Latest Idaho news, sports, business and entertainment at 9:20 p.m. MDT


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDAHO

Idaho Gov. Brad Little issues statewide stay-at-home order

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little has issued a statewide stay-at-home order as the coronavirus continues to spread. Little announced the order Wednesday and said it will remain in effect for 21 days. Idaho has more than 91 confirmed cases of COVID-19 spread throughout the state. The governor also issued a new “extreme emergency” declaration for the state, a step he said would allow him to take additional steps to expand the capacity of Idaho's health care system.

AP-WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT-IDAHO

Governor signs bill limiting Idaho whistleblower lawsuits

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Whistleblower lawsuits against Idaho will be limited to $370,000 in non-economic damages under legislation signed into law by Gov. Brad Little. The Republican governor on Tuesday signed the bill that has no limit for economic damages. Economic damages can include loss of income and legal fees. Non-economic damages include such things as pain and suffering, and emotional distress. The measure follows a whistleblower lawsuit the State Police settled in 2019 for $1.29 million. In that case, a whistleblower claimed police retaliated against him because he testified against another officer in a court hearing. Backers of the legislation say the limits on non-economic damages protect Idaho taxpayers.

MARRIAGE AGE-IDAHO

Idaho governor signs bill setting minimum marriage age at 16

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law legislation setting 16 as the minimum age for a person to get married. The Republican governor on Tuesday signed the bill that also limits the marriages of 16- and 17-year-olds to someone not more than three years older. Backers say the legislation is needed to prevent forced or coerced marriages of young girls to much older men. A similar bill failed in the House last year that required a judge to sign off on someone marrying at 16 or 17. The new legislation only requires parental consent.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RURAL-AMERICA

Rural America watches pandemic erupt in cities as fear grows

DUFUR, Ore. (AP) — The pandemic's toll in big cities like New York, Seattle and San Francisco has dominated headlines, but large swaths of rural America are also deeply affected. Tiny towns tucked into Oregon's windswept plains or on Alaska's arctic tundra might not have a single case of the new coronavirus yet, but these small communities are still wary. They fear the spread of the disease to areas with scarce medical resources, the social isolation that comes when the only diner in town closes its doors and the economic free fall that's hitting hard in places where jobs were already hard to come by.

BULLETPROOF VESTS-WOMEN

Mountain Home Air Force base gets tactical gear for women

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Mountain Home Air Force Base is changing some of its equipment to make sure women in the security forces have properly tailored protection. Sgt. Steven Pyott, with the 366th Security Forces Squadron, tells Boise television station KBOI that the base is one of the first to have purchased and tested a large supply of the tactical vests shaped to fit women. The vests carry steel ballistic plates and can hold the tools that security force members use as they guard the base. Senior Airman Anna Hale says the new vests distribute weight more evenly, allowing for greater ease of movement.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-OREGON

Brown says state may have trouble providing 'basic services'

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown says she is ‘gravely concerned’ about Oregon's ability to deliver basic services over the next six months to a year because of the economic fallout from statewide closures and stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Brown said Tuesday that the state has far more needs than resources and the economy is “tumbling down" as thousands are laid off. The governor plans to call a special session of the Legislature as early as next week to earmark $250 million for the COVID-19 response and to insure there is enough money for the upcoming wildfire season.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent Idaho stories

Related topics

Idaho
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast