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REDISTRICTING-IDAHO
Idaho redistricting puts more Dems in 2nd District
(Eds: With BC-US--GOP Advantage.)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho has just two congressional districts and the border between them has been shifting on a steadily westward march since the 1970s as the population of Boise grows.
When the state's bipartisan citizen redistricting commission looked at redrawing the lines in 2011, some members pushed to place all of Ada County and Boise in the 1st Congressional District, shifting Canyon County to the 2nd District.
But that would have resulted in about 400,000 of Idaho's 1.5 million people voting in a new district — a move the committee found ultimately too radical.
Instead, they chose landmarks like the Boise River and State Highway 55 to mark the new borders, shifting more Democratic voters into the 2nd District.
Still, in the highly Republican state of Idaho, the shift had little impact.
Dean Ferguson, spokesman for the Idaho Democratic Party, says the 1st District, with its liberal strongholds in Moscow and some Boise neighborhoods, is still considered a potential win for Democrats, and the 2nd District remains much tougher.
FEDERAL MONEY
Idaho ranks in top half for federal dependency
(Information in the following story is from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho ranks in the top half of states with the highest dependence on federal dollars, according to a new study.
The Idaho Statesman reports the Gem State outranks every neighboring state in dependence except for Wyoming, which comes in at a national ranking of 43rd to Idaho's 31st.
In personal finance website WalletHub's study, released last week, a higher ranking meaning more dependency.
That means only 20 states depend more on money from the government than Idaho.
Although federal money makes up more than 35 percent of Idaho's total revenue, Idahoans aren't forking over the most in taxes.
The state gets back $1.40 for every dollar its residents pay in federal taxes.
Delaware was ranked as the least-dependent state, while Mississippi and New Mexico tied for the most-dependent spot.
ELMORE COUNTY-DISASTER DECLARATION
USDA declares Idaho's Elmore County disaster area
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added a southern Idaho county to its list of Idaho regions considered natural disaster areas because of drought.
The department designated Elmore County a primary natural disaster area, making farmers and ranchers in the county eligible for natural disaster assistance. Other Idaho counties with federal natural disaster declarations include Ada, Boise, Custer, Owyhee, Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Twin Falls.
Farm operators in those regions can apply for low interest emergency loans from the federal Farm Service Agency, as long as they meet certain eligibility requirements. Farmers have until Nov. 19 to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses from drought.
RESTAURANT BATTERY
Police: Restaurant worker hit complaining customer
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Garden City woman was arrested Saturday after police say she attacked a customer who complained about poor service at the restaurant where she worked.
The suspect, 29-year-old Truc Huynh, became confrontational after Boise police officers arrived at the restaurant, located in the 7300 block of West State Street.
When the officers asked Huynh to speak with them in another room, she grabbed a butter knife and assumed a fighting stance, they said.
After being persuaded to put the knife down, she kicked one of the officers twice in the leg as they handcuffed her.
Huynh was booked into the Ada County Jail and charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor resisting and obstructing.
The customer, who suffered a bruised jaw, declined to press charges.
SHOTS FIRED-WHITE HOUSE
Man who shot at White House sentenced to 25 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Idaho man who pleaded guilty to firing an assault rifle at the White House in 2011 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
A federal judge in Washington sentenced Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez on Monday.
Prosecutors had asked he spend 27 ½ years in prison for the shooting. No one was injured, but prosecutors say Ortega-Hernandez hit the executive mansion about eight times and did nearly $100,000 in damage.
Ortega-Hernandez's lawyers argued he was suffering from extreme depression and mental stress at the time of the shooting and was under the misguided belief that Armageddon was coming. They asked for a 10-year sentence.
Prosecutors initially charged Ortega-Hernandez with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama but agreed to drop the charge as part of a plea deal last year.
WHOOPING COUGH-IDAHO
Whooping cough cases spike in southwestern Idaho
(Information in the following story is from: KTVB-TV, http://www.ktvb.com/)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Southwestern Idaho health officials say whooping cough cases are on the rise in Ada and Canyon Counties.
Central District Health Epidemiologist Sarah Correll told Boise television station KTVB that usually only a small portion of whooping cough cases are reported, and right now the number of reports is about four times higher than average. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious respiratory disease that can cause severe coughing. The illness can be potentially deadly to infants or small children who are too young to be vaccinated.
Correll says it's not unusual to see whooping cough spike about every five years. So far there are 26 confirmed cases in Canyon County and 25 in Ada County.
Health officials recommend that anyone who will be around a newborn have up-to-date vaccinations.
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