montana. Conoco insisted that the only path was across U.S. Highway 12.
"I have to say that the hearing officer simply did not address the issues we raised," said Lucas. "ITD didn't do its homework on this. For instance, we learned that they hadn't even properly measured the turnouts where the equipment would need to be pulled aside. Yet, they want to construct barriers at those turnouts to keep the public away."
If approved, each load would take four nights to travel 173 miles between Lewiston and the Montana border. According to Idaho's 10-minute rule, the maximum delay allowed for any cars that encounter these loads is 10 minutes.
"They didn't even address the 10-minute delay," Lucas told Citydesk.
Meanwhile, Conoco is ready to roll.
"We will soon put our plan into action," said Conoco refinery manager Steve Steach. "We look forward to delivering the equipment to Billings safely so we can complete our important refinery maintenance plan."
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Gay Rights Idaho Soldier Serving from the Closet. DADT Repeal Doesn't Lift All Burdens
Posted by Jody May-Chang on Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 11:09 AM
Despite the recent repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the policy remains in effect for several more months at least, leaving an estimated 65,000 active duty military service members still vulnerable for discharge for being gay, lesbian or bisexual.
One Idaho soldier now serving in Afghanistan as a combat medic is risking more than her life for her country. She is risking discharge because she is also a lesbian.
To protect her identity Citydesk will refer to her only as “Savanna," which is not her real name.
"My time in service has been rough," said Savanna. “I was aware of the DADT policy, but I don’t believe now that any soldier who DADT directly affects really understands how difficult, mentally and emotionally, hiding their true identity will be until it’s too late to turn back.”
“During basic training,” Savanna recounted, “a small group of lesbians were unfairly blamed for being 'too close’ to who was obviously a lesbian drill sergeant. I am thankful to have had a First Sergeant who stood for what he believed was right. He pulled each of the trainees facing the indiscretion aside and helped us to send home anything that could be perceived to be against the DADT policy (letters, pictures etc.) before the investigation began."
“I am willing to die for my country. Who I go home to at night and who I love should hold no substance,” she said.
Savanna said she refuses to let the Army make her uncomfortable with who she is, but still worries that there are still people “out to get gay and lesbian soldiers,” even though she said most people don’t care.
The chatter in her unit is about how the repeal will be implemented particularly if, and how, facilities like showers or living quarters might change.
“The way I see it,' said Savanna, "If we can afford the conflicts and wars our Commander-in-Chief signs us up for, we [would] have no problem investing in some shower curtains to further privacy.”
Savanna pointed out that all DADT does for her is allow her to be open about her sexual orientation.
“What I would give to marry the woman I’m with and move her to my duty station as my spouse,” she said.
One issue not resolved by the repeal of DADT—in addition to not protecting service members based on gender identity—is that gay service members, even those who are legally married, cannot live together on base like heterosexual couples can.
“We have to spend all four years of service apart, this is the hardest part of all," said Savanna. "There is a reason soldiers get free paid-time-off while deployed, because the time apart from family has proven its negative toll. However, the Army expects me to be away from who I would consider my spouse for my entire time in service. This is absurd.”
Overall, Savanna said she is happy about the repeal and will be relieved when she no longer has to hide in fear of being outed.
“I have been blessed to share this struggle with other soldiers who face the same injustice.”
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
crime Boise Man's Wings Clipped After Flight Kerfuffle
Posted by George Prentice on Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 10:31 AM
The skies were not so friendly over Boise Tuesday night.
A Boise man cooled his heels at the Ada County Jail after being charged with punching a fellow passenger aboard a Southwest Airline flight.
Russell Earl Miller, 68, was charged with misdemeanor battery. According to Boise police Miller got upset with a teenage boy sitting next to him. According to the arresting report, the boy refused to turn off his iPhone as the flight was approaching the Boise Airport. Police said that's when Miller took matters into his hands, or his fist, and slugged the teen in the arm. The young man didn't require hospitalization.
- Ada County Jail
- Russell Earl Miller
Boise Boise to Join National Survey of Arts Economic Impact
Posted by George Prentice on Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 9:24 AM
In April 2010, Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, told a Boise audience: "Arts are an important part of economic recovery."
His theory is about to be tested.
Tuesday, the City of Boise's Department of Arts and History announced it would participate in Arts & Economic Prosperity IV. The research study is being conducted by Americans for the Arts. The evaluation will gauge the impact spending by non-profit arts organizations and their audiences has on local economies.
Boise is one of 200 study partners, each providing event attendance data. In Boise, more than 800 patrons will be surveyed at arts and culture events in 2011.
In the last study, performed in 2005, it was estimated that arts and culture organizations and their audiences had a $38 million impact on the Boise area economy. The industry employed over 1,200 local residents.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Environment Hearing Examiner to ITD: Grant Permits for Mega-loads
Posted by George Prentice on Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 5:00 PM
No word on when they might roll, but ConocoPhillips is a big step closer to moving mega-loads of oil equipment across U.S. Highway 12 in north central Idaho.
Tuesday, a special hearing examiner recommended to the Idaho Transportation Department to deny an effort to halt the transport.
A series of legal maneuvers culminated in a marathon hearing in Boise in November. Conoco has been trying to ship four massive coke drums from the Port of Lewiston across U.S. 12 to its refinery in Billings, Mont.
Refinery manager Steve Seach said late Tuesday that he's ready for the equipment to roll.
"We will soon put our plan into action, and we look forward to delivering the equipment to Billings safely so we can complete our important refinery maintenance plan," said Seach.
Opponents are huddling to determine their next step.
Read the full recommendation from Hearing Examiner Merlyn Clark.
energy Idaho Power Secures Agreement with Six Mountain Home Wind Farms
Posted by George Prentice on Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 1:16 PM
Six more major wind farms will be plugging into the Idaho Power grid.
Today the Idaho Public Utilities Commission announced its acceptance of a sales agreement between Idaho Power and six separate wind projects near Mountain Home. Each wind farm will be operated separately but all have the same San Francisco project managers: Glenn Ikemoto and Maurice Miller.
Each of the wind farms—Cold Springs, Desert Meadow, Hammett Hill, Mainline Ryegrass and Two Ponds—has a capacity of 23 megawatts.
The wind farms are expected to be operational by year-end 2012. PUC staff calculated that the six are expected to generate more than 300,000 megawatt-hours annually, with a value of about $18.8 million in 2013 and increasing to about $36.9 million by 2032. The collective net value of the generation over the life of the agreements is more than $200 million.
Gay Rights Grounded Idaho Pilot Flying High Since DADT Repeal
Posted by Jody May-Chang on Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Born on Wright-Patterson A.F.B. in Ohio where his father was a navigator and his mother a nurse, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach was essentially born to serve.
After a career in the Air Force as a combat pilot, Fehrenbach has been grounded and sitting behind a desk for the last two and a half years since he was outed as gay by a civilian. In Sept. 2008, under Don't Ask Don't Tell, his commander recommended him for separation from the U.S. Air Force.
On Dec. 22, President Obama signed the repeal of DADT into law. Fehrenbach, who's been stationed at Mountain Home A.F.B. since 2007, talked to Citydesk about that historic change.
The day of the Senate vote, Fehrenbach was in the Senate chamber.
“I was counting on my fingers as we went,” said Fehrenbach. Suspecting 61 votes and perhaps some surprises, he knew it was in the bag when Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) voted yes.
“I knew then it would defiinitely pass the 60 mark, and I knew it was over.” The final vote was 65 to 31.
Fehrenbach described the last several weeks as an “intense emotional roller coaster.”
“They kept citing process, procedure, and parliamentary and political gamesmanship. I was watching saying, ‘I’m not a process, I’m not a procedure, I’m a person and they are playing with my life. Then when I heard Sen. [John] McCain Saturday on the Senate floor say this is part of some liberal agenda, again I got frustrated. I’m not an agenda.
“This isn’t a gay rights agenda for me, this is not a liberal agenda, this is my life. I did not do this to further some kind of agenda, I did this because it was the right thing to do and at the end of the day it affects people's lives.”
Even after the vote Fehrenbach said it didn’t feel real.
“The very end of it was the most poetic part for me, when he put his hand on the bill and said, ‘This is done.’ It was almost as if he were answering his promise to me.”
Fehrenbach learned last summer that the Air Force was moving forward with his possible discharge under DADT and his attorneys filed an injunction to stop it. His case has been in limbo ever since and for now, his fate remains uncertain.
"They could go to trial but that could take 18 to 24 months and guess what? I’m eligible for retirement in Sept. 2011.”
Asked if he would reconsider retirement now that DADT has been repealed, “I am ready to move on,” said Fehrenbach. “This has been a rough two and a half years. I am actually ready to live the life I wasn’t able to have for 18 years.
“I sacrificed a lot of personal relationships, not just intimate relationships but friendships. Because of this law, I couldn’t even have close friends that were gay.”
lawyers High Court Reinstates Attorneys' Right to Remove Judges
Posted by George Prentice on Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 9:41 AM
In what is traditionally a slow news week, the Idaho State Supreme Court has issued an order that reaches into every corner of the state court system. In effect, the high court ordered the reinstatement for attorneys to disqualify a judge without cause. The reinstatement goes into effect with the new year, which begins Saturday.
In July 2010, the Idaho Supreme Court suspended a part of Criminal Rule 25, saying it had been "used excessively and abused so that the use of the rule should be curtailed." But Monday, Chief Justice Daniel Eismann ruled the reinstatement comes "upon reconsideration." Citydesk confirmed the ruling Tuesday morning, and a deputy clerk of the court said the order would be officially posted soon.
Monday, December 27, 2010
crime Idaho Recovers $350,000 in Medicaid Fraud Settlement
Posted by George Prentice on Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Just in time to soften the blow in the upcoming budget-writing process, Idaho has received more than $350,000 as part of a Medicaid fraud settlement with pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
Of that sum, $118,661 goes straight to Idaho's Medicaid account and more than $230,000 will be deposited into the state's general fund.
The settlement resolved allegations that Novartis improperly promoted Trileptal and engaged in unlawful kickback schemes to induce physicians to prescribe the anti-epileptic drug and five other pharmaceuticals. In October, Idaho received $985,105 in a separate settlement with Norvartis. Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit joined with other states and the federal government in the settlement.
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