Tait was nominated by President Clinton to become one Idaho's two U.S. District judges in 1994, but his confirmation was blocked by then-Idaho GOP Sens. Larry Craig and Dirk Kempthorne, who said he was unqualified. The American Bar Association found Tait

Toni Hardesty, director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, has been named the new director of The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, the non-profit conservation organization reported today. Hardesty will oversee The Nature Conservancys work arou

The biggest surprise in Gov. Butch Otter's State of the State address last week was his target for tax cuts to spur job growth. "He kicked it to the Legislature, basically saying, 'Here's your box of Legos,'" said House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Be

Sen. Tim Corder, the new chairman of the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee, raises hopes for a warmer relationship between the House and Senate. The Republican from Mountain Home has more centrist views than the House. Speaker Lawerence Denn

John McGee Election night party for Republicans at Doubletree Riverside hotel in Boise Tuesday Nov. 2, 2010. BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Senate officials say Republican Sen. John McGee will keep his position as caucus chairman, the fourth highest ranking post

Sen. John McGee apologizes at a meeting of the Canyon County Republicans in Caldwell, Idaho, on Tuesday for a June 19 drunken driving incident. (Full-size photo) BOISE — Senate Majority Caucus Chairman John McGee is hoping the political free fall that b

BOISE, Idaho — Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter outlined $60 million in income tax cuts, a pay raise for state workers and teachers and a plan to equip students with laptops in his annual State of the State speech on Monday. Prepared remarks released ahead Otter

Then-Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne (R) and Al Cecere, president and CEO of the American Eagle Foundation, holding Challenger, a bald eagle, during ceremonies at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington recognizing the removal of the bald eagle fr

Since his landslide re-election, Gov. Butch Otter is spending significantly less time in the office. Otter, 69, typically doesn't show up at the office Mondays, instead scheduling "general office time" with no appointments. He works from home, according

Since his landslide re-election, Gov. Butch Otter is spending significantly less time in the office. Otter, 69, typically doesnt show up at the office Mondays, instead scheduling general office time with no appointments. He works from home, according to

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Power Co. gained more lobbying might from inside government, as another of the governor's former chiefs of staff registered to become a paid lobbyist for the state's biggest utility. Jason Kreizenbeck, who quit as Gov. C.L. "Butch"

Rep. Shirley Ringo and former gubernatorial nominee Robert Huntley are reviving a plan to cut the sales tax rate from 6 percent to 5 percent, while eliminating exemptions and expanding the tax to many services. They say new revenue an estimated $371 mil