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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — State auditors say Idaho's prisons are overcrowded and dilapidated, the inmate population is rapidly growing and taxpayers could save millions by building a new prison. The findings came from the Office of Performance Evaluation's report on managing the state's correctional capacity. The report found that the Idaho Department of Correction could save as much as $17 per inmate, per day by building a state-run minimum security prison in Idaho. Idaho currently has more than 9,400 inmates, but only enough prison beds to house about 6.970 of them. That means thousands of inmates are shipped out of state to privately run prisons or housed in already crowded county jails.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Restrictions on using drones for surveillance on individuals and private property would be increased under proposed legislation. The House Transportation and Defense Committee on Tuesday voted to clear the way for a hearing on the measure put forward by Republican Rep. Doug Ricks. The new legislation adds commercial and industrial property to agricultural areas where drones wouldn't be allowed without permission. The legislation allows law enforcement agencies and fire departments to use drones without a warrant for such things as traffic management with large crowds and to assess damage following a natural disaster. There's also an exception for utility companies checking their equipment.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — State wildlife officials are requesting authorization to spend $408,000 to count wolves that will become part of an annual expense going forward. Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever told the Legislature's budget-setting committee Tuesday that knowing whether wolf numbers are increasing or decreasing is needed to make management decisions. The agency last week made its first wolf population estimate since 2015. It said there are 1,000 wolves in Idaho based on information from 600 cameras scattered around the state. Some lawmakers voiced concern about spending that much money to count wolves. The committee won't start setting budgets for several more weeks.
CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (AP) — A woman who was having an affair with a Colorado man and helped him after he beat his fiancee to death has been sentenced to three years in prison. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports 33-year-old Krystal Lee was sentenced Tuesday after admitting she cleaned up the bloody crime scene after Patrick Frazee killed Kelsey Berreth. The killing happened in Berreth's townhome in Woodland Park in November 2018. She also told investigators she took Berreth's phone to Idaho at Frazee's request to make it look like Berreth had left the state. Frazee is serving life in prison for first-degree murder.
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