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EDUCATION TASK FORCE
Idaho Gov's Ed Task Force reconvenes in Boise
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Members of the Governor's Task Force for Improving Education are meeting again to establish some new proposals to present to Idaho lawmakers next year.
Gov. Butch Otter created the task force last year, asking members to come up with recommendations to improve the state's education system. They came up with a list of 20 items for the Idaho Legislature to consider, but while progress was made on some of the recommendations, none was fully implemented.
The group is now reforming into two committees, which will work on developing proposals and implementation plans on teacher career ladders and other items. A third working group will be created to address reading proficiency and literacy.
The committees are scheduled to meet in Boise on Wednesday.
YELLOWSTONE BISON
Drivers urged to watch for migrating bison
(Information in the following story is from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com)
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — State wildlife officials are asking drivers to watch for bison as they migrate out of Yellowstone National Park north of Gardiner.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports this year's combination of deep snow and increased tolerance for bison outside the park adds up to an increased chance of running into large animals on the roads in the Gardiner basin.
Two bison died last week after being struck on U.S. Highway 89 north of Gardiner.
The posted speed limit in the area is 70 mph, but state Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are asking drivers to slow down and use caution, especially at night. Officials say the risk of hitting bison and other wildlife will remain high until May, when the bison are hazed back into the park.
JUVENILE LIFE SENTENCES
4 Idaho teens serving life prison sentences
(Information in the following story is from: Coeur d'Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com)
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Four Idaho youths are now serving life in prison without patrol for murder convictions.
Although charged as adults, the prisons keep the children segregated from the rest of the adult population until they are legally considered adults.
Idaho State Appellate Public Defender Sara Thomas tells the Coeur d'Alene Press that courts throughout the nation are beginning to recognize the development of youths into adults when imposing life sentences.
In the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruled that imposing mandatory life without parole sentences on minors was unconstitutional, with the exception of murder.
The Idaho Attorney General's office opposed the Supreme Court's decision.
Ada County District Judge Cheri Copsey has presided over cases involving child killers and says life without parole sentences are necessary to ensure society is protected.
IDAHO WINES
Official: Idaho wines getting national attention
(Information in the following story is from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com)
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — The executive director of the Idaho Wine Commission says the state is getting national attention for its wines.
Moya Dolsby credits a $400,000 annual budget funded through the state liquor tax and wine industry assessment as well as enthusiastic supporters.
Dolsby tells the Lewiston Tribune that she no longer has to beg restaurants and retailers to try Idaho wines.
The state's wine industry has grown from a single commercial winery in 1976 to 50 today.
In 2009, more than 3,200 tons of wine grapes were harvested in Idaho, producing some 327,000 gallons of wine. That has jumped to nearly 3,800 tons of grapes and about 434,000 gallons in 2012.
The industry contributes more than $73 million to the state's economy and provides nearly 700 full-time jobs.
MORMON CONFERENCE
Mormon president urges members to love others
(Information in the following story is from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon church president Thomas Monson has urged members to follow Jesus Christ's example by showing love toward others.
Monson also stressed the importance of forgiveness during a talk Sunday in Salt Lake City during the faith's biannual general conference.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports the 86-year-old Monson said love should be "the very heart of family life," but often is not because of impatience and fighting.
He said "forgiveness should go hand in hand with love," adding that "blame keeps wounds open" and "only forgiveness heals."
Dieter Uchtdorf, Monson's second counselor in the governing First Presidency, said gratitude is the solution to bitterness and sorrow.
The conference brings more than 100,000 Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City to find out church news and soak up words of guidance and inspiration from the faith's top leaders. Millions more watch worldwide.
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