costs

Not everyone has the God-given bargaining ability that Ralphie Parker's father did in the classic Christmas film, A Christmas Story. The days of wrangling tree farmers out of $20 or $30 for that all-important symbol of Christmas are long gone.

Although Idaho fire crews have done an effective job stomping out a high number of blazes throughout the state in recent weeks, the risk remains still very high as state officials prepare for the final four to five weeks of the current fire season.

This summer, prepare to pay at the pump to fuel all your Idaho outdoor toys, such as those dirt bikes and off-road vehicles. The national average for fuel is presently at a six-year high.

Idahoans are being reminded to get specific flood insurance before the blood happens as temperatures begin to rise and the snow melts away.

The Twin Falls City Council voted this week to keep the recycling program for citizens. Monday, the council agreed unanimously to continue to collect certain recyclable material, but changed how the program would move forward.

(AP) - Idaho prison officials say the execution of Paul Ezra Rhoades for his role in the 1987 murders of  two women cost the state more than $50,000. Rhoades died by lethal injection Nov. 18 at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, marking the state's first execution in 17 years.