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Boise adds two official flags in latest jab at Legislature's new law

Boise adds two official flags in latest jab at Legislature's new law

Yahoo07-05-2025

The Boise City Council made the Pride flag a city flag Tuesday to get around a new state law.
The Legislature earlier this year banned most flags from flying on government property, but left an exception for 'the official flag of a governmental entity.'
Cheers, boos and expletives erupted from the crowd during the rowdy meeting. Five of Boise's council members voted yes on the resolution — saying that everyone was welcome and safe in Boise. Luci Willits, the lone no vote, said she felt the city had to uphold the law and that constituents didn't want the change.
'I know that people who identify with this flag want to be seen,' Willits told the waiting crowd inside the meeting. 'I want you to know that I see you, even if I disagree with having this be an official flag.'
The city also designated a National Donate Life Month banner as an official flag, meaning Boise now has three official flags. The resolution itself says an official flag is any one the mayor declares as official.
Some council members focused on the economic and emotional benefits of having a pro-LGBTQ+ city.
Council President Colin Nash said he empathized with people who are afraid of being open to the world.
'There are so many folks that live lives of quiet desperation, every single day in our community, who carry with them a secret,' Nash said. 'I hope just once that the city of Boise's flag, that someone will see that and know that they are not alone.'
As the officials spoke, audience members interrupted and argued among themselves, including complaints that the city didn't take public comment on the change. The resolution was on the consent agenda, which typically doesn't include time for comments.
Over an hour before the meeting, dozens of protesters and observers were filling up the spaces between police barricades in front of City Hall.
Garrett Richardson, who said he identifies as gay, came to the meeting to speak in opposition. He said he has voted Democrat but feels politically homeless right now, and he views the flag as signaling support for liberal causes more than the LGBTQ+ community.
He said Boise should focus on concrete actions to help LGBTQ+ Boiseans, like expanding sexually transmitted infection prevention and treatment services.
'I was born and raised here and I experienced a ton of homophobia in school,' Richardson said. 'I don't think any flag could ever fix that.'
Other people came to the event to show support for LGTBQ+ children.
At least one other city in Idaho is trying to potentially find a way around the new law, which also allows for displaying the U.S. flag, flags of any state, flags of any U.S. military branches and units, the POW/MIA flag, flags of Indian tribes and flags of Idaho public schools, colleges and universities.
An hour after Boise's city council meeting started, Bonners Ferry councilors gathered to discuss their longtime display of the Canadian flag. The flag is a 'sign of friendship' and a recognition of Canadian tourism's impact on the economy, Bonners Ferry City Attorney Andrakay Pluid wrote in a memo.
Once the law was in place, the Idaho Attorney General's Office contacted Bonners Ferry asking the city to take down the Canadian flag, according to the online council agenda. The Attorney General's Office declined to comment.
Pluid presented three options to the council: The two simplest options were to keep flying the flag and risk a lawsuit or stop flying it. However, the city also could use part of the law allowing flags to commemorate special occasions and declare a year-round 'special occasion' recognizing the relationship with Canada, the city attorney said.
'It's an untested issue,' Pluid wrote in a memo to the council.
It was unclear at the time of publication what action Bonners Ferry would take.
Cities have been grappling with the law since it went into effect April 3, in part because it has no enforcement mechanism. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador also sent a letter to the city of Boise warning of potential consequences. Recently, the city announced several lawyers had volunteered to represent the city pro bono if there's legal action about the flags.
Thad Butterworth, chairman of the Ada County Republicans, told the Statesman he thought the bill was 'reasonable' in its attempt to eliminate partisanship from government entities. However, Butterworth said he was concerned that legislators hadn't included a way to enforce the law. Several Ada County Republicans were planning to attend the meeting unofficially, he said.
Even as the council members moved on to more mundane business, protesters kept arguing outside. A local right-wing provocateur tried to burn a Pride flag on a cross, but ultimately left. People hurled insults as the police started taking down the barricades.
Eventually the crowd dispersed. All that was left were chalk messages, reading 'Rainbows are 4 everyone' and 'love wins.'
Earlier, Becky Prew had sat among the sidewalk designs, wearing a pride shirt. She came to support her LGBTQ+ son, who had moved away from Idaho because of homophobia.
During the Legislative session, photographs given to legislators on the House floor included the Pride flags at Boise City Hall.
'I think it's unfortunate. I mean I don't think we're a city that should be so divided. We were never like this,' Prew said. 'I don't understand why (LGBTQ+ people) are the target of this.'
Boise-area sheriff criticizes a new Idaho law he says police can't enforce
Boise is still flying Pride flag. Citing new law, Idaho AG sends warning letter

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Mourners pay respects to late US Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state at New York City Hall

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Mourners pay respects to late US Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state at New York City Hall
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Mourners pay respects to late US Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state at New York City Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — Mourners are paying their respects to former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state Thursday at New York City Hall, an honor bestowed to a short list of political figures, including U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. The outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat died May 26 at a New York hospital. He was 94. Rangel spent nearly five decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. His funeral takes place Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan. A wake was held Tuesday at a church in Harlem, the upper Manhattan neighborhood where Rangel, nicknamed the 'Lion of Lenox Avenue,' was born and raised. Rangel's body arrived at City Hall on Wednesday, where there was a private evening viewing for his family in the landmark neoclassical building at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan. On Thursday morning, a small group of mourners quietly came to pay their respects in City Hall as the surrounding streets bustled with tourists and workers. Rangel's closed casket sat in the building's marbled rotunda draped with an American flag. Uniformed police stood at rigid attention on either side of him, backed by the state and nation's flags. Mike Keogh, a 63-year-old lobbyist and former city council staffer, was among those who knew Rangel personally. 'He had the greatest voice in New York politics at the time. It was so rich and so full,' recalled Keogh. 'It just made you feel really warm to be around him and to really hang on every word.' Tina Marie grew up in Harlem and recalled Rangel as a part of the neighborhood's famed Gang of Four— Black Harlemites who rose to the very top of city and state politics in the 1970s through the 1990s. The others were David Dinkins , New York City's first Black mayor; Percy Sutton, who was Manhattan Borough president; and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and New York secretary of state. 'I didn't get to make the other three people's funerals so I wanted to come and pay my respects,' said Marie, who now works for the state education department steps from City Hall. 'I didn't agree with all the things they did, but they stood up for people who couldn't stand up for themselves.' Besides Presidents Lincoln and Grant, the others accorded the City Hall honors after death include statesman Henry Clay, newspaper publisher Horace Greeley and Civil War generals Abner Doubleday and Joseph Hooker. The last person to lie in state in City Hall was City Councilman James Davis, who was assassinated by a political opponent in the council's chambers, located the floor above the rotunda, in 2003. Doors opened for the public to pay their respects to Rangel at 9 a.m. Thursday. The viewing will run until 5 p.m. and will be followed by an honor guard ceremony with pallbearers representing the 369th Regiment, an all-Black unit from World War I known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Rangel's funeral at St. Patrick's on Friday will also be public and livestreamed . The Korean War vet defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970 to start his congressional career. Rangel went on to become the dean of the New York congressional delegation and the first African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee in 2007. He was censured in 2010 by his fellow House members — the most serious punishment short of expulsion — following an ethics scandal. Rangel relinquished his post on the House's main tax-writing committee, but continued to serve until his retirement in 2017 , becoming one of the longest-serving members in the chamber's history. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries , also a New York Democrat, lauded Rangel as a 'patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent and champion for justice' when his death was announced last month. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

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