News Director, Townsquare media
James Tidmarsh
Otter “Misspoke” Reguarding $300 million in Medicaid
Idaho Governor "Butch" Otter concedes he misspoke last week by suggesting Idaho could lose up to $300 million in Medicaid funding if it doesn't adopt an insurance exchange required by the federal health care overhaul. He now says if lawmakers opt against establishing a state-run exchange with $20...
Idaho Plans New Grading System For Public Schools
Idaho plans to adopt a new grading system for public schools while seeking a federal waiver to get around provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law. Under the state Department of Education's new accountability system, Idaho will use a five-star scale to evaluate and recognize schools...
Burley Man Charged in Wife’s Death
A Burley man remains in jail..accused of murdering his wife Monday night. The Cassia County Sheriff's Office responded to a call at a home in Burley and when they arrived, they found 25-year-old Joann Lyn Lara dead. Deputies found the circumstances surrounding her death suspicious...
Twin Falls GOP this Week 1/10/12
This week Steve Millington with the Twin Falls County Republicans will discuss the Governor's State of the State address, the 2012 legislature and the result of the GOP straw poll.
You can hear Steve Millington ever Tuesday morning from 8:30-9:00 on Top Story with Kelly Klaas and Jill Skeem...
Governor Otter Delivers 2012 State Of the State Address
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is pitching $60 million in tax cuts in his State of the State address, a proposal that dwarfs a separate initiative to create technology jobs and spur university research.
Monday's speech to open the 2012 Legislature was intended to underscore how Otter favors trimming government over new programs to boost Idaho's economy...
Parking Lot Conviction Of Twin Falls Man Upheld
The Idaho Court of Appeals Wednesday has upheld the conviction of a Twin Falls man convicted of possession of a controlled substance in October 2009. the times news reports Raul Martinez-Gonzalez was arrested in the parking lot of his apartment complex after police were called about suspicious activity near the apartment’s laundry room...
State Lawmakers Head Back To Work On Monday
State lawmakers will go back to work in Boise on Monday. While the situation isn't as bleak as past legislative sessions, the budget is expected to dominate the 2012 legislative session. House Minority Leader John Rusche, a democrat from Lewiston tells Idaho's News Channel 7 the big question this year will be trying to decide what goes where...
Special Olympics Statewide Games Canceled Due To Lack of Snow
Special Olympics Idaho is canceling its statewide games due to a lack of snow. The statewide games were scheduled for the first weekend in March, but with little snow and no more forecasted the decision had to be made now. The announcement was made to participants on Wednesday...
Idaho’s Economy Growth Slow But Getting Better
A State economist warns t could take until 2014 for Idaho’s economy to fully recover from the 60,000 jobs lost during the recession. State chief economist Derek Santos told the Legislature's economic-outlook committee yesterday that Idaho's personal income — the total of wages, business profits, investment earnings and government payments such as Social Security — showed a 6 percent growth in 20
Idaho’s New Anti-Union Laws Declared Unconstitutional
A federal judge has thrown out Idaho's two newest anti-union laws, saying they violate federal rules and would restrict the free play of economic forces. The laws, intended to weaken the power of labor organizations in Idaho, were passed during the 2011 legislative session...
Filer Man Sentenced For Role in Death Of CSI Students
A Filer man will spend 10 days in jail and complete 10 days of community service for his role in an accident that killed two College of Southern Idaho students. 21-year-old Kade D. Laughlin pleaded guilty this morning to reckless driving as part of a plea deal with the twin falls county prosecutor...
Twin Falls Police Looking For Volunteers
Kevin Loosli, the reserve program coordinator with Twin Falls police, tells The Times-News that the department is hoping to expand the program from two volunteer officers to about seven. In the past, Loosli said, most reserve officers entered the program to build skills in order to become full-time police officers...
A Quiet New Years Holiday
The number of DUI’s in Twin Falls on New Year’s Eve was nearly double what it was last year. But it was still a relatively quiet holiday. Overall Twin Falls police say they made about120 traffic stops between New Years Eve and New Year's Day...
Sun Valley Becomes Capital For A Day
Governor Butch Otter and other state leaders helped mark Sun Valley's 75th anniversary yesterday by declaring it capital for the day.
The event is the governor's way of bringing his office and other state agencies each month to communities of Idaho that aren't close to the State Capitol in Boise...
Buhl Man Faces Charges After Kidnapping Incident
A Buhl man has been charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two people with a handgun. The Times-News reports that 23-year-old Robert Joseph Ferreira was arraigned Dec. 14th after a Twin Fall police officer responded to a call about a woman being kidnapped at gunpoint from a car...
It’s Game Day For The Boise State Broncos
It's game day for the Boise state broncos as they battle against the Arizona state sun devils in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.
Boise State played in the MAACO Bowl just 12 months ago, riding to a 26-3 win over Utah. Arizona State returns to the postseason for the first time since a 2007 Holiday Bowl loss...
Burley Man Being Held On $50,000 Bond for Murder
Bail has been set at $500,000 for a 24-year-old Burley man charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a pickup during a traffic stop last weekend. Michael Jared Thompson was charged Monday in the death of 21-year-old Michael Kenneth Blair, also of Burley...
Ex-Teacher out on parole after pleading guilty to sex crime
A former Burley junior high teacher who posed as a 15-year-old boy in order to engage in sexually charged Internet conversations with a female student is out of hail on probation. The Times-News reports Michael Scott Brinkerhoff left the Cassia County Courthouse Tuesday after serving served 215 days in custody...
Wendell Man Back Home After Being Kidnapped
A bizarre kidnapping case that started out as a home invasion earlier this month in Wendell has taken another twist. 33 year old Ramon Enrique Lizarraga-Felix came back home to his family on Monday. The man was taken after four men broke into the family's home two weeks ago...
LDS Church to Build Another Temple in Idaho
Idaho will soon have another LDS temple. Church officials say a new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple will be built just outside of meridian. The church announced last spring that it would build its second Treasure Valley temple but hadn’t disclosed the site until Monday...