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New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains
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Conservation Icon Stewart Udall Dies
Stewart Udall, a Western political and conservation icon who served as Interior secretary for presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, died Saturday morning at his home at age 90.
Udall was a member of a family of influential Western Democrats. His brother Morris Udall was a congressman and one-time presidential contender. His son Tom is a New Mexico Senator. His nephew Mark is a Colorado Senator.
My Uncle Stewart was a great public servant, and a wonderful writer and storyteller, Mark Udall said in a statement. He was passionate about conservation, and he was a champion of Native peoples. All those who care about our national parks and the environment will miss his voice.
Contract For School Technology Could Delay Adjournment of Idaho's Legislature
Failure of mediation between the Idaho Department of Administration and Syringa Networks regarding the development of the Idaho Education Network (IEN) could mean that the Idaho Legislature may not be able to adjourn as planned by next Friday.
One of the few remaining tasks for the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) was to provide $3 million in spending authority for the IEN based on a two-year grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson education foundation. The budget for the IEN was supposed to be set a week ago, but was held off at the request of Legislative leadership until mediation was held yesterday in hopes that the Syringa lawsuit could be settled first.
It concluded last evening around 8:00 without success, said Ken McClure, of Givens-Pursley, legal counsel for Syringa.
From Missouri to Montana, On Foot
Seldom Seen: A Journey into the Great Plains
By Patrick Dobson
University of Nebraska Press, 296 pages, $29.95
In Seldom Seen, author Patrick Dobson embraces Walt Whitman's charge to take to the open road. He leaves behind a mind-dulling job in Kansas City, Missouri and sets out on foot for Helena, Montana, carrying only a backpack and possessing the resolve of a person who's just made an abrupt about-face.
When this story begins in the summer of 1995, Dobson needs a change. He's doing odd jobs for a hotel, sometimes repainting the same concrete floors month after month. But he has a vague sense that there's something else out there for him, or at least something more to life than the one he's been living. Dobson spends a year saving money for his epic adventure, and then he finally walks out his front door with sturdy boots on his feet and an overstuffed pack on his back. 
Former Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho Won't Run for Congress
Former Idaho Rep. Bill Sali announced today he will not run in the Republican primary to regain his old seat, but instead will support state representative Raul Labrador in the primary.
Others who have filed in the Republican primary for Idaho's First Congressional District include Harley D. Brown, Michael L. Chadwick, Allan M. Salzberg, and Vaughn Ward. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick.
At a press conference in the state capitol rotunda, Sali said he is supporting Labrador as the right sort of person to send to Washington, D.C., someone with the backbone to make a tough vote.
The things I've seen him do helped me make a decision, Sali said. He said he admires Labrador for independent thinking.
Labrador said it was a surprise but an honor to have former representative Bill Sali's support.
Northern Pike: A**holes of the Fishing World
Are you a trout fisherman? If so, I hope you savor every cast, every strike, every last fish you bring to the net between now and the day you lay down your rod for good. Enjoy these sleek, spirited gamefish that help make Montana one of the finest fishing destinations in the world. Because your children will be pike fishermen. The northern pike is laying waste to the trout population of Western Montana with such ruthless efficiency, it makes whirling disease look like a paper cut by comparison.
Obama Retains Bush Legal Defense of Public Land Recreation Fees
Change We Need. You remember it, right? Heard it at least a thousand times, correct?
But based on recent events, Barack Obama's campaign slogan should've been No Change Needed because public land users have all been short-changed again by the Forest Service (FS) with full support of the new administration.
Critics of the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) or Recreation Access Tax (RAT), as we call it, have been quick to blame it on the evil, pro-privatization, environmental unfriendly Bushies, so I guess it's a real shock to us to see the Obama administration making no change at all in the defense of the aggressive implementation of maligned law.
Udall Proposes SUN Act to Expand Solar Power
Sen. Mark Udall announced Wednesday a new bill intended to boost solar energy production by extending solar tax credits to residents who invest in community solar farms to power their homes.
The bill is the first of a series of clean energy bills Udall, D-Colo., plans to unveil. He said the legislation was inspired by conversations he had with residents and business owners on Colorado's Western Slope during a tour of the region last month.
The bill, dubbed the Solar Uniting Neighborhoods Act, would extend a solar tax credit to those who pay into an offsite community-based solar array to provide power to their homes. Current law allows homeowners to receive a 30 percent credit for installing solar panels on their property.
What's Next for Climate Change?
Domestic and international efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are dead in the water. Many will think this is bad news. I don't. Here's why.
Policies such as the Kyoto Protocol and U.S. cap-and-trade legislation focus solely on reducing CO2 emissions. But these are symbolic acts, mere posturing, while doing little or nothing to achieve their stated goals. Stubborn reliance on this approach is now the main barrier to an effective climate policy.
State Schools Super Tom Luna Files For Re-election
Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Republican Tom Luna, has filed the papers which formally declared he is a candidate for re-election. He is finishing his first term, and will face Democratic challenger Stan Olson, who is now the Boise Superintendent of Schools.
Superintendent Luna said, We have made great progress thanks to talented teachers, dedicated parents and hard-working students. We are heading in the right direction, but clearly we can never be satisfied until all of Idaho's students are performing well. We are on the right path, and we must continue this momentum.
Luna graduated from Thomas Edison State College. Before becoming Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction in January 2007, Luna was a businessman. He first got involved in the state's education system by serving on the Nampa School Board for seven years, including three years as chairman.
Full disclosure: Stan Olson and his wife Connie are my next-door neighbors.
Boise Schools Superintendent Stan Olson: Candidate for State Schools Super
Boise's Superintendent of Schools, Stan Olson, Ed.D. plans to announce Thursday that he'll run for State Superintendent as a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent Tom Luna.
I have an almost 40-year track-record of partnership and accomplishment in education at every level, said Olson. Given the challenges Idaho's students face today, we need a person who understands real education leadership now more than ever.
Olson holds a BA in History from Central Michigan University, an MA in Community Education from Eastern Michigan University, an Ed.S. from the same, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. In his 37 years in education, Olson has been a classroom teacher, adjunct professor, school consultant and facilitator in the fields of educational leadership and school community relations, as well as a superintendent.
At his announcement, Olson will be joined by Boise School Board President AJ Balukoff, Mayor Dave Bieter and former Governor Cecil Andrus. The event will be held at Grace Jordan Elementary School, 6411 West Fairfield Ave. in Boise.
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